President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulates Leadership Newspaper Group on its 20th anniversary and commends the media organisation for its enduring contribution to informed journalism and good governance.  

President Tinubu fondly remembers Sam Nda-Isaiah, pharmacist, businessman, columnist, and politician, who was the visionary founder and chairman of the newspaper group.    

The President recalls Nda-Isaiah’s invaluable contributions to Nigeria's vibrant media landscape, from his time as a weekly columnist at Daily Trust newspaper to founding Leadership Confidential and later establishing the Leadership group of newspapers.  

The group began as a weekly newspaper on October 1, 2004, before transitioning to a daily national newspaper on February 1, 2006. The group also publishes LEADERSHIP Hausa and National Economy.  

President Tinubu commends the newspaper's board, management, and staff for upholding the founder’s vision of producing a flagship national newspaper that promotes good governance, defends the interests of the Nigerian state and its people, and adheres to the highest ethical standards of journalism.  

The President also acknowledges the role of Nda-Isaiah's wife, Zainab, who epitomises the ideal African woman. Following her husband’s passing in 2020, she took over as chairman and has successfully led the company to greater heights.   

President Tinubu further recognises the critical contributions of a dedicated team, including media icon Azubuike Ishiekwene, the editor-in-chief.  

As friends, readers, and well-wishers celebrate Leadership Newspapers' two-decade milestone, President Tinubu reaffirms that his administration will continue to support journalists in performing their duties unhindered, free from threats, intimidation, or any form of inhibition, in accordance with the constitution.   

President Tinubu hopes that the Leadership Newspapers will continue to churn out balanced stories that future generations will treasure as newspapers of untainted record.  

Bayo Onanuga  

Special Adviser to the President  

(Information & Strategy)  

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has issued a landmark ruling declaring that the Directorate of Road Services, commonly known as the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), must immediately cease confiscating vehicles or imposing fines on Nigerians for road traffic violations.

Delivering the judgment in case number FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023 on October 2, 2024, Justice Nkeonye Evelyn Maha stated that the VIO is not legally empowered to seize vehicles or impose harsh sanctions on motorists.

This ruling follows a lawsuit brought by rights attorney Abubakar Marshal from Falana and Falana Chambers, which aimed to challenge the authority of one of the country’s most notorious road traffic enforcement agencies.

The decision significantly curtails the powers of the VIO, offering relief to millions of motorists who have long faced the threat of vehicle confiscation and fines.

However, it is important to note that the ruling does not extend to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), which has operated for decades as Nigeria’s largest body of road traffic marshals.

In her judgment, Justice Maha emphasized that VIO officers “are not empowered by any law or statute to stop, impound, confiscate the vehicles of motorists and or impose fines on motorists.”

The court subsequently issued a perpetual injunction against the VIO and its agents, forbidding them from infringing upon the rights of Nigerians, including their freedom of movement and right to own property, without lawful justification.

As of Thursday afternoon, it remained unclear whether the VIO would comply with the ruling, as a spokesperson for the directorate had not responded to requests for comments regarding the judgment.

[NaijaNews]

Zenith Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest financial institutions, has come under fire from customers on social media platforms due to ongoing network failures that have left many unable to complete transactions. The frustration spilled onto Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, where customers have been venting their anger and sharing stories of how the bank’s unreliable network has disrupted their day-to-day activities.

For weeks, customers have complained about delays in processing payments, failed transactions, and inaccessibility to the bank’s mobile and online platforms. Many have expressed concern over the fact that these issues have not been adequately addressed by the bank, leading to widespread dissatisfaction.

One X user, Najib@Rilwannajib, posted, “Zenith bank has been down for more than 24 hrs. That means if you had any emergency or need for your money the card will fail & you won’t access your bank app. Remove every penny you have with them once the network is back. Don’t let them embarrass you.

Another user, Chika Agina@chikaagina01, posted, “This should be the height of disregard for your customer! While will @ZenithBank choose today, in other to make life miserable for its customer’s? It’s been over 8 hours they promised to restore their service and it’s still not working”.

In the same vein, Real Fidel Okeke with X handle, @RealFidelOkeke Replying to @ZenithBank excuse on the platform that the bank’s system is under maintenance posted, “Are you sure the Zenith Bank App has not been compromised? If not, how can you explain that at 4pm, internet services has not been restored? This is poor service. If 5 million Nigerians move from Zenith to other banks, they’ll probably learn to relearn.”

In fact, the bank’s social media pages have been flooded with complaints, with many customers expressing frustration at the lack of communication or resolution. A Facebook user wrote, “I’ve been trying to use my Zenith app for days without success. If you can’t fix the network, at least inform us. We deserve better.”

The network failure has not only caused personal inconveniences but has also affected businesses that rely on the bank’s services for daily transactions. Small business owners, in particular, have voiced their concerns. One such business owner, who sells groceries at Ogba, in Lagos, lamented, “My business has been affected badly. Most of my customers pay via transfer, and since Zenith Bank’s network keeps failing, I’ve lost customers and money. It’s unacceptable.”

Several other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have echoed similar frustrations, explaining that they are losing business opportunities because their Zenith Bank POS devices and mobile applications are not functioning as expected.

In fact, it is not a misnomer to opine that observations from unarguably frustrated customers at various Zenith Bank’s ATM Galleries and POS Operators show that the bank’s reassurances have done little to pacify the aggrieved customers. Many feel that the bank is not taking the situation seriously enough and that their promises of swift resolution have been unfulfilled.

In the digital age, where financial institutions rely heavily on technology to serve their customers, network reliability is crucial. This latest incident has highlighted the importance of consistent and dependable banking services, especially in an economy where digital transactions are becoming the norm. Customers have called for greater accountability from Zenith Bank and for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to intervene to ensure that customers are not continually subjected to such disruptions.

A customer who this writer parleyed with today, Wednesday, October 2, 2024, in his comment on the issue, said:  “Banks must understand that customer experience is key in today’s competitive financial industry. When there is a pattern of network failures like this, it can result in the loss of customer trust. Financial institutions should invest more in improving their infrastructure to prevent recurrent failures.”

As the complaints continue to pour in, Zenith Bank must take swift and transparent action to restore its services and regain the trust of its customers. In today’s interconnected world, a seamless banking experience is no longer a luxury. It is an expectation. Failure to address these issues could lead to customers seeking more reliable alternatives, especially as competitors offer similar services with fewer disruptions.

For now, many customers are left in the lurch, hoping that Zenith Bank resolves the issue before more damage is done to its reputation and customer base.

Moreover, Zenith Bank should find a lasting solution to its persistent network issues in order to retain its existing customers. Consistently unreliable services can drive away loyal customers, and the bank risks losing its standing in a competitive market if these problems persist. To avoid further reputational damage, Zenith Bank must prioritize investments in technology infrastructure and customer support, ensuring they deliver the reliable banking services their customers deserve.

The Nigerian music industry has come a long way. It has produced stars of global repute, with artists like Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, and of course, Wizkid and Davido leading the charge in taking Afrobeat to the world. These two juggernauts of Afrobeat have built massive careers and fanbases, not only in Nigeria but across the globe. However, beneath the glittering success of their music is a long-running, and some would argue, needless rivalry, the so-called “war of supremacy” between Wizkid and Davido.

To anyone familiar with the Afrobeat scene, the debate over who is the “king” between Wizkid and Davido is a constant topic of discussion. Fans take sides and engage in heated arguments, often pitting the achievements of one against the other. But a deeper look into this rivalry reveals that this competition is unnecessary, counterproductive, and in many ways detracts from the larger picture of African music flourishing globally.

Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, emerged on the scene in 2010 with his debut hit single “Holla At Your Boy”. He has since become a dominant figure in the global music space, collaborating with international superstars like Drake, Beyoncé, and Skepta, to mention a few. He has won a Grammy Award for his contribution to Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl”, which further cemented his legacy as a global force.

On the other hand, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, made his mark with his debut single “Back When” in 2011, and soon after, the catchy hit “Dami Duro” catapulted him to fame. His deep pockets, energetic stage performances, and natural showmanship have seen him earn global recognition. He has worked with international icons like Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Baby. His “A Good Time” album achieved international success, making him a global ambassador for Afrobeat.

Both artists have built impressive discographies, garnered numerous awards, and have toured arenas worldwide. But instead of their successes being celebrated in tandem, their rivalry has continued to overshadow many of their achievements.

To understand why the Wizkid versus Davido narrative exists, one must explore its origins. Some fans argue that the competition began as a natural comparison between two of Nigeria’s biggest exports. Both artists rose to prominence around the same time, and as they grew more successful, their fanbases began to compete. This “war” was then fueled by social media, where “Stans” from both sides took to Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms to argue who was superior.

What was once a light-hearted debate on who made better music soon evolved into something more toxic. Subtle jabs through tweets, Instagram posts, and comments about the other party began to emerge. For instance, Davido once referenced Wizkid indirectly in a post saying, “You are a frog, your voice does not even sound nice,” which sparked widespread reactions. Likewise, Wizkid has also made cryptic comments that fans interpreted as digs at Davido. While both artists have at various points claimed that there is no bad blood between them, the actions of their followers suggest otherwise.

Given the foregoing untoward relationship between the two superstars, it is important to recognize that Wizkid and Davido bring different things to the table. Their sounds, styles, and approaches to music are distinctive. Wizkid’s music is often characterized by his smooth voice and ability to blend Afrobeat with other genres like reggae and R&B. His songs have a laid-back vibe, ideal for late-night listening or calm moments.

Davido, on the other hand, is known for his high-energy, feel-good tracks. His music is the life of the party, perfect for turning up at concerts and clubs. While Wizkid might appeal to fans of more mellow and soulful sounds, Davido draws crowds that enjoy energetic performances and sing-along anthems. Comparing these two is like comparing apples and oranges, they are both fruits but with entirely different tastes.

Rather than focusing on the success stories of Afrobeat’s global domination, the public narrative often centers on the so-called “beef” between Wizkid and Davido. This takes away from the achievements both have made, not just for themselves but for African music as a whole. Their rise to prominence has inspired countless young African artists, proving that global stardom is achievable. It is unfortunate that fans, and sometimes the media, focus more on fuelling the competition between them than celebrating the strides they have made in pushing the Afrobeat genre forward.

One of the biggest problems with this rivalry is the role played by overzealous fans. Instead of supporting both artists for their unique contributions, many fanbases tend to take sides and resort to online bullying, discrediting the achievements of one artist in favor of the other. It is common to see heated exchanges on Twitter, where “Wizkid FC” and “30BG” (Davido’s fanbase) throw insults at each other, sometimes turning conversations into toxic environments.

What fans fail to realize is that they are contributing to a false narrative that both artists need to be rivals. Wizkid and Davido have, on various occasions, publicly supported each other’s music and downplayed any rumors of animosity. Fans must learn that it is possible to appreciate the greatness of both without pitting one against the other.

In recent times, both Wizkid and Davido have shown growth and maturity. They have expressed mutual respect in interviews, and though they have not collaborated much musically, they have been seen together at different events, sending a clear message that there is no real beef. This level of maturity should be emulated by their fanbases, who should stop creating tension where none exists. Instead of stoking the flames of competition, fans should champion the unity of Nigerian artists in the global music space.

In fact, many music lovers have been clamoring for a Wizkid and Davido collaboration. Such a project could finally put to rest the debates over who is superior. Instead, it would showcase the beauty of unity and diversity in Afrobeat. Imagine the groundbreaking impact a collaborative album or single would have on the global stage. Their combined star power could potentially elevate Afrobeat to even greater heights, opening doors for upcoming Nigerian artists to follow in their footsteps.

Wizkid and Davido’s perceived “war of supremacy” is ultimately an unnecessary and counterproductive narrative. Both artists have solidified their places in history as two of Nigeria’s biggest music exports. Their contributions to Afrobeat should be celebrated, not compared in a manner that diminishes their individual accomplishments.

The Nigerian music industry is vast enough for both stars, and there is room for many more. Afrobeat’s global rise proves that collaboration, not competition, is the key to longevity and success. It is time for fans to recognize this and shift the conversation towards unity, progress, and celebrating African music in all its forms.

If Wizkid and Davido themselves have matured beyond this rivalry, should not we all?

At a public function in Lagos two weeks ago, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, gave startling revelations on the weaknesses and inadequacies of our tax system and came up with a damning verdict that it is riddled with corruption and stymied by smuggling and unnecessary waivers. They are some of the reasons our tax revenues are lower than what many smaller African countries earn. He explained why Nigerians are unwilling to pay tax, which signifies a breakdown of the social contract between the state and the citizens and the urgent need for a new order. To drive home his point, he gave many empirical examples to. In a recent visit to Kenya, he met a hotel porter who earns 50,000 Kenyan shillings (equivalent of N650,000 per month), and pays 16,000 shillings (N208,000) tax, which is 30% of his salary. In 2004 – twenty years ago – one Kenyan shilling exchanged for N1, but today, one Kenyan Shilling goes for N13. Oyedele points out that in many African countries, citizens pay higher rates of tax than Nigerians and obtains better quality of service from the government. He also noted that the Naira is been extremely undervalued.

Oyedele gave a presentation at the 2024 Access Corporate Forum held on September 19 in Lagos. It is a yearly event, organized by Access Holdings as a platform for a national discourse between the government and business. To further illustrate his point, he said that Nigeria collected a paltry N1.5 trillion in personal income tax in 2023, far less than the equivalent of N50.5 trillion collected by South Africa and N5.8 trillion collected by Kenya. Both countries have far less populations than Nigeria. Similarly, Nigeria collected N3.2 trillion in customs duties last year, far less than Kenya’s N8.9 trillion collected within the same period. Yet, the value of imports into Nigeria within the same period was $66 billion and $23 billion for Kenya. In Kenya, a worker that earns less than equivalent of N223,000 per month does not pay personal income tax; and same exemption applies for workers who earn less than N600,000 per month in South Africa. Compare that to Nigeria where the exemption applies to only those who earn less than N30,000 per month. In other words, more people pay personal income tax in Nigeria than in South Africa and Kenya, yet the tax revenue is far less in this country than in those two countries. He attributes this to corruption and leakages in the implementation and management of our fiscal policies.

Comparing our budget with Kenya’s budget also threw up some curious facts. Last year, the federal government budgeted N35 trillion while the 36 states and FCT budgeted N16 trillion, giving a total equivalent of $31 billion. For a country of 200 million people, this is a miserable amount. This is about the same size as Kenya’s budget (the country has 54 million people) and less than 25% of South Africa’s budget of $161 billion. Clearly, Nigeria is a very poor country. Oyedele also noted that in a recent study, it was established that most Nigerians do not want to pay taxes because they do not have confidence in the capacity of the government to judiciously use their resources to provide the needed services. In other words, there is lack of trust in the government.

Underlying these contradictions in the tax system and lack of trust in government is the absence of social contract between the government and the people. A social contract implies that the citizens are expected to pay taxes to the government, and in return, they expect high-quality public services and good policies that are executed properly from the government. An expert in the field of social contract, Dr. Andrew Nevin, has also written in a book ‘’Public Policy and Agents Interests’’ that social contract has broken down in Nigeria and needs to be replaced since such a system is not sustainable for many reasons. Nigeria’s politicians and civil servants, he writes, ‘’have only known a system where acting as a good agent is unknown, and so the processes and behaviours required to be good agents are still unknown’’.

The stimulating discussions at the Access Corporate Forum highlighted the challenges that lie ahead in weaning the country from years of reliance on extractive industry. The reality is that Nigeria’s rent-seeking and extractive system has conditioned generations of Nigeria’s civil servants and politicians for decades to put their personal interests above the interest of the people. Roosevelt Ogbonna, a director of Access Holdings (he’s also the CEO of Access Bank), said the objective of the forum is to deepen the dialogue between the public and private sectors. It’s the second time in a year the forum was holding, indicating the institution’s determination to keep its corporate customers, in particular and Nigerian businesses in general, informed about public sector policies, initiatives and actions. ‘’Access is a partner with our governments’’, Ogbonna said in his opening remarks, noting that the bank has recently raised $2 billion from diaspora bond for a government.

The Tinubu administration has been trying to reset the economy and position it on a growth trajectory to achieve $1 trillion in size by 2031, up from about $400 billion as at today. It’s a herculean climb. But Finance Minister & Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, is optimistic. ‘’The economy is beginning to turn the corner’’, he said in his keynote speech at the forum, stressing that the administration wants to protect the weak and the vulnerable from the pains of the reforms. He listed the modest gains recorded in the last 15 months to include stability in the FX market; increased government revenues; growth in GDP (from 2.5% to 3.2%) and growth in foreign reserves ($2.5 billion every month). Last month, the government assembled a committee to implement its economic plan known as Accelerated Stabilization and Advancement Plan (ASAP). The plan aims to drive growth across eight priority sectors. The mention of growth prompted Aliko Dangote, who had been listening almost unnoticed, to chip in a few words. He said the government must promote local investors to achieve economic progress by cutting regulations, red tapes and abuses in the system. He should know.

Another paper, titled 2026 Economic Outlook, was presented by Bismack Rewane, and its focus was to look ahead at key parameters in the next 24 months. Rewane projects that in 2026, the United States’ GDP will hit $36 trillion (about $29 trillion this year); Nigeria’s GDP will hit $400 billion (slightly lower this year) and India will become the world’s sixth largest economy. Nigeria’s unencumbered foreign reserves will double; market capitalization will hit N110 trillion and inflation will moderate below 25%, down from 32%. He listed the key growth areas as telecoms; agriculture; oil and gas and financial services. Rewane called for the government to sell of the nation’s stranded assets worth billions of Naira and lying waste and redundant.

Access Corporate Forum (ACF) is the latest addition to similar dialogue sessions such as the World Economic Forum which holds every January in Davos, Switzerland and the Nigeria Economic Summit Group which holds in Abuja every October. ACF should devote its next session to the issue of corruption, incompetence and decadence in our polity.

In the previous article I wrote regarding popular crossdresser and transgender Bobrisky, real name; Idris Okuneye, I suggested that if there is a way her antics have proved useful, it is how much they manage to reveal us to us. Well, Bobrisky did it again when she became a topic at the National Assembly. Credit goes to her for showing the vapidity of our lawmakers. Not that we did not already know they are essentially overpaid harlequins, but watching the whole drama of their inviting a social media clout chaser―who shows up accompanied by another clown cosplaying “native doctor” to a purported investigative panel―confirmed the institution they represent as perhaps irretrievably degraded.

What were the lawmakers expecting when they summoned someone who had merely released a taped conversation? This character did not put any skin in the game; he did not embark on fact-finding to get the information. The expose was merely a dialogue between supposed friends that someone had passed him to blackmail Bobrisky to pay a debt. Already obsessed with Bobrisky, he decided to release the tape to the public even after the debt was cleared. That is the character lawmakers summoned to the “hallowed chamber.” They did not stop there; they also invited Bobrisky; who had enough sense not to show up. What exactly were they trying to achieve by bringing those two together to face off? Is the NASS now Kókóró Aláte?

Look, I get it. They wanted to respond to the Bobrisky case considering the public interest the leaked tape elicited, but was that how to go about it? Their unserious approach shows how poorly they think of their constitutional powers and their moral duty. If they are interested in reforming our carceral system, I am sure they will find serious research conducted by serious people at the libraries of either NIPSS in Kuru, Jos, or the various think tanks in the country. Why ignore all that to pursue a social media “influencer”? It is not as if anything that has been revealed so far is new information. We were all here in December last year when the National Correctional Service, the DSS, and the EFCC publicly fought over who should have custody of the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele. Why would three agencies be jostling over the detention of a rich inmate if not because they see him as an opportunity?

In 2019, investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo published his investigation into the rot that typifies the Nigerian prison system. This was someone who actually got himself incarcerated just to substantiate his allegations of corruption in the Nigerian prison system. If the NASS needed to summon a person who had experienced how degenerate the prison system had become, it should have been him. Why overlook those who have committed sincere efforts towards researching these issues to run after those whose interest in this matter is not even skin deep? These are people who have turned the internet into a job, and all of this is just another show to tickle an idle followership.

To be clear, I am not against a diligent investigation into the issue. Yes, both the EFCC and the correctional service ought to be investigated with an eye toward reforms. I also think that the procedure for getting presidential pardons needs to be reviewed. The category of people who receive presidential pardons in Nigeria has always been suspicious anyway. As commonplace as the allegations that emanated from Bobrisky’s leaked tape are, they are still grievous enough to warrant a diligent investigation. What is entirely unacceptable is the frivolity of the lawmakers’ inviting social media figures―who are constantly at loggerheads―to confront each other. By also inviting a crowd of journalists, and televising the encounter, they reduce a grave matter of institutional collapse to mere entertainment. Those kinds of issues are best resolved by confronting the liable institutions, not individuals whose roles are merely symptomatic of the larger systemic rot.

For me, the matter is worth investigating given the role of the EFCC and the alleged N15m bribe. Their self-justification regarding why they dropped the money laundering charges against Bobrisky was more scandalising because of what it revealed about them and their investigation process. According to an EFCC prosecutor, Bilikisu Bala, who claimed the money laundering against Bobrisky was rightfully dropped, they had charged her based on her confessional statement that her firm, Bob Express, was not registered with SCUML and was not rendering returns to the organization. Now, that part piqued my interest.

So, it was not like there was any report that warranted their arresting Bobrisky and charging her with money laundering in the first place. They arrested her, and seeing as how the Naira mutilation offense―for which she was eventually imprisoned―was too cheap to convince the public of the necessity of their actions, they pressed her into some self-disclosure, and then proceeded to charge her with an offense based on her own words! Let me say that again. Prior to the arrest, they had nothing substantial against Bobrisky. But they thought that if they detained her and shook her well enough in their custody, one or two things that could be used against her in the court would eventually fall off.

Now, there is a possibility that even though they finally realised that the case of money laundering would not sail, some of their men still went ahead and used the charges to extort money from her. Since she might not have realised there was no evidence whatsoever to charge her with money laundering, they took advantage of the knowledge gap to demand a bribe. So, when their prosecutor Bala said the money laundering charges were “legally” dropped, he was not exactly lying. There was never a basis for them in the first place but were necessary because the EFCC was desperate to charge Bobrisky with an offense so sensational that it would obscure the very thing about her that was paining them: her sexuality.

If that was exactly how it happened, then it explains a lot about why the EFCC has been an ineffective institution; they are so crooked that they cannot stand straight on any issue at any time. When you see the EFCC chairman, Olu Olukayode, wringing his fingers and moaning about how they opened a “backdoor” for former Kogi governor Yahaya Bello, just know that it is not the way the law was worded that constricts their initiative on Bello. Where else does it happen that an investigating agency needs the cooperation of an accused to do their job to the extent they would practically be begging for the attention of the person they are supposed to prosecute? After months of EFCC’s whining, Bello finally walks into their headquarters and walks out while the officials look on like a headless mannequin in a lingerie store. They were paralyzed by their own lack of moral backbone. Shame!

We have no objective evidence of who demanded the money from Bobrisky and how it was shared, but there are enough details from the tape to convince anyone who has been paying attention to the pattern of things that the accusation could not have been false. No one prompted Bobrisky to rant, so why would she have lied against the EFCC in a tape she did not know would leak? Also, considering that aspects of her story—particularly the part about staying in a private prison—have been confirmed by prison officials, the part about the EFCC is most likely true as well. In any case, the only reason people are excited by this is Bobrisky. Nothing about this scandal is new. While one cannot control what topics people chinwag on social media, should lawmakers not be too serious to give institutional gravitas to every silliness?

Ex-Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, has stated plans to make a return to coaching after being sacked by Chelsea Football Club in 2021.

In a chat with The Sports Agents podcast on Thursday, Lampard also admitted he is keen on managing the England national team.

According to reports, Lampard is one of the coaches being linked to the role after Gareth Southgate stepped down after Euro 2024.

He said: “As an English player who played 100-plus times, and an English person who’s very proud – of course, the England set-up is something that I never dreamed of.

“I played many times for England. So, now as a coach, you know, I think I would be crazy to sort of say, ‘Oh no, that would never interest me.”

The England national team also known as the ‘The Three Lions’ is currently being managed by Lee Carsley as an interim Manager who was appointed in August 2024 for the UEFA Nations League 2024 campaign.

[Punch]

When I came home on Saturday, August 31, 2024 to meet my wife, Chioma, lying on the bed with bloodshot eyes, I was alarmed. When I asked what the problem was, she retorted: “Check your phone.” She accuses me of bad telephone etiquette – not reading text messages and responding timeously – with a warning that if I don’t change, sooner than later, I would miss out on an information that needed urgent attention. From the tone of her voice, I had a hunch that foretold the day may have come.

I quickly checked my phone and froze. “My mother is no more,” was her pithy message at exactly 4.01pm, more than five hours before I came back. I was shocked because we had spoken to the old woman the previous day and she was not only in high spirit but also, typically, prayed for everyone. There was no premonition whatsoever which explains why the news hit me like a thunderbolt, even when we all knew that at her age, she was at life’s departure lounge.

Born on January 21, 1929, my mother-in-law, affectionately called Nmaekwuahu because of her breath-taking beauty, was blessed with longevity in very good health. Throw into the mix the fact that she is survived by eight children, 35 grandchildren and 41 great grandchildren who doted on her till the very end, her blessings were extraordinary.

The only daughter of her parents, her enthralling beauty ensured that she was not only the darling of her parents and doting male siblings, but also the cynosure of all eyes in her Onicha community and beyond. It was, therefore, not surprising that suitors started knocking on her parents’ doors early. But she gave none consent until an equally handsome young man, Raymond Anyanwu Okahia, from neighbouring Eziudo community came along.

She was not quite ready for marriage at the time, because as she recalled: “I was too young to marry, still climbing trees but I was told that I would learn from my new home.” And, indeed, she learnt a great deal in her new home after her wedding on May 11, 1949 at the Catholic Mission Ahiara, a Eucharistic ceremony officiated by Rev. Fr. Edward Darcy.

Ndigbo have a saying that every mother’s delicacy is the most delicious to her children. But when I say that Ezinne Eunice Egowure was a mother-in-law like no other, it is not in that sense. It is a statement of fact. She was an extraordinary being in every sense. Though she didn’t acquire formal education, something she regretted, her knowledge of prevailing issues was profound. But even at that, she once vowed to me: “In my next life, I will read everything there is to read.” But to make up for the vacuum which she insisted the lack of formal education created in her life, she and her husband ensured that their children acquired as much formal education as they wished.

Beyond that, Mama embodied all the values that defined womanhood in the classical sense: she was virtuous, extremely devoted to her husband all through her lifetime; compassionate with overflowing milk of human kindness and carried herself with unparalleled dignity. Her native intelligence, sense of humour, warmth and infectious smile made her a natural leader. But she was also a very resolute, assertive and firm person, who never sacrificed honesty and integrity on the altar of wayward exigencies.

As at the time the husband died in 2011, they had lived together for 62 years and true to the advice that she would learn a lot in her new home, Mama had learnt quite a great deal in those values that make for a successful married life – communication, compromise and commitment – making her a marriage lodestar of sorts. For over six decades, she was a devoted wife, who, in an uncanny sense, was also modern in her ways. Long before it became a fad for women to join their husband’s names to their marital names, she boldly inserted her husband’s first name, Anyanwu, into the family name, Okahia, hence Ezinne Egowure Anyanwu-Okahia.

She was a quintessential marriage counsellor, always inundating intending couples on the principles of nurturing their fondness and admiration, always turning toward each other, letting their spouse influence them, solving their solvable problems, overcoming gridlock and creating a shared sense of meaning.

As a son-in-law, I am a beneficiary. When I married her daughter, she gave her an invaluable advice on how to ensure that the integrity of her marital home remained inviolable, an advice which Chioma divulged to me inadvertently. I was very grateful to the old woman, knowing that she had handed me, to borrow a cliché, her daughter’s “mumu button.” Ever since, whenever my wife was inclined to “misbehaving,” all I needed do to dissuade her was a casual reminder of her mom’s counsel, to which she will retort with a frown: “Because I told you, I will never tell you anything again.” But seconds later, she will behave accordingly.

I will forever remember my mother-in-law with affection. Ever since I went to her home to seek her daughter’s hand in marriage in 2002, Mama showered me with undiluted love. Chioma, whom she affectionately called Nwa God was her adorable last child and I was her son-in-law who could do no wrong. I will always cherish the four-hour discussion I had with her in her son’s Texas home in 2010. She was vacationing in the U.S. at a time I was attending the annual Mbaise convention and I went to see her in Dr Linus Okahia, her first son’s home in Dallas. She let me into secrets I will share with no one else.

Though unlettered, she was, nevertheless, a community and church leader who everyone looked up to for guidance. Even in her old age when she was no longer able to attend community and church engagements as she used to, most of those meetings were hosted in her home.

Her love for the underprivileged was incomparable. She was generous to a fault and constructed such an ennobling support system that became part of the community’s social architecture. A fantastic cook, nobody ever left her house hungry and nothing offended her more than rejecting her offer of food.

Because most of her children and grandchildren live in the Diaspora, her interment has been slated for January 3, 2025 when most of them will be around to pay their last respects to the matriarch of the Okahia family, a woman who was not only physically beautiful and elegant but radiated warmth, love and kindness from inside.

Even at 95, her death hurts and I will miss her dearly. But I am not mourning. She lived a good life and impacted positively on all who had the good fortune of making her acquaintance. In death, her memory is already a blessing. I am not mourning, knowing full well that she is already resting in the bosom of her creator because my mother-in-law, through her exemplary life, echoed St. Paul’s testimony in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 thus: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.” 

As we prepare to bid her final farewell, Ezinne Eunice Egowure Anyanwu-Okahia, nee Osuagwu-Onuoha, was, indeed, a mother-in-law like no other. She was a good woman. May her soul rest in peace. 

Several good things happen in the bedroom, often the place of rest and renewal. Sometime in 2004, Sam Nda-Isaiah and his wife Zainab conceived the idea of a newspaper there. 

She told the story before of how her husband got up in the wee hours, scribbled a few things in a jotter, and asked what she thought of the names and the sketch. That was not the day the newspaper started, of course. But it was only a matter of time.

That idea, which later became LEADERSHIP, has evolved from the feisty flimsy of decades ago into a news content company with a stable comprising some of Nigeria’s most fearless and authoritative news brands. Let’s walk back through the years that fostered this growth.

The pharma’s lab

Sam, as the founder was fondly called, was a journalist who happened to be a pharmacist. His father, Clement, was one of Northern Nigeria’s most durable newspaper deskmen with a strong interest in sports. He worked in New Nigerian Kaduna, but his influence and reputation went far and wide. 

His son, Sam, branched off into journalism after studying Pharmacy at the Obafemi Awolowo University Ife and working briefly at Pfizer. The transition might have been a vocational accident. I think, more appropriately, it was a triumph of the genes. He first joined Daily Trust, then in its infancy, as one of the newspaper’s columnists. 

After years of column-writing, he compiled his selected works into a book, Nigeria: Full Disclosure, before launching a newspaper. It took a lot of work, though. Before the newspaper, he started a newsletter, LEADERSHIP Confidential, a highly-prized window on life, politics and powerplay among Abuja’s high and mighty, patronised by embassies and the political glitterati. 

Confidential mafia

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Malam Abba Kyari, Adamu Adamu, Mamman Daura, Abba Mahmood, and Adamu Suleiman, people who knew the dark secrets of government, were among the most valuable anonymous contributors. But the newsletter wasn’t enough for Sam, the man of big ideas. He wanted to do more. 

He gathered the money from the launch of Full Disclosure, which was about N20m then. With a small team comprising Nnamdi Samuel, Abraham Nda-Isaiah, Uche Ezechukwu, Demola Abimboye, Winifred Ogbebo, Douglas Ejembi, Audee Giwa, Kingsley Chukwu, among his earliest staff, he released a preview towards the end of September 2004, before the maiden edition on October 4, dedicated to God and country. 

God and newspapers

I’m not sure God reads newspapers. But countries pay attention. A few notable newspapers have significantly affected the course of their countries for ill or for good. When Rudolph Hearst started the New York Journal, his motive was clear: how to run Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World out of town. 

That rivalry inflamed one of the most hysterical eras in American journalism, including Hearst’s use of his press to instigate deadly conflicts with Spain.

However, the US press also had its unlikely heroes, one of the most remarkable being Katherine Graham, daughter of the founder of The Washington Post. 

Whatever Jeff Bezos may have unmade of the brand today, ThePost, on Katherine Graham’s watch, was the newspaper that defied the US government to publish the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate story, two of the most consequential scoops of the 21^st century. 

Loaded gun

I’m not saying LEADERSHIP is The Post. Not yet. I’m saying that newspapers can affect their countries’ trajectory one way or the other. Lord Beaverbrook eloquently said, “[Press power] is a flaming sword, which will cut through any political armour…that is not to say that any great newspaper or group of newspapers can enforce policies or make or unmake governments at will, just because it is a great newspaper.

“Many such newspapers are harmless because they do not know how or when to strike. They are in themselves unloaded guns. But teach the man behind them how to load and what to shoot at; they become deadly.”

The youngest and longest-serving Former British Labour Party Prime Minister, Tony Blair, knew this. For most of his years in Number 10, whenever the media mogul Rupert Murdoch called once, Blair answered twice.

But again, LEADERSHIP is not SUN or Times of London. Nor is Olusegun Obasanjo, Blair. Yet, Nigeria’s President Obasanjo would not forget LEADERSHIP in a hurry. In Too Good to Die: Third Term and the Myth of the Indispensable Man, the epic catalogue by Chidi Odinkalu and Aisha Osori, we read about the daring ambition of the former president to wrest an illegal third term. 

Beacon, always

Even in its infancy, LEADERSHIP was perhaps the most consequential newspaper that frustrated Obasanjo’s ambition. It has remained just as much a scourge of crooked leaders as a champion of Nigeria’s unity. 

For example, Imam Abubakar Abdullahi came to the limelight after the company’s awards and conference subsidiary recognised the cleric for sheltering Christians in his mosque at the height of the deadly sectarian violence of 2018 in Jos. 

Again, this year, Auwalu Salisu, a Kano-based tricycle rider awarded by the newspaper for returning N15m to the owner, received an avalanche of praise, including a cash award of N250m by the Niger State government, which Governor Mohammed Umar Bago has redeemed and kept in the care of the Sam Nda-Isaiah Foundation.

The newspaper remains fervent in its fight for press freedom, regardless of which Witchfinder General wants to undermine the press. Its dogged pursuit of the “unidentified” persons who murdered Nigerian journalist James Bagauda Kaltho in 1996, for example, led it through a labyrinth of minefields from Durbar Hotel, Kaduna, where he was bombed, through the trail of one Russell Hanks believed to have been a US envoy in Nigeria, and back to the US Embassy. The murder is still unresolved.

Neighbour-to-neighbour

There is another moment that bears retelling. In the heady days after the 2015 general elections, when the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, besieged INEC Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega and threatened hell as the final results were being announced, the rogue economic wing of the PDP under the auspices of Neighbour-to-Neighbour, offered publishers vast sums of money to publish an advert that President Goodluck Jonathan had won the election. 

An unsuspecting LEADERSHIP staff collected the money and gleefully called the publisher to inform him that the newspaper’s bread had been buttered. Sam, whose fury, even at the best of times, was like a raging storm, was on another level of fury. He ordered that the bag of cash be returned immediately. Not long after the money was returned, Muhammadu Buhari was announced the winner, and Jonathan conceded defeat within the hour. 

Ghana-Must-Go!

In these 20 eventful years, LEADERSHIP readers have had an unfailing companion – Ghana-Must-Go, the irreverent cartoon strip on the back page. In my time here, I can only remember once when GMG was stricken and bereft of wit: December 11, 2020, when Sam passed. The cartoon character was, understandably, devastated: Its life, the life of the newspaper and many who depended on it, was suddenly hanging by a thread!

The last twenty years have been quite an odyssey, with the fast-changing media ecosystem, the increasing adoption of generative Artificial Intelligence, Big Tech’s abuse and misuse of content, rising costs, and changing audience demographics forcing the industry to recalibrate. 

Overall, though, the journey that started in the bedroom over twenty years ago has made significant strides for God and country!

And long may it live!