The leader of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organization, Chief Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, has backed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration on the step taken to grant the 774 local government areas in the country full autonomy.

This was contained in a congratulatory message marking the first year anniversary of President Tinubu.

The statement was signed by Afenifere National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi.

Ajayi quoted Pa Fasoranti as expressing delight on some bold steps that the President has taken in the last one year aimed at repositioning Nigeria adroitly.

“Before, during and after the Presidential election that brought you into the office last year, I gave you some ideas regarding how to tackle some challenges that Nigeria faced – and still faces. We also spoke about some of these issues when I led Afenifere delegation to your office in Abuja last month.”

“I’m happy to note that, in line with your promises, you are making efforts at implementing policies that will enhance the situation of our dear country and better the lot of the people,” Pa Fasoranti stated.

The nonanegarian said that the reforms initiated by the government have the prospect of revamping the country’s economy and reducing the mutual distrust among the ethnic nationalities in the country.

According to Ajayi, the Leader particularly commended Tinubu on his government’s effort to rescue local governments from the strangulating grip of state governors.

“It’s undebatable that local government is the closest to the people. For, it is through it that the people at the grassroots can effectively feel the impact of the government.

“As the situation is presently however, the tight grip that state governors have on local governments is seriously denying the people of the benefits they should, by right, be deriving from their local governments.

“It’s in this respect that Pa Fasoranti, described the latest step taken by the Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi on behalf of the federal government as a step in the right direction”, Ajayi quoted Fasoranti who is also the Asiwaju of Yoruba, as saying.

While expressing optimism that steps being taken by the government will soon soothe the pains of Nigerians, Fasoranti called on President Tinubu to further look in the direction of infrastructure such as power and transport among others.

“Security is an important factor in any social equation. For, it’s in a situation where people are secured that they would be able to confidently engage in activities that will boost the economy and enhance inter-personal relationships.

“In order to institutionalize reforms being made, accelerate developments, enhance people’s participation in governance and engender the desired new Nigeria, there is the urgent need to restructure the country.

“Restructuring will deepen people’s participation in governance, boost the creativity of Nigerians and guarantee the future of the country”.

The President and Commander-in- chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Wednesday deliver an address at the joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives to mark 25 years of democracy/Legislature in Nigeria.

The President is also expected to commission the new National Assembly Library as part of the events slated for the 25 years celebration.

The joint sitting to commemorate Nigeria’s unbroken democracy will be the first of its kind by the National Assembly since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999.

The two chambers only sit jointly during the budget presentation by the President. However, Wednesday’s sitting will be historic in the country’s democracy.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Clerk to the national assembly, Sani Magaji.

The statement reads, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to deliver an address at the Joint sitting of the National Assembly on Wednesday.”

“The President is also expected to commission the new National Assembly Library as part of the events slated for the 25 years celebration.”

“Also expected to attend the joint session in the national assembly are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and governor of Kwara State, Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.”

“The chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, who is the governor of Imo State, Gov. Hope Uzodinma; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.”

“The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike; the Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Magaji Tambuwal, the Senior Special Assistants to the President for both the Senate and the House, among others.”

“There will be commemorative lectures on 25 Years of the National Assembly: Lessons & Opportunities at the joint sitting.”

“While Gbajabiamila, who served as the Speaker of the 9th House (2019-2023) will deliver a paper on ‘Reflections on the House’, Distinguished Senator (Dr.) David Mark, GCON, the President of the 6th & 7th Senate (2007-2015), will speak on ‘Reflections on the Senate.”

“Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, will also deliver a paper on’ Reflections on the Journey to Democracy.”

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State says non-enrollment of school-age children in the state  will now be criminalised.

He warned that parents and guardian who don’t register their children or wards of school age will be seriously penalised. 

He issued the admonition while speaking at Umuahia Township Stadium during the 2024 Children’s Day celebration.

He stated that the policy will receive a legislative backing from the Abia State House of Assembly which would prescribe a penalty for offenders.

“From now on it is an offence for any child that is of school age not to be sent to school. 

“We are going to back that up with a legislation and that legislation will prescribe penalties for any parent who refuses to bring out his child for education,” he said.

He also disclosed that there will be scholarship for children whose parents are financially disadvantaged, to ensure that every child of school age goes to school, promising that no child in the state would be marginalized or molested.

He further abolished payment of levies for special books by students of the school for the blind, Afaraukwu, and donated a bus to them.

The governor, who broke down in tears at Umuahia Township Stadium while taking salute from pupils, said he was pained by the plight of the children with special needs like the deaf.

He apologized to Abia children for the past administrations which owed teachers salaries and environments left to rot.

The House of Representatives has announced plans to investigate allegations of widespread financial misappropriation in the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, Chairman of the House Committee on Women Affairs, disclosed this during an investigative hearing regarding petitions from contractors. The petitions concern the payment of N510 million to contractors who did not participate in the bidding process. This hearing was convened by the House Committee on Procurement, chaired by Hon. Unyime Idem.

At the hearing last Tuesday, Hon. Unyime Idem presented the petitions to the Minister, addressing the issue of the N510 million payments to non-participating contractors.

He said: “The matter that brought all of us here this afternoon is about a petition that was brought to us last month. The petition is about some projects in your ministry to the tune of N510 million that were bidded and subsequently award letter was given to the bidders, that is the contractors.

“But surprisingly, while some of the contractors according to their claims said they have executed the projects and some said they were still waiting to get mobilisation from your Ministry to enable them execute the projects, they were shocked to know that some of those projects were already paid for by the Ministry of Finance.

“From their discoveries, when they visited the Ministry of Finance and they found out that while either the money they spent to execute the contracts were not paid or the request they made in your Ministry asking for mobilisation was not paid and the Ministry told them that all those projects we’re paid for.

“And unfortunately they paid into the wrong account. What I mean by wrong account is that the people they paid the money to or the contractor they paid the money to, did not take part in the bidding process they were not given award letters but were surprised too that the money were paid to the account that did not take part in the entire procurement process.

“So, the contractors numbered about 10 came to the National Assembly to protest of irregularity that is going on regarding the process. In fact, they described the process as procurement fraud, that it’s incumbent upon the Committee in charge of Procurement to come to their rescue by asking the Ministry to reverse the N510 million from the wrong accounts that the money were paid to, to their own accounts.

“Because they claimed that some of them have already done the job while some said that ‘wait they are waiting for mobilization’. So, that’s why we are here,” the lawmaker noted.

Idem further disclosed that the Committee has written the office of the Accountant General, to furnish this Committee with the position of this alleged malpractice or fraud that is rocking this particular contract. We wrote to that office and they have given us the details of the payment they have made in respect to the projects in question.

“So, we have those documents with us here, so we’d like to hear from you because I think the last time we met I gave the Ministry the assignment to contact the Ministry of Finance and Accountant General to confirm if the documents submitted to us are anything to rely on in terms of being the evidence before this committee.

“So, I don’t know whether you have been able to confirm what we sent to you or whether you have gotten independent information regarding these transactions?”

Hon. Udem also affirmed that there are some of the aggrieved contractors present during the investigative hearing.

In her intervention, Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, Hon. Ogbara who expressed displeasure over the inordinate attitude of the Minister to the Committee, argued that she has not been cooperative despite all efforts made to synergize with her.

She said: “I’ve got so many petitions already against her. Even the people working with the Ministry, have complained that she works alone.

“Apart from the excuse she has given that she wants to try and get her people to come with her, the Perm Sec and relevant personnel that need to appear before this Committee, I will just want to appeal to the chairman to give her time, not too long because we also inviting her from the Committee on Women Affairs very soon.

“The notice is already out, I don’t know whether they’ve sent it to her office. So, we also invited her, because I don’t understand, I have been trying to work cordially with her as a woman. As women supporting women, we should work together, but when you’re trying to work with somebody and the person is not even trying to learn or trying to work in the way you expect.

“Now, there are so many petitions, diversion of money, misappropriation of funds, people’s jobs in the Ministry. You just misappropriate paned the money, anyway, anyhow from all the complaints that we have got, so we are going to invite her from the Committee as well, and I want the Chairman to choose the nearest day possible.

“All the personnel she’s talking about, they are right there, they are indoors in the Ministry, if you want them to come tomorrow morning, they should be here. Even when the Committee went to the Ministry on oversight, they didn’t have records to show and they were just mixing up different things, with different terminology, misappropriated a lot of funds for different projects, they used the same name just turn it to another name, you know, duplication of contracts and all that. I can go on and on,” Ogbara lamented.

In response to the inquiry, Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye said: “after we came here the last time, the information given by the Accountant General’s office was wrong, they gave you totally wrong information.

Nigerian striker Asisat Oshoala has won the best goal for the UEFA Women’s Champions League 2023/24 season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Oshoala netted a stunning bicycle kick in Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Benfica in their opening group game en route to the Catalans claiming the Champions League for the second consecutive season.

With the Blaugrana already 4-0 up, Jonatan Giráldez sent the reigning Women’s African Footballer of The Year and she wasted no time in making her mark in the game, scoring the last goal of the encounter in style – her only goal of the competition.

She thereafter made a mid-season move to American side, Bay FC.

UEFA on Monday announced that Oshoala’s goal was the best among other goals selected.

“The top 10 goals of the 2023/24 UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign have been selected by UEFA’s Technical Observer panel, with Nigerian forward Asisat Oshoala taking the prize for Goal of the Season thanks to her stunning bicycle kick for Barcelona against Benfica on Matchday 1,” UEFA wrote on their website.

“Also for Barça, midfielder Aitana Bonmatí took second spot for her bending effort in the quarter-finals second-leg win against Brann, while Lyon’s Delphine Cascarino came third for her long-range strike in the quarter-finals second-leg victory over Benfica.”

Oshoala made history with Barcelona Femení by becoming the first African to win three UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.

The 29-year-old received a winner’s medal despite her mid-season transfer to Bay FC in the United States. The Super Falcons striker contributed to Barcelona’s Champions League campaign by playing in two group-stage matches and scoring once before her move.

The Senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Jimoh Ibrahim has announced the formal withdrawal of a lawsuit filed to seek nullification of the primary election that produced Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

From the April 20 primary election, Aiyedatiwa emerged as the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the forthcoming election in Ondo State.

The situation didn’t go well with the senator which made him approach a Federal High Court in Abuja, citing irregularities.

Ibrahim, in a Tuesday statement, said this decision was a result of a personal intervention by President Bola Tinubu who reached out to him and had a productive meeting. 

According to him, he noted that Tinubu assured him of his commitment to enhancing internal democracy within our party.

“Based on his assurances and leadership, I have decided to withdraw the case to support his efforts to pave a new way forward for our party,” he said.

The senator also noted Aiyedatiwa’s effort and urged the general public to see the withdrawn suit as a gift to mark Tinubu’s one year in office. 

These were disclosed in the statement titled, “Presidential intervention and notice of withdrawal suit No
FHC/ABJ/CS/588/2024.”

He acknowledged his “absolute” respect for Tinubu saying that he can never disobey him.

It read, “The suit is now withdrawn due to the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. The President called me and had a meeting with me.

“He assured me that he would as the leader of the party improve on internal democracy within our party, and I would need to withdraw the case to enable him to chart a way forward.

“The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa earlier visited my Asokoro residence for several hours after another unsuccessful visit to my hotel room in Akure.

“I cannot disobey the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because the issue I am fighting for is not personal.

“It is simply to improve internal democracy to which the President has promised improvement. My respect for the President is absolute!

“Let me use this opportunity to thank Mr. President for the words of wisdom and encouragement during my meeting with him which lasted over one hour and his various interactions with me on the telephone during which he emphasized his commitment to internal democracy over and over again. Thank you, Mr. President.”

According to the statement, the withdrawal of this “legendary suit” is concise with the first anniversary of Mr President’s incredible performance in office, and this is my gift of the “cake” of the first anniversary! Thank you all for your support.

Meanwhile, the APC in Igbotako Ward II, Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State suspended  Ibrahim, whom they alleged was involved in anti-party party activities.

However, the action was immediately countered.

In a swift reaction, another group of 55 members of the party, who identified themselves as members of the same Igbotako Ward II executive and in Okitipupa Local Government, disagreed with the purported suspension of Ibrahim as they passed a vote of confidence in the senator.

The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) is set to commence a comprehensive verification exercise of all its lands and houses across Nigeria. This move aims to authenticate the records of all allottees.

This verification exercise follows the recent launch of FHA’s digitalization initiative, designed to capture the agency’s legitimate allottees’ data accurately. According to an advertorial published on Monday, May 27, 2024, in major newspapers, the exercise will begin on June 3, 2024, at all Zonal offices of the agency nationwide and will continue for 90 days.

The Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kenneth Chigelu, urged all genuine allottees to take advantage of this opportunity to update their relevant information in the FHA database. He also encouraged all allottees with outstanding statutory payments to clear their liabilities during this period.

Chigelu noted that the FHA would enforce the relevant clauses in the allocation letters against any erring allottees to ensure compliance.

Yesterday, May 27, one of Nigeria’s iconic figures in the entertainment sector turned 80: Ken Calebs Olumese, an Esan man from the university town of Ekpoma as he likes to describe his home town of which he is proud, as if every other town these days does not have a university but in those days when a university was established in Ekpoma (1981), it was such a thing of pride and achievement that Olumese took upon himself as a personal badge. But the real story about him and his life is his immense contributions to the cultural space in Nigeria, the impact that he has made in turning music, art, song, food, drinks, space and dance into entrepreneurial tools for the promotion of social cohesion, inclusion, solidarity, creativity and pure fun. He was the Don Cornelius, without the controversy, of the night club scene and entertainment arena in Lagos in the 80s and 90s.  He was colourful, charismatic, decent, debonair, affable, and quite astute in making friends, and building bridges and relationships. In the Opebi, Ikeja area where he ran a nightclub that was famously known as Niteshift Coliseum, he was a lord of the territory, father of the kids on the streets and friend of the gentrified class with an understanding of the register of social and communal survival beyond the pale of regular entrepreneurship. He moved with a swag. He strutted with poise.  He was the Guv’nor: who never went on transfer, or had to seek seasonal elections, or go on break, he was his own constituted authority running an entertainment empire. The phrase Guv’nor was first used in the 1840s, a variant of the more popular noun - Governor, but over time, it would gain resonance as the title of a film in 1935, and as the nickname of a number of sports figures – Diego Costa, Bobby Abel, Paul Ince, Lenny McLean. When Ken Calebs Olumese established the Niteshift club in Opebi, Lagos in 1988, he took the title as label, brand and cognomen, and thus began a fresh chapter in the entertainment story of the city of Lagos.  

Ken Calebs Olumese did not invent nightlife in Lagos, but he helped for about two decades to shape and enrich it. The people of Lagos, being Yorubas are naturally fun-loving, and having fun at night time has been part of their culture even before the Victorian times in the 19^th century, aspects of which have been examined at great length by Professor Michael J.C. Echeruo in a book titled “Victorian Lagos.” The city that became known as “The Liverpool of West Africa” in the 19^th Century, an emerging commercial, port city was also a community of persons and cultural developments, including the media, culture and nationalism. Lagosians love the good life. They enjoy the thrill of evening fun be it at the beach, or at the clubs, or on the streets of Ebute Metta where there used to be a party every evening, or anywhere else where the people could dance to highlife. By his own account, Ken Calebs Olumese arrived in Lagos in the late 60s or early 70s just like many of these persons from the hinterland who continue to troop into Lagos on a daily basis. Thousands arrive daily from all parts of Nigeria, very few go back to where they came from, indeed over time, they become part of the Lagos ecosystem, get lucky and excel. In Olumese’s case, when he left Ekpoma, he lived in Benin. He got involved in the Socialist Movement, which was quite a rave in Nigeria’s 70s, the season of the cold war. He would eventually gain a scholarship to study Medicine in the Soviet Union. Many young Nigerians went to the Soviet Union at the time. The then young Ken Calebs Olumese returned with a degree in Microbiology. By 1977, he, with the help of his kinsman, Chief Anthony Enahoro, played some role in the arrangements for FESTAC 77, his first major direct involvement in cultural diplomacy. He was also closely associated with the likes of Dr Tunji Otegbeye, trade unionist, medical doctor and leader of the Socialist Workers and Farmers Party of Nigeria (SWAFP). The most notable part of that phase of his return is not necessarily FESTAC 77, however but the fact that he eventually ended up as a Sales Representative with the French Pharmaceutical Company, Roussel, where he rose through the ranks to become the Director of Administration and Finance. Olumese was like the rest of us: waking up in the morning, pursuing the nine to five hustle, struggling like everyone else to raise a family. He had a good career. 

It is one of those ironies of life that he would eventually become famous through his hobby, rather than his vocation. In 1988, he decided to set up a Night Club at 21 Opebi Street with a corporate office was at 5, Ogundana Street, off Opebi Road, marking Olumese’s transition into the arena of entrepreneurship, from selling pharmaceutical products, to the retail of songs, food, drinks, and whatever brings joy. He had been a prolific nightlife denizen himself. He turned his interest into a passion and his passion into business. When Olumese arrived on the nightclub scene in Ikeja and Lagos in the 80s, there was already a thriving, habitual ecosystem in place. From Idi-oro in Mushin, to Jibowu, Ayilara and Ojuelegba,, there was a buzzing axis of nightlife entertainment. In Ikeja, Ipodo, Awolowo Road, Allen and Opebi streets came alive similarly at sun down. There was a gentleman called Omieba Dan Princewill, he ran two clubs – City Tavern and Daniel’s. There was the colourful, stand-up comedian, John Chukwu who owned a club called Klass, with Eddie Jay Omodiagbe as Dee Jay. There was Ozone owned by Jibola Shitta-Bey on Allen Avenue. There was also at some point, De Roof, Singer’s Cruise, Bread and Butter and another club called Princes. On Allen Avenue, Jerry Jones Anazia ran a night club called Ace. On Toyin Street, there was Climax, with a DJ called Stagger Lee. In those days of course, there was Shrine, the main watering hole for night crawlers, and beyond Ikeja, all the way towards Ojuelegba, there was a long list of fun spots including pepper soup joints such as Igbinedion, or Fafolu: point and kill joint, No. 67 Bode Thomas in Surulere, Empire Hotel, Tarmac. Many would also remember Kakadu Nite Club in Alagomeji, Yaba, where Fela used to perform in the 60s, and Bobby Benson’s Caban Bamboo, which in many ways was the old version of what the Niteshift Coliseum later became. There was at some point Paradiso in Yaba, Faze 2, Lord’s Club around Maryland, and Hotspot Club at Abibu Oki, off Broad Street. Basically, for a while, the Lagos social scene was a mix of band life, joints and discotheques. The latter would later prevail.  

Ken Calebs Olumese changed the face of night life in Lagos, particularly with the rise of the discotheque, which he capitalized upon turning Niteshift Coliseum into a space where the hottest and latest music could be heard. He invested heavily in music and equipment.  He raised the bar to such a level that others began to learn from him, and even copy him. He changed the game. Even when there was a seeming rivalry between Lagos Island and the Mainland, the arrival of Niteshift Coliseum gave nightlife on the Mainland, an edge. What Olumese did was simply to be different. He carved a niche and constantly reinvented it. Whereas you could go to Ozone, DeRoof, Klass and Climax and run into celebrities and prominent persons, mingling with others, dressed in both formal and bohemian attires, Olumese made it clear from the very beginning that his club was meant for the middle class and the upper middle-class members of society. It was an exclusive club and there were rules. There was a man at the door, “The First Man” who would not even allow you to buy a ticket if you looked out of place. Jeans, slippers, any form of scruffy dressing were not allowed. You didn’t have to wear a tie, but you were required to appear decent. 

The club also had different segments. There was an exclusive section reserved for Senior Fellows of the Gold Card Sector.This was a section reserved for prominent persons, diplomats, captains of industry on a discreet night out. The lighting for that section was also deliberately dim. And there was the Section for the Glamour Boys (later and Girls) of Nigeria: the reserved section for the upwardly mobile in society, but even then you had to be admitted as a member to sit there. In the general hall was the popular section. The status of a guest or member was indicated in the colour of the glass with which you were served. The staff were trained to know the differences. Everyone wanted to be part of the Niteshift crowd. Usually, when people left other clubs, they ended up at the Coliseum. The food was good. The air-conditioning was the coldest in the business. To add to the snobbery, Niteshift did not use the same terms as other clubs. Its bathrooms were called “The Vanity” for example.   The hostesses wore something called “Oriental Ornamental.” The Dee Jay was “The Flight Captain” sitting in “The Cockpit.”  And the entire night was a cruise. Olumese was the master of razzmatazz. 

He had a personal touch that could not be found among other club owners. He knew most of the regular clientele personally, and took an interest in their personal lives. He served drinks, and could be found correcting any error by any of his staff.  His dressing was impeccable. From his hair cut to his shoes, he paid attention to every detail. He drank Remy Martin, and he could hold his drink. He was very generous to his guests. For young persons and others close to him, the first drink was always on the house, and in the morning, the club served tea or coffee on the house depending on individual choices. There were days patrons stayed in the club till 7 am, not knowing it was daybreak. The Guv’nor of Niteshift Coliseum actively cultivated the friendship of the media. He knew every entertainment, arts and culture reporter and editor on the beat. He was similarly friendly with publishers and editors. He had one or two friends in every newsroom. Journalists were understandably some of the more prominent members of the club, and through this connection Niteshift became a place of choice for many media events. There were times however when he had issues with journalists. He protected the privacy of celebrities who came to the club jealously and he would not hesitate to quarrel with any journalist who published gossip about any of his patrons. He used to quip that the club does not ask for marriage certificates. It is place of fun, not a church. Funny enough, Olumese is the son of an Anglican priest. 

Niteshift was not just about disco. The Guv’nor was constantly re-inventing the concept. There was in due course a full Niteshift band, which mixed the idea of disco with live performance. There was also the Niteshift Musical Talent Show, on the platform of which the club provided space for the flowering of many talents including Felix and Moses, Tuface, Tony Tetuila, Tony Montana, Eedris Abdulkareem, Platanshun Boys, Sunny Neji, Daddy Showkey, Nel Oliver. There was also Miss Niteshift beauty pageant. Niteshift was also the watering hole for many Nollywood artists – actors, actresses and producers. But the high point arrived in the early 90s when the club was moved from 21 Opebi Street to a bigger, more permanent space, the purpose-built Coliseum at 21 Salvation Road, off Opebi.  At this new location, the club had more space, more meeting rooms, a bigger dance floor, more of everything: an impressive edifice that was a testament to the success of the club, and the dogged vision of the founder. There was even a place called The Dacha: a block of 12 rooms reserved exclusively for the use of members. The major highlight at the Coliseum was the increased focus on a special programme which Olumese had introduced at the 21 Opebi address - the Grand House Reception (GHR). This further differentiated the Niteshift Coliseum from its peers. The GHR was an evening of interaction with major public figures. It was a huge hit which attracted exactly the clientele that the Guv’nor wanted. Some of the prominent persons who featured on the platform included, to cite just a few: Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Alhaji Tafa Balogun, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Governor Gbenga Daniel, Governor Segun Osoba, Governor Orji Kalu, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu… H. E. Flt Lt. Jerry Rawlings, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar… and others.  

Ken Olumese kept raising the bar, and he was good at research, and monitoring the competition. I was one of the Glamour Boys of the Club, having joined that section sometime around 1989. I would later end up as one of the club’s major resource persons. I can conveniently report that I was actively involved. On many occasions we visited other clubs, before the start of business at the Coliseum. There were occasions when the Guv’nor would arrange for us to go on a West Africa tour. We were in Ghana again and again to attend different night clubs and observe their operations. We used to travel on Wednesday and return on Monday. Niteshift Coliseum would also eventually introduce a Wednesday programme, a Ladies night, free entry for ladies and other programmes to boost the clientele. 

In 2011, I left for Abuja on national assignment. By the time I returned in 2015, circumstances had changed on the Lagos night scene. The pulse had shifted from the Mainland to the Island, with new clubs patronized by the nouveaux riche and the Gen Z springing up on the other side of the city. Ken Calebs Olumese was also advancing in age. He has since retired and rented out the premises of the Niteshift Coliseum to another entertainment group called Floating World.  Indeed, we live in a world that floats. But the Niteshift dream would be remembered for its impact and longevity. Many ventures of its type have short mortality rates, but Ken Calebs Olumese kept it going for more than two decades, even after the club was razed down in a mysterious midnight fire on December 18, 2003. It was a brilliant run, still and long is the echo of the Niteshift Bugaloo, the opening sequence of the club at 12 midnight, taken from the song by the Commodores of the same title: Nightshift. Happy Birthday, Guv’nor.  Lord Have Mercy!   

Two motorcyclists, on Monday, lost their lives during an exchange of gunfire with policemen who prevented an attack on the Ipaja Division of the Lagos State Police Command.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the policemen embarked on the enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycle operations in the state when the motorcyclists revolted against the action.

During the protest to express their grievances against the enforcement, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement he posted on his verified handle on X.com that the motorcyclists attempted to overrun the police station.

He explained that during the exchange of gunfire between the policemen and the protesting motorcyclists, two motorcycle operators were killed.

Meet Samuel Odugbesan who lost his arms working with an electricity company0.00 / 0.00

Hundeyin wrote, “Officers of the Ipaja Police Division have successfully repelled an early morning attack on their division by motorcycle operators.

“The attack came after police officers commenced the day’s enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycles in Lagos State. The attackers, who came in their hundreds, stormed the station with dangerous weapons, shooting at the officers and attempting to overrun the station.

“While officers and men of the division held their ground, reinforcement came from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad. Two of the attackers were fatally injured during the attack.”

He added that no fewer than 200 motorcyclists were impounded and some suspects arrested during the incident.

Hundeyin said, “This did not deter the officers from accomplishing their mandate as over 200 motorcycles were impounded and some of the attackers arrested, with one locally made firearm retrieved.

“The Lagos State Police Command will not be cowed into abdicating its responsibilities of enforcement of all duly passed laws and maintenance of law and order within the society.”

Our correspondent, during a follow-up conversation with Hundeyin to ascertain the number of the arrested motorcyclists linked to the attempt to overrun the police station, affirmed that the arrested suspects were 22.

“Twenty-two suspects were arrested during the incident,” the PPRO told our correspondent.

PUNCH Metro gathered that during the exchange of gunfire in the area, there was panic and residents and business owners scampered to safety to escape being hurt during the incident.

In December 2023, PUNCH Metro reported that a middle-aged woman, Mrs Bisi Raji, was crushed to death when police officers clashed with commercial motorcyclists in the Abule Egba area of the state.

Mrs Raji was returning from the hospital after an appointment with her doctor around the area.

A resident who spoke to PUNCH Metro said, “The tipper ran over the woman on the head. People who were around the area could not do anything because she died instantly.

They had to get a cloth to cover her body. Her corpse was also on the roadside for hours and there was no one to recover it until the police arrived much later to retrieve the body from the spot. We learnt her family had collected her body from the police and taken her home for burial.

A Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu has ordered the police to evict the deposed Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, from the palace he is occupying along the State Road in the Nasarawa area of the state.

The court, which gave the order on Monday, also issued an interim injunction restraining  Bayero and four other dethroned emirs from parading themselves as emirs, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice filed by applicants.

The judge gave the ruling as the state government appealed to  President Bola Tinubu to move the deposed 15th Emir of Kano from the state.

The state Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam, during a press conference on Monday, said Bayero’s presence in Kano posed a threat to the peace and stability cherished by its people. 

The state House of Assembly had on Thursday repealed the Kano Emirates Council Law which divided Kano into five emirates.

Amid the crisis caused by the new emirates, the 14th emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was dethroned by Abdullahi Ganduje’s administration.

New law 

Upon the repeal of the law on Thursday, the state Governor, Abba Yusuf, signed the new law and sacked the five Emirs.

The sacked Emirs include Aminu Ado Bayero (Kano); Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero (Bichi), Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa (Rano), Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar II (Karaye), and Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir (Gaya).

While the other four emirs complied with the directive, the deposed Emir of Kano, who was not in the city, returned and headed for the palace at the Nasarawa area.

On Friday, it was reported that Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court granted an order filed by the Sarkin Dawaki Babba of the Kano Emirate, Aminu Agundi, stopping the Kano State Government from enforcing the Kano State Emirate Council Repeal Law which dethroned the five emirs in the state.

But the state government ignored the order and went ahead with Sanusi’s reinstatement even as the governor threatened to report the judge to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for granting the order.

He claimed that the judge granted the order while he was in the United States.

Miffed by Bayero’s return to the mini-palace in Nassarawa, the governor ordered the arrest of the deposed monarch but the police authorities said they would enforce the court order.

Ruling on an exparte application by counsel to the applicants,  Ibrahim Isa Wangida, the state high court on Monday restrained the deposed emirs from parading themselves as emirs.

The applicants are the Attorney General of Kano State, the Speaker House of Assembly and the Kano State House of Assembly.

The respondents in the matter are the deposed emirs of Karaye, Gaya, Bichi, Rano, and Kano, the Inspector General of Police;  the Director of the Department of State Services, the Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Court orders eviction

The court document dated May 27, 2024, reads, “That order of interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th defendants either by themselves, servants, privies, and or any other persons or officers serving under them or acting in connection with any other person from parading themselves as Emirs of Kano, Bichi, Gaya, Rano and Karaye pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the applicants.

“That an order is hereby granted to the extent that the Commissioner of Police Kano State should immediately take the palace of the Emir of Kano situated being and lying at State Road Kano and evict the 1 Defendant/Respondent from the said palace pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice dated 24th May 2024.

“That an order of this honourable court is hereby granted restraining the 1st 2nd 3rd 4th & 5th Defendants from parading themselves as Emirs of Kano, Bichi, Gaya, Rano and Karaye in the interest of peace in Kano pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. 

“That an order is hereby made that 1- 5th defendants be through the office of the Commissioner Police, Kano State who is to ensure immediate implementation of the order of the honourable  court in the interest of justice.” The court concluded.

Justice Aliyu fixed 11th June 2024 for the hearing of the motion on notice.

Also, the Deputy Governor of the State,  Gwarzo, at a press conference at the Government House on Monday,  said Tinubu’s intervention was essential as it would save the state from descending into unnecessary chaos.

He stated, “We appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Office of the National Security Adviser and other agencies concerned to investigate the happenings in Kano as it relates to the deposed Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero, and take immediate steps to evacuate him from his current residence and remove him from in the state. As it is now, he is constituting a security threat in the state.

He said that the state was renowned for its peace and stability, in spite of its political complexities.

The deputy governor stated explained that Sanusi’s reinstatement as the Emir of Kano had brought jubilations after following due process of the law.

In a related development,  the state government has dismissed reports of violent protests in the state. 

Commenting on pro-Bayero protests in Kano on Sunday, the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Baba Dantiye, in a statement on Monday, said the protests were embarked upon by some miscreants.

He said, “While the government is aware of isolated incidents in a few areas by a handful of small children and hired miscreants and thugs, these do not in any way reflect the overall situation.

“Those hired unpatriotic individuals were only aiming to destabilise the state for the personal gain and selfish interests of their paymasters. The great majority of Kano State citizens have shown remarkable restraints and understanding of the sincere action of the state government.

“It also behoves to reiterate that the decision by the administration of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf to legally abrogate the emirates and reinstate the 14th Emir of Kano State was made after careful consideration of the best interests of the state. The move has been welcomed by a significant portion of the populace who understands and cherishes the long-term benefits of a unified emirate structure.

He, however, noted that some political actors were manipulating the situation to create chaos and unrest, adding that these elements are using the media to spread false narratives and incite public disorder.