The Lungi International Airport in Sierra Leone is constructed across an estuary, so most passengers access the capital city of Freetown through the ocean in a journey that takes between 35 minutes to an hour. Seated by my side last Friday evening was the YIAGA Africa Executive Director, Samson Itodo, who married less than a month ago. Perhaps because it is a journey that he has undertaken several times in his sojourn across the continent, observing elections, Itodo seemed more amused than worried by what was happening around him. This despite his sensing that I was as troubled as many other passengers. Chuckling, Itodo said, “I bet most of the people here are worried because they are thinking about the OceanGate tragedy”, in reference to the Titan submersible that claimed the lives of all onboard while on expedition to the Titanic. But we survived! 

I arrived Freetown last Friday for the 2023 general election in Sierra Leone where the presidency, 135 parliamentary seats, 22 Mayor/Chairmen of Council and 493 councilors were to be contested. Not surprisingly, attention was mostly on the presidential election where the incumbent President Julius Maada Bio of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) was seeking a second term. Standing in his way were 12 other candidates, including Dr Samura Kamara of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC).  

Five years ago, President Ernest Bai Koroma was constitutionally ineligible, having served the maximum two-terms of ten years (plus an extraconstitutional year due to delay in conducting the election) in office. He endorsed his Foreign Affairs Minister, Kamara—who had also served as Finance Minister and Central Bank Governor—as candidate of the then ruling APC. No winner emerged at the end of the first round, although Bio led with 43.2 percent of the votes while Kamara secured 42.6 percent. The margin between them was just 14,734 votes. Kandeh Yumkella of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) came third with 6.86 percent of the votes. The remaining ten candidates made no significant impact at the poll. Since no candidate met the Constitutional provision of 55 percent votes to be declared elected in the first round, a runoff poll was subsequently held. Bio won with 51.8% of the votes.  

With this year’s election pitching Bio and Kamara against each other again, it was always going to be a grudge match. And it was. Problems began when the mid-term population and housing census was conducted in December 2021. Prior to the exercise, opposition parties in the country had ganged up to challenge the motivation behind it. They alleged that the real intention of President Bio was political, essentially to redraw constituency boundaries ahead of this year’s general election. At the end, the outcome of the census left more questions than answers.  

That was the background to the distrust of the electoral process that started long before the first ballot was cast last weekend. In his piece in the Sierra Leone Telegraph last September, Andrew Keili wrote that “There is little doubt that the SLPP prefers the use of the 2021 mid-term census results for delineating boundaries and constituencies. The APC prefers the 2015 census results.” Keili then explained how a tool for planning became a weapon in the hands of Sierra Leonean politicians. “The census conducted during the tenure in governance of each party tends to give it an advantage in number of people in party strongholds and accusations of ‘census fixing’ have now become the norm. We don’t seem to agree on how we should be counted and on our numbers.” 

I bet one can say the same thing about Nigeria. Like our country, there is a strong ethno-regional divide in Sierra Leone. The main base of the opposition APC is in the North-west while that of the ruling SLPP is in the Southeast. Going by figures from the 2015 census when the APC was in power, the Northwest had a population of 56.2 to 43.8 for the Southeast. That gap between the two geo-political regions has been closed by the controversial 2021 census figures conducted by the current SLPP government. The Northwest now has 50.01 of the population leaving the Southeast with 49.99 of the population.   

The acrimony and mutual suspicions from the census were carried to the registration of voters and eventually to the general elections last Saturday. Two weeks ago, Kamara called on the international community to intervene. “Enough is enough; we need international commissioners to conduct June 24, 2023 elections,” he said while calling for the resignation of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) Chairman, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh. The main grievance of Kamara and his party was that in all previous elections in Sierra Leone, ECSL used to release a comprehensive disaggregated data to all political parties and other important election stakeholders for review. Not this time.  

With the slogan, ‘NO DATA, NO ELECTION’, APC supporters demanded that voting with registration slips should be allowed as against the ECSL position that only those with voter ID card could vote. The allegation was that during the distribution exercise, numerous voters in the Northwest regions (the APC stronghold) could not collect their cards, which could leave them disenfranchised. The APC protesters also called for manual counting of results by districts. Both requests were eventually granted and on the eve of the election, Kamara told protesters who were essentially his supporters: “Go home and prepare to vote on Saturday but you have to protect your votes.”  

The election last Saturday had many of the logistical challenges we grapple with in Nigeria. It was largely peaceful, though the opposition complained about lack of transparency in the manner results were being processed by the ECSL and highhandedness by security officials. On Monday, a top Sierra Leonean official visited me and sought my opinion on the election. I knew it was a tricky question, but I refused to dissemble. “If you are interested in my honest opinion, let me say straightaway that I believe the president is likely to win this election based on my projections from the people I have spoken to. I think he will secure more than half the total votes cast. But I don’t believe he can make the 55 percent mark so the election will go to a runoff…” 

There was a sharp interjection of “No, no, no. We don’t want a runoff and there will not be one. The president will win on the first ballot.” I wasn’t surprised by the reaction. On many of the campaign billboards in Freetown, the inscription was about ‘No runoff poll’. Every government official I spoke to seemed obsessed about winning the election on the first ballot. It was just not about victory for the president, he had to do it without a runoff. Yet my projections tallied with that of the National Election Watch (NEW), a coalition of hundreds of registered civil society and non-governmental organisations, established in 2002 to observe and monitor the fairness, transparency, and credibility of public elections in the country.  

For the 2023 elections, NEW claimed to have deployed 6,000 observers across the country, covering every polling centre. “Out of these observers, 750 were specially trained and deployed to a statistically representative sample of polling stations across all the 5 regions and 16 districts in Sierra Leone using the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology.” After a disaggregation of the results data by districts from both the ‘partial’ result released on Monday (which they confirmed to be credible) and the final one released on Tuesday, NEW made this point: “The total valid ballots cast as announced by the ECSL for the first batch of results (representing 60% of polling stations) shows an average of 269 valid voters per polling station, while the second batch (representing 40% of polling stations) has an average of only 188 valid votes per polling station.”  

Using all the parameters to crunch the numbers from the data provided by the ECSL in the two instances, the projection of NEW is that President Bio could not have secured more than 53 percent of the votes while Kamara could not have secured more than 49 percent. The implication therefore is that no candidate would meet the 55 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff. In fact, shortly before the president was declared re-elected on Tuesday, NEW released a statement saying, “Based on our PRVT findings and the ECSL data announced thus far, we are confident that once all votes are counted with integrity, voter turnout will be 77.3% +/- 1.7% (between 75.4% and 79%); and no candidate will reach the constitutional threshold of 55% of votes cast in the first round.” But, going by the ECSL final tally, Bio secured 1,566,932 votes representing 56.17 percent of the total votes cast while Kamara secured 1,148,262 votes, representing 41.16 percent of total votes cast.   
 

With 2,800,691 voters representing 83 percent national turnout, the total number of valid votes cast last Saturday was put at 2,789,808 while the total number of invalid votes was 10,883. But Kamara, who on Monday described the electoral process as ‘daylight robbery’, has rejected the declaration. “It is a sad day for our beloved country,” he tweeted after the announcement. “It is a frontal attack on our fledgling democracy. These results are NOT credible, and I categorically reject the outcome so announced by the electoral commission. I will rise above this travesty, and I commit myself to continue the fight for a better Sierra Leone.” 

But the president has already been sworn-in for a second term. In his acceptance speech on Tuesday, he extended a hand of fellowship to his “brother and foremost opposition leader”, asking Kamara to join him in the task of nation-building. While responding to the partial result 24 hours earlier he had spoken to the heart of the issue. “For our sakes, we must avoid all provocative and retaliatory actions”, President Bio said while urging Sierra Leoneans to avoid any action capable of inciting violence. “We built our democracy from the embers of war. We should each be resolved to never go back to that dark chapter of our country’s history.”  

Five Election Observation Missions in Sierra Leone played critical roles before, during and after the polls by meeting with stakeholders to ensure peace. President Goodluck Jonathan leads the West African Elders Forum, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo chairs the Commonwealth Group, former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hallemariam Desalegne Boshe, is head of the African Union (AU), former Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) president, Mohammed Ibn Chambas chairs its mission and Ms Evin Incir leads that of the European Union.  

Before the release of partial results on Monday, President Jonathan had led these observers to meet with Konneh who assured them that he would release to the parties all disaggregated data before making his announcement. I confirmed that the ECSL chairman was true to his word. While announcing the winner on Tuesday, Konneh also provided the breakdown of results which have been uploaded on the commission’s website.
“Any citizen who has lawfully voted in this election may challenge the validity of the said election of the president to the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone within seven days after the declaration of result pursuant to section 54 (1) of the Public Election Act, 2022”, Konneh said. It is my hope that the aggrieved parties will take the legal path to seek redress.   

Yesterday in Freetown, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, France and the European Union (EU) Delegation issued a joint statement on the outcome of the election. “We note that significant logistical problems hampered voting on election day in certain areas. We share the concerns of national and international observation missions about the lack of transparency in the tabulation process,” the ambassadors wrote. “Despite these difficulties, we remain committed to supporting democracy and the aspirations of the Sierra Leonean people. We urge everyone to exercise restraints, respect the rule of law and engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve disputes.” 

Meanwhile, I enjoyed my stay in Freetown, thanks to my brother, Anthony Navo Jr., President, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Africa Young Voices. AYV is the biggest private media conglomerate in Sierra Leone. Not only did he put some of his senior editors at my service, but he also provided me a vehicle to move around and hosted me for lunch on Monday. With the Director General of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Mr Joseph Egbenda Kapuna and an award-winning radio presenter, Ms Asmaa James joining us, I learnt a great deal about Sierra Leone and assured them that I would be back. As an aside, while ARISE Television is a ‘baby’ of THISDAY newspaper, I was confronted with the power of the visuals in Freetown. Navo and his editors chose to introduce me everywhere as “our friend from ARISE Television” which members of the Sierra Leonean elite evidently watch. At some point, I was almost tempted to impersonate Reuben Abati!   

But perhaps the real highlight of my stay in Freetown was the extensive conversation I had with Professor Osinbajo on Monday evening at his hotel, without any prior appointment. Over a plate of chicken wings which we both shared and glasses of fresh pineapple juice, Osinbajo and I spent more than an hour discussing what he had observed in the elections as well as insights into many issues in the Nigerian administration he served and his presidential aspiration.    

Ordinarily, the State House is the abode of secrets in any country. But when the hour of power is over, barriers are often lowered, and barricades disappear as history prepares a ‘yesterday’s man’ for a new chapter. My Freetown conversations with Osinbajo were in strict confidence but as we bid each other goodbye, I could not but reflect on the fact that the encounter would not have happened just a month ago when he was still the number two man in Nigeria. Yes, Osinbajo has always been a very simple and down to earth person but a reporter eating from the same plate with the vice president is almost sacrilegious in a society where people worship power. And not when there are always overzealous security men and ‘protocol’ people around to shield high public officials from being real.  

That encounter also reminded me of the transient nature of political office which, given our interactions, Osinbajo understands quite clearly. Yet, this is a lesson too few imbibe and explains the desperation that makes election for public office a matter of life and death, especially on the continent.    

 I wish all my Muslim readers Eid Mubarak!

The ruling All Progressives Congress has debunked speculation that President Bola Tinubu’s private visit to the United Kingdom from the Paris summit on Saturday was to attend to his ailing health.

The development comes in the wake of the president’s return to the country on Tuesday ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir festival.

Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to return to Abuja, proceeded to London for a short private visit, according to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake.

Aside from his participation at the event, the President held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders, and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world.

His last-minute private visit, however, set tongues wagging all over social media, with trolls and critics insinuating that the former Lagos governor probably used the trip as a smokescreen to visit his doctors.

Reacting in an exclusive phone chat with our correspondent, Director of Publicity for the APC, Bala Ibrahim, refuted the claim.

While stating that such unfounded fear was uncalled for, Ibrahim disclosed that Tinubu has proven throughout his rigorous electioneering campaign and post-inauguration activities that he was fully prepared for the task.

“Why is it that every time the president travels, people will speculate that he went for treatment? Yet, not once did any of these speculations come to pass. Everything they speculated against the president didn’t materialise. For God’s sake, why can’t they jettison this mentality of ‘the man is sick?’ When you investigate, you will discover those making these silly statements are not doctors. Some are even mechanics. Who is healthy? They should even look at what nature is doing. About three of the speculators have died while the man is moving.

“People should, therefore, stop challenging God. Nobody is 100 per cent healthy and the man himself has said he is contesting to be president, not the kick-boxer of Nigeria. He is doing his job as the Constitution requires. We all saw how he stood on the podium for hours during his inauguration. He took the salute, oath of office and allegiance, and even inspected the guard of honour. I think we should cut the man some slack,” he said.

A former coordinator in the dissolved All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, Dr Ene Ogbole, also expressed the same concern in a separate interview.

While dismissing the speculated ill-health of the president, Ogbole reiterated she wasn’t surprised Tinubu was the target of his critics and rumour-mongers.

“That rumour is not new. In fact, if we were to go by speculations and fabrications, I don’t think the President should be alive today. Because there were countless insinuations, rumours and lies here and there. He went strictly on official duty, which was expected of him. It is his constitutional responsibility to liaise with other countries of the world. After all, the world is a global village. Things are interwoven. People relate for economic, political, climate and several other reasons. So he has gone for his assignment as we have seen so far and he will be back.

“By the way, any man can fall ill. As I speak to you, I have arthritis in my legs. I can’t walk well. I’m 40 years plus, not to talk about a man like that. Younger people are falling ill, developing arthritis, dislocation or fracture. In fact, anything can happen. We are humans and not machines. Even machines develop faults. So what is wrong with him going to the hospital? But that is not the case. He has only gone for a meeting and will come back to move Nigeria forward in a positive direction,” she stated.

Her defence came at a time many of the president’s campaign foot soldiers and former spokespersons are evading media attention to avoid blowing their chances of making it into his cabinet, ministerial list, boards of ministries, departments and agencies.

But the former campaign director added that since assuming office, Tinubu has left no one in doubt about his sincerity on the need to right the wrongs of the past.

The German parliament passed an immigration law on Friday designed to encourage more people from outside the European Union, including Nigeria, to come to Germany for work.

According to Interior Minister of Social Democrats (SPD), Nancy Faeser, the draft law secures prosperity in Germany.

“It would only work if the bureaucratic hurdles were dismantled during its implementation,” she said.

Like many countries in Europe, Germany is facing a shortage of skilled workers.

In 2022, the country’s labour shortage rose to an all-time high: the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) found 1.74 million vacant positions throughout Germany.

Together with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, she emphasised removing bureaucracy and improving the digitisation and efficiency of the system, according to Euro News.

“We know that we can only guarantee our future, the efficiency of our economy and the efficiency of our social security systems if we have enough skilled workers at our disposal,” said Scholz.

“From within the European Union, that’s not so difficult, because there is freedom of movement. With regard to the rest of the world, it is a greater challenge,” he added.

Here are key things to know about how the law opens job opportunities for Nigerians and other nationals.

1. According to Euro News, the reforms are to modernise the country’s immigration legislation expected to make it easier for third-country nationals to work in Germany. It could increase the number of non-EU workers in Germany by 60,000 per year.

2. The reforms to the Skilled Immigration Act particularly focus on workers with vocational, non-academic training. Existing rules for qualified professionals with university degrees will also be relaxed.

3. Germany is hoping to combat its shortage of skilled workers with a new ‘opportunity card’ called chancenkarte. The ‘chancenkarte’ will use a points system to enable workers with required skills to come to Germany more easily.

4. The points-based system will take into account qualifications, professional experience, age, German language skills and ties to Germany.

5. Every year, quotas will be set depending on which industries need workers. Three out of four of the following criteria must also be met to apply for the scheme: a degree or vocational training, three years’ professional experience, language skills or a previous stay in Germany and 35 years old or younger.

6. Currently, most non-EU citizens need to have a job offer before they can relocate to Germany. A visa for job seekers already exists, but the ‘chancenkarte’ is expected to make it easier and faster for people looking to find work in Germany.

7. Citizens of certain countries with visa agreements can already enter Germany for 90 days visa-free but are only permitted to take up short-term employment.

8. The opportunity card will allow people to come and look for a job or apprenticeship while in the country rather than applying from abroad. Applicants must be able to prove they can afford to pay their living expenses in the meantime.

9. The exact details of the scheme are yet to be formalised. The chancenkarte is not expected to be available until at least the end of 2023.

10. The new system will make it easier for people with professional experience – rather than a university degree – to come and work in Germany.

11. Germany will become more open to job experience and professional qualifications that are recognised in workers’ native countries. Currently, the country is strict about which qualifications it recognises.

12. It will also be easier for those without a job offer to seek work in Germany via the opportunity card.

13. Qualified job seekers with degrees or vocational certificates will be allowed to stay in the country for one year as they search for employment. While looking for full-time employment, they will be permitted to work up to 20 hours per week.

14. Rules will also be eased for those with a job offer and a recognised diploma. Salary thresholds will be lowered, it will be easier for workers to bring their families to Germany, and it will be easier to gain permanent residency.

15. Job opportunities are open in Germany for immigrants that are craftspeople, electrical engineers, IT specialists, careers, nurses, catering and hospitality professionals.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday said President Bola Tinubu is taking some courageous and decisive steps to reposition Nigeria.

The party stated this in its 2023 Eid-el-Kabir message to the people of the country which was signed by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.

According to the APC, the steps being taken by President Buhari are targeted at repositioning the country for rapid economic growth and wholesome greatness in line with his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.

The ruling party urged Nigerians to embrace the virtues of sacrifice and patience.

The statement read, “This year’s celebration remarkably coincides with a period in our nation’s history when our dear President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is taking some courageous and decisive steps to reposition our beloved country for rapid economic growth and wholesome greatness in line with his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.

“We urge Nigerians to subscribe to the virtues of sacrifice and patience as we soldier on in our quest for a better Nigeria. We also enjoin our Muslim compatriots to continue to show compassion towards the needy and less-privileged among us as they celebrate.”

Elder statesman and chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima has submitted that the presidential election tribunal can’t change the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in which President Bola Tinubu was declared winner.

Though according to him, the election was not free and fair, historically since 1979, the outcome of any presidential election has never been changed by the court.

He added that the NNPP has little confidence in the credibility of the judiciary based on recent happenings in the country.

Naija News reports Galadima stated these on Tuesday during an interview appearance on Channels TV Political Paradigm.

According to him, rather that spend about 10 or 15 billion naira on a wild goose chase at the tribunal, the NNPP would rather use such money to prepare for the 2027 polls.

He said, “Which politician has succeeded in court since 1979 in Nigeria in a presidential petition case?

“Why waste our N10bn or 15bn because we heard some people are spending such billions now on social at the tribunal; if we have such money we would use it to prepare for the 2027 general election.

“The NNPP is strong, we did not do well because the registration of the party came late, if not for INEC targeting us and our candidates names and logo was omitted in some states we could have performed better”.

The Federal Government met with officials of Deposit Money Banks and other related institutions in Abuja, on Tuesday, to plan for the production of functional three-in-one identity cards for older citizens across the country.

Speaking at the Roundtable Meeting with Banks on the Production of Senior Citizens Identity Cards, the Director-General, National Senior Citizens Centre, Emem Omokaro, said the initiative would improve the quality of life of older persons across the country in various ways.

Omokaro called for public-private partnerships in the production of the ID cards.

“This roundtable meeting, we hope, being a joint novel and maiden meeting on funding possibilities for the production of functional and seamless (three-in-one) identity cards for senior citizens, would provide equal opportunity for all present to contribute your perspectives and ideas to the national project.

“The National Senior Citizens Centre’s vision is a multi-purpose card that would serve as a vehicle for financial inclusion, conducive economic and social enterprise empowerment instrument and access to age-friendly physical environment outcomes for Nigeria’s senior citizens – a population most left behind,” she stated.

The Director, Active Ageing and Support Services, NSCC, Kayode Fagbemi, outlined the benefits of the multipurpose ID cards for the senior citizens.

“The ID card is expected to provide unique benefits to the senior citizens in the following ways: The cards will be multipurpose cards as they will serve as both national identity cards, bank cards, and senior citizens cards.

“It contains vital information about the senior citizen. For travel benefits, senior citizens should be able to enjoy concessions on railway tickets. Separate counters or queues should be available for booking tickets.

“Airlines should be able to offer discounts on domestic flights. Separate counters or queues should be available for booking tickets. Public transport in the states should be able to offer discounts for senior citizens,” he stated.

Fagbmi said the objectives of the roundtable include to work out modalities for the printing of identity cards for senior citizens of Nigeria above the age of 60.

“To deliberate and determine the designs of the cards, create awareness, as well as address older persons keying into acquiring the cards and taking part in the benefits that come with the card.

“These benefits include discounts that will be placed for older persons from pharmacies, restaurants and other services such as transport, hospitals and many more,” he stated.

Some Nigerian pastors have expressed mixed reactions on whether the use of ‘Aboru Aboye’ in the viral song by popular gospel singer, Tope Alabi, is proper in a gospel song.

While some of the pastors who spoke with our correspondent saw nothing wrong with Alabi’s choice of lyrics in the viral song, others disagreed, arguing that the singer should not incorporate traditional terminologies into gospel music.

Alabi made headlines last Friday following the release of a song where she was heard singing the words ‘Aboru Aboye,’ terms mostly used by Ifa worshippers when greeting initiates, sometimes referred to as ‘Babalawo’.

Alabi, in the viral video, could be heard singing the lyrics; ‘Emi ni aboru, aboye… abiye ni mi, Oruko mi ni yen. Mo de bo, mo ru, mo ye,” (I am a sacrifice, that’s my name. I am a sacrifice accepted by God, that’s my name).

Her lyrical choices have since gotten many tongues wagging on and off social media.

However, reacting to the viral video, Pastor Lanre Kayode, Senior Pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church, Shibiri branch, Lagos, said the controversy trailing the video could be blamed on the poor understanding of the Yoruba language by some of her critics.

Pastor Kayode said, “It’s a language thing. I see nothing wrong with what she said. She was simply praising God.”

He argued that another gospel act, Dunsin Oyekan, has a song where he used similar words only sung in the English Language and no one raised an eyebrow.

Oyekan, in the song titled ‘More than a Song, sang the words: ”I am more than a song today, I am a sacrifice…” similar words to Alabi’s but conveyed in a different language.

”Why are people not complaining about that? Is it because he sang in English?

“Why do people not have issues with this? Is it because Tope sang in Yoruba?” Pastor Kayode asked.

He stressed that there is nothing wrong with Tope Alabi’s choice of words. “It’s simply a language thing. Not many people understand Yoruba that well and that’s why they are criticising the song,” he said.

Also speaking with our correspondent, Pastor Tunde Afolabi of the Christ Redemption Church, Ogba, Lagos, kicked against the criticism of Tope Alabi over the Aboru Aboye song saying people probably misinterpreted Alabi’s stance on the use of the ‘Aboru Aboye’ and believed it is and can only be used by traditionists.

He said, ”People believe she is referring to Ifa but I feel she is worshipping her God the best way she knows how. We all have the best ways to worship God.”

Prophet Akinyele Timothy of Celestial Church Of Christ, El morijah Olubukun parish, Ikorodu, also backed Alabi’s use of ‘Aboru Aboye’ words in the viral video.

Prophet Timothy said, ”Tope Alabi was simply praising God. Even the Muslims say ‘Oba Ajoke aye, Asake Orun’. They are also simply praising God. Tope was simply acknowledging God’s might, she was not in any way affirming that she is an Ifa worshipper. I do not see anything wrong in the phrases she used.”

However, Pastor (Mrs.) P.S. Otitolaiye of the Mount of Fire Ministries, Ijanikin, was against Alabi’s use of ‘Aboru Aboye’ in a gospel song.

She said Alabi should have refrained from using traditional phrases in her songs, noting that there is no relationship between light and darkness.

In her words, ”Tope Alabi should endeavour not to bring in any traditional phrase into her song because there is no relationship between light and darkness.”

Pastor Otitolaiye, however, added that “the conversation about the intersection of religion and culture in Nigeria is far from over.”

Speaking in the same vein, Pastor Ifeoluwa Fatoki of Divine Grace Baptist Church Ogbomosho, a graduate of African Traditional Religion and World Religion from the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary Ogbomoso, argued against the use of ‘Aboru Aboye’.

He said, ”I do not think those words are appropriate in the worship of God because they are not original to Christianity and they already have roots in the worship of Ifa.

”I think there are better words that can be used. To refer to the believer as a sacrifice is okay. But those three words have different connotations. It’s like saying, Eriwo ya… No matter how we paint it, it is not acceptable.

”More so, hallelujah, which is the Jewish word for ‘praise Yahweh’ as a word is known in Christianity. It’s like saying, Ifa worshippers now also say hallelujah in their worship.”

General Superintendent, Apostle Adeboye Ajakaiye (JP) of Ile Adura Mose Orimolade Tunolase Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Festac Town, said Tope Alabi was only performing to please her fans as a singer.

Apostle Ajakaiye said, ”Romans 12:2 shows that we live out God’s will when we change our thoughts to God’s thoughts, rather than living as the world dictates. The world will always pressure us to live sinfully and selfishly, but to live the good life God wants from us requires changing how we behave—by changing our thoughts.

”Tope Alabi is an entertainer. From my observations over the years, her performances have always been to please her audience, whether intentionally or not I can’t say. She’s also human that can also make mistakes. From the video that I watched, she was trying to use the word, ‘Aboru, Aboye, Abiye’ positively in her way.

”I know the devil twists the things of God for his own use, but should or can we as children of God, in the light of Romans 12:2 do the same? I think you know the answer. Such thinking has made the Church conform to the world. These days, you can’t distinguish a Christian from the world in all ways, from dressing, talking, use of worldly vibes in Christian songs, dancing, etc. I remember in times past, a word of commitment from a Christian was seen as a bond; now, when you call yourself a Pastor, that’s when people become extra careful in dealing with you.

”Why? It is because we have refused to conform to the instructions of the Lord by allowing such little compromises in the body of Christ. It’s sad, but it’s the current reality. The Church needs to wake up. Luke 18:8 says, however, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? The choice is yours.”

The Chairman/Founder of The Address Homes Limited, Dr Bisi Onasanya, has donated a completed multi-million naira block of classrooms to Ilara community in Epe, Lagos State in furtherance of his vision to support education through his philanthropic works.

The donation of a block of six classrooms with a fully-equipped library at Ilara Model Primary School, Ilara, Epe, was made by Onasanya in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Lagos, Bowen College and Bank of Industry and was commissioned by His Royal Majesty Oba Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, the Alara of Ilara-Epe Kingdom on Monday.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Onasanya, a former Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of First Bank Plc, said the gesture formed part of his efforts to support the underprivileged and contribute his quota in bridging the infrastructural deficit in Nigeria's education sector.

Onasanya, whose company, The Address Homes Limited, leads the luxury homes market of the property industry, reckoned that the figure of children without access to education in Nigeria is still alarmingly high, a development that should trigger an alignment between the government, private sector and well-meaning Nigerians to address the gap.

"I have always believed that as individuals we should always remember where we are coming from. Society has been kind to some of us and we should give thanks to God; in addition to that, we must give back to that society.

"There is an event that I never shared but remains indelible in my memory. I attended St. Paul Primary School in Idi Oro, Mushin, Lagos, a public school, I remember that on my very first day in school, there was a very rowdy session because people were struggling to get enlisted. I am not sure my mum will remember this incident, the head of the school then, because of the rowdiness and the first come, first serve arrangement, actually slapped my mother. I was six years old, that was in 1967, I can never forget and it made me resolute that no child should be made to go through a situation like that to access education and no child should be disadvantaged as a result of the status of his parents.

"The UNICEF standardization report showed that only 61 percent of children between ages 6 and 11 are in school; this is a dangerous situation and I just thought that no child should be denied basic and quality education, no child should be made to walk up to a mile before he or she could access quality education and I think this is a big opportunity to achieve what I have always wanted to do which is making education easy and accessible to every child," said Onasanya who recently bagged an honourary doctorate degree in finance from the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti.

Meanwhile, the outgoing President of the Rotary Club of Lagos, Joseph Aikhigbe, recalled how Onasanya promptly acceded to their request for the construction of the classrooms which underlined the property mogul's commitment to the upliftment of education in Nigeria.

"Education is a powerful agent of change, it stabilises lives and livelihood and drives long-term economic growth. It is every child's right to have access to quality and basic education. We thank Dr Bisi Onasanya; we approached him on this laudable project and he showed his commitment and kept his word. It is difficult to find people like him, he only told us it is done, and today we are commissioning the project. We laid the foundation on September 29, 2022, and today the edifice is standing before us," he said.

An elated Oba Ogunsanwo said he immediately approved the land for the construction of the project because it aligned with his vision for the kingdom. He said Dr Onasanya's kind gestures would go a long way in solidifying education in his domain.

"When I ascended the throne, I said attention to education will be one of the bedrock of what we do and my three years of ascension have been dedicated to educating our children because they are not only our tomorrow, they are our today, if you train a child, you are educating a nation. We thank God to have bestowed this edifice on the people of Ilara Kingdom through Dr Bisi Onasanya. We also thank Bowen College for providing the furniture and the Bank of Industry for the e-library as well as the physical library. We can't thank you enough and may God reward you," said Oba Ogunsanwo, who is the Vice Chairman of Lagos State Council of Obas.

One of the major highlights of the event was the bestowment of the chieftaincy title of Akinrogun and Yeye Akinrogun of Ilara Kingdom on Dr Onasanya and his wife, Helen, by Oba Ogunsanwo.

Many royal fathers within Lagos and beyond graced the well-attended event. Other dignitaries at the ceremony include the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Abayomi Abolaji; the Chairman of Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Wahab Olawale Alawiye-King and property merchant, Otunba Yemi Lawal, among others.

L-R: Olori Yetunde Ogunsanwo, HRM Oba (Dr) Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, (Telade IV) The Alara of llora Kingdom, Dr. Bisi Onasanya, Chairman/Founder, The Address Homes Ltd, Rrn. Omorunde Lawson, District Governor, 2022-2023 and Rtn. Joseph O. Akhigbe, President, Rotary Club of Lagos and students of Dowen College during the commissioning of block of 6 classrooms with fully equipped library donated by Dr. Onasanya for Ilara Model Primary School, Along Igbonla Road, Igboku-Kekere llara, Eredo LCDA, Epe Division, Lagos State, on Monday June 26, 2023

L-R: Olori Yetunde Ogunsanwo, HRM Oba (Dr) Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, (Telade IV) The Alara of llora Kingdom, Dr. Bisi Onasanya, Chairman/Founder, The Address Homes Ltd and Otunba Yemi Lawal during the commissioning of block of 6 classrooms with fully equipped library donated by Dr. Onasanya for Ilara Model Primary School, Along Igbonla Road, Igboku-Kekere llara, Eredo LCDA, Epe Division, Lagos State, on Monday June 26, 2023