The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar has paid a visit to the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Naija News reports that Atiku, a former Vice President, visited Buhari at his Daura residence on Saturday.

It was gathered that Senator Aminu Tambuwal, the immediate past Governor of Sokoto State, alongside other PDP stakeholders accompanied Atiku on his visit. 

The visit to Buhari comes few days after Atiku paid a similar visit to former Military President, Ibrahim Babagida and former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, in Niger State.

[NaijaNews]

Nigeria’s superstar singer, David Adeleke, professionally known as Davido, has revealed that the wedding ring he presented to his fiancée, Chioma, is worth the price of two or three Rolls Royce.

Davido revealed this in an Instagram post by a socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest.

In a video, Cubana Chief Priest, who was driving the driving the car in which Davido and Chioma sat at the back, said the wedding on June 25, 2024 in  Lagos, would be a gathering of billionaires.

The businessman, who told Chioma to display the ring, said the wedding would be a strict gathering of real friends and family.

He said: “We’re rolling on a Rolls Royce.

“A Yoruba man steps out and says: ‘I am coming down to Imo to pick an amazing fruit,’ and it’s happening.

“They fought it.

“They tried to stop it.

“They did everything possible to end it, but the will of God happened.”

Responding to the show of the ring by Chioma, Davido said: “That is two, three Rolls Royces right there.”

[EagleOnline]

As the security challenges facing the nation grow in leaps and bounds, the efforts at their containment multiply by the hour. These efforts range from the direct commendable interventions of individuals and institutions of state charged with the responsibility of securing the nation, to the well-meant suggestions of regional sociocultural organizations, as well as the actions of militant groups, wishing to proffer solutions of their own. They are all eager to see the situation change for the better. 

In all of this however, especially in the many retreats, conferences and summits on national security held all over the country for decades now, there seems to be a preponderance of what can best be described as “lamentational” and descriptive submissions. Yes, many of them offer detailed descriptions of the problems, their historical origins and their negative impact on our lives. Then you also find many generalized recommendations, devoid of clear implementation strategies. In all, we remain on the same spot, complain about, and condemn, the military and security agencies, especially the Nigerian Army.

 There are also, presumably very insightful and patriotic Nigerians, who never get tired of insisting that the solution lies in the declaration of a State of emergency on national security, followed by a complete overhaul of the nation’s security architecture. The problem here, however, is that no two members of this clan of patriotic Nigerans can give you the same definition of “Nigeria’s security architecture’, or what is so wrong with it that it needs a comprehensive overhaul. They are also usually not in the position to say what aspects of this supposedly faulty architecture need urgent medical attention.

Concerning declaring a State of Emergency, we should all ask ourselves what is to be gained by a simple verbal declaration that there is now a state of emergency on national security.  Will that make uncooperative communities suddenly start plying the military and security agencies with the local intelligence they have been holding back for a long time now? Will it improve the availability of arms and ammunition, or will it dramatically raise the morale of officers and soldiers who are overstretched and also hamstrung by the missteps of a civilian ruling elite that has created a massive pool of impoverished and unemployed youths?

It was the need for a purely solutions-based engagement that is driven by objective and clear-sighted third-Party narratives that led to the Partnership between the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) and Development Specs Academy (DSA) to refocus the direction of all our conversations about national security. Yesterday, NARC and DSA held a well-attended press conference in Abuja, as part of activities leading up to their planned national Roundtable designed to interrogate “Asymmetrical National Security Challenges, the Army and National Development”. This is an event that would call from very specific, and implementable Action Points from the participants.

Also at the conference yesterday were the Strategic Partners of DSA, all who teamed up to make the roundtable a phenomenal success. They include, but are not limited to the Nigerian Institute of Public relations (NIPR), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Voice of Nigeria (VON), the News agency of Nigerian (NAN), the Institute for Strategic Development Communication (ISDEVCOM), Nnamdi Azikiwe Business School, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies (IPSDS).

The point of securing the buy-in and deep commitment of these Strategic Partners was to make these credible and highly regarded professional bodies, institutes and institutions, as well as agencies of government that are headed by professionals in public communication, professional information management and the media to make these pillars of credibility part of the dominant voices that are heard on core issues of national security.

The organizers of the Roundtable went round, consulted with these Partners and other stakeholders, achieved some measure of consensus on the core issues at the heard of asymmetrical national security challenges and came out with a template for pragmatic and realistic solutions. The Roundtable thus stands out as a Third-Party initiative, designed to distil Implementable Action Points (IAPs) on pressing asymmetrical national security challenges in the country.

These are security challenges that do not take the simple form of easily-identified, routinely compartmentalized, properly isolated and unilaterally targetable problems. No! They range from embedded targets, refusal to help the army and other security agencies with local intelligence, the targeting of military personnel for hostile civilian attention, unproductive community engagements, deliberate misrepresentation of the activities and achievements of the Nigerian Army through fake news, to deliberate misinformation and disinformation, among other disruptive environmental variables.

What we need today is a people’s RoundTable that will drive non-partisan national interest narratives. Believable national communication needs the twin elements of objectivity and professionalism, while promoting public understanding of the roles, and achievements, of the nation’s military and security agencies and platforms. In the end, it is all about creating a groundswell of that aspect of public communication that is usually best described as National Interest Communication without Propaganda (NIC–P).

From the pre-event investigations, surveys and consultations of the organisers, this forthcoming RoundTable needs to bring out the roots of growing spate of attacks on military personnel, as well as the crisis of targeted general hostility towards the Nigerian Army in particular.

It is unacceptable that more and more people see and treat national security problems as purely the business of the military and, especially, the Nigeran army. That such problems are also so clear and present as to be threatening their lives is a matter of little concern to many of them. That is why this RoundTable must drive a new narrative, by getting Nigeria’s various publics to see and understand their roles, and the roles of other key actors, in the wider national ecosystem of synchronized security.

For good measure, this Roundtable seems set to re-emphasize, as much as possible, the specific and general roles of the military, particularly the Nigerian army, in the cocktail of structures, activities and processes that constitute the national security architecture. It would, in the process, address the emerging challenges and deliberate misrepresentations of our men in uniform as objectively as possible.

Thus, we are looking at a national Roundtable on “Asymmetrical National Security Challenges, the Army and National Development that would, among other things, showcase facts-based reviews of current asymmetrical national security challenges. It should also highlight the achievements of the Nigerian Army in the war against banditry and insurgency, as it presents a holistic perspective on the imperatives of a “whole of society approach” to national security challenges.

As the organizers have declared that the event would be strictly guided by Chatham House Rules, the use of Third-Party presentations, narratives and suggestions to problematise asymmetrical security and the solutions to such challenges should be a harvest of the best possible indicators for those looking for Action Points and plans for an end to some of our most telling national security challenges. This will, no doubt include many things that the Nigerian Army and other players in the national security framework may not be a able to put in the public domain, because of the constraints of professional protocols and political considerations.

The Roundtable should also establish informed linkages between the negative fallouts of political decisions, overlooked multiplier effects poor civilian leadership and emerging national security challenges in different parts of the country. This should be in addition to presenting the nation’s general and specific security challenges and the efforts and achievements of the military, particularly the Nigerian army, in a way that does not try to mask any ugly truths. But the aim shall be to find and present realistic solutions, rather than the mere fact of discovering and celebrating problems alone.

Of course, it may be objected here that there has been so much talk and meetings about our security challenges. That is correct. The question for us is whether such talks and meetings, even where and when they do not deliver certain results, are necessarily pointless. Sometimes, all it takes for a presumably pointless conversation to make meaning is for the content, mode and desired results of those conversing to change. That change is expected in next week’s Roundtable.

It is left for us who are interested to head to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Mambilla Barracks, in Asokoro, Abuja on Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th, next week, since admission is free.

A Note on Kano-Ju-Nastics

We are all looking at the ancient city of Kano with bated breath. Two monarchs are at war in the “peace” of Kano. There is no seating monarch, since the two claimants to the royal stool have both been asked not to sit on the throne. So, if we must call either of them the monarch of Kano, depending on which of the court judgments flying around we subscribe to, we must say that they are “standing”, not sitting, monarchs.

We must also say that both monarchs, in so far as two people can be the kings of a kingdom that has provision for only one king, are in a state of partially suspended animation, since neither can live fully as monarch; or exercise the full constituent powers of that office.

All said, the situation in Kano City and Kano State at the moment defies even the best attempts at a semi comprehension. It is a combination of the convoluted politics of the state and the roundly confusing gymnastics of the judicial officers who have been rendering contradictory, or at least conflicting, judgments. The moves, the formulation of the sentences in the judicial pronouncements, the near-equivocation and contrived befuddlement cannot remove the fact that there are some truths some people are not determined to tell us.

How it plays out remains to be seen, but one thing is sure: there are deeply entrenched interest on this matter that are not anywhere physically close to Kano city and kano State. Bayero’s inexplicable return to Kano to contest his ouster, after seeming to have calmly accepted same, was not done on a whim. Sanusi’s sudden reinstatement, without almost anyone seeing it coming, was not thought up on the spur of the moment. Enough said.

Chelsea have not ended their interest in Victor Osimhen.

The Blues remain keen to bring the Nigeria international to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Caught Offside reports that Osimhen is a sought-after man this summer and Chelsea are still willing to take him.

However, the reported €130 million release clause slammed on him by Napoli could pose a problem in any potential deal.

The 24-year-old is now among the most lethal strikers in world football and Chelsea are in the market for a new striker to help them return to the top of the table.

While Nicolas Jackson did not live up to fans’ expectations last season, Romelu Lukaku spent the 2023-24 campaign on loan with AS Roma and is no longer part of plans at Stamford Bridge.

Contrary to recent rumours, Caught Offside reports that Arsenal are not pushing for Osimhen.

The striker and Napoli have agreed he could leave the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this summer.

Interestingly, Napoli are looking at Lukaku as a possible replacement for Osimhen, which could work in the west London side’s favour.

[Leadership]

While it is almost impossible to chronicle all the people who played one role or the other in Nigeria’s quest for a return to democratic governance from June 12, 1993, until May 29, 1999, some names missed out in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech have been tagged as too significant to be left out.

In his speech on June 12, the president listed 32 names as heroes of democracy, starting with the late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of Nigeria’s arguably freest election in 1993, to Chief Ayo Opadokun, the Secretary-General of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), an association of several pro-democracy and activist groups that championed the call for the military to exit the stage and hand over to Abiola.

Referencing the sacrifices made by the coalition, the president said, “The precious gift brought about by their selfless devotion can neither be repaid nor forgotten.”

However, many Nigerians observed that though the president noted that the list was not exhaustive, as several names who also played critical roles, some with their lives, were not mentioned.

Some of the names said to have been worth mentioning include Walter Carrington, Frederick Fasehun, Col Dangiwa Umar, Bagauda Kaltho, Joe Igbokwe, Mohammed Adamu, Dr Junaidu Mohammed, Alhaji Bukar Zarma, Nosa Igiebor, Bayo Onanuga, Sunday Dare, Gambo Sawaba, Mike Ozekhome, Clement Nwankwo and Alao Aka-Bashorun.

‘Proper planning would’ve ensured significant names weren’t omitted’

The immediate past Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Martins Oloja, in an interview with Daily Trust Saturday, said, “Immortalising people and doing all this thing on June 12, is a very good cause, but since the president decided to name some people as heroes of democracy, I believe they omitted some significant names and only remembered the prominent figures.”

Using Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life to differentiate between significance and prominence, Oloja, who was the editor of the Abuja Newsday that was shut down during the period, said that being a reporter and editor during the period of Nigeria’s democratic struggle he knew several persons not on the list read out by the president but that played significant roles in the struggle and thus deserved to be recognised as heroes of “our” democracy.

He noted that people like the late former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme, with his organisation of political groups; the late Justice Dolapo Akinsanya, who declared the Interim National Government of Chief Ernest Shonekan illegal, were left out.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu had before then described the late Justice Akinsanya as “one of the heroines of the present democracy in Nigeria for the courageous judgement she delivered against the legality of the Interim National Government in November, 1993.”

Oloja added that the names of people like Joe Igbokwe, with his constant letters to editors for the actualisation of democracy; and Dr Kayode Fayemi, a former Ekiti State governor, who was generally described as the brain behind Radio Kudirat – the indispensable voice of the June 12, struggle that was broadcasting not only to Nigeria, denouncing the military dictators, but also sensitising the international community on the struggle to end military dictatorship in the country, were also not on the list.

He further said, “Even for the media, the president just mentioned some media establishments but didn’t mention some of the people who suffered specifically. For instance, Bayo Onanuga, the current president’s media adviser, who resigned from his job as the Editor of Concord as a result of the struggle. He resigned when it came to apologising to the military about a story. He refused and left.”

He also highlighted the roles of Ray Ekpu, Yakubu Mohammed and Dan Agbese, all of Newswatch, who were arrested on the same day for publishing an interview with David Mark on the intrigues that led to the cancellation of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

He added that even among the activists, it was a great oversight to ignore names like Mike Ozekhome, Clement Nwankwo, Alao Aka-Bashorun and Chief Amos Akingba, especially as the president decided to include the names of their contemporaries like Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana, Abdul Oroh, Senator Shehu Sani and Governor Uba Sani.

Oloja noted that while it was impossible to have an exhaustive list, proper planning of an event of that nature would have ensured that some significant names that readily came to mind were not subsumed under “among others” as the president did in his speech.

Walter Carrington

For instance, the late Carrington, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, was so interested in Nigeria’s struggle for a return to democracy that his position was erroneously interpreted by the then military regime as the intention of the United States (US) to kick out the General Sani Abacha regime.

In his condolence message, former President Muhammadu Buhari described Carrington as a “long-time friend of Nigeria and an astute and courageous diplomat,” adding that the story of “Nigeria’s democracy under the Fourth Republic will not be complete without a mention of the heroic roles of the likes of Ambassador Carrington.”

Carrington remains arguably the most popular US ambassador to Nigeria even after his death in 2020. The road where the US Consulate and several other countries’ consulates are situated is named after him in Lagos.

Alao Aka-Bashorun

Similarly, Aka-Bashorun, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), was another name believed to be too important to the democratic struggle to have been excluded.

One of his children, Dipo H Aka-Bashorun, in an opinion article to respond to the absence of his father’s name during the president’s June 12, dinner speech, said June 12, like with so many notable Nigerians, was inextricably connected to his name.

He wrote, “Where to start? His conviction of G.O.K. Ajayi (SAN) to join him and mount the legal defence of Chief MKO Abiola, the widely acclaimed winner of June 12, at his trial for treason. How about his years in exile; having had to leave Nigeria with a passport issued by the United Nations after the People’s Chambers (his law office) had been raided, sealed off, and his Nigerian passport seized? His role as a leading member of the human rights movement to take the case of Nigeria’s human rights abuses to the United Kingdom and the United States.

“His unwavering support of Mrs Kudirat Abiola’s resolve, commitment and determination to see the actualisation of her husband’s mandate? On June 4, 1996, Alao Aka-Bashorun was one of the first people to see Kudirat Abiola’s bullet-ridden body at the hospital. She had been on her way to pick him up for a meeting. The shock was too much to bear and he broke down at the scene and would never fully recover his memory again. Such was his price to pay for democracy in our beloved country, Nigeria.”

The younger Aka-Bashorun added: “The omission of his name at a dinner speech notwithstanding, history has been kind to his legacy. Associations like the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, which have held a widely acclaimed annual lecture since April 29, 2010, in his name as a bar leader and incomparable activist, have lived up to the creed that ‘the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain’ and are doing their part so that his name and achievements are not overlooked at the dinner table.”

Another of Aka-Bashorun’s children, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, said she was not surprised when her father’s name was omitted in the president’s speech “because when June 12, was officially made our Democracy Day and there was quite a bit of attention on the heroes of that day, my dad wasn’t mentioned. People were given post-humous awards, but he wasn’t recognised. As a family, we chose not to make a fuss.”

Morayo, who is the MD of TVC Entertainment, further said while their father had not gotten the recognition his role in Nigeria’s democratic struggle earned him, “A few people in government and well-meaning Nigerians have acknowledged to me privately the role my father played, but none of these has been publicly or officially stated by the government in power or others before them.”

Frederick Fasehun

The leadership of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) also described President Tinubu’s failure to acknowledge its founder, Dr Frederick Fasehun, in the list of the June 12, heroes as a mark of ingratitude.

The President of the Yoruba socio-political organisation, Otunba Wasiu Afolabi, said that it took the family and estate of Dr Fasehun to blow their father’s June 12, trumpet for the younger generation to know and acknowledge him as one of the heroes of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.

Afolabi recalled that the medical doctor-turned activist sacrificed his livelihood and liberty to fight for the disannulment of Abiola’s mandate and the restoration of democracy through the OPC and NADECO.

He said, “Baba was jailed several times. Hundreds of innocent OPC members were killed. Some were arrested, jailed, maimed for life and extra-judicially killed.”

Bukar Zarma

Also recollecting the years of the struggle to install democracy, veteran editor of the then New Nigeria and publisher of Abuja Newsday, Alhaji Bukar Zarma, told Daily Trust Saturday that there was no hard feeling about not being recognised in the president’s speech because, looking back, “We can say the struggle was worth it. What is important is that the work was done; it does not matter who gets the credit. If they give one credit, fine; if they don’t, you should be happy that the work was done.”

Alhaji Zarma, who is now the Coordinating Secretary of the Leadership Selection Committee of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), recalled that, “At one point when New Nigeria was the only newspaper in Northern Nigeria and I was the daily editor, all of us (editors) were in detention. I was detained at the NSO office in Lagos, and my roommates were Femi Falana; then Editor of Tribune, Folu Olamiti; and late elder statesman, Alhaji Sule Katagum, a former Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission.

“Even for Abuja Newsday, as small as it was, I, as the publisher, and the editors were always arrested and detained. The paper was proscribed alongside others, but unlike others, it never recovered. All these only illustrate the crisis that befell the media during the struggle for democracy. I don’t think there is any group of professionals that paid the price journalists paid. Of course, there were the agitators who were often arrested and detained, but journalists were walking corpses because they picked you on the streets, in your houses and all others, and nobody can go to court to secure your release.”

Mohammed Adamu

Also sharing his experience during the struggle, Mohammed Adamu, a former editor of African Concord, who himself was identified as worthy of recognition, recalled in one of his writings on the struggle that: “For nine months I was in the dungeon of what we knew then as the SSS – bearded to the navel – and in just about four months I was beginning to dreadlock as I was hemmed daily between two giant air-conditioning power machines that supplied the entire building.”

His offence was the writing of an expose with the title: “El-Mustapha: The ruthless iron man behind Abacha’s junta”, which he said was “about the first ever to unravel and deconstruct – if you will – the once shadowy Chief Security Officer (CSO) who initially loomed large behind the throne even though he enjoyed de facto privileges to the subjugation or capitulation of all armed and unarmed forces in the country.

“By the sixth month in detention, TELL’s Osifor Whisky Onome was brought in to join me, and together we were now told that we had our hands in the Diya coup attempt, an event that ironically happened six long months after I had been taken in and three months after Onome had been. And to show how serious they really were, some of the civilian suspects in that coup attempt were moved to our tiny cell as a combined team of military police, the SSS and others began to interrogate us, preparatory, they said, to our being moved soon to Jos where the tribunal would sit.”

But after failing to establish a case against them, Adamu recalled that he and Onome were informed that they “were culpable because our writings, over time, having damagingly denigrated the junta, had, wittingly or unwittingly, motivated the coupists to act and also prepared fertile ground for the public to welcome the coup – had it succeeded.”

Joe Igbokwe

Also speaking with Daily Trust Saturday, Joe Igbokwe, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, said he was recognised as he was invited to the anniversary dinner.

He said, “I was in that hall. He (President Tinubu) could not mention all the names. We thought he would mention all the names, but he did not mention all the names. I was there.

“You know, those of them that occupied power after the June 12, crisis in 1999 never knew anything about the struggle for democracy. Obasanjo came and hijacked Abiola’s position. After that, Yar’Adua came, Jonathan came and then Buhari. These are not the heroes of democracy. It’s now that we have heroes of democracy in power.

“I feel elated. Being remembered is the most important thing. If Asiwaju had not been elected, nobody would remember us.”

Nosa Igiebor

The co-founder and president of Tell Communications, publishers of Tell Magazine, Nosa Igiebor (72), told Daily Trust Saturday that he did not feel anything personal with his name not being mentioned among the heroes of June 12, and democracy.

Igiebor was arrested and imprisoned because of the June 12, struggle before he later went into exile.

He said, “June 12, has come and gone. I didn’t feel anything personal about not being mentioned, as there are many others left out, maybe inadvertently. I didn’t feel much celebrating June 12, as we have not fared better after 25 years, and we are even worse off than when we were fighting to end military rule and enthrone democracy.

“What matters to me is that Nigerians should be better off than they are. June 12, and democracy would have meaning and be appreciated by Nigerians if their lives are better with democracy and they are assured that there is hope and a future for their children.

“When the leaders were celebrating June 12, millions of other Nigerians were unfulfilled that the democracy they laboured for and expected dividends were not forthcoming.”

President will acknowledge all in due course – Presidency

Reacting to the concerns of many Nigerians, the presidency said the president would in due course acknowledge all the men and women who fought for the democracy currently being enjoyed.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, noted that the omission of some names was not an indication that the president snubbed them.

Onanuga said, “Even some of the names you mentioned here are not exhaustive. The fact that the president did not mention some names does not suggest he snubbed them or didn’t remember them. Indeed, while reading his speech, the president twice added, ‘among others’, because he realised the names were merely representative of the whole.

“The president, in due course, will acknowledge all the men and women who fought for the democracy we are enjoying today.”

Morayo Afolabi-Brown, said she was not surprised when her father’s name was omitted in the president’s speech “because when June 12, was officially made our Democracy Day and there was quite a bit of attention on the heroes of that day, my dad wasn’t mentioned. People were given post-humous awards, but he wasn’t recognised. As a family, we chose not to make a fuss.”

Morayo, who is the MD of TVC Entertainment, further said while their father had not gotten the recognition his role in Nigeria’s democratic struggle earned him, “A few people in government and well-meaning Nigerians have acknowledged to me privately the role my father played, but none of these has been publicly or officially stated by the government in power or others before them.”

Tobi Amusan failed to defend her women’s 100m hurdles title at the 2024 African Athletics Championship due to illness.

The reigning world record holder was aiming to win her third straight gold medal in the event.

Amusan came tops in the women’s 100m hurdles in 2018 in Asaba and two years ago in Mauritius.

Had she competed and won, Amusan would have joined Maria Usifo and Glory Alozie as the only athletes with three consecutive African titles in the women’s 100m hurdles.

Nigeria’s Adaobi Tabugo has already qualified for the final.

Team Nigeria won two gold medals on the first of the competition on Friday.

[DailyPost]

Media personality Toke Makinwa has expressed apprehensions about reaching a significant milestone in her life which is turning 40.

In a recent episode of her show, Toke Moments, she revealed her nervousness and a shared conversation with D’Banj, who advised her against celebrating her 40th birthday, citing industry pressures and the potential risk of being “retired” due to her age.

She said: “I’m turning a very big age this year and I’m so nervous. I am so nervous. At first, I started the year by saying I didn’t want to do anything. D’Banj, I’m going to call him out. D’Banj called me and said “Don’t do birthday o! You know this industry. Did I do my birthday? Did Don Jazzy celebrate his birthday? Who shouted when they were 40? Don’t do any birthday o! They will retire you.” I was like “Dapo, what do you mean?”

“When I fill forms these days, you know when we were so excited to fill between 18 and 25, we tick fast. Between like 25 and 35, you tick. After 35, it’s like is this answer required? “

However, her show guest, IK Osakioduwa, offered words of encouragement and reassurance.

As someone who has already crossed the 40-year mark, IK shared his experiences and insights, highlighting the importance of transitioning and evolving in one’s career.

He emphasised that age is not a limitation and that Toke should focus on the impact she’s made and the lives she’s touched, rather than her age.

“Thou shall not be nervous. I am 45, I just turned 45. And I’m still doing this thing. They can’t retire you. I won’t lie to you, there is that stage you get to where you feel like if I tell them my age, won’t people feel I’m too old for this?

“But I’ve started to transition to a space where I’m just no longer a presenter, but a platform for presenters because I want to be able to create other means. 

“I want to be able to sit down and look and count not how many awards or trophies I have on shelves, but I want to be able to look at the lives of people I’ve changed because our paths crossed,” he said.

[TheNation]

Stephanie Coker-Aderinokun

Media presenter and producer, Stephanie Coker-Aderinokun, is one woman that has often spoken out about her struggle with childbearing. In a recent interview, she stated that she was first diagnosed of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome at the age of 16. She has also documented her journey in a documentary series on her YouTube channel titled, ‘African and Pregnant’.

In an interview with Saturday Beats on March 7, 2020, Coker-Aderinokun noted the struggles she faced while trying to have a baby via in-vitro fertilisation. She said, “It was not only draining but life-threatening as I developed Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome. My stomach became swollen with fluids. I threw up blood and was aspirated every day for a week. This syndrome causes the ovaries to swell and become painful. It can become very serious and ultimately life threatening.”

In another interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, she spoke more about her experience battling PCOS. She stated that there was a time she did not menstruate for a year. According to her, she tried getting pregnant naturally but the wait was traumatic for her, so she opted for IVF, which was successful.

Coker-Aderinokun had her traditional wedding in December 2016, while the white wedding followed in August 2017. She had her first child in November 2019.

Nse Ikpe-Etim

Talented actress, Nse Ikpe-Etim, is the darling of many on account of how she interprets her roles in movies. However, in the real world, she had had to struggle with infertility. She stated that she had a medical condition— adenomyosis— which eventually led to her removing her womb.

She first spoke about the condition and why she had not been able to give birth at an event tagged, ‘Conversation with Nse’ in Lekki, Lagos, on May 11, 2019. She stated that she cried when she was first diagnosed with the disease in 2016. She had said, “I was told I couldn’t have kids, so, I had to have a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) to make me have a life again and to stop going through what I was going through. I’m literarily telling women and men, it really doesn’t matter if you can’t bear children. What really matters is what you would do for the world, for the universe.”

She added, “Tears dropped, and my husband squeezed my hand. It was reassuring that there was someone there and it was telling me that this is reality, my reality. The ordeal made me fall into depression.

“I didn’t think there was any point anymore, because society had taught me that I had to be a mother to be appreciated. And every time I went online, a troll or two would say, ‘You haven’t given birth’? But, I’m thankful that that didn’t break me.”

In another interview with media personality, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, in 2020, she stated that she was tired of people making false assumptions, so she decided to go public about her condition. She said, “I am tired of the trolls just yapping. You know you have no idea of what goes on in people’s lives. It’s so easy to sit behind a computer or your phone and just type. The other person reading it is human; you don’t say things that are hurtful.”

In yet another interview with Chude Jideonwo in May 2022, she noted that she ad her husband were dog parents for now. When asked if adoption was an option she had ever considered, she said, “You never say never but right now, Clifford (husband) and I are dog parents.”

She married her husband, Clifford Sule, who was her childhood sweetheart, on February 14, 2013.

Biola Adebayo

Actress and producer, Biola Adebayo, welcomed her first child in her forties.

Speaking about her childbirth struggle on her YouTube page on May 30, 2023, she noted that she and her husband had agreed that if after six months, they didn’t see any signs, they would opt for either IVF or surrogacy. She added that she had a failed IVF, one cancelled surrogate circle, and three failed surrogates within two years of marriage. She noted that it was at her fourth attempt that her first child was birthed via surrogacy.

She announced this on social media after the birth of her son on April 11, 2023. She wrote, “After one failed IVF, one cancelled surrogate circle, three failed surrogate attempts in two years, God has finally blessed my husband and I with a great son through our surrogate mum.

“Through it all, God has been so good to us, and we’re grateful for this great testimony. Thank you, Abba Father. God bless our doctors; God bless our surrogate mum. It’s a new dawn. Welcome to the world, Baby TA.”

Adesua Etomi-Wellington

Having experienced decayed twin embryos, three failed IVF procedures, and PCOS, actress, Etomi-Wellington, finally opened up on her experience while trying to conceive a child for her husband, Bankole Wellington, aka Banky W.

At a programme in the Waterbrook Church, which they attend, the couple shared their struggle with childbirth.

According to them, they had both decided to give birth immediately after their marriage in 2017, but that did not happen until 2021. A year after all natural attempts failed, they decided to try IVF. The first IVF was successful, and she was said to be carrying a set of twins. But, that ended in bad news after a scan revealed that the babies had no heartbeat.

Despite the setback, the couple didn’t give up, and they went for the second and third rounds of IVF, which were also unsuccessful. At that point, the medical reports they received were not encouraging.

Etomi-Wellington said, “The doctors said I had PCOS (a condition in women characterised by irregular or no menstrual periods, acne, obesity, and excess hair growth). The medical report also indicated that Banky’s sperm morphology was not right.

“After the third attempt, I said I was not doing again. I am not taking any single drug or injection. I am not doing anything anymore. If God gives me a child, praise Jesus, but if He is not giving me any child, that’s okay.”

She later gave birth through natural means to her son, Hazaiah, in February 2021, two and half years after the first failed IVF.

Toyin Abraham

In October 2019, actress and producer, Toyin Abraham, revealed that she had her child after struggling with infertility. She made this revelation on social media in a now deleted video on how traditional medicine helped her beat the struggle of infertility. She also launched ‘Toyins Herbal Female Fertility Booster’, a root and herb concoction for women trying to get pregnant.

Though she was formerly married to actor, Adeniyi Johnson, the union was not blessed with a child before it crashed. She later got married to another actor, Kolawole Ajeyemi, and they had a baby boy in August 2019.

Etinosa Idemudia

Although married twice, actress, Etinosa Idemudia, recently recounted her struggle with infertility and PCOS. In a post on her Instagram page on January 18, 2024, she spoke about her infertility experience. She wrote, “Why is it that in this country, when a woman isn’t getting pregnant, the family of the husband, including the man, will blame the woman; even without a diagnosis. To every man/woman out there trying to conceive, just know that God has not forsaken you. If he can bless me with a child after years of PCOS, tears and shame; then, He can and He will definitely turn the tables to favour you.”

“Ten years ago, I went through hell. I thought I was the problem. I have taken a part of my life story and created a movie that I hope will minister to and entertain you.”

The actress had unveiled her daughter few days to the end of 2020. In an interview with Saturday Beats in 2021, Idemudia stated that she had been trying to get pregnant for seven years. She had said, “It was a high-risk pregnancy but God saw me through. I was two months gone before I knew I was pregnant. I would not even have known until much later if not that my long-time doctor and friend forced me to do a pregnancy test when I was busy treating ‘stubborn malaria’.”

She concluded by saying, “I waited for about seven years (before having this child). My advice to awaiting mothers is that they should take their minds off the issue and relax. It is a tough advice that almost sounds crazy, but that was the advice I got from my sister-in-law years ago. She is also a polycystic ovary syndrome conqueror. It worked back then, but I lost the pregnancies. Then, I threw away her advice and naturally became anxious. Anxiety turned to desperation and I did take in again, even with the drugs I was taking then. It was not until last year that I finally learnt to relax. Let go and let God.”

Wumi Toriola

It wasn’t until she was celebrating the second birthday of her son, Zion, in October 2021 that she revealed that she had problem conceiving. She wrote, “I think it’s about time to tell my little story, and this is to encourage someone. I wanted to rest after marriage before conception and boom, ‘my supposed rest’ finished, but no conception. I didn’t see it as a problem, until someone said, ‘Is it that easy. After all, she is married, but she has never been pregnant’. As the playful person that I am, it did not ‘hit’ until six months passed. Then, it started to dawn on me.

“I flew to a fertility hospital, but the annoying thing is that one needs to go with one’s partner. That was a tough one, because it sure sends signals like, has she damaged her womb?

“To cut the story short, I was told there was no issue, that it would come. I had intrauterine insemination (a fertility treatment that gives sperm a better chance at fertilising an egg) two times. After the last one, I started having funny symptoms of pregnancy even without a test. I thought I was pregnant and was unnecessarily careful.

“One month passed, I did a test, but alas, no conception. I was mad at myself. 30 days of injection and ‘hard work’ again. My doctor would laugh at me and assure me there was no issue with us. I lost hope in IUI, and was ready for IVF; then my miraculous conception came.

“I wish I could explain the anger and the sadness through those little times of waiting but just one day, I forgot all.”

In conclusion, she wrote, “To everyone looking for a miracle, the set time is now and it shall not tarry. Please, don’t take medicals lightly.”

[Punch]

The Lagos State Government has attributed the recent cholera outbreak in the state to an unregistered tiger nut drink.

The cholera outbreak has impacted multiple local government areas in Lagos, including Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, and Kosofe, with hospitals reporting the highest number of cases.

As of June 21, Lagos has recorded 24 deaths and 35 confirmed cholera cases, with Eti-Osa identified as the epicenter of the outbreak in Nigeria’s commercial capital. 

In an interview with Punch on Saturday, Kemi Ogunyemi, special adviser to the Lagos state governor on health, mentioned that upon noticing a rise in suspected cholera cases in Eti-Osa LGA, the government conducted a direct assessment of the area.

Ogunyemi revealed that a survey indicated a common factor was a tiger nut drink being sold, while noting it was not registered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

She mentioned that authorities were then sent out to locate the drink in order to test samples for cholera.

Her words: “We found empty bottles with a name on them, but we discovered that it wasn’t even registered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the regulatory body that ensures the safety of consumables.

“There was a phone number and a name on the bottle, and we started tracing. We did contact tracing, similar to what we did with COVID-19.

“We combed the area to ask people where they got the drinks from. We couldn’t find any full bottles. We only found empty ones, which were of no use because we could not test them. The phone number on the bottle was not reachable.

“Cholera is also water-borne, so we took samples of the water to test it. The bottom line is that we took stool samples because different things cause diarrhoea.

“It could be anything else. We found out that it was confirmed cholera, specifically Vibrio cholera subtype 01, which is the most infectious and aggressive type.

“There are different types, but we identified this one. In Lagos Island, Eti-osa, and Kosofe, we recorded the highest number of cases that went to the hospital.

“I’m not talking about reported cases. These are the people who did the right thing by going to the hospital to complain of symptoms, and they were treated. That’s when we were alerted.”

Ogunyemi urged residents to practice good hygiene and ensure that the items they purchase for consumption are registered with the appropriate government agencies.

[Vanguard]

Alex Otti, governor of Abia, says members of the public should be wary of an individual allegedly impersonating the state’s chairman of the disability commission.

David Anyaele, the special assistant on persons with disabilities (PWDs) to the governor, who spoke on Friday in Umuahia, the state capital, said steps are being taken to investigate the activities of the alleged impersonator.

In May 2023, Okezie Ikpeazu, the former governor of Abia, appointed Eldad Monu, a PWD, as chairman of the commission and also constituted the governing board, representing various disability clusters.

But Anyaele said Otti dissolved all boards of ministries, parastatals, and agencies when he took over as governor to reconstitute them.

The governor’s aide described the alleged impersonation as “an affront and an act of deceit”.

He noted that many national and international organisations might have “ignorantly funded the impersonator’s activities” under the guise of representing the disability commission.

“The public is advised to report any entreaties, requests, or demands by this impersonator or any other person acting on his behalf, using the disability commission as a cover, to the state government for appropriate action,” he said.

[TheCable]