The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has urged gubernatorial aspirants and stakeholders to close ranks and rally around Asue Ighodalo, the party’s governorship candidate for Edo State.
Naija News reports that Ighodalo had emerged as the winner of the primary conducted by the ruling party, but the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, had also claimed victory in a parallel primary.
Despite the PDP leadership giving Ighodalo a Certificate of Return, Shaibu has vowed to challenge the party’s decision in court.
In a statement on Saturday, Atiku, through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, congratulated Asue Ighodalo for his victory at the just-concluded primary election of the party.
The former Vice President said that the election of a thoroughbred technocrat by the PDP as the party’s candidate in Edo State signposts the urgency that the PDP gives to ensuring that the next governor of Edo State is a round peg in a round hole.
Atiku said, “The PDP leadership and members in Edo State must be congratulated also, for an amazing primary election that produced the quality of candidate to fly the flag of our party in the upcoming election.
“The party has made a choice, and it is not in dispute that the choice is a good one.
“It is, therefore, on this note that I plead with all other aspirants and aggrieved stakeholders to reconcile and negotiate to make sure that Edo remains a PDP state.
“Barrister Ighodalo, apart from being a brilliant mind, in whose hands the affairs of Edo State will steer on stable waters, is also a fine gentleman.
“I believe that our candidate has what it takes to bring everyone willing to work for the interest of the PDP under the huge umbrella of our party.”
Continuing, he noted that the current hardship being experienced by Nigerians should energize every PDP member to work for the party’s interest, especially in Edo State, in ensuring that the ruling party, the APC, does not enlarge its map of hunger and poverty.
Ex- international, Segun Odegbami, has disclosed that erstwhile Super Eagles Coach, Jose Peseiro, did not resign as being peddled.
Odegbami who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos, said the gaffer’s contract ended and it was not renewed.
He urged him to move on, adding that Peseiro had performed averagely as coach of the Super Eagles.
“Peseiro did not resign as the story is being peddled, his contract ended and it was not renewed, end of story.
“He should bow out when the ovation is loud. If the ovation was not loud, the government wouldn’t have given him the award that nobody could have ever imagined.
“Peseiro got a reward that has never been given to any coach in the world, not because he won the AFCON, but because he came second.
“He should leave Nigeria alone to face the future. We need a coach who will take us to win something because we are tired of coaches who cannot win anything for us,” he said.
He called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), to look inward for an indigenous coach to handle the Super Eagles, adding that Nigeria needed a better hand to handle the Super Eagles.
“Unless we want to be enslaved forever, in our colonial mentality where we think that only the white can coach us to success.
“All around us, we hear about some Nigerians who are excelling in all fields of endeavours and they are leaving the country to go and help other countries.
“Football is not a rocket science, but a simple game, we have lots of Nigerians who have all the qualifications to take us to any level.
“For me, I won’t suffer from colonial mentality again and enough of foreign coaches, now, it’s time for a Nigerian Coach to handle our national team,” he said.
The Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Igboho, has urged traditional rulers in the Southwest to support him in flushing out criminality and banditry from the region.
Igboho said he would collaborate with traditional rulers to put a permanent end to insecurity in the Southwest.
In a statement he signed, he lamented that insecurity was responsible for death and farmer-herder crisis in the region.
“I welcome the idea, and assure them that I will do my best to checkmate incidence of insecurity provided I receive the backing of the relevant security agencies, Yoruba monarchs and other stakeholders.
“Insecurity and threats precipitated by banditry, herders/farmers clashes, leading to deaths and massive destruction of farmlands have driven away farmers and agric entrepreneurs from farm settlements in Yorubaland.
“We need to flush out criminal elements, who have occupied our forests using the place as launch pads to jeopardize the peace in our communities, towns, villages and amulets. I am ready to lend my support in this regard,” he said.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, says he is alive because God is wonderful, recalling how he once escaped death by the whiskers.
He spoke at the Redemption Camp, off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun, on Saturday as he clocked 82, with congregants celebrating him.
Adeboye narrated the incident, which many years ago, according to him, could have claimed his life, if not for a miraculous intervention of God.
He referred to an earlier narrative by his former driver of several accidents in which the cleric and his wife escaped death in various incidents on the way to Ilorin, Kwara.
Adeboye said that the most frightening was one in which their vehicle came face to face with a trailer that was coming at full speed on a narrow path, by a bridge which had a river by its side.
“Somehow we passed,” he said, noting that it was a miracle that they escaped unhurt in the incident, which left both him and his driver shaking.
Adeboye said the escape amazed his driver, that all the way to Ilorin, all he was repeating was ‘wonderful.’
“That I’m alive today is because His name is called wonderful,” he said, and prayed that God would be wonderful in the lives of the people.
Adeboye appreciated the church members for celebrating him, praying that none of them would die young, and that they would be greater than him.
He said that his 82nd birthday anniversary also marked the 38th anniversary of the annual Special Holy Ghost Service organised by the church.
Adeboye thanked God for the lives that had been touched through the programme.
The cleric, at the event, went on to preach on the theme of the Holy Ghost Service – On Eagles Wings.
Preaching from Exodus Chapter 19, he said, “When God hears and takes notice of a person, the life of such a person changes for better.
“God can grab you from the lowest point on earth and put you on the throne.”
According to him, when one’s case is beyond any human assistance, the God who knows will send help.
The cleric said that all God required was faith and holiness, and He was able to give sweatless victory.
He prayed that God would hear the cries of the people, carry them on eagle’s wings and deliver them totally like He did for the children of Israel.
A version of this article was first published in my June 21, 2014 column. It is still relevant today.
The other day I was reflecting on Nigerians’ new favorite pastime: endless griping about the increasingly disabling dysfunction of the country. And I realized that one theme that often stands out when we bewail our present conditions is that we almost always sentimentalize the past.
In other words, many Nigerians find relief from the worries of the present by taking a mental escape to the past.
For instance, when Nigerians bemoan the “indigene/settler” dichotomies in many states of the country, they like to recall, for example, that as far back as 1956, a Fulani man from Sokoto by the name of Malam Umaru Altine was elected the first Mayor of Enugu, the political capital of Eastern Nigeria. His religious and ethnic identity didn’t stand in the way of his election—as it certainly would in contemporary Nigeria.
They also remember that when the late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi was governor of Kano State in the Second Republic, he appointed many non-Kano indigenes, including Christians from the South, as advisers and directors. There are several other examples of inclusiveness from the past that we invoke to deplore the politics of intolerance and exclusivity of the present.
[It should be noted, though, that Vice President Kashim Shettima, as governor of Borno State, blazed a trail in appointing southern Christians as cabinet-level advisers and aides. He appointed a certain Ifeanyi Onwubuya as his Chief Detail. Chief Kester Ogualili was his Special Adviser on Community Relations. One Christopher Godwin Akaba served as his Special Assistant. Babagana Zulum, Shettima’s successor, appears to be continuing with the tradition.
Lagos State governors, including the current one, have also historically been ethnically ecumenical in their choice of gubernatorial aides and advisers. They usually have advisers from representative parts of the country. There are probably other “inclusive” governors like Lagos and Borno governors that I am not aware of. I welcome any information that helps me to expand my knowledge of this.
But, of course, this won’t earn our praise or become a reference point of inclusivity, even if it is only merely tokenistic, because it’s still in the present. It takes the passage of time to valorize gestures like this.
And when Nigerians bemoan the worsening insecurity in the country, especially in the northeast, they never fail to recall that Borno State, the main theater of Boko Haram’s unceasing carnage, used to be so peaceful that its license-plate slogan is “home of peace.” Now, that slogan reads like a cruel joke.
On almost every imaginable subject—infrastructure, electricity, standard of education, tolerance, security, governance, leadership, etc.—our past has become our refuge from the scourge of our present. About the only area that Nigerians don’t look to the past for inspiration is telecommunication. No one looks back to the days of NITEL with nostalgia even in the face of the crappy GSM services that private telecom operators provide now.
I know of no society that valorizes its past, in even the most trivial indices, with as much wistfulness as Nigeria does. Here in the United States, to give just one example, rather than a sentimental longing for the past, I notice a tendency toward chronocentricity, that is, the notion that the present is superior to anything that preceded it.
For instance, when Americans discuss race relations, they look back at their past with disdain. Even though they are far from achieving racial equality, they all seem to agree that they have come a long way; that every subsequent generation is more racially tolerant and broadminded than the one that anteceded it.
As some Black American leaders have pointed out, the fact that racial incidents like the Trayvon Martin murder case captured the national imagination and became the subject of intense national debate speaks to the unusualness of such cases and indicates how much progress has been made in race relations.
Although Americans also complain about declining standards in education, it isn’t as much a national obsession as it is in Nigeria. In fact, studies now show that young Americans actually read more print (and—obviously—electronic) books than did previous generations.
In many societies, people say things like “this is the 21st century, for God’s sake!” to rail against people who are narrow-minded, who are ensconced in their primordial cocoons, who are opposed to progress. Implicit in this utterance is the idea that the current age is an improvement on the previous ones; that history proceeds in a progressive, not a recursive, direction. Of course, this is not entirely accurate, but it does capture a certain level of confidence about the present—and optimism about the future.
Nigerians don’t have even this illusory luxury. The past is a lot more comforting than the present and is therefore a better template for the future. But why wouldn’t it be? As a nation we seem to be moving from bad to worse in almost every sphere.
At a time when most closed societies are opening up and open societies are becoming even more open, we are becoming more wedded to subnational loyalties than ever before.
And stealing of public money no longer makes headline news unless it’s in millions or billions of US dollars. What is more, we have become so desensitized to death that unless people die in their hundreds, newspaper editors don’t put it on the front page.
Even universities that are called “ivory towers” because of their putative insulation from the reality of everyday life are affected by this national culture of worshiping the past. University teachers look to the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s to reclaim the idea of the university.
I have never heard or read any Nigerian university teacher brag about improvement in scholarship and pedagogy in the universities in the course of the years.
No future can be envisioned out of this depressingly dark present. That is why we glorify and idealize the past. But a country whose past is better than its present in most indices of human development is in a bigger trouble than it realizes. And, most certainly, a country whose future lies in its past has no future.
But, wait! Are we, perhaps, guilty of a phenomenon that psychologists call “rosy retrospection”? That is, the human tendency to look at the past more positively than the present because it has faded from our active memory.
When I look at the archives of the past that we sentimentalize today, I see the same lamentations of decline and dysfunction that we have become accustomed to. Is it a case of every epoch is the worst until it is succeeded by another— and the passage of time and the frailty of human memory wash off is ugliness?
Bille People in Both Rivers and Adamawa States?
My friend Professor Moses Ochonu called my attention to a status update shared by the sensationally impressive polyglot known as Adedeji Odulesi in which he talked about an ethnolinguistic group called Bille, which he said is found in the “Demsa and Mayobelwa” local government areas of Adamawa State and in the “Degema Local Government Area” of Rivers State.
He said the dialects of the Bille language in Adamawa and Rivers states are still mutually intelligible, i.e., they understand each other in spite of the wide geographic, historical, and cultural separation between them.
“Both claim to be brothers and do visit one another,” he wrote. “The Bille from Adamawa are said to have visited their kith and kin in Rivers in 2001, 2012 and during the installation of their new king.”
If this is true, it’s truly intriguing and thought-provoking because it defies our conventional understanding of language and people. It would serve as another evidence of the labyrinthine complexity of ethnic identities in Nigeria.
After reading of this, I decided to search up “Bille language” and “Bille people.” The results I got were jarring. All the articles I read about the “Bille people” talk of only Rivers State. There is no mention of them in Adamawa State.
On the other hand, articles about the “Bille language” talk about the language in Adamawa State. There is no indication I can find anywhere that the language can also be found in Rivers State.
Yet Odulesi isn’t a flippant person. But is there a Bille person in either Rivers State or Adamawa State who can confirm what Odulesi said about them? I would really appreciate it.
Should this turn out to be true, it would be a chapter in my forthcoming book on collective identity construction in Nigeria. Please share with people who are from these places.
This report brings you this week’s biggest news stories from around the country.
Nigeria has increased its crackdown on cryptocurrency platforms in the country, leading to reported disruptions for several users. The Binance platform was specifically targeted in this crackdown following accusations by the Central Bank governor of being used for illegal transactions.
Renowned Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, graced PUNCH Newspaper’s 50th anniversary. Did the efforts by the Nigerian Labour Congress to shut down the country through protests fail to achieve the desired outcome?
President Bola Tinubu dusted off the Oronsaye report and called for immediate implementation. Here are highlights from the week’s biggest news stories, from February 25 to March 2, 2023.
Soyinka calls for decentralisation
Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, criticised previous national conferences in Nigeria, describing them as deceitful attempts to pacify citizens rather than genuine solutions for national challenges.
Soyinka at a public lecture in Lagos to celebrate PUNCH 50th anniversary.
Speaking at a public lecture to celebrate PUNCH Nigeria Limited’s 50th anniversary, Soyinka urged leaders to prioritise decentralisation for effective national development, stating that it is essential for maximising productivity and self-sufficiency.
“When the word restructuring is booted around, we often have the challenge, what do you mean by restructuring?
“Well, I don’t even like the word restructuring, I prefer the expressions like reconfiguration, decentralisation. And those who lead us they recognise the necessity of it; they recognise the importance and almost the inevitability of decentralisation until they get in power,” he said
Soyinka emphasised decentralisation’s importance in enhancing food production and addressing hunger.
“As a veteran of food security working conferences from Uganda to India, from Paris to Sochi, I insist that for a nation to be food self-sufficient, and sustainably, decentralisation is the key, not collectivisation,” he said.
He stated that decentralisation is not just a slogan but a necessary step towards addressing the nation’s incomplete mission of nation-building.
The one-day protest
The Nigeria Labour Congress and affiliated unions initiated a national protest on Tuesday, addressing concerns about the high cost of living, inflation, insecurity, and general hardship in the country.
Protesters, led by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, marched to the National Assembly and presented a letter of demands to President Bola Tinubu through the lawmakers.
However, following the first day of protests, the NLC announced the suspension of the nationwide demonstration slated for Wednesday.
In a communiqué issued after the National Executive Council meeting, the NLC expressed confidence that the government had received their message effectively.
Despite the decision to suspend the protest, Ajaero revealed at a subsequent press briefing on Wednesday that the congress faced intimidation and threats, compelling them to halt the demonstration.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero
He said, “We were threatened with all manners of consequences that would be meted on us if we went ahead.
“We were, however, not perturbed, as lifting the heavy yoke of suffering upon Nigerian workers and masses left us with no option than to press on,” Ajaero revealed.
Ajaero highlighted the NLC’s commitment to alleviating the hardships faced by Nigerian workers and the general public, despite the obstacles.
Additionally, he disclosed he has evidence of the “importation of agents” mobilised to disrupt the peaceful demonstration through violence during Tuesday’s protest
FG versus Binance
The Federal Government is intensifying its scrutiny of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange company, amid concerns about its impact on Nigeria’s economy.
According to reports, the government is considering demanding over $10bn from Binance as a penalty for its alleged involvement in illegal transactions in the country.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed in an interview with the BBC that discussions on compensation and fines are ongoing, highlighting the potentially significant losses Nigeria has suffered while Binance profited.
This move comes amidst efforts to stabilise the value of the naira, as Binance users allegedly manipulated dollar-naira rates, leading to a sharp decline in the currency’s value.
Onanuga also stated that Binance is not registered in Nigeria and has no physical presence in the country.
The Office of the National Security Adviser confirmed that Nigerian authorities are investigating Binance’s operations.
This development follows reports of Binance executives being detained by the Nigerian government and the platform’s suspension of naira-denominated transactions.
It also comes after Binance’s settlement of $4.3bn in criminal money laundering charges with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Oronsaye: The Rise of the Sceptre
Twelve years after the submission of the Stephen Oronsaye Report, the Federal Government announced on Monday its approval of the implementation of some of its recommendations aimed at reducing the cost of governance.
Consequently, 29 government agencies will be merged, while eight parastatals will be integrated into eight other agencies.
Additionally, four agencies are set to be relocated to various ministries, and one agency is slated for scrapping.
As per the announcement made by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, it comes in response to the 2012 Oronsaye report, which pointed out the increase in government parastatals and suggested major restructuring.
The report suggested reducing the number of statutory agencies from 263 to 161, scrapping 38 agencies, merging 52, and reverting 14 to departments within ministries.
It also proposed repealing the law, establishing the National Salaries and Wages Commission and merging Nigeria’s top three anti-corruption agencies.
The decision to implement the Oronsaye report was part of President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for governance reform.
Agencies slated for merger include the National Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa.
Certain agencies such as the Federal Radio Corporation and the National Commission for Museum and Monuments are set to be merged or subsumed into other entities.
Some agencies, like SERVICOM and the Border Communities Development Agency, will become departments within other agencies.
The restructuring effort aims to enhance government efficiency, reduce duplication of functions, and free up resources for developmental projects. To facilitate the restructuring and ensure legislative amendments, President Tinubu constituted a committee with a 12-week mandate to oversee the process.
Peseiro bids farewell
Portuguese coach José Peseiro has said goodbye to the Super Eagles following the conclusion of his contract. He expressed his pride in his time with the team, highlighting their second-place finish at the 2023 African Cup of Nations.
Amidst the uncertainty surrounding his future, negotiations for a contract extension were in progress. Peseiro has mentioned receiving attention from other national teams.
There was a lot of talk about who might take over, with Emmanuel Amunike and George Finidi being considered.
Some people have suggested hiring a local coach, but technical director, Austine Eguavoen, backed the idea of extending Peseiro’s contract for stability.
Jose Peseiro
As conversations progress, Nigerians are eagerly anticipating clarification before the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.
Peserio was appointed head coach of the Super Eagles in 2022 and he helped the national team finish second at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
2024 Olympics Qualifier: Cameroon juju vs Nigeria’s God
Another Nigerian coach had an interesting experience this week in the form of voodoo. When the Super Falcons beat the Indomitable Lioness of Cameroon 1-0 at Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja to advance to the final stage of the 2024 Olympic Games, discussions about voodoo and juju in football circles came up.
Esther Okoronkwo’s goal propelled Nigeria to the final stage of the qualifiers. However, in the closing minutes of the game, Cameroon sent Annie Enganemben on as they were about to launch a free kick into the Nigerian box, with claims that the player was sent on to touch the net in a bid to give Cameroon a saving grace as they were running out of options, and had to resort to diabolical means.
In an already viral video, the substitute, alongside another striker, were seen trying to run towards the Nigerian goal in an attempt to touch the net, but Asisat Oshoala and other Super Falcons players took it upon themselves to prevent that from happening.
The drama led to the player being sent off after she hit Nnadozie in the process.
However, Super Falcons manager, Randy Waldrum, dismissed the notion, stating his disbelief in voodoo. Player Deborah Abiodun emphasised the team’s focus and faith amidst distractions, highlighting their belief in God.
“We kind of saw it as a point of distraction but we remained focused regardless of whatever they believe in, we believe in God and in Him we stand. So we don’t care about the voodoo,” Abiodun stated.
With the Super Falcons striving to qualify for the Olympics after their last appearance in 2008, there is optimism under Waldrum’s leadership to end this drought and clinch a spot in the Olympics.
Sisi Quadri
On March 1, 2024, the entertainment world was plunged into mourning as news broke of the untimely passing of popular actor, Quadri Oyebamiji, fondly known as Sisi Quadri, at the age of 44.
Sisi Quadri
Reports indicated that the actor had been battling persistent hiccups, attributed to a kidney-related ailment, while in his hometown of Iwo, Osun State.
Mourners, filled with sorrow, gathered at the residence of Quadri’s father, Alhaji Jimoh Oyebamiji, in Iwo, to lament his passing.
Quadri passed away slightly more than a year after his mother’s death in February 2023. He leaves behind a legacy of remarkable performances known for his distinctive fast-paced dialogue delivery and witty insults.
The news of his passing elicited an outpouring of grief from colleagues and fans alike, with fellow actors such as Abiola Adebayo, Bolaji Amusan (Mr Latin), Saidi Balogun, and Odunlade Adekola expressing their condolences on social media.
Quadri’s death was a major blow to the Nigerian entertainment industry, creating a void that will be that will be difficult to fill.
The Chief Executive Officer of Fathia Entertainment, Olawale B, has disclosed that popular Nollywood actor Oyebamiji Tolani Quadri, popularly known as Sisi Quadri, had secured his United States visa before his passing.
The CEO, who is also a show promoter and tour manager, shared this information in an Instagram post on Friday through his handle, @fathiaentertainments_showbiz.
He wrote, “So sad to hear the death of Nollywood actor @iamsisiquadir US visa was already approved. date fixed already. Who are we to question God?”
The late actor, who passed away at the age of 44, was renowned for his role in the movie “Seniyan Seranko,” which premiered in December 2004.
He also featured in movies such as ‘Ebudola’, ‘Ololade Mrs Money’ and other comedy skits.
Sisi Quadri, aside from being an actor, was also a fashion designer.
He was happily married and blessed with two kids, Hazani Olamilekan, and Olamide Oyebamiji. In October 2020, he completed his house.
Quadri’s passing occurred just a year after he lost his mother on February 22, 2023.
Wisdom Anucha, a lecturer at Abia State University who went viral for proposing to his fiancée, Grace, in her classroom on Valentine’s Day, has revealed their wedding date.
In the viral video, Anucha proposed to Grace, who is reportedly a student in the Optometry Department of the university, in front of her coursemates.
Anucha revealed they had their parents’ approval in a wedding invitation that was shared on his Facebook page on Friday, March 1.
Anucha wrote, “#Ugo_Wizzy__2024! With the consent of our parents, we, Grace and Wisdom, with every sense of humility, respect and responsibility, most humbly wish to invite you as a special guest as ‘We’ walk down the aisle.
“Date; Saturday 6th April 2024.
“Venue: St. Paul’s Ang. Church Umuocham.
“Reception: Ngwa High School Aba.
“Please kindly treat this as an official invite. We covet your prayers as we embark on this journey for life. Otito_Diri_Jesu!”
The Immediate-past National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Salihu Moh. Lukman has accused President Bola Tinubu of running a government of exclusion and behaving more like a military dictator.
He said for a man who is desirous of a second term in office, it was unthinkable that the President would be carrying on the affairs of the country without consultations with Nigerians.
In a statement issued Saturday in Abuja, Lukman said although the president has taken responsibility for the economic situation in the country, “the crucial issue is, having taken responsibility, how long would it take to get to the end of the ‘tunnel’ when will the expected ‘light’ begin to shine?”
According to him, the main issue worrying Nigerians, and particularly APC members, in addition to whether citizens will survive the current hardship being experienced, is also to understand the details of government initiatives to get Nigerians out of the hardship.
He said; “With APC now increasingly becoming a closed shop with virtually all its organs demobilized and the omnipotent status of the President strengthened, what is the future of the APC? Being an envisioned progressive party but end up producing progressive governments in reverse gear, what is the implication? Is it a question of leaders becoming indifferent to the electoral fortunes of the party? Does the fact of being indifferent to the electoral fortune of the party also mean being unconcerned about the future of democracy in Nigeria?
“These questions are being asked not in agreement with any conclusion of being indifferent but to attempt to rekindle the conscience of our leaders, especially President Asiwaju Tinubu. Without any hesitation, one can argue that at the rate we are going, our party, APC, and our leaders have shortchanged Nigerians. What Nigerians are having today wasn’t what was promised at all. The most disturbing reality is that given that the current economic hardship is produced during the first term of President Asiwaju Tinubu, with no end in sight, does it then mean that President Asiwaju Tinubu is not interested in second term? Certainly not. If he is interested in second term, why is he managing affairs of government like a military dictator, shutting down the structures of the party and talking down on citizens like a philosopher king who has absolute knowledge of what will produce possible happiness for citizens?”, He queried.
Lukman noted that both as Nigerians and as members of the APC, these are worrisome realities, which weaken confidence in the prospect of getting to the end of the ‘tunnel’ and whether any bright light will illuminate the lives of citizens.
He said; “This is partly because what is becoming very disturbing is that since the assumption of office of the President Asiwaju Tinubu, on May 29, 2023, major policy decisions are taken impulsively without clearly defined plans, at least not shared with Nigerians. Three good examples are the issue of removal of subsidy on petroleum products, floating the exchange rate of the Naira, and sanction against Niger Republic following the coup of July 26, 2023.
“Adding to the impulsive approach to decision making, on Monday, February 26, 2024 after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) Meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris announced the resolution of the Federal Government to implement the recommendations of Steven Oronsaye Committee report. With that decision, out of the 541 Federal Government parastatals, commissions and agencies that existed in 2012, 263 agencies should be reduced to 161, 38 abolished, 52 merged, and 14 returned to departments in ministries. To facilitate implementation within 12-week (3 months) deadline a committee comprising the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service, Attorney General of the Federation, Budget and Planning Ministers, among others has been empaneled.
“Giving further explanations about the decisions of FEC, Mrs. Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Policy Coordination informed that the committee is to ensure necessary restructuring and legislative amendments to achieve implementation. Ideally, this should have been made an integral part of a policy of rebuilding the Nigerian public service to make it more efficient and productive. After implementation, what is the guarantee that the new outlook will result in reduced cost and will be efficient and productive in delivering services to Nigerians.
“As it is, the emphasis is more about trimming the size of of the civil service based on the old neoliberal agenda of World Bank and IMF. The approach, from the way it is being introduced is almost exactly the way previous administrations, especially military governments have initiated public service reforms in the country. Issues of engaging stakeholders aimed at guaranteeing inclusivity in policy implementation would appear to be taken for granted. Even the committee setup excludes critical stakeholders, which means stakeholders can only react to challenges of implementation with hardly any potential to influence or minimise possible negative consequences.
“Arguably, with respect to all these issues, it is as if government first announces decisions before beginning to think in terms of what needs to be done to manage the consequences that followed. In which case, rather than acting as a progressive government that is dynamic, action oriented towards improving the welfare conditions of citizens, President Asiwaju Tinubu’s administration is behaving more like a reactionary government. Given such reality, it is almost impossible to predict what the goal or vision of the government is. This was clearly the same problem we had with former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. The incomprehensible reality is that both former President Buhari’s and current President Asiwaju Tinubu’s governments are APC governments, which got elected based on the promise of changing Nigeria. Part of the change that is expected is having a government that guarantees and accommodates inclusivity, based on which the outcry of citizens is factored and utilised to guide design and implementation of government policy.
“From the time of former President Buhari to the current era of President Asiwaju Tinubu, issues of inclusivity are in reverse gear. Rather than engaging Nigerians and getting them to own policies of government, supposedly progressive governments talked down on Nigerians and like dictators almost tell citizens to take as given every decision taken, even when faced with grave consequences, threatening survival as is presently being experienced. With a manifesto that was the product of robust internal consultations during the merger negotiations that produced the APC in 2013, the expectation was that, starting from the government of former President Buhari, through strong engagements of diverse interest groups in the country, the APC will begin to translate the party’s manifesto and all campaign promises into clearly defined policy decisions.
“Unfortunately, the most unexpected manifestation of lack of inclusivity in democracy is what appears to be a conscious demobilisation of the APC as a political party. From a situation whereby the challenge was to enforce the activation of party structures as provided in the constitution of the APC, through which party members and leaders could have a say in the process of managing governments produced by the APC, the government of President Asiwaju Tinubu has succeeded in completely insulating itself from basically all structures of the party. Few party leaders have access to him, which except for the National Chairman and may be National Secretary, other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) could at best be having distant or shadowy access to the President and other government functionaries. Perhaps, unlike during the tenure of former President Buhari when National Chairman meet the President periodically together with other members of the NWC, at least up to June 2020 during the tenure of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the current reality is that only the National Chairman meets the President.
“The consequence is that we are in a democracy that produce a ruling party, which scorn meetings. We have elected self-centred Presidents who hardly see the value of other party members. From the time of former President Buhari to today’s President Asiwaju Tinubu era, the orientation of government and party politics is that President is omnipotent, who no one can question. This has continued in a worse form under President Asiwaju Tinubu largely because at least under former President Buhari, he never invokes his omnipotent status to nullify subsisting agreement within the party. Interestingly, President Asiwaju Tinubu who is expected to be more democratic and progressive as well, one of the first exercise of his omnipotent leadership is to nullify zoning agreement within the party by moving the position of National Chairman out of North-Central to North-West with hardly any consultation with party leaders in both the two zones”, he added.
Jasmine Okekeagwu, the adopted daughter of John ‘Mr Ibu’ Okafor, has spoken about her failed marriage.
Jamsine met MD, her US-based lover, on TikTok and they later got married three months into their relationship.
But in 2022, Jasmine announced the end of her marriage — after nine months.
The entrepreneur said MD did not inform her that he was previously divorced and has three grown-up girls.
In a recent interview on the WithChude podcast, Jasmine revealed another thing she discovered while she was with MD.
She said she discovered that he was 51 on their wedding day after he had told her he was 38 years old.
“I was with this man for nine months I did not get pregnant. Now this is where the story got very tricky. This guy told me he had never married in his life. He has never gotten a lady pregnant. He told me he was 38 years old. The day I found out my husband was 51 years, it was on our wedding day. Imagine finding out that kind of a thing on how wedding day,” she said.
Jasmine said while going through MD’s phone, she also found out that he had also “promised marriage to five Nigerian girls on TikTok”.
“Different people had different experiences with him. Promised about five girls marriage. And then when I was going through my husband’s phone I started seeing a lot of girls, most of them Yoruba, mostly big big TikTokers,” she added.
