The Rivers State deputy governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2023 election and popular Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, said on Saturday she would not stop contesting the election until she realised her ambition.

She said her chances of governing the oil-rich state in the future were both high and slim because politics is dirty.

Dikeh stated these in an interview with journalists in Abuja during the GOTNI national leadership conference, organised by its National Leadership Centre with the theme, ‘Leadership for sustainability.’

She said, “One of the things I learnt (in contesting the election) is resilience and never giving up. I know after four years, they will forget about me and that, ‘she is not going to come back.’ But I am going to come back. Every four years, I am going to come back. I will come back and I will be in their faces. I will be coming back to the contest.

“My chances (of becoming governor) are high and slim because politics is dirty. It’s not going to be free and fair. (Nyesom) Wike’s candidate didn’t win free and fair. So I don’t expect politics to be free and fair, but I expect that, as someone said, having a lion’s heart requires taking the lion’s share.

“I won’t care what they think about my position, I will keep having the lion’s share, whether it is my personal life or politics, I am here to stay and they have no choice but to accept it.”

According to her, leadership is something that Nigerian youths need, especially now when they are all striving for a better Nigeria and a better life.

Dikeh said, “I said something; I said that the youths are restless. They are young, they are vibrant, and this is the time for them to do things. They cannot achieve those things if they do not fall under the platform of leadership.

“I contested for the position of Deputy Governor of Rivers State under the ADC and I saw how the older politicians perceived me like, ooh! This girl came to joke but I told them I didn’t come to joke.

“I made them understand that I came to fight. I might not have won but it will go down in history that I contested against Wike or Wike’s boy or the other big shots that I contested against.’

The celebrity said one of the reasons why the elderly look down on the youth is because they lack leadership, while the older class does not see what they should be seeing in the younger people.

“They are not totally wrong; I saw what happened during the #EndSARS saga. There was no form of leadership. I personally did not want to indulge in that because, after investing so many millions on GOTNI Leadership Centre and attending programmes almost every three months, I would not go into a fight blind without a leader or without a structure.

“It was structureless, and these are the things that the elderly politicians look at us and say that these people are not ready. We need to put ourselves in the position of power, and it is not just contesting; it is actually being power yourself, and I don’t think we have gotten there yet as it is,” she stated.

According to the CEO of GOTNI Leadership Centre, persons occupying leadership positions in Nigeria do not have the prerequisite leadership training that is necessary for them to function effectively.

He said the conference provided the opportunity for managers and executives in private and public organisations to strengthen their leadership capacities, establish new networks, and develop the capacity to maximise the potential of their existing networks to the advantage of their institutions.

Through a series of cutting-edge leadership conversations, and thought-provoking panel discussions, Okorie said the conference aimed to reinforce the need for leadership development for organisational and national leaders.

“The truth of the matter is that no organisation has made progress unless there is sustainable leadership capital. Over the years, the history of Nigeria has been filled with a deficit of leadership capital, many people who are promoted into leadership positions, do not have the prerequisite leadership training that is necessary to be able to make those roles work for them effectively.

“You have seen organisations die and people are wondering: Why is this organisation that has so much future? Why is this institution that has the most promise, why did it just disappear, why did it die? The results are simply because of the fact that a lot of the people who work with the organisations lacked leadership principles and values, and models that are necessary to drive organisations,” she said.

She said GOTNI, over the years, has consistently organised leadership conferences, emerging leaders conferences, and different programming to enlighten Nigerians on the great need for leadership development.

A forex trader, Ifeoma Uzoezie, has been arraigned by the Lagos State Police Command, before a Yaba Magistrate Court, on a three-count charge of N11.5 million fraud.

The defendant was arraigned before Magistrate Patrick Nwaka on three counts of fraud, and stealing.

The prosecution alleged that the 42-year-old woman, collected money from the complainant, Messrs Western Base Nigeria Limited on the pretext of trading foreign exchange and transferring money to their client abroad, but she ended up using money from a fraudulent and criminal proceeding to carry out the transaction.

The prosecutor, Thomas Nurudeen told the court that the defendant was paid the sum of $15,850 in dollars, a total of N11.8mimmiln, to help convert to Chinese Yen and remit to their customer, Card Holder Ming Lingfei with card number – 6212263602025107053, oversee, but rather converted same to her use, but paid the client with money gotten from scamming someone to transact the business.

Nurudeen stated that owing to this, the Chinese police contacted the firm in Nigeria and that the money paid to the Chinese firm, Ming Linei was an illicit fund gotten from illegal means, fraud.

He added that the police thereafter, blocked the account of Ming Lingfei upon the aforementioned criminal investigation leading to severe losses for the company, while the goods of Messrs Western Base Nigeria Limitwere was frozen to date.

Nurudeen said the defendant fled after the complainant called her to explain the development and that she also frustrated all the efforts of the police to arrest her accomplice, Qazeem Mikail, revealed by a police investigation.

According to Nurudeen, the defendant committed the offence on September 21, 2021, at No. 6, Efebeh Street, in the Okoko area of the state.

He further stated that the offences contravened and is punishable under Section 314 and 287 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015 and section 1 and 7 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2016.

The defendant, Uzoezie Ifeoma and one Qazeem Mikail ‘m’ now at large on or about September 21, 2021, at No. 6, Efebeh Street, Okoko, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, were alleged to have conspiréd amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit; Obtaining money by false pretence and stealing, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following her not-guilty plea, the prosecutor requested the court to remand the defendant, stating that it was difficult to apprehend her, and if granted bail, it might pervert the course of justice.

The defendant’s counsel, Patrick Onochie, however, prayed the court to admit his client on bail, arguing that the offence was bailable.

In his ruling, Magistrate Nwaka admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N7million with two responsible sureties.
The court said: “I have considered the argument of the counsel and that of the prosecution and I have considered the side of the defence which stated that the offence committed by the defendant is bailable.

“I, hereby, admit the defendant to bail in the sum of N7million with two responsible sureties in like sum.”

Ever since Asiwaju Bola Tinubu told me he would want me to write his biography after finishing the biography of his “son” the then Lagos State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola whose biography I had come to interview him for, I started gathering all kinds of materials on Tinubu, not knowing he would one day be the President of Nigeria.  Today’s piece on Bola Tinubu’s life as a cabbie in America is from a revealing 60^th birthday interview granted the editors of TheNEWS. 

We got an unregistered used car commonly called Gypsy, which we ran as a taxi.  We operated at the airport where we picked passengers, and not anywhere else, like the hotel because it was forbidden for unlicensed cab drivers to do so.  We did that for a while to raise some money.  Bolaji went to Tennessee, while I headed for Chicago.  Driving Gypsy cab was aimed at getting additional money to what I had.  Tunde Badejo and Olowopopo told me Chicago was very cold, so I told myself I must have a car.  I was supposed to have started schooling in April.  I deferred it till September in order to have more money.  Immediately I got to Chicago, I went straight to Richard Daley College.  It was very interesting.  I was able to pay for my apartment and tuition fees at Chicago State University.  I supplemented that by doing different menial jobs like door guard and security man.  

As a cab driver, one experience I will never forget was when I over-charged a naval officer who was returning to the country.  It was not intentional.  Apparently, I didn’t know the direction.  There was no GPRS in those days to locate directions.  So, he gave me the direction to his house in a Virginia suburb.  I gave him the price and the man responded with a slap to my face.  He said I should know the correct price to charge to the location he mentioned.  He slapped me and gave me the money.  Another experience was when I took a guy whom I didn’t know was drunk.  When I drove to his house, he pointed a gun at me instead of paying the fare.  He took my leather jacket and said: ‘Get into your car and get lost.’  He did not pay.  Another interesting one was when I was taking the third Accounting class and equally working as a security guard at a construction site.  They were very serious with their kind of security.  You just had to do that job.  There were about six points with six clocks at the site, which the security man must wind every hour and with a dog in hand.  So, there was never a chance of trying to catch a nap.  As I was doing my Accounting assignment, I fell asleep.  I was dead asleep!  The inspector came to the site and found me sleeping, with my head on my books.  He simply pulled the register and wrote: ‘I have been here.  You were sound asleep.  So, see me tomorrow.’  When I woke up, I found that Skiddo (the dog’s name) was gone, and then the register.  I just went to a corner, cleaned my face and concentrated on my assignment because I knew the job was already gone.  You can’t lose two things.  I ensured that I read well for my test and passed the next day.  I opted to post their uniform and the cap to them, but suddenly ran into the man and he handed me my cheque and said the job was gone.  I told him I knew and we said goodbye to each other!  I had to start looking for another job. 

DEAN’S LIST

I was lucky when I got to Chicago State University.  I entered the university with honours from the Richard Daley College, because I got credit in majority of the accounting courses.  After the first term, I was one of the candidates on the Dean’s list and my professor, Joe Jesse, commended me for my hard work, class participation and brilliance.  He said I would be lucky if I could keep my activities and brilliant results up till the end of the term.  He didn’t say more or in what form the luck would manifest. 

At the end of the term, and still on the Dean’s list, Professor Jesse came around to inform me that he would employ me to manage the Accounting Laboratory for the institution.  He gave the letter of employment to the Dean of the faculty.  The following week, I was called upon to take up employment as a tutor because I was very good in Mathematics and Accounting.  I met Tunde Badejo in the school; he was a year ahead of me.  But I told him (we took a bet) that we would graduate the same year and he didn’t believe.  Later, when I was given scholarship to become a tutor, I took the letter to Tunde Badejo and said: ‘See, the school is paying my tuition.’  He was amazed.  That was how I became a tutor, with my tuition being paid.  Tunde Badejo majored in Mathematics, and having been challenged, his performance got better the following semester and he also became a Maths tutor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.  I was challenged and severely under pressure to keep up the grade as each semester rolled by, because if my grades should drop I would lose the scholarship.  It was quite challenging and in the end, I graduated top of my class and I was recruited as an Accounting major.  There were big accounting firms then.  Touche was number nine.  I was recruited.  And I still got other job offers.  Then there were big eight accounting firms in the United States, including Arthur Andersen, Arthur Young, Ernst and Whinney, Peat Marwick and Mitchell, Deloitte and others.  Out of the big eight, five of them offered me jobs and that was school recruitment—right on the campus. 

I was on the Dean’s list; I was in line for the award for the overall best Accounting student as well as that of the university scholar award.  With that, the big firms would continue to woo you.  Despite the five job offers, I was equally offered employment by IBM and others.  Professor Jesse called me and advised that I should not be arrogant.  He asked that I remove my name from the career placement centre because, according to him, the more they saw my grades, the more I would be sought after.  He said that might hinder other accounting graduates from being recruited and that the faculty wanted as many accounting graduates as possible to be recruited by the big companies.  So I went and removed it.  Usually, there was a benchmark for recruitments by the big professional accounting firms and they didn’t go beneath that.  I got an offer of $20,000 with travelling allowances and all that.  It was big money at that time. 

But when Arthur Young saw the money I was offered, they offered an additional $3,000.  My adviser told me to consider an offer that would make me function effectively in my country, particularly given that the country is blessed with crude oil. 

Unlike what happens in our country, universities in America prepare the students for the future: how to dress, how to face job interviews.  The third day after that, Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, now Deloitte and Touche Consulting Group, gave me another offer.  They said they were not just going to hire me, but develop me.  They asked me to take the salary I was being offered or forget about the job.  I went back to Professor Jesse and he said I should consider a firm with clients in manufacturing and oil sectors rather than Arthur Andersen, which only dealt with financial institutions and banks.  I took to his advice, I resumed work at Deloitte training school in June 1979.  By April 1979 when I was graduating, I had gotten my future charted.  And that was the greatest thing I achieved in America.      

Star Nollywood actress, Ini Edo, says she did not plan to be an entertainment celebrity in acting because her childhood dream was to be a lawyer or a newscaster.

Ini Edo, also disclosed that her role model while growing up, was the late broadcaster, Tokunbo Ajayi, as she always loved to watch her cast news on the screen.

The actress revealed this in a recent interview with popular media personality, Chude Jideonwo.

“I wanted to be a lawyer or newscaster. My role model was the late Tokunbo Ajayi. I always loved to watch her news. That is actually who I wanted to be like. I never really thought that I was going to be an actor,” Ino Edo said.

“I have always been in the arts in school, church, you know. But then I went to do a Theater Art diploma when I was waiting for my JAMB to go do Law. Then I started doing stage acting. The opportunity to go to the film came, and I just became an actor. It was destiny.”

While saying becoming an actress was destiny, the thespian said her family initially did not support her decision to pick up acting as a profession.

She added a movie director, Ikenna Igwe was the one who came to her house to convince her parents to let her do the film.