Real Madrid will not send Vinicius Junior or anyone to the Ballon d’Or event tonight.

The LaLiga giants “know” Vinicius will not be announced winner.

This was revealed by football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano.

Romano wrote on his X account: “BREAKING: Vinicius Jr will NOT travel to Paris as Real Madrid know he will NOT win the Ballon d’Or.

“No one from Real Madrid will attend the ceremony.

“No Florentino Pérez, no Vini Jr, no Carlo Ancelotti, no Jude Bellingham.”

[DailyPost]

Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.

Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called on Nigerians to continue supporting the military’s efforts to tackle insecurity, warning those aiding criminals to desist or face consequences.

Musa, speaking to journalists shortly after attending a joint meeting of the Northern Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council in Kaduna on Monday, expressed gratitude for the increased support and intelligence gathering from Nigerians, which has enabled the military to take adequate action.

“I want to thank all Nigerians for the support, which has increased. We are getting information as to when due, and we are equally taking adequate action.

“Please, we should not get tired. We want to also call on those who keep supporting criminals wherever they are in this country to stop,” Musa said.

The CDS emphasised the need for collective responsibility in achieving peace, stressing that the friend of a thief is equally guilty.

“For the friend of a thief is a thief, and if you are caught, you will be dealt with just like them,” he warned.

Addressing the recent attack on Shiroro lines, General Musa acknowledged the challenges posed by difficult terrain.

“There’s nowhere anybody is in total control. Some of these areas are supposed to have clear views so that patrols can take place, but some of these areas are dark forests.”

However, he assured that actions were being taken to clear the forests and monitor critical areas.

“The forests will be cleared so that action and repairs can be taken, and then we will be monitoring, which is critical, so that we can do the needful.”

Musa commended the troops for their efforts, urging them to remain focused and disciplined, saying, “For our men, the commanders are appreciating them, Nigerians are appreciating them. We want them to remain focused and disciplined to understand that we are here to protect Nigerians and Nigeria.”

He also reiterated the importance of collaboration between the military and civilians.

“We will continue to call on Nigerians to continue to give us support and to also advise those who think they provide logistics, food, and other items to criminals to desist, as actions will be taken against anyone found.”

The military has intensified efforts to address these issues, with recent successes in operations across the country.

[Punch]

South African grocery retailer, Pick n Pay has disclosed that it will exit Nigeria by selling its 51% share of a joint venture as part of plans to restructure outside of its home market.

According to Reuters, the CEO, Pick n Pay, Sean Summers stated this Monday, that the move is part of its plans to restructure outside of its home market.

The company entered the Nigerian market less than five years ago through a partnership with A.G. Leventis (Nigeria).

It should be noted that the exit of Pick n Pay adds to a growing list of multinationals exiting Nigeria.

On June 24, another South African retailer, Shoprite, announced the closure of its Abuja store, after a thorough evaluation of the store’s financial situation and the current business climate.

The closure followed the earlier shutdown of Shoprite’s store in Kano in January 2024.

In December 2023, Jumia also announced the shutdown of its food delivery business, Jumia Food, in Nigeria.

According to Jumia, the decision was necessary after a thorough review revealed that the current market conditions and economic climate make the food delivery business unsustainable.

Also, several companies, including multinationals like GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Nigeria Plc, Procter & Gamble, Sanofi, and Kimberly-Clark, have exited Nigeria, citing the challenging business environment in Nigeria.

According to Jumia, the decision was necessary after a thorough review revealed that the current market conditions and economic climate make the food delivery business unsustainable.

[Vanguard]

The Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CrediCorp) has launched the credit access for light and mobility (CALM) fund to help Nigerians convert vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG) and install solar home systems.

In a statement on Monday via X, Olusegun Dada, the special assistant to the president on social media, said the programme would reduce energy and transportation costs for Nigerians by over 70 percent.

“Applications are now open for CALM Fund (Credit Access for Light and Mobility), providing consumer credit to help Nigerians access CNG Conversions and Solar Home Systems through partner financial institutions,” Dada said.

“Cut your energy and transportation costs by more than 70%.”

On its website, CrediCorp said with the CNG conversions, “you can convert your existing petrol vehicle to ride on CNG (compressed natural gas), and save 60% to 80% of the weekly expenses you make on fuel”.

“Your savings over 4 – 6 months would pay off the costs of acquiring the CNG conversion; and then the savings continue for you forever!” CrediCorp said.

“Get access to solar panels, inverters and combined systems to drop your daily costs of power consumption by up to 90%.

“The savings over 3 – 6 months can pay for the solar systems, and then you enjoy the continued savings to yourself forever afterward!”

Interested individuals can apply via http://www.credicorp.ng/calm.

On October 7, the federal government launched a portal to provide youths with access to CNG-powered tricycles.

Michael Oluwagbemi, project director and chief executive officer of the presidential CNG initiative (P-CNGi), said the project would improve the economic situation for Nigerians by reducing reliance on petrol.

The federal government also introduced a scheme allowing users to convert their petrol vehicles to CNG and pay later.

On October 16, the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), in collaboration with CrediCorp and other stakeholders, made N10 billion available to Nigerians for CNG conversion projects.

[TheCable]

It is Wednesday, November 8, 2028. Crispy cold weather blanketed most of the United States, from the hills of West Virginia to the valleys of Southern California. In Miami and Houston, it was like someone poured ice-cold water on the ever-bubbling sunshine cities. The wind was demure, rivers sedated, and even the birds chirped with all modesty.

Yesterday’s presidential election results were the first in over ten years that either party contested. At midnight, just as polls closed on the West Coast and the Associated Press made their projections, the winner called the loser and sent a congratulatory message. All TV cameras, podcasts, and radio stations focused on that moment as if the nation’s fate depended on it. In the quiet streets of Alabama, in the chilly streets of New York, exhausted men and women returning from their evening shift listened to the exchange of phone calls between the candidates. The collective exhale for a moment warmed up the surface of the Niagara Falls.

America paused. Conservative and liberal news anchors all breathed a sigh of relief as they reported, each in their own subtle manner, the words that spelled the end of the great American nightmare. Nothing said on any television screen showed whether the station was in a blue state or red state. No commentator cared whether the election result was a blue or red wave. They all saw the first signs of what they hoped would be the first days of America’s resurrection.

The surprise was when the guys at Fox News reported that today, “America picks up its pieces and will spend the next few years putting them all back together.” It came out unscripted with genuine sincerity. He did not look over his shoulders as he said it. It was the same at CNN. The front page of the New York Post had the same headline as the front page of the New York Times. It had never happened before. They all proclaimed a new beginning for America.

It is the same story for the world. Diplomats around the globe went back to the drawing board. Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings, and Queens had their secretaries fall back to a long-forgotten template as they crafted statements congratulating the newly elected American president. There was no need to sweat – just mundane words of best wishes. These were things that were not possible the day before yesterday.

Not even the historian with the most extraordinary foresight had imagined the transformation in just four years. It was like looking at a landscape after a significant hurricane had passed. The devastation was unfathomable. Rivers of democracy dried up. In some places, they took a different path. Pillars of global order, which had served the world for the last 80 years, were uprooted and placed in other locations. The shifting balance of power went off its fulcrum and altered the equilibrium so swiftly that the following earthquake had aftershocks still rattling.

But it wasn’t just bad things that happened. Great things also happened. The little fights that people who had too much food to eat were indulging in years ago ended. Those demanding Sharia law in Europe teamed up with those demanding an end to gay marriage in America to finally get what they wanted. It was a conservative world where smiles replaced fears, optimism replaced pessimism, and the weak became right while the might became vanquished. In this new world, climate fears vanished, and illegal immigrants learned to stay in their countries to fix them.

The rich kept their profits and happily donated what they wished to the poor. Without government overreaching hands, lakes and rivers cleaned themselves as nature designed them to do. The inordinate mixing of the races came to an absolute stop as every race, creed, and gender accepted their stations in life and lived within their own enclaves. With DEI buried, Indian, Chinese, and Nigerian first-generation students dominated higher education as poor white families in middle America joyfully cheered.

The heavenly landscape had sheep and lions share evergreen gardens where they recited Project 2035. With nuclear weapons hanging over their heads like piñata at a birthday party, everyone sang America the Beautiful. Even over-pampered kids behaved as parents regained the cane taken away from them since the days of the Renaissance. The final dethronement of empirical proof opened the door for scientific advancement achieved by faith and fiat. It was such a glorious feat that angels even appeared at the White House on Christmas of 2026.

Those concentrating on the few bad things that happened missed all the remarkable transformations of the new world. Once and for all, the conservative majority that took over squashed George Bernard Shaw’s irrational fear that there are two tragedies–not getting what you want and getting what you want, with the latter being the most devastating.

If only people had known that the world was at a tipping point on the eve of the 2024 election and had not taken it as one of those political talks that this was the most consequential election in a generation, they would have paid little more attention. But they didn’t. They thought it was business as usual, and their narrow personal interests were more important than our collective interests as humans.

And here we are. Wednesday, November 8, 2028. As senior party officials prepare to visit the White House to beg the president to invite the president-elect for the traditional visit to the White House, the bell at St. James Church chimes a dirge.

Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo teaches post-colonial African history, Afrodiasporan literature, and African folktales at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He is also the host of Dr. Damages Show. His books include “This American Life Sef” and “Children of a Retired God,” among others. His upcoming book is called “Why I’m Disappointed in Jesus.”

Managing the transitions of individuals between the public and private sectors has long been a subject of significant discourse globally. There is a broad consensus that when structured and managed effectively, the cross-pollination of individuals between these sectors can strengthen the operational capacity of both, allowing for the transfer of ideas, methodologies, and practices that can significantly improve governance, corporate strategy, and policy implementation.

However, this topic also invites strong debate due to its inherent risks, particularly concerning conflicts of interest, regulatory capture, and the potential erosion of public trust. The challenge lies in managing these transitions in a manner that preserves institutional integrity and maintains the overall effectiveness of governance.

At its core, the essence of public-private transitions lies in its ability to harness the complementary strengths of both sectors. When managed effectively and ethically, such movements can serve as catalysts for institutional reform, policy innovation, and the advancement of public and corporate governance. As Dr. Emomotimi Agama, the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), aptly noted, “Public-private transitions are not merely desirable; they are essential for promoting collaboration and innovation. The exchange of knowledge and expertise between these sectors can greatly enhance their respective capabilities, contributing to a dynamic and resilient economy.”

Nonetheless, the ethical complexities inherent in these movements must be addressed through robust regulatory frameworks, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to the public good. It is only with these safeguards that the full benefits of these transitions can be realised without compromising the integrity of either sector.

This topic was discussed extensively by senior representatives from both the public and private sectors, during a session I facilitated at the recent 30th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES). I was pleased to see such high levels of engagement from participants across both sectors, along with a strong commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s regulatory structures are fit for purpose in managing these transitions.

The good news is that Nigeria has already established a strong foundation. The Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance (NCCG) 2018 provides for a comprehensive framework by mandating a three-year cooling-off period for individuals who have held senior regulatory positions before they can join private institutions that were directly under their supervision. This principle is reflected across specific sectoral guidelines within key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Stakeholders at the NES were aligned on the fact that this three-year period meets, and in some cases exceeds, global best practices, particularly when compared with Europe and other Western jurisdictions where cooling-off requirements tend to be more lenient, ranging from 18 months to two years. Some stakeholders even suggested that Nigeria’s cooling-off period could be adapted to allow more flexibility, such as reducing the cooling-off period where the regulator did not have a direct supervisory role over the company involved.

While the acknowledgement of the strength of existing regulations is encouraging, there appears to be a general lack of awareness regarding their existence and application. This knowledge deficit can lead to misconceptions about non-compliance, potentially eroding trust in market integrity and weakening the credibility of regulatory systems. Furthermore, there is limited clarity regarding the enforcement of these rules, and it is important that the ecosystem understands and implements the enforcement mechanisms that ensure compliance.

The question for Nigeria, then, is how can we build on the foundations in place and introduce additional mechanisms that enhance public awareness and understanding while also strengthening the integrity of the process?

There are several ways to do this, and a strong opportunity to leverage the level of current interest and engagement across government, private sector and civil society to further deepen Nigeria’s leadership position in this area. But we must ensure that in our efforts to further strengthen, we find the right balance between public trust and the ability to leverage and grow sectoral expertise.

The first option is to consider the establishment of a formal assessment procedure which could help determine the appropriateness of such transitions on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that all movement between the public and private sectors is subject to rigorous ethical scrutiny. This approach would include a focus on conflict of interest regulations, mandating the disclosure of any relationships and interests that may influence decision-making.

The second option is to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to cooling-off periods to a model that allows them to be adjusted depending on the specific regulatory and economic context in question. Stakeholders at the Summit expressed considerable enthusiasm for this approach, which could involve longer cooling-off requirements in particularly sensitive cases, while allowing for shorter periods where conflicts of interest are less discernible. The approach to this needs to be standardised to guide implementation.

The third option is to consider how to extend regulation beyond simple formal influence. We have strong guidelines in place around formal transitions, but there is more ambiguity around other forms of influence such as indirect lobbying or consultancy work. There is an absence of clear and enforceable rules in this space that creates the potential for loopholes to be exploited.

Finally, we could consider a more proactive approach to enforcement, strengthening oversight bodies and reporting requirements and imposing greater sanctions for violations.

It is important to note that each of these recommendations is not an indication of a deficiency in the existing framework. Nigeria’s regulatory structure is already competitive on a global scale. However, we must take a dynamic approach and constantly consider the innovations required to embed integrity into the system, to enhance awareness and build public trust. If we do so well, we can realise the immense benefits of cross-pollination between the public and private sectors, for the benefit of Nigeria, and all of its people.

Ajogwu is a Lagos Business School Professor of Corporate Governance.

President Bola Tinubu’s daughter and Iyaloja-General, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, has been appointed Ambassador for the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education.

The appointment was announced by the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Muhammad Sani Idris, during a visit to Tinubu-Ojo’s residence in Lagos.

In a statement by the Commission’s spokesperson, Nura Muhammad, on Sunday, Idris cited Tinubu-Ojo’s “passion for supporting disadvantaged communities, particularly Almajiri and out-of-school children,” as the basis for her selection.

Responding, Tinubu-Ojo expressed her appreciation, saying, “I am deeply honoured by this appointment and am committed to alleviating the plight of these vulnerable Nigerians.”

She also highlighted her father’s dedication to education, calling it “a lasting legacy for Nigerian children”.

“The president may change his team every hour like a child’s diapers. It won’t make his government work well unless he himself sits up. He should teach himself how to enlarge his vision beyond the narrow tunnel that opens at his backyard and ends inside his dockyard. We won’t stop telling him and the other owners of today that leadership is about service. It is not about how much they have locked up in their strong rooms and how many billions they spray in arrant oppression of the poor. We will keep reminding them of life after office. And that as they rule the town, they should endeavor to rule their homes also. Collapsing state affairs into the affairs of their home endangers the wellness of all”.

Patient walks unaided into the doctor’s consulting room. Patient soon suffers mismanagement. She goes pale and jerky, unconscious. Doctor gives his best shot – or so he claims. Patient is not responsive. Doctor strolls off, leaving the patient to sip his tea. Doctor comes back and sees worsening symptoms: Cold hands. Weak pulse. Fatigue. Incontinence. Dyspnea – respiratory distress. Restlessness. The clock ticks, and the patient’s condition deteriorates. Doctor sets up a symptom control team. Symptoms persist. Patient’s relatives accuse the doctor of incompetence and negligence. Doctor denies all charges and promises to do something. He ponders and sacks members of the symptom control team. A few other nurses also kiss the canvas. Doctor looks into anxious eyes and tells everyone that with that step he has taken, the sick should be well soon. The leader is the physician; the country they tend to is the patient.

Where vigilance tanks, a bad government is easily replaced with something worse. It is the same with team management. Where the leader is easily distracted or he distracts himself, a mortician calmly slips into the delivery team. In Ibn Butlan’s ‘Doctors’ Dinner Party’, we read of a certain gentleman who proclaims himself doctor after recovering from an illness. The story teller says: “God said to him: ‘Become a physician and destroy people! Take sick man’s money — that’s excusable — and send him to the grave.’” Doctor becomes rich, ostentatious and gilded. Author notes other things and prays: “God protect us and you from the misfortunes wrought by his hands…” A government with demonstrable lack of competence and empathy is a killer hospital. Its problem goes deeper than the names on its management list.

I refuse to join those whose drums are out because a cost-cutting president last week sacked five ministers and replaced them with seven. How is that oxymoronic step going to cure the nation of its chronic illness? I would rather seek therapeutic answers by asking why the sick fell into a coma. Was it the doctor’s fault? Or nurses’ wickedness? Or the consequence of the patient’s own life choices? Or the ailment is congenital? Or a combination of all of the above? If the fault lies with the caregivers, who then should sack whom? Who should be sacked? And, how is the sack of that someone going to correct the near-fatal error that has sent the country into this terrible distress?

Five ministers were fired last week by the big boss who hired them. I read celebratory posts from people mocking the sacked. Why should anyone be happy because someone fell from a height? People who inherited those widows danced and sharpened their teeth. The ones who lost their scepters sank into sofas of consolation: Every job must end one day either because the job takers are fired, retired or because they are hired elsewhere. Or as a consequence of death. I align with their logic. So, let no one rejoice that Tinubu asked five big men and women out of his powerhouse. Today’s hirer and the hired will also become ex one day. That is the solace of the dismissed.

As a consequence of that cabinet reshuffle, the government scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, and from its ashes has risen a humongous ministry in charge of regional development commissions. I call that new creation the ‘Ministry of Nigeria Affairs’ because virtually all regions will find rooms in its mansion. What sense does that make?

Certain big men in the Niger Delta are loudly condemning the scrapping of the Niger Delta ministry. One of them, Asari Dokubo, blames the whole of Bola Tinubu’s ethnicity for his government’s action. The agitator says in a purpose-made video that he would join forces with the North because “the Yoruba are betrayers.” Around the same time, I see the Muhammadu Buhari people loudly complaining about power outages in the North. They also throw innuendoes of the Yoruba as the cause and beneficiary of the darkness in the North. I saw all these and wondered why the angry wailers mistook the victim for the culprit. They are raining knocks on the head whereas it was the bottom that farted – Ìdí só, orí ni wón nkàn ní’kó.

Prolonged power outage is ongoing in the North. It is officially blamed on vandalism wreaked by bandits. The North can complain – and should complain if the state is failing them. But I find the Buhari people’s complaint particularly interesting – and galling. While in power, their principal was like Unoka, Okonkwo’s flute-loving father in Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’. Achebe describes Unoka as a man famous “for the weakness of his machete and…hoe. When Unoka’s neighbours go out with their axe to cut down virgin forests,” the man sows his yams “on exhausted farms that take no labour to clear.” Such men, in Yorubaland, are identified with farming under the shade of palm trees. Where weeds do not grow, crops can’t do well there.

The Buhari corridor and all who egged on his regime or pressed the mute button while he was here should not insult us with complaints of lack of electricity, and should not make any demand on even the Tinubu government. I recommend to them the wisdom of Achebe’s Obiako. This character is told by an oracle: “Your dead father wants you to sacrifice a goat to him.” And, Obiako replies the oracle with indignation: “Ask my dead father if he ever had a fowl when he was alive.” Those asking for light today, was it not darkness they sowed yesterday?

That is for the fox, our angry Unoka. And, back to the cock of this regime. Where is the light it promised? It pledged to sanitize and fumigate the nation, north to south. When is that going to be?

With this government, austerity means ostentation. It’s been churning out one regional commission after the other while wearing the lapel of a lean government. On 26 February, 2024, President Tinubu presided over a meeting of the Federal Executive Council. We were informed after that meeting that the president had ordered a full implementation of the Stephen Oronsaye report which demanded a reduction in the number of federal government agencies. In furtherance of that directive, we were told that the president had constituted a committee to effect certain agencies’ mergers, scrapping, and relocations within 12 weeks. Today is 28 October, 2024 – eight months, two days after that directive, nothing serious has been heard of that directive. Or did I miss something? Instead of doing what it announced and celebrated with pomp, what we had last week tells how the government rates our intelligence.

On June 5, 2000, despoiled Niger Delta was given a development commission as its balm of Gilead by the Olusegun Obasanjo government. Because that troubled region had that commission, insurgent-wracked North-East demanded its own from Buhari and got it in 2017. Because the North-East got it, the South-West demanded its own from Tinubu and got it last month. The South-East received its own; the North-West also has; the North-Central too – all from Tinubu. This is one government that actively sells laxative but sees nothing contradictory in its eating mountains of pounded yam. Why do we need regional development commissions? I recently asked an ègbón, an Emilokan, if he sincerely thought a South-West Development Commission would be of any usefulness to the people of the region. His response: “Create another opportunity for sleaze among Yoruba politicians and their business associates. I was fundamentally against it but aligned eventually on the basis of ‘what is good for the goose…’ If the other regions are being awarded cash cows for the boys, why not us? When Nigeria becomes serious about development, we’ll jointly scrap all such distractive wastage…” I am sure if you asked around the other regions and your subject is as truthful as mine above, you would get the same answer. Now, what kind of country is this? And what kind of government cuts costs by increasing them?

Hunger dusts up strange, dangerous ideas. People’s suffering is unremitting. If a government functions as people’s undertakers, why should the people desire it? Why do we even need a government? Because it was failing tragically, a radio station in Poland recently stopped using human beings for its operations. It sacked all its journalists and did something novel. Last week, it brought in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated presenters. The result has been magical. A Nobel Laureate who died in 2012 was made to present a popular programme on that radio station last Tuesday. The audience heard him and applauded the undead.

Now, should we really have ministers as many as the sands of the desert? Can’t we live without the hordes of overpaid, overfed officials of the state? Or sell them to buy what eludes us? Those extreme questions you may find in every mouth that hasn’t tasted food since yesterday. And, truly, a government that fails in fulfilling its social contract with the people is not a government; it is a gang of pirates like the one led by one-eyed, one-legged Long John Silver in ‘Treasure Island’. John Silver sails under The Jolly Roger – pirates’ flag with white skull and crossbones; the ones here are at sea with our Green White Green. That is the sole difference.

The president may change his team every hour like a child’s diapers. It won’t make his government work well unless he himself sits up. He should teach himself how to enlarge his vision beyond the narrow tunnel that opens at his backyard and ends inside his dockyard. We won’t stop telling him and the other owners of today that leadership is about service. It is not about how much they have locked up in their strong rooms and how many billions they spray in arrant oppression of the poor. We will keep reminding them of life after office. And that as they rule the town, they should endeavor to rule their homes also. Collapsing state affairs into the affairs of their home endangers the wellness of all.

Basorun is the second in command to the Alaafin of Oyo. He may not be king but he rules his corner like a king. And, because power is wine, sweet and strong, it intoxicates the entire royalty. There was a Basorun Gaa in Oyo history whose sons reigned more forcefully than even the Alaafin. Samuel Johnson, author of ‘The History of the Yorubas’, records an instance: “One of them once engaged a carrier to whom he gave a load too heavy for him to carry, but he dared not refuse to do so. He walked behind the man, amusing himself with the sight of the man’s suffering from the weight of the load. He remarked in jest that the man’s neck had become so thick that he doubted whether a sword could cut through it. He suited his action to his words, drew his sword, and actually tried it! The man was decapitated. His body was left wallowing in his blood, and another man was compelled to take up the load.”

Powerful people see nothing wrong loading helpless people with super excess luggage. They call it sacrifice. They also won’t mind trying their swords on the calcified neck of the burdened- just to prove the point of their almightiness. They swim in mindless insouciance yet they deceive themselves with silly assurances of permanence. To them, every warning is a dangling, swirling sword, an act of treason. There was a king in a Yoruba kingdom who came with a name that defies death. He was Oba Maku (Maku means Don’t-die). The king launched his despotism the very day he ascended the throne. Because he was a king whose ways were not his people’s ways, the people soon skirted death around his name and turned it into a song. From street to street, loud was the echo of ‘When will Don’t-die Not die?’ I say that in Yoruba: Ìgbàwo ni Maku kò níí kú sí? The man reigned for only two months.

The impermanence of nothing is the consolation. Every era, no matter how painfully long, will eventually end. General Francisco Franco ruled over Spain from 1939 until his death on November 20, 1975. He was a dictator with a vast network of spies home and abroad. He muzzled the press and muffled the gong. Because his reign was long and very eventful, he never believed it could end. And when death was drawing his curtain he denied it was his door death was knocking. Oriol Pi-Sunyer captures that moment well in his ‘Political Humour in a Dictatorial State’ (1977). He writes: “In the final hours of his life, Franco becomes aware that a crowd is forming in the street outside his chamber. The semiconscious dictator asks an attendant what the subdued sounds are – ‘It is nothing, Excellency, just some people passing.’

As the crowd grows and the noise increases, this fiction cannot be maintained.

Franco: ‘I insist you tell me what is going on outside.’

Attendant: ‘The people, Excellency.’

Franco: ‘The people?’

Attendant: ‘Yes, the Spanish people.’

Franco: ‘What are they doing?’

Attendant: ‘The Spanish people have come to say goodbye.’

Franco: ‘Oh, where are they going?'”

“Against excellence in another [person], there is no way of defending ourselves except love.” Johann Goethe, VBQ, p 51.

This is the third time I have fallen in love with an artist/philosopher long before meeting him. The first and ever abiding one was Uncle Sam; the second ever green Victor Attah. This one coming so late in the day is God’s parting gift to me, and on the way out. I have only felt so happy about meeting a person for the first time five times in my life before.

Meeting Mudiaga Enejemo, Mudi, might be the last time before curtain call. Just as well. He is absolutely unique; just as each of my heroes are in their own ways. Henceforth, I can never pass through Mudi Lane, Anthony Village, named after the fashion/artist, philosopher without having the thrill a deeply religious person experiences when gazing at the symbol of their fate. I adore great artists and philosophers.

It was providentially pre-ordained that we should meet eventually. For years, I have been curious to know who owns the most beautiful work of art, a building, in Anthony Village, and one of the best in Nigeria, when it was built at the spot.

Of one thing I was sure; an artist who owns it. The two always well-manicured and tantalisingly green lawns in front, neatly marked off with snow white boundaries; the walkway between the two with small artworks on both sides; leading to the glass and chrome front door reveal a soul that like all great artists is fanatical about details. In my wildest imaginations, I thought it was a Museum; but there was no sign to that effect. I would have found a clever reason in my younger and more adventurous years to walk up to the door and ask questions.

Old age has its drawbacks; among which is fear of being ridiculed for suffering from dementia. Yet, deep in my heart, I wanted to enter that building; to find out more of the treasures that I instinctively knew were hidden behind those exquisite light grey walls. On Wednesday and Thursday, October 18 and 19, 2024, all my prayers were answered. I met the owner of the mysterious building and the next day, I was admitted into the building by Mudi himself. Nobody who had won the lottery could have been happier than me on that day. Everything inside the building surpassed my expectations – including my quiet prayer the night before that he would use white for the interior. It was all white inside; spotlessly white against which other artworks were set.

Even the avocado green guitar, like paintings on the wall and other works, was obviously in the right place. The visitor is challenged to find a speck of dust on the floor or a dark mark on any white wall. It was like being in a great Cathedral. You are awed by the fanatical attention to all the other details before you realise that Mudi is one of the most successful fashion designers in Africa. Our meeting was indeed providential; and later, I intend to show how the interview cast some light on the gloom which had descended on the nation since the World Bank asked Nigerians to abandon hope.

I was at Uncle Sam’s place for a meeting with Barrister Adegbite, who now spends eighty five per cent of his time attending to fish matters instead of legal briefs. Uncle Sam, who once stumbled into fish business and was bundled out of the sector, wanted to help the lawyer – who was in a fix. I was also in the fish business; until the great flood in Ibadan destroyed the fish ponds and all the fish swam away, undoubtedly into cooking pots somewhere free of charge. Olu Domingo was also there. A Nigerian-Italian, who must leave other nationals puzzled. “Italians are rascals everywhere in the world”; as we have been told. Nigerians are hardly welcome anywhere in the world; even in Ghana, South Africa, Libya or Republic of Benin. But, just as chlorine and sodium are deadly when swallowed, the combination gives us common salt – indispensable. Olu is like a rough diamond which, with the smallest brush, reveals the glitter beneath the surface dirt. A delight to meet. He was there also to join the fish rescue effort.

REMARKABLE DAYS

“I hate ingratitude more in a man than lying, vainness, babbling drunkenness or any taint of vice whose strong corruption inhabits our frail blood.” William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, VBQ p 103.

Suddenly, two guys stormed the balcony. One was in conventional outfit; and he was carrying hampers. The other was dressed in black trousers with all the pockets out and a dark yellow designer shirt with several logos. He struck me as an artist. It was Mudi; the man I had been dying to meet. It was the 30th anniversary of his business and he had brought the gift to Uncle Sam – the man who had not only encouraged him, but who actually gave him 100 dollars on the first visit to his studio. I always fall for anybody who demonstrates gratitude to those who helped along the way to the top.

And, here was a winner coming to express appreciation to one of those who built his ladder of success in stead of kicking them in the head as we frequently observe among politicians. More than ever, I decided to know more about him. I called Uncle Sam after the fish business to request for his phone number; in order to do what the media worldwide is established to do. Among our duties is to discover and promote talented people whenever and wherever we find them for economic and social development. I called him and requested for an appointment; which he readily granted for the next day. For me, it will remain one of the most remarkable days since starting as a media person in 1987. I got more than expected. Very rare.

THE ESSENTIAL MUDI

“A well written life is almost as rare as a well-spent one.” Thomas Carlyle, 1791-1881, VBQ p 131.

I am not even pretending to be writing Mudi’s biography now. At 56, looking like 40, he would need that to be done. What follows is just a sketch of a life already well-lived at such a young age in a profession which most of us treat with disdain because there are hundreds of thousands of mediocre for each genius practising it. An hour in his place revealed to me how honourable the art going into fashion designing is compared to other aspects of art. Essentially, it is a matter of a man or woman exposing his soul through the medium in which he is gifted. Two great artists, in different areas, have helped me to write this section.

“We must grant the artist his subject, his ideas, his theme; our criticism is applied to what he makes of it.” Henry James, 1843-1916. VBQ p. 17.

To that profound statement about all artists by one of the greatest writers who ever lived, another master of the world of creative people wrote.

“Great artists have no country.” Alfred De Musset, 1810-1857.

Bob Marley, and Fela Anikulapo made music their subject; Bruce Onobrakpeya and Ben Enwonvu, 1917-1994 chose sculpture; Sa’adu Zungur, 1915-1958, Chinua Achebe, 1930-2013 opted for writing to achieve immortality; and to fly the national flag globally.

Mudi has embraced fashion designing heart and soul. And, he is already an artist without country; except perhaps continental in outlook. The light grey kaftan he had on during the interview could have been made by a gifted fashion designer in Pakistan, Azerbaijan or Mauritania. But, he created it. There was nothing conventional about it; yet it seemed absolutely appropriate for every place and occasion on earth. He brands his designs Afro-centric.

DESERVES A BOOK TO ELEVATE NIGERIAN FASHION GLOBALLY.

“If you want to live for ten years, invest in shares, if you want to live for thirty years, plant a tree; if you want to live for ever, write a book.” That was the advice of a sage from Asia. Let me add an amendment to the last – “if you want to live for ever write a book or have at least one written about you.” Then, you would not have lived in vain. Mudi provided me with the broad outline of his life and vision which cannot be reduced to one column. Here are a few. He was the first Nigerian/African designer to advertise on billboards and television; and the first to design clothes for four African Heads of States in three countries. His office/studio had been visited by the King of Morocco in 2019. He was the first to have shops outside Nigeria – in Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya. His South African shop was closed down on account of xenophobia; copy cats trying to emulate his genius drove him out by attacking his place. There is no need to list seriatim all that this fellow, with only School Certificate has done for himself and nation in one article. I want him to become the first fashion designer to have a full length book written about him.

Want to join me? Come on board.

WORLD BANK AND FG; ABANDON HOPE

“With such friends, who needs enemies?”

The World Bank, while commending the Tinubu government has made three statements that have fundamentally damned the administration and dumped the RENEWED HOPE document into the dust bin. First, the bank declared that the world’s poor nations will need 100 years to escape poverty. Second, WB said that Emilokan’s reforms must be sustained for 10 to 15 years to achieve results. Third, the global financial executor announced that the Nigerian economy is running on three flat tires. So, no hope even if Tinubu gets two terms; the fourth tire has already fallen off and there’s no spare!!!! Safe trip Fellow Nigerians.