The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) has expressed concerns over the scarcity of foreign exchange (FX) in Nigeria.

PMG-MAN spoke during a news conference in Lagos ahead of the 7th Edition of the Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo (NPME).

According to the association, it is impossible for pharmaceutical companies to cope, adding that the forex scarcity led to the exit of several multinational pharmaceutical companies in the country.

Speaking at the conference, Patrick Ajah, chairman of the local organising committee for NPME 2024, said a stable exchange rate is crucial for the progress of the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

Ajah, the managing director of May & Baker, also highlighted the challenges posed by the fluctuating value of the naira, which has deterred investment and planning within the industry.

“Unless the value of the naira is stabilised, achieving the country’s target of 70 percent local drug manufacturing will remain a mirage,” he said.

“The recent fluctuations in the value of the naira have made it difficult for companies to plan and invest.

“This is one major reason why multinational companies are leaving. It’s not the fear of subsidy removal.

“If we didn’t tamper with the currency, all the multinational companies would be here, and they would still be making more investments.”

Ajah added that the recent fluctuations have made it nearly impossible for companies to cope, forcing many multinationals to withdraw.

“Many companies are not able to cope. So, fixing our exchange rate is going to be the one single thing that will immediately reset where we are,” he added.

Ajah also highlighted the recently signed executive order by President Bola Tinubu, which removes tariffs and value-added tax (VAT) on pharmaceutical imports, which is yet to take effect.

He, however, called for the government to implement additional measures, including fixing the exchange rate, to attract and retain multinational investments.

On May 1, Frank Muonemeh, executive secretary of PMG-MAN, said the country should reduce its dependence on imported drugs.

Muonemeh said Nigeria must prioritise locally produced drugs over imported medicines.

He also said the production of local medicines must be taken as a national security issue.

In 2023, prominent pharmaceutical multinationals, such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi Nigeria Limited stopped operations in the country, citing the forex crisis.

While GSK ended its 51-year presence in Nigeria in August 2023, Sanofi exited in November last year.

The detained Binance Holdings Limited’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, was on Tuesday, whisked into Federal High Court in Abuja in a wheelchair.

Gambaryan, who was dressed in a black T-shirt with blue jeans trousers, is facing a money laundering charge alongside the cryptocurrency firm.

When the matter was called, Gambaryan stood up from the wheelchair and walked slowly into the dock.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s lawyer, Ogechi Ujam, told the court that though the matter was scheduled for the continuation of trial, the commission’s lead counsel, Ekele Iheanacho was not in court.

Ujam prayed the court to stand down the matter to enable Iheanacho to conduct the trial.

Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, who appeared for Binance (1st defendant) and Mark Mordi, SAN, who represented Gambaryan, did not oppose the application.

Justice Emeka Nwite stepped down the matter until noon.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Justice Nwite had, on July 5, ordered the management of the Nigerian Correctional Service to release the medical certificate of Gambaryan on or before July 16.

The judge gave the order following an application by Gambaryan’s lawyer, Mordi.

Mordi had prayed the court to summon the medical doctor at the health facility of Kuje Correctional Centre, to explain why he had allegedly refused to make available his client’s medical report despite an earlier court order.

NAN reports that Gambaryan had, on May 23, collapsed in the open court over alleged ill-health.

The defence law firm, Aluko & Oyebode, had also, on May 27, raised alarms that the cryptocurrency firm’s executive might die in Kuje Correctional Centre over his alleged deteriorating health.

NAN

The Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Monday, said he never knew he would live to be 90.

Soyinka revealed this while answering questions from about 383 students who participated in the 2024 edition of the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange Programme held at Prof. Soyinka’s ARI residence, Ijegba, Abeokuta.

This was as the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, announced scholarships and gifts of laptops to nine students who emerged best in an essay competition organised to mark Soyinka’s 90th birthday.

Born on July 13, 1934, the Nobel Laureate clocked 90 on Saturday.

While answering questions from children on his life experiences for the past 90 years, Soyinka said he did not envisage living up to 90, adding that he decided to be a writer to correct some anomalies from stories he listened to while growing up.

On why he broke into a radio station during the military era, he said: “I never broke into a radio station, but sneaked in. The radio station was holding on to something that belonged to the people, and I decided to retrieve it. If that item had been played, it would have demoralised the people and established the culture of brutality.”

He chided Nigerians for always criticising the state but unwilling to examine themselves.

Soyinka said crimes like kidnapping and robbery, among others, could not be blamed on poverty or inequality, but on selfishness and the desire to live a life of luxury.

He lauded Abiodun for helping to develop the environment around his abode and saving it from degradation, even as he emphasised that this has led to his not abandoning the country.

Speaking during the programme, Abiodun emphasised that the gifts of scholarships and laptops were to encourage the students to keep writing as well as motivate others to participate in the next edition of the competition.

Describing the Noble Laureate as the most celebrated black African, who had excelled in his chosen career, the governor noted that as the key to bringing about change and prosperity in Nigeria and around the world, it was imperative to engage the youth and ensure that their thinking and goals were oriented toward progress for the motherland and humanity.

He said the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange was established to honour the playwright’s legacy and reflect on his lifelong commitment to education, cultural exchange, and nurturing future leaders.

He added that the initiative underscored Soyinka’s values, which include justice, freedom, and the pursuit of excellence in the arts and humanities.

Abiodun said this year’s theme, “Engaging National Interest on Good Governance, Understanding Nation-Building,” perfectly encapsulated  Soyinka’s profound commitment to creating a just and equitable world. 

The Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange focuses on essay competition,  advocacy, and performing arts, which include poetry, drama, and Spoken Word.

The governor said: “We celebrate a project that, for over 14 years, has upheld his ideals and vision. There is no doubt that the Nobel Laureate has optimally utilised the inherent values and wisdom of African culture and tradition in his global engagement as a world citizen of African descent.

“The mission and underlying objectives of WSICE are clear and commendable. They seek to create unity among mankind regardless of nationality, culture, or religion by focusing on youth as the future of humanity, in line with the thoughts and guiding principles of Professor Wole Soyinka.”

The 2024 Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange Programme drew students from different parts of the country who participated in an essay competition on national and international topics.

About 383 students participated in the competition, 90 were chosen, while nine were selected with Alabi Oluwanifemi emerging as the best essayist, Okoye Collins John coming second, and Adebusi Adeoluwa, coming— third.

Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has said Northern politicians, past and present, are responsible for poverty in the region.

Senator Uba Sani said the number of unbanked northerners, out-of-school children and those living in poverty is scary.

He said the cause of insecurity and crisis in the region affecting Nigeria was because the northern politicians in the last 15 years put more northerners below the poverty line.

He said his administration had to open accounts for 2.1 million Kaduna residents to be able to support them. He added that throughout the North, 65 to 70 percent of northerners are financially excluded because they are unbanked.

“In the last six months, we opened accounts for 2.1 million in banks. That is why we can support them. In many parts of northern Nigeria, in some states, about 65 northerners are unbanked, that is why we are having crisis of poverty, crisis of insecurity.”

Governor Sani said this on Tuesday while speaking on NTA Good Morning programme.

“In North, we have millions of out-of-school children. Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the whole world, but 7o percent of that number are domiciled in North, for me that is scary.

He continued, “That is why when people are complaining about insecurity, about poverty, I ask everyone, all of us who are in who politics, who are in government, even some who are in private sector in Northern Nigeria, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and tell ourselves the truth, all of us must be blamed.”

“In the last 15 years, the level of poverty in northern Nigeria is very scary. In 15 years ago, if you look at the poverty index, only about 35 percent of our people are below the poverty line.

“Today, 15 years, in some states about 70 states of our people are below the poverty line. so I believe all the politicians in northern Nigeria, whether you are former president, former vice president, whether you are a senator, a governor, a minister in the last 15 years you must be blamed for that.

“So we need to sit down and stop blaming everyone and blame ourselves and we need to find solution, that is unacceptable and we should also stop misinforming our people this time. we need to find solution,” he added.

The Kaduna State governor said his administration would ensure the resettlement of victims of banditry was done transparently. He said his administration had to include community leaders and affected families in the process to ensure transparency.

A prominent Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, known as Igboho, has reportedly issued a new eviction notice targeting notorious herders involved in kidnapping and robbery in the South West zone.

This latest directive was communicated through an audio message by his spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki, although its authenticity remains unconfirmed.

The call to action follows renewed hostilities in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, where locals have suffered increased violence, including kidnappings and killings by the herders.

According to a resident speaking to Vanguard, these criminal activities have also hindered farmers from accessing their fields, exacerbating tensions in the region.

Igboho previously warned these herders to vacate the area a few weeks ago and has suggested the establishment of local security outfits to protect farmers from ongoing intimidation and violence.

In the audio message, Koiki spoke in Yoruba, saying, “Today is the 15th of July, 2024. This breaking news is issued around 6pm. All Fulani people living in Oke Ogun, living inside the bushes there, who are kidnappers, that are killing the people, are immediately ordered to leave now. Sunday Igboho said he would continue his work at Oke-Ogun, in Kishi, and all communities that made up of Oke-Ogun. He said he would touch all those places remaining.

“All Fulanis should leave the bush in Oke-Ogun. The forest does not belong to you. The land belongs to us. He added that he is also waiting for the Obas in other parts of Yoruba land to speak up if they are witnessing attacks from Fulani people in their domains.”

As claimed in the audio, Igboho made it clear that he is not fighting any governor, but he’s ready to show the herders troubling his people out of the zone.

He added that his men would comb all the forests presently occupied by herders across the Yoruba lands after getting permission from kings in Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti, and Osun states.

He said his men “are currently working on how to storm the forest in Oke Ogun land in Oyo State and warn all Fulani living there to vacate immediately.”

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Monday constituted a special technical and legal committee to review the recent supreme court judgement on local government financial autonomy.

The Attorney-General and commissioner for justice, Barrister Abiodun Aikomo in company of the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy matters, Hon Ademola Ojo disclosed this at a press briefing shortly after a consultative/advisory meeting.

Governor Seyi Makinde, had earlier before the close door meeting, berated the supreme court judgement and strategies by the federal government to usurp undue authority over the state and local government administration, thereby causing tension within that nation’s polity rather than focusing on other germane issues affecting the nation’s economy.

At the press briefing, Hon Ademola Ojo assured that Governor Seyi Makinde remained committed to the people’s well being and would protect and safeguard the interest of all stakeholders

Barrister Aikomo who explained that the terms of references which specifically hinged on review of the supreme court judgement, identifying challenges and proffering recommendations that would result in implementation plan for the benefit of all stakeholders, noted that the committee had been given a duration of 4 – 6 weeks.

The attendees at the meeting were drawn from various relevant groups and other stakeholders in the state, among whom were the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, and Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP and representative from the state house of assembly.

The Lagos State Task Force has arrested eight suspects for selling contaminated turkey seized by the Nigeria Customs Service in Lagos State.

This was disclosed in a press statement released by the spokesman of the Lagos State Task Force, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem.

According to Abdulraheem, the suspects were arrested in the Epe area of the state during a raid on Sunday.

The agency discovered that “dozens of cartons filled with contaminated turkey seized by the Nigeria Customs Service and set ablaze at a dumpsite somehow found their way into the hands of unscrupulous elements trying to sell it to members of the public.”

The statement read, “I am glad this menace has been nipped in the bud before it blows out of proportion. The state is currently battling to contain the cholera outbreak in some parts of the metropolis, so we need not compound the issues. Rather, it’s our responsibility to the citizenry to ensure sinister forces do not plunge the state into crisis for their selfish gains.”

“The Chairman of the Agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, who led the operation, said goods confiscated by the Nigeria Customs Service must have failed at some point to meet the required health and safety standards before being deemed unfit for human consumption, which led to them being set ablaze at a dedicated dumpsite.

“We cannot allow some ignorant individuals to reintroduce products which have been condemned by a federal agency to find their way back into the market. Contaminated foods like this could cause cancer, lung or liver disease, and so on. Consumption is highly dangerous, and we are here to ensure that Lagosians are protected at all costs,” he said.

“Akerele noted that all contaminated goods were recovered and brought to the headquarters of the agency while the arrested suspects would be charged in court.”

Residents of Kuchi, an agricultural community in Munya Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State, are enduring a prolonged crisis as 148 farmers remain in captivity fifty-three days after a brutal bandit raid on May 24, 2024.

The raid, carried out by over 100 bandits, resulted in the abduction of the farmers, including pregnant women and children. The captors have since demanded ransom for their release.

Abdulmalik Iliyasu, speaking with Daily Trust correspondent, shared the community’s distress, revealing that some farmers have died in captivity. He explained that the bandits collected ransom before notifying families of the deaths.

“The bandits are demanding N2 million and a Honda motorcycle for each captive. We are farmers, and without access to our farms, we have no means to raise such sums,” Iliyasu lamented.

Iliyasu also disclosed that informants within the communities have been sabotaging negotiation efforts by revealing wealthy families to the bandits, leading to increased ransom demands.

Communities such as Kapana, Wuloto, and Godan also have residents in captivity, exacerbating the region’s crisis. The district head of one affected community highlighted the pervasive fear among farmers, exacerbated by the bandits’ threats of further attacks and the loss of livestock during raids.

Residents are appealing for government intervention, particularly securing the Dan-Gunu riverbank, a known crossing point for bandits entering Munya LGA from Kaduna State.

They urged authorities to support their return to farming, essential for their livelihoods.

In response, SP Wasiu Abiodun, spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, assured that ongoing efforts are being made in collaboration with the military to rescue the victims.

He emphasized the coordinated operation between Niger and Kaduna states

I write about three icons born in the month of July - July People - not in the sense in which students of literature are wont to think of Nadine Gordimer’s novel of the same title – which correctly is actually July’s People (1981) -but in terms of the horoscopic significance of the month of July and the people born under the Zodiac sign of Cancer (June 21 – July 22). Cancer is the fourth sign of the Zodiac sign, and it does not simply mean that persons who are born under the sign would end up with Cancer as an ailment. Rather, the significant elements associated with this sign are Water and the planet, Moon, and the symbol is the Crab. Astrologists describe them as persons who are compassionate, creative, inquisitive, changeable, sensitive and protective. They work hard because they want to be the best at what they do. Prominent Cancerians we are told include Princess Diana, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Arianna Grande, Harrison Ford, Selena Gomez, Jaden Smith, Forest Whitaker – intensely creative persons, stand-out figures who just want to excel. Within the week, there have been Nigerians born under this Zodiac sign whose celebration on their birthdays has proven to be impressive moments on this year’s cultural calendar: Professor Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka (July 13), Prince Nduka Obaigbena (July 14), Aremo Olusegun Osoba (July 15).They are on every count, persons worthy of celebration given their monumental achievements in their fields of engagement and the impact they have made on society and the enormous influence that they continue to wield. Soyinka, also known as W.S., Prof., Kongi, Eni Ogun, was 90. Obaigbena, known as the Duke or Prince, Chairman turned 65 on July 14. Osoba, also known as Akinrogun, Aremo, Oluwo Oba is 85: each in his own way, a major national figure, meaning different things to many people, but altogether distinguished by their individual differentness and originality.

Professor Wole Soyinka is a towering, dominant, distinguished figure in world literatures, academia, activism and one of Africa’s leading figures in the 21^st Century. Poet, dramatist, essayist, polemicist, musician, raconteur, novelist, fabulist, he was the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, with the Swedish Nobel Academy noting how Soyinka’s prodigious oeuvre fashions the drama of existence in “a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones”. The evidence is seen in over 20 published plays including The Lion and the Jewel, The Trials of Brother Jero, Kongi’s Harvest, Death and the King’s Horseman, and Opera Wonyosi, and in novels – The Interpreters, Season of Anomy, or memoirs – Ake - the Years of Childhood, Isara – A Voyage Around Essay, You Must Set Forth at Dawn, The Man Died, Chronicles From the Land of The Happiest People on Earth, or poetry – Idanre and Other Poems, A Shuttle in the Crypt, Ogun Abibiman, Samarkand and Other Markets I have Known, Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems, Interventions (a series in about 10 volumes)  and so on and so forth, a long Soyinka bibliography that is an industry in itself. Many Nobel Prize winners in Literature went on to experience a decline in their productivity afterwards, victims as it were of what is known not necessarily as the Nobel Prize Effect, but better still the Nobel Prize Disease, but not so with Wole Soyinka, who since 1986 has remained productive with a long list of publications urging students of the subject to find a worthy enterprise in comparing Soyinka, before and after the Nobel. This is a Nobel Prize winner who has in addition won the glory of canonization. 

The Nobel Prize as known is reserved for winners who have “conferred the greatest good upon mankind”. And so it is with Soyinka, who beyond literature is actively connected with the human space in many spheres. This is a man who is literally a genius. Traditionalists in his native home towns of Abeokuta and Isara know him as a hunter -a key chieftain of the Egbe Olode community, he is Captain Blood of Tortuga in the Pyrates, SeaDog Confraternity (No Fren No Foe, Sworn Enemy of Convention) which he co-founded, and in more than five decades he has been in the frontlines of the struggle to make Nigeria and Africa a better place for humanity: a scourge in the practical field of action, a thorn in the flesh of dictators, a fighter at the barricades in defence of justice and democracy, fearless, dogged, consistent, he has refused to keep silent in the face of tyranny.  At 90 and four days, Wole Soyinka now falls in the category of Nobel Laureates who lived beyond the age of 90 viz George Bernard Shaw, Sir Winston Churchill, Nadine Gordimer, Bertrand Russel, Knut Hamsun, and Naguib Mafouz. The grace of longevity that he has enjoyed is a natural aspiration of living men and women, but what distinguishes Soyinka remarkedly is the quality and impact that he brings to the fore at every moment in his journey. It is therefore most painful to find a coterie of badly brought up children writing on social media having the effrontery to disrespect the sage. Soyinka had once written that culture is not idyllic not is it fossilized as a romantic sign, ever so dynamic culture grows, mutates, but Soyinka probably never imagined the terrible manner in which basic African values and cultures have changed in the face of the forces of modernization, a prominent trope in his writings. One disrespectful young man once asked him to stand up for him in a domestic flight, claiming that he was the rightful owner of the seat, and the young man went ahead to boast about it on social media. Even at 90, Soyinka has shown many of his critics, including the social media antagonists that he still has enough fire in him to fight back, whether in the trenches or in the more dignified arena of intellection.  

Wole Soyinka has been honoured in virtually every continent of the world.  Cities have declared special Wole Soyinka days in appreciation of his impact. Among his Egba people in Ogun State, July 13 has been declared by the Alake of Egbaland, Kabiyesi Adedotun Gbadebo, Okukenu IV as Wole Soyinka Day. In New Orleans, United States, there is already a Wole Soyinka Day.  Oba Gbadebo also wants Soyinka to be conferred with the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). On the occasion of his 90^th birthday, Soyinka has been celebrated as far away as Morocco, and here in his home country, Nigeria, the drums have been rolled out. There is no honour that can be too much for him. It is most appropriate that the National Theatre of Nigeria at Iganmu, Lagos has now been renamed Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts. It is most befitting. It is the only edifice of its type so named after a writer in Africa. Soyinka beyond the universal appeal of his literature is a nationalist, capturing through a repertoire of literary devices the story of our lives. Once upon a time, the National Theatre was going to be turned into banking halls, hotels and restaurants. The stamp of Soyinka’s brand and symbolism on that institution should rescue it and return it to the original purpose for which it was built. 

In journalism, politics and popular struggle, Chief Olusegun Osoba who turned 85 yesterday has also lived a life of extraordinary impact and distinction. Soyinka distinguished himself as a writer of verses, Osoba is the iconic reporter, and promoter of excellence in Journalism. He got his first job as a reporter at The Daily Times under the legendary Alhaji Ismail Babatunde Jose in 1964. He was 25 years old at the time. Today, at 85, Osoba is still active in the journalism community; it is not unusual to find him at important functions of all the major organs of the profession, as an inspirational figure to the generations behind him and a living library of the profession. Osoba’s example and brand project journalism and its practice most positively. Many journalists seek to excel. Osoba is a true model. He rose through the ranks as a reporter to become editor and head of three major newspaper establishments- Nigerian Herald, Daily Sketch and Daily Times. He had a hand in the design and delivery of another newspaper – The Guardian and he appointed its first editor! Osoba was a master of the scoop as a reporter, and he earned the sobriquet, Timesman on the front pages. He was well connected in society and had contacts in every sphere. He was so successful, long before his colleagues could buy a bicycle, he owned a scooter. He had a phone at home. He also got himself a beautiful wife. He would later go into politics, and in that process, he was Governor of Ogun State twice in his career (1992 – 1993, 1999 -2003). Osoba has shown a remarkable capacity for self-reinvention and consistent relevance. He is today a father figure in Ogun State politics and at the Federal level, he is one of the founding fathers of the ruling All Progressives Congress party (APC). He is highly regarded for the role he played during the June 12, 1993 debacle and his commitment to progressive politics. He has told his own story in a detailed memoir titled Battlelines: Adventures in Journalism and Politics (2019, 341 pp.), an immensely informative book which was publicly presented to mark his 80^th birthday five years ago. 

The story of his journalism career has also been told in a book by Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe titled Osoba: The Newspaper Years (2012, 396 pp.). Now to mark his 85^th birthday, he has presented to the public a new book titled Segun Osoba, My Life in the Public Eye (Lagos: Diamond Publications, 2024, xi + 212 pp).  The book was unveiled at Eko Hotel, Lagos on July 13, the same day that Soyinka turned 90. My Life in The Public Eye focusses largely on many of the tributes that were written to celebrate Osoba at 80 and reviews of his book, Battlelines, in addition to a number of commentaries by the author himself.  Divided into five parts - Institutional Assessments (editorials on Osoba by The Nation, Vanguard, and The Guardian); In the Eyes of Associates (tributes by other journalists), Unveiling Battlelines, Dissecting battlelines and Perspectives - in a total of 33 chapters and an index. It is a well compiled account of reflections on the essence of Chief Osoba which students and teachers of journalism will find useful. But this is in no way a substitute for the main memoir - Battlelines which tells Osoba’s story in a more comprehensive manner. The documentation of Osoba’s art and craft is an interesting addition to media biography in Nigeria. Stuck in the hectic pursuit of headlines and deadlines, journalists often forget to tell their own stories while busy telling other people’s stories. Osoba sets another good example by telling his own story in his own words and through the words of others.  The fact that he is a politician is also a noteworthy part of his career. At the Eko Hotel presentation of his book on July 13, there were more politicians than journalists, many of them falling over each other to be noticed by their party leader and close companion of the President of Nigeria. But in the long run, Osoba would always be remembered as much for his politics as he would be remembered for the craft that brought him to national reckoning. 

And now to Prince Nduka Obaigbena who is now 65, a towering figure also in Nigerian journalism, who has practically redefined the practice over the decades with his publications, ThisWeek magazine, and later ThisDay newspaper, cultural events such as the Arise Fashion and Arise Shows, and more recently, the influential television station, Arise News. Obaigbena is a media entrepreneur of the very first rank, who has used his various platforms to create jobs and opportunities for more than a generation of journalists. This past weekend, former ThisDay journalists under the auspices of a group known as ThisDay Alumni Association thought it fit to honour him. They said in a statement: “With an unparalleled ability to anticipate and shape the future of media, he has redefined journalistic standards and expanded the horizons for media practitioners globally.”  There were no formal invitations but the number, shape and size of people that converged at Obaigbena’s Ikoyi residence was truly impressive. A day like Sunday is when most people in Lagos try to rest at home to prepare for the beginning of a new week, besides, the group of persons that gathered are ordinarily very busy people, but they all turned up – captains of industry, businessmen, government officials, former Governors – to wish Obaigbena a happy 65^th birthday. I could not attend the Osoba book event. I was held up in Abuja but I was at the Obaigbena informal birthday celebration. I left with the strong impression that success is like honey: it attracts those who like the sweetness of things and that is why persons who make impact in their chosen lines of work are rewarded with recognition and celebration. It is a moral fact that young people need to understand: that hard work pays, commitment brings honour. Obaigbena proved to be a good host. It was a pleasant Sunday evening, with more than enough to drink and eat. On Monday, the Chairman of Arise Group responded appropriately to our usual calls for “implications”. He sent food packs to the studio at Arise News – small chops, chicken and jollof rice, and swallow with soup. 

Birthdays after all, are happy moments, not for mourning. Regardless of one’s circumstances of birth, it is possible to touch the sky literally speaking through self-discipline and tenacity of purpose. Soyinka, the son of “the Wild Christian” and Ess-Ay” was raised in Abeokuta but today, the same Soyinka, product of St. Peter’s primary School, Ake is a global icon; Osoba, also from Abeokuta, was born in Osogbo in Osun State, and he attended Methodist Boys High School in Lagos, only to end up as one of the most prominent and well-rounded journalists of his generation. Obaigbena, born in Ibadan, 1959, is from Owan Kingdom in Delta state. He began his journalism career as a cartoonist, graphic artist, and stringer and now, today, the history of journalism in Nigeria would be incomplete without an acknowledgement of his many innovations in the business, -his introduction of colourful mastheads, back-page columns, and a newspaper that reports business and politics in the language that the reader understands and now a television station that speaks the minds of the people. Soyinka’s creativity is the catalyst for many careers all over the world: students that he taught, many who became writers because they wanted to be like him, graduate students who earned masters and Ph.Ds as Soyinka scholars, researchers, academics, filmmakers – all for whom Soyinka is an industry. Osoba is a role model for many journalists who hope that they too can be just as successful. There are also many young journalists who aspire to be like Obaigbena. He is fondly called “The Duke” and I have seen quite a few persons carrying on like his alter egos. Three prominent members of the Nigerian cultural elite celebrating another year, offer rich perspectives on the linkages between them and how so different they also are. Many happy returns to this July troika.