Madam Obebhatein Jonathan, elder sister to former President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has passed on. She died on Thursday, January 11, 2024 at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, after a brief illness. She was aged 70 years.
A statement by Jonathan’s Media office, noted that the deceased popularly known as Amissi was a retired teacher, business woman, a loving mother and grandmother who lived a dedicated life of service to God and humanity.
She was a devout Christian, a virtuous woman and a role model to many within and outside her community.
The statement also indicated that the burial has been scheduled for Tuesday 16th February, 2024, stressing that the details of the funeral rites would be announced by the family.
Madam Obebhatein Jonathan is survived by three children, siblings, including His Excellency Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and her mother, Mama Eunice Afeni-Jonathan.
A pressure group,Ondo Redemption Front, (ORF), has told political parties which are preparing for this year’s Governorship election in the state that ‘Emi lokan’ mindset will not work or be tolerated in the forthcoming election.
‘Emi lokan’ slogan used by President Bola Tinubu during his Presidential campaign tends to impose candidates rather than allow the people pick their choice among the contestants.
The Chairman of the ORF, Ayo Ologun, while speaking in Akure on Thursday also warned that it would reject any attempt by political parties to impose candidates on the people.
Ologun, noted that the next Governorship Election in the State would provide the avenue for the people to choose leaders that will steer the State toward sustained growth and development.
According to him, endorsing or imposing candidate by any of the political parties could derail the seamless and democratic process aimed at selecting the best candidate for the election.
“As we countdown to the elections, it will not be business as usual. Nobody should see the coming election as a right. The “Emi lokan’ mindset will not work or be tolerated in the forthcoming election.
“The people of the State will not be swayed by mundane things that stem from propaganda but will be more concerned about the antecedents of the aspirants, their track records, character, record in public service, and sign of empathy to the people they seek to govern.
“In our pursuit of a redeemed and transformed Ondo State, we recognize the importance of collaborating with various stakeholders, from civil society organizations to the media, and most importantly, the citizens themselves
“As part of our commitment to fostering positive change, the Ondo Redemption Front is gearing up to mobilize massive citizens’ participation ahead of the 2024 Governorship election in Ondo State.
“Our objective is clear, to empower the people with information, encourage active engagement in the democratic process, and foster an environment where every citizen’s voice is heard.
“We firmly believe that the cornerstone of a prosperous Ondo State lies in the election of competent and visionary leadership. The 2024 Governorship election presents an opportunity for the people of Ondo State to choose leaders who will steer the state toward sustained growth and development.
“The Ondo Redemption Front is committed to playing an active role in this process, advocating for transparency, fairness, and the election of leaders with the best interests of the state at heart.
“As a group, the Ondo Redemption Front is committed to ensuring that the state remains on a trajectory of progress, irrespective of the changes in leadership.
“We are resolute in our determination to hold the Ondo State Government, now under the leadership of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, accountable for its actions and policies that impact the lives of the people.
“Our primary focus is on good governance and development. We believe that the people of Ondo State deserve leadership that prioritizes their welfare, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and overall well-being.”
The Progressives Governors Forum, (PGF) has distanced itself from the plight of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.
The Forum maintained that only President Bola Tinubu could determine the fate of the Minister following allegations of fraud against her.
Speaking on Thursday, PGF said only President Bola Tinubu will take a final decision on the matter.
The President had, on Monday, suspended Edu over her alleged involvement in a N585 million fraud.
A leaked memo indicated that she recently approved the payment of N585 million social intervention funds into the private account of a civil servant.
Against this backdrop, Tinubu directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe the allegation.
Reacting, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, urged Nigerians not to hurriedly conclude that Edu is guilty of the corruption allegations against her.
Uzodinma said Nigerians should wait till the end of the ongoing investigations before drawing a conclusion on Edu.
He spoke while addressing journalists after a meeting of the Forum in Abuja.
“And in the wisdom of the President, she is being investigated. It is after the investigation is concluded and the report made available to the Government that it will take a final decision.”
I knew Femi Adesina when he was “Daddy Tobi.” He still is, of course. But back in the day when we were neighbours in “Olowora Inside”, a Lagos suburb, when you could call to a neighbour from your frontage, often by using the name of their first child, that was how we called Femi: Daddy Tobi.
I have heard people complain that a friend in government is a friend lost. I have seen it too – friends who are not only lost but who are also happy to lose themselves once in power or positions of influence. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing. People have their reasons.
But Daddy Tobi did not change. He has not changed. Through the eight years of his appointment, he has been the same jolly good fellow, slow to give offence, contemplative, almost ponderous to act, anxious to be politically correct (which is why he would say, the Good Book, instead of the Bible or Quran, for example), and full of thunderous laughter.
Understanding Buhari
His new book, “Working with Buhari: Reflections of A Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023),”narrates his struggles, his hopes, his frustrations and triumphs as Buhari’s first political appointeeand perhaps the longest serving media adviser in Nigeria in the last nearly three decades.
I wasn’t surprised by his longevity, though that also brought its own miseries especially after the first two years of Buhari’s government. They’re partly reflected in Chapter Nine of his book entitled, “2017, Year of Health Challenge,” a chapter that also reminded me quite vividly of the book, Power, Politics and Death, by Olusegun Adeniyi.
Femi Adesina.
A significant difference, though, is that while Femi’s book is very personal – like a diary, Adeniyi’s is intensely revelatory, capturing not only the author’s odyssey but also the intrigues that shaped Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s short-lived presidency.
Femi makes it clear, upfront, that his book is not about the making of policies – monetary, fiscal, foreign – or even about the fundamentals of government. It’s a journey to understanding Buhari, the enigma from Daura.
After assuming office in 2015, Buhari enjoyed an extended honeymoon. The public was fed up with President Goodluck Jonathan and the chaos in the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Masugudusugudu?
Buhari seemed to be the right man for the job, in spite of concerns about his academic and human rights credentials. The country was so taken in by the Buhari charm that a Hausa song, entitled, “Masugudusugudu,” became a hit for the dire fate supposedly awaiting the corrupt and their acolytes.
I was against Jonathan, and for Buhari, though not as remotely as Femi, a self-confessed Buharist. My support was conditional, sometimes confused, and for the most part of Buhari’s second term, frustrated and disappointed. But sometimes, you have to be close to people to know them better, which is the point of Femi’s book.
His reflections, however, did not assuage my disappointment about the former president’s congenital insularity or about the chaotic freedom in his government that obviously encouraged some of his appointees to run wild.
The new book did something quite important, though. It helped me, through Femi’s eye, to see a part of Buhari that may have been flawed but was perhaps not fatally damaged by malice.
In his own words
I will give two examples from the book. The first occurred after Buhari removed ItaEkpeyong as Director, State Services (DSS) in 2015, and replaced him with LawalMusa Daura. At this time, there were already suspicions that Buhari, being Buhari, his election would deepen Nigeria’s already fragile ethnic faultlines.
On page 166 of his book, Femi said he went to Buhari to complain about the potential ethnic blowout of the change.
“I had asked him,” he wrote, “Mr. President, you are removing ItaEkpeyong from the South-south, why not replace him with someone from that region, for balance?”
Buhari replied: “Before people are recommended to me, a search must have been done by appropriate set of people or committee. And one, two or three people are brought forward, in order of performance and competence. Now, if someone comes first and I bypass him because of ethnicity or religion, Allah would judge me.”
“But do not worry,” he told an obviously worried Femi, “the appointments would balance out.”
It would seem, from this passage, that Buhari was genuinely concerned about merit and competence. Maybe that was the case in his first term. Documents that I obtained independently at the time appeared to support this view.
For example, between 2015 and 2018, while the North-central topped appointments in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), with 102 appointees; the South-west came second with 101 appointees, giving both zones 35 percent or 203 of the 567 appointments made.
But the complaint was not just about numbers but also about consequential postings. If Buhari passed the test on numbers in his first term, he failed disastrously on both counts in his second term. Not only were his appointments lopsided, he seemed so painfully absent, at least in the public eye, that any suggestions of competence or merit in his choices were commonly laughed out of hand.
The second example from the book of Buhari’s fatal innocence, portrayed through Femi’s sympathetic lens, was the former president’s role in the naira redesign palaver.
In Chapter Twelve, entitled, “In His Own Words…,” Femi quoted Buhari as saying, “The scarcity of money was not deliberately done to punish Nigerians…When he (former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele) was linked with the campaign for 2023 presidency, I did not ask him, because he told nobody he was getting involved. Otherwise, I would have removed him and told the nation why.”
Naira redesign, ‘Emilokan’
In the goodness of Buhari’s purple heart, which obviously saw no evil, heard no evil, and did no evil, he could not contemplate the open travesty perpetrated by the Central Bank governor who took the APC to court in his own name, asking the court to protect his right, as sitting governor of the bank, to contest the presidency. Emefieledid not hide his intention from the party or, in fact, from the public. But by some spell of magic, he managed to hide it from Buhari.
And the president who “did not want to deliberately punish Nigerians” twice publicly defended the naira redesign even when the country was chafing under its impact and in spite of a Supreme Court ruling against it.
But it was Femi’s job to defend him, and that shone through in the book, with at least three of the 28 chapters– “Wailing Wailers,” “You Always Defend Them Because You Are One of Them,” and “Managing ‘Brand Buhari,’” – devoted to the many stripes of his valiant efforts.
His reflection on whether or not the Villa is a haunted place as his predecessor, Reuben Abati, wrote in the famous article, entitled, “The spiritual side of the Villa,” is quite interesting.The jury is still out on that.
Yet, there were also moments of pure drama, like when Femi and late former Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, squared off over a turf war or when Femi broke the news of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Emilokan” speech to Buhari aboard NAF One, only to get the parsimonious reply, “Asiwaju said all that? Thank you for briefing me.”
As is often the case with such jobs, family and friends also suffer collateral damage. But when people who knew that I had known Femi since our Daddy Tobi days called me to lash out, I often told them that Femi’s Buhari-philia wasn’t for the money or the attention.
And that was true. It was a matter of conviction and loyalty. As the book, which dedicated nearly 16 percent of its 488 pages to a chapter on Buhari’s achievements shows, nothing could change that.
South East youths under the aegis of Coalition of South East Youth Leaders COSEYL has threatened to embark on a million man protest march across the region’s major cities should the Chinese construction giants China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. CCECC fails to mobilize back to site within the next three days to complete the laying of tracks on the Aba/ PortHarourt rail network
COSEYL’s ultimatum is coming on the heels of a statement a few days ago credited to Mr Fidet Okhiria a Director with the Nigerian Railway Corporation NRC, wherein he claimed that the track laying of the about 64 kilometers rail line has been completed.
The South East body ,which spoke through its President General, Comrade Goodluck Ibem in a statement issued on Thursday January 11 2023,in Aba accused the Chinese firm of delivering a sub standard job ,which has resulted in the obstruction of a free flow of traffic in the commercial hub of Abia State, adding that the construction firm should as a matter of urgency go back to site to complete the job ,or risk facing the wrath of youths from the region.
” For the avoidance of doubt, the PortHarcourt/Aba rail line has not been fully and satisfactorily completed. The claim to the contrary by the contractor, should be ignored.
“Apart from not being completed ,the job was executed with complete disregard for even the minimum required standard.
“A close observation of the project by even lay men will easily expose the gross sub standard nature of the job purportedly delivered by a supposedly multi national construction out fit.
“The CCECC deployed sub standard materials in executing the job. Besides,the rail line steels are inferior and not straight, a situation that has the high potentials of derailing trains at will.
“In all ,we reject in totality the job claimed to have been delivered,and demand the immediate return to site by the construction firm.
But if after three days our demands are not met ,we will proceed on massive protest march which will only be called off after the revocation of contracts awarded to CCECC in the South East region of the country.
The Source News Magazine reports that in recent times, motorists and other road users in Aba have been subjected to harrowing experiences, resulting from the serious traffic grid lock occasioned by the evidently poor laying of the tracks across adjourning roads.
The gruelling situation has even forced series of visitations to the construction site by the Mayors of Aba North and Aba South Chief Sir JC Udeagbala and Chief Uche Wogu respectively.
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has emphasized that his government will ensure the completion of all road projects started by the administration, assuring commitment to the wellbeing of the people.
The governor, while speaking to journalists in Benin City, said his government will also sustain reforms and programmes that have improved the living standards of the people, noting that the government will in the New Year focus on internal roads.
Obaseki said: “We are intentional about development of road and transport infrastructure in Edo State and will continue to deploy resources to ensure that we finish strong on this front.
“To this end, we will ensure to complete all road projects started by my administration, focusing on internal road networks and also progressing on the development of trailer parks in the State.
“We have opened discussion with the investor which the Federal Government concessioned the roads to, with the aim of working with the Edo State Transport Authority to ensure a more robust ecosystem to facilitate the development of critical infrastructure to drive economic development.”
He said: “Over the past year, we have successfully completed the construction of 565 roads, covering a total distance of 737.37 kilometers.
“Under the various streams of the Edo State Employment and Expenditure for Result (SEEFOR), we undertook the construction of 300 roads, spanning 212 kilometers across the State.
“In Edo North, we have successfully completed the construction of the Afokpella-Ogriga-Okugbe road with Awuyemi Spur, as well as the rehabilitation of the Secretariat Road in Igarra and several internal roads.
“In Edo Central, we constructed the Ekpoma-Iruekpen road and the Idumebo-Ihumudumu Royal Market Road, among other impactful developments.”
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will begin its quest for its fourth African Cup of Nations title on Sunday, January 14th, 2024 against Equatorial Guinea. The Team is grouped alongside host, Côte d’ Ivoire and Guinea Bissau.
The last time the National side won the AFCON Tournament was in 2013 in South Africa, where Late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi became the first indigenous Coach to lift the AFCON trophy for Nigeria.
In AFCON 1980, the victorious Green Eagles Captained by Christian Chukwu was Coached by Late Brazilian Gaffer, Otto Gloria, while the AFCON 1994 triumphant Super Eagles captained by the Mercurial Keshi were coached by Dutch Tactician, Clemens Westerhof.
In achieving the AFCON 2013 feat, Late Coach Keshi did the usual, by naming 13 Debutants into his 23-Man List, leading to criticism from different quarters, has he was enmeshed in crisis with the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, led by Amaju Pinnick.
Keshi however stood his ground and gave over Six home-based players a sense of belonging in the team.
They included; Chigozie Agbim, Godfrey Oboabona, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Sunday Mba, Reuben Gabriel and Ejike Uzoenyi.
Other debutants who made the cut were; Fegor Ogude, Juwon Oshaniwa, Nosa Igiebor, Obiora Nwankwo, Emmanuel Emenike, Victor Moses and Ahmed Musa
The team went ahead to prove bookmakers wrong as it won the tournament to silence their critics.
On the part of the Super Eagles team hoisting the nation’s flag in Côte d’ Ivoire, though the journey has been rough as injury forced two of its players, Victor Boniface Okoh and Wilfired Ndidi to pull out of the team and were swiftly replaced by Yusuf Alhassan and Terem Moffi.
When Portuguese Tactician, Coach Jose Peseiro named his 25-Man Team for the continental showpiece, criticism trailed the list, as posers were raised on the yardstick that Ahmed Musa, Francis Uzoho and Joe Aribo made the cut despite not playing regularly for their respective clubs.
Like Late Keshi, Coach Peseiro has also included Nine Debutants into his squad and they include; Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi, Terem Moffi, Samuel Bright Osayi, Yusuf Alhassan, Raphael Onyedika, Olorunleke Ojo and Stanley Nwabali.
Soccer fans, enthusiast and analysts are hoping that this would be another ‘De Ja Vu’, a repeat of AFCON 2013 triumph, but another issue that ha sheen raised is how the team can synergize and play as a unit, putting into consideration that awful performances in their Two 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against the Crocodiles of Lesotho and the Warriors of Zimbabwe where the Super Eagles came from behind to record a 1-1 draw in both matches.
Gbenga Atalese, a Soccer Analyst said that he isn’t expecting something different from the team as they have on several occasion failed Nigerians with the lackadaisical approach towards matches and woeful performance.
“It is still the same set of players, so I don’t want to raise my hope unnecessarily, I believ we are just going there to make up the Numbers”, he concluded.
But Babafemi Adegbite, another Sport analyst and Soccer enthusiast said that he is optimistic that the Team will perform beyond our expectations as this is an Avenue to redeem their image after failing Nigerians on several occasions with their lowly rated performance.
Coach Christian Oduma, the Enugu State Grassroots Managers Association chairman, said that he expected the Super Eagles to win the continental trophy.
Odunayo urged the team’s handlers to choose players based on current performance, form, and fitness.
“They have all it takes to win the tournament; all they need is to play as a team. The technical crew also needs to be very tactical. This is not a time to choose players based on names or previous records,” he said.
Also speaking, the chairman of the Rangers Supporters Club, Dr Uchenna Orji, said that Nigerians were expecting an excellent outing from the national team at the tournament.
“The players we are taking to AFCON cannot afford to get anything less than the trophy. They are professionals playing for clubs abroad and getting results, so we expect them to play well for Nigeria.
“They are capable of winning the trophy for Nigeria because they have the capacity and motivation to do so,” he said.
The unknown officer who insulted and maligned the person of Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu on the Social Media following the arrest of a Soldier who drove against traffic has led to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, reading a riot act to all soldiers on their usage of Social Media.
The Army Chief cautioned his men against the abuse of social media, and warned them sternly that the Army authorities would not take it lightly with any personnel who take to social media to denigrate constituted authorities.
Lagbaja who gave the warning while addressing soldiers during a familiarisation tour at 14 Brigade Ohafia, Abia State, tasked soldiers with showing loyalty and respect for the core values of the Nigeria Army.
Condemning the recent uncomplimentary remarks by a ‘one-way- soldier-driver’ against the Governor of Lagos State, the COAS threatened severe sanctions against any soldier abusing the use of social media.
He said, “Social media is good, but you must use it responsibly. We will not go to social media and start abusing constituted authorities like the young soldier did against the Lagos State Governor.
“What you cannot do to your dad or elders at home, don’t do to others. The Army is a disciplined organisation, and we can’t tolerate that. If we see it, we will descend heavily on you.
“You must conform to the rules and regulations that guide us. We have our core values, and we expect every soldier to abide by them.”
He assured the soldiers of enhanced welfare, adding that the Federal Government has approved payment of the backlog of the Group Assurance package for the families of their departed colleagues.
MultiChoice Company, owners of DSTV and GOTV rescinded its decision not to beam the African Cup of Nations tournament live following its failure to secure Television Rights for the continental competition.
Less than four days to the tournament, its Chief Executive Officer, Calvo Mawela, announced that the Company has secured the Television Rights in order not to deny its esteemed subscribers the fun and glitz of the African showpiece.
Last week, when the organization announced that it wouldn’t be showing the tournament, its subscribers had lamented on why they were paying huge sum as subscription and still denied access. But succour came their way when the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with a Company to beam the matches live, likewise its sister Company, StarTimes.
Sensing that it is on the verge of losing out with a reduction in the number of its subscribers, MultiChoice swung into action by doing everything within its means to get the Television Rights to bean AFCON live.
It was also gathered that due to the inability to show the AFCON Tournament, its subscribers decided not to subscribe for the next one month that the tournament will take place. In turn, MultiChoice will lose millions of Dollars in this regard as Nigeria is the country where it makes most of its revenue from due to the population of the country.
Despite their last minute U-Turn, the tendency of them getting a huge number of subscribers looks slim as many of their subscribers, especially those doing Viewing Centers(Outlets where people watch football and pay) have found other alternatives, which will no doubt affect their revenue.
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said the days of those politicians behind his continued blackmail are numbered as they will soon be exposed.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, who spoke while featuring on a Programme on Fresh FM Akure, said, “Mr governor has begged politicians to just play by the rules in a manner that would not threaten the peace and tranquility in the state.
“Some of them, those that want to contest for the governorship Election, have been following the rules, talking to party leaders and all that and we have also seen two or three aspirants that have not gone anywhere to talk to anybody, but the only meeting they hold is with their data boys and tell them to go and be writing stories on social media as if that is where the ticket of the party would be picked.
“We will continue to expose them and when the time is right, we would mention their names. We know them and if we do not know them, would not say that they held meetings a day before yesterday at a very popular hotel in this Akure, in ijapo for that matter. So we know them and know what they are doing, we know their names.
“Mr governor is two weeks old in office. They should allow him focus on what he is doing, even though he is not disturbed.
“All these blackmails and stories planted here and there would not give anybody the ticket of the party. Ticket of the party would be either by delegates or members of the party.
“They blackmailed him while he was the deputy governor, he defeated them, now he is the governor with the help of God and the people who saw that the battle against him was unnecessary and affecting the development of Ondo state and they stood by him.”
