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APC Increases In House Of Reps, As Yusuf Galambi Dumps NNPP, For APC

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Yusuf Galambi

By Akinwale Kasali

The number of Lawmakers in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, continue to soar by the day. Hon. Yusuf Shittu Galambi, representing Gwaram Federal Constituency in Jigawa State, has joined the bandwagon of defectors, becoming the first New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, member in the House of Representatives to defect to the ruling APC.

The gale of defection into the APC fold increased the total number of opposition members in the House who have joined the Party at the center in the past six months to 11.

Explaining his decision to jump ship and join the APC, Galambi cited the ongoing crises within the party which he said had led to legal battles and leadership issues that negatively impacted the party’s operations.

He also mentioned that his constituents had urged him to join the APC due to their dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership.

The NNPP has experienced factionalizaion, with expelled founding members claiming leadership, while supporters of former Kano Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, continue to maintain control over the party.

Portable Granted N2mn Bail, Case Adjourned

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Habeeb Okikiola popular as Portable
Portable

By Akinwale Kasali

Habeeb Okikiola, popular as Portable was arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, Ogun State for alleged assault on government officials.

The controversial singer was arraigned on a five-count charge before the Court.

The charges include conspiracy, assault, restriction, armed with cutlasses and guns, and conduct likely to cause harm.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Portable was alongside nine others charged for similar offences before Magistrate O. L. Oke.

The nine suspects are:

Nurudeen Warris,21

Adetola Alashe, 25

Samuel Adeleke, 28

Oluwaseun Ayenuwa, 19

Oluwapelumi Adeosun, 20

Gospel Kanu, 20

Precious Ohiegebo, 19

Ifeoluwa Babatunde, 27

Fatimo Muhammed, 26.

They were alleged to have assaulted, restricted, and obstructed one Abidemi Onabanjo, Ramon Lateef, and Akinpelumi Oyero who are town planners.

The defendants and Portable allegedly assaulted the three Town Planning Officers, while performing their lawful duties at Odogwu Bar owned by Portable.

After pleading not guilty to the charges, his counsel, Oluwatoyin Ayodele, urged the Court to grant him bail.

Ayodele assured the court that the suspect “is now remorseful and has learned his lessons.”

Magistrate O L Oke granted ₦2m bail with one surety in the like sum.

He adjourned the case till March 5 for trial.

It would be recalled that Portable had been declared wanted by the Ogun State Police Command, and he reported himself at the Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Lagos Command.

He was later transferred to the Ogun Command’s headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, the state capital, where he was arraigned at the Magistrate Court.

Ribadu’s Fury Over Canada Visa Refusal

By
The Source
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Azu Ishiekwene
Mr Azu Ishiekwene

By Azu Ishiekwene

Many Nigerians experience visa refusal daily. They don’t need the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, to invoke hell against any country to make the point.

Unfortunately, Ribadu’s fury after the Canadian High Commission refused visas to Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa and other officials for the winter Invictus Games in Vancouver Whistler was directed at an unlikely target. Canada can becriticised for many things, but Ottawa’s faults do not include consular meanness.

In the last five years, Canada has been the third-biggest destination for Nigerian immigrants, especially students, after the US and the UK. Multiple sources, including reports by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), suggest that Canada, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates have relatively friendly visa policies for Africans.

Schengen refusals

If Ribadu needs any idea of what a visa hell looks like, he should look at Europe, specifically the Schengen area. According to a BusinessDay report, Nigeria ranked among the top five countries globally for Schengen visa refusals between 2022 and 2023.

Nigerian applicants submitted 86,815 requests three years ago, with 39,189 rejected—a 45.1 percent refusal rate. By 2023, the number of applications had increased to 105,926, but 42,920 were denied, reflecting a slightly lower rejection rate of 40.8 percent. At the rate at which President Donald Trump is going, sooner than later, the US might upstage Schengen as the world’s meanest visa gateway.

There will hardly be anyone to speak up for the casualties. When ordinary citizens are denied visas, they must deserve it, right? But General Musa is not an ordinary citizen. He is the jewel of Nigeria’s military top brass and shouldreceive full consular courtesies on a good day without a fuss.

What happened?

So, what happened? Why did the Canadian High Commission refuse to issue visas to General Musa and the delegation of military officers for the Invictus Games?Let’s dial back.

Many years ago, citizens didn’t need visas to visit other Commonwealth countries, at least for the first 60 days.

Even by 1962, when many of these countries imposed visa requirements due to immigration pressures, a few, including Canada, maintained visa-free policies longer than most. It still maintains a visa-free policy for a few Commonwealth countries, while Britain has a much longer list of visa exemptions for some Commonwealth countries, including Malawi and Botswana.

Africa talks the talk

Today, even intra-African travelis a big struggle for Nigerian passport holders, despite all the talk by AU about visas on arrival. Thanks to the shameful conduct of a few desperadoes who have elevated the risk factor of the green passport and successive irresponsible governments that have plunged the country into the current mess, travelling with a Nigerian passport is not easy.

If the country’s status has moved from visa-on-arrival up to the early 1970s in many Commonwealth (and even non-Commonwealth countries) to a status of cautious admission and even outright hostility toward ranking government officials, Ribadu does not need to invoke hell. It’s a metaphor that painfully reminds us of our odyssey.Why was a four-star general in the Nigerian army denied a visa in a manner that has turned into a street brawl?

Cracks within

A few days after Ribadu asked the Canadian High Commission to “go to hell”—an expression that might have shocked even the hosts of hell’s consular services—it came to light that the refusal may have had more to do withthe tardiness of a desk officer at the army’s protocol department than with the Canadian High Commission in Abuja.

The Nation newspaperquoted competent sources as saying that the Army failed to attach the note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that should have accompanied the visa applications.

If that is correct – and the military authorities have not denied the report – how was that Canada’s fault? The question still needs to be asked: How did 14 of the 21 soldiers enrolled get visas when the officials and delegation leader could not be processed?

Calm down…

Ribadu is not just another government official. He would be justified in feeling slighted about a perceived diplomatic slight on Nigeria’s contingent, even if it was a contingent attending the Munich beer festival. But his office demands a sober and dignified response, not the sort of thing Idi-Amin might have said on the eve of evicting thousands of Asians from Uganda.

The report of official tardiness was sobering enough,but the purpose was no less puzzling. Of course, PrinceHarry’s brilliant idea ofthe Invictus is to give wounded servicemen and veterans a chance to connect and bond with others as they remind us of their sacrifices for our safety and security and rediscover meaning in a shared humanity. But sinceitsstartin2014,Invictushasbeenasummergame.

Their winter games

If the organisersdecided to extend it to the winter to include adaptive sports, such as alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling, among others – hardly core Nigerian sports –that is fair enough. Yet, how any of these sports seriously concern Nigeria when only 15 African countries have participated in the Winter Olympics in 58 years between 1960 and 2022, and of this number, only seven have done so more than once, is another matter.

Winter is not our thing. The urgency of the task at home – a stubborn rise in the wave of insurgency in the Northeast and North West, despite reported gains in some areas – requires the full attention of the military’s top command. General Musa should have delegated attendance.

How not to be angry

Managing the refusal was no less scandalous. If a bunch of secondary school students on a Sudoku exhibition tour to Kathmandu was refused visas and decided to moan about it on TikTok, I can understand that.

But it defies common sense thatNigeria’s top security adviser woulddramatise a matter well within his reach to investigate and take remedial steps, if necessary. Ribadu neither did himself nor General Musa any favours by his intemperate remarks.He gave ordinary folks something to jeer about and made the country look ridiculous.

Can’t stay down

Idiots may have brought the country to its knees, down from a place where Africa, the Commonwealth, and the rest of the world looked up to us and our passport ranked among the most respected. But nothing says we must stay there.

The job at hand is to dig us out of that hole, a significant point Ribadu made but sadly lost in his fit of anger. Modern consular diplomacy includes, among other things, a timely, trusted, and secure data-sharing system that gives parties to a transaction reasonable comfort. Where that fails, nasty surprises are inevitable.

Not much can get done by tantrums or by a false sense of entitlement.

Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and the author of the book Writing for Media and Monetising It.

Osun: APC Backs Out Of LG Poll, Cites Appeal Court Judgement

By
Ayodele Oni
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Osun state Independent Electoral Commission OSSIEC

By Ayodele Oni

After forcefully taking over control of Local Councils, the Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has announced its withdrawal from the local government elections scheduled for Saturday.

The decision was communicated in a letter signed by the Osun APC Secretary, Alao Kamoru, and addressed to the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission(OSSIEC).

The APC in the letter, cited the recent Appeal Court judgment in Akure as the basis for its withdrawal, stating that the ruling had rendered the planned election unnecessary and unlawful.

The letter referenced Appeal No. CA/AK/270/2022, which reinstated previously elected local government officials.

The letter reads: ”Recall that the judgment of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/OS/CS/94/2022 was meritoriously nullified on 10th February 2025 by the Appeal Court in Akure in Appeal No. CA/AK/270/2022 Between All Progressives Congress & 3 Ors v. Peoples Democratic Party & Ors.

“By this judgment, the elected officers have resumed office as allowed by the Appeal Court ruling.

“The implication of the Appeal Court judgment, as cited above, is that the local council seats are no longer vacant.

“In view of the foregoing, we hereby state that the All Progressives Congress and all its candidates, by this letter, inform the Commission that we withdraw from the Local Government Elections scheduled for 22nd February 2025, the same having become unnecessary, superfluous, and unlawful with this development.”

The party had been actively campaigning for its candidates across 30 local government areas of the state before its sudden decision to pull out of the election.

The state electoral body has vowed to go ahead with the election, despite the Court of Appeal Judgement.

The Court of Appeal had struck out the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to challenge the conduct of Osun State local government election in 2022.

The Appellate Court ruled that the suit was speculative and filed before the Notice of election was issued by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC).

The Federal High Court had delivered its judgment in the suit on the 25th November, 2022, nullifying the election and sacking the purported elected officials.

Reacting to the judgement, Hashim Akintunde Abioye, Chairman, Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, told journalists in Osogbo that the council poll will still hold despite the Court of Appeal order.

“To this effect, there is no order returning any purported elected officials of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to office as there is no Order of any Court reinstating them to office.

“In particular, there is no Order of any Court stopping the conduct of the election already scheduled by the Commission to hold on 22nd February, 2025.

“In specific terms, the thirty (30) Local Government Areas in Osun State remain vacant till date as there is a substituting decision of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal against the All Progressive Congress (APC) and its purported candidates.

“My Quarrel With Wike, Blessing In Disguise, Gave Me Freedom” – Fubara … Reveals Anglican Primate’s Role

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Nyesom Wike and Simi Fubara

By Adesina Soyooye

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has described his quarrel with Nyesom Wike, as a blessing in disguise. It gave him the wings to fly.

Wike, Fubara’s predecessor and estranged political godfather, is the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. The two have been entangled in a bitter political quarrel over who really would exercise power as the State Governor. The office is a position Wike left after eight years, and was majorly instrumental to installing Fubara as Governor, but it is alleged that even after leaving office, he refused to give Fubara a breathing space. His influence in the day to day affairs of the Government was suffocating, it is alleged.

An effort by Fubara,  allegedly, to exercise a little power by appointing one Commissioner out of the lot, without referring to Wike, lit the fire that is still burning in the State.

All efforts by a number of highly placed individuals (and groups), including President Bola Tinubu to settle the rift  failed.

But Fubara, who had always said he wanted peace between him and Wike, and disclosed once that he had had to kneel down before Wike to secure peace, is now thanking God that their quarrel was not settled. He says the quarrel is a blessing from God; that it has offered him freedom; freedom to work for Rivers people; that but for the quarrel, he would not have had that freedom.

The Governor spoke in Port Hacourt when he received in audience the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukauba and other Archbishops and Bishops of the Church in audience. He, also, used the opportunity to reveal that the Primate made a number of attempts to settle the quarrel between him and Wike but to no avail.  He said the Primate made several phone calls, booked appointments to meet with the two of them, but such appointments were not honoured. He, however, did not reveal who between the two of them disrespected the Primate by ignoring the appointments.

Both Wike and Fubara are of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion.

Addressing the Primate while receiving the top hierarchy of the Church at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Fubara said: “God has a way of doing his things. May be if we had got peace, I wouldn’t be enjoying the freedom that I am enjoying today.

“I start first in a very unusual way to say thank you. This appreciation would have come much earlier. Many of you may not understand why I an thanking him.

“When the crisis started, as a man of God who believes that the two main parties (He and Wike) are people from his Communion, he made several phone calls, and booked several appointments, but none of them was granted to him.

“I want to thank him for what he did even though it didn’t yield the required result. But, you see, God has a way of doing things.

“May be if we had got peace then, I wouldn’t be enjoying the freedom that I am enjoying today.

“So, at times, God will be saying, let the trouble be there so there will be peace. But that is not to say that we encourage trouble.

“Peace remains the best thing both internally and externally because it attracts development.”

Kebbi Sacks District Head Over Role In Students’ Crisis

By
Ayodele Oni
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Haruna Sa'adu Sauwa

By Ayodele Oni

For his role in the crisis at the State College of Health Technology, the Kebbi State Government has removed the District Head of Laura Sani in Argungu Local Government, Sa’adu Haruna Sauwa.

A new Head, Usman Hakimi Kaura Sani, has been named to replace Sauwa.

During the crisis in 2024, the rampaging students destroyed school property, the official residence of the provost and his official vehicle.

The State Government shut down the school and constituted a committee to investigate the caused of the crisis and proffer recommendations.

A statement signed by the  Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Garba Umar in Binin Kebbi announced the district head’s removal and appointment of new one.

Umar explained that the removal of Sa’adu Haruna Sauwa was sequel to a report of the committee constituted by Kebbi State Government to investigate the crisis that erupted at Kebbi State College of Health Technology, Jega.

According to the commissioner, the crisis occured in the college while Sa’adu Haruna Sauwa was the Provost, and that this necessitated the state government to set up a committee to thoroughly investigate the matter.

He, however, said that the report of the committee had indicted the recently appointed district head.

“In line with extant laws for the appointment, turbaning and deposition of District Heads and Traditional Chiefs, and having been indicted, the Sa’adu Haruna Sauwa can no longer continue as a district head.

“In view of the above, the Kebbi State Government has approved the removal of Sa’adu Haruna Sauwa as District Head of Kaura Sani in Argungu Local Government while approved the appointment of Usman Hakimi Kaura Sani as the new District Head of Kaura Sani in Argungu Local Government Area of the state.

Osun Crisis: NULGE Condemns APC Forceful Takeover Of LGAs

By
James Orji
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Gboyega Oyetola and Ademola Adeleke

The Osun Stae chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, has condemned the forceful takeover of Local governments in the state by the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The Chairman of NULGE in the State of Living Spring, as the state is widely known, Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, made the position of the group known in a statement, saying APC’s action negates the due process and law.

The NULGE boss spoke amidst claims by ruling PDP state government and APC that the law is on their side over the controversial sack of local government chairmen in the state.

While the APC claimed that the Court of Appeal’s judgement einstated the sacked council chairmen and councilors elected during the tenure of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola; while the state government alleged their elections had been nullified by the Federal High Court in Osogbo.

The state has been on the edge in the quests by the parties to assert their court victories, the crisis has claimed some lives including  that of the chairman of Irewole Local Government Area, Aderemi Abbas, and six others this week.

According to the NULGE chairman, the APC supporters are the ones causing violence in the state in their quest to impose the sacked LGAs chairman, describing their act as a threat to democracy and peaceful co-existence of the people of the state.

He urged the APC to follow due process on the matter rather that causing violence and setting the state on the edge, adding that the situation could disrupt good governance and provison of essential services in the state.

Part of the statement, read, “It should be noted that Action Peoples Party, (APP) had received a judgement in a suit filed against the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), which was delivered on November 30th, 2022 at the Federal High Court, Osogbo, that nullified the October 2022 LG election, the seats of Chairmen and Councillors across Osun State are deemed vacant.”

“The invasion of local government secretariats by APC members is not only unlawful but also a dangerous precedent that undermines the rule of law.

“The proper channel for reinstating the sacked local government chairmen from the October 2022 election is through the courts, not through forceful occupation.”

The magazine reports that the governor of the state, Ademola Adeleke had in the course of the week accused the Minister of  Marine and Blue Economy of working with security agencies to cause mayhem in the state.

USAIDS Funding To Boko Haram: Senate Invites Ribadu, NIA, Others

By
James Orji
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The Nigerian Senate has invited the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in its quest to clear the suggestion that the United States Aids For International Development, USAIDS, funded dreaded Boko Haram for years in the country.

In 2009, the Abubakar Shekau-led Boko Haram terrorists led an insurrection that has left many parts of the northern Nigeria devastated; many people had been killed while properties worth billions have been destroyed by the blood thirsty Islamic group.

While they have been seriously decimated by security agencies, the terrorists still have some enclaves in the north east.

Amidst this development,  a United states, US ,Congressman, Scott Perry, recently alleged that USAID funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram for years.

The lawmaker spoke following the decision f US President Donald Trump to end USAIDS through an Executive Order.

As the controversy persists, the Nigerian Senate during plenary on Wednesday,  passed a resolution to invite the NSA following a motion on the issue by Senators Ali Ndume from Borno state and seconded by Abdul Ningi from Bauchi state.

Apart from the NSA, the Director Generals of the DSS  Adeola Ajayi and National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Mohammed Mohammed were also invited to brief the Senate on camera the truthfulness of the allegations raised by the US lawmaker.

While ruling on the motion, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said there was need to get to the root of the matter, as Senator Ningi said it will be difficult to ascertain the veracity of the allegation raised by the US legislator.

Ningi said the NSA and other security chiefs will provide information required by the senate during the investigations, saying the allegation of the US lawmaker cannot be taken hook line and sinker.

According to Ningi, “At this point, whatever is written here is germane. But, it is almost impossible to do justice to the issues raised in this motion here.

“We do not need an elaborate debate on this issue, we need to be briefed by security agencies first in a closed-door session.

“Let’s take only one prayer-we invite NSA, the DG, NIA, DSS for a closed-door session with the Senate on this matter. The reason? This is their duty; that is what they are funded to do as their work.

“With the briefing by the security chiefs, we can take it up from there.

“Let’s do the work with some facts provided by these security chiefs at a closed-door session.”

The US senator had alleged that the USAIDS were not put to proper use, nothing that a huge part of the global financial assistance from the US to poor countries fell into the hand of many terrorist groups.

“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry said.

Financial Autonomy: CBN Says LGAs Can’t Open Account Without Signatories

By
James Orji
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Yemi Cardoso - CBN Governor

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, says it has written to the 774 local governments in the country to open account with it in line with the federal government directives on the autonomy of local governments in the country.

The apex bank made this known on Wednesday at an event in Abuja, the nation’s capital to strenghtening local government autonomy in the country. The event was organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.

The magazine reported that the nation’s apex court has in July 2024 made a landmark ruling to the effect that the 774 local governments in the country finances must be stripped form the state government.

According to the details of the judgment made by the nation’s apex court after a suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, the local governments were directed to open an account with the CBN where monies accruing from the federation account will be paid directly.

The judgment had nullified a joint account hitherto held by state and local governments in the country.

But, several months after the judgment, according to sources in the councils the judgment has yet to take off due to the delay caused by the opening of accounts with the CBN.

Sources informed that state governments had been trying to frustrate the LGAs from opening the accounts so as to stop their financial autonomy.

Speaking yesterday, CBN Director of Legal services, Kofo Salam Alada said the accounts must be opened to ensure financial accountability on the part of the LGAs.

He said the apex bank is trying to ensure that signatories to these accounts are easily identified to ensure that some people can be held accountable by the time funds are paid by CBN into such accounts.

The CBN used the opportunity to call on the 774 LGAs to open the account promptly, urging the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON to liaise with LGAs administration to ensure that this is achieved.

Salam-Alada said, “This is all about standard procedure in the form of KYC (Know Your Customer). Anyone who will be a signatory to the account must be profiled. The process is ongoing, and we are collaborating with the AGF’s office. We have also written to the LGAs.

“We are using this opportunity to call on the 774 local government chairmen to come forward for their documentation. No account can be operationalised without the prerequisite Customer Due Diligence.”

Recall that the President of the National Union of Local Government Employee, NULGE, President Hakeem Olatunji Ambali recently accused some Presidency officials of frustratin the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on LGAs autonomy. He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to act swiftly on the issue.

Ambali said,  “So, we call on President Bola Tinubu to act promptly so that these saboteurs do not cause problems for his government.

“This decision to fund local governments directly is one of the most popular measures taken by this government. This was affirmed by the wild jubilation across the country when the Supreme Court issued its judgment. So, one wonders why the implementation of this judgment is being delayed. The sooner the judgment is implemented, the better for us.

“Mr. President must take direct action and remove the stumbling blocks some people are placing in the way to frustrate the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment.”

He added, “We place the blame solely on the Federal Government, not the Governors Forum. If the Federal Government were serious about implementing this Court judgment, especially the critical aspect of local governments opening accounts with the CBN, that process would have been completed long ago.

“If the implementation of a Supreme Court judgment is being treated in this manner, it shows how the rule of law is being observed in Nigeria. This is the time for the Federal Government to correct this anomaly.”

From ₦20 to Destiny: How General Useni Opened the Door to My Future – A Tribute (1)

By
The Source
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1
Osita Chidoka at General Useni

By Osita Chidoka

I arrived in Abuja with my friend Jeff Okoli at about 8 p.m. on the last night of NYSC registration. We arrived at Kubwa camp for registration barely two hours before closing time. With just ₦20 in my pocket—my last card, as they say—I stepped into Kubwa camp with a cloud of uncertainty about how I would survive. I looked around the NYSC camp and decided there was no going back. This was my dream, and I had made it this far.

I arrived in Abuja, my dream NYSC location (I was posted to Abuja without any man know man) full of hope. My hope was to be a public servant, and my ambition was to retire as a Permanent Secretary. Fueled by this ambition, I started inquiring about how to join the public service. I learnt that Gen Abacha, then Head of State, had placed an embargo on employment. Undeterred, I made further enquiries and learnt of a small window; the NYSC Award led to automatic employment.

I became obsessed with the goal. If the NYSC Award was the only guaranteed way into public service, I would earn it. There were no shortcuts, no favours—just sheer determination.

I launched my personal Community Development Service (CDS) project, the Campaign for Exam Ethics. I mobilised my fellow Corps members, and together, we went from school to school, speaking against exam malpractice, staging plays, and instilling a culture of integrity in young minds.

There were no weekend getaways and no time for travel. While others left Abuja to visit home, I stayed back, laser-focused. I did not miss a single day of my CDS work.

I wrote letters to many agencies to sponsor a conference on examination ethics and received numerous rejections. I persisted. Some days, exhaustion gnawed at me. The Abuja sun was unforgiving, and transport costs for my drama crew and me were a constant challenge. But every morning, I rose, dusted myself off, and marched to yet another school, determined to spread the message of examination and personal integrity.

I lost count of how many times I was turned away. Secretaries gave me tired glances, some agencies didn’t even open my letters. But after every rejection, I allowed myself only a minute of disappointment, squared my shoulders, and knocked on the next door. I had a dream too strong to be buried by rejection.

On one of my routine visits to the agencies to check if I had any luck, the Secretary of the Director General of the National Orientation Agency told me the DG had sent my letter to a department and that I should follow up. I did.

After one month of daily visits and sometimes trekking from the Area 1 Federal Secretariat to my Aunty’s residence, the DG approved ₦25,000 for the conference. Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi approved it without meeting me and sent a director to represent the agency.

The conference, which had JAMB and WAEC staff, principals, and teachers present, was a huge success. It was made possible by a woman I only met once and pitched the idea to—Ms Agatha Chukwueke, then a senior staff member of Sheraton Abuja, now Mrs Nnaji, wife of Prof Barth Nnaji. She facilitated the donation of a section of Ladi Kwali Hall by Sheraton Hotel Abuja for the conference free of charge.

At my place of primary assignment—the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)—I didn’t just do my job; I made myself indispensable. Every day, after finishing my duties in the personnel department, I would go upstairs to Dr. Babangida Aliyu, the Special Assistant to the SGF, and ask:

“Is there anything I can do?”

Dr. Aliyu would later become a Permanent Secretary and Governor of Niger State. His career trajectory fascinated me. More than that, his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh gave him a certain swag and confidence that I admired. I didn’t just want to rise in the civil service—I wanted to do it with substance.

At the end of my NYSC year, Dr. Aliyu wrote a glowing commendation letter to NYSC, acknowledging my contributions as a speechwriter and my willingness to take on extra assignments. That letter became part of my arsenal as I approached the defining moment of my service year.

In the end, I was one of the winners of the NYSC Award in Abuja. Then, another hurdle. The NYSC FCT Director told us that automatic employment would only happen if the FCT Minister attended the Passing out Parade. Those who won the award in the past two years were not automatically employed because the Minister of FCT did not attend. I was taken aback and disappointed that no one said this part.

I wondered what trajectory my life would take as I had nobody to give me a note to the military men of power in Abuja. My fear heightened as I recalled that all my applications to federal parastatals and the Federal Civil Service Commission had not elicited an acknowledgement or reply.

I had no influential uncle or godfather. My only plan B was to return to journalism—back to The Guardian, where I had interned during university breaks and ASUU strikes.

The night before, sleep eluded me. My dream of serving in the civil service hung on a thread, dependent on whether a man I had never met would show up. Would my hard work be rewarded, or would I walk away with nothing but memories?

All these thoughts filled my head as I arrived at Area 10 Old Parade Ground for the Passing Out Parade in the Harmattan haze of November 1996.

Gen J T Useni arrived at the parade ground at 10 a.m. My fear gave way to renewed optimism as I marched to Dais to receive my first Ministerial Handshake and certificate of award. After the ceremonies, he announced automatic employment. My one year of hard work paid off. My dream was validated, and my ambition to become a Permanent Secretary one day appeared to be on course.

Interestingly, nobody from Plateau state or child of a General was among the award winners, we were all ‘plebians’ hustling for survival in a harsh environment. He simply rewarded hard work and commitment.

That was the first day I saw General Useni in person, and I thought it would be the last. As I walked off that parade ground, I thought my story had reached its climax. Little did I know, this was only the beginning of a journey. What happened next would change the course of my life in ways I never saw coming

Chidoka, a former Corp Marshall was also Minister for Aviation in the President Jonathan Govt.

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