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I cry three times weekly over mums death – Terry Apala

Apala hip-hop artiste, Terry Alexandar Ejeh aka Terry Apala has said that he still hasn’t gotten over the loss of his mother who passed away two years ago.

The singer disclosed that his mum’s demise is the big blow to his life till date.

Apala, during a recent interview, disclosed that he cries at least three times a week over her death.

“Even this morning when I woke up I still cried because I have her picture in my bedroom. At least, in a week, I cry like two-three times because that was the only person I was talking to, my dad was not there, he was just somewhere living his life.

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“She dey try relocate to Canada before she died because I was already working on her visa. I was building a house for her in Shagamu, it was a month before her birthday when she died. She was fighting diabetes.”

Speaking about his relationship with his dad, he said: ”Since he left in 1990 the day I saw him again was the day he was dying. He came all the way from Apapa to our house in Mushin and he was strong. He slept over and when I woke up I saw him throwing up then he died. That was the day I saw my dad last.”

December 16, 2023
Shanty Town ranks as most watched Nollywood drama on Netflix

Chichi Nworah’s ‘Shanty Town’ is the most-streamed African Original in Nigeria, and the second most-streamed across the continent.

This was made known by Netflix’s first-ever “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report” released on Tuesday by Netflix.

The comprehensive report shows what Netflix subscribers are watching as well as hours viewed from January to June 2023.

‘Shanty Town,’ a bold crime drama produced by Chichi Nworah, depicts the dark and chaotic life of the Lagos underground. It was the buzz of the town when it was released early 2023.

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‘Shanty Town’ success is a testament to the growing hunger for authentic African stories, told by African voices. Nworah, a Nigerian filmmaker with a knack for weaving complex narratives, has crafted a world teeming with raw emotion, social commentary, and nail-biting suspense.

With 27.3 million hours viewed between January and June 2023, Shanty Town trails only South Africa’s Unseen, a gripping mystery thriller, with 60 million hours.

The inaugural “What We Watched” report represents 99 percent of Netflix viewing and covers over 18,000 titles, totalling nearly 100 billion hours, for a complete view of what’s being watched.

December 16, 2023
SEUN KUTI: We lack strong contractual lawyers in Nigeria

40-Year-Old Seun Kuti is the youngest son of legendary Afrobeat godfather Fela Kuti. At the age of nine, Seun expressed a wish to sing to his father. A short while later Seun started performing with his father and the band, until his father’s untimely death in 1997. Seun, then only 14 years old, assumed the role as leader of the Egypt 80. Ever since, Seun has followed the political and social ethos of his father. Along the way, he began to add his own twist to the music, digging deep into various African traditions to reflect the continent’s struggles and cultures. He spoke with TUNRAYO ILESANMI on various issues and music.

Who is Seun Kuti?

Like everyone else, I’m a traveller on a journey without a map. I’m still trying to figure out the right way to go. I think that sums up everybody to some certain degree. But I believe I’m a father, musician and a husband as well as a revolutionary but not necessarily in that order but that’s how I see myself.

What inspired you to pursue a career in Afrobeat, was it your father’s influence?

These are questions I cannot answer for sure. If my mother was a man, she would have been my father but alas, she’s a woman, so she is my mom. Or would Fela have been who he was if he was not Funmilayo’s son? No one chooses their path to this world. My path to this world luckily or unluckily, for me was through my father, Fela and my mother, I had no say in that and I believe I’ve made the best of that with how I’ve lived my life. Is becoming a musician nature or nurture? I think it’s a combination of both. I wouldn’t say I’m a musician because I grew up in Kalakuta, not all my father’s children are good musicians or professionals. It could be that I was born into it by nature and then I nurtured the talent. There’s so many genres of music in the world, the range of genres is immense. Gen Z even added theirs.

What inspired you to address social issues with your music, was it the situation of the country ?

I will not say I initially planned my music in a certain way. Like I said, everyone is on a journey without a map. When I was younger, I did a lot of hip-hop music, but luckily or unluckily for me, I never released any. Becoming the musician I am was a journey in becoming the man I am. Growing up with my dad was a blessing for me because I understood the things he was talking about when I discovered them in the world. I didn’t really see things from his perspective growing up with him because my teacher would say something different from what he’s said and a different thing was said on TV. The societies’ institutions of influence did not validate what my dad was saying to me, I mean the institutions that shaped the mind, such as media, religion, education. Now growing up into an adult and encountering certain things in the reality of my existence as an African man validated my dad’s teaching to me in my early 20s. As I started to read and open my mind, I realized that as an African, our talents are meant for the liberation of our people depending on the various ways we want to use it. We must realize that our talent must be used to liberate our people in Africa and also the development of our country, this is why we were given the talent in the first place.

What’s the significance of Afrobeat in promoting social change and influencing society ?

Artistically, the influence of my father musically spread not just in Nigeria but beyond and even more importantly, globally. Fela’s message which is one of the foundations and pillars of Afrobeat is that your message has to be about the positive upliftment of your people, so I always find out that when there’s progressive discussion about the advancement of our country and the restoration of the dignity of our people, my music, as well as my late father and brother is always the soundtrack to that. I think that is the major influence that our music has been able to bring to society. My music which is Afrobeat helps people channel their positive and nationalist ideas and aspirations. My music inspires that in people which for me, makes Afrobeats music very influential in our society. Now that being said, I feel it’s a cop out of society at large when they say musicians should promote good morals and all that, it’s not just the musicians that should promote that, it’s not their duty alone to change the world. Other professionals including lawyers should fight for justice too, they have that obligation. Music can’t change the laws of the land but lawyers can. Bankers have responsibilities as well to clean up their act and enrich the people in their society instead of creating more poverty not laundering money. Doctors must be willing to cure the people. Musicians can barely do anything to change the world but other professionals can. Only then would they enjoy the inspiration of our music as a source of energy for that intent but if they are not channelling their energy the right way, we might not see the change we want. politicians should also be willing to change the world, don’t just point to musicians expecting them to change the world while you’re spoiling it.

You claim your music is beyond just making money, it must have a responsibility to the community. How has your music contributed to the community?

Personally, all my songs and music have been dedicated to strengthening the bonds of my community and country and empowering people to embrace their identity and remove the self hate and be able to progress and be the great people we are meant to be as African. My music and message has always revolved around such topics. The greatest contribution I have put in society is not even accolades I get from my music or the jobs I create. My greatest contribution so far has to be the revival of the movement of the people which is the establishment of my father’s political party and we are also about to register at the moment. The name of the political party is Movement of the People (MOP). For me, this is my greatest contribution and it’s not just me, but also every member of the organization that has managed to bring this idea into fruition by giving their energy and also participating. These things we do together as a community to envision a new way for our people is greater than any individual contribution or work of charity that can be given to the society or group of individuals.

What do you aim to achieve in making music ?

I don’t know really, it’s the only thing I know how to do so I really do it. I’m a ‘mono doer’ not a multi-tasker. I don’t know how to do many things. I know how to do just one thing. We live in a capitalist world where one has to pay bills else you become destitute regardless of your talent. The elites of Nigeria even decide on the kind of people they want to elevate in the society by that. I tell people that we can’t continue to value ourselves by things we can buy, that’s so basic and minimal. There are so many talented historians and talents that are in poverty because there is no investments in this field. So many rocket scientists, philosophers, physicists and even engineers that are poor, living in slums and dilapidated places because of poor management. All the social sciences we need to develop our nation have been subdued by the service industry to the elite and somehow, we have to keep quiet.

Being a social and political activist in Nigeria, what do you feel about the current political state of the country ?

As I have said earlier, join the political movement of the people. Register on the website and we take it from there.

Politicians are used to promise and fail, what different things does your political party have to offer?

Well, I’m not a politician in that aspect. I’m a revolutionist. I want people to see our website and what we stand for. I’m not contesting for any political position, it’s not my aspiration. We want to build an organization that would put the right people in the right place for a better Nigeria. We want to bring power to the people that is why it’s called the Movement of the People and as Frantz Fanon said, the number one task of any movement that wants to become a governments is to politicize the people, to give the people a strong ideological background and foundation that we can stand on as a group to take power and reshape the country into what we want it to be. If we as Africans are not willing to do the work of development in our country, then no one is going to do it for us. The people there have shown us that they’re not interested for the past 60 years. They haven’t solved problems for us so it’s time that we as citizens come together to back our abilities and develop our nation.

What challenges have you faced so far in being an activist and an entertainer?

My challenges are my own to face. I don’t share my challenges. Life is full of individual challenges. The things we have to collectively do together are those that we should discuss and fight together to change. My personality is not political.

You are a husband, father, activist, musician. How do you combine all these together?

One step at a time. It’s the right foot before the left and that’s how you go. I haven’t really faced the challenges of my many duties clashing yet, I will let you know when I do.

What do you think about the Nigerian government and its current governing policies?

I think the issue with the Nigerian government is the same issue with all the governments in Africa, which is that we don’t have a government that is interested in restoring the dignity of her people. These are governments that believe in Neo liberal ideas of the Neo colonialist system of the world. They are not a government that wants to restore the dignity of her people and that for me is the issue. The government is so elitist. Both the political and business class of the country are so united, they might act like they are fighting each other but they are all united on the boards of people that milk this country dry and they don’t argue or quarrel within themselves but it’s in our own nation they can’t find a common ground but when it’s time to exploit companies, there’s suddenly a common ground. We as Africans must understand that we are different from them, we must understand the needs, wants and aspirations of all of us as the working class are different from those of the elite. There is a constant class warfare against us that makes us be the one to continue to pay for the shortcoming of their class. Those that destroy stuff don’t have to pay for it, those that prevent refineries from working don’t have to pay for it. It’s the Nigerians that will have to pay a world class price for something we own locally because a few people are not willing to persecute those that are corrupting the subsidy regime which is existing because of the failure and shortcoming of the government. This contradiction in our society makes it clear to every common man that there is a difference between us and them but for some reason, many people believe that they are special. 96% of Africans end up in poverty at the end of their lives and only a few people carry any money to the next generation. Look at MKO Abiola, how many of his companies are functioning till date, he was one of the richest men alive.

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Did the situation of the country inspire you to be a political activist or it’s just who you are?

The reality of my existence as an African person inspired me to be one. Anywhere I am in this world, we go through the same things anywhere. Even our neighborhood looks the same like we are in Africa because we are put in the same place by this system. The white supremacy and racist that believes that blacks are nothing but cannon fodder.

What is the most pressing issue in Nigeria right now and how do you think it can be addressed ?

There is no most pressing issue in Nigeria. Every issue has the same relevance to our survival so we just need a government that is willing to tackle one and take the problems out of the way. Like I said, those that control the society and in control of our common wealth would rather play gatekeepers to our existence and rather position themselves in places that we survive and milk our existence for their wealth.

Everything we need to survive is a business they venture into because to them we are products that should be milked. A national culture as Nigeria does not exist because we have not collectively built our nation. It’s in the process of nation building that national cultures are born. These are the shortcomings in our society that those who govern us have refused us. They want us to believe money is only required to buy things and we aren’t worth development. If it’s not profitable, it shouldn’t be done. No nation has ever developed on a profit incentive. Nations develop because they are worth the development. Investment can’t lead to development. We need development not investment as a nation. We as Africans are children of sacrifice. Nothing has been given to us free, to go to school, someone still had to die even voting. Those people did not die so that only a certain group would access the commonwealth of Africans. People sacrificed a lot for these opportunities to be there so how come our leaders are not willing to sacrifice the dividends for our development? Their inability to use these natural resources for the betterment of everyone is why they are evil. They can’t build, invent or create and they subdue and oppress those that are willing to do it. It’s a vicious cycle and the only way we can end it is by creating our own government and there’s no way we can create our own government if we do not organize it within ourselves.

Do you think record label owners are unfair to their signed artist?

All is fair in love and war. Business is war. Both artist and label owners are right, no one is more right than the other. No one is a slave to anyone at the end of the day. I feel you should be able to leave when you don’t want to be a part of it again, also, anyone should be able to claim what they feel is theirs. We lack strong contractual lawyers in Nigeria who would set out things in stone to avoid loopholes and nothing is left to suggestion. I also believe that with time, as our industry develops, things would get better and we would have less of these issues.

Have you settled your issue with AY ?

Who is that ? He’s a dick.

December 16, 2023
From Edo to Rivers, It’s all shameless politics

I had initially planned to write about Comrade Philip Shaibu’s travails with his boss, Governor Godwin Obaseki and their surugede dancing, however with the duo of Fubara and Wike engaging in a much more macabre form of breakdancing, I had to infuse the latter into this treatise.

For a start, I have some sympathy for Philip Shaibu the self acclaimed “Homeboy” of Edo State Politics. Having served as a one time President of the National Association of Nigerian Students ( NANS), an association I also participated in my heydays as a student activist and radical where we cherished several ideals derived from what we termed as the struggle to entrench a better society within our nation.

Shaibu’s sin is that he chose to be loyal to his principal than to his mentor or should I say benefactor when the duo of Godwin Obaseki and Adams Oshiomole were engaged in a battle for supremacy, faced between the horns of such dilemma, Shaibu opted to pitch his tent with Obaseki, forsaking his benefactor in Oshiomhole, sadly today the same Shaibu is at the receiving end of Obaseki’s penchant for turn-coating, the drama might be a soothing one for the former NLC President who might with a smirk on his face be saying “Shebi I tell am!”

Nigerians can recall how both the duo of Shaibu and Obaseki mauled the character of their joint benefactor owing to Oshiomhole’s insistence that those who laboured to make Obaseki a Governor be carried along in the running of the affairs of Edo State. It was indeed an ugly sight to see the dour looking Obaseki who would never have been even a councilor plotting against and undermining the same Oshiomhole who had insisted on making him governor! It is however much more uglier, matter of fact grotesque that the same Obaseki who had disavowed godfatherism is now hiding under a number of guises to wear the same dishonorable robe.

One ought not to have any issues with Obaseki’s choice for successor but to seek to emasculate others, particularly those who displayed unalloyed loyalty when it seemed rather foolhardy and foolish to do so puts Obaseki in moral quicksand and registers much his true character.

Now, while he hides under the plank of power rotation to gift the ticket to another ‘Johnny Just Come’ like himself from Edo Central, a plank not in tandem with the political culture of Edo State, would it not be better if an Obaseki allows for a free process similar to how he emerged rather than hound Shaibu who deserves better from Obaseki?

Even if we agree that Shaibu had it coming, should it be coming from a man he burnt bridges for? This indeed sums up the politics of Obaseki as shameful, hypocrisy laden and ought to be condemned by all. Moving on to Rivers State, the kind of breakdance there is something else, it is the infusion of the acrobatic dance known as atilogwu with the nervous disorder we described as ‘boogie’ with each personality attempting to outwit the other. I had previously written on the debacle in which i had berated Governor Fubara for actually going above the bar in his desire to retain his seat such as the alleged election of a new speaker, the alleged sacking of the chief judge of the state and the dissolution of the tenures of the chairmen of the 23 local government councils in the state, I spared not Wike either by wondering what crimes Fubara had done or committed in his six months as governor to warrant his impeachment.

Sadly, the uneasy peace many thought would prevail seems to have collapsed with the duo resorting to the shameful in their attempts to pull out all the stops!

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With 27 legislators who are allegedly loyal to Wike on Monday announcing that they had decamped from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC, the message from the decampees must have sent Fubara reeling in extensive apprehension that he immediately ordered the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex an edifice worth billions of Naira, with the excuse that the complex, owing to the bomb attack a month ago had suffered structural defects and was unfit for human use!

Fubara and Wike

Nigerians however know that the real reasons for the demolition is to prevent the 27 man majority loyal to Wike from sitting within the assembly complex to impeach Fubara. Fubara immediately followed such with a master stroke in shameless politics by moving the sitting venue for the state house of assembly into Brick House, his own official residence where he even presented his budget to only five members.

Does it not bother Fubara that the cost of a new house of assembly complex would be borne by the tax payers in Rivers? Monies that ought to have gone into a number of development sectors ranging from healthcare to education, infrastructure or ploughed into a sovereign wealth fund or something similar to it for the benefit of generations unborn.

Can Fubara show the world where those structural defects lay and what engineering firms carried and certified such a study? I am even in wonderment what sort of bomb could have created such defect? An A bomb?

While I again insist that the war of attrition against Fubara is unnecessary and deserves full condemnation, Fubara in his fight for survival has not taken the honorable path but has again exposed the Nigerian elite/ political as a self serving base only interested in preserving its status even at the detriment of the state and its citizens.

Ladies and gentlemen it’s all shameless politics!

May Nigerian succeed!

December 16, 2023
Osun APC and some hard home truths (1)

Olajumoke Ogunkeyede is a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State. JMK, as Ogunkeyede is popularly called, is also a chieftain of the now-rested National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and he participated actively in putting an end to military rule and the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria.

In a chance encounter with yours sincerely recently, JMK has these to say on the state of Osun APC:

“I am not a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and I try not to dabble into the running of Osun PDP. But, with the current situation of things, there’s no doubting the fact that we need to rejig the opposition APC in the state if we are going to challenge the current government. We must create structures that will help put our house in order. Politically, our house is not in order. If we are going to challenge PDP in the next Osun governorship election, we should be doing more than what we are doing presently.

“The fact that a lot of people are running after former Governor (Gboyega) Oyetola does not resolve the quagmire into which we have fallen in Osun. Charity is said to begin at home. The leadership should do its best to make sure that we are not just sitting on the fence. Whether we like it or not, (Ademola) Adeleke’s government is there and we will just keep complaining, unless we are able to get our house in order.

“With the way Osun APC is going about resolving its internal dynamics, it’s like we are feeling that, because Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is in Abuja, we will win. No! Tinubu will only do his best for the party. But his responsibility is to the whole nation and whatever he is able to do will be minuscule, compared to what he would do were he not to be the president of Nigeria. To this end, we should begin to get our people ready so that in the next election, we are fully prepared because, from the look of things, we are not yet prepared. As things stand, the falcon doesn’t seem to hear the falconer. In Osun APC, the centre is not holding. And we are complacent, thinking that it will be good. Of course, that’s the concept of miracle. We can’t fold our arms, thinking that manna will fall from heaven. We can sit down under a make-believe canopy of ‘it’s done’. The way things stand, nothing is done.

“Yes, President Tinubu is known to be a strategist. But he needs that strategy for the nation. He would have done a lot to push the nation up and that may have a positive effect on the electioneering processes in 2026 but, according to an adage, ‘it is a child that raises his hand that will be picked up’. We cannot depend on him doing it alone. It will be a huge joke if we are expecting him to do it for us at all costs. Already, he is doing it for us by being the president. Or do we expect him to move Aso Rock to Osogbo because his party is contesting an election? The more reason we must struggle hard to complement his efforts. If the election is in 2026; and this is 2023, what are we waiting for? We have not done much to reposition our people. We have not done anything in the area of empowerment. Yes, we are criticizing the ruling party, but it should be more than that. For now, we are an empty mouth, just clanging and making noise. There should be substance to the noise-making. If we focus too much on what the PDP is doing, that’s good. But that won’t help the APC. Rather, the opposition should have its strategy to counter and subdue the antics of the ruling party before, during, even after the election.

“Truth be told, Osun APC is not yet ready for the next election. Otherwise, one is never ready by word of mouth. Empowerment should begin right now to be able to face the tedious challenges of electioneering, instead of hoping that, from Ile-Ogbo to Ila-Orangun, and from Orile-Owu to Ilase-Ijesa, we would win.

“In 2022, Osun PDP caught the then party in power by surprise. Though what’s done cannot be undone again, the way out is adequate preparation. PDP had never had it so good like the 2022 governorship election. Although the enemy within made it possible for that to happen, the fear I have now is that we still have some members of the PDP who are diabolical and may still infiltrate our party. I was looking at the list of those that were suspended or expelled. Some names were still missing there. So, we should shine our eyes and make sure that we are prepared for the election.”

JMK has said it all; and a word is enough for the wise!

Surely certainly, politics as a vocation has a way of mesmerizing its adherents. While one is not attempting to be adventurous as to how Osun APC decides its destiny, that there’s an urgent need for political retooling or reengineering is no longer news. To get the party back to the market, there should be a commitment to seeking the cause in order to prevent reoccurrence. Of course, this is no time to engage in the trappings of politics or dirge of self-pity. Instead, a moment like this calls for a reappraisal of how the party got to this pass. So, let those in need of penance establish a framework for it with penitent hearts and let those who think no one else matters in the affairs of the party pursue a critical political thinking that’s consistent with the dynamic changes in the world we live in.

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In the light of truth, nobody is an island. No one is also blameless. Therefore, a recalibration of the party’s politics and needs is a viable option. Those who have no direction shouldn’t delight in elevating peculiar interests over and above everybody. Those who ate all the honey and have relocated to Abuja, struggling to be attached to somewhere must be made to account for the roles they played or failed to play while the honeymoon lasted.

If you ask Nigerians, heaping the loss of the 2022 governorship election solely at the doorstep of Rauf Aregbesola is a tale long stale. Yes, Aregbesola’s factor might have done a lot to July 16, 2022, but it’s time the gladiators invoked critical, self-introspection to find out why their treasured party missed the mark. For instance, was Aregbesola responsible for the party’s loss in Boluwaduro, a Local Government with only 10 Wards but having the immediate past state chairman and more than 20 other high-ranking leaders and first-rate political appointees in its kitty? Was it Aregbesola who made it lose in Ila-Orangun where Bisi Akande and other party bigwigs came from? What about the shallow and hollow fries who pretended to be big birds: those who were adequately mobilized for the election but ended up losing even their Polling Units? Should we start mentioning the names of those who were pursuing vanity and pride which eventually left the party in torments? Have they been sanctioned for their unprofitable adventure?

Let’s face the truth, to say that Aregbesola was the reason APC lost the Osun governorship election in all the three Senatorial Districts is to say that ‘Ogbeni’ was the most powerful person in the party and that, without him, nothing could be done. Unknown to Osun APC, the political strength and influence that the former governor himself may never possess have already been ascribed to him, freely.

To be continued.

December 16, 2023
Executive/Legislative independence: Truth or farce?

“There can be no liberty where the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person or body”.

-James Madison (father of America’s constitution).

Democracy seems to be admired as a system of government because ideally it is a government of the people by the people and for the people. Elections seem to be the pillar of democracy because it is the process through which the people choose their leaders and the expectations are that each elected candidate is a deliberate choice of the people who might have considered certain variables before voting. This is why voting at elections is considered a civic duty of citizens. In some countries, voting during elections is made compulsory and failure to do so punishable.

Only two arms of government, the executive and the legislature are the elected representatives of the people and their loyalty ought to be to the people. In Nigeria sadly, the political system is different and as such there is a flawed type of democracy and with this comes a myriad of other problems. When the loyalty of the elected is not to the people, there is a dysfunction that adversely affects the people.

Nigeria claims to practice the American brand of democracy on paper but the structural practice seems to be purely ‘homegrown’ in ways that had stunted the growth of democracy. The political party structure is so dysfunctional that it affects the whole system. The political parties are not run in ways that the administration is properly structured to deliver politically viable processes. The financing of the political parties is often left to those who have the money and because he who pays the piper dictates the tune, there are often influences that impede the democratic processes.

The Roundtable Conversation believes that there must be a restructuring of political party administration in ways that the financing of the parties would fall on the public and members of the political parties and donation of campaign funds strictly regulated. This brings accountability because stakeholders become the gatekeepers. The idea that ‘party chieftains’ fund political parties makes the parties vulnerable in ways that affect the whole political process.

The Nigerian post-independence military incursions into governance seem to have negatively impacted the democracy practiced in the country. The authoritarian nature of the military, the lack of accountability in governance, the command and control structure seem to have damaged the foundation of Nigerian democracy and the impact continues even after more than two decades of civilian democracy.

The military after every coup first suspends the legislature and rule by decrees. This process seems to have weakened the legislature even as the country has practiced uninterrupted civilian democracy since 1999. The executive in Nigeria seems to have ‘inherited’ the military style of looking down on the legislative arm of government and this has been the case since 1999. The governors seem to wield too much power that it appears they control the legislature at all levels,

Nothing since 1999 so eloquently points to this than the description of the 9th senate led by former senate president, Ahmad Lawan as a ‘rubber stamp’ assembly. These two words define the trust deficit the people felt about the 9th assembly. There was a feeling amongst the people that the 9th senate was not as independent as they ought to have been and in being so flouted the basic democratic principle that all elected people must maintain the separation of powers for democracy to really live up to its tag as a government of the people.

The Roundtable Conversation has always maintained that there must be a general overhaul of the system if Nigeria can make progress. The political elite must make deliberate efforts to be self-cleansing. The independence of the three arms of government is sine qua non to development. Those who fashioned the democratic system understood that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The three arms of government are supposed to be independent and act as each other’s watchdog on behalf of the people.

Somehow, the executive over the years has acted as monarchy at different levels. The governors in Nigeria wield so much power that they often determine who gets elected to the to the state houses of assembly, local government chairmen, the national assembly and who gets to be nominated as minister and other federal appointments in the spirit of federal character. They muscle their ways through the political space and do some undemocratic things.

But it is curiously the norm in Nigeria that the executive often behave as though the legislators are only accountable to them. Sometimes when analysts point out the aberration, the politicians claim party loyalty or in some cases, executive/legislative harmony. The people however often see through the façade and try to call them out but more often than not nothing happens as self-interest often trumps patriotism with politicians.

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It is against this backdrop that what is happening in Rivers state should worry Nigerians. The no-love-lost between the former governor of Rivers state, now minister of the federal capital territory, Nyesom Wike and his anointed successor governor, Sim Fubara and the factionalized legislators come to the fore. Wike was a very ‘strong’ governor and an influential politician in his own right. His two term as governor of Rivers cannot be forgotten in a hurry and no Nigerian dreamt that there would be a fallout between him and his successor so early in the day.

The Rivers state house of assembly had a few week ago experienced a series of chaotic events, first was an alleged attempt to impeach the new governor, then an arson attack on the building, then the struggle over speakership, then decamping of about 27 members of the house of assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) party. Then just yesterday, the state government allegedly demolished the state house of assembly building claiming it was due to a professional advise owing to the previous arson attack on the building.

The two factional speakers of the house both claim to have a court judgment supporting their speakership, one from a federal high court and another from a state high court. There seems to be a judicial cull de sac at the moment. The governor however present the 2024 budget to the few legislators supporting him in a venue different from where the decamped legislators sat. There seems to be total confusion in Rivers state.

The question the Roundtable Conversation is asking however is, in this whole chaotic situation in Rivers state, how are the people being served? How does the fight between the two elephants, the former governor and his successor serve the interest of the people of Rivers? Both the legislators alleged to be loyal to the former governor and those loyal to the new governor are representatives of the people. How does the muscle-flexing fit into their legislative functions?

These and other questions are hanging because there are fundamentals we seem to forget. This chaotic state of affairs is rooted in the type of democracy we have been practicing since 1999. How is it that we are talking of ‘legislators loyal to one personality or the other’? In other climes, elected individuals are accountable to the people and in the case of legislators ether at the state or federal levels, to their immediate constituencies with loyalty to party principles. Legislators hold regular town halls to give accounts to the people. It rarely happens in Nigeria.

There are basic questions to ask, how is it that the executive elected by the people are not accountable to them? How do governors exercise so much power over the legislature at state and federal levels? Why do governors literally ‘install’ their successors across the nation and in most cases of incompetence goes from a predecessor to a successor and the people suffer the consequences.

Nigerian democracy must be re-evaluated by all stakeholders if progress is to be made. The different arms of democracy must maintain their traditional roles for a cohesively functional governance to happen. Power must not be abused by the executive and the legislators must understand that they are an independent arm meant to represent the interest of the people not themselves.

If Nigeria has chosen the democratic system of government, they must be prepared to obey the tenets laid down for functional democracies. We could pretend that we can ‘domesticate’ our brand of democracy by infusing our own traditional nuances but obviously they are not working. The country since 1999 has been struggling and is now the poverty capital of the world with 133million living in multi-dimensional poverty and more than 20 million out of school children with dilapidated infrastructure fueling insecurity and unemployment.

Nigerian political class must not play the ostrich. The problem in Rivers has precedents and they were not tackled and here we are with the mess in Rivers. Each country with a functional democracy got there by working the ropes and obeying the democratic rules. The political elite must realize that destruction of the values of democracy in the name of ego and selfish interests is an ill-wind that blows anyone any good.

There must be some efforts at returning the democracy to its original form where the people have the power to hire and fire. The era of imposition should be over and there must be a deliberate attempt to curtail the excesses of the executive and to get the legislature and judiciary to be functional. There must be an effort to restructure the political party system for positive outcomes. What the country presently practices cannot develop the country.

December 16, 2023
‘How pastor impregnated me, aborted my planned marriage’

•Says she has no regrets helping man of God starved of sex by wife

Life, they say, is never a bed of roses but a journey full of ups and downs. That much is the story of Esther Nanu, a young girl from Awe Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, who has had her good times but currently faces serious life challenges.

Esther allegedly suffered sexual exploitation from no less a figure than a former pastor of her New Vision Church who, rather than take responsibility for his action, decided to force the baby on another man.

Esther has been left at the receiving end of the intrigue as her planned marriage was aborted by the errant pastor who did not only deflower her but also put her in the family way.

The baby boy from the pregnancy, according to her, is now approaching age seven and would not stop asking for his father. Esther is also under pressure from her father to trace the parents or native community of the man responsible for her pregnancy. Unfortunately, she had lied to her parents that an army officer was responsible for the pregnancy and had been killed in Maiduguri, Borno State while fighting against Boko Haram.

She said: “I had lied to my parents that it was an army officer that impregnated me and that he was killed by Boko Haram when he was transferred to Maiduguri.

“I lied to my parents that I met the soldier that impregnated me in Keffi but few months after our relationship, he was transferred to Maiduguri where he was eventually killed by Boko Haram.

“But in actual sense, it was my pastor who impregnated me and he is the biological father of my baby boy”. She said.

Our correspondent gathered there was a plan by the said pastor to take custody of the boy under the pretext of adoption so that his wife would not know the truth. But Esther’s parents are said not to be comfortable with the arrangement.

Esther said: “My pastor impregnated me. I have a child for him which people are not aware of. I lied that the man who impregnated me died in Maiduguri fighting Boko Haram, just to make my family stop inquiring about the baby’s father.

“But my pastor is the real father of my baby. He is married with five kids, all girls, while I have a son for him.”

‘How we fell in love’

Asked how the relationship started, Esther, a resident of Masaka in Karu Local Government Area, who accused the pastor of turning her into a sex object and warned her never to tell even her closest friend about it, said she had attended the church while the said pastor was in charge.

She said: “Some time in 2016, he approached me with a lustful look, but I told him I was in a relationship and was about to wed. Although my husband to be was a Catholic, every arrangement had been perfected and I was preparing to swift over to join him in the Catholic to commence the wedding process.

But the pastor insisted and I accepted. It was actually difficult for me to understand my decision

“Our first day together was in a hotel in Keffi. He had gone there to book a room before I came, and had earlier that day took me to do some shopping.

“So when I came, he started touching me, and in no time, he pulled my clothes off, and I was already weak because of the shopping we had earlier gone to do.

“Before I realized what was going on, he had started sleeping with me without any protection.

“As time went on, he was creating time for us to meet in one of the hotels in Keffi. And because I schooled in Keffi, I normally told my husband to be that I was trying to assemble some old friends/mates to form committees for the planned wedding.

“We regularly met in Keffi and spent quality time together while my husband to be was working in a private company in Abuja, which was taking much of his time.

“My husband to be was not too good in bed but the pastor was excellent, so I always enjoyed our stay together. That was my biggest attraction to him as against my proposed husband.”

According to her, when the pressure became too much from her parents, she had to confess that there was nothing like an army officer anywhere but Pastor Joseph who impregnated her.

“When my father confronted the pastor, he was ashamed so he moved his family and vanished to an unknown destination. All his telephone lines, she said, were switched off.

“He sold the house where he was staying and left me with the boy while an assistant pastor took over the running of the church. Pastor Joseph is from Osun State, but I have never been there. He has left me with this boy to suffer alone”

Esther added: “I understand that as human beings, we cannot cheat nature. I’m one of the committee members of the church and I do participate actively in the church choir.

“There was this magnet that pulled the pastor and I together. It was like a force.

“One day, he explained to me in the most pathetic way how his wife had starved him of sex for months for reasons he did not consider genuine. So I actually wanted to fill the gap because I am naturally an emotional and considerate person.

“I am very sure that God would not judge me negatively because of my gesture and for yielding to the pastor’s request. I only tried to satisfy a man who was in dire need.

“He was been starved of sex by his wife so I had to leave spirituality behind to get him satisfied, and that led to him impregnating me.

“It all started like a Hollywood movie. The scenes reeled from one point to the other and we had fun in different hotels on regular basis.

“He confessed that I made him feel like a man, and I was proud of myself. Even my proposed husband found it difficult to understand the relationship, because the man is a pastor and no one would suspect that any dirty romance was going on between us.

“When he openly told me that I made him happy, I comforted myself that if I could satisfy another man, then I could satisfy my proposed husband even though he was not as good in bed as the pastor.

“I was not actually patronising my action, but only being responsible about some sensitive sexual matters. Yes, we did and continued until he got me pregnant. My proposed husband suspected and aborted our planned marriage.

“My affair with the pastor remained a secret until he got me pregnant. I requested an abortion, but to my surprise, he declined my suggestion and wanted me to keep the baby.

“I had my reasons for not wanting to keep the baby. The pastor would not marry me while I already had a man who was waiting to marry me.

“We had actually done the introduction and commenced the process for the pride price and wedding when I got pregnant.

“I did not want to jeopardise my dream marriage to my proposed husband who had already commenced preparation at that time, which is why I insisted that I must get rid of the baby.

“But the pastor insisted that his spirit told him the baby would be a boy, and since he only had five girls with his wife, he begged me and I eventually agreed to keep the pregnancy.

“After about nine months, I was delivered of a baby boy and he was happy and still happy that at least the baby boy he had waited for endlessly had become a reality as God finally opened the door through me.”

Asked what their relationship is at the moment, she said: “We still see and have sex. I don’t have feelings for any other man.

“I don’t know what to do. I know we cannot get married because of his position, but my child refers to him as Daddy because that is what we normally call him, and he told his wife that he wants to adopt my son, while my parents want to know the origin of the said army officer so that the man’s family would know that their late son had a son somewhere.

“I am making this revelation not because I completely regret my action of taking full control of a married pastor, but because I have sensed something that is really not going to work for me and the boy in the most positive way.”

Asked why there was no effort between him and the pastor to engage in protected sex, Esther said: “My pastor kept having sex with me without using condom, which resulted into pregnancy. He warned me not to abort it; that his spirit told him it would be a baby boy and he would take full responsibility of the child

“Initially, I didn’t see anything wrong in opening my legs for a pastor who is married with five kids, all girls, because he too is a human being and he has feelings just like any other person.

“Besides there are many cases of pastors ‘toasting’ girls, but I didn’t envisage that the matter would get to this point and turn out like I am hiding the identity of the biological father of my son from my parents.

“But my pastor actually slept with me many times and got me pregnant.

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“Despite the fact that the pastor knew that I was preparing for wedding, he insisted on not taking a “no” for an answer. I bought several condoms but he refused to use them until he got me pregnant.”

Pending marriage aborted

Esther expressed disappointment that her pregnancy occurred at the point she was going to get married “and me and my proposed husband were preparing to get our wedding set.

“Suddenly, pregnancy occurred, and I shielded the pastor and blamed it on a non-existent army officer.

“The man who was ready to marry me felt disappointed and left, and I later told my parents that Boko Haram killed the army officer.

Efforts made by our correspondent to reach Pastor Joseph for comments failed as the phone number given to him failed to go through.

Our correspondent, however, met Esther’s father, a retired railway worker, in Lafia, and he said he needed to set the records straight.

He said: “My daughter initially told me that the person that impregnated her was an army officer. I wanted to know the village and state of the said officer, because if you go to the Army Headquarters, you only need to mention his name and when he was transferred to Maiduguri. The records would be there.

“But after much pressure, she changed the narrative and told us it was Pastor Joseph. I went there myself and sought an audience with him. But when I confronted him with it the situation, he denied it; that he would not do a thing like that.

“He was probably afraid that I would expose him and he would be put to shame. He quickly left after selling his property.

“It is actually not a media thing, I will take up the matter with the church, I will get the police involved through a lawyer before I declare him wanted eventually.”

Esther told our correspondent that she never knew that the man would run away and leave her and the boy behind.

“Now his number is not going through. I regret sleeping with my pastor. He has ruined my life by getting me pregnant and disappearing when my father confronted him.”

December 16, 2023
Demola Seriki remembered by wife, children, associates
- Islamic clerics, politicians eulogise ex-minister at one-year remembrance
Exactly one year after his demise in faraway Madrid, Spain, Chief Ademola Rasaq Seriki (CON), former Nigerian Minister of State for Defence and Ambassador to Spain was remembered with a fidau prayer event yesterday.

The prayer event was organised by his wife, Wosilat Okoya-Seriki and her children, Abisola Dejonwo, Faridah Demola-Seriki and Alimah Araoye. Wosilat was by his side in the Spanish capital when he breathed his last.

The Special Muslim Prayer for the late Amb. Seriki held at the Island Club’s Peacock Hall, Onikan, Lagos was led by the Imams of Lagos Central Mosque, while the guest lecturer was Dr. Saheed Timehin, Associate Professor, Lagos State University (LASU).

Seriki, died in active service while serving concurrently as Nigerian Ambassador to Spain and Permanent Representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on December 15, 2022.

Born on November 30, 1959 in Lagos, he was not only a politician, teacher, businessman and public administrator, whose ambassadorial duty he assumed in January 2021, but a loyal party man to the core. This endeared him to all and sundry as he, in his own right, possessed high level of intelligence, consistency and hardworking spirit that saw him rise through the ranks to the top in his political career.

Sadly, however, he died on December 15, 2022 at the age of 63 while representing President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration as Ambassador in Spain.

In his lecture, Dr. Timehin encouraged people gathered to be full of good deeds because, according to him, the only thing that will be left with everyone with their Lord in the grave and hereafter is good deed.

Eulogising the departed, he said: “It was because of good and fulfilled life that Ambassador Ademola Rasaq Seriki lived that all of us are gathered here today to pray for him. May Allah continue to repose his soul in Al-Jannah Al-Firdaus.”

Speaking on her late husband, Wosilat Okoya-Seriki described life in the last 365 days without him as not easy.

“The last 365 days have been tough and extremely lonely without him. We shared so many lovely memories together. I thank the Almighty Allah for everything thus far,” she said.

“His last moments were with his family, although we felt a deep pain, we remained strong, especially as he had accepted it as Allah’s will.

“He was my best friend, and we had a deep bond and friendship.

“I miss everything about him. Life has not been the same since his passing

“He was a very good life partner to me and a wonderful father,” Wosilat said, adding that if there were to be another world, she would marry him again.

“May Allah SWT forgive his shortcomings and grant him the highest place in Jannah, amin,” she prayed.

Encomiums and goodwill messages poured at yesterday’s fidau prayers for the late ambassador was rather sympthomatic of the fact that Seriki lived a well spent life and had been loved in his life time and his memory has become one not to be wished away in hurry one year after his death. He continues to be remembered as the genuine family man that he was, even now in death.

Seriki came to this world, he saw and, evidence abounds that, he conquered considering the fact of footprints he left behind in the sands of time and his beautiful memories as well as his numerous outstanding accomplishments, which continue to linger.

Paying tribute to the departed, an associate of the late diplomat, Mutiu Aare, said he was a good man who encouraged all his friends to do good especially during the month of Ramadan. He prayed that Allah should continue to repose his soul in Al-Jannah.

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Another of his political associates, Senator Abdul Bariu Gbenga Asafa said: “Rasaq Ademola Seriki was my younger one but we were friends. Of all that were close to him, I was one particular person. I believe it is because of this I was asked to be here today. However, no matter how good a man is, he would always have his shortcoming.

“But Seriki was somebody that when you met him once, you would fall in love with him to continue to see him again and again. He was a good family man. He loved his children and did not joke with their matter.

“Like the lecturer said, that we should encourage ourselves to do good towards one another, I remember how many people he helped when Demola Seriki was Minister of State for Defence. Death gives no notice, therefore, we should do good because I believe that the good done by Seriki is part of reason this prayer gathering befits him today and prayers will go and meet him in the grave. May Allah repose his soul in Al-Jannah,” Asafa, who spoke in Yoruba, said.

Dignitaries from all walks of life including former Senator Lagos West, Gbenga Asafa, Mutiu Aare, Tunde Salau, Wosilat Okoya-Seriki, Shade Okoya, brother of the widow, Tajudeen Okoya and representatives of the Oba of Lagos joined the families to grace the event.
December 16, 2023
Couple lament as four children go missing two weeks to Christmas

December 25, the day set aside by Christians to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, is barely two weeks away. Individuals, groups as well as organizations are planning how best to make the day a memorable one. In family terms, husbands, wives and children have started demanding the kind of gifts they want from their loved ones. But for Mr. Chimaobi Agha and his wife, the best Christmas gift they can get from anyone is reuniting them with their four children, who are yet to return home after leaving for school on November 27, SUNNY NWANKWO, who visited the Umuagu, Umuahia North residence of the couple, reports.

The presence of children in a home no doubt cements the bond of marriage or relationship. This accounts for why many marriages or relationships thrive despite the challenges and difficulties the parties may encounter while they try to provide for the children and other members of the family.

In African tradition, it is the expectation of parents that their children would grow up and in turn take care of them. That is why parents could choose to go hungry just to ensure that they give their children good parenting.

But for Mr. Chimaobi Agha, a resident of Umuagu, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State and indigene of Ndukwe Isakaogu, Amasiri autonomous community in Ebonyi State, his dream as well as that of his wife, Oluchi, that they would be surrounded by their children and possibly their grandchildren is currently under threat.

Background

Mr. Agha, the eldest in a family of five siblings (three males and two females), had joined one of his kinsmen in Umuahia, the Abia State capital in 2008 in his upholstery workshop. But seeing that he might not be able to cope with the business, he decided to learn bricklaying (mason) the same year. And in 2010 when he felt that he had secured the requisite skills and knowledge in the craft, decided to start hustling for himself, knowing the responsibility that awaited him at home since his parents and siblings also rely on him for support.

On December 6, 2015, Agha decided to take a wife, Oluchi, whom he has now lived with for seven years. In the space of that time, the duo has grown to be fond of each other. And like every other low income family, they have been striving as much as they can to keep their family running.

Mercifully, the couple was blessed with four children made up of three boys and a girl which they believed was the most precious gift they could get from God.

On November 27, however, tragedy struck as the couple was suddenly in the news for the wrong reasons: their four children, Mmesoma, Testimony, Godswill and Chinweotito, disappeared in a flash and have been nowhere to be found ever since. Mrs. Chimaobi definitely would not have allowed her children to step out of the house on that fateful day if she had an inkling of the ugly development, but somehow, she was caught off guard.

On the fateful day, the mother of four, whose husband had traveled to Emene in Enugu State where he was contracted for a bricklaying job, had woken up like she normally did to prepare for the day’s business and also get the children ready for school.

And when it was time for the children to go to school, she decided to see them off. Along the line, she suddenly realized that the balls of akara (bean cake) she was frying were already burning, hence she rushed back to take them off the frying pan. But by the time she returned to join her children, they had already boarded a keke (commercial tricycle) in front of their mother’s shop and went off to school.

The poor mother had no reason to sense any danger because for two years, the children had been going to the school located a short distance from the house on their own. So on realising that the children had left for school, she merely shrugged and returned to her akara business.

Unfortunately, Oluchi had no idea of the tragedy that had hit the family until after school hours when she waited in vain for her children to return from school. Having waited for hours without her children in sight, she called the children’s school to know why they had not dismissed, only to be told that the children never got to the school.

Shocked and confused, she decided to go to the children’s school only for the teachers and pupils to confirm that her children never made it to school on that day.

The question on many lips is who was the operator of the commercial tricycle the children boarded? Are the children still alive in the face of insecurity and ritual killings associated with the ember months?

While the matter has been reported to the police who claim to have started preliminary investigation, many residents believe that only divine intervention would fish out the tricycle operator or provide a clue about the children’s whereabouts.

‘How my children vanished into thin air’

Providing details of the circumstances that culminated in the disappearance of her children, the distraught mother of four said: On the 27th of November, I prepared my children for school. When it was time for them to go to school, I took them to the junction, which is some distance from my shop, where they usually boarded keke (commercial tricycle) to school.

“Normally, I would stand with them to flag down the keke that would take them to school. But on that fateful day, the akara (bean cake) that I had on fire was already burning, so I had to go to take them off from the frying pan.

“I rushed back to meet them, but they had already stopped a keke man and left. That is how they have been going to school in the last two years.

“When the normal time they were supposed to return passed, I called the school to find out why the children were not yet back. That was when I got the most shocking news of my life.

“They told me that they did not see my children in the school on that day. My world literally came to an end. I was devastated. How do I explain that my four children who left the house for school in the morning are nowhere to be found?

“At that point, I did not even know what to do. I went to their school myself and their teachers confirmed that they were not there on that day. I was just going about, hoping that I would see them, but till date, I am yet to see any of them.

“I have gone to police stations, radio houses, prayer houses and every other place I think could be of help to the recovery of my missing children. My life has turned upside down since November 27. My every day prayer is for my four children to return to me sound and healthy.

“In the past, we were using a particular keke rider, but at some point, he started disappointing us. Sometimes, he would not come early. At other times, he would not even tell us that he would not be coming to pick the children.

“Because of his inconsistency, we decided to stop using him. We later got another person who was more prompt and reliable. Unfortunately, the young man, who was taking them to school from their pre-nursery to their nursery school, relocated from Umuahia to another city after his studies.

“There were some grown up ones that they did go with. The problem is that those ones were inconsistent too. Sometimes, the children, after waiting for them, would discover that they would not be going to school on that day.

“Sometimes, the grown up ones would come back home without going to their classes to pick them up while my children would be waiting for them so that they would all come back together, not knowing that they were all gone.

“It was after all this that the children started going to school by themselves. They were the ones that suggested and convinced me that they wanted to start going to school on their own, and for two years, they were going to school and coming back home on their own without any issue.

“I didn’t know that such a thing would happen, and I believe that God that gave the children to me will bring them back safely.

“Honestly, I don’t know what else to say. I am like someone that has lost everything he has laboured to earn, preserve and safeguard over the years.

“Life has become unbearable for me, because whenever the children come back from school, we sing and pray together. And on Saturdays when they would not go to school, they would help me out in my business.

“When I cry, it is the children that wipe away my tears. Apart from the fact that I find it hard to eat, I have suffered emotional trauma.

“I have never stolen anyone’s property; not even a fowl. The kids are a product of my marriage with my husband. I didn’t come to my husband’s house with anyone’s child.

“I put my hope and trust in God, and I know that He will not disappoint me. I am begging all Nigerians, Abians and others to help me in prayers. I know that there is nothing that God cannot do.

“God says He is the God that promises and fulfills. I know that he has promised me and He will surely fulfill it.

“People should please put their ears on the ground. If there is any information about the kids, they should kindly report to the nearest police station or appropriate quarters.

“I don’t know how to fight. I walk on my own. I suffer alone and move alone. I don’t have any enemies around where I am living or any other place.

“In terms of suspicion, I am not suspecting anyone. Anybody that planned to set me up or wants to traumatise me, God is watching the person. The person cannot live in this house forever. One day, that person will join his or her ancestors.

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“All I need are my children. I have given the case file to God. He is the one that will fight this battle for me. My children are still alive; they normally talk to me in the dream. They are still alive.

“I am confident that these children will never die for the sins that they never committed, and I promise God that if He helps to bring these children back alive, my family and I will forever serve him.

How I received news of my children’s disappearance, by distraught father

The distraught father of the missing children, Mr. Chmaobi Agha, an indigene of Ndukwe Isakaogu, Amasiri autonomous community in Ebonyi State, said: “I came to Umuahia in 2008 to hustle. We are five in the family, two females and three male children. I am the first born.

“My parents are still alive. I came to Umuahia immediately after I finished secondary school. I was staying with my brother who was a furniture maker.

“I didn’t want to join any woodwork because my brother was already doing it and I didn’t want it to appear as if I was competing with him.

“So in 2010, I left him to join mason work. I learnt the job for some years and later started being my own boss.

“We got married on December 6, 2015 and gave birth to a set of twins before the other two came. I have a great bond with my children. It was beyond father-children relationship. They were my friends and my joy.

“I was in Enugu, around the Airport axis, where I had gone for a job when my wife called to inform me of the ugly incident. I immediately came back and since that time, we have been going from one place to another in search of our kids.

“The matter was initially reported at Umuagu Police Station and was later transferred to the State Criminal and Investigation Department (SCID).

“Life has not been the same for us since that incident. I am not suspecting anyone. I haven’t collected anybody’s property and cannot remember having any quarrel with anyone.

“I am just appealing to the police and Nigerians to please come to our aid. The pain is too much for us to bear. How can one explain losing four children at once?

Position of Abia State House of Assembly

The Abia State House of Assembly resolved to render financial assistance to the family after the Abia State Police Command declared the four children missing.

The lawmakers at a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, received a motion from Godwin Adiele, the member representing Ukwa West Constituency, on the disappearance of the four siblings.

Adiele prayed the house to mandate the state government to step up action in mobilising all the security agencies in the state to intensify efforts in identifying the whereabouts of the missing children.

Adiele appealed to the House to allocate a modest financial support to the affected family to help them in coping with the financial challenges arising from the unfortunate incident.

After agreeing to his prayers, the House resolved that security agencies conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of Keke riders in the state.

Confirming the development, the Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Abia State Police Command, Maureen Chinaka, said the incident was reported at the Ohuhu Police Station on November 28, 2023.

The police spokesperson said the parents of the missing children reported that the Keke rider took them to an unknown destination.

“They reported the matter at the Ohuhu Police Station, and the DPO in charge of the division swung into action, searching for the kids in the neighborhood, including hotels. Investigation is ongoing on the matter,” she said.

Chinaka said in a statement: “On 28/11/2023, at about 1530 hrs, Mr Chimaobi Agha and his wife, Mrs Chimaobi Oluchi, residents of Umuagu (IBeku, Umuahia North LGA), visited Ohuhu Police Divisional headquarters to report an incident.

“According to their account, on Monday, 27/11/2023, at 0730 hrs, Mrs Chimaobi Oluchi escorted their four children identified as follows:

1. Chinweotiti Chimaobi (7 yrs old, female)

2. Nmesomachi Chimaobi (7 yrs old, female)

3. Testimony Chimaobi (4 yrs old, male)

4. Godswill Chimaobi (2 yrs old, male)

“The children’s mother escorted them to the junction of her street to board an unknown tricycle destined for Great Ambassadors College, Okaiuga Nkwoegwu, Ohuhu, in Umuahia North LGA.

“No one escorted or went with them, considering that the eldest is 7 years old and the tricyclist is unknown.

“Unfortunately, at the end of the school day, the children did not return home as anticipated.

“The police initiated an investigation into the whereabouts of the missing children.

“Further investigation has shown that the children were not present in school on the specified date, and the investigation to trace the missing children is ongoing.

“We urge anyone with information that could aid in locating them to promptly report to the nearest police station.”

Government’s response

The Senior Special Adviser on Media to Governor Alex Otti, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, in a monitored radio programme assured that the state government was aware of the incident.

According to Ekeoma, the governor had directed the appropriate security agencies to go into action and assured that efforts were ongoing to ensure that not only that the perpetrators were fished out, but the children safely returned to their parents.

December 16, 2023
Shettima inaugurates core working group on fight against malnutrition

President Bola Tinubu led administration, on Friday, December 15, inaugurated the Nutrition Core Working Committee (NCWC), focused on the fight against hunger and malnutrition across Nigeria.

The Committee was inaugurated by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House, Abuja, in a bid to address severe acute malnutrition in the country.

According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima also emphasised the importance of coordination and collaboration with the National Committee on Food and Nutrition (NCFN).

“We are determined to upturn the negative nutrition indices of this country,” he declared.

The VP cited his recent visit to Tudun Biri village in Kaduna State where he witnessed the tragic plight of a malnourished child caught in the unfortunate military drone strike, saying “We have no excuse for poverty.”

Highlighting Nigeria’s immense potential for prosperity, the Vice President’s passion for the cause was evident, as he pledged unwavering support to the committee.

“You are our engine room,” he said, urging them to start by tackling the malnutrition crisis from the most vulnerable communities.

“Advise us, draw the roadmap,” he implored, emphasising the crucial role of the members of the committee as expert advisors.

VP Shettima expressed a resolute commitment to breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition. “Let us do something truly impactful for Nigerians,” he urged.

He reminded the committee members of their shared responsibility, even as he said, “We are all products of the public school system, and history will judge us harshly if we fail to change the narrative of this country.”

On his part, Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Office of the Vice President, Uju Okorocha, noted that the incursion of nutrition in Nigeria is far beyond health.”

“The committee’s mandate extends beyond healthcare, encompassing education and the broader socio-economic impact of malnutrition.

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“The committee will focus on a multi-sectoral approach, ensuring coordinated efforts across government agencies to deliver effective solutions and meet multi-sectoral action targets. Innovative financing mechanisms will also be explored to further strengthen the fight against malnutrition,” she said.

Okorocha emphasised the committee’s vital role, just as she said: “The team here has the knowledge that we can leverage on to move the needle on the issue of malnutrition in Nigeria.”

Committee members emphasized the need for a dedicated delivery unit within the Vice President’s office to track progress and hold all stakeholders accountable.

They also advocated the establishment of nutrition departments across all government ministries and agencies, both at the national and sub-national levels.

Members of the committee include representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the World Bank Group, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Nutrition International, the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, and the Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN).

December 15, 2023