At 36-years-old, Adams Ibrahim Adebola aka VJ Adams has become a household name on the Nigerian entertainment scene. With inputs in broadcasting, music, movies, and fashion, VJ Adams is not slowing down in his aspirations to be a role model to youths across Nigeria and Africa. He sits down with iGEN NEWS team lead, GBENGA BADA, to discuss varied issues in this interview.
In 2024 you created partnerships with shows like ‘KnowYourmusic’ on MTV base and ‘OffTheTop’ on BET. Can you elaborate on those shows and the ideas? I was blessed to secure a partnership deal with paramount where I can executive produce the shows I create and they give me distribution. It is a great feeling to finally own my intellectual properties on TV.
What was the most important lesson for you in 2024?
What 2024 taught me is that one’s dreams are valid. Make sure you place a lot of value on your time.
What do you think every Nigerian youth needs to get by in the current realities of life?
To get by I would say the youth needs to learn, practice and earn. Every youth needs to become great at anything they choose to do and also don’t take for granted collaborations.
There are many vices in the world as they say, how have you been able to keep your head up and high?
Regarding vices, my father always said, ‘remember the son of whom you are,’ and that is enough to keep me in check.
How would you describe your ability as a multi talented personality?
A blessing and a curse if you ask me. In 2025, the DJ and actor part of me are top priorities. I’ve been blessed with a lot of talent and all I’m really trying to do is show anyone coming after me that it is possible to fulfill your potential by living multiple dreams and winning in life legitimately.
Last year, Bimbo Ademoye gave you credit for designing the roll out campaign for all her six movies on YouTube, how was it working on all those projects?
I can’t take all the credit . I have to use this opportunity to thank the actors as well for agreeing to my crazy ideas to promote the movies. I start thinking of the roll out plans before we start filming. I go on set on some days just to feel the energy and sometimes flesh out the promotional ideas even further and I’m thankful to God the people love the PR campaigns. When it translates to the over 40 million views and counting on the movies, I am overjoyed.
In 2015, you had your first shot at fashion with Embruto by VJ Adams but 2024 berthed VIF by VJ Adams. How far are you willing to go on this fashion journey?
You see, fashion is one of the things I’ve created that will outlive me. Even when I’m gone, I can give all the equity to my family so it’s without a doubt one of the most important things I’ve created so far.
February 8, 2025 will mark 10 years since the release of your smash Fuji hit ‘Gbemisoke’ featuring Pasuma and Reminisce but you seem to have put music at the back burner since your album in 2018. Any plans for music in 2025?
To be honest, I’ve gotten a number of messages asking why I stopped making music. I stopped enjoying creating music when it solely became a numbers game. Don’t get me wrong numbers is very important in data. Spread and numbers help analyse the market. However, when it becomes the only factor in deciding what a good song is, that’s no longer art. That’s commerce if you ask me. I’ll be back in the studio as we are making more movies this year so I’ll create the sound tracks like I did on some of the movies in the past.
From an investment standpoint, what are some of the other areas you’re willing to invest in?
A few short let apartments would be great, a games arcade too. I kind of miss owning a game centre. I’ve invested a lot in e-sports/gaming over the years, filling up 4000 capacity venues multiple times and giving gamers something exciting to look forward to, so, my own game arcade would be nice.
Being a youth, how has VJ Adams been impactful to youths around him?
I have been able to show to a large audience it is possible to win legitimately, that’s the most important thing for me. Anything I do personally for people I’m not willing to discuss, also VJ apprentice search I do to help mentor anyone willing to pursue a career in pop culture broadcasting, my gaming franchise CVGC looks out for youths interested in ESports and help them earn amongst many other things.
Does being a successful youth put pressure on you as a person and your love relationship?
I have no pressure whatsoever. I have been blessed to achieve a lot of remarkable things while failing at some and taking the learnings in the process. What is mine will never pass me by and what isn’t will never get to me even if it’s as close as my upper and lower lip and that keeps me at peace.
What are your predictions for 2025?
I think 2025 is a collaboration year. If you’ve built a sustainable career where you have nothing more to prove, collaboration is important to scale your ideas and reach a wider audience.
How my wife was rescued in accident that claimed my children, nephews
Rev (Dr) Uma Ukpai is the founder and President of Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association with headquarters in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The renowned preacher, who hits 80 on January 7, speaks with Online Editor Sunday Oguntola on his life, ministry and passion. Excerpts:
Becoming 80 is a milestone. What does it mean to you?
It is a question for the outsiders, not me. No, it doesn’t mean much to me. It is just the beginning of a new beginning.
But it must mean God has been faithful to you
Oh, yes. He has been more than faithful. And He has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory. And he has been great. There is none as wonderful as He is.
Can you recall the encounter with “Deco” The mad man at the Khana Country Council Secondary School in River State, which launched you into reckoning?
A mad man came to our school and sacked the entire school. He sacked everybody. As we were all running from the mad man “DECO” God said to me, you also can sack the mad man. So I commanded him to roll out of the school. And to everybody’s shock, he began to roll out of the school.
While he was rolling, he said, ‘do you know that I am naked?’ When a madman discovers his naked, that is an obvious indication and evidence that he has been healed. I was about 10 years plus. He was very tall, well fed and groomed.
Sequel to that incident, my headmaster came and said, ‘At this tenders age you are already into juju activities.’ I said sir, I gave my life to Christ. I am a born again Christian, and at the mention of Jesus Christ, all things were possible.
My headmaster was surprised at my response. He then said from tomorrow, you will start our prayer meetings in the school. You are now our pastor. Every morning you will lead us all in the morning prayer for the school.’
That was your first deliverance service at just 10?
Yes
So, will you say that was a confirmation and validation of the power that God infested you with?
It is not just that the power of God was invested in me; it is power that God can invest in anybody who has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it simply means you can do the impossible. It means that God has endowed you with power. And power means ability to change the future of people, the lives of people and the health of people.
I was amazed yesterday morning. People were healed during our services. I am amazed that miracles have been going on without limit and without hindrances since I answered the call to serve God.
That incident must have left an indelible impression on your young mind…
I did not quite understand it at all. To me, it was an unfolding situation. It was about me discovering what God can do. Discovering what God is doing and what this God promises to do.
So, how did your parent react to that incident?
By this time, my father had died. My parents were not Christians. I was living with my uncle at Ogoni. They did not even know what God was doing. God had promised that there would be an endowment of power. He had promised He would do great, great things and new things. That was what was happening then.
How was growing up with your mum like?
My mother was not a pastor. She did not even know what was happening around her. But she took note of what happened. She often wondered what had changed me. I was no longer rascally or troublesome as other young boys. Though an old man has spoken to her about my future and told her that this child is not her own. She was instructed not to allow me to cook or be a houseboy and that God has a hand in my future. This added more value to my person.
My mother had lost one or two children before I came. So, she was willing to work around me, cook and take care of my needs, if that would keep me alive for her sake! So I was not allowed to work.
Your father’s death must have been tough
He was killed in 1955. My uncle took me to Ogoni when my father was killed. My uncle took me to Ogoni to help my mother and to help me get educated. This turned out to be my arrival to the Promise Land. I started schooling, and as God would have it, I gave my life to God in the Assembly of God Church. This is the genesis that brought about who I am today.
Before I went to Ogoni, God gave me wisdom on how to generate wealth with the money I made. And from that money, my mother was able to cater for my siblings and I.
But you suffered another tragedy that would have killed many. Guess God did not answer your prayers that day, right?
As God began to use me, I was privileged to attend a Bible school in Miami, Florida. God so favoured me and I got friends who began to invite me to minister in different states in America. A pastor friend Dright Marable decided to take me to Yongi Cho’s convention and at the end we smuggled Bibles safety to China. I guess the devil got angry and God did reveal to me that the devil tried to kill my wife. I did pray and God said the enemy would go only the farthest He God permitted. Although my wife almost got drowned, she was miraculously saved. But my two children and two cousins, who were in the car that fell off the bridge, got drowned.
Before we left Uyo that morning, I discovered that my printing press had been robbed of all movable items. Then, while we were trying to retrieve the dead, news came that our bus which was conveying some of our members to burial was involved in an accident but no one died. Truly speaking, that was a day of tragedy.
Incidentally, God revealed to a brother that the devil had planned the worse to kill my wife and to discourage me. But God did not allow all that to happen.
Surprisingly and shockingly too, I still went to preach the next morning after the children’s burial. I was deeply grieved but God is faithful and doing His bidding.
After that day of tragedy, what happened?
We moved on. God has rewarded us overwhelmingly over the years. And he is still rewarding us overwhelmingly till date. Of course, God has honoured His word and has been faithful in performing his word.
Some people believe your Greater Lagos Crusade for Christ gave birth to Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in May 1985. Is that true?
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) was founded sequel to the transformation Greater Lagos for Christ in May 1985. We had an overflow at the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos. We had over 23,000 prayer volunteers and turned Lagos into a prayer parlour. I picked those words because those are the things that will draw or paint a vivid picture of what transpired at the stadium. We had over 5,000 boys choir singing throughout the duration of the crusade. That was the gathering that metamorphosed into what is called PFN, which had become a national organisation all over Nigeria. And over the years, it has grown and still growing.
In that gathering also, we were able to reward 3,000 counsellors who had to counsel young and new converts. And we were to hire 84 Molue buses a day for eight days. Before now, it was thought and believed to be impossible. But we did it with God on our side. We were strategic in our thinking, involving every church in Lagos.
Let me tell you something: I invested six months of planning and relocated to Lagos. I had to live in Lagos for six months in an attempt to actualise that dream. It is no more a dream today; it is a reality and history.
After the pregnancy that delivered PFN in 1985, we were able to spread to every part of Nigeria. In fact, I remember the leftover money after the programme was given back to PFN. And amazingly, every part of Nigeria cooperated and supported the programme and the dream and the desire. This was, to me, very confusing. People that did not even know what the programme was all about invested their money, their time, before and after PFN. And it is still being sustained till now.
What informed the wealth creation empowerment scheme?
My wife and I are very passionate and very determined to see the body of Christ liberated from abject poverty into a life of abundance and comfort. This goal demanded the dream of assisting Christians who have the necessary ideas to create money and assist others in getting out of poverty. We believe that the Uma Ukpai Sustainable Wealth Creation will help us achieve the goal. The scheme is open to Christians who are ready and willing to have and share in our dreams of releasing men, women and children, the not too old, and the elderly from the bonds of poverty and enter into a better life.
The Bible says that we should support each other and contribute to those who currently have nothing. Eating is a form of labour and is a kind of remuneration and a reward system or processes for services rendered. So, you cannot eat if you don’t work. As a result, each of us must work.
Again, it’s amazing the Bible tells us that, you will not go through life without receiving anything. Let me say here that every born -again child of God is allotted an angel. Angels are purse bearers that carry money for you and provide it to you when you need it. As a result, every believer must be a wealth producer and this is how you may help God’s mission. The empowerment programme is for members of our fellowship. This is because our courses will show you how to accomplish things and how things work and produce outcomes.
The wealth creation empowerment scheme is divided into several categories. The Ambassador gets N1 million; the Governors go home with N500,000 each, the pilots get N300,000 each while the soldiers go home with N200,000 each. In 2023, 11 young female fashion designers got N100, 000 each with a sewing machine while the overall winner of the Uma Ukpai’s fashion week received N1 million cash. It will also interest you to know that about 125 participants of the fellowship were trained by business leaders and experts in multiple business initiatives.
How did you meet your wife with whom you have been married for over 40 years?
I got to know her during the war when we all had to return to our villages. To keep ourselves busy, hoping the war would stop soon, we formed students’ union meeting to discuss how we could help out in the village and be the eyes and ears of our community. We also took out time to conduct programmes that encouraged us and made life meaningful in the midst of tears and hardship.
It was after the war, when the reality of death and hardship dawned on us that many of us began to seek God anew. By now, we were no longer children but youths forced by war to face life and plan for a better future.
I became a fulltime preacher and began to preach in universities. This was when God told me that she would be my wife. It took God another three years to inform and convince her.
What attracted you to her?
Nothing in particular; just the voice of God and the impression God gave, the leading God gave and the urge God gave.
Having been married to her for 49 years, what would you like to change about her?
I have not noticed anything worth correcting. I don’t have any knowledge of what can be corrected except to accept the fact that we are normal human beings.
If you were not a preacher or an evangelist, what would you have been?
I can’t think of any.
But you ventured into journalism…
I read journalism in London School of Journalism for four years and read Theology in Florida.
What are your likes and dislikes?
I think I’m just a normal human being. I like what others like and I do what most people do. I don’t see myself as being special in any way. I’m just a normal man, regular Nigerian.
What are your favourite holiday spots?
I hardly go on holidays, I would not have any answer to that question but wherever life takes me to, I go there.
What lesson has life taught you?
One lesson I have learnt is that all things are possible to them that believe. God can do all things.
Do you have any plan of retiring?
As life comes, I am not expecting anything special, but I will go with the flow of the currents.
Says I miss burger, pizza, other foods I can’t access as monarch
An easily noticeable trait of Oba Wasiu Oyedele Saka, the Elero of Ilero, a historical town in Oyo State, is his unwavering love for the Yoruba culture. The former branch chairman of Tricycle Operators Association in Shomolu, Lagos, ascended the throne when he least expected about six years ago. Since then, he has made remarkable strides in fostering growth and unity in the Oyo State community. The monarch, who insisted that this interview could only be held in his palace and in Yoruba language as a mark of commitment to his Yoruba heritage, spoke with ADENIYI ADEWOYIN about his life’s journey and his vision for his community, among other issues.
Can you share the story of your journey to becoming the monarch of Ilero?
When the immediate past king died, I was told that it was the turn of my family because there are five ruling families in the town. Initially, I was not aware that I could become the king. I was merely told that I needed to come back home to Ilero because the king had died and the next ruling family had to cook and be part of the burial ceremony. It was during that visit that I noticed the way people were greeting me so well.
Prior to that time, I had never lived much in Ilero. Unknown to me, the family had already had a meeting and selected me to become the next king. They told me that Ifa had chosen me from the three nominated sons of the ruling family. Initially, I declined. I was doing well in my office on Pedro Road in Shomolu, Lagos, so becoming an Oba was not in my plans at all. But eventually I sat down to think about it and finally accepted. I was enthroned in 2018.
What personal leadership traits influenced your decision to accept the kingship?
Where I came from, I was already a leader, leading people from various backgrounds. I already had the qualities of a good leader before ascending the throne. I was a unionist in the transport sector which had people from different backgrounds. So with my position then, I knew I had the required leadership experience.
Secondly, I am someone who is calm and respectful of young and old people. I am patient and I love to keep relationships. So I knew those qualities would be helpful.
Also, as branch chairman of tricycle operators in Shomolu back then, I always made sure I gathered my executives before passing any judgment on issues brought to my table. That also has come handy.
Tell us about your time as a tricycle branch chairman and how it shaped your leadership style.
I was the branch chairman of Tricycle Operators in Shomolu, Lagos. We used to buy the tricycles and sell to people in installments. I was also into other businesses like interior decoration. I had to quit that office when it was time to ascend the throne. However, there are some benefits I still enjoy as an ex officio. As for interior decoration, I still do it; just that I have to assign it to my workers and make sure jobs are properly executed. I sell and help people build houses till now.
As a monarch, why is it important to have your personal business?
Truly we don’t have much time for work due to our very busy schedule. But if you already have a business of your own before ascending the throne, then you can continue. If a monarch does not have any job or business prior to his enthronement, that is different. But such a situation may push him into engaging in dubious stuff. The salaries being paid monarchs are not so much; they are just stipends that you cannot rely on for survival. Although your right as a king will always remain intact as it has been since the days of our forefathers, you must also focus on your personal businesses. For instance, a king can have a farm in his territory.
How did you navigate the transition from union leadership in Lagos to being a king in Ilero?
Firstly, the reality of changing the environment will definitely set in. The lifestyle changed. Friends and acquaintances also changed. Right now, I have become the leader of my town; the father of a community. I can’t play with friends like I used to. I can’t eat anyhow in public like before. I’m now more cautious of my actions as a monarch.
It was not very easy at first, but due to my easy-going nature from the outset, I was able to adapt to my new environment and role. My position as a branch chairman could be compared to that of a king. Union chairmen are always highly respected and are greeted just like kings. In the tricycle association, there are graduates and educated people. So our behavior was quite corporate. Sometimes if a monarch is not careful, a union leader may displace him at occasions.
At that time, we usually counseled our boys to behave themselves and that their wives must not come to report any of them for misconduct. So, I already had all the discipline before becoming a king. Aside all that, I’d say there are some foods I can’t access here, like burger, pizza and the likes, unlike in Lagos.
What plans do you have to preserve and promote Ilero’s cultural heritage?
As a monarch, I am the custodian of culture, tradition and everything in my domain. Personally, I’m not a religious fanatic. When I ascended the throne, I accepted all religions as well as the role of custodian to all culture and tradition and the deities. If you look around, you would see a mosque and a church. I built them when I became the king. We also have plans for our deities.
I attend Christian, Islamic and traditional functions when invited. I make sure I encourage young people to embrace our culture as Yoruba. We are also planning to hold a youth summit on the impact of education on the youth, health and security in the community.
When I first came here, I noticed there were ongoing religious disagreements, political disagreements and kingship disagreement. That was the first issue I tackled. I approached those concerned and spoke with them to settle the issues and work with me for a greater Ilero.
What are your aspirations for the development of Ilero?
We have plans, and part of it is our annual Ilero Day which is held every year. This event draws all the children of Ilero back home. Those who are in Lagos and those overseas usually come back home to celebrate the event. Part of our plans is to have them come and build houses and companies here. We thank God that some have already started making plans to build a housing estate, which will also have a nursing school in it among other things.
We have also reopened our Irepodun Market which we are planning to turn into an international market. We are looking forward to making it a modern structure like a plaza to boost its image. We have also written letters to the government to help us build a general hospital and also fix our dilapidated roads, including the roads that lead to our farms, because Ilero is the food basket of Oyo State. We have fertile lands for farming but our farmers have challenges getting to their farms due to bad roads. We are also working on having a bank here, so that we won’t have to go all the way to Iseyin for banking purposes.
We have so many natural resources in Ilero. Some of our children here are into mining. But we urge them to speak to the whites who are their bosses to bring their factories here and process the mineral here so that they can create job opportunities for our people here.
What message would you like to share with Ilero indigenes worldwide?
I urge them to come home often. There’s no evil or insecurity here. The government has deployed an anti-kidnapping squad here and we have more police and other security agencies. So, please come home for the festive season.
What do you enjoy doing in your leisure time?
I love to watch football because I’m a Barcelona fan. I also love to watch boxing. My favorite food is rice. But if I am in Lagos, I love to eat Pizza or take Cold Stone. I like amala too much, not so much (laughs).
Chief Chris Olufunmilola Okunowo, a seasoned businessman with major business interests in aviation and equipment supply, entertainment, banking and property development, is the Principal Partner of Chris O. Okunowo & Co. The former President of the Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria, is due for installation as the leader of Christians in Ijebuland, the Asiwaju Onigbagbo Akile Ijebu, and his wife, Erelu Morenikeji Okunowo, as the Yeye Asiwaju Onigbagbo Akile Ijebu respectively today. The Bobasuwa II of Ijebuland, Bamolu of Egbaland and Aku’ajo of Awo-Ekiti, Ekiti State spoke with select journalists on how he inherited his Christian values from his family, attitude to life and how much his people and church members appreciate his contributions to Christendom and humanity. He also hints on the achievements of past occupants of the position such as Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola and Chief Subomi Balogun, saying that he would not be intimidated by their remarkable contributions to the development of Ijebuland Bola Olajuwon was there.
Looking back at your life, how would you describe yourself?
First, I thank God for who I am. I thank God that my entire life has been based on Christian values. I was brought up to appreciate the Christian values and I do not think that I have departed from them. I will like to think that I am easygoing. I do not like flamboyant lifestyle in any form. I believe in doing things right and in being fair. To the best of my ability, I like to be honest with the things that I do.
In total, it all means that I look up to God for direction all the time. Therefore, if anything happens to me, I take it in my strides. For me, failure is not incompetence. Failure is something that happens to every human being and it is a learning curve. If I fail on something, I take it up again. I draw a better judgment from it.
How do you feel about your new title?
You have to understand the role and significance of the title Asiwaju Onigbagbo Akile Ijebu. The first time this title was ever given out was to the late Chief Timothy Adeola Odetola, the then Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland. He was the first person to be made the Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians.
Back in those days, it was not known as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Ijebu has a unique arrangement that predated CAN. So, you can see that it is rooted in the history of Ijebuland. The Muslims, Christians and members of the traditional religious institutions have always cooperated in worship and in lifting up Ijebuland. Otunba Michael Balogun became the second Asiwaju Onigbagbo. Now for this title, December 7th will mark the first time in the history of Ijebuland that the appellation “Asiwaju Onigbagbo Akile Ijebu,” that is the head of Christians in Ijebuland, will be used. Before now, it was only meant for Ijebu Ode. Thank God for the work of our Royal Father, Kabiyesi, the Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona. He has been able to build the consensus around Ijebuland to bring everybody together. And I am the beneficiary of that recognition.
My father had always been a very strong member of the movement that later became the CAN. We have the annual week of prayer, the universal week of prayer in Ijebu headed by the Awujale, who hosts all Christians on the first Monday of the year. The second day was given to Baba Odutola, who then was the Ogbeni Oja, to host Christians on Tuesday, and then my father would host on Wednesday. Thereafter, Prof. Bayo Adedeji became a host on Thursday and late Baba Oduwale on Friday.
My father passed on in 1987 and I became the beneficiary of that exercise and have been hosting it on behalf of my father. But I did not think that it would ever come to this. Do not forget that Ijebuland is the only part of Nigeria, and perhaps in the world, where there is no religious conflict. Christians, Muslims and traditionalists are all united and do things together. My grandfather was formerly a Muslim but later converted and became Daniel. We have always been involved with Christian activities.
Your new title will make you the rallying point for Christians in Ijebuland, but you are holding a purely traditional title of Bobasuwa II. How do you hope to combine the two titles?
There is no conflict. If you remember, the way things are done in Ijebuland, few years ago a law was passed, which was promoted by the Awujale, stating that even Obas, when they die, they would be buried according to their religious faith. The issue, in a manner of speaking, has already been regulated and we no longer have any conflict. When I took over as the Bobasuwa II of Ijebuland, I swore with the Bible. My father was the first Bobasuwa. It has nothing by way of conflict with my faith. They complement each other.
How do you feel that your installation with a new title and your 77th birthday coincided with December 7?
The title is not an age thing. It has to do with your contributions and what people perceive of you as an exemplar of what true Christian values should be. Candidly, it has nothing to do with age. It has to do with your contributions; what people perceive of you and your integrity.
Just look back into the past few decades of the previous holders of this title in the persons of Baba Odutola and my dear brother, Otunba Chief Michael Balogun. I feel quite elated, humbled and challenged that the people and authorities considered me worthy of this position.
Like I said, the title is about integrity, which I have the benefit of showcasing in the past 37 years or so. And I hope and pray that for the rest of my natural life, I will not become something contrary to that. I will live the rest of my life as a Christian, as a God-fearing and principled man; as somebody who looks for the betterment of the society. This honour has been given to me by the grace of God and it is a challenge for me to make sure that the next person who takes it after me does not have it diminished.
The next level will be enriched by me and then I will pass on a good torch to whoever will come after me like it will be passed to me on December 7. It seems to me as recognition of one as someone who can be found trustworthy, credible and a role model.
Looking at the pedigree of those that have held this title in the past, are you confident that you can match up with their achievements?
It is not a competition. Everybody has an opportunity to do what he has to do. When these revered men took this title, they were probably younger than the age I am now. But if you put in mind to do the things that are right and proper, knowing that you are going to be an example to lot of people, then you need to fashion your life in a manner that it will engender respect, integrity and credibility.
For me, it is a call to service, and to put Ijebu Christians in the forefront. It is a privilege for me to be asked to lead Ijebu Christians at this time.
What specific infrastructure projects have you facilitated or supported in your community?
When you talk about infrastructure, the tendency is to look at only bricks and mortar. But that should not be. We are talking about people. Without people, there cannot really be any development. I may not have built bridges, and in any case, I am not expected to build bridges, all I can do is to support whatever government does and ensure that government recognises the value in the people of Ijebuland. It is not about me building hospitals, schools, etc.
Of course, I have participated in all of that. I am the chairman of the Ijebu Congress. It is a worldwide body of all the sons and daughters of Ijebu. So, I have the opportunity of galvanising both the Ijebus at home and in the Diaspora. I am also the chairman of the Ijebu Renaissance Group, which is a very unique organisation that looks specifically at developing Ijebuland. I am also a member of the Trustees of Ijebu Development Association to actualise development in Ijebuland. I am the patron of the foremost age group in Ijebuland. We have done so many things all around Ijebuland, including hospitals and education.
What is your take on the demand that traditional rulers be given a role in government?
There is absolutely nothing wrong in that. It is always for the betterment of the people that their appointed leaders are made to interface properly with government. Obas and other leaders should not be put in positions where they can give advice to government. They should have a channel for discussing with the government because they know the pains of the people much more than the politicians. I will support a channel by which government can reach out or create a forum for discussion with these traditional leaders so that free flow of discussions can help the ordinary man and woman.
Where were you when the news came to you that you will become the next Asiwaju Onigbagbo Akile and what was your reaction?
I was in Ijebu Ode when the title was mentioned to me. How did I feel? I felt very humbled. I felt that it was God at work. For me, everything that I have done in my life, I have always put God first. I have told God that I will not want anything that will not glorify His name. And I have also asked God to take away anything that will not give me peace of mind.
The best thing is to work for humanity. Therefore, this gives me an opportunity to also write my own legacy and live the way the way the previous Asiwajus and indeed my father, the late Chief Emmanuel Okunowo, had lived.
How do you see the Ijebu Christian Association today and in the future?
It is a growing organisation. It is not perfect. We have to work at it to make sure that it gets better as we move along. And it is not one man’s journey. Baba Odutola started it. Otunba Balogun continued it and now, it is my turn by the grace of God. And I pray that I will also hand it over to somebody in a better fashion than it was given to me.
What will the Ijebus at home and in the Diaspora expect from you concerning the titles you are holding?
The title of Asiwaju Onigbagbo that I will receive on December 7 is purely based on service to Christianity while the title of Bobasuwa II of Ijebuland concerns the whole of Ijebuland, including women, men, Christians, Muslims and traditionalists. My prayer is that I can be a true representative of Ijebuland in all ramifications.
I am someone who believes in doing the right thing and forging forward. I must have an impact and it is my prayer that I will make positive impact on the lives of our people going forward.
Wives tend not to be supportive when their husbands are asked to take titles but we have noticed your wife’s active support for this title…
My wife is from Abeokuta. She is an Egba and she has her own titles in Egbaland. She is the Otun Iyalaje of Egbaland. She is the Olori Erelu of Kemta in Abeokuta. She is the head of all the female titled chiefs in Kemta. We have integrated.
The interesting thing about the December 7 is the fact that while it is also my birthday, it is also our 50th wedding anniversary. We have built up over the years similar values and have appreciated each other’s values. She was the first managing director of Sony Music, which was initially CBS Records, which we founded in Nigeria with the Americans. The CBS was bought over by Sony Japan and it became Sony Nigeria until we shut it down a few years ago.
What is your lifestyle like that you are still looking agile at 77?
I have said it that I am not the flamboyant type. I believe in less for more. I take life as it comes. I do things according to my Christian values. I enjoy myself. I used to be an athlete. I participated in the world university games for the University of Lagos. I exercise. I love music and dancing. I am involved in the entertainment industry. Fela, Lagbaja, Shina Peters and so many other major artists went through Sony Music and Premier Music. I was the one that got Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon’s permission to release Fela’s “Zombie.”
I live my life in a very simple but meaningful, way. I enjoy myself within the limits that are acceptable. I have a family that is very supportive. The worst thing in life is to go outside and conquer the world and not be able to hold your home. You will never have peace. I have peace and my family has always supported me in whatever I do.
What is your advice to CAN and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria?
It is to go back to this injunction of Jesus Christ: Love your neighbour. Period! If we can do just that, then we would have achieved our goals as Christians all over Nigeria. If we can sincerely do this, it is not just Christians that will benefit, our country will also benefit.
Nigerian legendary entertainer and social activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, is a man on a mission. After battling prostate cancer, he has become an advocate, while using his personal experience to raise awareness about men’s health and mental well-being. In this chat, he opens up on his survival journey and his mission to support other men facing similar challenges through a newly established foundation. EVELYN OSAGIE writes
IT’S no longer news that you had prostate even though the news came as a shock at the time. But more shocked were folks when you also said you could no longer perform sexual duties”. Many people thought you were just joking. Could you take us through the journey?
As I’ve always said, there are times and seasons in everybody’s life, a time when you like Egusi over Ogbono, a time when you like power bikes over scooters, and so on and so forth. I thank God that through his grace, I’ve been able to have very active, fulfilling youthful years, so I don’t think I’m missing out on anything, but the reason I went to town with my challenges was simply because I had to get that message out, I had to tell my fellow men that it’s alright not to be alright. I had to tell my fellow men to desist from not being able to be as open as I was going about my challenges, that there’s something sinister, something technically wrong with not being open, and I know most of this comes from how we men have been brainwashed over the years. They say, “a man is not supposed to cry”, “whatever you have that is paining you, just chest it, don’t even tell anybody”. And the worst of all, “if you’re married, don’t let your wife know, because she might use the information against you” and all of that.
I felt obligated to go and speak on behalf of men, to say this is the ‘wrongest’ thing that you can do to yourself. And of course, there were a lot of things that inspired that move in the first place, because Prostate doesn’t run in my family, not to talk about cancer, so when I discovered that that was what was going on, and being a health freak as I am, always checking and looking into my body, always having my regular checkups, I felt that something was amiss. And what was that? It started with the doctors, especially in Nigeria, even in Sweden, and abroad, who kept on telling me “oh, your PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is okay”, it never passed 3.0, I know some people, their PSA is like 17, 30, but my own never passed 3.0.
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So, here I was feeling cool with myself, but I was going through changes, and what are those changes? There was a period that I was wearing diapers all the time, because I was constantly leaking. I was constantly going to the bathroom, no sooner had I taken a pee, in the next three minutes, I wanted to go back to the bathroom, and most of the time, by the time I got to the bathroom, I would have already peed on myself. There was no way I could have worn one underwear or boxer for more than half a day, because it would just stink the whole place, so I had to keep changing, but it was also attacking my brain. I started to have performance anxiety, because I noticed that my erections were becoming irregular, it was like my organ had a mind of its own, it would erect at its own time, not my time. I noticed that I had lost command of my own organ, and I couldn’t understand it.
As I said, the one that killed me the most was the performance anxiety, and after that, it was like I really had no interest in sex, not with my wife, not with anybody. Maybe I thought it was a “see-finish” situation with my wife, and I won’t lie to you, like I never lied to my wife, I said “okay, I would try other people, let me see”, and it was the same thing. I had travelled all the way to London, to go and see the experts, I think that was two years back, and they gave me one funny pill, I think it was about $17,000, it’s almost $20,000 today in the hospital. Where I go see that kain money? I no get money na.
What did you think saved you from this predicament that could have killed you as it did others?
What saved me was because I was talking everywhere, complaining to everybody.
I was lucky to meet one Nigerian there who had the same problem, and I was sharing my story and challenges with him, and he goes “listen o, there’s one guy here in London, but he’s always coming to Nigeria every other month, and he has decided to do something close to a Pro bono for Nigerians, because the thing is hitting Nigerian men badly.”
So, of course, I immediately collected the doctor’s number, and he told me when he would arrive in Nigeria, and I like the fact that I finally did what I had to do in Nigeria. I didn’t run away to America, even though I no get money o, I like that I was able to do it in a hospital in Nigeria, because the guy did come, and after I went to see him, he said “you need to go and have this precise checkup”, I think it’s called MRI, this was to be done around my manhood, so that we can ascertain what exactly is wrong. The day I brought the report back to him, he said “you need to go in, I don’t like what I’m seeing”, and that’s how the next day, I was admitted into Reddington, and that same day I was admitted, I was operated on in Reddington. Now, I understand why men are scared because of this, I had Stage 1 Prostate cancer, I was lucky because my pee and everything were mixing with my bladder, it had become cancerous, so there was a need to just stop it in its track, and that’s why the next day after the examination, I was admitted. I stayed in Reddington Hospital for about five days, and my recovery was kind of quick. I can’t say now, that I’m totally free. This operation happened last year around May.
What was the post-surgery experience like for you?
After a successful surgery, you can imagine someone like me, who’s really not a religious person, my wife carry me go church, she said we must thank God, and of course I went to church, invited a few people, but wetin still dey cry for bush, still dey cry for bush, because throughout my challenge, I noticed, like I said earlier, that I had become so uninterested in sex. I used to think that as I don collect some 47 years from my wife, see finish don enter, but that wasn’t true, I just turned off, because my “thing” still wasn’t rising when it was supposed to rise, and I didn’t have the full command of my organ, and you know, for a man, your penis is like your prized possession.
How were you able to deal with the realisation that you may never be able to perform the way you used to?
For a man wey no too get money, and him thing no dey too function, you feel less of a man, and that is why a lot of men that I know, they don’t want to talk about it, they want to just carry it as their own cross. But as I keep saying, it is bad. The sooner you check up to know what’s happening in your body, the better and the more prepared you are.
What inspired the setting up of the Charly Boy Foundation?
Now, like I’ve said earlier, while I was wondering what to do, and Louis Stan Ekeh, the computer guy who owns one of the biggest franchises with. Xenox Computers, who heard one of my interviews on TV/radio, and said to me “you know, Charlie, the way I’ve seen you answer questions, I think this is what you should sign off with. Let this be part of the legacy you leave since you’re good at talking to people and having sessions with men. Why don’t you do this as a full-time job?” And I said that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard and that’s how I jumped into action. And the thing about me is once you give me a good idea, I just run with it.
So that’s what inspired the setting up of the Charly Boy Foundation and we began working with different people; hospitals in the East, in Umuahia, in Owerri, Enugu, and Abuja. Through the Charly Boy Foundation, we can help more men, because men these days are going through a whole lot. We are in partnership with these organizations. And our primary duty was to raise funds knowing that men can be slow in medically checking themselves, and I, as the Chief Campaigner for awareness against Prostate Cancer, my duty is to relate with the men in such a way that they can have a test done, at least, for the first time.
How does the foundation plan to secure the funds needed to subsidise the cost for prostate cancer test for those in need?
Depending on your location, it typically costs about 50k to 100k but the foundation is ready to offset half or perhaps even three-quarter of the test fee and this is why we need funds and donations to help other people who may not have the wherewithal to pay for the basic test.
After the basic test and the results are not so bad, we can also help with follow-up medications but if the results say it is quite serious, we can randomly select certain patients and make funds available for a full surgery. So, this is our modus operandi but the thing is, I really can’t do it alone. I’m not a doctor, nor do I have anything to do with the medical sector. My job is majorly to create awareness and publicize to the men that openness is important in these challenging times.
What would you like to say to Nigerians who have been fairly blessed with enough resources to support this kind of project?
So, for any family that has gone through what I have gone through, they will understand, and all they can do is help us with their widow’s mite, whatever they can afford. The truth is I don’t see a lot of NGOs that are catering for men because it’s all about women and children, I mean, men are human beings too. The Charly Boy Foundation is not just about mens’ health and wellness; it’s about our mental state. Our mental state is being eroded seriously like never before. The mental state of most Nigerians now is something to be very, very worried about, so we have professionals who can talk to people, as long as people can learn to open up, and let new information into their minds, because our state of happiness or depression, depends on what we’re entertaining in our minds.
Award-winning folk singer, chanter, and actor Deborah ‘Debbie’ Ohiri, has her imprint on many ground-breaking film and theatre productions including the globally acclaimed stage play, ‘Hear Word’. The daughter of guitar maestro, Bob Ohiri, Debbie has been curating folk music workshops at the Lagos Fringe Festival. In this interview with OLAITAN GANIU, she talks about her inspirations, harnessing her talents across many art disciplines and sundry issues.
Asides from being inspired by your dad, what else propelled you into the arts?
Apart from my dad, God would be my inspiration because like you rightly said being in the arts and doing what I’m doing is not by my own choosing. It’s just how destiny has chosen me. The arts is not just a performance for me, it is a calling.
So God is my inspiration. However, when we talk about the physical realm, apart from my dad, I have quite a number of people who inspire me and this inspiration changes with each level and each phase I get to unlock in this journey that I’m seeking.
Your vocal abilities are prominent in movies on stage and in some songs. Should we expect you to put out your music?
I released a single last year. It’s called ‘Iba’, like paying homage, paying obeisance. It’s on my YouTube channel and on all digital streaming platforms. By the first quarter of next year, 2025, I will drop in another single, I don’t know but I might have a surprise for you to feature one artist, but I’m definitely sure of releasing a single.
You have been with the ‘Hear Word’ Troupe for 10 years. How has it been touring the world and addressing gender-based issues on stage?
Touring with ‘Hear Word’ Amazons, we don’t call ourselves Troupe. We are Amazons, ‘Hear Word’ Warriors, or ‘Hear Word’ Women. For the past 10 years, talking about gender-based issues using our art form has been nothing but a blessing. It’s very significant to note that these are universal issues. Everybody is fighting the same fight, the same struggle. As an artist, I have grown over the years. Even in my personal life, being a part of this very incredible, intelligently put-together play has also helped me with decision-making, unlearning some traits, embracing new traits, and seeing the world from a worldview, not from a single-eye view.
Before ‘Hear Word’, what were you up to?
Before ‘Hear Word’, I was working and honing my skill with one project at a time in theatre, Event and music gigs.I’d worked with notable Theatre Directors like Ben Tomoloju , Segun Adefila, Kenneth Uphopho, Femi Elufowoju jnr, In fact I am a pioneer member of the Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions when she started with ‘Saro’ in 2013, I was there on that project as lead singer and also a member of the cast. I was already directing music.
I used to go to the University of Lagos at that time to teach the students folk songs for their end-of-the-session projects. That was where I met a lot of friends who are now like family to me. I met Omowumi Dada, Wole Ojo, Segun Ajayi, Helen Paul, a lot of them. I used to go to the department to teach them folk music, you see.
You have graced other stages besides ‘Hear Word’, but some may say you are not prominent on our TV screens.
I’ve been on TV and i’ve done quite a number of projects with EbonyLife Productions. I was on ‘Elesin Oba’ directed by the late Biyi Bandele. I was on ‘Castle and Castle’. It’s a series on Netflix. I was also on an ‘Itura’ by James Omokwe. It’s an African Magic Original Production.My debut film on Netflix as an original music composer ‘The Groit’ by Adeolu “Degzy Owu I was also featured on Kunle Afolayan’s ‘Anikulapo’ movie I did the chant on the soundtrack with Kent Edunjobi. So yes, I’ve been fortunate and blessed to be able to explore as many parts of the arts that I find myself to express, I’ve been blessed.
Would it be right to say that you have a bias for theatre above movies?
I don’t have a bias. As far as I’m available for each project at a particular season that I’m being called for, why not? It’s my calling and I cannot say no. Yes, theatre is my first love, but it does not mean that, when a movie calls, I will not do it.
Tell us about your folk music workshops and what you intend to achieve with it.
I’ve been doing folk music workshops since forever but I sort of made it now very official about six, seven years ago, at the Lagos Fringe Festival. The Lagos Fringe Festival is an open-access, multi-disciplinary festival of arts, you know, and I’m grateful for that platform because it’s been able to help me to sort of put a structure to how I’m trying to present the identity of folk music, and what I intend to do with all my workshops is first to empower the next generation, and even my generation because you’d be shocked that a lot of people don’t even know anything about their culture. The next is also to preserve that art form because a people without a culture don’t have any identity. And I feel like it’s a mantle that has been passed on to me, and a responsibility for me to preserve our culture. There’s nothing evil about our culture. There’s nothing fetish, in the Oyibo man’s language, about our culture. This is who we are, we are black, we are proud, and we uphold it just the way the ones before us have. This is just me adding my own quota to the universe, to Nigeria, to inspire.
How do you stay inspired to explore multiple forms of artistic expression?
Nigeria is a really tough place, tough terrain to fully express yourself as an artist. But again, it is what it is. This is where we are, we have to do the work that we’ve got to do. I think it will be God, and of course, the love and passion I have for this calling.
As I said, I think I would have sounded this a lot to you in this interview that this for me is a calling. It is a responsibility, and yes, there are down moments, there are times that you feel like I’m not doing right or things are not moving the way they are supposed to move, but the universe just somehow does something and just aligns everything and you even forget your down moments are you excited and hopeful for the good times that are here.
Which of these forms of the arts is closest to your heart?
If I have a favourite one, it’s definitely singing. I feel like singing encompasses every form of art. With folk music or singing, you have to act. You have to tune into emotions. No matter how weak or tired you are, as long as you’re healthy and can talk, your voice will live for as long as you live. But with some other forms of art, especially if it’s physical like acting, painting, or sculpting, age will fail you. But there’s no how your voice will fail you. So singing is really close to my heart and I’m grateful to be a chosen vessel to be able to make beautiful songs.
What was the first moment in your career when you realized that your work was resonating on an international level?
Maybe because I’m Bob Ohiri’s daughter,there is a knowing that when I do the work and I get on the right project, the lights will definitely shine on everything I do, and I think it just happened. Around 2011, I got my first international gig with Ntorodo odido that’s Micheal Ejinkeonye. We took the project ‘Ajigbe: The Face Behind The Mask’ on the Southern Bavarian tour of Germany. That was my first breakout. It felt good having done all the work it was supposed to do here in Nigeria and getting to take it abroad. It was really good. I remember feeling really happy and proud of myself. At that time, I had lost my dad, so I just felt like my dad was smiling at me from heaven. I guess that was it. Before that, I had already been on musical TV reality shows like Project Fame West Africa and others.
How does your creative process evolve especially when working across various disciplines?
The most constant thing in life is change, and I just try to read as much as possible. Thank God we are in a digital age, so finding information is not so hard. I try to do research as much as I can and follow the rules and guidelines of the different disciplines where I work, and the different terrain where I work just as a guiding principle for me. Now with AI and all these things happening, I just try to keep myself abreast of the latest information and technology for my space. This work is not the industry for lazy people, you have to be up and running, you have to be smart, you have to be intelligent, and you have to do the work, and I’m grateful to God that I have been allowed to do this.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in the course of your artistic journey?
One of the challenges I have faced in this journey is that people have a problem with my audacity and authenticity. To the glory of God, this is my 18th year in this industry, and I would say that my hard work, smart work, discipline and the grace of God brought me thus far People don’t understand the audacity, they can’t deal with it, they just feel like, oh, is she the only one there? Why is she that she’s the only one getting the jobs? Why is it that anytime she comes into a space, she takes over the space, and you see these things, I don’t even do it intentionally. It is God. I think it’s like the umpteenth time I’m telling you that doing what I’m doing is not by my choosing, it is what my Ori has chosen for me, and I’m going to live it unapologetically I’ve grown a thick skin, so I really don’t care anymore. I just do me and the world adjusts and aligns.
Between 2015 and 2023, former governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, lived more of a regimented lifestyle because his movement and that of his family in and outside the state depended on the intelligence reports at his disposal.
Ikpeazu, though sociable, could not have access to a good number of his friends throughout his eight years reign because of the protocol procedure that such friends had to undergo before seeing him.
After handing over power to his successor, Dr. Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP), the 2023 Abia South Senatorial candidate of the PDP has avoided making public appearances and on the occasions that he appeared, he chose not to make a public statement.
However, that was not the case when the former governor met with our correspondent, SUNNY NWANKWO, at his country home in Umuobiakwa after he marked his 60th birthday, as he took the latter through what he (Ikpeazu) has learnt about life at 60.
You clocked 60 yesterday, October 18. How did you feel about it?
I didn’t feel any way special. I am strong by the special grace of God. I still engage in my routine physical activities, I am not impeding in any way. But it is also nice to age gracefully. Very soon, I will be addressed as an elder statesman. It is nice and exciting. Honestly, I still feel strong enough to read, study, learn and serve when the opportunity comes.
At 60, what would you say makes life exciting?
I think that what makes life exciting is the anxiety that comes with breaking new grounds and conquering new frontiers. Any day that you stop aspiring, trying or setting goals and agenda for yourself, you will begin to truly die spiritually because age is a number, but you have to keep your spiritual growth and physiological development under your control. And part of what keeps your interest and intellect sharp to remain in this part of the divide is to have goals that you set for yourself. So, I still have one or two things that I would want to do in my life, though naturally, I am slowing down, because whether I like it or not, there is time for every thing.
Your parents named you Victor. Could it be that the name paved the way for you?
Certainly. I am an African. There is everything in a name. We bear names that have significance and tell on our trajectory in life. I want to quote Nelson Mandela of South Africa who believes that he never fails. It is either he wins or he learns.
Every birth is by accident. Nobody determines where he/she will go. I had no hand in determining where I would come from, but from hindsight, I think that my parents did an amazing job. In the first place, they had just three of us. If we were more, it would have been difficult, because we saw a little bit of the civil war. But because we were just three, my mother was a nurse, my father was a teacher, the little that they were able to make on a monthly basis was more than enough for us to grow up in comfort.
I was able to get a straight PhD without working because my father had the resources as it were and also was tenacious about making sure that I achieved that milestone. So every birth is circumstantial.
I have achieved quite a lot. I have had my ups and downs and my challenges, but incidentally, I see challenges as exciting. I see them as turning the bend or a learning curve. I have never been daunted; I hardly get disappointed because I expect everything but hope for the best all the time. So, I have won more times than I have lost. I think that overall, I am in this world and I am happy… laughs.
Many people have described you in various ways. From your own point of view, who is Okezie Victor Ikpeazu?
I am humble, unassuming, but very tenacious; a goal getter and an inquisitive man. I am somebody who tries to be fair and just, though it is also a burden because you can’t be fair or just to everybody. An attempt to be that kind of person leaves you in a quandary more often than not, but I strive to be fair to as many people as I can. I believe in good logic and conversation, but I don’t run away from war. But if I can talk sense, I will rather avoid war, but if they come to me, I will fight. So, that is me.
Tell us what your childhood experience was, because those who knew you said that you were a playful boy.
I do not know what a playful boy means, but I was a very restless person and little did I know that God was preparing me for the assignments I was later to take up in life. But in all of these, all those who met me growing up, even when they want to describe me as a very active, inquisitive and restless young man, they will also tell you that I don’t flunk my exams. Some of them were still laughing at the jokes that I made when I rode to do my PhD. We were still laughing at the jokes that I made in secondary school until I graduated with a doctorate degree in Biochemistry at 29. So, those who do not take him repeatedly do that at their peril because beneath and impeded within my jokes or playful demeanor is a very serious minded person that looks at all shades of an event.
I will also without sounding immodest say that I am a very strategic person and I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe that we can work out the outcomes that we desire.
Did you have it in mind that you would one day become a lecturer or get to the positions that you have occupied?
Immediately you take your first degree and go on to take the second degree and go ahead without working to take up the ultimate degree, you have made yourself a merchant of knowledge. Whether you like it or not, you have enlisted yourself as an academic, especially in my area where you have to be up and doing in terms of research and in writing papers; trying to respond to many questions that life throw at us and at the same time trying to solve many of our day problems in a scientific manner.
So, I knew from the outset that teaching was good for me, and when I started teaching, the feedback that I got from my students was that I was good in my subjects and I became very encouraged. Even when I was the governor, I was teaching. At the last count, I had over 80 academic publications in Biochemistry. Some of those papers were actually published while I was governor because I was leading research groups both in Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture (MOUAU), Umudike and I think that teaching is my second nature.
I will be lying if I said that I was preparing myself to be the governor of the state. But the truth is that, I was preparing myself for leadership because I studied under the best brains as it were in those days and I was very serious and tenacious about my duty and my assignments. I knew that leadership would beckon on me one day.
And that is my advice to some of these young ones going forward. You have to prepare yourself for whatever role that nature will place on your shoulders. So, primarily, I enjoyed myself as a lecturer and when I became a governor, I enjoyed myself too.
Some people have doubted your true identity. Abians would want to know your true identity. Are you from Akwa Ibom State or Umuobiakwa?
I am from Umuobiakwa (aughs). I do not know where that is coming from. In coming from Umuobiakwa, not only that I am from Umuobikwa, my fore-parents were the initial settlers in thie place. So, if God ordains, I can be the custodian of the “ofor” (mantle of authority) of this land because our people were the first settlers in the place like I had said;. They named this place (Umuobiakwa). So, I don’t know where the controversy is coming from l(aughs). If anybody feels that I am from any other place, the person should volunteer and trace the place and tell me.
What has life taught you at 60?
Life has taught me to be prepared for anything, but always hope for the best. Life in itself is a great teacher and that all things work for good for those who love God. Life will throw all kinds of things at you. So, when the times are good, remember that there is a valley before or after a hill. I am not one of those who pray for a smooth road all the time. I am one of those who pray for resilience and tenacity to bear the vicissitudes of life as they come because life must happen to you.
Again, life has taught me that the greatest treasure anyone has is his health. After his health, his friends. That is what life has taught me.
In all these, what makes you happy?
Well, what makes me happy is to be among those who love me. What makes me sad is to be in the midst of hypocrites. Once I can find my way into the midst of those who love me, I am a happy man. So, I am propelled by the presence of people around me and the ability to help. Once I can be of value to a fellow human being, my day is made. I spare a thought everyday to think about those who perhaps may not be as privileged as I am, but they may be more important before God. Whatever I can do to make life better for people gives me more pleasure.
Many people said that Biochemistry wasn’t your first choice of course. What informed your decision to study Biochemistry?
You can go and verify as our brother, Peter Obi , wiould say. In the form that I filled, it was Biochemistry. But because a few people think that I am somewhat versatile, some of them thought that I should have been a lawyer. Others thought that I should have been a medical practitioner, but I chose Biochemistry over Medicine because I always like to tell myself the truth. I may not have the discipline of a medical doctor and I don’t want to be a hypocrite in the profession of Medicine.
If you are a medical doctor, you have to be there for your patients; it doesn’t matter what time. So, no medical doctor has time for himself. If you are in the aircraft and they ask if there is any medical doctor in the aircraft, what they are saying is that it is possible to call you to duty.
As a Biochemist, I knew that I could go out and spend time with my friends. I could also spend as much time as I want in my lab when I want to go to my lab to do my research. But nothing on my conscience as it could have compelled me as a medical doctor to stay in one place and it will be a great disservice if I enlist as a medical doctor and somebody calls me that I am on call and then I will tell a lie or I won’t be available. That will be a sin against God and humanity.
I was sixteen years old when I made the decision and I knew that the sixteen year old gadfly would not be able to cope with the discipline of remaining in one place and waiting for a patient to live or die.
You always pride yourself as an Aba brought up. Why this sense of pride of being an Aba Boy?
Recently, I attended the induction ceremony of the last batch of the Medical Students in Babcok University because my daughter was part of that event. The guest lecturer, a renowned Public Health Medical practitioner; a professor of Medicine, who came all the way from England , said with pride that she was an Aba brought up.
Aba boy connotes the can-do spirit, never say never, resilience, doggedness, hard work, boldness, courage, etc. All of these make the Aba person different from others. When everybody would have given up, the Aba spirit in you will keep pushing you, and that is why we take up that appellation with pride. It is a spirit that keeps pushing you, wherever that you may find yourself. You will know an Aba brought up whenever you see one.
What was your experience in the first two weeks of being the governor of the state?
My team, as it were then, saw the work that was there to be done. At that point, there was no in-road into Aba. You could not have access into Aba from any of the roads linking the city with other neighbouring states. Aba was a sinking town. Trade and commerce was at its lowest ebb. Security was also an issue.
Mine was a deep sense of responsibility and sobriety because I was like he to whom nothing has been given but expected to achieve so much, because my first allocation was just about N3 billion with a salary bill of N2.7 billion in the first month. What it means is that, after paying salary, I would have been left with slightly more than N300 million, and at that time also, I needed to open up Aba-Owerri Road. I needed to do Ukaegbu, Umuola and Ehere roads, and I thank God that all the roads are standing.
I can’t ask people from Rivers State to come back, but the low hanging fruit for me was to attempt bringing people from Akwa Ibom State. So, I needed to speak to Ukaegbu, Umuola and Ehere roads at once. There was no road to Ariaria International Market, Eziukwu and Ngwa road markets, meaning that all the traders there were playing games waiting for God to send manners from Heaven. So, we had to place our hands on the plough.
So, there was no sense of jubilation. There was nothing to celebrate; there was no time for all those kinds of things. It was how do we open up and ventilate the city? But I thank God that nine years down the line, those roads are still standing.
How did you meet your wife?
I am a strong believer in what I call the biological clock. The only person that controls the biological clock is God. I can adjust my time piece to read 6pm now because I bought it with my money, but the biological clock cannot be adjusted by anybody except God.
What I did was first of all, go to school. And I was a little bit selfish about it because my father told me that if he gave me one naira to go to school, I should take it and I shouldn’t ask him for more. He said that it is my name that would be written on the certificate and not his.
He said if I didn’t go to school, I wiould be the one they would call illiterate and not him. It sunk. I never rejected any amount of money that my father gave to me. Like he said, he didn’t live long enough to see me become a governor. My father didn’t live long enough to benefit anything from me. So, all he did was to see me through the 10 years that it took me to go to school. Assuming that I was failing my exams or that I didn’t take my studies seriously or place myself in a position that they have to beg me to help myself, that would have been a great disservice to myself.
So, that is why I said that I decided to be selfish about it. I knew that once I go to school properly, once I built capacity, the next thing was to pick up a job and then live a little bit like a bachelor or have the privilege of looking at who would become my wife. Unfortunately for me, my father died just as I was defending my PhD thesis.
One year after my father died, my mother came to me on a Friday and demanded that I must present my wife to her on Sunday (laughs). I didn’t know how serious that assignment was until Saturday. And when my mother speaks to you, she speaks softly, but it is a directive. So, by Sunday, I said that I already had somebody in my life who had been my friend and I had seen everything good in her.
Her greatest quality was that she accepts me the way I am. So, I now told my mother on that Sunday that I have only brought one girl to you in this house, that I am not looking any further and that is the girl that I am going to marry. She asked if I was sure, I said yes, and that was how we set out for the processes and procedures for getting a wife, and that was it. That was how I lost my bachelorhood at 30, and that was how my two boys also lost their bachelorhood at 30 years.
With the level of brilliance that you have, ladies would always flock around you. Did you by any chance have any other woman in your life aside your wife?
She was the person in my life, but I was also a boy at that time. I had a very vibrant youth and that is why I had at every stage of my life, I can’t look back and say that there was something left. I can’t look back and say that I wish that I am 30 now because I checked all the boxes. When it was time to go to the university, I checked all the boxes. If I look back now, I am not missing anything.
What is the difference between when you were the governor and now?
The major difference is that I am no longer under pressure. I nearly lost my life doing that job as governor. It is a thankless job. You were cut off from family, friends and even the work of God and then you live your life in the public glare.
A governor is not even supposed to fall asleep. At times, you have to drink coffee or take a lot of kolanut to stay alert and you are clutching the red pen. Anything that you signed with the red pen as at that time becomes law.
So, you must be at your best to read through every document that is brought before you, if not you sign away the life of your mother out of exuberance. I knew quite frankly that there is so much power vested on the office of the governor and it is both a physical and spiritual trap. Some of the powers vested on the office of a governor are like the power of God.
You have to exercise utmost discretion and care about the decisions that you take regarding the life of other people, especially the people that are helpless as it were, because the power you clutch in your feast is to do good or bad, and the choice is yours.
Bible recorded some bad kings and some good kings, but ultimately whenever somebody is vested with such power, it calls for emotional discipline, empathy, and the best of humanness you can muster, so that at times, when you are not in the right frame of mind, you withhold assent to certain things until you calm down and rationalise it.
But now I drive my car if I want to. I can walk into a shop if I want to get into the shop. I can decide to sleep at 6pm and wake up by 12 mid-day. All these privileges I couldn’t enjoy them as a governor.
When I was a governor, if you were not inviting people to meetings, meetings would invite you to it. So, I have more or less rediscovered and captured myself back and I am enjoying it going forward.
But it was nice that once in my lifetime I had the opportunity and the privilege of saying let there be flyover at Osisioma and a flyover would appear. Let there be Government House in Umuahia and Government House wiould appear. Let there be the multi-specialist hospital in general hospital area and that one would appear. Let there be Faulks Road and Faulks Road wiould appear. Not many people in their lifetime will have such a privilege.
No leader can do everything. That is why government is a continuum. You do a little bit or more and the next person continues from where you stopped.
If you weren’t a lecturer and a public servant, what else would you have loved to do?
Sincerely, I love medicine, because two of my daughters are medical doctors, my mother was a nurse, my father and mother-in-law nurses and my younger sister is a super nurse in America. So, maybe it could have been medicine because I love to care. I love to get into things that will add value.
How do you relax when you are not busy with office work as the governor?
I love books and intellectual conversations. I am an outdoor person and also cherish my friends. I love the company of my friends.
Are you worried that none of your children is toeiing your path academically?
I am not giving up on them in that regard, because I have a lot of mates, none of them got married, gave birth or took a PhD before me, and I will retire before all of them also because I know what I will do at 70. Once it is 70, I know the nozzles that I will close and the ones that I will open. You won’t see me playing outside with children or carrying my CV looking for appointment.
So, my two boys are engineers and they hold masters degrees in engineering. But my focus for them is that I want them to see if they can build some business, because that is where I am deficient; I don’t have a company. I would want my children to go into entrepreneurship because it is my pet project. Perhaps, I should have given myself a second option; if I didn’t become a medical doctor, I would have become a manufacturer because I love to turn raw materials into products. That is also what teaching is all about: turning people with raw intellect into active creative people.
My children, those with masters, may eventually go ahead to take after me. But my advice to them is that they should try and build some businesses so that they can create wealth and also be useful to themselves and be happy.
My first daughter, who can hold her grounds very well, if it is her calling, may also end up teaching medicine in some medical schools. Teaching is in our DNA. I don’t take it off the table. But let us see what God has prepared for them.
How were you able to balance your life as a governor with helping them make the choice of their life partners?
In the first place, it is not my job to help them choose who to live with for life, because that is a very important and critical decision that only you can take. However, you can set some ground rules; you can say the things that you don’t want. You can say this is the type of family that I want or that I don’t want. So, the ultimate choice is theirs to make. But like every Christian, I approach those critical decisions in life prayerfully and I am happy that what God has done in the lives of those that are married now is amazing and marvelous in our eyes, and I am happy and satisfied.
What would you like to be remembered for having marked your 60th birthday?
I have learnt to remember that somebody who has a lot of love and empathy for the common people of Abia State. I want to be remembered as someone who is completely detribalized, but also focused on whatever it will take to emancipate my people and give them a voice. I like to be remembered as somebody who likes to fight for justice and equity.
Why did you decide to build a memorial library in honour of your late father?
The only thing that I inherited from my father was books. I needed a place to keep those books for posterity and for grandchildren and members of the public to read. Again, I am a strong believer of a new paradigm in leadership; of scientific leadership. Scientific leadership compels you to start leadership from why. Why was it that most of the roads done in Aba before 2015 failed? So the center for scientific leadership seeks to groom leaders that tack their leadership experience by asking why.
We have developed a curriculum and we have sourced experts from across the globe who will teach young people to start leadership by asking why. Perhaps we may be able to solve most of our leadership problems.
I needed to put something in the name of my father, who was a great teacher; a man that taught me how to draw the map of Africa by remembering that Africa is just like a mango. He said that if I can draw a mango, I have drawn the map of Africa.
How do you relax now that you are no longer under any pressure from any political office?
I am very intentional about my health now. So, I must do my work out every morning. I do between 2 to 2 ½ ihours in the gym every morning. If I am at home, I play soccer. I will attend to my mails and reply them and open my phone for calls. If I have an appointment, I will keep it, otherwise, I will start writing.
I am also calibrating my next moves now. Part of me says to me, with 80 scientific publications, you will just go and become a professor. Maybe, who knows, I will take that decision by December this year. There are a lot of things that I have to do with my time. Luckily, I am strong and healthy.
The other one that I like is to talk to my children and give them the attention that I never gave them while I was a governor. I make sure that I know what they are doing because it is important that they learn from my mistakes and correct themselves, even as they keep their own identity. So, that is pretty well how I spend my time.
• Victims forced to take oaths, scores waiting to be rescued
• Four teenagers test positive to HIV
• Ghanaian court sentences 28-year-old Nigerian woman to eight years in prison for trafficking
Cajoled by fake promises of high-paying professional jobs in Ghana, teenage girls and young men from Nigeria have continuously fallen prey to traffickers disguising as ‘agents’. Once in Ghana, the young men find themselves trapped as criminal gang members involved in nefarious activities while teenage girls are forced to meet daily ‘prostitution’ targets, ALAO ABIODUN writes.
When 17-year-old Precious Beatrice (not real names) left the shores of Nigeria for Ghana with the promise of enticing and alluring offers, she had no inkling she would be warming the beds of strangers for a meager fee.
Despite the intensified efforts to curb and tackle human trafficking and most importantly, the global commitments to eliminate human trafficking by 2030, the challenge remains huge.
For Precious, her post-recovery phase after her rescue by authorities has been plagued with emotional and physical, challenges. She’s being haunted by her terrible experience.
Her encounter with her traffickers began two years ago when she was referred to an ‘agent’ who promised to connect her and some other girls with someone in Ghana to get her a high-paying job which could change her life and free her from her predicament.
Precious’ story is sad but not unusual. The “enticing job offer” gimmick is a usual recruitment tactic used to traffic women for sexual exploitation.
The events that followed the boat trip from Nigeria to Ghana through the coastline were both dreadful and tragic. Precious and other survivors said the transport experience was life-threatening with no safety for their lives, especially the absence of life jackets while on water trip.
Precious was able to make it to the final destination, but she recounted how some victims were made to board rickety boats, encountering stormy weather conditions which constitute serious hazard to human lives.
As Precious was going deep into her story, her voice trembled in reflection of the agony she went through. The abuse she endured is the common fate of many Nigerian girls who go to Ghana illegally, especially teenagers.
Other survivors said they fell prey to trafficking by trusting known persons (agents). They lamented that their desperation to seek greener pastures were exploited by the traffickers who made mouth-watering promises of high-paying jobs.
What the law says
Twenty-one years since the Palermo Protocol was adopted as a global mobilisation tool to combat human trafficking, West Africa has long been characterised by high levels of intra and extra-regional migration.
The West African region is recognised to produce some of the highest numbers of trafficking victims in destination countries outside Africa, especially in Europe and the Middle East.
Nigeria, in 2015, enacted the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, which outlawed all acts of human trafficking in the country.
The Act prescribes five to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of N1 million for the trafficking of children, depending on the purpose of such trafficking.
For Ghana, the government increased anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. The 2005 Human Trafficking Act, amended in 2009, criminalised sex and labour trafficking.
The Human Trafficking Act prescribed penalties of a minimum of five years’ imprisonment, which were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape.
However, the 2015 regulations for this Act, which are non-discretionary and have the force of law, provided specific guidance on sentencing depending on the circumstances. In general, the term is not less than five years’ imprisonment and not more than 25 years. But if a parent, guardian or other persons with parental responsibilities facilitates or engages in trafficking, they are liable to a fine, five to 10 years imprisonment or both.
Checks by our correspondent revealed that the Elubo Central Command Border Post is the main border crossing along western border of Ghana with Cote d’Ivoire. However, there are a number of unapproved routes along the border that people use to cross illegally, including a river.
The main border post along Ghana’s eastern border is at Aflao, which is located directly across the border from Togo. There are a number of unapproved border crossings north of Aflao used by human traffickers to cross over to Togo.
Because of the increased rate of trafficking, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) established the Anti-Human Trafficking Desk in Accra in 2010, and recently established desks at three major border crossings – Aflao, Paga and Elubo.
Victims recall ordeal
“When we got to Ghana where we reached our madam’s house, she said we were going to be doing some jobs for her, but we did not know that she would take us to a prostitution house where we would be paying her daily,” said a survivor.
According to Africa Organised Crime Index 2023, Ghana is used as a transit point for West Africans, who are often destined for sex trafficking in Europe. Major cities such as Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi, as well as border areas of Elubo, Aflao, Bawku and Bolgatanga, are hotspots for this crime.
Ghana, being one of the more stable and economically attractive countries in the region, acts as an important transit and destination country for irregular migrants.
Eight young Nigerian girls were recently rescued from human traffickers in Ghana by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in collaboration with Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). The rescued girls were trafficked to Ghana for prostitution.
The girls, between the ages of 15 and 22, were from various states across Nigeria. They were lured to Ghana under false promises of employment but were forced into sexual exploitation. Some of these teenagers hail from various states across Nigeria, including Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Imo, Plateau, and Cross River.
Also in July 2024, 58 Nigerian women and children were rescued from human traffickers in Ghana. The trafficker, a Nigerian, receive 200 – 300 Ghana Cedis daily as proceeds from the girls’ prostitution.
Narrating her ordeal, Precious said: “The man (Ebuka) took us to Mazamaza, that’s the place we entered a boat. The boat led us to meet one Chukwudi in Togo, and we thought the Togo was in Lagos. He even told us that if we encountered security agents (Navy) on water, we should say we were going to Togo.
“True to his words, we met security agents and they asked us where we were going. We told them we were going to Togo, and they let us go.
“When we crossed the water after a day and a half, we finally got to his house. When we arrived, he gave us food. The next day, he took us to a herbalist’s place.
“We asked what we were doing there and he said we had to take an oath so that we won’t steal his money because we came to work as sales girls. So we took an oath.
“The man’s wife came out and gave us a wrapper to tie; she also gave us a bra and pants to wear.
“We asked what we were doing ,there and what we were doing with the pants, and the woman said we came for prostitution work. She said we had no other option. So we started crying.
“She said we would be paying 300 Cedis everyday for good three months, and if we did not pay, we were going to die or run mad, and that we should remember that we took an oath.”
Another survivor said: “Yes, I am 18. I wanted to come to Ghana because I was told I would work at a hair salon. But as soon as I arrived, I foun that none of it was real. The job was a lie.
“They forced me to become a prostitute. That was the only way to pay off the debt from the journey, which they had told me before I left that I did not need to pay for.”
Conviction
Several persons have been convicted of trafficking across the country.
One of the traffickers, a 28-year-old Nigerian, Favour Ugwu, was arrested and jailed for eight years by a Ghanaian court. In the judgment delivered by Her Honour Akosua Adjepong, Ugwe was also ordered to pay GH¢5,000 to her 19-year-old victim as compensation.
According to Ghana-based news website Star FM, the court found the woman guilty of recruiting and forcing the Chadian teenager into prostitution in the West African country.
Adjepong, before delivering the judgment, said she considered Ugwe’s lack of remorse during the trial and the prevalence of human trafficking in the country before passing her sentence.
The convict admitted to recruiting the victim from Abuja with the help of an accomplice who paid for her transportation to Ghana.
An electrical engineer, Ibrahim Yahaya, reported Ugwe to the anti-human trafficking unit at the CID headquarters on November 5, 2023, after the victim was stranded in the neighbourhood at Olonka behind Madina Redco Flat in Accra.
The Chadian girl said she was recruited and transported from Nigeria to Ghana by Ugwe to work in a restaurant but was instead forced into prostitution.
While receiving eight young Nigerian girls who were recently rescued from human traffickers in Ghana, NiDCOM Chairman/CEO Abike Dabiri-Erewa said: “We thank God some of you are back home, and that is good news. But the bad news is that there are so many people trapped there. So be happy that you are back home.
“We are going to ensure that you’re properly rehabilitated and hopefully you will tell your stories so that other girls will not fall into the same trap.
“One thing is consistent about the traffickers: they will lie to yu that once you take an oath, you will run mad. And that is a lie. We will collaborate with your various state governments and NAPTIP to ensure you’re properly rehabilitated.
“They (trafficked girls) were all tested. Four who tested positive to HIV are receiving treatment and will return subsequently.”
Their handover is to ensure they are safe pending rehabilitation and reintegration with their families.
Dabiri-Erewa noted that there are still many more trafficked victims waiting to be rescued and thanked the Ghanaian security agencies for their cooperation.
Trafficked males forced to join gangs
For experts, it appears that victims of forced labour are more likely to be trafficked through official border control points while victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation are trafficked through unofficial and illegal border control points.
Enticed by false promises of well-paid professional jobs in Ghana, a male victim (names withheld) and 10 other young men from Nigeria were scammed by e-traffickers. Once they landed in Ghana, they found themselves trapped by a criminal gang and forced to meet daily ‘cyber-crime’ targets or face the wrath of the gang leaders.
The male victim had dreamt of becoming a software developer, but on arrival in Ghana, he realised that the “friend” he had met virtually was actually a trafficker, who handed him over to the ‘boss’; a scary and abusive man.
After seizing his personal documents, belongings and valuables, the criminals forced the male victim to work for long hours locked in a warehouse with tight security alongside others who, like him, had fallen for the promise of a better life.
War against traffickers
Trafficking in West Africa often shows age and gender patterns. A recent research by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed that more than 75% of trafficking victims detected in West Africa are children and teenagers.
So far, the activities of Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission are commendable. NAPTIP on its part said it had stepped up its efforts with a 24-hour all-hands-on-deck approach to all cases of trafficking in persons.
The cartels of human traffickers continue to change tactics and explore counter-measures to flourish in their anti-human enterprise.
In August 2021, the Nigerian police arrested two human traffickers and rescued 10 Nigerian girls about to be airlifted from Cotonou, Republic of Benin, to the United Arab Emirates. The police got an intelligence report from a non-governmental organisation with support from the country and later handed the girls over to NAPTIP.
The syndicate was reportedly based in Dubai, with some of its agents in Nigeria and Cotonou.
Reintegration for survivors?
Rehabilitation is a core component of Nigeria’s anti-trafficking policies. But sadly, only limited efforts have been made to assess these programmes and whether they strongly and positively help survivors in Nigeria back on their feet.
Nigeria’s rehabilitation programmes target the immediate, ongoing and long-term needs of people who have been trafficked. Their goal is to facilitate physical and mental recovery, empowerment and social inclusion.
Providing survivors with shelter, personal hygiene products, physical health care, mental health care and counselling are involved. Legal counsel, education, vocational training and employment are also part of the rehabilitation process.
Last year, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) launched the Enhanced Reintegration for Survivors of Trafficking (ERS) project; an initiative aimed at empowering survivors of trafficking in Ghana and Nigeria through enhanced reintegration support.
Recognising the critical need to address the long-term challenges and risks faced by survivors of trafficking, the ERS project has been developed to offer survivors of human trafficking the necessary tools and resources to foster economic security, while also providing comprehensive support across various dimensions of their reintegration journey.
Trafficking remains a pervasive and heartbreaking issue in Nigeria. But there are efforts by non-governmental organisations to combat the menace.
NAPTIP statistics from 2019 to 2022 indicate that 61 per cent of human trafficking in Nigeria happens internally, while 39 per cent is from cross-border.
In most cases, internal trafficking takes the form of recruitment and transportation of children from rural areas to urban and city centres for different forms of labour under exploitative conditions.
Conclusively, faith-based organisations play a vital role, hence they need to partner with the National Orientation Agency in the advocacy and enlightenment drive for youths and be fully involved in efforts by governments to expose the dangers of human trafficking.
• Demands justice against errant military officers
• Corpse accepted for safe keeping, says varsity’s spokesman
September 7, 2024 was a black Saturday for the family of Mr David Achinya in Taraku, a community in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State. It was particularly so for Mrs Doosuur Achinya, a 20-year-old widow whose husband, Terhile Timothy Achinya, was cut down in his prime.
On that day, some soldiers attached to the security outfit Operation Whirld Stroke, in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, tortured to death the final year student of Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic (IMAP), Lafia, after he was picked up by the military around 2pm on September 6 on his way to the examination hall.
A friend and course mate of the late student, Olagundoye Favor, had given him a ride on a motorcycle on their way to school when the military personnel picked them up for reasons that remain yet a mystery, took them to their detention facility and subjected them to serious torture in the process of which Achinya died.
Achinya, a student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering was billed to graduate on September 9, but his dream of becoming an engineer was aborted two days before it materialised.
The development has ruined the life of his widow, Doosuur, and their two kids aged one and three.
Embarrassed at the death of the student in their custody, the military officers led by one Captain Kaakara allegedly tried to deposit the corpse of the late student at Dalhatu Arab Specialist Hospital Lafia, but the authorities of the hospital rejected the corpse when the military officers could not produce a police report.
Olagundoye Favor was however admitted at the hospital and treated for the internal wounds he sustained from the soldiers’ beating.
Following the rejection of Achinya’s corpse at Dalhatu Arab Specialist Hospital, our correspondent gathered, the soldiers decided to take it to the laboratory of the Anatomy Department of the Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA) where corpses are used for practicals by medical students.
Surprisingly, the lab attendants of the University accepted the corpse for their students’ experiments without demanding to know the circumstances surrounding it. Doosuur, who has yet to come to terms with becoming a widow when she spoke with our correspondent, said she could not believe that all the hope that she and her husband had nursed about being successful in life had been dashed by his sudden death.
“He was left with just a paper to complete his engineering programme when the soldiers killed him,” she said.
“He had called me in the early morning of September 6 as he was set to go for the exams.
“He spoke to his two kids and assured them that in the next three days, he would sit his final and join them to celebrate his graduation.
“Little did I know that I would never see him again in my life
“Every day, his two kids ask after him, saying, ‘Mummy, when is Daddy coming back? Not knowing they will never see him again.
“My life is ruined and there is no hope for me again. The military officers have finished me.
“Killing my husband for no justification and leaving me behind with these little kids is too much for me to bear.
“Life will never be the same again.”
She said Achinya’s ambition was to complete his OND in Mechanical Engineering and proceed for his HND, but his dream of becoming an engineer was cut short by the errant soldiers.
“We could not achieve our dreams together as death snatched him from me unannounced,” she said.
“I wept bitterly because of the enormous things we planned to do after his graduation.
“I am depressed. The military officers have deprived me of peace of mind at the young age of 20, and I won’t have peace of mind for the remaining period of my life.
“The killing of my innocent husband was a devastating blow.
“I have been waking up in the middle of the night to weep bitterly since my husband died. What is the future of his two kids?
“Who is going to train them? Who will take care of them? I have no means of livelihood.
“All along, our hope was that he would complete his OND and look for something doing before furthering his education.”
The distraught widow says all she wants is justice for her late husband. “I want the soldiers who killed my husband arrested and made to face the law. He did not do any wrong thing to them,” she insisted.
The murdered student also left behind aged parents who are also crying for justice in respect of the gruesome murder of their son.
The father of the deceased student, David Achinya, who described the incident as unfortunate, called on the authorities to make sure that the military officers involved are made to face the law.
FULAFIA faces public scrutiny
Although the Federal University Lafia (FULAFIA) was not involved in the torture and death of the student, the institution faces an uphill task to exonerate itself from the entire episode for the simple reason that its Anatomy Lab accepted an unauthorised corpse without any written document.
The Taraku community in Benue State strongly believes that the action of the lab attendant of the Anatomy Department was meant to prevent traces and create imaginary mystery.
The late Achinya, until his gruesome murder at the hands of the soldiers was a graduating Mechanical Engineering student of Isa Agwai polytechnic, Lafia.
The Nation investigation revealed that the deceased student was arrested on Friday September 6, tortured and killed on September 7. In a desperate move to cover up for the crime, his killers took his corps to the Dalhatu Arab Specialist Hospital Lafia where it was rejected because of their refusal to write a statement. Hence they donated the corps to the anatomy department at the Federal University of Lafia.
Investigation revealed that the deceased was whisked away by the military personnel operating under the auspices of Operation Wild Stroke with a certain Captain Kaakara (full name withheld) on arriving the school premises on a motorcycle to sit his second to final examination alongside his friend identified as Olagundoye Favour .
Barrister Ayiwulu Baba of the Principal Black Peak Chambers, Lafia and counsel to the victims had petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Nassarawa State over the murder of Achinya and also written to the military command alleging brutality against innocent people especially these latest victims.
Speaking to our correspondent, the legal practitioner said: “What happened was that the military officers wanted to cover up for their actions, so they refused to take his body to a public or private mortuary. Instead, they took it to the anatomy department of the Federal University of Lafia.
“We had to trace the corpse to the specialist hospital here in Lafia alongside his father, and it was at the specialist hospital that we got a hint that we should go to Sandaji Hospital’s mortuary.
“When we got there, they said nobody was brought in there. Somebody again hinted us that he heard them saying they would take it to the university and that we should check there.
“I was reluctant because it sounded abnormal, but we decided to take the risk to go there only for us to discover the body of Timothy Terhile Achinya at the anatomy department, and it was shocking that they were already conducting examination (practicals) on his corpse.”
He explained further that the military personnel actually arrsted Achinya with his friend Olagundoye on their way to the examination hall on the 6th of September 2024, and took them to their detention facility alongside five other students without any cogent reason. He said it was during the brutal torture in their detention that Achinya died.
Because they were kept in separate detention rooms, his colleague students were not aware that one of them had died.
Asked about the likely intention of such an unprofessional and unethical conduct, Baba said: “They did that to cover up the offence. His own friend who was arrested with him is still alive, although in the hospital.
“They did not even tell him that Timothy Terhile Achinya was dead. It was after his death that they transferred the matter to the police station. And they did not even tell the police that one of the boys was dead.
“It was shocking that they even marked Timothy Terhile Achinya’s corpse as an unknown person and a cultist. They did not even tag him as a student.
“This is somebody that was on a motorcycle going to the examination hall. They did not even deem it fit to report to the polytechnic where they picked him but went and dashed the corpse to the anatomy department of the Federal University of Lafia just because they feel he is a nobody.
“They felt they could cover up the crime, but unfortunately for them, we have uncovered the crime.”
Speaking on the legality of the conduct of the Federal University of Lafia, the lawyer said:
“Legally, the university jumped all the procedures of accepting corpses, because the body was not advertised. The university did not make any request for corpse for students of the anatomy department or any other department for whatever purpose.
“There was no record of unclaimed bodies anywhere, so how did the Anatomy Department arrive at accepting a corpse and commencing practicals on it?
“So, there was no legal backing to all that the university did. It is even strange that soldiers will bring corpse to the university and donate just like that. They did not have a corona order and it didn’t pass through the Court.
“What the university did was wrong, and I think they have a case to answer. I will write to them,” the legal practitioner said.
In his response, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal University of Lafia, Abubakar Ibrahim, said there was a corpse in the university anatomy department, but it was for safe keeping.
Family petitions IGP, CDS
The family members had engaged the services of a lawyer, Barrister Ayiwulu Baba Ayiwulu, who wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff against act of culpable homicide. A copy of the petition was made available to our correspondent.
Our correspondent further gathered that based on the petition written by the family lawyer, the Chief of Defence Staff directed the military officers on Operation Wild Stroke in the state who were involved in the killing of the late Achinya to report themselves to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the state’s police command to tell their own side of the story.
It was gathered that the affected military officers appeared and gave their statement, following which it was resolved that an autopsy be carried out on Achinya’s lifeless body. The Autopsy was done on the September 22 by two professors of pathology and two medical doctors in the presence of the representative of the military, the police and the family lawyer.
A letter written by the family lawyer, Barrister Ayiwulu Baba Ayiwulu, to state commissioner of police requesting for the release of the lifeless body of Achinya for burial pending the outcome of the result was titled “Request for the released of the lifeless body of Timothy Terhile Achinya to the deceased family for burial and certified copies of related document from investigation activities”.
It reads: “We write as counsel to Mr David Achinya of Taraku, Benue State of Nigeria herein referred to as our client.
“We write to appreciate your good office for the aid towards tracing the body of the deceased Timothy Terhile Achinya who died in the custody of military personnel of Operation Wild Stroke in Lafia, who illegally took him on his way to examination hall into detention AND serious torturing resulting to his being murdered before carelessly depositing his lifeless body by one Captain Kaakara at the Anatomy Department Laboratory of the Federal University of Lafia.
“We really commend the effort of your officers at the homicide department at the SCIID for the effort made in tracing the whereabouts of the deceased body on the 11th of September, 2024.
“Sir, having identified the lifeless body of the said Timothy Terhile Achinya, our client, who is the deceased’s father, wish to have the body released to him for burial
“Our client further request that discreet investigation should be carried out in order to bring to book the facilitation and actors in leading to the murder of his son and to further request that a corona inquest be conducted as part of your investigation and all the necessary investigation documents and pictures taken by the IPO at the homicide department to be certified and made available to us.”
The late Achinya was buried on September 28 2024 at Oýomba Adaa, Taraku, Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State, after the Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police granted the request to bury the deceased IMAP student.
On September 25, 2024, a member of the House of representatives representing Gwer West/Gwer East federal constituency of Benue State, Dr Asema Achado, laid a petition on the floor of the House of Representatives against the military personnel of “Operation Whirl-Stroke” in Lafia for the culpable homicide of his constituent, Mr. Achinya, Terhile Timothy who before he was killed was a final year student of the Isa Agwai Mustapha Polytechnic, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
While laying the petition, which prays the House to conduct a detailed investigation into the murder of Achinya, Dr Asema Achado noted that the petition became absolutely pertinent, as it will ensure justice is done as regards his late constituent’s lost life.
“Mr. Timothy (Achinya) was allegedly and brutally murdered by personnel of the Nigerian Army attached to Operation Whirl-Stroke, Lafia Unit in Nasarawa State on September 7, 2024.
“The petition emphasised the pivotal role of military personnel stationed at Lafia, which should be devoid of unjust brutality, killings, and unlawful treatment of citizens and instead conduct well-organised operations following military ethics to protect lives and properties.
“The petition offered the following prayers to the Honourable House: Investigate the alleged brutality of the Nigerian Army leading to Mr. Achinya Terhile Timothy’s murder; curtail the alleged abusive excesses exhibited by some personnel to prevent future occurrences; reinstate the Nigerian military’s important role in safeguarding citizens’ lives and properties, and Conduct a thorough investigation to ensure justice for the deceased, Mr. Terhile Timothy Achinya.
“The House sympathised with the deceased family and directed the committee on public petitions to investigate and report back to the house within four weeks, ” the house resolved.
The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the Student Union Government (SUG) of IMAP as well as the management of the Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic Lafia have all condemned the act of the military officers and called for justice to be done.
•Says if I had chance to meet him, I’d tell him to continue his policies
His looks belie his age. At 83, the Lejua of Imesi-Ile, Osun State, Chief Timothy Olatunde Kolawole, remains still and sound. He does with ease tasks that many people his age labour to perform. The look-alike of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu though retired from the banking industry is currently busy writing books, two of which are being used as definitive texts by secondary school students in Lagos and Osun states. In an interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, he shares his experience about being Tinubu’s look alike, life as a banker and author, thoughts on present government among other issues.
How do you feel when people call you President Tinubu‘s look alike?
Well, I feel happy about it. When people started making that comment, my initial reaction was that of astonishment. But I later got used to it. I consider it a noble thing for people to say I resemble our President. In fact, this had been on even before he became the President. After he left office as (Lagos State) governor, people see me and say this is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s look-alike. I feel happy that people say I resemble him.
Are you related to him in any way?
Not at all! We are not related. I am from Imesi-Ile in Osun State while he is from Lagos. There is no way we are related. I think it is just nature and the work of God.
Are you looking forward to meeting him one day?
I will be very happy to meet him. That, in fact, will be the greatest thing to happen to me. He is the number one citizen of Nigeria. I will be very happy. It will be a unique opportunity for me to shake hands with the President of the nation.
There must be times you hear people make snide remarks about him. How do you feel on such occasions?
Well, it is natural, especially in a political period. Like the Yoruba say, oun to koju senikan, eyin lo ko selo mii. Different people see things in different ways. But talking about the real situation on ground, I feel sorry for Nigeria and Nigerians sometimes because of the way we see things. It is true that the policies he is taking now are harsh, but before you can make an omelet, you have to break an egg. That is the situation we are in now.
The policies he is taking now may be hard, but in the economic parlance, when you make decisions, some results will be immediate, some will be short term, some will be long term. There are gestation periods. The hardship we are facing now will be short term, and if he is able to follow his policies to the logical end, Nigeria will be better for it. That is my belief.
Things have been bad for many years. I don’t want to blame anybody, but it is the reality that things had been bad for many years, and getting them corrected cannot be done overnight. That is my opinion.
So what would you say are the good, the bad and the ugly experiences from being Mr. President’s look-alike?
Like I said, many people have said so. Even when I’m driving, you see bus drivers saying come and see Tinubu driving, and I would wonder who they are talking about.
Let me cite an instance: I went to an office one day. When I got to the gate, the gate man saw me. But instead of opening the gate, he ran back to meet his colleagues, and I didn’t know why. Shortly after, they all rushed out and were looking at me. I asked what the problem was and they said our friend said you look like Tinubu and we are wondering what Tinubu is doing here, driving himself without security. I just laughed. It was really embarrassing to me that day.
From time to time, people say so. Of recent, I met the twin brothers of Taiwo and Kehinde Oluwafunsho, and the two of them said Baba, you resemble Tinubu so much. I said is that so? And I said I didn’t know. I didn’t tell them that people had been saying so. They said I wish you met him, and I said well, it depends on God. These are the things I have experienced in the past.
For me, it is a good thing to say I resemble Tinubu who by the grace of God is today our President. I would love to meet him if the opportunity arises.
You just narrated the good experience, what have been the uglyy ones?
No, I can’t remember any ugly one. No, no, I don’t.
You said you would like to meet President Tinubu. What would you tell him if you do?
I will first of all congratulate him for achieving his lifetime ambition; for becoming the President of the country. At the same time, I will pity him because of the onerous tasks ahead of him.
Like I said earlier, he has taken over the mantle of leadership at a difficult time in Nigeria’s history. Things had been bad for many years. I will ask him to continue with his policies which he believes are going to benefit Nigerians. He should not listen to detractors because many people are there for their selfish interests. That is the truth.
Even within the party, there may be fifth columnists, not to talk of the opposing parties. But once he knows that this decision he is taking is the correct one as at now, I believe God will help him to succeed. I will pray for him to succeed. Nigeria is a complex country, and with what we are facing today, it needs drastic decisions, which I’m sure he is now taking. I will encourage him to forge ahead. He should not listen to detractors.
One of the talking points before and after the election was about his age. What is your take on people over 70 years managing a country?
As far as I am concerned, being the President of Nigeria is not a function of age. I think it is a function of what you have to offer, your physical abilities and your health. Biden is in his 70s. He has now realised that he does not have the strength to forge ahead. That is why they have replaced him with Kamala. But if he is strong enough, why not? There are presidents all over the world who are 80 years, and they are doing well. As far as I’m concerned, age is not an issue. What is important is the stuff you have in you to rule the country, and then your physical health.
You see Tinubu walking, people run after him. So what are we talking about? As far as I am concerned, age is not a barrier as long as the person is sound enough physically and mentally. That is my take.
Some people have one form of despondency or the other about the government. What would you be telling this category of people?
I said earlier on that things had been bad and we have to be hopeful that things will become good and become better. One thing I would advise him to do if I have the opportunity to meet him is that he should ensure that our refineries are working. The problems we have in Nigeria today are rooted on two factors: the first is energy, that is petrol, and the other one is the foreign exchange. If those two problems are solved, Nigeria will be better.
Dangote is on stream. I want him to sell his products more to Nigerians than abroad. That will definitely reduce the cost of petrol. If Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries are working, things will be okay. If those two problems are solved, Nigeria’s problems will be solved because everything is tied to the foreign exchange and energy. Those will have multiplier effects on everything we are doing in Nigeria. I will want him to focus on these two aspects of our economy. Those who think that Nigeria will not be better are just being funny.
Are you a politician?
Everybody is a politician. But I’m not that type of politician that goes here and there. But as long as I exercise my franchise, I am a politician. I know which party I’m voting for. I’m a politician, and I know which government is taking the right decision. I’m not actively involved in day to day politics.
What was your growing up like?
I’m from Imesi-Ile in Osun State. That is about 30 kilometres or so from Osogbo, the Osun State capital. I was born on the 30th of June in 1941. That is to say I was 83 last June. I started my primary school at the age of seven. That was in 1948 in Imesi-Ile. Fortunately also, my secondary school also was at Imesi-Ile. We were the pioneer students of Methodist High School in Imesi-Ile. We started in 1956.
Basically, my growing up was in Imesi-Ile, and knowing that Imesi-Ile was an agrarian community, the people there were basically farmers. Life was very interesting and regimental, because after school, some of us whose farms were very close to the house would go to the farm and work. But those whose farms were far away would go to the farms on Fridays after school and come back on Saturday. But on long holidays, we would be in the farm from Tuesday to Saturday.
Our life was simple. Basically, our staple food was yam, pounded yam, eko (pap) and so on.
We were eating rice three times in a year, during Easter, during harvest and during Christmas. Those were the only times in a year that we were eating rice. It was funny. We would be looking forward to Easter and Christmas so that we could eat rice, because we were eating only pounded yam. Even today, I can still eat pounded yam three times a day; it doesn’t affect me.
Then, we were born Methodist. We were going to church every Sunday.
My growing up was very interesting, but it wasn’t a flamboyant one because my parents were home based farmers. My mother too was doing some farming. She was an expert in weaving on the local loom. I didn’t leave home until the age of 20 years. That was 1961 when I passed out of secondary school. That was when I moved to Ibadan. My growing up was like that of any other person from a rural community.
It may interest you to note that I saw a telephone box for the first time at the age of 20 (prolonged laughter).
Did you go to tertiary institutions?
I’ve told you that I passed out of secondary school in 1961. I started work in the railways in 1962, February. In 1964, I joined the bank.
With secondary school certificate?
Yes. I didn’t have the money to go to the university at all, even though I knew I was brilliant. I didn’t go to the university. I was working in the bank of West Africa. That was what they called it then. It is now First Bank of Nigeria. During my employment there, I started taking lessons on banking courses, and within four years, I was able to pass their final examination. So I became an associate member of the Institute of Bankers London in 1969.
Within four years, I was able to finish the whole exam which my counterparts would go to England and study before they could make after many years. But right in my room, I was studying, I was using the library, and within four years, I was able to finish the exam.
After that, in 1987, I went to the University of Ibadan for my Master’s degree in Banking and Finance.
Without a first degree?
The AIB is like a first degree. It is a professional course. It is just like the ACCA. We call it executive programme. I have my Master’s in Banking and Finance. I never had the opportunity of going to formal university at the beginning, but I ended up having a Master’s degree.
When I left Bank of West Africa, it was Standard Bank, I joined National Bank. I rose up to the position of a District Manager when I left the bank in February 1989. Since then, I have been in private practice. I thank God for my life.
At 83, you are still sharp and sound. What is the secret?
It is the grace of God as many people would say. I also join them that it is the grace of God, because I don’t have anything that is extraordinary in me, that is different from others. But I thank God that I am as old as I am today. I’m still sound, both physically and mentally. So it is the grace of God. But on top of that, I think I do things in moderation. I do exercise, I walk a lot, I go to the club.
When I’m doing exercise, I can tune to my television, put it on Soundcity or Trace, and dance to the music for 10 to 15 minutes. I do that almost every day. In my bathroom, I do a lot of stretching my hands and my legs. I thank God for that.
I still drive very well, but I have stopped driving out of town. I still attend club. I was there yesterday night; Lagos Country Club.
At 83, what has life taught you?
Like I said, everything is in moderation. Secondly, one has to be focused. Once you are focused and you follow your plans tenaciously, God will assist you. Then I have learnt that I should be content with what I have. If you are a billionaire, I don’t envy you, I just thank God for your life, that is your life. But as far as I’m comfortable, if I want to eat, I can afford it. This is what I want to do, and I can afford it, this is what I want to drink, I can afford it. I’m comfortable.
I thank God for my children; they are all doing fine.
What are your regrets?
I have a philosophy: once I take a decision, I stand by it. I don’t regret anything in life, because at the point I’m taking that decision, I felt that it was the best. So if at the end of the day God says it is not the way, what do I do? Nothing. I don’t regret anything in life. Where I am today, I am satisfied.
What are you doing in your retirement?
Since I retired, I have been trying to do some writings. By the grace of God, I have three publications now. I titled one ‘Yoruba Personal Names: A Cultural Analysis.’ It is a voluminous book on Yoruba names; how we name our children, the circumstances behind our naming system. You know in Yorubaland land, once you hear the name, you know that this is from Ekiti, this is from Ijebu, this is from Ondo, so I grouped them in that sector.
Our religion plays a major role in our naming system. I have the book which I think it is an asset to the Yoruba race. That one is there. It is already published. Again, I have a small book which I titled ‘Labe Odan (under the Byran tree). In those days, our parents would gather us in the evening under the Odan tree telling us folklores. I have ten folk stories in that book in Yoruba, pure Yoruba, and as at today, Lagos State secondary schools are using the book, and also in Osun State.
