Category: Society

When Governor Dapo Abiodun was campaigning to be Governor of Ogun State in 2018, a lot of things were said to disparage him. Some faulted his capacity while the opposition and naysayers said if elected, he has no experience nor a good plan for the state. Some averred that he was going to mismanage the state’s funds but Governor Abiodun today with his stellar performance has shut down critics and his rivals who believe by now Ogun state will have rescinded in fortune instead, the state is soaring high and hitting a milestone that has never been achieved since the state’s formation over four decades ago.

While many are wondering how Governor Abiodun was able to change the fortune of the state to become economically viable, while many are trying to downplay his many achievements in making Ogun state a destination hub for investment; his achievement has continued to speak volumes of his brilliancy and how he has been able to coordinate the affairs of the state to the path of prosperity in all ramifications. As of today; Ogun state has witnessed a surge in industrialization within its territories as many companies are looking to partner with the state to cite its industry which is turning the gateway state into a production hub. Not only that; Ogun state has also increased its capacity in the area of the agricultural revolution, educational investment, job creation, ICT revolution also infrastructural and urban renewal that has positively affected the border town neglected by the previous administration. This has opened the pathway to the current revolution in Ogun which is bringing about a change in fortune for the state globally.

Like the popular parlance that; a king is not revered in his hometown; so is Dapo Abiodun not getting the right accolades for the good job done for his numerous works. While some who see beyond political affiliation applaud him for touching every part of the state; Dapo Abiodun has acted like the proverbial lizard that falls down from a long tree nodding saying if people don’t appreciate him, he will commend himself. Today, Governor Dapo is getting massive accolades across the country winning several awards in recognition of his sleepless nights in putting Ogun on the world map as an industrial hub that will soon stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the biggest economies in Africa. Apart from the many recognition he bagged last year, including the one from the Presidency, he was honoured last week with an award by Forbes Africa Magazine as 2022 Best of Africa Governor in the industrial revolution. This is coming after Dapo ensured the state was business-friendly with its policies and also being one of the safest states in Nigeria investing hugely in securing lives and properties which gives investors peace of mind. As plans to secure a second term in office are underway with an intensified campaign moving around the state, all top political, religious, opinion leaders and community stakeholders in the state have declared their support for him to continue what he has started for another 4 years in the state.

In 2018 when Oyo State House of Assembly hopeful, Idris Ajimobi and Fatima Ganduje tied the nuptial knot, they made a loud statement as both the bride and the groom were the son and daughter of two sitting governors of Oyo State and Kano State which attracted the presence of the movers and shakers of the country to the wedding. It was a sight to behold as the couple gave spinsters and bachelors a run for their money through their loved-up pictures and how they showered love on each other. It was a sight to behold as the couples are still waxing stronger in love. Last week, the Ajimobi’s welcomed their baby girl in London and their joy was filled. Parents of the bride and groom quickly joined them in a celebration mood as they threw a house naming ceremony for the baby girl namely Fatima Abiola Noor Ajimobi at their home in London. The baby was named after her grandfather Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi to always remember their late patriarch. The naming ceremony in London attracted the presence of their close family friends and associates. The little tot’s maternal grandparent Governor of Kano State Dr. Abdulai Ganduje and his wife with Mrs. Florence Ajimobi were all excited carrying baby Fatima and admiring her beauty as they prayed for her. Simultaneously, at the Ajimobi’s home in Oyo State, Ibadan, a naming ceremony was also held with Islamic clerics, friends, and family of the Ajimobis in attendance.

Those familiar with Allen Avenue, Lagos in the days of yore will know Tolulope Omoniyi and his fashion label Bobo’s clothing. The fashion line has registered itself as one of the biggest luxury fashion outfits in Nigeria with operational branches in Port Harcourt and Abuja. The fashion outfit grew to become a hub for happening guys who love designer outfits of all kinds. The brand is also known for its affiliation with superstars as its brand ambassador. The upwardly mobile Omoniyi is a known super dandy whose fashion taste connotes style and panache that has attracted a long list of clientele to him and has also placed him ahead of his peers due to his strategic ways of reaching his targeted audience. Today, his Lagos office has become a mecca of sorts for fashion lovers who want all kinds of fashion outfits for all kinds of events. Many have wondered how he has been able to sustain the brand to the level it is today but they are quick to forget that one thing that stands him out is his passion, consistency, and uprightness. These are the three principles that have helped Bobo’s clothing stand the test of time. Last December, the fashion imprint celebrated the 16th year anniversary of its existence but Omoniyi is super excited that the fashion company he established years ago has come of age and is still standing tall and wavering high. In celebration of his 16th anniversary, Omoniyi used the opportunity to reach out to his loyal customers by giving them items and also slashing the prices of his commodities in thanking his loyal customers for their loyal patronage. Sources have disclosed that Omoniyi’s consistency and his ability to move with the current trend have helped his business thrive and he has a record of maintaining and servicing friendships which are great values working for his good today.

Without a doubt, Chief Ganiyu Olalekan Bakare is an accomplished man whose only goal in life is to affect his immediate environment positively. He has ventured into some projects to make his environment habitable in line with United Nations sustainable development goals. The telecoms engineer bagged his first degree at Bayero University Kano in Business Administration before proceeding to Germany to further his studies at the BFH, Hamm Germany where he graduated as a Telecommunications and Electronics Engineer, and later enrolled at the University of Liverpool, England for his PGD in Management. As a renowned telecoms engineer, he worked for multi-international organisations such as Interface Designs, Germany, Samsung United Kingdom, Sun Microsystems, UK, Ericsson UK, Nationwide Building Society, and Swindon UK amongst others before returning to Nigeria before venturing into politics in 2017 when he became the Secretary to the Apapa Local Govt Council and Chairman body of Secretaries to Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State.

 Over the years, the founder of Street99 Ltd and Street99 Communications Ltd has been at the forefront of being an advocate for climate change against plastic pollution within the coastal area of Lagos State. He believes that plastic pollution possesses a great threat to the well-being of Aquatic animals and that of Lagosians most especially those residing within the coastal areas. He believes if not well tackled it will cause massive flooding as the plastic waste being channeled into the coastal area of Lagos will block the free flow of water and that will redirect water to overflow to the dry part of Lagos in order to avert the impending crisis. Under his Lekan Balogun Foundation LBF, he has been advocating and speaking against this gunpowder waiting to explode they have also indulged in a sanitation and sensitization programme for those residing in the coastal areas and also teach them that the plastic waste can be recycled and turn into wealth. In order to ensure the sensitization is taken to the grassroots his foundation has constantly been visiting schools situated within the coastal areas through the ‘Blue School Project’ to orientate students on the dangers of plastic waste and wastes generally in the water. The Aro Oba of Ikate Elegushi Kingdom has also organized special cleaning and sanitation of the coastal seas and areas of waste via converging people together to do a constant cleanup of the area and enlighten people about the threat the waste possesses to people’s health. Sources say he will not relent until his plights to end plastic pollution materializes and also when we can start turning waste into wealth to save the coastal area from being reclaimed by the surge of water.

For Senator Abubakar Kyari representing Borno North at the Senate, consistency, hard work and resilience have been his driving force. Hence, it came as no surprise as he has flourished and risen above his peers to be the Ruling All Progressives Congress APC Vice Chairman North East Zone. Being born into a political family helped shape his political acumen as his father Late Brigadier Abba Kyari was the military administrator of the North Central zone from 1967-1975 during the era of General Yakubu Gowon before he retired venturing into private business. This was how Abubakar caught his teeth in politics and today he has remained a force to be reckoned with in the scheme of things in the senate chambers and in his state. On January 15, the soft-spoken highly cerebral lawmaker glides into the leagues of sexagenarian as he would have loved to just thank his creator for allowing him to see that age but reaching out to the needy and having a private celebration with his family at his Abuja home but little did he know that his wife Biliki Kyari was planning to surprise him with a birthday soiree where she invited his friends, colleagues and close associates to a surprise 60th birthday party that held at the Abuja Continental Hotel. It was a gathering where the celebrant was appreciated as many good words were said about him. During the toast, the celebrant also thanked his wife for playing a pivotal role in his life and contributing to what he has achieved politically also in all ramifications.

While he was alive, the Aare Onakakanfo of Owu Kingdom, Prince Bolu Akin-Olugbade was a man who was larger than life. With palatial mansions and condominiums littered across the world, he lived like a king, whining and dining with the high and mighty in society. He was generous, stylish, and cosmopolitan. He was a man of style and poise whose built frame goes unnoticed. The trained lawyer never hid his passion and love for the popular high-cost Rolls Royce automobile. Anytime a new edition launches, he is ever ready to break the bank to secure the newest edition. With the sobriquet; ‘Mr. Rolls Royce’, is one of the world’s largest collectors of Rolls Royce auto.

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 During his lifetime, Olugbade was a darling of society. Musicians and praise singers sang his praise to the high heaven as they knew he would dole out large sums for them. Some even have a special anthem for him. He was also known to be one who loved to read, hence, he bagged a Ph.D. in Company Law from the University of Cambridge. Despite every attempt to avert his death as a result of COVID-19, he died at Paelon Hospital in Ikeja Lagos on January 13, 2021. Today marks two years after his demise. If he were to be alive, he would have gone to the church for thanksgiving and might have also acquired the latest version of the 2022 Rolls Royce Cullinan but he is no more.    

To describe Senator Iyiola Omisore, his persona is misunderstood because some unscrupulous elements have painted a picture that does not truly depict the kind of person he is. They have channeled people’s inner minds with an archetypal personality so many can loathe him. Those who are close to him say despite his mien like that of a tiger, he is as soft as a freshly baked loaf of bread with a heart of gold. Unknown to many, Omisore is the grandson of Lowa Omisore, and his late father is Oba David Olajide Omisore of Ayepe, Olode, Ile-Ife. He is also the grandson of the reverend Late Olufewara, Kabiyesi Oba Titus Adetoba of the Oseganderuku ruling house in Ifewara where his mother, Princess Emila Adejola ruled as Regent until her death in 2006. The former Osun State Deputy Governor is in fact one of the most generous humans who can give out one of his eyes to anyone in distress. After years of fighting politically, he is currently enjoying what he sowed with tears with his current status as the National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Party in Nigeria. The man, who is well-loved in Osun State, is not relenting in his quest for good governance more reason he is working assiduously to ensure his party wins the forthcoming general election. Like his yearly ritual in his hometown Ile-ife as a prince, Omisore returned to put smiles on his constituents. On January 1, 2023, Omisore brought succour to those who are in need. At the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals, (OAUTHC), Ile Ife, the former Osun State Guber candidate personally offset the hospital bills of patients who had no hope of paying their medical treatment bills. While detractors and naysayers were saying his generous actions were connected to the current political season, Omi, as he is fondly called by his supporters, quickly refresh their memory that it’s a yearly ritual he never misses even when there was no election. Even though he is not on the ballot paper, he is still spreading happiness and bringing relief to those who are in need.

Professor Mojisola Christiana Adeyeye is one woman who is true to herself and diligent in her dealings, hence, her massive success since her appointment as the Director General (DG) of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), a leading regulatory and administrative arm for drugs and foods in the country. She is firm yet very affable and interesting as those who have worked with her have often said she is one woman who will never compromise on quality regardless of who and what is involved. She has sustained the agency to be one of the best in the country recording massive accolades in carrying out its primary obligation in regulating drugs by creating a synergy with other revenant government agencies to bring about sanity and also put the welfare of Nigerians as a top priority. Apart from her success in the office she occupies, her brilliance is top-notch as she rose through the ranks to become a professor of Pharmaceutics and Manufacturing at Roosevelt University in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA. She bagged her first degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria, and Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Her research interests include quality-by-design (QbD) early-phase development and manufacturing of solid, semisolid, and liquid dosage forms, including Investigation of New Drug Application (IND)-based late phase manufacturing. She is also a certified expert in research and drug development (R&D), bench-to-bedside translational research, and regulatory science. As a scholar, she has mentored over 15 Ph.D. and MSc candidates.

 With these numerous qualifications, it didn’t take long for President Buhari to spot and appoint her to bear her vast experience to reshape the agency to reclaim its long glory during the days of the Late Prof. Dora Akunyili. Under her watch, she reformed the agency by infusing best global practices and also encouraging the localization of drugs and food production. This has seen the importations of most drugs drop to the bearest minimum. She also ensured the rededication of NAFDAC to customer-focused and Agency-minded establishments in order to safeguard the health of the nation by inaugurating the Nigerian Herbal Medicine Product Committee (HMPC) as a means of fostering research involving herbal practitioners and academic researchers while the intellectual property is protected. This has helped redefine alternative medicines into research-driven, regulation-controlled commercially viable commodities for consumption and wellness. She is the First African Woman Fellow, of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), a society where only 3% of academia receives such recognition internationally. In reward for her silent hard work and resilience with the agency after serving her first term as DG of the agency last November, Where she stepped aside for Monica Eimunjeze, NAFDAC’s Director of Registration and Regulatory Affairs who was the acting DG. In a memo by the Secretary to the Federal Government Boss Mustapha who conveyed the message that President Buhari has reappointed Prof Mojisola for a second tenure that will be for 5 years. Sources say the appointment came owing to her brilliant performance in office, the change she infused, and how she ensured the circulation of Fake drugs was reduced to the barest minimum. On her reappointment when she returned back to the office it was a rousing welcome as she was given a warm welcome back to the premises in Abuja. Sources further say she immediately hit the ground running by announcing her plans for the agency for the New Year and second tenure she has promised to surpass her achievement in the first tenure serving her father’s land with much gusto.

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Among the women serving under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as a minister, Her Excellency, Dame Pauline Kedem Tallen remains one of the most experienced politically with a robust political background and a wide political antecedent. The Plateau State-born University of Jos graduate of Sociology is not a rookie politically, she has been playing politics as a time-tested grassroots person and a women’s advocate in political inclusiveness. She is not only a politician but she is a mother figure whose humane side is second to none. Dame Pauline served as Commissioner in the Ministry of Social Development, Youth, Sports and Culture, and Commissioner in the Ministry of Health in Plateau State. As she demonstrated a clear and impactful vision her relevance increased in the national political space which landed her first job nationally as the Honourable Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1999 to 2003, and in 2005, she served as Chairman Governing Board, Raw Materials Research and Development (RMRDC).

 While as a minister, she continued to build political friendships and affiliations where she was in 2005 decorated with the award of National Honors of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), by His Excellency, President Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR as an official national recognition of her invaluable contribution to national development. This also ushered her to become the Deputy Governor of Plateau state from 2007 to 2011, after which she became the National Adviser of The National Campaign Women Council APC under the Chairperson of Mrs. Aisha Buhari, as well as a Member Board of Trustees of the All Progressive Congress (APC), all in 2015. She is one of the few morally upright women who believe a good name is more precious than gold and silver. As Minister of Women Affairs, she was able to function optimally standing firmly for women and also their inclusion in the scheme of things politically. She has also been a strong advocate against domestic violence and other vices that affects women. On the 8th of January, the mother of five celebrated her birthday with not much fanfare. Although the birthday is a significant one as it will be her last in office as Minister of Women Affairs; many people gathered to celebrate with her and throw her a surprise birthday. Many Commissioner of Women affairs of different states and other top women in government also didn’t waste time in showing appreciation for being good friends and mothers to them. Her staff from the ministry also ensured they made the day a memorable one by pouring accolades on her for being a great team leader also a woman who is interested in their growth and welfare. Despite being in Yobe State for the APC rally, she quickly got back to Abuja where a private dinner was held for her with close friends and associates in attendance at a prime location in the heart of Abuja. She was celebrated by the high heavens as the birthday girl could not stop giving thanks to God for making her journey in life smooth.