The Nation Newspaper

Tag: destiny

  • Girls, stop damaging your destiny!!!

    Dear Madam, I’m really delighted to know the Nigerian society still has people who preach morality! I appreciate you a great deal. My concern is particularly on young single ladies who take delight in sleeping with married men and see nothing wrong about it and the ongoing trend of female bankers sleeping with men to ensure they meet their targets. Kindly write on its dangers. God bless you!

    Audu Ezekiel

    Dear Mummy Temilolu,

    I’m 15, my boyfriend wanted sex and I gave him! Will God ever forgive me?

    Anonymous

    My darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian sisters,

    Girls…girls…girls…why in the world would anyone go looking for trouble- trouble that will practically swallow her up and divert the course of her destiny? Why on earth are you so much in a hurry? Do you think having sexual intercourse is like telling a lie or cheating in an examination? When I saw the message above, I was too weak to answer this confused girl. What’s going to befall her UNLESS GOD MERCIFULLY INTERVENES has been resonating in my spirit since I got her text on Monday! Of course God is going to forgive her but what about the demonic invasion she’s opened up her life to? Yes, demonic invasion! Does she have the much-needed spiritual power to overcome what her life is now open to? Is she in the right spiritual environment? Are her parents all over her spiritually? Have they laid a solid foundation for her spiritually? I doubt o! There are less than 15-year-old girls who are sexually-abused and raped, however my little madam succumbed with her eyes opened-out of love, uncontrollable infatuation, unguarded movements, inadequate mentoring, spiritual dullness. I could go on and on!

    I keep telling you girls to nip your crushes and infatuation in the bud before it grows wild and makes you do the wrong things! When your passion for a guy grows in your teens, you end up sucking up to him with all your energy and being- with so much gusto! It’s just like selling your soul to the devil; he then begins to control your life. This is what has happened to this girl. Now, who knows what spirits have been transferred from this boy to this girl? Who knows the ill-luck he may be carrying, ancestral curses and evil baggage already programmed into his future?Haa…haa…girls…girls… What about the spirit of lust that her life is already exposed to? Would she be able to control her body and emotions when he dumps her and she gets heart-broken? What would become of her when she gets into the higher institution- a citadel of knowledge as well as high immorality, vices and unbridled sex where her parents can’t keep an eye on her? I know of a girl who had slept with 23 men by the time she was 17 and this was how she started!

    A lot of you are innocent but unfortunately unprepared spiritually and otherwise for a terribly depraved world as this. I imagine this girl would be pressured into using contraceptives so soon so as not to get pregnant! Haa… at what age? Her body begins to change, she begins to get worried, her face begins to get infested with pimples, she begins to suffer physically, emotionally and psychologically when she should be enjoying and exploring the best of life? When she should be concentrating on acquiring fantastic grades to study her childhood dream course which is likely to be what God has deposited in her heart and designed to make her shine in the world she begins to cry everyday when her boyfriend begins to misbehave then her grades begin to fall. She begins to fall out of the path of her glorious destiny! Haa…!

    Girls, stupid, bad devil is so smart and knows once he can get you to engage in premarital sex so soon, he practically takes over your soul, and your entire life except God intervenes! And for God to intervene, you really have to be determined, you need to be in a completely holy environment with serious spiritual backing and coverage, you need to get submerged in the Word of God and have your spirit ignited to flush out every satanic stronghold! Not a day’s job, neither a month! The devil is very stubborn but you need to arise against it in holy madness and while at it, it would do things that’ll make you wish you were never born! But you will eventually conquer it if you can concentrate and fight with all your might! THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER! How I wish this girl didn’t even set foot into this situation. I feel so bad! May God intervene in your lives and take over your souls in Jesus mighty name!

  • PMB cannot escape his destiny

    I am proud to be Yoruba; I am happy to be a Christian.  But this was not by design but by accident of birth. If I had been born in the north, I would probably have been a Muslim or if in Middle East, a victim of sibling war between obstinate Arab and their equally obdurate half-brothers – the Jew non-believers who, upon killing their most illustrious son, Christ the saviour, invoked “His blood to be upon them and upon their children.

    I love Nigeria. I cherish being a Nigerian. My little contribution to society and my modest contribution to knowledge had been made possible by the interventions of other Nigerians notably of Edo, Urhobo and Igbo extractions despite obstacles put on my path by my own Yoruba compatriots. Nigerian unity, for many in my group, unlike those who repeatedly shout ‘Nigerian unity is not negotiable’ even as they exploit the imperfections in the present structure, is imperative.

    As it is often said, you only repeat the obvious when you are not persuaded. Those who therefore shout Nigerian unity is non-negotiable from the roof top perhaps constitute the greatest threat to Nigeria unity.

    Sociologists have traced sources of most social dislocations in the world to social injustice. We are no exception. Nigeria has been haunted by a spectre of injustice since 1962 when Tafawa Balewa, our otherwise harmless Prime Minister, was stampeded by self-serving Fulani and Igbo politicians to sow seed of injustice by destroying the structure agreed upon as the basis of our federal arrangement, shortly before independence in 1960.

    With victims of the 1962 injustice still languishing in prison, the January 1966 military intervention came as a result of perceived injustice by the NCNC junior partner in the NPC/NCNC coalition government.   Its execution led to greater injustice as only the leaders of senior coalition partners were killed and Ironsi who emerged as new leader went on to institutionalize a unitary system as a result of  manipulation by Igbo politicians and intellectuals according to Richard Akinjide , a witness and a participant.

    With the July 1966 vengeance coup, the mindless killing of Igbo in the north and the subsequent civil war, it became the case of one injustice begetting greater injustice.

    With the control of power at the end of the civil war by the north that had been violently opposed to a unitary system, it was like Hitler using democracy, the weapon of his opponents to fight his opponents by using it to first acquire, power before unleashing terror on Germans and the world. The north deployed the Igbo weapon –unitarism, advocated by Zik and Igbo political elite up to 1959 and by Ironsi in 1966, to fight the Igbo and to subjugate the rest of the country through creation of more states and LGAs that derive direct funding from the centre. With all powers concentrated in the centre through the exclusive and concurrent items with no residual list, what was designed as a federal state is today run as a unitary state as all the states and LGAs look up to Abuja for survival.

    What President Buhari is being called upon to address therefore is the issue of injustice arising from this unworkable arrangement. The National Assembly, a product of injustice, by design and by composition, to which he has tried to delegate by abdication of the responsibility fate has trusted on him, is ill-equipped to help. President Buhari can similarly not rely on veteran of northern politics of ‘if the north does not have it, no other person or group must have it’, who because they are beneficiaries of current injustice, now pretend not to understand the meaning of restructuring.

    Not too long ago, Ango Abdullahi, former vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and now the spokesman for Northern Elders Forum,  after correctly tracing agitation for restructuring of the country to post independence power rivalry between the Igbo and the Hausa Fulani, a rivalry he admitted has defied solution for 50 years, he was advising, President Buhari to rely on the constitution which by ceding power to the centre controlled by northern majority has made any change including ordinary local policing impossible.

    Elder statesman Tanko Yakassai after describing Kanu and his supporters as irritants annoying government and other groups was on Channel Television last Monday to put the blame for agitation for restructuring of the country on the door steps of the Yoruba. He blames Yoruba for supporting self-actualization struggle by restive groups like the Tivs, Beroms, Katafs and others in the Middle Belt as well as the Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers states of the South-east since 1953. With advisers like Ango Abdullahi and Yakassai, President Buhari needs no enemies.  Since they have nothing but disdain for him because of his ‘talakawa’ ideology, they will just be too happy to see him miss a historic opportunity to write his name in gold.

    But if President Buhari is ambitious, he will realize he is uniquely favoured to address the issue of injustice in the country. Since he is trusted by his northern masses who loathe other politicians from the area, all he needed to do, as Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, our former foreign affairs minister has argued last Sunday, is to convince those who have faith in him that restructuring is about redressing injustice in order to save the country and not about the north committing political suicide.

    Buhari also has a unique opportunity to save the country because he is generally regarded as a good Nigerian. Our late statesman, Maitama Sule said this much when he led a delegation of Northern Council of Elders to congratulate him after his election in 2015. He had then told him “You are a Nigerian with sense of justice and fair play; Do justice to us, do justice to them and do justice to everyone”. By doing that he told Buhari, he will be “a potential Nigerian greatest leader we can ever have’, adding, “with justice you can rule Nigeria well. Power remains in the hand of infidel if he is fair but not in the hand of a believer if he is unfair.”

    Restructuring is about justice. All the President needs to ask himself is if the current arrangement that allows a dysfunctional centre to mismanage over 50% of resources by leaders like ex-President Jonathan is just. A leader who boasted that  “within this period that the PDP has been ruling, we’ve actually created a number of millionaires and billionaires” – while Nigerians looked up to neighbouring countries like Republic of Benin and Togo for quality education for their children and  reliable healthcare services for loved ones.

    If a constitution that made no provision for residual list  thereby denying the states of  looking  after themselves is justice; if deploying  resources from oil-producing riverine states where bridges are needed, to build bridges over land in Abuja is justice.  If it is fair for the federal government to create about 80 LGAs for Kano and Jigawa with a lower population than Lagos which has only 20. If it is fair for the centre to undermine the states by dealing directly with LGAs that constitute the state. As Charles Soludo, a former Central Bank governor once observed, ours is the only known federation in the world where the centre allocates funds to LGAs that are not accountable to it.

    It is hoped Buhari will write his name in gold by preventing our beautiful country from collapsing under the weight of injustice as we saw it happen in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Russia, and neighboring Sudan

  • Obaze, the man, mission and destiny

    Oseloka Henry Obaze, fondly called OHO is an immensely interesting individual. Obaze, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate in the November 18 gubernatorial election is an embodiment of knowledge, an intellectual of very high repute, a diplomat of esteemed class and a leader of extraordinaire ability.

    Somebody once described a diplomat as one who could dive into turbulent water without making a single splash. He is such diplomat. In him you notice the first quality of any great leader – humility. And he has this unbelievable memory of remembering one’s name after just one introduction.

    OHO is one person, who would not make a decision while conducting any meeting without listening to the views of everyone. He calls you, however junior to him, to listen to you carefully then respond or ginger you with so appropriate words.  And I still don’t know how he manages to do it but he keeps tracks, communicates via sms and email so regularly, despite his work load and out-of-office engagements. Whenever he wouldn’t pick your call, he must return the call to apologise and explain why he couldn’t pick when you called earlier.

    OHO has this unbelievable care for people that he takes to other people’s problem as if he’s directly in their shoes. His attention, complete dedication to finding solutions mark him out as one specially created for the benefit of mankind. It’s not just for sight-seeing that he is one of the most traveled men in the world. While working for the United Nations, he had been sent to over 100 member nations. And he wasn’t just touring neither was he interested in showing around his handsome face. He was indeed being sent to help solve problems.

    You didn’t know anything about the word resilient until you met OHO. I wondered if he ever slept and I’m still wondering. Nothing he believes in will go unattained once he is on it. And he is a perfectionist of some sort. He will continue working on it until it’s perfectly executed. He’s ever consistent with his beliefs and will NEVER compromise any positive act, however tempting the course of cutting corners could present.

    OHO exhumes reliability. His ever amiable demeanour provides him with the exceptional charm that easily breaks barriers.  His consistently being sent to those nations as a UN diplomat is a confirmation of one with the ability to proffer appropriate solutions. He has served Anambra State as the Secretary to the State Government for three years and significantly across two different governors. In his book, Here To Serve, he uncannily branded the term SSG to stand for Senior ScapeGoat. Interesting but then are equally his dedication and accomplishment in those three years. He so redefined the office to not only stand it out as the real administrative hub of the state’s governance but also infused transparent dedication and quality of delivery from the members of staff. So much was his impact that when he decided to resign from that position one year into the tenure of the incumbent governor, the members of staff he was leaving behind were unanimous in printing a farewell banner thus – We Lost A Saint!

    But OHO is not all about administration. He’s much more of action. While in service to his state, he was directly in charge of managing very complex policy and practical issues. Top amongst the practical issues include the flood disaster of 2012, the illegal repatriation of Anambra indigenes from Lagos, the return and settling of Anambra IDPs from Central African Republic, the 2014 Ebola crisis, the spate of collapsed buildings in 2014 as well as handling the leadership crisis within the Anambra State Association in the United States. In all these, OHO exhibited a quality of leadership ability that won over keen observers.

    Taking the flood disaster issue as a reference point, one could be convinced beyond doubt that Anambra State and indeed humanity are blessed to have a man of such dedication and diligence around. OHO brought his years of experience in handling such issues in the UN to bear immediately.

    That unprecedented flood of 2012 devastated properties and farmlands worth trillions of Naira in 24 states of the nation. With 57 communities in eight local government areas adversely affected, Anambra State was not just one of the worst hit, it actually was deemed as the most acutely affected. Two of these LGAs, Ogbaru and Anambra West were extensively submerged. Property and business losses in the state alone were estimated at nearly N23 billion.

    But under OHO in his dual capacity as the chair, Anambra State Flood Disaster Relief Coordination Committee and chair, Anambra State Flood Disaster Relief Trust Fund, Anambra State became the most proactive and transparent state of the 24 states in effectively managing and efficiently responding to the complex natural disaster. Managing 125,000 internally displaced people, IDPs was quite a task but OHO did manage admirably. An estimated 15,000 houses and businesses were fully or partially submerged. In all, four people directly lost their lives via drowning, the lowest number of human fatalities from the 24 states.

    While efficiently coordinating and involving both the state and federal agencies responsible, the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA and Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA respectively, Anambra State, under OHO’s firm control, admirably dealt with the worst natural disaster the state had faced since Nigeria came to being.

    Though the state government released N100 million immediately while the federal government came later with N500 million, many well-meaning people donated cash and food items, clothing, etc to the cause. These generous individuals could have been compelled to assist based on humanitarian basis but law of nature would largely revolve their encouragement to do so around the professionalism and transparency shown by the people in charge.

    Concerned Anambrarians took deep interest and time to study that disaster and concluded that in OHO was one individual completely capable of replacing the man he was then serving and assisting in managing the terrible disaster. But those people got the disappointment of their lives. They were never given the opportunity. The very terrible politics of vendetta denied the expecting population of ndi Anambra the opportunity to cast their votes in favour of this amiable and workaholic diplomat. OHO’s party then, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA disqualified him from participating in the primaries.

    And many Anambrarians shed tears, tears that such individual of class was denied the opportunity to govern a state he loved so much as to resign from his plum job and very enviable position in the UN to come home to serve. And because of the zoning formula in Anambra, they all believed the chance was lost forever.

    But the poor masses counted without considering destiny. When OHO agreed to serve this present government of Governor Willie Obiano, it was to show he accepted whatever God put in place in good faith. He decided to serve Anambra further from the number three role, despite the circumstances with which he was schemed out. His love for humanity was the deciding factor. He buried the desire to ever govern Anambra again and moved on.

    But the same man, who benefitted from the political shenanigans that denied OHO; the same man who destiny fortuitously played a favourable orchestra for; the same man who inherited an empire he never contributed anything in building…the same man completely veered off from toeing the path painstakingly designed for him in benefit of dear people of the state. The same man would unwittingly resurrect OHO’s own destiny back to contention.

    OHO’s new party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has already elected him as their candidate. And in doing so the party has thrown up the best candidate for the November 18 election by a mile. Already ndi Anambra are rejoicing that they will make that choice on the D-Day.

    This is DESTINY threatening in its finest form. In OHO is a bestseller waiting to happen.

     

    • Obasi writes from Ozubulu, Anambra State.
  • Girls, just one ungodly sexual intercourse can scuttle your destiny! (II)

    Girls, just one ungodly sexual intercourse can scuttle your destiny! (II)

    MADAM, God will bless you and your children. I am a minister of God but I have never experienced a preacher like you. May God increase your knowledge and wisdom.

    Anonymous

     

    Dear Temilolu,

    In the world of today where there’s so much sexual permissiveness, it’s amazing that we still have girls your type who can impact positively on the lives of our girls and the unborn. May your days be long. You are from God. May the almighty keep you to accomplish your mission on earth.

    Mr. A.

     

    Dear Temilolu,

    I read your article- Girls, just one ungodly sexual intercourse can scuttle your destiny! It is a timely write up for our damsels. May the God of heaven keep your home safe in Jesus name. Keep writing and keep salvaging and redeeming the life of our young girls from destiny destroyers. Every lady should take caution and remember that in Genesis 34:1-2, Dinah was raped in just one single outing she embarked upon.

    Pastor Sunday

     

    Dear Temilolu,

    Whenever I get to read your articles, I am gladdened by your words of advice and encouragement to the younger generation.

    Why not include occasionally some pieces of advice to our young men as well. They are not left out of your outreach.

    God be with you in Jesus name.

    Bolaji Ajai

     

    My darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian sisters,

    One major problem of humanity today is that too many destinies are sick. Asides the scriptures telling us the whole world lies in darkness (1 John 5:19), you will agree with me that our situation in the black race/Africa is deeply concentrated in great mystery and darkness. No matter your social status or background, there’s some darkness in your background raging wildly to sink your destiny if not fiercely resisted. That alone is enough to sink a glorious destiny and stop it from manifesting. Can you now imagine the combination of darkness in a 17-year-old who had slept with 25 men? And right under the nose of her parents. Her parents could afford to send her to school but she had become so dull and couldn’t assimilate much and eventually school was simply out of it and she had to be enrolled in a hair-dressing salon. A lot of you have super-duper destinies such that if God opened your eyes to see the wonder He has created you to be, you probably would be out of human reach and be alone with God so as not to be desecrated. Unknown to you, the devil has informed his cohorts around you probably before you came out of your mother’s womb and they have strategically master-minded some fatal and comprehensive mishaps that would befall your destiny in future. Funny thing is even if your pastor took over from biblical Elisha, he may never see these mishaps. What more? What you have to contend with is commensurate to the magnitude of your greatness. That is the greater your star/destiny, the greater your battles! When the scriptures also tell us that in these days- the last days, evil men and seducers will wax stronger (2 Timothy 3:13) i.e. will go from bad to worse, which power do you have to confront them? Your Brazilian hair, pink pouts, sexy dress or numerous poses on instagram and face book? Hmmm….sigh! To worsen matters, engaging in ungodly sex which not only places too many baggages on your destiny and could paralyse it but which also makes you spiritually dull. It practically destroys your spiritual connectivity with God and opens up your life to demonic invasion.

    Sadly, more often than not, the female folk are at the receiving end. Right from the garden of Eden when Eve was put into trouble by the devil. In the scriptures we are told that a time will come when seven women would beg a man to allow them bear his name without having to provide their needs so their shame can be taken away! (Isaiah 4:1) When an unwanted pregnancy happens, the girl is on the receiving end whether she keeps it or terminates it-which is even worse. When you get married to the wrong person as a result of confusion arising from pre-marital sex, spiritual blindness etc. and you begin to experience hell on earth, become a punching bag and get abused in all forms when you are God’s royal diadem and meant to be the best thing that happened to a man, you bear the brunt and would be lectured by those who have no idea of what your destiny entails to fix perhaps the devil re-incarnate or a home that was never meant to be yours! Who sent you there? How’s that possible? What a big, big waste of time and destiny?

    As merciful as God is I am sure a lot of times He looks down at humanity and laughs at our foolish folly for not following Him implicitly! May He arise for your sake today and set you free from every bondage in Jesus mighty name. Amen!

    To be continued.

     

    I invite you to be my friend on facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO (not Temilolu okeowo girls club).

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  • Girls, just one ungodly sexual intercourse can scuttle your destiny!

    Girls, just one ungodly sexual intercourse can scuttle your destiny!

    Dear Temi, I’m writing to commend you on your inspiring articles. I really do enjoy reading your articles. Indeed you are a woman of virtue. Bravo!

    Victor Imosemi

     

    Dear Temilolu,

    I have gone through some of your articles. They are so nice, keep it up. You are doing a great job. Bravo my sister.

    Prof. O. Okhiai Ekpoma

     

    Dear Aunty Temilolu,

    I am 18 years old, I have a boyfriend and I love him so much and he loves me because he usually does things that make me happy and also advises me when I go off the right path. I don’t want just a mere relationship with him; I want to be his life partner. I was a virgin before I met him. He asked me of sex and I gave it to him because he was not happy when I refused at first. Please what should I do because he’s asking for it again? I don’t want to have sex with him again and I don’t want to lose him. Please I need your advice because I don’t want to lose him or make him unhappy?

    My darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian sisters,

     

    Why would you love any guy above yourself, above your glorious destiny? Why would you please a boy or man to the detriment of your present and your future? If only churches slammed the consequences of ungodly sex in your faces at every single service, the power in the word of God would pierce your hearts and open up your spiritual understanding by fire by force and envelope you with the spirit of God which would make you detest every form of sin. Alas, the crux of the message of most of today’s churches is hinged on prosperity forgetting that we are told to seek first the kingdom of God and have the world at our feet. How can anyone who is heavily yoked with the spirits and bondages of multiple, in fact uncountable, sexual partners make anything meaningful out of life and not go from trouble to trouble? How can one discover one’s life partner, destiny helper and help-mate when he/she is already confused and derailed because of an ungodly soul-tie? How then can such a person enjoy the prosperity nuggets he/she is weekly bombarded with in church if our common enemy – the devil – succeeds in joining him/her with his/her destiny destroyer? This is a very serious matter and one of the reasons for most of today’s divorces and scattered lives of both parents and the children of the failed marriage. Sadly, lives which were designed to be so beautiful become a nightmare, and dreams which had been built for years and reached a dizzying height crash suddenly into smithereens because of someone’s impatience, ungodliness, spiritual dullness etc. I pray this won’t be your portion in Jesus mighty name. AMEN!

    The point is once a life is polluted or contaminated through sexual intercourse with the wrong person, I tell you it only takes the mercy of God for such destiny to re-align with God’s divine agenda. The more reason why you all should have a deep connection with God now coupled with a high spiritual connectivity. I tell you, your destiny would be too hot for the enemy to handle. This is not to say that those living holy lives cannot be tormented by the devil, of course they are major targets but once God comes first in every aspect of your life not caring whose ox is gored, as long as your emotions, motions and entire walk in life are scripture-controlled, even if you’ve been ensnared by the enemy, you will be pleasantly amazed when God arises for you because He’s committed to you!

    At 18, where has my young lady reached in life for her to feel her boyfiend is God’s gift and the best that would come her way? How very naïve and myopic of her! Perhaps she’s not even in the university yet. We meet more and more people every day, and will always get carried away by different personalities. She has a few years to spend in the university where she would meet the good, the bad and the ugly; she is going to observe the NYSC and meet more exciting and interesting guys, yet the world at large is waiting for her – church, work, social functions, I could go on and on! My sweeties, what’s the rush? Do you know just that single act of sex could introduce uncontrollable lust into one’s life and before you are 22 you find out you’ve slept with 30 or more guys? How can you accommodate such rot in your destiny? Because your other friends are engaging in it and seem to be having a ball doesn’t mean you’ll have a ball as well neither will they get away with it. The earlier you realise that we all have different destinies which carry diverse weights spiritually, the better! Abo oro laa so f’omoluwabi…..

     

    • To be continued.

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  • How to fulfill your destiny and get your star to shine (II)

    Dear Temilolu, I read your articles whenever possible and must confess how impressed I am with your writings. Your level of moral conviction is a challenge and encouragement for today’s youth. To think you maintain such a rare outlook to sexuality is phenomenal. Keep up the good work.

    Anonymous

    Dear Aunty Temilolu,  My body hurts! I am “high” and can end up anywhere. I’ve been very dull and bored until I saw a picture of a girl on face book having sex. Then it dawned on me that’s what’s really bothering me. That’s what my body wants right now and I want it so badly. What do you advise please?

    Anonymous

    Your spirituality and your destiny (Contd.)

    My darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian sisters,

    I am ever so glad to be in touch with you again. Two weeks ago I began discussing your spirituality and your destiny. If you are 13 years old and reading, I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart because if you can master these God-given principles, you will never miss the path to your glorious divine placement no matter how hard our common enemy tries to divert you. So many of us come into this world with diverse assignments and as kids/youth possess very tall dreams but, unfortunately, so many of these dreams are scuttled and never come to reality and this is why it is so important for us to have a grip on our spirituality. You must also note that the greater your dreams/all God has designed to make you shine, the greater your battles and obstacles you need to overcome to become exactly what God wants you to be. These challenges/obstacles could be so over-powering and if you refuse to garner enough spiritual stamina in your young age, you may never be able to get to your promised land. You may be so knocked out by life and eventually settle for a complacent life or where the enemy wants you to be. Take it or leave it, you can never be truly happy or comfortable where God has not designed you to be. The more reason why you have to act fast and have an idea of where and what God wants you to be before life shoves you to where it wants you to be.

    Life is so much more than partying, fashion, make-up, hair extensions, instagram, Face book and the like. You’d recall I mentioned two weeks ago that asides our parents, ancestry, circumstances and diverse spiritual forces, even the Face book/social media would determine the outcome of a lot of destinies. How unfortunate! What a waste of life! The young lady above has probably been battling with thoughts of sex all the time and she goes into her face book and sees the picture of someone engaging in sex and that just sets the fire of lust in her. I bet if she saw a guy who caught her fancy that day, she would have engaged in sex and who knows what that single sexual intercourse could have done to her destiny out of a foolish lust that she had the power to tame. The funny thing is that all the satisfaction she probably needed then might not have lasted more than 3-5 minutes and within those few minutes, she could have gotten herself/destiny into a mess of a life time and many years of unending struggle and trouble. Girls, please, believe me, I am not exaggerating, there’s so much about this beautiful life we were graciously given by God which the devil our common enemy would fight at all cost and stop from manifesting by diverting destinies when they least expect and that is why we MUST be spiritually sensitive at a young age. If you are not filled with the spirit of God it’s hard for you not to fall into the trap of the devil. If the young lady above was filled with the spirit of God, she would have been able to tame what was tormenting her flesh and tempting her to engage in sexual intercourse. The spirit of the world is in contention with God’s Spirit which is what we need to navigate our way to our divine destiny/location in life. The good thing is that we all have the power to tame our flesh and put it under control. Until we do that, we cannot be master over our destinies.

    Sadly, the world today is too full of distractions and a lot of your parents are so caught up with their daily challenges that they may never be able to discover the goldmine under their roof until it is too late to be harnessed. May God open your eyes and illuminate your minds in Jesus mighty name! Amen!

    To be continued

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  • Kwara: Two men, shared destiny

    Last week, a long-time friend with whom I operated closely as chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos State Council, visited me in Ilorin. It was a great reunion which afforded us an opportunity to catch up on the past given the fact that this golden comrade has been out of Nigeria for a long time. Thus, we reviewed politics, policies, elections and sports. Almost everything that caught our fancy, but more importantly those things we consider dear to our commitments.

    Expectedly, one of the topics that featured prominently in the just two days my London-based friend spent with me was the Saraki factor in Nigeria and Kwara politics. “The man is seen as an oppressor. People say he’s arrogant, too rigid, never smiling, never mixing with the people he calls his followers”, my friend cried out as if that was his mission for the visit. He concluded with the big question “why?”

    But I was not surprised with this kind of jaundiced and skewed perception about the Senate President. I have had to contend with such insinuations, even as the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos State Council. They are contemptuous biases against perceived northern hegemony by elements outside the zone. Way back in 1992, a friend in Lagos had once queried why the late Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki was still in politics. “The same reasons why Chief Obafemi Awolowo died in politics,” I answered him simplicita. They both had the mission to work for a better country.

    So, today, I’m not rattled that similar questions are being asked about his son.  “That’s the impression some people want others to have about Saraki. If you accuse him of being an oppressor, the question is, in what ways? Is it by assisting and supporting people who ordinarily would never have thought of being where today are because of their background of being children of the less privileged?

    In the political system of South-west today, is it possible to remove the Awolowo factor? How was Awo able to dominate the politics of the region despite the various opposition antics? Was it not because he met the needs of the people through policies and programmes? The opposition saw his hold on the region as oppressive too, but his people knew he was a God-sent.”

    “Look, take it or leave,” I continued, “Asiwaju Tinubu remains a credible rallying point for the South-west progressive political elites. He represents the voice of major of the voiceless. His generosity and care for the downtrodden endear him to the majority of the people. His knowledge of humanity which made him identify the enormous potentials in an Osinbajo, a Fashola, an Ambode, a Lai Muhammed and a host of other gifted politicians, is awesome. Those who distanced themselves from him may continue to vilify him, but those who have shared strategic sessions with him know his love for his people.

    “The same with Saraki and Kwara. His opponents would continue to cry and give him all sorts of names, but the people on ground, who daily, in one way or the other, are exposed to his impacts will continue to queue behind him, come rain, come sun. That’s the truth.” I said. A number of professionals, technocrats, academia, artisans, including the men on the street have found their ways to the heights of their competences through his benevolence.

    I asked my friend to let’s visit some communities in Kwara Central senatorial district where Saraki’s constituency projects are ongoing. How many of his ilk are doing that? What of his current empowerment programme? How many of those who accuse him of oppression are doing one tenth of that? It is easier to tag someone like Saraki as an oppressor because that simply gives his opposition something to latch on.

    At the accusation that he frowns all the time, I smiled and asked him if a man should laugh just for him to be seen as so doing. Again, come to think of it – those who make such pedestrian allegation, how many times have they had personal contacts with him? And let’s even assume this to be true without conceding, is it by smiling that you help your people? Those who claim to have the capacity to laugh and hug the masses, how many have they lifted up in life? Why is it that the masses keep flocking to the house of a man “without a smile”? Why do they snide at the men with smiles plastered on their faces and inviting them to come? Could it be that these poor masses can detect the difference between a genuine smile and a cosmetic one? Why do these so called “smilers” run away with their smiles at the end of every election in the state, because I am sure that allegation is coming from their quarter?

    I told my friend to discard that allegation.

    And then he landed on my boss, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. Why is he not in charge of Kwara State, he asked.

    “Who told you the governor is not in charge here?” I asked. “Of course, to the opposition, he’s not in charge because he pledges allegiance to his political leader. He’s not in control because they expected him to steer political crises in the state; of course, that’s where political jobbers eke out their living. Governor Ahmed is not in charge because he’s desirous of leaving a positive footstep in the political and economic history of the state. He’s well focused on what he needs to do within the privileged time he has to be at the helms of affairs in the state,” I told Idrees, my friend.

    “The truth is,” I continued, “only a God-fearing mam, conscious of posterity, will behave the way of Governor Ahmed. There are very few of such men around. Most are pretentious and deceitful. They dress in borrowed ropes to get want they wanted and become their true self, traitors. Go and inquire from his cabinet members and aides and get to know the truth instead of accepting mere speculations. Governor Ahmed is fully in charge of the administration of the state,” I emphasised.

    The truth many are not willing to accept in our evolving democracy is that leadership would keep emerging and allegiance would keep evolving.  It is all part of politics. We should not see loyalty as a negative quality but rather as a virtue. Personally, for instance, I’m not very comfortable with what some APC leaders in the South-west are doing in this regard. No matter the offence or misunderstanding, virtue does not teach us to throw mud at our destiny helpers. Saraki is a destiny helper for Ahmed and none of the Holy Books teaches us to treat such men with disdain just because we are in a position of honour today. Dr Ahmed is a study in humility, resourcefulness and loyalty. Dr Ahmed initiates and implements policies and programmes of his administration and fully takes responsibility for the results.

    In any case, the truth that I know is that Saraki is too busy in Abuja than dictate to Ilorin. Governor Ahmed is too loyal to his conscience than block lines of communication between him and Saraki or deny his leadership. The earlier some people realise and accept this, the better.

    As both celebrate their birthdays this month, please, accept my warmest regards and that of my family.

    • Oba is Chief Pres Secretary to Governor Ahmed.
  • Ogunwusi: Fulfilment of destiny

    Ogunwusi: Fulfilment of destiny

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, is at the threshold of history. At 40, the accomplished entrepreneur is poised to heed the call for higher service beyond his calling as a real estate entrepreneur and vocation as a chartered accountant. After completing the prescribed rites, the noveau-rich businessman has become the ‘Father of all Yoruba’ and the custodian of the esoteric Ile-Ife tradition. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI profiles the new monarch.

    THE emergence of 40-year old Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi of the Giesi ruling house as  Ooni of Ile-Ife, was received with great excitement in Ile-Ife, Osun State and elsewhere in the Southwest. In Ile-Ife, the centuries-old city regarded as the spiritual home of the Yorubas, residents celebrated the appointment with a lot of fanfare. Within hours of the announcement, the news went viral in the social media; with a lot of people commenting on the new king’s youthfulness and good looks.

    According to a source, nine state governors, dozens of religious and social leaders from across the country called him within the first few days, to congratulate him on emergence as the 51st monarch of the ancient kingdom. When he returned to the kingdom to begin the 21-day traditional religious rites that usually precede the coronation of an Ooni, the people of Ile-Ife turned out in hundreds of thousands to receive him.

    Selection based on tradition

     Selecting the Ooni is done according to tradition. The race is open to all qualified candidates for the stool from the ruling house expected to produce the next Ooni. Based on the criteria or qualifications agreed on by the elders and kingmakers, the list will be screened and pruned down to a certain number before the oracle is consulted to pick who becomes the monarch.

    Oba Ogunwusi was selected from 36 candidates presented by the Giesi ruling house for the exalted stool. Before his appointment, the last descendant of the Giesi ruling house that occupied the position was Ooni Derin Ologbenla who reigned was between 1880 and 1894.

    Though the new Ooni’s looks and youthfulness attracted a lot of attention, his emergence does not represent a generational shift in leadership. It may appear so when one considers that he is coming after the reign of Oba Sijuwade, the Olubuse II, who ascended the throne at 50 and joined his ancestors at the ripe age of 85; after sitting on the throne for 35 years. As a result, people had become too used to the old man occupying the exalted throne for decades.

    But, Oba Sijuwade’s predecessor, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, occupied the throne of his fathers’ at 41. Incidentally, Oba Aderemi, who was born on November 15, 1889, was the first literate Ooni. He also has the distinction of being the longest reigning Ife monarch; he ruled for 50 years. At 40, he is no doubt one of the youngest Oonis to have ascended the throne in recent times, but that is not enough to say that his emergence represents a generational shift.

    Indeed, an observer, Mr. Chukwuemeke Okonye, cannot understand the fuss being made over the age of the new monarch. As far as he is concerned, it is only in Nigeria that a 40-year old man is considered too young for any position. He adds nevertheless: “It is a wise choice and may Kabiesi live long. It takes this calibre of man to bring some reform into our monarchy system. I will not be surprise if he keeps only a wife as against your notion that his ascent to the throne is a ticket to polygamy.”

    A blessing to Ife people

     The new monarch is a property magnate. A graduate of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, he is a certified member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), as well as that of the Institute of Management. Upon his graduation, he grew rapidly in business, becoming a successful real estate merchant. A multimillionaire businessman, he has been involved in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts locally and abroad for over 12 years. The new monarch is the Managing Director of Howard Roark Gardens Limited, which is undertaking multi-million naira Jacob Mews Estate project in Yaba and the Lakeview Real Estate Development in Lekki, both in Lagos.

    Oba Ogunwusi was born into the family of John Oluropo Ogunwusi, from the famous Ojaja lineage of the Giesi ruling house of the Agbedegbede Quarters in Ile-Ife, 40 years ago. His mother, Margaret Wuraola Ogunwusi, was born into the family of Soji-Opa, a prominent Cocoa merchant in Ile-Ife. His father was a radio presenter.

    While reacting to his son’s emergence as Ooni, Pa Ogunwusi said he had the premonition that his son Enitan would become the Ooni one day. He said: “To God be the glory. God has sent him on a message. He will give him the grace to do the job well. The Glory of God has been upon him right from childhood with the hope that his fame will be heard about in the whole world and that has happened today and he is going to be a blessing to Ife people.”

    A prominent leader from the Giesi Ruling House and former Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Youth and Special Needs, Mr. Biyi Odunlade, said Ogunwusi’s emergence as the new Ooni was not by chance, but by merit and popular vote by the kingmakers and the divine approval of the Ifa Oracle. He assured that based on his amiable character, integrity, humility and passion for the culture, tradition and development of Ife, his emergence would bring more peace, progress and unity to not only Ife people but also the entire Yoruba race.

    Emergence not without controversy 

     Ogunwusi’s emergence was not without controversy. Since the death of Oba Okunade Sijuwade on July 28, there had been tension and controversy in the race for a successor, a development which divided the four ruling houses, following the kingmakers’ endorsement of the Giesi Ruling House based on the 1980 Ife Chieftaincy Declaration. There are four ruling houses in Ile-Ife – Lafogido, Giesi, Ogboru, and Oshikola. Oba Sijuwade, who reigned between 1980 and 2015, is of the Ogboru royal lineage.

    Although it appeared settled that the Giesi house would produce the next Ooni, being next to the Ogboru ruling house in the succession order established by government declaration on the Ooni chieftaincy title of 1977, the Ogboru and Lafogido ruling houses challenged the decision of the kingmakers to restrict the search to the Giesi ruling house. The Ogboru family contended that the Giesi ruling lineage should blame itself for conceding its turn to produce an Ooni to the late Oba Sijuwade, saying the concession to the late king was to him as an individual and not to the Ogboru clan as a whole.

    Two members of the Lafogido Ruling House also sued Governor Aregbesola, the Obalufe of Ile-Ife, the late Oba Solomon Omisakin and Lowa of Ife, Joseph Ijaodola at an Osun State High Court over the decision to allow only the Giesi Ruling House present candidates for the stool. They asked the court to nullify the 1980 Ife Chieftaincy Declaration, saying it was “lopsided, unjust, unconstitutional and unfair.” But, the Osun State High Court, presided over by Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo dismissed the suit challenging the competence of the chieftaincy declaration.

     On the threshold of history

     Today, Oba Ogunwusi is at the threshold of history. At 40, the accomplished entrepreneur is poised to heed the call for higher service beyond his calling as a real estate entrepreneur and vocation as a chartered accountant. Observers say by the time of his coronation, he would have become the custodian of the tradition of Ile-Ife, the spiritual home of all Yorubas. This is because on completion of prescribed rites, the noveau-rich businessman would be transmuted to become the ‘Father of all Yoruba’ and the custodian of the esoteric Ile-Ife tradition, where about 401 deities are reportedly worshipped all year round.

    After this coronation, the ebullient Ogunwusi who had developed the knack of building something from nothing in the field of real estate will be sentenced by tradition to a sedentary, conservative and pristine life. From time immemorial, the tradition is that the new Ooni must embrace what the throne of his forefathers stands for before he would be allowed to sit on it.

    The new monarch also has the responsibility of taking Ile-Ife to the next level socio-economically. The ancient town has one of the largest land mass in the Southwest, with abundant natural resources. He is equally expected to work towards fostering peace and harmony not only among the residents of the town, but also with neighbouring towns like Modakeke.

    But, the new monarch is undaunted by the above challenges. His words: “Many might argue that the tasks before me are incredibly monumental and impossible. However, I do not get easily swayed by the idea of impossibilities. In every challenging situation, what I see is a speck of possibility which I build on till the task at hand is completed. I have done this time over time and I have defied the rules of men to follow my gut instincts. I had excelled where people had predicted failure and I derived the most joy where others had said emphatically that it is not possible.”

    Pledges to modernize Ile-Ife

     In his acceptance speech, the new monarch promised to modernize Ile-Ife. He said: “Coming to the throne is a clarion call to heed my selfless desire to serve the people of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba race and all of humanity. We will use the stool to provide a lot of opportunities to invest in the youths through mentor-ship and empowerment programmes that will further take thousands off the streets on a gradual basis. Youths all over the country will be eligible for the mentor-ship programme and Ife will be the pilot model.

    “We will use the stool to transpose Ile-Ife into the 21st century and with the use and influence of social media we are ‘set’ for his transformation. Sons and daughters of Ife and Ife enthusiasts around the world will have an input in the building of the New Ife City, ‘NIC’ through constructive feedback. ‘Socially’, we are ‘set’ to revive and promote Ile-Ife as a tourist destination.

    “Economically we are ‘set’ to increase our industrial footprints to give Ife the much desired facelift and ‘Traditionally’ we are ‘set’ to redefine the kingship system by blending modernity into our cultural values and practices and our tradition of thousands of years will stand. Plans are well under-way to revitalize Ife in the areas of Sports, Mining, Agriculture, Real Estate, Tourism and rapid industrialisation. To achieve this transformation, a brand new platform named ‘House Of Oduduwa Resources Limited’ has been established to stimulate the entire economy of Ile-Ife with a positive impact on the entire Yoruba race and our nation as a whole. ‘House Of Oduduwa Resources Limited’ will be tasked with rebuilding Ife into the ‘New Ife city’, NIC.”

    Authority of traditional rulers waning

    It is, however, pertinent to state that traditional rulers occupy a ceremonial position in Nigeria today. The powers and authority of the Ooni of the days of yore, for instance, were enormous. Today, he is under the authority of the Osun State Government. Like other traditional rulers, he is paid salaries and allowances from the public purse.

    Nevertheless, they have not lost any of their pomp and grandeur. They hold court in their palaces daily, settling matrimonial issues, land matters, minor chieftaincy disputes and other not-too-serious matters among their people. They award chieftaincy titles — though at times these are given on inducement, meaning such honorary titles perhaps do not garner the respect they once did.

     

  • ‘I’M DEFINITELY A CHILD OF DESTINY’

    ‘I’M DEFINITELY A CHILD OF DESTINY’

    They say count your blessings one by one and see what God has done for you.
    That seemed to be the song on the lips of Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, President of Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), on a quiet evening as we sat for a rendezvous at the expansive lobby of Sheraton Miramar Hotel in Vina Del Mar, Chile.
    By the way, Sheraton Miramar is an architectural masterpiece that is reportedly built on an outcropping of bedrock and nestled on the beach. Its relaxing ambiance brings you face-to-face with the awesomeness of creation; and fresh air cascades through the space and what a perfect place for Pinnick to finally let down his guard in an exclusive interview with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    Of course, I’m a destiny child,” said Pinnick, barely 24 hours before he raised aloft the  FIFA Under-17 World Cup trophy after the Golden Eaglets wrought a record fifth title following a 2-0 win over Mali at the Estadio Sausalito on November 8.”A destiny child is a destiny child, and I’m a destiny child because of so many things that have happened to me.”

    Born in 1971 into the large family of the late Chief Oritsetimeyin Japheth Pinnick, the immediate past chairman of Delta State Football Association is the fifteenth child in a family of nineteen children and the last child of his mother-Madam Rebecca Ayomike.

    “I’m alive today by the special grace of God,” Pinnick said about his close-shave with death. “Years back, I was involved in a near-fatal domestic accident and I was also involved in a robbery attack with my vehicle bullet-ridden; but to the glory of God, I survived.

    “Every day, I give glory to God for all what he has given to me; I have a wonderful family that has always been the focus of my attention.

    “I have a wonderful wife; a beautiful woman that has been a pillar behind me and I have four adorable children. Not many know we recently added another one to make it four.

    “Of course, you can also say I’m a destiny child because I was actually looking at the NFF as a long term project but here we are today, all due to the glory of God,” Pinnick stated as we rounded off a lively session which focused mostly on life as NFF President as well as the erroneous perception of his personality by some. Excerpts.

     

    Challenges facing NFF

    It has not been that easy because I came into office during a turbulent period in the history of Nigerian football. Even after we came into office, there were alleged issues and litigation regarding my election; and not until recently (about four months ago) that some of those issues were resolved. The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has affirmed my leadership. But by and large, we have been working and our mission is to put in place sustainable football culture which has long been missing in our set up. Part of the things we have done was the training and retraining of our referees; training of our technical people and some former players in the aspect of reading and analysing matches.

    Generally, there has been improvement in the standard of the league all due to the huge investment we made in the training of our referees which we would hopefully do again at the end of the season. We are taking the issue of refereeing seriously and anyone that is not up to the standard we are looking for would be blacklisted. Apart from the league, Nigerian referees are now being sought after on the continent. I can’t remember the last time a Nigerian referee was at the African Cup of Nations as one of the officials; this is part of the gains from the training of the referees. It paid off because we now have our referees at all levels of CAF competitions and we even had some at the Beach Soccer World Cup. We have so many other things we are looking at; we have already done the match analysis training which would improve the standard of coaching. Our new approach and focus is to use technology as much as we can in harnessing the development of the game in the country.

    Another practical step is securing sponsorship for our twin development programme; the Under-13 and 15, which will start very soon. This is a programme that would start across the states to each geo-political in order for us to pick and tap players from the grass roots. I believe the players to be chosen for the Under-15 would be the bedrock for the next national U-17 team.

    Coach Emmanuel Amuneke will be retained as the U-17 coach and he will be a member of the technical study group (TSG) that would scout for these players. We will create competitions for these players so that they can become better as they progress from one level to the other.  The ones who are also spotted but can’t make it to the national level will be encouraged to go to Nationwide League clubs as part of their growing process.

     One year in office

    We are just one year in office and under one year we are going to win everything. Can anyone tell me the last time England won any major championship despite the fact that they have the richest football culture in the world? Even some of other proud footballing countries like Holland… people should not put us undue pressure. Rather, they should appreciate the fact that we are creating a sustainable football culture that would in due course make Nigeria to be ranked at least the first 20 best ranked football countries in the world. We need to be given some credit for what we have been able to do under a short spell; we have been able to get top grade matches for the Super Eagles at every available FIFA free days and other national teams have well been taken care of despite our difficult situation. We are not going to be distracted from our set objectives as we are doing the best to build on the successes recorded by the previous regime because football administration is a continuous process. Success is not a one-day, one-year and not even four-year thing but a systematic planning for continuous success and this is one thing I had known since my days in Delta State.

    Football administration is not about magic but it is only in Nigeria that people expect magic and want you to perform miracle to achieve success.  How many people have sat down to look at how the NFF is being funded?  We have 11 national teams and all of them need immediate attention but how many care about how to support us so that we can be successful on all fronts? What we need from Nigerians is encouragement and their goodwill all the time.

    Football and economy

    Nigeria is one of the biggest brands in the world and we must make it work, though the economy is relatively low now. This invariably impacts on football since most companies that would have assisted us do not have good balance sheet. We have a target; the board and my two vice-presidents have been very supportive in this regard and they believe in my leadership. That is the more reason you can see that there is a bond between us since we see ourselves as family members; and I’m really excited about that.

    Super Eagles and sponsorships

    We write to keep things under wrap until we are ready to come out with sponsorship announcement. For instance, there is a package in the Nike contract that would give us some financial cushion when any of our teams wins a major tournament. In the last four or five years or so, Nigeria is one of the most successful teams in Africa, yet Adidas walked away.  In fact, Adidas people didn’t want to even see me and I wonder what the problem was really. Puma told me point blank that ‘they were ready to sell their jerseys and equipment to us at discounted rate; of which I told the chairman of Puma that was an insult. We eventually got Nike and they were really excited with the performance of the Golden Eaglets at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. As you know, there is a rivalry between all these big brands and Nike was happy that the Golden Eaglets made them the number one brand at the U-17 World Cup.

    Between Nigeria’s national teams and Arsenal

    How will you say something like that…that most people feel I’m much more passionate about Arsenal than Nigeria’s national teams?  Morakinyo, I’m not sure people are saying something like this. I can’t tell you that I don’t support Arsenal; in fact, I support them proudly but it doesn’t disturb my passion for Nigerian football.  My take in all of this is that I cherish people who support football in the best way they can irrespective of where the football is. When Alhaji Aliko Dangote said he wanted to buy Arsenal, how many Nigerians said he should go and buy Kano Pillars or Rangers of Enugu?

    Before I became the NFF President, I have been a season ticket holder at Arsenal for the past six years and everybody close to me knows my passionate love for Arsenal.  My love for Arsenal has been very long and long before the arrival of Nwankwo Kanu at the club since the days of late David Rocastle, Iain Wight, David O’Leary. Kanu’s arrival at the club in the 1990s was an icing on the cake for me.  At some point, people were calling them ‘boring Arsenal’, but Coach Arsene Wenger changed all of that when he arrived at the club. You enjoy watching football by watching Arsenal. It is always a pleasure watching them and that is one of the reasons I’m so in love with Arsenal. But I can never relegate any of our national teams for the sake of Arsenal.  Recently, when Arsenal was involved in a crucial game, I was in Ibadan to watch a Nigerian Premier League match between Shooting Stars and Rangers. I know what it takes to be the president of Nigeria Football Federation and I’m not going to negotiate that with Arsenal. Being NFF president doesn’t stop me from supporting Arsenal but I will, and I can, never relegate any of our national teams. It is not everything you do, you must explain.

    My adorable family

    I have a beautiful wife and four children that need my attention all the time but they also know that I’m here on service. I have a thriving business and I’m into the marine business. My presence could have added more to the business but being out here would affect the business no matter how little, because every thriving business needs the input of the owner. This is the kind of sacrifices so many of us are making in the service for football because of the love I have for Nigeria. Everybody knows how passionate I’m about Nigeria; and I’m one person who has a passion to succeed in whatever I’m doing. People should just encourage us and give us a pat on the back and criticise us objectively when it is needed. But some criticisms are in bad light and it makes me think if I really needed the job. Yes, I know being the NFF President is a hot seat but then some criticisms are just off the course. We haven’t said we don’t want to be criticised, but criticisms should be objective and instructive but not destructive. Criticisms should be advisory and not alienate …do they know the kind of damage they inflict when they say ‘the NFF is corrupt?’ Certainly, God has blessed me beyond my imaginations right from my humble beginning and everyone knows I’m not here because of the money I want to make. But the moment you say an institution is corrupt, no responsible company wants to do business with such an establishment. So how do we want to be funded; waiting for government?

    Government has other competitive challenges and we can get much support from companies but the companies can hardly do anything if the story they keep reading or hearing is that of a corrupt institution. Rather than spoiling the collateral value of the institution, people should come forward and engage us in productive discussion in order to move Nigerian football forward. It is as a result of this that we brought Pricewater House which is very strong in terms of probity and integrity to come and work with us at the NFF. Everything we are doing is a gradual process and step by step, we shall get to the Promised Land

     How I made money

    I understand that people wrote a petition and all they wanted to know is how I made money. Right from my undergraduate days at the University of Benin, I used to organise the best and the biggest shows on the campus. The first musician I brought to UNIBEN was Sir Shina Peters and that was 25 years ago in 1990; and we spent N25,000 and after the show, we made N96,000. Shina Peters gave me N5,000 and I still have a copy of that cheque till tomorrow…I saved the money. We also brought Fela and others. I don’t want to go into all these. I have a tough beginning though I didn’t come from a poor background with due respect. My dad was appreciably okay though he passed on when I was 12; my mum took over the leadership of the house and by the grace of God we are okay today.  The truth is that, it’s not everybody that must like you but we have tried not to be distracted; and remain focus at placing Nigeria on the pedestal it’s supposed to be.

    Arrogance! What arrogance?

    I’m not an arrogant person but it is unfortunate when people who don’t even know me think that way. But that is a wrong perception about me. Take for instance, you have seen how the DGS, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, and I have been relating here because we even address ourselves on first name basis, but I’ve known Dr. Ikpeme for a very long time and we both have mutual respect for one another. I respect people; I’m a very simple person because I was brought up with the fear of God. My countenance does not depict the kind of person I’m inside. You can ask members of my board and they will tell you I’m a radically different person from the erroneous perception of people who are not close to me. I’m down to earth; I play with people and keep my traditional friends; make new friends because no man is an island unto himself. I’m confident about myself and maybe that is what some people call arrogance. But I’m appreciative of Nigerians and I have received commendations from a lot of people. I went to a gas station in Lagos and I was shocked when a man walked to me and said “I really like your leadership style and please let me pay for your fuel.” That was in Falomo in Lagos…so being a Pinnick as President of the NFF is something but I still relate with people.

    My style

    Everybody close to me knows I like good things; and love to look simple and good as well. This life is brief and you must enjoy it as much as you can, but bring Godliness to bear at every point in time. I just look for what is trendy and go for it. I love Tom Ford, if that is the kind of thing you are talking about. I like made-to-order suits and it takes about three months to make suits for me. I have other local designers too, but, basically, I just love looking good all the time.

    Last word on Emmanuel Amuneke

    I think there is no single word to describe Amuneke based on the kind of work and the manner he went about it with the Golden Eaglets.  He is somebody who is cool, calm and calculative; he is focused and he knows exactly what he wants.  I believe he still has so much to offer Nigeria especially at the cadet level. Look at what he has been able to do within a short while which is very remarkable because he did it with no noise. His demeanour is calm which was attested to by everybody, even the people in FIFA. I don’t have a particular name to call him, rather I think he’s somebody Nigeria needs at this point in time.

  • Buhari is a man of destiny, says Waziri

    Buhari is a man of destiny, says Waziri

    •Ex-EFCC boss urges support for President

    Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as a man of destiny who deserves to be supported by all Nigerians.

    Waziri, now into private law practice, spoke yesterday at Uga-Mbagwa, Ushongo local government area of Benue State, while fielding questions from journalists after the commissioning of her community’s worship centre.

    “I believe in President Buhari because he is believable and he has remained constant like the morning star since I know him.

    “Beyond that, I’m sure that he is a man of destiny, a resolute, sincere and committed leader who says what he means and does what he preaches,” she said.

    Waziri added: “In the history of Nigeria, he is today the only leader who has contested the presidential election for four consecutive times and made history by defeating a sitting president.

    “Remember he almost paid the ultimate price when his convoy was targeted in Kaduna before the election. Some other persons would have chickened out and even fled the country but he remained resolute and committed to the course he believed in.

    “That I can tell you is the kind of gut the nation needs at this critical time especially to fight corruption, which is one of our greatest challenges today.”

    When asked why she was not visible during and after the recent general elections, Waziri said she had been out of the country attending to some pressing issues.

    She said the time has come for Nigerians to come together and salvage the country irrespective of their differences.