The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria newspaper

  • Onitiri asks FG to declare herdsmen terrorists group

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been charged to declare the dare-devil, trigger-happy herdsmen terrorists group forthwith.

    This is because the herders’ activities are becoming too dangerous and unbearable to the people of Nigeria.

    Read also: Suspected herdsmen kill four farmers in Benue community

    According to a statement PDP Lagos Central Senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the just concluded election, said the Federal Government should do the needful and declare total and decisive action against herdsmen before they kill everybody.

    According to Onitiri, herders are now more daring and dangerous than the most dreaded Boko Haram ravaging the North-East because they are now found all over the country attacking anybody in sight.

    Onitiri noted that the herdsmen have killed more people than the Boko Haram within the past one year.

  • Wanted: Woman Sports minister

    I’ve seen it all with the appointment of sports ministers in Nigeria. Sadly, each succeeding minister has been worse than his predecessor. No woman has been appointed sports minister; why not a woman because the men haven’t shown enough leadership qualities? They have fallen the way of others. They have been misled by influence-peddlers in the industry, most of whom have lost out in elections into various federations. Nothing improves until they are eased out.

    Most ministers vow that they won’t be football ministers, but they end up being soccer ministers, with many meddling in the activities of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). They hide under the cloak of the NFF accounting for what it got to stoke a crisis, which embarrasses the country. What these football ministers forget is that there are mechanisms to ensure accountability for funds. These former ministers create divides in the NFF, threatens to punish Nigeria and a crisis is born. Accountability? Fine, but aren’t there bodies given the responsibility to probe corruption?

    Every former minister drags NFF to EFCC or ICPC, but won’t allow the agencies’ investigators to do their jobs. Every minister either visits FIFA’s headquarters or attempts a futile tour to report the NFF as if other sports federations don’t make infractions. Every sports minister has constituted a panel to recommend to the government what to do with our football to compete with the best. Why always football? All transactions are done in foreign currencies. It doesn’t matter if the minister condescends to the level of paying sportsmen and women their allowances under the guise that the cash would be misappropriated.

    Every minister hops onto the plane to watch all our matches with a retinue of friends and government officials, yet they talk about accountability. Who pays for these busybodies? Of course, the NFF under government delegations. Panels constituted by these ministers don’t reflect these expenditures in their reports. How can they when most of them were part of waste as friends of the ministers.

    These panels submit the same recommendations, chiefly – Nigeria should stay out of football for two years for proper restructuring. No surprises when almost the same people are chosen or their lackeys.

    The latest one recommended that Nigeria should pull out of international competitions for two years, in a year where Nigeria is expected to participate at the Africa Cup of Nations in Abuja, slated for June 21 to July 19. The Super Falcons are to participate in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in June, the Flying Eagles will be at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland and the country’s U-23 side, Olympic Eagles, will defend their title at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in November for a qualification ticket to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Nigeria finished with a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It was the country’s only medal at the Olympics, in spite of the minister’s disparaging statement about the team –  he later apologised. Nigeria won the gold medal in 1996, silver in 2008 and a bronze in 2014, one of the few countries with such records at the Olympics’ soccer event. One isn’t surprised that former football chieftains who held positions at CAF and FIFA keep suggesting a break simply because it will stop those who replaced them from functioning. Do these ‘ban’ advocates not know that these players earn a living playing football? Today, Nigeria is the 42nd best football nation in the world, moving four places upwards on the chart just as the Super Falcons are the world’s 38th best; Africa’s best. These feats tell the story of Nigerians distinguishing themselves in Europe, Americas and the Diaspora. Yet, some people whose kids don’t do sports are pushing for a break of two years.

    Can there be NFF officials without the players and coaches playing the game? Are they not aware that Nigeria is bigger than anyone else? Can they not see what playing soccer has done to our boys and girls, who until their emergence as stars, couldn’t make the simple trip from their villages to Lagos, not to talk of travelling overseas? Do they not know how the money these boys and girls make have changed the fortunes of their families, friends, relations etc? Do they not know that these boys and girls could play for other countries if FIFA imposes a long ban on Nigeria?

    Surprisingly, this  latest panel has three former NFF chairmen and people who have acted in various capacities, including fighting to stay in the federations. Some of these chairmen were victims of former ministers’ suffocating interest in the federation’s activities. That they appended their signatures to such a document suggesting that Nigeria pulls out of football activities for two years underscores the recurrent problems at the Glasshouse.

    Most of the ministers start by organising seminars where serial orators in sports mount the podium to sermonise and pontificate on the industry’s problems, as if the models they authored in the past didn’t worsen the situation. After such showboating presentations, the minister embarks on fruitless visits to dilapidated sports centres, such as the National Stadium Lagos, National Stadium Abuja, Liberty Stadium Ibadan etc where many of them literarily cry like hungry kids.

    Every former minister promised to improve on the state of the National Stadium, Lagos. Yet, the facility is derelict, raising posers over how the Ministry of Sports spends the money earmarked for infrastructural repair. Sports City Surulere is Sodom and Gomorrah, where the unthinkable happens, depending on when you visit the place. It hurts to note that the only things that remind anyone of the once famous sports centre is the convergence of alcoholics in all the joints and attendant obscene things that follow.

    When these ministers leave such centres, work starts on the repairs of the swimming pools, which take another two to three years to complete only to return to its disused condition before the minister leaves. At such venues of lamentation over the rotten complexes, ministers suddenly remember the hosting of the National Sports Festival. They ignite another controversy of the hosting of the festival beginning with which state gets the hosting rights, which again dovetail into another round of politics about the number of events to be held.

    In fact, the National Sports Festival at the country’s best sports arena, usually hosted by the government, is the only competition the Sports Ministry should organise. They have shirked this responsibility to governors. The festival is no longer a biannual event. The minister covered the ministry’s shame by hosting the festival inside the shameful Abuja National Stadium. It didn’t matter if the athletes ran on torn tartan tracks. Nobody bothered to ask why the football event didn’t hold in the stadium. A festival without its burning flame lit by a renowned Nigerian sportsman or woman is a glorified secondary school inter-house sports.

    The symbolism of the lighting of the festival torch at the opening ceremony, coupled with the razzmatazz of the torch’s flame being extinguished at the closing event, is legendary. This event terminates with the handing over of the games’ flag to the next host. One wonders what our ministers see when they attend multi-sports competitions, such as the Olympic Games, after which the festival is modelled.

    Surprisingly, we find ourselves in the same chaotic setting when a new administration is to be inaugurated. Rustic facilities around the country and the refusal of the corporate world to identify with sports, largely because the ministers label the federations’ members as thieves because they didn’t do their biddings.

    I’m not a chauvinist, hence I’m inclined towards suggesting a woman as the next sports minister, with no one in mind. We have tried people knowledgeable in sports; they failed. One of such ministers with rich sports pedigree suggested that black people don’t win medals in swimming. He argued that swimming isn’t a sport meant for black people. Is anyone surprised that all the swimming pools in the stadia owned by the government are habitats for rodents and dangerous animals. Several others, including those who were former NFA chairmen, didn’t push the NFF Bill at the National Assembly.

    Let’s not talk about those ministers appointed without any background in sports or its administration. They take us back to the stone age with their myopic approach to issues. They are hijacked and led by the nose to the detriment of the industry. One of them wrote a recommendation to President Muhammadu Buhari, that Nigeria participating in the Senior World Cup was a huge waste because we were not going to win the trophy. He argued that it was only a platform for people to make money. This minister forgot that Nigeria got close to $12 million just for qualifying for the Mundial and preparing for it. Won’t it shock you to learn that he was at the Mundial with a government entourage. Is this how to save funds, dear minister?

    Most of our ministers have brought us shame with stories of Nigerian sports contingents sometimes being walked over in competitions due to lack of funds; other times due to denial of visas. Even the few sports federations which attend competitions do so due to patronage from sports-friendly governors, who incidentally are governors where the federations’ chairmen come from.

    Is it that government doesn’t provide funds for such events, especially where we are defending champions? After all, when we excel, ministers easily ascribe the feats to the government, rushing to the Villa to present the victorious squads to the President. The governors who hosted the events or bankrolled the trips hardly get mentioned. A few brave federation chairmen mention the governors and other sponsors, if they are allowed to speak.

    As for me, I’m done with all that pretence. I vote for a woman sports minister.

  • Rio set to drop new single

    FOLLOWING a brief hiatus from the music scene, during which time he honed his skill as a businessman, budding Nigerian singer, Rapheal Oshionebo, who goes by the stage name, Rio, is set to drop a new single.

    Rio, who started out his music career on the platform of music house, SS Sounds, revealed that his return to the music scene will herald the best of sounds.

    According to Rio, he will be dropping a couple of singles in the coming weeks but would like to keep their titles under wraps so as to keep his fans guessing.

    “I’ve been in the music business for quite a while, although somewhere along the line, I delved into the real estate business,” he said.

    “But music is where my heart is, that is why, no matter where I go or what I do, I will always return to my first love.”

    He describes his genre of music that inspires him and brings out the best of his musical ability as Afrobeat, Hip Hop, R&B and Reggae. The young artiste also acknowledges the likes of Fela, Wizkid and Tuface as those that have largely influenced him musically over the years.

    Rio, who was born on October 25, 1989 in Uromi, Edo State where he attended primary and secondary school but moving to study Microbiology at the University of Abuja. He is however, currently based in Lagos.

    His songs include ‘Bad Biznis’, ‘Nawti Girl’, ‘Man Of The Year’, ‘Coke Bottles’, ‘On Ma Grind’, ‘Poroporaparapa’, ‘Naija Girls’, ‘Malope’ and others.

  • Classy, single mamas in showbiz

    IT’S no secret that Tonto Dikeh, Genevieve Nnaji, Kate Henshaw, Waje, Iyabo Ojo, Mercy Aigbe, Fathia Williams, Tiwa Savage, Shan Goerge, Ibinabo Fiberesima and Bukky Wright are single parents.

    Some of these women in showbiz,who are putting up a good show, making people happy didn’t plan to be single mothers; it just happened and the beat goes on.

    Over time, these mothers have made such a good job of motherhood and their careers that they are now seen as sources of inspiration by thousands of women who have to raise their children alone.

    As many mothers know, being a mother to a child and raising him or her from childhood to adulthood is not a joke. It is often a thankless job and also without pay. But it also has lots of bitter-sweet moments.

    Read also: Bukky Wright: APPRECIATION IS THE CURE FOR DEPRECIATION

    Nonetheless, these Nollywood mothers have kept it together while being in the spotlight, managing powerful careers, raising their kids, who are also in the spotlight and also managing to look hot while at it.

    So, in the spirit of the season, while we are still appreciating mothers, we want to give accolades not just to the celebs who are married but our sisters who do the job of two persons for the wage of one.

    We believe these single amazons deserve full compliments because they are doing an amazing job.

    We cannot even imagine how they find time for themselves in-between a heavy work schedule, parenting and still look amazing while at it.

    Say what you like about them- their relationship history and acting abilities, one thing is sure; these women adore and care for their children, they are successful in their careers and they always look classy and hot.

    Think motherhood is hard? Try doing it solo!

  • Resetting our default mawkishness over criticism

    SHE wrote me a stinker, saying it was her way of getting it off her heart. But the hatred for my gut tells it all. I could ‘hear’ it in her ‘voice’. I am more worried because she claimed to be an American. I’d thought sentiment, in its crude form, was a developing world preserve. But as a Nigeria-born that she is, I am worried still that some seasons of winter that may have led to her second citizenship could not freeze such default mawkishness in her head into reset mode.

    Her words: “God has given you such a great gift with words but you seem to use it for negativity…or for fear of sounding like you (use it for EVIL)….I didn’t know about your writing until recently then I decided to look for more just to see if you are unbiased and approach your opinions from practical and realistic angles but to my dismay, I noticed you have one tone which is to always break things down from a negative perspective.  Amidst all the great news and positivity there is always your voice of opposition, full of spite, resentment and extreme revolt. This leads me to believe that your gift with words is from a highly deviant perspective and not such a gift after all.

    Unfortunately, I am not a psychologist to diagnose you with any emotional, personality or mental disorder but I definitely feel you need to be evaluated because your perspective is definitely warped. When the world sees blue, you see red. As an American, I believe we have the right to exercise freedom of speech so you are welcome to your opinions however f…d up. As a Nigerian, it would be great if you don’t single-handedly take down the few good that comes out of the country or that is recognized, all in an effort to maintain the tarnished image the country bears in so many regards or your narcissistic case just to satisfy your mental perversion.”

    The above was at the instance of my perceived negative review of ‘Royal Hibiscus Hotel’, produced by Mo Abudu. I got to know this after researching her and finding out she was one of the promoters of Mo Abudu’s works.

    When, by accident, I found myself among the A-list guests at the premiere of Mo Abudu’s most recent film, ‘Chief Daddy’, I decided to wait to see how others will perceive the film, without necessarily influencing their thoughts.

    Now, I can confirm to myself that I am not a pervert, as described by my assailant in the above Facebook message. And if it takes the owners and promoters of ‘Chief Daddy’, mostly, to score the film high, then the many Nigerians, home and abroad and Africans in Diaspora who have criticised the film for stereotype, weak plot, overcasting and cheap comedy will need to join me in seeing a psychologist to diagnose us with any ’emotional, personality or mental disorder’ as claimed in that Facebook attack.

    We live in a sentimental society that leaves little or no room for criticism. But I dare say that if we shy away from telling ourselves the home truth, outsiders will someday say it to us in the most embarrassing manner.

    This is exactly the bashing ‘Chief Daddy’ is now receiving, after it was released on Netflix, the battalion of actors which is one of the selling points, notwithstanding.

    I have been maligned, insulted, ostracized and recently, escaped an attack for what I suspect is related to expressing my thoughts as a journalist. But it is my hope that someday, criticism will be taken, not only in good faith (usually resign to fate) but also seen as a necessary check and balance measure for business development.

    I shy away from making friends in the entertainment industry to enable me do my work without fear or favour, because I understand that treachery is dining with someone the previous night and knocking them hard in the morning.

    My claims to what a ‘good’ film is have often been punctured by the commercial success of the films under review, forgetting that there is a word called classic, and this word is in the family of standard, model and everything good and definitive.

    Those who think that Nigerians are all for cheap comedy will soon come to the realization that, fad are short-lived. And whereas a houseful of A-list stars may have done the magic before, it will not only become boredom, but dim the gleam of the stars with passing time.

    Whereas nothing is wrong with comedy, as the Nigerian audience we choose not to ‘school’ but to ‘spoon-feed’ are crazy about foreign dramas, I like to wrap this up with a quote from a friend who says: “Hollywood comedy is always about the witty lines. Nollywood comedy, we always want act funny.”

  • Euro Knowledge Award holds April 27

    The annual Euro Knowledge Leadership Award for outstanding individuals and corporate achievements will hold April 29 at the House of Lords, London.

    It will be attended by captains of industries, political leaders, policy makers, business magnates and institutional investors.

    Personalities expected on the occasion are, among others, Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana; Dr.  Ernest Kwamina Yedu Addison, Central Bank Governor, Ghana; Chief (Mrs.) Nike Akande, former Minister of Trade and Investment, Nigeria; Chief Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi, Chairman, Africa Prudential Plc;  and Baroness Martha Osamor, NickKochan, among others.

  • Uduak Isong ends birthday giveaway

    FILMMAKER Uduak Isong who clocked 40 during the week has revealed that the free training she organised for upcoming filmmakers was a success.

    The training which was powered by Afriville Training Institute was tagged Udauak’s birthday giveaway Movie Producing 101 held at Surulere, Lagos.

    The excited filmmaker who posted picture of successful candidates that registered for the training on her Instagram account wrote, “Our producer 101 free training. Was awesome meeting all of you.  Not a single male attended by the way. We have to have this conversation someday. Look forward to seeing all the selected candidates tomorrow.

    “As I grow older, the need to train people increases people whom I can one day pass the baton. Let’s do this.”

  • We’re ready to partner FG – Lagos NFAN chair

    The Lagos chairman of the National Fish Association of Nigeria (NFAN), Mr.  Olusegun  Mogbojuri,  has said that the association is set to work with the Federal Government to achieve the national goal of making fish business a major revenue source for the country.

    Mogbonuri, who just emerged the Lagos State Chairman of the association, said this at the inaugural ceremony of the association which was held in Lagos yesterday.

    The event, which was held at the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Lagos, was attended by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Federal Ministry of  Industry, Trade and Investment, Raw Material Research and Development Council, and other related establishments.

    Read also: Feg Agro boss emerges NFAN president

    The NFAN is the umbrella body for all operators and stakeholders in the fish and fish-related business, with the aim of organising and coordinating the operatives in the fish value chain for better economic benefits to members and the country in general.

    Mogbonuri, who is also the CEO of the Centre for Fish Processing and Value Addition, implored all members to see the NFAN under his umbrella as the next stage for success and accomplishment.

    Speaking to Mr Samuel Olubodun, the National Vice President (South West) of the NFAN, said the mass farming among fish farmers would help to produce sufficient fish to feed the nation.

    He added that it would encourage export in order to generate foreign exchange and employment.

  • The weekend Nollywood took over Hollywood

    When you live in Los Angeles, you often feel you’ve seen everything. You’ve most likely gone through an earthquake or two. You’ve seen men become women and women become men. You’ve seen stars rise and fall. You’ve eaten food you can’t even pronounce. You’ve been on a roller coaster through life and, sometimes, you don’t know what is real and what is make belief.

    Last week, the city saw what it hadn’t seen before, not in this light. Nigeria was in town.

    “We’re gonna rock this town the way it’s not been rocked in a long time,” beamed Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan as he strolled in his Ankara shirt under the mild afternoon sun into a meeting with the big wigs at The Egyptian Theatre on Tuesday afternoon.

    A few hours later, the online version of the prestigious Los Angeles Times spilled the beans on the unsuspecting city when it announced, “Watch Out Hollywood, Nollywood is coming to town”. This is the closest you get to a cultural coup. Nigeria, long bashed in the media for scandals, corruption and fraud, was getting a public rebranding, thanks to the Nollywood In Hollywood event.

    The headline lit up the social media. Kemi Adetiba, the queen of Nigeria’s box office whose film, KING OF BOYS, was selected for screening posted a blurb of the newspaper headline on her Instagram page with a simple line, “Hey mommy… Hey daddy… Guess who just got featured in the @latimes”. Good news must travel fast. Within an hour, the news had been viewed or shared over a million times on social media. It would expand to over ten million in the next few days.

    Nollywood in Hollywood is the brainchild of Ose Oyamendan who created the initiative to give Nigerian films, actors and filmmakers a foothold in the global center of the film industry in Hollywood. “Nigerian filmmakers are doing great stuff in Nollywood with very little institutional support. I felt if I can help the industry move the needle even a little, I should. Nigeria is at a point where we may get to the promised land quicker if we follow John Kennedy’s charge to do what you can do for your country instead of waiting for what your country will do for you,” says Ose.

    He reached out to two of the most powerful institutions in Hollywood for a partnership that would see three of the best films in Nigeria presented to the Hollywood Industry, film lovers and the African Diaspora every year. The historic Egyptian Theatre and the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California signed on and the event kicked off in 2018.

    In just it’s second edition, Nollywood In Hollywood is easily the biggest African cultural event outside the continent. Across town, Alessandro Ago, the director of programming at USC, was surveying the majestic Eileen Norris Theatre, excited about the prospect of showing LIONHEART and KING OF BOYS.  “We enthusiastically support this opportunity to share and discuss the latest films and current trends in Nigerian cinema with our students and Los Angeles film enthusiasts,” says Ago.

    Nollywood couldn’t have chosen a better group to represent it at the event. The debonair, immensely popular actor/musician, Banky W brought the charm and the natural warmth of a superstar. Adetiba brought the class and glamour. Tope Oshin, the director of UP NORTH brought a charisma that shined through the two nights.

    Guests came literally from all over the country for this event that is fast becoming the cultural rallying point for the black diaspora. Nigeria’s Consul General, Mrs. Aisha Musa led a delegation from the Atlanta. Executives with New-York based networks flew into town to see the latest Nigerian talents. Groups of people flew in from Houston, San Francisco and Washington DC.

    Every one of the six hundred and fifty seats in the Egyptian Theatre was filled for the opening night screening of UP NORTH. The fire department turned a blind eye to the extra seats in the aisle. This was a screening that became a celebration, a celebration that turned into a party!

    The party spilled into the courtyard of The Egyptian after the screening where Streamliner, a start up streaming service for African content, flexed their entertainment muscles as the sponsor of the after screening celebration. There was snack, drinks and music.

    “I am just really grateful to be here. To screen your film at The Egyptian is really a big achievement. We had a great time and you could really see that there were new doors opening for Nollywood,” chimed in Tope Oshin, director of the opening night film, UP NORTH.

    The party moved next door to the Pig N Whistle nightclub where Hollywood Entertainment Productions sponsored a fun filled after party with Nigerian music blasting out to the historic Hollywood Boulevard. The club was packed with ‘who is who’ in Nigerian entertainment in Los Angeles, studio executive, agents and managers. Hefty security men had to turn away tens of revelers who sought to join the Nigerians in the packed club.

    Banky W stepped out of the club early Saturday morning ahead of dozens of colleagues, admirers and fans, stood on the walk of fame with the names of dozens of stars on the sidewalk, took in a deep breath of the night air, looked up and down Hollywood Boulevard and flashed that million dollar smile and whispered, “Nollywood, we’re here”.

    The events moved to the celebrated Eileen Norris Theatre at the University of Southern California the next day. The school not only boasts the best film school in the world but the greatest film directors in the world have screened their films here for decades. Only two nights before, Jordan Peele screened US a day before its release and steep climb to the top of the box office. Today, Adetiba was screening King of Boys to a packed theater.

    “I am really grateful. I’m speechless actually. It was far beyond what I expected. This is really great for our industry.  I really have to thank Ose for putting this up for Nigeria. It’s really remarkable,” says Adetiba whose two films are at the top of Nigeria’s box office history.

    “We’re flying the Nigeria flag and African flag. It’s been an unbelievable two days here for Nollywood. Hopefully this will lead to more opportunities,” says Banky W.  For one weekend, Nigeria was the center of Hollywood and Nigerians everywhere could hold their heads high. Nollywood is here.

  • Appraising the Tinubu phenomenon at 67

    I must have written volumes on why I have always thought that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Senator, two time governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stands in a class of his own, to be separated from the rest.

    I am not used to talking or writing platitudes. And I thank my Creator that He has given me an insight, laced with spiritual understanding, to be able to hazard safe guesses in our politics, especially that of Lagos, which I suggest I know like the lines on my palm.

    When a musician sang and warned that the head of a kitten must never be likened to that of a lion, that they may look alike but never the same, it is only the naive that will not understand the import of that statement. Some had trivialised the Tinubu phenomenon, but they haven’t been able to walk their talk in dismantling the solid achievements of the man who celebrated his 70th last week.

    Bukola Saraki, with all his inherited and acquired wealth, tried it and got all his fingers burnt. I notice the young champion of Kwara is still sounding deviant as if the political polar-axe that shook him to his foundation is nothing to be worried about; something like the case of a boxer who had been pummelled and battered to a wobble but still thinks he can trudge on to the sound of the gong.

    If in the approach to Saraki’s political de-robing, those with the discernment, predicted enough was enough with his political leadership, they sure knew the man was on the way down the ladder. How some people now equated Tinubu with Saraki and felt the sing-song of “O to ge” (enough is enough) in Kwara could play out in Lagos, suggests to me strongly that their understanding of high wire political dynamics was suspect and not as deep as many had ascribed to them. Instead of the “O to ge” song being replayed at the last elections in Lagos, what broke forth from thousands of mouths is “O to pe”, meaning it is worthy of celebration.

    Great men and women of history have their time and season; willy-nilly, no one else rules the roost with them.

    In spite of the perfidy of trusted aides, Chief Obafemi Awolowo remained impregnable in the West in his time and season but because no dynasty lasts for ever, his hold on the politics of his region loosed, at his death. It is to be fair that we must all accept that for now, Tinubu holds the ace in this area. That may sound bad music to some ears, but like a strand in the slogan of the “enfant terrible” of Mushin politics, Hon Funmi Tejuoso goes: “Nwon o r’ogun e se, Babalawo o ni gba story,” meaning there’s no unravelling of her political mysticism yet.

    I have a tip for those whose pre-occupation is to dip the Tinubu magic: work harder, because, like kerosene, this nimble man of the moment does not sleep; he keeps improving in sharpening his political skills, by the second.

    Happy birthday to the undisputed and indisputable political leader of the West, nay Nigeria!

     

    Abeokuta… Like Houston in Texas

    Driving out of Bush International Airport into town last week, the thought of Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s Ogun State flashed across my mind.

    Bush Airport is in Houston, Texas in the United States of America. The first attraction as you drive some 30 minutes away from that airport is the spiral flyovers that litter everywhere. Even in their clusters, they look so majestic that you cannot but be in awe of the engineering mesmerism on the parkway.

    My mind flipped and Ogun State came to mind, where outgoing governor Ibikunle Amosun implanted in our minds bridges and flyovers in major towns across the state, to remind us that he was ready to live in the future. Ogun State’s level of development, to be sure, is not yet ripe for the experimentation of flyovers there, but there is honestly no problem in being futuristic. After all, the problem with the future itself is that it is even on hand before you know or realise it.

    When that future dawns, the flyovers of Abeokuta (exempted), Ilaro, Otta and Ijebu Igbo will come handy, unlike now when the need for them is somewhat minimal. If in spite of the many flyovers I saw in Houston the traffic snarls on that long stretch on Sam Houston Parkway were that many, one begins to wonder what would have become of that road stretch if the flyovers that sprang up like mushrooms were not there. The gridlock would have been out of this world.

    Let Amosun ensure the completion of those flyovers before he bids the governorship in Ogun final goodbye, so that he will forever be remembered as the man who tried to import Houston into Ogun State.

     

    Losers are orphans indeed

    I had often heard it said that losers are orphans while winners have many parents. That realisation confronted me at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos the other day, as I prepared to take off on a short trip abroad.

    I donned my BOS cap, with Governor-elect Jide Sanwoolu’s picture emblazoned on it, as well as my APC logo and I walked the length of the departure hall from point one to the last with the gait of which I’m now accustomed, hoping that I would find something donning a PDP or an Accord party cap; but alas, I didn’t find any.

    Why? Is it because they didn’t have the candidate they could be proud of, or is it that their contact with wearing caps expired at the conclusion of the elections, especially once the candidate they backed had lost? This thought made me realise yet again the beauty and joy of victory. Thank God He didn’t make me follow a loser at the outset.

    With assured steps, I carried on in the departure hall with the Sanwoolu cap on my head and those who had seen the cap during the hustings, either nodded in approval or showed curiosity. Of course, I couldn’t care less what anyone felt about my cap and I.

    The airline, police and immigration officials I encountered while going through clearing formalities showed much interest because of the fez cap I donned while it conferred on me the courtesies I might not have enjoyed, were it not for the cap on my head.

    Victory is truly sweet and I thank my principal for the good luck that was his lot at the polls, for which it is possibly today to toast ourselves as beneficiaries of a genuine mandate.