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  • Day Jakande, Tinubu, others wished KLM 70 gbosas

    Day Jakande, Tinubu, others wished KLM 70 gbosas

    The book’s title speaks volumes: The Balogun Institution in Yorubaland: Changing Fortunes of a Military Institution. Its presentation was in honour of a former Commissioner of Lagos State, Chief Lanre Razak ( also known as KLM), who turned 70 on Sunday. Razak is Balogun General of Epe.

    The book, edited by two historians, Oluwasegun Jimoh and Philip Oloruntola, situates the Balogun debate, tracing the influence of the Balogun in the pre-colonial era to date.

    The event, which took place at the MUSON Centre, Lagos was witnessed by former Lagos State Governor Lateef Jakande and his wife Abimbola. The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was represented by a former Minister of Defence, Demola Seriki. Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, Senator Ganiyu Olawale Solomon, past chairman, Lagos Mainland Local Government, Chief Tayo Oyemade, Chief Biodun Martins and past Chairman of Island Club,  Prince Ademola Dada were also present.

    Also at the event were former Lagos State Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Hon Sikiru Adebayo Osinowo and Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, among others.

    Razak, who is the President of Epe Club, said: “I feel happy and fulfilled. I thank God for being kind to me. It has been a journey of 70 years and I don’t have any regret. I think it is good to leave a record, if you don’t put down record, people will never know you passed through it.

    “I know I’m going to pass away in that biological sequence and I know the book will remain for long. Those who come across the book in future, will know one Balogun chose to collate record; history of what Balogun was, what Balogun should be and what the future should look like.

    “As a community leader, the role the activists play at ensuring that there is good governance, nobody is cheated, fundamental human rights are allowed, those are the kind of things Balogun should do since we don’t have a war situation where you try to expand your territory. Baloguns should see themselves as frontliners when it comes to fighting for the rights of the people.

    “In those days Obas were in government while Baloguns were the military. Now, it is the president that is in charge and we have the ministry of defence and the generals and we are in the background. We can only encourage and pass information to them to be able to do their job.

    “We must educate our people and sensitise them and at the time, criticise the government; but it must be constructive. These are the roles of Baloguns now, defenders of people’s rights from time to time and must assist for good governance. The enabling environment then is no longer there now. What the Balogun should be doing is in the book, it is good for scholars and students of History.”

    In a lecture, a Professor of Islamic Affairs, Afis Ayinde Oladosu of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, who spoke on the topic “Leadership in the Season of Change”,  said: “What the scions of contemporary Nigerian politics, such as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu actually did in the days leading to the last elections was to play the role of the chief. They guided the huge energy in the Nigerian masses to that in which lay their fortune.”

    He added: “Put differently, leaders in the season of change in this country would likely agree with the proposition that the phenomenon of change happened on the Nigerian landscape simply because the ordinary masses were ready to act as change agents; that ordinary Nigerians are de facto custodians, not passive onlookers in power-politics.

    “Before the season of change, one thing over which Nigerians were unanimous about was that this nation lacked a leader who would and could inspire it. It felt as if we were short of heroes. To say Nigeria is a land without heroes is to bring to mind Aeschylus, the great Greek philosopher who posited that the land without a hero is a very unhappy land indeed.”

    He expressed optimism that President Muhammadu Buhari would meet the people’s aspirations.

    Tinubu said Nigerian leaders in the past few years were operating on parochial interests.

    Tinubu added that with the advent of APC’s leadership under Buhari, a change to revitalise the economy and bring infrastructure to world-class standard would be witnessed. He believes the President possesses the right qualities to reposition the country.

  • Tinubu: Nigeria is in safe hands

    Tinubu: Nigeria is in safe hands

    The Federal Government’s change agenda is on course and will soon bear fruit, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has said.

    According to him, the process of change takes time, adding that patience is needed.

    “It’s easy for those who are greedy to think that change is easy. Change is not about the comfort of today, but the success of tomorrow. Nigeria was in the rollercoaster of losing hope. Then our party brought cure. Don’t let anyone deceive you, the cure is here,” he said.

    Tinubu spoke during the 40th Convocation of the Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto, where he was honored with the Doctor of Business Administration at the weekend.

    He urged Nigerians to support the Buhari administration, saying the country is in the best hands.

    “The truth today is that Nigeria has the greatest opportunity to get it right with a leader like Mr. Muhammadu Buhari. There is much to fix. President Buhari is committed to fixing them. But he needs your support and patience. He cannot do it alone.

    “We must stand beside him or else we may be knocked down and not stand at all. Thus, let us be resolved to see reform and change that will make Nigeria rise as the nation it should be,” Tinubu said.

    He disagreed with ‘nay sayers and negative spinners’, who he said argue that no change was taking place.

    “The conscience of our nation has been under attack for many years. We were handed a way of governance in which anything goes and too much went – as if gone with the wind. Our present was squandered and future mortgaged.

    “Nigeria has begun the process of turning to its better self.  The administration of President Buhari is cleaning out the rot of years of galloping corruption and avarice.

    “This government is also moving to pursue policies that will spark development and bring prosperity to long oppressed Nigerians.

    “Be reminded that this will be a battle.  No battle is easy. We must be firm in our resolve to reform this nation. We must have the courage to stand fast in times of difficulty, having faith that the rightfulness of our cause will see us through to the success of our collective efforts and yearnings,” he said.

    Tinubu paid tribute to the man the university was named after and hailed the sultan and governor of Sokoto for their leadership.

    “I am honored to be at the historic seat of the Caliphate, a place where history, culture, religion and tradition merge to form the architecture of one of the world’s most impressive and venerable civilisations.

    “The man after whom the institution is named was a foremost Islamic scholar; an extraordinary leader, who understood the deep yearnings and needs of the people.

    “He provided visionary, yet practical leadership and taught us that we must be ready to personally sacrifice to advance and secure those things in which we truly believe,” Tinubu said.

  • Nigeria is on the path to recovery, says Tinubu

    Nigeria is on the path to recovery, says Tinubu

    •But warns it’s not an easy battle
    •Urges commitment by all

    National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said yesterday that Nigeria has already begun the process of re-inventing itself under President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said that after “many years of mis-governance and its myriad consequences,” the country has a fresh opportunity to reshape its future.

    Tinubu spoke in Sokoto while responding on behalf of honorary doctorate degree awardees of the Usuman Dan Fodiyo University at the    Joint 32nd, 33rd and 34th Convocation and 40th Anniversary of the institution.

    Reviewing the polity before and since the assumption of office by President Buhari last May, the former Lagos State governor said: “We were led down a path in which bad was deemed good and good was deemed inconvenient.  We were handed a way of governance in which anything goes and too much went – as if gone with the wind.

    “Our present was squandered and future mortgaged. A few people took as their own what God intended to belong to all Nigerians.”

    This, according to him, was not in tandem with the principle of “Conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it” preached by the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate Usmanu Dan Fodiyo.

    He added: “This was not the way of Usmanu Dan Fodio. This was not the way to build the nation we seek. It was the way to lay waste to our dreams and to jettison all the lessons that heroes such as Usmanu Dan Fodiyo and our forefathers taught us.

    “Yet, human nature is such that it cannot exist for long without true and justice. For a period, darkness may descend and a lie may rule. But not forever, society needs justice and fairness as much as the body needs food and water.

    “With last year’s election, the national conscience awoke.  The people rejected the distorted arrangements of past governments in order to make room for a better future. They had once again found the courage that Usmanu Dan Fodiyo had bequeathed them. They had rediscovered their way and their right to pursue it.

    “Today we all participate in an epic struggle. We seek to undo many years of mis-governance and its myriad consequences. The process is hard because good is always harder to achieve than evil. Creation is always more difficult than destruction. Greed is easier than greatness.

    “Yet Nigeria has begun the process of turning to its better self.  The government of President Buhari is cleaning out the rot of years of galloping corruption and avarice. This government is also moving to pursue policies that will spark development and bring prosperity to long oppressed Nigerians.”

    But he warned that the process of re-building is not going to be a tea party.

    His words: “Be reminded that this will be a battle.  No battle is easy.  We must be firm in our resolve to reform this nation. We must have the courage to stand fast in the times of difficulty, having faith that the rightfulness of our cause will see us through to the success of our collective efforts and yearnings.

    “The truth today is that Nigeria has the greatest opportunity to get it right with a leader like Mr. Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Another truth is that Nigeria and Nigerians are suffering under the yoke of corruption. The economy is based on a model no longer sustainable given the realities of today’s markets and global trends.

    “There is much to fix. President Buhari is committed to fixing them. But he needs your support and patience. He cannot do it all alone. We must stand beside him or else we may be knocked down and not stand at all.

    “Thus, let us be resolved to see reform and change that will make Nigeria rise as the nation it should be.”

    He paid tribute to the great Islamic scholar for his “courage in the face of open danger; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State who, he said, “represents the new hope of a new progressive political era”; and the Oba of Lagos and Chancellor of the institution, Rilwanu Akiolu, whose appointment, he said, “represents the best of Nigeria and signposts the promotion of unity, peace, harmony and better understanding.”

    He expressed happiness for the honour done him and other awardees by the university and urged it to “strive to be the best and produce students who think as much of this nation as they do themselves.

    “That is how this revered institution may do honour to the name it bears. This is how this institution may ensure that the ethics and principles of Usmanu Dan Fodiyo continue to have life and continue to breathe life into the progress of this nation.”

    Tinubu was honoured with Doctor of Business Administration D.BA-Honoris Causa,

    Also conferred with honorary doctorate degrees at the ceremony were :  Sultan Abubakar (Doctor of Law-LLD- Honoris Causa) Oba Akiolu (Doctor of Law-LLD- Honoris Causa); former Defence Minister, Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd),  Doctor of Science -DSC-Honoris Causa) and the Executive Director, Public Sector, First Bank Nigeria Ltd., Dauda Suleiman (Doctor of Business Administration-D.BA-Honoris Causa),

    Three retired eminent public officers were conferred with Emeritus appointments.

    They are Prof. Shehu Galadanchi and Prof. Mahdi Adamu, first and second Vice Chancellors of the institution, respectively, who were appointed as Vice Chancellors Emeritus.

    Prof. A.T. Suleiman was appointed as Professor Emeritus.

    Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); Bello Masari (Katsina); Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara); Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) witnessed the ceremony.

    Former Cross River governor, Donald Duke;  former deputy governor of Niger State, Musa Ibeto and  former Chairman of  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Nuhu Ribadu also graced the occasion.

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi led other prominent traditional rulers to the occasion.

  • Tinubu bags Danfodiyo University Honourary doctorate degree

    Tinubu bags Danfodiyo University Honourary doctorate degree

  • Dan Fodio varsity honours Tinubu

    Dan Fodio varsity honours Tinubu

    THE Uthman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto State will tomorrow confer on All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leaders Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) during its convocation.

    The ceremony starts at 10 am at the main campus of the institution.

    The award is in recognition of Tinubu’s contribution to the development of the political economy of Nigeria and management of resources and general administration.

  • Leaders must sacrifice, says Tinubu

    Leaders must sacrifice, says Tinubu

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday urged leaders to make sacrifices to move the country forward.

    He spoke at the launch of a book titled: “Balogun Institution in Yoruba Land: Changing Fortune of a Military Institution”, in commemoration of the 70th birthday of Chief Lanre Razak at the MUSON Centre, on Lagos Island.

    Represented by former Minister of State for Defence, Chief Demola Seriki, Tinubu said leadership must start from the local communities, private organisations, the academic and traditional and non-traditional institutions.

    He said: “We are capable of finding good leaders in these categories; they can emerge from here and make contributions to a better society. It is not only when it comes to politics that we talk of leaders.”

    Tinubu said the country faced the challenges of statehood because its leaders in the last 16 years lack the vision and discipline to midwife a better society.

    His words: “We have seen many countries around the world, how they manage to develop their economies, this is because they have the right leadership. We have seen the example of Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa to mention a few.”

    The APC chieftain maintained that this was a lesson for Nigeria and other countries, noting that only courageous leader can excel. We should take decisions that promote the betterment of the people.

    “Leadership demand vision, commitment, doggedness, sacrifice and service. Good leadership is the one that has a pro- people blueprint to execute. It is the one that has the people at the top of its philosophy. To be a leader you must surround yourself with people of integrity, with ability and mental capacity.

    “The consequences of bad leadership have thrown the wrong choices, lack of vision, wrong priority and anti- people policies. This has led to untold crisis and sometimes war.

    “Nigeria has been at the receiving end of bad leadership. Most recently, you will recall that for over a decade and half, Nigeria was piloted by those who arrogated national leadership to themselves without having the interest of leading the people,” he said.

    Also speaking, Prof. Afiz Oladesu said the leaders were detached from the people, noting that in most cases they hardly feel the impact of what the masses go through.

    He said: “One way we can ensure that men and women of ideas predominate in the season of change is to hold tenaciously and keep under focus the leadership style which birthed the season of change.

    “There appears to be a consensus in Nigeria today in regard to what should not happen and that is we cannot afford to go back to where we were before when the country sat on the precipice.”

    Razak said leaders must be willing to go the extra mile to defend the people. According to him, the Balogun must not take the back seat, when it came to issue of national concerns.

    He urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari in the task to make the nation better.

  • Tinubu, Atiku, Anyaoku, UPU, others mourn Ibru

    Tinubu, Atiku, Anyaoku, UPU, others mourn Ibru

    MORE groups and eminent Nigerians have continued to mourn the passage of former Delta State governor of Olorogun Felix Ibru, even as the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) declared a three-day mourning period for their departed leader.

    Among those who mourned the late senator were All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, former Vice President and chieftain of APC Atiku Abubakar, former Commonwealth Secretary General Chief Emeka Anyaoku, immediate past Abia State Senator Theodore Orji and ex-Edo State Governor Chief Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion.

    Others included Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, spokesman of the Interim Committee of UPU Josiah Ntekume, Interim President-General of the apex Urhobo socio-cultural organisation Gabriel Ofotokun.

    Tinubu described the late former Delta State governor as a role model and fighter for democracy, who would be sorely missed.

    In a statement yesterday, the APC national leader said he received the news of Ibru’s passage with a deep sense of loss.

    He said: “Chief Ibru was a sort of renaissance Nigerian. He was a politician, business mogul, bureaucrat, architect, educationist, administrator and friend of Nigeria.

    “He belonged to a rare breed of Nigerians, who defined success not by what they earned for themselves, but for their fellow citizens. Hence, after making his mark as an architect, which was his first calling, he became a lecturer at the Yaba College of Education.

    “He also was at the top of a business conglomerate that not only flourished but became a nexus of commerce in the country. Olorogun Ibru succeeded in the old-fashioned way with hard work, imagination and persistence.

    “He was also pioneer governor in Delta State and a senator, who gave a polemical heft to his contribution on the floor of the grand hall of the parliament. In spite of his cosmopolitan virtues, he never forgot his roots. Hence, he led the Urhobo Progress Union as the president general.

    “He blended well in Lagos, where he achieved much and gave much. He will be sorely missed as a role model, fighter for democracy, a man of ideas and beachhead of business.

    “My heart bleeds with the Ibru family, but I believe they will take comfort in the nobility of his life and legacy that will endure.”

    Atiku, in a statement by his media office, expressed sadness and profound shock at the death of Ibru.

    He described the former governor and senator as a gentleman of high standing and a democracy icon, who risked his life, properties and personal comfort to fight for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria by standing up to military dictatorship.

    Anyaoku said the death of Ibru was a passing of an outstanding player in the democratic evolution of Nigeria and Delta State.

    He said: “As a senator of the Federal Republic, he during his tenure demonstrated notable perspicacity and unalloyed patriotism in the debates of the National Assembly. And as the first civilian Governor of Delta State, he not only exemplified a true sense of public service, but also left behind a legacy some of which his successors have adopted to the benefit of the State. In his last years, I had the privilege and indeed the pleasure of working with him as a member of the Selection Committee of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo Leadership Award, which I chair and will always remember his quiet sense of humour and sterling contributions to the committee’s deliberations.”

    Orji, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Don Norman Obinna, described the late Ibru as astute leader and entrepreneur who contributed immensely to the development of the country, adding that his statesmanly advice would be highly missed.

    Igbinedion noted that the former governor was an upright man, who had an unflinching faith in the growth and development of Delta State.

    Emerhor, in a statement, described the passage of the politician as shocking, a loss to the Urhobo nation, Delta State and Nigeria.

    He noted that as first elected governor of the state, Ibru built bridges across ethnic divides, describing him as the architect of modern Delta State, whom the state’s chapter of APC would miss sorely.

    The UPU yesterday declared a three-day mourning period for the late Ibru, according to a statement by the spokesman of the interim committee of the UPU.

    Ntekume added that the interim President-General of the apex Urhobo socio-cultural organisation ordered that UPU flag should fly half-mast in the period.

  • Stand up for your rights, Tinubu tells women

    Stand up for your rights, Tinubu tells women

    SENATOR Oluremi Tinubu yesterday blamed women for being satisfied with political instead of elective office.

    She urged them to reverse the trend by supporting their fellow women whenever they indicate interest in elective office.

    Senator Tinubu was speaking at the 17th Lagos Central Senatorial District Town Hall meeting organised by her office.

    She implored women to stop begging for political appointments noting that with their population, they could make a head way in politics in the country.

    Senator Tinubu said the empowerment of people from her constituency at the forum was to support the government in solving some problems.

    According to her, all hands must be on deck in supporting government at all levels, to fast track the revamping of the economy.

    Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos described the Mile 12 violence as sad and enjoined the people to see themselves as one.

    Lagos, he noted, is home to all, warning that they must live and conduct their businesses in conformity with the law.

    Earlier, All Progressives Congress (APC) leader in Lagos Central Senatorial District Prince Tajudeen Olusi praised Senator Tinubu for sustaining the programme, which he noted, adds values to the lives of people in her constituency.

  • Stand up for your rights, Tinubu tells women

    Stand up for your rights, Tinubu tells women

    SENATOR Oluremi Tinubu yesterday blamed women for being satisfied with political instead of elective office.

    She urged them to reverse the trend by supporting their fellow women whenever they indicate interest in elective office.

    Senator Tinubu was speaking at the 17th Lagos Central Senatorial District Town Hall meeting organised by her office.

    She implored women to stop begging for political appointments noting that with their population, they could make a head way in politics in the country.

    Senator Tinubu said the empowerment of people from her constituency at the forum was to support the government in solving some problems.

    According to her, all hands must be on deck in supporting government at all levels, to fast track the revamping of the economy.

    Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos described the Mile 12 violence as sad and enjoined the people to see themselves as one.

    Lagos, he noted, is home to all, warning that they must live and conduct their businesses in conformity with the law.

    Earlier, All Progressives Congress (APC) leader in Lagos Central Senatorial District Prince Tajudeen Olusi praised Senator Tinubu for sustaining the programme, which he noted, adds values to the lives of people in her constituency.

  • Emulate Tinubu, APC chieftain urges leaders

    Emulate Tinubu, APC chieftain urges leaders

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Rasheed Jaiyesimi has advised political leaders to emulate former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s contribution to national development.

    Speaking against the backdrop of the “Sun Man of the year” award and conferment of a honorary doctorate degree of the University of Abuja on the politician, Jaiyesimi noted that Tinubu was deserving of the awards “Asiwaju’s contribution to national development cannot be quantified, given all he went through.

    “At great risk to his life he, with others were the leading lights of NADECO, which brought military dictatorship to its knees. This must be emulated by our leaders.

    “Even as governor of Lagos State, he laid a solid foundation which gave rise to the monumental development the state has achieved today.

    “Asiwaju is fearless, never afraid to take on the powers-that-be whenever he felt they had crossed the line. He demonstrated this when he took the Federal Government to court over the creation of additional local governments, which he eventually won.

    “He even took the battle further under ex-president Jonathan by rallying forces to defeat a sitting government, which is historic. These have enriched our jurisprudence and history, which makes Asiwaju a man truly deserving of the award,” he concluded.