Again, Atiku,

Tinubu fight
dirty
w APC candidate plotting to incite Nigerians,disrupt polls –Ex-VP
Voice of The Nation N250 FEBRUARY 4, 2023 *VOL. 20 NO. 1050 w Tinubu to Atiku: You’re Nigeria’s worst enemy PG. 29

Wike to Buhari: New Naira ‘I SET MY WIFE Presidency: Why CBN BEGS NIGERIANS
implementation policy ABLAZE FOR FAILING I’m heads and OVER SCARCITY OF
anti-people P.30
TO SERVE ME FOOD
shoulders above
w Insists cabal in presidency backing PDP other candidates NAIRA NOTES P.27

presidential candidate ON TIME’ P.28

–Sowore …As protests rock Ibadan
PGS
22 & 23

G-5 GOVS KEEP

w Why
TINUBU, OBI endorse
they can’t

WAITING candidate
either PAGE 26

We haven’t
endorsed any Cash shortage:
PGS 23 & 27

candidate Pain, anger, death

P.30

–OPC
w Restates w CBN policy spreads sorrow, hardship across Nigeria
commitment
w Give me seven days to resolve crisis, Buhari tells Nigerians
to regionalism

GUNMEN KILL MAGISTRATE DURING COURT SESSION IN IMO P.28

Page 2 Periscope
MY 29-YEAR ORDEAL IN JAIL
From Olanrewaju Lawal,
Birnin Kebbi  w After decades in Kwara prison awaiting the hangman’s
MOSES Angura Agana was
a pioneer member of the Na-
tional Guard of Nigeria during
the military administration of
former Head of State, General
Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.
A Tiv from Juwa in Benue State,
he said certain circumstances
occurred that sent the soldier
into prison, where he spent 29
years in jail, 11 of which were on
death row at the Oke-Kura Cor-
rectional Service Centre, Ilorin,
Kwara State. He received his
freedom October 24 2022 after
being pardoned by the Kwara
State Governor, Mallam Abdul-
rahman Abdulrazaq.
He recently spoke about how
he found himself in jail await-
ing t6he hangman’s noose over
a murder case and how he re-
ceived his freedom.
National Guard
and I
I was in the first set of the
National Guard, recruited by
Former Head of State, General
Ibrahim Babangida during his
regime. We worked hard for the
purpose of defending the Head
of State. We were dissolved dur-
ing the tenure of late General
Sani Abacha.
I had an issue, which became
a murder case then. I was sent to
prison in 1994 and I was there
until Feb 2006. Then I was sen-
tenced to death by hanging. But
glory be to God, after 11years
and three months in the con-
demned cell, as someone expect-
ing death any moment, the for-
mer Governor of Kwara State,
Mallam Abdulfatai Ahmed
visited the Oke-Kura Prison on
May 25, 2017 and my sentence
was changed from death sen-
tence to 21 years imprisonment.
But glory be to God, in the pro-
cess of this, having served 21
years in jail, it was as if a miracle
happened to me on October 24
2022. That was when Governor
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of
Kwara State granted some of us
amnesty. I was among those that
were released after 29 years in
prison.
My murder case
My offence was a murder
case. I truly committed the of-
fence. It was at Offa in Kwara
State that I had a misunderstand-
ing with a police officer, which
resulted to the death of the po-
lice officer. I was arrested and
thrown into prison. Though it
was not my intention to kill the
officer, I knew it was a great and
unforgivable crime that I com-
mitted. It was not my intention
to commit such a crime. But I
will find time another day to tell
the full story to the whole world.
Why I was freed
Some of the criteria they con-
sidered include old age, good
behaviour, or ill health, or if
someone is seriously sick be-
yond any cure, or a repentant
person, either a devoted Mus-
lim or Christian. If the authori-
ties realised that such a person
wouldn’t cause more problems
to the society, he might be con-
sidered for pardon. I don’t know
the number, but we were many
that the governor granted am-
nesty.
noose, ex-soldier relives horrifying experience, seeks help
w Says, I haven’t had sex in 30 years
AGANA
Reunion with my family? Not
yet. I spent quite a long time in
prison. As I am speaking with
you, I am still in Ilorin and yet to
go to my family. Because what
God has given me in prison,
the skills I acquired, these have
compelled me to delay my re-
location a bit from Ilorin. But
many people have been calling
from my home town, since they
knew I was sentenced to death
but was miraculously released.
Gospel music
I am trying to practise the
skill I acquired in prison. I am
now into gospel music. I have
succeeded in my gospel music.
I have produced some albums.
Presently I have started distrib-
uting the albums across church-
es in Ilorin and Oyo State.
And many people have
started requesting for it. I be-
lieve strongly that our society
would learn a lot from my past
deeds, my experience, and they
might rejoice with me. As I am
sitting here right now, I seriously
need help from the society. After
29 years in prison, I don’t have
a house, even a room where to
sleep. My wife died in 2006
even before I was sentenced to
death. I don’t have anything.
So, I just want the people of
Nigeria to know my plight. I
decided to practise what I learnt
in prison because, after many in-
mates have spent a lot of years in
the prison and are later set free,
they would become jobless. It is
very likely again that majority
of them would go back to their
criminal activities, commit fresh
crimes and they get caught and
are sent back to prison.
Bible programme
in prison
I was in a serious bad mood
when former Governor Bukola
Saraki came to Oke-Kura Prison
on December 20 2007. He came
to give amnesty to people then
and many of them that were re-
leased had not spent half of what
I had spent in prison. Then I had
spent 14 years in prison. They
were released and this made
me to move closer to God. I
was praying to God, I wanted
to know the lessons He wanted
to teach me in the prison that He
had not shown me. I started em-
barking on regular fasting and
prayers, seeking God’s mercy
and forgiveness. But many in-
mates thought I was getting mad
because I was no longer relating
with them. I was doing all these
inside the condemned room, not
in the open yard, but in the sin-
gle and dangerous cell where all
hopes were lost. Then, I would
SATURDAYSUN
go on my knees and continue
praying. Then I received a rev-
elation of composing gospel
music. I received this in a dream
not even, while I was sleeping.
I heard from God that I should
sing a song in Yoruba language.
When I concluded my first al-
bum, I knew that, yes, this is
what God wants me to know. I
practised the song and rehearsed
it until I knew it. I met the wel-
fare officer for approval. I then
discovered that I could com-
pose gospel music from that one
song. Now, I have many songs
in English, Igbo, Tiv, and Yoru-
ba language. I have many songs
inside of me. If I can get some
support, I will begin to bring
them out and they would be use-
ful to the society.
Pastor while
awaiting death
I became a pastor because it
is not given by human beings.
The way you behave, the way
you act, people would give you
names. When you act as a pas-
tor, showing and seeing evi-
dence, people would talk. What-
soever you want to be, when you
act on it, whether you a good or
bad person, people would still
talk so, during my time at prison
people give me different bad
names.
February 4, 2023
Experience,
challenges as
prisoner for 29
years
There is a kind of life that
takes people to prison. And
looking at the title of my testi-
mony CD cassette, which I titled
‘Disobedience,’ disobedience
to parents, the law or society
can lead a person into jail. If I
obey the law, I will never fight
a person, which may lead to his
death. So, some people can steal
after they have been warned.
They still do a lot of bad things.
Even presently when I came
out of jail, I came to the town,
I checked my age and discov-
ered that the world generally has
turned upside down. I want to
advise the Nigerian government,
the Minister of Interior to review
the prison conditions. It should
be that if they release a person
that had been serving for long,
the person needs a standing
capital to restart life afresh. They
should assist such persons so
that they could be able to stand.
Because, before going to prison,
you might have your house, job,
business and your vehicle, but
after serving the jail term, you
would have to go back to square
one. And if is not the help and
mercy of God, the person might
go back to crime again. By that
time, he would even be more ter-
rible. But if such a person is em-
powered, he would never think
of committing any crime again.
Like my own case now, if not for
the mercy of God after 29 years,
why can’t I commit a crime
again so that I would make it?
It is the mercy of God and the
mercy of some people who are
just assisting me little by little.
And it’s not everyone that
commits a crime that should be
taken to prison. Sometimes, the
prison corrupts them the more.
Some that do break and entry,
not robbery or murder, would
spend years in jail. The police
would have collected all they
stole, then the judge would re-
mand them in jail for so long.
Many people on awaiting trial
have died because of hunger. In
my own case, I spent consecu-
tively 12 years awaiting trial
before my case was concluded
and I was sentenced to death by
hanging.
Feelings upon my
release
The day we were released, I
was given N20,000 for trans-
port. I used it to feed myself
because things are vey costly.
That is why I’m not willing to
go home now. I am planning to
make some money. I don’t feel
bad. I’m rather happy for get-
ting my freedom after 30 years.
In the past 30 years, I have not
tasted alcohol and I haven’t
had sex with any woman. I am
happy and I feel good for being
given another opportunity by the
Kwara State government. And
I appreciate all those that have
stood by me in those years.
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
POTPOURRI
WEIRD WORLD
PASTOR FAKES DEATH, PUBLISHES OWN
OBITUARY TO AVOID PAYING N3M DEBT
AN Ondo State-based pastor, Paul Oyewole, was earlier in
the week dragged before a Chief Magistrate Court in Ondo,
Ondo State, for publishing and posting his own obituary on
the social media platform, WhatsApp, in a bid to avoid re-
paying a N3 million debt owed to a church member.
The 43-year-old pastor was arraigned by the police on
Wednesday.The Police Prosecutor, Akao Moremi told the
court that the defendant fraudulently obtained ₦3m from
one Boyede Emmanuel, with the promise to pay back the
money within seven days, a promise he failed to fulfill.
Moremi said that the defendant falsely published his
obituary on WhatsApp after he had sent a fake bank alert.
The police prosecutor further said that the defendant
“threatened the complainant on phone, with the intent to in-
timidate him and also conducted himself in a manner likely
to cause a breach of the peace, by stripping himself naked in
front of the house of the complainant.”
However, the defendant pleaded not guilty when the
charges were read to him.
The court granted him bail in the sum of N1 million with
two sureties in like sum.
MAN DIES AFTER BEING SHOT BY DOG
A man has died after a dog stepped on a rifle and shot him
from the rear of a truck in Kansas, United States.
The victim, who has not been named by the police, was
found in the front passenger seat, having been struck by a
bullet in the back. Sky News reported that emergency ser-
vices were called and the 30-year-old was given CPR, but
he could not be saved and he died at the scene near Geuda
Springs.
Wellington Fire Department Chief, Tim Hay said another
person was found unharmed in the driver’s seat.
Officials added that the accident appears to have been
hunting related, with supplies found in the back of the ve-
hicle.
“A canine belonging to the owner of the pickup stepped
on the rifle, causing the weapon to discharge,” the Sumner
County Sheriff’s office said in a statement to local media.
“The fired round struck the passenger, who died of his inju-
ries on scene. “The investigation is ongoing, but the prelimi-
nary investigation shows it to be a hunting related accident.”
The owner of the truck and the dog was not immediately
clear, and an investigation is taking place.
CAR KEY DRILLS TWO-INCH HOLE ON
WOMAN’S FACE
NEIGHBOURS and medics were left horrified when a
24-year-old Canadian woman got her her face injured when
her car key tossed at her pierced her face, leaving a nearly
two-inch hole! Renée Lariviere was leaving her apartment
to go to dinner when one of her friends tossed her the car
keys so that the group could head to McDonald’s. As she
went to grab the keys from the air, she recoiled the catch to-
wards her face, resulting in the metal part piercing her skin.
Shocking photos show the gory injury, as X-rays re-
vealed it was nestled into her cheek, an inch-and-a-half deep
into her nasal cavity and below her eye. At the time, Lariv-
iere said the adrenaline numbed the pain from the accident.
“I felt a pressure, but I felt like I just got hit (with the keys)
in the face, like I missed my catch,” she explained to Ken-
nedy News and Media. “My friend looked at me and said,
‘Oh, my God, don’t move,’ and he started panicking.”
She recalled walking to the bathroom in denial, thinking
her friend was exaggerating. To her surprise, her keys were
sticking out of her face.
“I was scared. My concern was my eye,” she said. “I
couldn’t care less about a scar. Scars, if you take care of
them properly, will go away. That wasn’t my concern. My
concern was, ‘Am I going to be able to see?’”
A scan revealed the key was lodged over an inch deep
into her face. The group of friends phoned emergency ser-
vices and an ambulance arrived within minutes. Upon arriv-
ing at the hospital, she received a CT scan, and a plastic sur-
geon was paged to remove the key and stitch up her cheek.
“The doctors there were amazed. There were doctors
coming from different departments to see because they
couldn’t believe it,” said Lariviere, who works for a land-
scaping company. “I had one of them come and ask to take
pictures so he could show his students. He was an emergen-
cy room doctor, so he was trying to show them that anything
could happen.” Thankfully, the wound healed — reportedly
without a scar even — and she fully recovered. In disbelief
that the incident occurred, she issued a stark warning to oth-
ers that anything can happen. “Looking at it now, I’d think
there’s no way that could even happen,” said Lariviere, who
shared her shocking tale on TikTok in a series of clips that
have collectively topped 12 million views. “It was a near
miss. If it had hit somewhere else, it could have done quite
a bit of damage.” Calling the incident “dumb luck,” she ad-
vised others to use caution when throwing around their keys
or even just going about their daily life.
Page 3
IMMORAL THINGS DO HAPPEN IN OUR TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
■ Nigerians share thoughts on lady’s claims of using private part to navigate through school
BY KATE HALIM, FELIX IKEM AND
STANLEY UZOARO
A young lady’s TikTok video went viral this
week. In the video, she expressed gratitude to
God and her private part for seeing her through
her studies at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede,
Imo State. Saturday Sun spoke to some Nigeri-
ans who shared different views about the viral
video.
It’s a shameful act
- Muna Henry, businesswoman
Ladies of nowadays have thrown caution to CHINYELU CHRISTOPHER NNADI
the winds. Even if she went through that, it is
not something to boast about. Such a shameful
act should be kept a secret. She still has many
bridges to cross in life. This useless video of
hers may still stand against her in 20 years time.
Marriage is still there, seeking jobs is there, she
might have a chance to contest for elective posi-
tion or appointments in the future. If you think
about having a great future, you will be cau-
tious about your activities on social media. The
young lady is not wise. She should have kept
whatever happened in school to herself.
Our educational system has
deteriorated
-Chinyelu Uduchukwu-Akpaka, MRS AMAKA AGBO NKEIRUKA
teacher
That viral video shows how deteriorated the
educational system has become. It’s so bad and
fearful that a lady will be bold to say such a
thing publicly. But when the system isn’t work-
ing, what do you expect? Gone are the days
when saying such a thing is a shame. Caution
has been thrown to the winds and almost ev-
erything abnormal has become the norm and
acceptable. Normally, what the young lady
said isn’t something to be proud of, but here we
are. She feels on top of the world doing such
because the system has failed us. We need to go
back to the drawing board if we want the next
generation to do better. SOLOMON GWIYI UZOUKWA
Making video is in poor state
- Nkeiruka Adaeze Chris, business- other hand, I blame the lady for making that viral because we are in a digital age. If such a
woman video. And I also feel she just made that video story doesn’t get the popularity it generated,
After watching that video, I noticed that the for social media fame. Even that has its own what else do you think should go viral? It de-
young lady was intentional about the word she implications. She should have known better served the attention it got. Where there is no sin,
used. Her countenance when she said that it and kept her secret to herself instead of attract- there will be no forgiveness. The lady in ques-
could only be God and her private part shows ing unnecessary attention to herself. tion has acknowledged her mistake or sin as the
that she knew what she said. I read somewhere case may be and sought forgiveness. For that,
that she said that it was a slip of tongue because Heads should roll in that school she should be forgiven..
she wanted to say popsy instead which means - Solomon Gwiyi, social critic
dad. I think making that video is in poor taste. It represents the state of our education. It also She’s a disgrace to herself, family,
Young people should be careful about what explains why most of our graduates are not pro- society - Mrs. Amaka Agbo, trader
they do online just to chase clout because it may ductive. In a nutshell, this has exposed the level Forget about the student’s defence by her
backfire on them. But most times, they don’t of decay and rot in society, the education sector representatives; the damage has been done.
know the implications of what they are doing in particular. My counsel is that the girl should She’s a disgrace to herself, her family, the in-
online. be probed further so she can name lecturers stitution, and the society. The school authorities
who exchanged sex for marks with her for pos- should take a proper step and punish her for her
Immoral things happen in tertiary sible punishment. In a discerning society, this is misconduct as well as review her activities and
institutions - Ikenna Eze, digital mar- a call for a total overhaul of the system. Heads performance from year one to date. Social me-
keter should have been rolling, had this happened in dia courses should be introduced in our tertiary
Even though I got angry after watching that a decent society. As for the girl, retraining and institutions because many appeared to be igno-
young lady’s video, I feel pity for her. We don’t rehabilitation center should be her next destina- rant of what it represents and how best to use
have to pretend about some of the immoral tion. them. The social media have taken a toll on our
things that happen daily in our universities. A generation, especially the youth, most of them
lot of lecturers have become hunters instead of She should be forgiven have lost their cultural values.
guardians. They use their power to have im- - Christopher Nnadi, banker
moral relationships with young girls. On the There is nothing wrong with the story going She should not be punished
- Dr. Ebere Uzoukwa, communica-
tion scholar
If truly it was established that she said such
a thing, it’s condemnable, because morally it’s
wrong for a child that had a good upbringing
to attribute her success to such immorality. It’s
unfortunate. But I disagree that she should be
punished. I don’t like what the management of
the school did especially the Public Relations
Department. The issue was not well managed.
They should have set up a panel to look into
it rather than going public to respond to her
claims.
She should get fair hearing
- Paul Ogenyi, businessman
What she said does not necessarily mean sex
for grade. It could be from outside. They must
not attach her comment to the institution. They
should have kept quiet, until she comes out to
say, ‘it’s the institution. My lecturers were de-
manding sex for marks. She should not be pun-
ished but investigated. She should be given the
chance to clear what she said. She should get
fair hearing.
 Page 4

RITUAL KILLERS, ASSASSINS

TAKE OVER OGUN COMMUNITIES
By Henry Akubuiro
w In spite of efforts by state govt, security
LIKE most Nigerians, the New Year was
expected to be a thing of joy for the Ogun
State couple, Kehinde and Bukola Fati-
agencies, violent crimes persist in state
noye. It was a day to thank God for sur-
viving 2022 and look forward to a better
year. But it wasn’t to be after attending the
Crossover Night.
On January 1, the couple was murdered
at home – their house is located in Oba
Karunwi Street at the Ibara GRA, in Abeo-
kuta, Ogun State.
The ease with which the assassins op-
erated in the gated community has left
many bewildered. Karunmi Street has an
entry and exit gate, and houses a first class
monarch, the Osile of Oke-Ona Egba, Oba
Adedapo Tejuoso; the state’s office of the
Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Pe-
troleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA),
as well as the National Industrial Court.
That notwithstanding, the assailants en-
tered the street and murdered the two resid-
ing in a semi-detached duplex, setting the
building on fire, and disappeared.
This came on the heels of a June 2022
incident when the two sons of the couple
were kidnapped and thrown into the Ogun
River.
Confirming the New Year killing of the
couple, the Ogun State Police spokesman,
Abimbola Oyeyemi, said: “It is true that
a couple was killed and set ablaze at their
residence in Abeokuta shortly after they re-
turned from a cross over service.
“One person has been arrested by our op-
eratives in connection with the incident. We
will get to the root of the matter as investi-
gation has since begun.
“The assailants took advantage of the
busy cross over night into the New Year to
carry out the dastardly act.”
The murdered woman was a worker THE LATE KEHINDE AND BUKOLA FATINOYE
with the Federal University of Agriculture,
Abeokuta (FUNAAB), while her husband violent crime in Ogun State. Ogun has been the deceased family to come and have a legs and the two hands, which they sold to
was a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria swimming in blood since last year with look at the body brought by the police.
(CBN). ritual murders and targeted assassinations. The deceased friend, Ojo Omolara,
The burial service for the couple took On Wednesday, January 4, 2023, the promptly identified the corpse through the
place at the Anglican Church, Iporo-Ake, Ogun State Police Command paraded a bra and underwear she was putting on, for
Abeokuta, on Monday and were thereafter couple and six others for kidnapping and her head had already been chopped off.
buried in the Lantoro area of Abeokuta. dismembering a 26-year-old mother, Oy- Having identified the body, the DPO of
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, indamola Adeyemi, on December 28, 2022. the Obalende Division, SP Murphy Sa-
has since given marching orders to the po- The suspects, Taiwo Olutufese Ajalorun lami, mobilised a team of detectives and
lice command in the state to go after the and Salawa Oyenusi Ajalorun, were arrest- embarked on a technical and intelligence
killers: “This is a grievous crime; no doubt. ed along with six other suspected members based investigation, which led them to
I have directed the Commissioner of Police of the syndicate. The others arrested are Taiwo Olutufese Ajalorun, a herbalist from
to ensure that everything is done in order to Lukman Oladele, Kayode Ibrahim, Bello whom the deceased’s Itel phone was recov-
arrest the people behind the dastardly act. I Akeem, Alebiosu Adebayo, Fatai Rasheed, ered.
assure you that the perpetrators will not go and Fatai Jimoh. He was promptly arrested, and a search
unpunished. Such a heinous crime should Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police spokes- conducted round his house revealed a
not go without making the people respon- man, said the suspects were caught fol- container filled with human blood, which
sible face the full wrath of the law.” lowing a report lodged at Obalende Divi- was to be identified as belonging to the de-
To make matters worse for the slain sional Headquarters, Ijebu-Ode, by one Ojo ceased.
couple, their son, Oreoluwa, and a maid, Omolara, who reported that her neighbour, The Ogun Police Command explained
were also abducted by his parents’ killers. Oyindamola Adeyemi, who left home since further: “His arrest led to the apprehension
Oreoluwa’s body was later found floating morning of Wednesday 28th of December, of his friend, Lukman Oladele, in whose
in a river along Adigbe-Obada Road in the 2022, hadn’t returned and her phone had house the legs of the deceased were also
Ogun State capital Abeokuta on Tuesday, been switched off. recovered.
January 10, morning, with his hands said to Unlike many cases whose disappearance “They both made confessional state-
have been tied with rope. has remained a mystery till date, the police ments which led to the arrest of other sus-
Idowu Taiwo, a fisherman, who discov- didn’t take time to unravel this particular pects who are buyers of different parts of
ered the body and reported it to the police, mystery. the deceased body.”
said he found it floating in the river while A day after the reported incident, on the Upon interrogation, Saturday Sun gath-
he was preparing for the day’s work. 29th of December, while a patrol team from ered that Taiwo Olutufese Ajalorun and
Meanwhile, the only arrested suspect, Obalende Division was on routine patrol, Lukman Oladele confessed that the de- SUSPECT
Lekan, the driver of the late Mrs Fanitoye, they saw a dismembered body of a lady by ceased was lured to the house of Taiwo who
was reported to have escaped from police the road side, and took it to a mortuary, not happened to be her man friend, but, as soon their standby buyers to be used for money
custody at Ibara Police Divisional Head- knowing it was the missing woman. as the victim entered, she was pinned down making rituals.”
quarter in Abeokuta on Tuesday, four days The mortuary was just a stone’s throw by both Taiwo Olutufese and Lukman Ol- The police revealed that, according to
ago. from the house of the deceased, and one of adele, “and they subsequently strangled her the apprehended syndicate, “the legs of the
However, the couple’s murder, together the mortuary attendants, who knew about to death,” according to the police report. deceased were sold at the rate of N30,000,
with their son, wasn’t an isolated case of the missing person, called the attention of After killing her, they cut off her head, while the heart was sold at the rate of
 SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
YOU GOT
STORIES FOR
US? CALL
08169773199
NOW
N50,000 to Akeem Bello, while
the person who bought the head is
still at large.”
The suspects also confessed
that the victim was the third per-
son they had killed in such a grue-
some manner.
The Ogun State Commissioner
of Police, Lanre Bankole, has or-
dered the immediate transfer of
the suspects to the Homicide Sec-
tion of the state Criminal Inves-
tigation Department for discreet
investigation and diligent pros-
ecution.
On December 11 last year, a
suspected member of a kidnap-
ping gang, Usman Aliyu, was also
arrested by the police for kidnap-
ping and killing victims in Ogun
State.
That development came after
the police had earlier arrested two
members of the “deadly” gang at
Onigbedu forest in the Ewekoro
Local Government Area of Ogun.
While announcing the break-
through, the Ogun State police
spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi,
said the police had engaged in an
aggressive bush combing exer-
cise, leading to the arrest of Us-
man, who had earlier escaped.
The fleeing suspect was arrest-
ed on following information re-
ceived by policemen at Ewekoro
Division that the suspect was
sighted boarding a commercial
motorbike at Onigbedu, moving
towards Papalanto, en route La-
gos.
Upon the information, the DPO
of Ewekoro Division, CSP Sun-
day Opebiyi, had quickly mobil-
ised his men on a stop-and-search
operation along the said road,
and the suspect was subsequently
identified and promptly arrested.
Upon interrogation, the
man “confessed being a member
of the kidnap gang, whose two
members were earlier arrested
and a victim rescued from them.”
He also revealed that the group
was made up of six members, and
that when two among them were
nabbed, the remaining four mem-
bers scattered to different direc-
tions in the forest.
But since policemen were on
their trail in the bush, he decided
to come out and take a commer-
cial motorcycle out of that vicin-
ity before he ran out of luck.
Uman said the police, made
another confession that his gang
was responsible for the abduc-
tion of one Owolabi Abiodun and
Fakorede Kazeem at Kipe village,
Idi-Ori, Abeokuta, on October 7,
2022.
Fakorede Kazeem, he dis-
closed, was “killed by the gang
because he was unable to walk
fast while they were being taken
away in the bush.”
He informed the police that
they also kidnapped a 10-year-
old girl, Adekunle Esther, and
one 15-year-old boy, Adekunle
Adebayo, at Olomowewe Street,
Rounder, in Abeokuta on October
10, 2022.
Also, he confessed that on Oc-
tober 19, the gang had kidnapped
one Mrs Famurewa at Abule Ijaye
in Soyooye, Abeokuta, at the en-
trance of their house, killing her
65-old-husband, Festus Famure-
wa, while releasing the wife after
ransom had been paid.
Besides, on November 16,
2022, the same gang dragged
away Olatunji Azeez and Osoba
Moroof at Olujobi town in Itori
for ransom payment.
Those who survived the gang
had come out to testify, includ-
ing the two kids, that the suspects
This is a grievous crime; no doubt. I have directed the Commissioner of
Police to ensure that everything is done in order to arrest the people behind
the dastardly act. I assure you that the perpetrators will not go unpunished.
Such a heinous crime should not go without making the people responsible
face the full wrath of the law.
were the masterminds of their ab-
ductions.
Earlier, in November, 2022,
a pastor and two others were ar-
rested in connection with the ab-
duction and killing of a 39-year-
old man, Adekunleuyiwa, and
dismembering his body for ritual
purpose.
The Command’s Public Rela-
tions Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi,
who revealed this to the media,
said the suspects, Idowu Abel,
Clement Adeniyi and Felix Ajadi,
were arrested following a report
lodged at Owode Yewa Division-
al Headquarters, on November
15, 2022, by the elder brother of
the victim, Oluwaseyi Adekunle,
who said that his younger brother
left home on the 10th of Novem-
ber, 2022, and never returned.
Acting upon the report, the
DPO of the division, CSP Mo-
hammed Baba, detailed a team of
detectives to unravel the mystery
behind the sudden disappearance
of the man.
In the course of their investiga-
tion, Idowu Abel was discovered
to be the one who came to pick
the missing man from his house
on that fateful day, leading to his
arrest
On interrogation, Idowu Abel
confessed that the victim, who
happened to be his bosom friend,
was lured out by him and taken
to his second accomplice, Clem-
ent Adeniyi’s farm, where he was
killed and butchered.
“He confessed further that it
was one herbalist, who was in-
troduced to him by Pastor Felix
Ajadi, who requested for a human
head, heart, two hands and legs,”
said the police.
He revealed also that the herb-
alist promised to pay him the sum
of N200,000 if he was able to get
the listed human parts for him. He
was said to have paid N80,000
in advance, promising to pay the
balance of N120,000 on receiving
the items.
With the advance payment in
hand, the suspect, Idowu Abel, ap-
proached his bosom friend, Muy-
iwa Adekunle, and asked him to
accompany him somewhere.
Being a long-time friend, the
victim, who didn’t suspect any
foul play, followed him innocent-
ly, and he was taken to the farm
of Clement Adeniyi, where they
killed him and dismembered his
body. His head was cut off and his
heart was also removed and the
remaining parts were hurriedly
buried in a shallow grave in the
said farm.
His confession led to the arrest
of Clement Adeniyi and Pastor
Felix Ajadi, while the herbalist,
simply identified as Abeeb, a.k.a
Boko, had bolted away, even as
the State Commissioner of Police,
Lanre Bankole, ordered the im-
mediate transfer of the suspects to
the Homicide section of the State
Criminal Investigation Depart-
ment for discreet investigation.
All through last year, Ogun
State was in the news for some
of the most bizarre killings out-
side of Boko Haram, marauding
herdsmen and unknown gunmen
in the South-East.
Some of these killings in Ogun
were cult related. For instance
in March, 2022, 16 people were
murdered as cult killings escalat-
ed in the state, the type that hadn’t
occurred in the state in almost a
decade.
A popular area boy named
Tommy was hacked to death at
the popular Panseke Market in
Abeokuta, the state capital, by ri-
GOV DAPO ABIODUN
val gangs.
The clash, which was reported
to be a battle between the Eiye
and Aiye cult groups, took a more
dangerous dimension immedi-
ately after Tommy was murdered.
Saturday Sun findings revealed
that, before Tommy was killed,
six other persons had been killed
in different parts of Abeokuta in
connection to cult skirmishes.
Those killed in Abeokuta in-
cluded Scater, School Boy, Al-
akanni, Tommy, Azeez, Olaose-
bikan, Alameda, and Babajide.
The killings were said to have
taken place at different locations
in the metropolis: Asero, Kugba,
Ikereku, Adigbe, Oke Ijeun, Isale
Abetu, and Panseke.
Areas in the state capital, in-
cluding Oluwo, Mercy Road, and
Mango, have become regular sites
of violent clashes and killings.
It was gathered that the clashes
between the Eiye and Aiye cult
groups lasted for over a week, fol-
lowing the killing of key leaders
of both groups.
Following the murder of Tom-
my, several small business own-
ers shut their shops around the
Oluwo, Onikolobo, Mango, and
Adigbe axis, fearing escalations.
A day after Tommy was buried
at his house in Oluwo, on Sunday
night, gunshots, once again, reso-
nated in the Panseke neighbour-
hood atmosphere as residents and
motorists fled the scene.
Three days later, two gunmen
shot and killed one Dare Ojug-
bele, suspected to be a member of
the Eiye cult group, in Ilaro, Yewa
South Local Government Area.
The deceased, according to
Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police
spokesperson in the state, had just
been released from the Nigeria
Correctional Service.
Within the same period, about
eight persons were murdered in
Sagamu Local Government Area,
not far from Abeokuta.
The Sagamu killings, which oc-
curred on a Monday, took place
early in the morning at 7 a.m.,
with young men storming the area
and killing their targets.
One of the victims, Akeem, an
electrician, was attacked at Aje-
gunle area of Sagamu at 7 a.m. A
source said he did not die immedi-
ately, but when they were rushing
him to hospital, another bike hit
them, and he fell from the bike.
He died eventually, because his
intestines were gushing out of his
stomach, having been shot there.
The Sagamu killings occurred
at different locations, such as Soy-
indo, Ijagba, Ajegunle and Sabo.
There have been other violent
crimes in the state.
In October 22, an ex-convict,
Anu Orija reportedly raped a
12-year-old girl, Janet Fakeye to
death at Fehintoluwa in Idiya,
Abeokuta North Local Govern-
ment area of the state. The suspect
has since been on the run.
It was gathered that the sus-
pect dragged Janet into his family
house while she was going home
from where she went to buy soap
to wash her school uniform on
Wednesday. He then allegedly
tied her hands, legs and covered
her mouth before raping her to
death. He then reportedly dumped
the corpse of the girl in another
building beside his house and ran
away.
It was gathered that the sus-
pect’s family house has been set
ablaze and damaged completely
by angry youths in the commu-
nity.
In November last year, the
Ogun State Police Command
confirmed the arrest of a 27-year-
old suspected ‘yahoo’ boy, Obeta
John, on Tuesday November 29,
for allegedly killing his girlfriend,
one Idowu Buhari, an HND1
Mass Communication student of
Gateway Polytechnic in Saapade
area of Ogun State.
The state Police Public Rela-
tions Officer, SP Abimbola Oy-
eyemi, said the suspect was ar-
rested following a distress call
received at Ode-Remo Divisional
Headquarters, that Obeta John,
who resided at No 3, Mojubade
compound, Eredu Ishara, locked
his girlfriend inside his room and
beat her severely, hitting her head
against the wall. All efforts made
to persuade him to open the door
proved abortive. The lady eventu-
ally died.
Also in that month, two sus-
pected Internet fraudsters popu-
larly call ‘Yahoo boys’ were ar-
rested by police operatives in
Ogun State for killing a 40-year-
old man, Abdullahi Azeez, and
cutting him to pieces.
The police gave the suspects’
names as Oyeyemi, Friday Abin-
ya Odeh, 21, and Poso Idowu, 20.
He said the suspects were ar-
rested following a report lodged
at Owode Egba Divisional head-
quarters on June 9, 2022 by rela-
Page 5
tions of the victim, who reported
that the victim left his home in
Kobape area on June 8, 2022 and
did not return since then.
In March last year, a Magis-
trates Court sitting in Abeo-
kuta, the Ogun State capital
ordered the remand of four
teenagers for the alleged mur-
der of one Sofiat Okeowo.
The suspects - Balogun Musta-
keem, Majekodunmi Soliudeen,
Abdulgafa Lukman, and Waris
Oladeinde - were arraigned on a
two-count charge of murder and
conspiracy.
They were arrested for alleg-
edly slaughtering and burning
the head of the victim, identified
as a girlfriend to one of them, for
money rituals.
Earlier in February, a couple
- Kehinde Oladimeji, 43, and his
wife Adejumoke Raji, had been
arrested by the police for being
in possession of human parts at
Leme area of Ogun State. They
later confessed that they killed a
friend of the wife. The friend had
paid them a visit.
Oladimeji said his wife killed
the friend, butchered her and dis-
membered her body parts, which
the police later discovered in a
bucket.
In May last year, a 30-year-old
man, Oluwagbemiga Shogbola,
reportedly stabbed his friend, Vic-
tor Olabiyo, to death over $150
(N61,950) proceeds of a business
deal between them in the Ikenne
Local Government Area of Ogun
State.
Shogbola, also known as Oja
or Federal, accused the victim of
cheating him and taking all the
money to himself. The argument
degenerated into a fight between
the men, during which the victim
was stabbed to death.
Irked by the Sagamu shootings,
the state government warned that
the youths in the state must resist
the temptation to go into cultism
and similar vices.
The government, in a state-
ment, noted: “This administra-
tion has invested heavily in pro-
grammes and activities designed
to equip our youths with the nec-
essary skills and education that
could make their future better, as
part of our Building Our Future
Together agenda. They should not
endanger that future by getting in-
volved in crime.
“Parents and guardians must
also ensure that their children and
wards stay away from criminality.
We have zero tolerance for any
act that could disturb the peace
we have been enjoying in Ogun
State since the commencement of
this administration. We will deal
decisively with anyone intent on
disturbing the peace.”
This spate of violent murders
has, however, persisted till date
despite the well articulated inten-
tions of the state government to
tackle all forms of criminality.
In June 11, 2021, Governor
Abiodun had handed over 55 pa-
trol vehicles, motorcycles, 200
bullet proofs, 20 helmets and
communication equipment to the
Inspector-General of Police, Us-
man Baba, who was on an official
visit to the state.
At the presentation ceremony,
the state governor said the over-
ture to the police was another
demonstration of his administra-
tion’s resolve towards providing
a safe environment for residents.
As Ogun State continues to
swim in blood, the million dollar
question is: who will bell the cat?
Page 6
Fake crypto-currency dealers on the loose
How journalist was nearly scammed
BY CHIKA ABANOBI
AN investigation has shown that
despite the boom and bust that
characterised Ponzi schemes in
Nigeria in the past, scammers
have continued to try their luck.
This reporter’s encounter with one
of them early in the week opened
his eyes to this fact. Experts con-
tacted after the encounter gave
tips on how to detect the scam-
mers while the police urged vic-
tims to report immediately to law
enforcement authorities.
The reporter’s ordeal began
when he signed on to a group
called Bitcoin Trading Investment
which allegedly specialises in
cryptocurrency and forex. Created
on August 30, 2022, by one “Pas-
tor” Williams, the group added
the reporter’s name on January 6,
2023, probably sourcing the name
from another WhatsApp group.
That was how he was co-opted
into its 134 “participants.” But that
unauthorised addition of his name
to the ghost list raised his curiosity
and prompted him to play along
in order to see what the group was
up to. It promised mouth-watering
income/profits to would-be sub-
scribers. They included students,
workers and businessmen and
women. They promised to double
within hours, and sometimes,
days, whatever capital that was
invested with them.
Red flags of a
scammer
On Sunday, January 15, the
reporter established contact with
“Pastor” Williams to find out de-
tails of how the scheme works.
He mesmerised the reporter with
sweet talks about trading with
Bitcoin cryptocurrency, with how
people stood to make double of
their capital investment within
hours. He explained that that’s
why his team and himself were on
the ground to help would-be in-
vestors maximize profits on their
investments after they (the group)
had taken their own commission.
His explanation sounded plausible
and the reporter told him about his
willingness to give it a try. Next,
he sent the reporter a registration
form where the new ‘customer’
was supposed to fill in his full
name, phone number, account
name, account number, bank
name, occupation and amount
being invested. It also included
mode of payment - ATM transfer;
POS transfer or Mobile transfer.
Under occupation, the re-
porter wrote “pastoring.” Since
he claimed to be a “pastor,” he
should understand, the reporter
thought. Under the amount being
invested, N30, 000 was written.
This must have got “Pastor” Wil-
liams swooning as he called im-
mediately to know when the new
‘customer’ would pay. He was
told, Monday, since that was the
start of the normal business week.
He agreed. The reporter demand-
ed an account to pay the money
into, and the “pastor” sent in a
personal account number. After
protests by the reporter, the “pas-
tor” explained that that “is what
the business outfit uses for now.”
After repeating that paying into
a personal account looked suspi-
cious and might affect the amount
you were willing to part with, the
“pastor” assured that any corpo-
rate money paid into the account
was safe
But the first red flag came when
none of the phone numbers listed
on the WhatsApp group as “par-
DR ANOWU
PAYMENT RECEIPT
ticipants” seemed to work. The
reporter placed a call to one of the
alleged beneficiaries and a voice
at the other end answered with a
string of incomprehensible Hausa.
The “beneficiary,” a female “par-
ticipant” had given a testimony
that affirmed the legitimacy of the
business, although without stating
how much she invested before she
could receive N500, 000 profit as
her margin profit. Two other num-
bers were called, and the response
was “The called number does not
have the facilities to receive calls.
Please, call customers service for
more information.” Two other
numbers were called, but the re-
sponse was: “the number that you
are trying to call is not available.
Call again later.” The pages of
some of the participants looked
suspicious. One of them named
Jane, supposedly a woman, had a
man’s photo as her DP. You raised
the issue of the un-connecting
calls with “Pastor” Williams and
he dismissed it as a “network”
problem. As you found out, most
of the names were cloned from
a WhatsApp group somewhere.
Obviously out to tantalise pro-
spective investors, one of them
showed off a good picture of a
brand new red car he just bought
with his own profit.
As early as 6 am, on Monday,
January 16, “Pastor” Williams
started calling the reporter, who
did not pick up initially. But after
some time, the reporter picked
and reprimanded the “pastor” for
disturbing the family morning
CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION
devotion. As a pastor he claimed
to be, wasn’t he having devotion
with his family, you asked with
feigned anger. He claimed he
was. Did he even have a family?
He replied yes. Then, how many
children did he have? He hesitated
before answering: “almost three.”
He was not, obviously, expecting
the question. Why did he say “al-
most”, you probed further? Was
his wife pregnant? He said no
but seemed to be at a loss as to
what explanation to give. But he
nonetheless apologised profusely
before adding that he was calling
to know whether you had paid
in the money. The reporter asked
him when they opened for busi-
ness. He said 9am. So why did he
decide to call that early? Again he
apologised and said the talk could
continue another time.
Convincing
evidence
By 8.32 am, you paid in the
sum of N3, 000. Shortly after
you did so, he called to protest.
He said he was expecting N30,
000 from you, not N3, 000. You
clarified that you initially had it in
mind to pay that amount but later
changed your mind, out of cau-
tion, after he gave you a personal
bank account number, instead of
a company or corporate one. He
explained that the amount sent
could not yield anything in Bit-
coin trading. The reporter then
asked him to send back the mon-
ey. He laughed and said that it was
SATURDAYSUN
MRS OLAWOYIN
not possible because the “admin”
would use it to offset their running
cost. He pleaded with the reporter
to make the money N15, 000 to
make it yield something, but he
was told very clearly that that was
impossible. Since then, several
persons had been calling from the
“company” with different phone
numbers, describing themselves
as “CEO” “admin officers”, “ca-
shiers”, and so on.
One of them who gave his name
as “Adebayo” used Mr. Tony Elu-
melu’s photo as his display photo.
The problem with them was that
they were all desperate to con-
vince the reporter that they were
involved in legitimate business.
After sensing some hesitancy in
the reporter, “Pastor,” Williams
admonished: “As a fellow pastor,
I want you to trust me that this is a
genuine business; it is not MMM
(moneymaking machine busi-
ness). My pastor, I hope you have
been reading the testimonies?”
Indeed, the reporter had read
the ‘testimonies,’ none of which
sounded convincing. Dr. Taofeek
O. Dalamu and Dr. Anthony
E. Anowu who did a language
analysis of the testimonies faulted
their lexical choices, poor sen-
tence construction, incorrect use
of tenses, use of Nigerian English
and the solicitations as unbecom-
ing of the language of corpo-
rate business outfit the company
claims to be. The two, lecturers at
the Department of Language and
Linguistics, Faculty of Humani-
ties, Anchor University, Ayobo,
February 4, 2023
Lagos, believe that the writers did
not attend any tertiary institution
and could only deceive their ilk or
Nigerians bitten by the get-rich-
quick bug.
Mrs. Margaret Olawoyin, an
online trader and Mr. Olufemi
Ajani, Chief Executive Officer,
Crypto and Blockchain Academy,
Diamond Estate, Isheri-Idimu,
Lagos, also dismissed the prom-
ised doubling of one’s profit on
capital investment. This is so be-
cause the cryptocurrency trading
or market fluctuates. The promise
to double one’s income makes it
look as if the profit margin is al-
ways stable or accentuating. But
this is not so. The idea of asking
people to send money so that you
can do it for them and double their
profits within hours or days is to-
tally anachronistic to crypto-cur-
rency business. Ajani explained
thus: “It is possible to make prof-
its within hours. But it is not like
the way they are doing it. One can
only be taught to do it by oneself,
but not by collecting money from
people to do it on their behalf. I
don’t think anybody has interest
in anybody as to front for him.”
Mrs. Olawoyin was worried
that what the scammers were
doing could undermine the con-
fidence of prospective investors/
subscribers to do business with
genuine cryptocurrency investors/
speculators. Lady Iyiego, CEO,
Shalom Vineyard Initiative, said
that many people had tried to co-
opt her into the fake cryptocur-
rency business. But she said she
scorned them because she does
not believe in such get-rich-quick
ventures. As far as she is con-
cerned, she noted, they are not
different from MMM that crip-
pled many Nigerians financially
and made them lose their money
in the past.
Contacted, Benjamin Hudeny-
in, Superintendent of Police and
Public Relations Officer, Lagos
State Command, urged victims to
report such cases to the command.
He said: “We have in the past ar-
rested culprits along that line. The
problem is victims have not been
reporting. Once the scammers are
arrested, they are charged to court
and prosecuted. There is provi-
sion for that in the law. If there is
no victim’s testimony, there is no
way we can initiate prosecution
on anyone for fraud. But the best
approach is to report to the near-
est Divisional Police Officer who
would now take it up.”
SATURDAYSUN, February 4, 2023 Page 7
Page 8 SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023

FUNKE EGBEMODE
Intimate Affairs egbemode3@gmail.com

WHAT TYPE OF SON ARE

YOU RAISING?
‘I knew she was home. She was peeping through the
window blinds in their bedroom upstairs. She knew
I knew and she still didn’t let me in. My own daugh-
ter-in-law, in my own son’s house? I didn’t know
whether to cry in shame or scream in anger. I had
never felt that diminished in my 58 years on earth.
Even their gateman couldn’t look at me. He ran back
to his room as soon as he told me ‘Madam no dey
house’. I stood there like a beggar in a home where
I once issued instructions and did whatever pleased
me. Tears streamed down my face until I eventually
found the strength to order ‘Bolt’ to take me back
home.’
Janet’s tears were bound to stream down her cheeks.
She should have known the days of pain lay ahead.
She did what she should not have done while she left
undone what she should have. So, before you start
raining curses on Mimi, her daughter-in-law, who
locked her out of their home, you should ‘be calm-
ing down’, hear the full story and learn the lessons
therein. Not that I agree with Mimi’s disrespectful
action but today’s children are not as accommodat-
ing as their mothers, least of all their grandmothers.
They are reading different books and running their
marriages using these sets of operating manuals that
are difficult to understand.
Okay, here’s the point and the story. Janet raised a
spoilt son. She spoilt Ben, maybe because he is her
only son, as if spoiling an only son would make him
become two sons. Many of us are guilty of the same
offence too. Ben got whatever he liked and wanted.
His sisters did the cooking and laundry. That also
happens to the best mothers, right? But Janet ought
to have noticed that Ben was lazy in more ways than
one. She ought not to have paid for the special centre
for Ben to write his UTME or enrol him in an out-
of-town secondary school to re-sit his O’levels. Per-
haps, if Janet had watched her son closely, she would
have noticed that he was one laid-back overgrown
boy who felt the universe owed him and must pay.
Maybe she felt he would grow out of it and catch up
with his peers who were pulling up themselves by
their bootstraps. Days turned into months and years
and Janet continued to make excuses for her over-
parenting excesses. She took his job application let- gap and bought the groceries. Ben stopped coming haviour? He may not be slapping his wife around
ters to her friends and contacts. She called in favours through with the salaries of the maid and the gate- physically but if he leaves all or most of the fam-
for Ben and somehow, they all yielded results. Ben man. Like a well-brought up girl, Mimi stepped in. ily bills to his wife, it is still some kind of abuse. If
got a good job, all right but rising through the ranks When estate dues became an embarrassment, she your son’s wife can’t fix her nails or make her hair
was hard because he had to do it himself, alone, also paid them every month. Ben always had an because she is conserving money to buy fuel for her
without Mummy Dearest. excuse, a joke about how Mimi is a help-meet, ac- car and to pay for the noodles, beverages and bag
Ben and Mimi met, fell in love and married. As cording to the Bible. It was when the rent became an of rice she bought on credit, you should cover your
usual, Ben’s parents proudly picked the wedding issue that Mimi knew she was in trouble. The poor face with both hands. If your son is making money
bills. Then came the morning after. As we have es- girl had to quickly apply for a loan to save her family but prioritises his designer wears and hanging out
tablished, a wedding ceremony does not make a mar- from getting thrown out in the streets. with his friends over and above his children’s school
riage. One is a party, the other is a lifetime commit- ‘Maybe because I was picking virtually all the bills fees, you did a poor job. A wife is a help-meet, not a
ment. Ben was used to a life where the women in in the house, Ben felt he could spend his own money beast of burden. She is somebody’s daughter and you
his life; mother, sisters, girlfriends, pick his bills and on designer watches and shoes. We were both hold- should expect that the hand you deal your daughter-
pick after him. He simply, as a married man, passed ing down good jobs but I was doing all the heavy in-law is the hand they will deal your daughter in her
on the responsibility to his wife. He wasn’t used to lifting. It was scary but who should I have told, my home. It is called the law of harvest.
sharing his money or paying for much. He lived at mum, my friends or his mum who kept on throwing If a man is old enough to be called a husband, he
home until about six months to his wedding. So, her weight around a house she didn’t know how I should know the title comes with responsibilities. It
now, it is strange to him that housekeeping allow- maintained? I prayed for strength but I buckled un- is not an honorary one. A man who wants to share
ance is a monthly must and it does not exclude other der the strain when my mother-in-law added her own all the bills in equal halves with his wife should also
expenses around the house. He did the right thing for load to the ones I was already carrying. First, it was know that there will be consequences. The Yorubas
a couple of months and bolted, mentally. He started her little niece she wanted us to enrol in a private call such arrangements ‘oko-gbe’gba-n’gbagbon’,
dodging the duties of the man of the house. Soon, his school. Then, her nephew was about to lose his ad- translated literally ‘my wife, carry the calabash, I’ll
wife was buying food items, fuel for the generator mission because his parents couldn’t pay. And then carry the basket’. A man who uses that operating
and paying their domestic staff. Two children came she raided my store on each visit! I bought most of manual when he can afford to carry three-quarters
in quick succession, increasing the burden on Mimi. the food items in the house on credit from the com- of the responsibility will soon unleash that side of a
What Ben lacked in financial commitment he pany’s cooperative shop. I took salary advance to pay woman that can stay hidden forever when the man
made up for in the bedroom. Never laid back in his the rent in two instalments. I was always broke even plays the man.
conjugal duties, he did all his good deeds in-between on pay day. But on the day that I locked Mama out, The lesson in this homily? Raise your sons to be
his wife’s legs. Perhaps, the efficacy of Ben’s third I had just bought food items and ‘provisions’ for the heads of their homes. Raise future husbands that you
leg at night was what kept Mimi mild and pliable children on credit again and she would have taken a and God will be proud of. Teach them everything
during the day. Women, they tend to forgive most of chunk of them. I was desperate and angry and I did from cooking to family planning although I’m the
the sins of a man who knows how to deploy his staff not want to join the ranks of nagging wives. I simply first to admit that boys sometimes conveniently for-
of office. But even then, there is a limit to how deep told Musa to tell her I was not at home. I am just tired get how to cook when they have sisters. But what-
a staff of office can dig. of being both husband and wife and worrying about ever you teach them comes handy when they are
A man who leaves his bills to be picked by his all the bills.’ stranded and alone in the kitchen and tired of eating
woman will soon have his trousers replaced with a So, dear mummy, are you proud of the sons you noodles. Let’s teach our sons how to be kings in their
wrapper. Such was the case of Ben and Mimi. The raised? Are your daughters-in-law proud of the man homes because there’s more to a man being on top of
agreed monthly allowance soon dwindled and even- you handed over to them? Is your boy a testimony his game than his being on top of his woman.
tually stopped. Like a good wife, Mimi filled the of good parenting or he is the poster boy for bad be-
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023 Page 9

EDITORIAL

THE SUN PUBLISHING LIMITED

Onuoha Ukeh
The extension of
Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL
Iheanacho Nwosu - Editor, Daily
naira swap deadline
IT is laudable that the Central
Chidi Nnadi - Editor, Sunday
Tope Adeboboye - Editor, Saturday
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has
extended the naira swap dead-
line from January 31 to Feb-
Chidi Obineche - Editor, Special Investigations ruary 10 to enable Nigerians
Femi Adeoti - Deputy Editor, Daily change the old naira notes with
Beifoh Osewele - Deputy Editor, News new ones. The CBN governor,
Adetutu Folasade-Koyi - Editor, Nation’s Capital & the North Godwin Emefiele, announced
Henry Umahi - Assistant Editor, Features & Investigation the new deadline after getting
Wilfred Eya - Politics Editor
approval from President Mu-
hammadu Buhari. He further
Desmond Mgboh - Bureau Chief (North-West)
said that after February 10, the
Amaechi Ogbonna - Business Editor
Emma Jemega - Group Sports Editor
old naira notes would cease to
be a legal tender. However, he
Voice of The Nation
assured Nigerians that the old
EDITORIAL BOARD notes would still be accepted
Robert Obioha - Chairman after the deadline only at the
CBN.
MARKETING & ADVERTISING The CBN has also vowed
Nkiru Obeki - Business Development Manager that it would not extend the
deadline again. Those who
While we applaud the
Nnena Shuaib - Business Development Manager, Nation’s
Capital & the North could not deposit their old nai- extension of the deadline
Tony Manuaka - Special Projects Editor ra notes after the new deadline for the naira swap
can only deposit such notes
OPERATIONS at the CBN. According to the programme, we decry
Damola Lajumoke - GM, Operations
CBN governor, “riding on the the scarcity of the new
provision of Section 20(3) of
Uche Nnamani - Group Head (Pre-Press/Commercial) the CBN Act, Nigerians would naira notes in almost all
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION be given the opportunity to re- parts of the country. The
deem the face value of curren-
Dennis Ogierhiakhi - Senior Accountant
cy in their possession after it blame game between the
Jessica Oje-Humphrey - Human Resources Manager
loses its legal tender status on CBN and the commercial
INTERNAL AUDIT February 10, 2023 deadline,
only at the CBN.”
banks over the scarcity
Johnson Ogwumike - Senior Manager, Internal Audit
Emefiele says that no Nige- of the new naira notes
LEGAL
Obinna Kalu - General Counsel/Company Secretary
rian will lose funds under the
naira redesign project. The
is untenable and
decision to shift the deadline unconvincing. The CBN
for the naira swap initiative and the commercial banks
stemmed from mounting com-
plaints from Nigerians over should work together to
the scarcity of the new N200, ensure the availability of
N500 and N1000 bank notes.
VISION
The scarcity of the new bank the new bank notes
To be a dominant media content provider and
entertainment company in Nigeria and Africa through the notes is more noticeable in
pursuit of excellence in delivering innovative and quality rural areas and border towns
media and entertainment products. without banking facilities.
The apparent hoarding of the new bank notes has stalled commercial activities
MISSION
throughout the country and subjected Nigerians to avoidable suffering and hardship.
‘To practise journalism in the classical newspaper Apart from long queues at the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across the country,
tradition of presenting the news and features in an
exciting style, with impact, objectivity and appeal that
operators of Point of Sales (POS) terminals fleece customers with exorbitant charges.
generate returns to all stakeholders: the society, the Most of them charge between N1, 500 and N2,000 for N10,000 withdrawals as against
investors and the practitioners’ the normal rate of N200.
Unfortunately, most of the ATMs in Lagos and some other cities are not dispensing
OUR CORE VALUES the new naira notes. The money deposit banks are also found wanting in this regard.
The Sun passionately subsists on the core values The new naira racketeering has become a thriving business in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna,
of teamwork, respect, innovation, integrity and Enugu, Port Harcourt and other Nigerian cities.
professionalism (T.R.I.P). To ensure a seamless exercise, the CBN has reportedly deployed about 30, 000 super
T = We believe that we will serve our customers agents to work with its staff in the hinterlands to ensure that the underserved and
(readers) and other stakeholders better when we work as vulnerable members of the society are adequately catered for. The apex bank also says
a team. that it is working with relevant agencies of the Federal Government to ensure that
R = We are committed to treating our employees and commercial banks comply with the guidelines for the seamless distribution of the new
other people with respect, dignity; in a fair and equitable naira notes.
manner.
There are strong indications that the commercial banks are sabotaging the CBN’s
I= We are committed to continuous innovation as plan to make the new bank notes available. The apex bank recently uncovered mis-
the best means to deliver value. We also believe in
conducting our business with integrity and with the
managed N4 million new notes in a commercial bank in Ogun State.
highest standard of ethics and accountability. In a related development, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has lent his sup-
P = We are committed to being a professional, flexible
port for the cashless policy. He said the policy would help to curb illicit election financ-
and learning organization. ing. The House of Representatives has also supported the programme. Beyond reduc-
ing illicit cash for elections, the redesign of the naira was also meant to bring in the
N2.7 trillion outside the banking system and currently held in people’s homes.
This exercise, the CBN says, has unfortunately not been carried out in the last 19
years. The currency in circulation in 2015 was N1.4 trillion. And in October 2022, the
money in circulation rose to N3.32 trillion. Out of this amount, more than N2.7 trillion
FOLLOW US ON... was outside the banking system. Since the commencement of the naira redesign policy,
the CBN has returned N1.9 trillion to the banking system.
@Thesunnigeria Sun Radio
While we applaud the extension of the deadline for the naira swap programme, we
decry the scarcity of the new naira notes in almost all parts of the country. The blame
The Sun Nigeria The Sun TV
game between the CBN and the commercial banks over the scarcity of the new naira
notes is untenable and unconvincing. The CBN and the commercial banks should work
www.sunnewsonline.com
@TheSunNigeria together to ensure the availability of the new bank notes. The banks should stop dis-
pensing the old naira notes as directed by the CBN.
Sunonlineteam@gmail.com
The Sun Nigeria Under the naira swap initiative, Nigerians must not be made to suffer to exchange
their old naira notes with new ones. The naira swap project must be made to work ef-
08189015120
ficiently. We call on the CBN to do all within its powers to make the new bank notes
available to Nigerians. Let all erring bank officials and all those sabotaging the naira
swap programme be adequately sanctioned.
 nollywood
PAGE 10
Not all
actresses have
sugar daddies
– Titilola Ajayi
FOR Nollywood actress and themed story.
filmmaker, Titilola Ajayi, not “Most times, we
all actresses have sugar daddies hear about domestic
bankrolling them and sponsor- violence in homes
ing their luxurious lifestyles. and it’s always the
In an encounter with Satur- females that are the
day Sun, Ajayi said: “I think fan victims. But the
love is what gives way to a lot of society doesn’t
goodies that come to the females care or know
in the industry. Not everyone is how the man is
waiting to be bankrolled. A lot being treated in
of actresses have side hustles his home too.
apart from acting that gives Hence, I feel
them room for more patronage it’s okay for the
from fans. A lot of our fans will world to know
buy at whatever price as long that men also
as it’s their favourite. And once go through
you add other line of hustle, you abuse. But
are likely to make more money. they can’t
I know we have been accused speak up for
of having sugar daddies, but I the fear of
don’t agree with that notion. being mis-
Not everyone is open to sugar construed or
daddies or is lucky with their ridiculed,” she
male partners. And again, not all stressed.
sugar daddies play with funds.”
Shedding more light on her
latest movie, Aimokan, the
graduate of Mass Communica-
tion from Ajayi Crowther Uni-
versity shared the inspiration
behind the domestic violence-
At palace screening, Ooni lauds Get ready for
Showmax’s telenovela, Wura DreamAlive talent
THE palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan
Ogunwusi was agog recently, as he played host
to some of the cast and crew of Showmax’s first
Nigerian original telenovela, Wura.
The screening was one of the elements of the
show’s launch, and the monarch and his wives
- Olori Tobi Philips Ogunwusi, Olori Aderonke
Ademiluyi Ogunwusi and Olori Afolashade
Ogunwusi - as well as the cast of Wura such as
Scarlet Gomez, Yomi Fash-Lanso and Ego Ihe-
anacho, graced it.
Set against the backdrop of the gold min-
ing industry in Osun State, Wura tells the story
of Wura-Amoo Adeleke, a perfect wife, loving
mother of two, and the ruthless Chief Executive
Officer of Frontline Gold Mine. In the eyes of her
family, Wura is faultless and a saint, but when it
comes to running her business empire, she is the
Inside
ultimate “iron lady” who doesn’t care whose ox
is gored, as she works towards getting what she
wants.
The Ooni was pleased with the episodes and
commended Showmax and the producers, say-
ing: “The show was very well put together and
professionally done. I’m very impressed, and I
rarely get impressed with things. But I love the
naturalistic effect of the series. It was premiered
to me at the palace and I could barely find any
faults. I have to give the entire crew some ma-
jor credits. The story is very well scripted and
that’s the typical determination you find in any
Nigerian. It’s a show that will impact society, not
only in Ife. I look forward to watching the rest of
it because it’s obvious that it’s a series that will
address a lot of societal ills and will engage the
citizenry as a whole.”
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
RITA OKOYE
With 0815 264 7737
rita_mally10@yahoo.com
Why I can’t
marry any
actress
–Okafor Chizoba
FILMMAKER,
Okafor John Paul
Chizoba, who is
the brain behind
Holy Lamb Films,
has vowed not to
marry an actress.
According
to the Agulu,
Anambra
State in-
digene,
he can’t
marry an
actress because acting is quite de-
manding, and it takes the grace of
God to keep a home while at it.
“Actresses hardly stay married
because of the nature of their job.
Sometimes, we film 24 hours non-
stop. So, some men who don’t un-
derstand the job will get jealous, angry
and start doubting their wives. How-
ever, my marital status is something I
don’t want to talk about, and I can’t marry
someone from my industry because the
trust will not be there. We all know our-
selves,” he told Saturday Sun.
On his 2023 plans, the seasoned film-
maker hinted on his film academy that
will be unveiled soon. “I’m building a
film academy, and by the grace of God
we will round off this year so people
can get admission to study in all
the departments of filmmaking
such as Directing, Acting,
Make Up, Continuity, Ed-
iting, Properties and Set
Designing, Script Writ-
ing, Soundtrack Engi-
neering, Artistic Di-
recting and so on...”
show 2023
THOUSANDS of contestants tainment careers.
from all 36 states of the federa- “Thousands of contestants
tion are expected to participate in will participate in the hunt and
this year’s edition of DreamAlive winners will emerge in music,
Talent Hunt Show, an empower- comedy, dance and entrepre-
ment programme for young tal- neurship. So, it’s a win-win
ents in Nigeria to showcase their situation for all participants
skills in music, movies, comedy, and contestants. Winners of the
dance and sports. events will be announced and re-
According to the CEO and or- warded, while also kick-starting
ganising coordinator of the show, a mutual career building rela-
Daniel Eromosele aka Pikolo, he tionship where DreamAlive Tal-
has provided a platform to not ent Hunt organizers will nurture
only discover but to also groom their talents and empower them,”
and promote untapped skills of Pikolo explained. nnounced and
young people. rewarded, kick-starting a mu-
He added that winners of tual career building relationship
this year’s edition tagged: ‘The where DreamAlive Talent Hunt
Rebirth’ will be empowered organizers will also nurture
through skill acquisition pro- their talents and empower them
grammes, to boost their enter- in their fields,” he said.
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023 THE SUN AWARDS Page 11

OONI OF IFE , OBA ADEYEYE ENITAN OGUNWUSI, THE SUN MD, ONUOHA UKEH, THE SUN PUBLISHER, OGBONNEYA KALU, BAYELSA GOVERNOR DUOYE DIRI,
AREMO SEGUN OSOBA AND CHIEF IGBINEDION CUTTING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY CAKE OF THE SUN AT THE SUN AWARDS

20 years of rewarding excellence:

How The Sun Awards
shut down Lagos
BY HENRY AKUBUIRO

AS evening descended on the Lagos metropolis last Saturday,

a steady stream of ritzy vehicles poured into the highbrow
Adeola Odeku Road, Victoria Island, like a column of ants
descending from a cascade. With the minutes ticking away,
the traffic began to snarl up: the air was livid with excitement.
By 8pm, there was no room to swing a cat at the Expo Con-
vention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites. You could feel a deja
vu at the five-star hotel. It was the 20th edition of The Sun
Awards, Nigeria’s foremost media event.
Though attendance was strictly by invitation, more people
turned up for the event, as everybody wanted to be part of
history. Even when the bouncers at the front gate said no to
intruders, the latter’s looks were solicitous, their verbal tics
conciliatory. The stranded weren’t just routine gatecrashers:
they included the high and mighty who got a whiff of the bliss
and elected to be caught up in the bug.
At one point, there seemed to be more uninvited guests lin-
ing up outside the venue, waiting to get in, than the sea of
heads already inside the jam-packed Expo Convention Centre
as the event got under way, with trendy wears on the red car-
pet. The euphoria was infectious.
From the promenade to the main corridor leading to the ven-
ue of the event and inside the vast hall itself, the atmosphere
was balmy, tinged with red. Red is the colour of love and pas-
sion. Red is the colour of life and good health. Red is symbolic
of religious fervour and courage. Red is emblematic of joy.
Of course, red is also the colour of The Sun, Nigeria’s Voice
of the Nation. Yes, Eko Hotel and Suites was tinged with red
for a reason.
From the posters of the award recipients on the walls of
the hallway to the decorative balloons, the svelte waitresses BARR. OGBONNEYA KALU
wearing cheerful smiles, the entertainment cast and even the
Chairman of The Sun, Ogbonneya Kalu, a lawyer, who suc- its peak momentarily.
ceeded the founder of the company, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, From the start, the Heroes Band, a live entertainment band
the dominant colour was red. Though unspoken, there was a serenaded the audience with old classics. You could see the
permeating sense of love and gratitude for The Sun family and bonhomie spirit as many people chatted heartily, nodded their
the sunny audience taking a swig from their bottles intermit- heads and sang along to the hits. A few stood up to shake their
tently. waists and do some old time twists. Nigerian hits, from high
If laughter was a manifestation of mirth, Nigeria is a country life to Afrobeats, were also performed, to resounding cheers.
of the happy. No two ways about it. Enter the Expo Conven- All night long, the clatter of cutlery and clinking of glasses
tion Centre, and you wouldn’t remember the long fuel queues blended with resonant hurrahs from the crowd. What The Sun
hadn’t disappeared yet and the new naira notes hadn’t reached had put together, it was hard for anybody to rive apart. It was
many hands yet. But hope was a singsong among all. It was at a moment to relish. A moment that happened once in a while,
Page 12 THE SUN AWARDS
eclipsing social lull.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwu-
si, added a side note to his regal appear-
ance on the day, playing the factotum
with humility that didn’t rob his gravi-
tas, ever willing to hand over the awards
each time he was called up to present
them. Besides, he set many on the edge
of their seats with his entry to the venue,
heralded by a characteristic drumming
frenzy that illuminated the brilliant night
with white ensembles, yet adding a bit
of magic and tonalities. Again, star acts,
Chike and Zaki Azi, thrilled the audience
to no end.
Chigurl the comedian announced her
presence as one of the comperes with
zingers. Like a script out of a Nollywood
flick, she walked down the podium to
fetch The Sun MD, Mr Onuoha Ukeh, to
address the gathering, hand to hand, toe
to toe, like newly wedded on the cusp of
saying, “I do”. But the man of the mo-
ment did something outside the nuptial
zone.
In his speech, Ukeh reminded all: “We
are celebrating two decades of engaging
in a serious and exciting process of se-
lecting exceptional Nigerians and hon-
ouring them. From 2003 to date, The Sun
Awards have become a dominant media
event through which people who have
contributed immensely to the develop-
ment of Nigeria are recognised. The Sun
Awards graduated from a low-key sole
recognition of Man of the Year, in 2003,
to this colourful and elaborate multi-
awards celebration of today.”
The first award by The Sun, he noted,
was given to the chairman, Globacom,
Otunba Mike Adenuga, for 2003 without
razzmatazz. The second was won by then
Chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam
Nuhu Ribadu, in a low-key award pre-
sentation as requested by the award win-
ner.
From that humble beginning, he said,
The Sun Awards had grown to an Oak
tree, becoming bigger every year. The
credit for that, he added, would go to
The Sun staff “who dreamt big and made
things happen.” He commended his pre-
decessors for laying a solid foundation
for the awards.
He reiterated that the 26 Nigerians be-
ing celebrated were pointers that things
work in the country, for “despite the chal-
lenges the country faces, these Nigerians
have done a race, kept the faith, and won
the diadems. They braved the odds, sur-
mounted obstacles and snatched success
from the jaw of the tiger.”
Therefore, “We call them Pride of the
Nation. They are Pride of the Nation
because they have done extraordinary
things that benefited the majority of Ni-
gerians.”
The importance of the forthcoming
elections in Nigeria, he said, was an “op-
portunity for us as a people to elect a lead-
ership which has the capacity to change
the trajectory, which would bring about
hope, restore confidence, ensure unity
and security, entrench transparency, fair-
ness, justice, build strong institutions and
ready to evolve policies and programme
that would bring out the best in Nigerians
and engender development.”
He hinted also that The Sun would
be unveiling a book on Nigeria, Making
of Modern Nigeria, “a book that elegant-
ly sketched the metamorphosis of Nige-
ria, from a colonised territory, to indepen-
dence and now the Giant of Africa, and a
sequel to the Golden Book the newspaper
house earlier published to commemorate
Nigeria’s 50th anniversary.
“It is The Sun’s contribution to schol-
arship, at a time when History is coming
back in our schools’ curriculum, in col-
laboration with Compact Communica-
tions Limited and Bridgehead Commu-
nications Limited,” he declared.
The chairman of the occasion, Aremo
Segun Osoba, commended the manage-
ment and staff of The Sun Publishing
Limited “for keeping faith with the ardu-
ous task of conferring honours on Nige-
rians who have done well.
“For an organisation to follow a pains-
taking process to select people adjudged
to have accomplished something that
deserves awards says a lot. It means that
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
AREMO SEGUN OSOBA WITH THE SUN MD, MR. ONUOHA UKEH
such an organisation believes that with
great effort the best would always be
found. I commend The Sun for being con-
sistent in giving awards,” he said, adding
that, “extending honours to those who
have excelled is a great feat. This would
rekindle the spirit of hard work and deter-
mination to reach greater heights among
our countrymen and women.”
Reiterating the importance of a smooth
transition this year, the former governor
of Ogun State said: “The whole world is
looking at us as a nation and as Nigeri-
ans. We must all strive to fully participate
in the exercise to be part of history in
electing credible leaders for the country
at all levels. Participating in elections is
a civic duty, which all eligible voters are
enjoined to perform without any mate-
rial inducement or coercion. We must
vote according to the dictates of our con-
science, bearing in mind that the choice
we make may make or mar the country.
It is by making the right choices that we
can nurture and deepen our democracy
and help the nation achieve the dreams
of our founding fathers and our heroes
past.”
Ogbonneya Kalu was making her first
appearance as the Chairman /Publisher of
The Sun Publishing Ltd on the occasion.
In a lucid speech, she affirmed that the
basic focus of The Sun Awards had been
excellence and “winners must be excel-
lent in their endeavours to be honoured.
It is a tradition we have maintained over
the years.”
She, therefore, encouraged the award-
ees to continue to do the good things that
earned them the awards. “You should
know that to whom much is given, much
more is expected. Nigerians expect you
to do more for the good of our father-
land,” she said.
And as the general elections approach, CHIKE THRILLING THE AUDIENCE AT THE SUN AWARD
she urged Nigerians to pay less attention
to the divisive issues and focus more on Eko Hotel and Suites — from the Abia shared by four eminent Nigerians, whose
competence, uniting tendencies and abil- State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who achievements had been enduring as they
ity to do whatever that was necessary to was one of the Governors of the Year, to passed the 70-year mark. The Esama of
lead Nigeria into its desired era of excel- the Bayelsa State Governor, Diri, a joint Benin, the founder of Igbinedion Uni-
lence.” award winner in the same category, and versity, Okada and former Governor of
The 2022 edition of The Sun Awards Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa. Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, sent
honoured 26 Nigerian high flyers from Also was the Group Chief Operating representatives, but the other two were
all walks of life who have become a Officer of the Nigeria National Petro- on hand to add glamour to the event
byword for success. They had not only leum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mal- as the first set to be honoured for the
made a name for themselves but have lam Mele Kyari, the Man of the Year. night. They include the former Deputy
through their exertions, brought honour Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ug- Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu
to Nigeria, thus enkindling hope in to- wuanyi, also The Man of the Year, sa- Ojikutu; and Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife,
morrow.. voured his award from a distance, the an elder statesman and former Anambra
After a series of sessions, The Sun same as his Rivers State counterpart, State Governor, who, in his thank-you
Board of Editors had selected these ex- Nyesom Wike, who was garlanded with speech, on behalf of his colleagues, en-
emplary Nigerians from diverse areas — Courage in Leadership award. joined Nigerians to vote wisely in the
the world of governance, politics, philan- Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba forthcoming elections.
thropy, entertainment, entrepreneurship, State was also lionised as Political Icon, Mrs. Ngozi Ekeoma, Managing Direc-
industry, banking, hospitality, etc. while Hajia Zainab Bagudu, emerged the tor/Chief Executive Officer, Nepal En-
Majority of the award recipients were First Lady of the Year. ergies Limited, was the cynosure of all
present at the Expo Convention Centre, Lifetime Achievement Award was eyes as the Entrepreneur of the Year. An-
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023 THE SUN AWARDS Page 13

MR AND MRS MIKE AWOYINFA WITH MRS. DIMGBA IGWE CHAIRMAN OF THE OCCASION, AREMO OSOBA WITH THE SUN PUBLISHER,
OGBONNEYA KALU

BARR. EZEKWE, EMMANUEL UGWU AND IGWE MADUABUCHI NEVOBASI PROF. UCHE UGWUANYI; DR. IBENAKU ONOH AND RT. HON. CHINEDU NWAMBA

KANAYO O. KANAYO AND CHAMPION NEWSPAPER MD NWADIUTO IHEAKANWA CHARLES EZE, INGRAM OSIGWE AND IYKE EKEOMA

CHIEF MRS. AKIBOR VICTORIA AND EBELE NZEKWE HON. JANE CHINWE ENEH AND AGU CHUKS

DR. IFEANYI IFEDI CHIEF NIKE AKANDE HON. CORNELIUS NNOYI AND IGWE AGUBUSO
Page 14 THE SUN AWARDS SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023

other woman, Lady Ada Chukwudozie Outstanding Nigerians who had dis- neering Infrastructure (NASENI); Dr. occasion were Obiora Okonkwo, CEO
of Dozzy Group, earned the Industrialist tinguished themselves in public service, George Moghalu, National Inland Water- of United Nigeria Airline, Senator Ben
of the Year award. were on hand to receive their awards. ways Authority (NIWA); and Dr. Rich- Murray Bruce, CEO of Silverbird and
The Nigerian business community was They included Prof. Mohammed Ha- ard Okoye, Founder and Chief Medical many others playing in different sectors
fully represented at The Sun’s honours’ runa, Executive Vice Chairman of the Director, Save-A-Life Mission Hospital. of the economy.
list. Apart from the aforementioned due, National Agency for Science and Engi- Among dignitaries who graced the
honours went to Chief Benjamin
Igwe, an auto lubricants tycoon
and chairman of Autosheck Oil
and Gas Limited, also as the En-
trepreneur of the Year; as well as
Festus Mbisiogu, Chairman of
Blue Diamond Group and Shang-
hai Engineering Works Limited,
as Industrialist of the Year.
Both Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu
of the Stanel Group, and Prof.
John-Kennedy Opara of the CSS
Integrated Farms, were honoured
as Investor of the Year. In the
banking sector, Olukayode Pitan,
Managing Director, Bank of In-
dustry, was honoured as Banker
of the Year.
The entertainment sector
wasn’t left out of the award night
as Kelvin Onumah, the CEO of
Sublime Hotels & Suites and MD
of Jombo & Mark Investment,
was garlanded as Hospitality Per-
sonality of the Year.
The clergy also shone brightly
at The Sun Awards as Apostle
Chibuzor Chinyere, Founder of
Omega Power Ministries, was
recognised as Humanitarian Ser-
vice Icon; just as Chief James
Chijioke Ume. CROSS SECTION OF GUESTS AT THE EVENT

THE COMPERES - ABDULFATAI OTORI AND CHIOMA ‘CHIGUL’

HEROES BAND ENTERTAINING GUESTS AT THE EVENT OMERUAH

BARR. OGBONNEYA KALU WITH SOME GUESTS AT THE EVENT OBA OGUNWUSI, GOV IKPEAZU AND SOME GUESTS

ENGR. SOLOMON OKPITHE AND MRS. VICTORIA OKPITHE PROF. A. S. SAMBO AND PROF. EKANEM BRAIDE
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
MR. EMEKA OPARAH AND A GUEST
ZAAKI AZZAY PERFORMING AT THE SUN AWARDS
DR. AHMED HASSAN PRESENTING LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO ALHAJA SINATU
OJUKUTU, CHIEF CHUKWUEMEKA EZEIFE AND CHIEF IGBINEDION
TORRENTS OF TRIBUTES, AS AWARDEES,
GUESTS LAUD THE SUN AWARDS
BY AGATHA EMEADI, CHRISTY
ANYANWU AND KATE HALIM
THE 20th edition of the prestigious The
Sun Awards, held last Saturday in Lagos,
has remained the talk of the town, even as
many that witnessed it have continued to
pour encomiums on the organisers for a
fantastic job.
Some of the awardees and guests had
glowing words for The Sun Publishing
Limited.
Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife,
former Governor, Anambra State
Twenty years ago, I got a Lifetime
Achievement Award from Thisday News-
paper. Now that I am 85, I got a Lifetime
Achievement Award (from The Sun). I am
very happy about it.
The event was beautiful. I met so many
old friends, old people who appreciate
so much meeting with me again. The
music they played was fantastic. The or-
ganisation was superb. Everything went
very well. I didn’t eat much but I saw
some people gulping it. I think The Sun
KELVIN JOMBO ONUMAH AND MR COSMAS MADUKA
MANAGING DIRECTOR, THE SUN PUBLISHING LIMITED, ONUOHA UKEH WITH DR. EZEIFE
has done very well. The commendations
people made were very impressive. I’m
happy. I enjoyed it and I’m back in Abuja.
Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu, former
Deputy Governor,
Lagos State
I thank the Almighty that the little I have
done in this world is being recognised by
some people, and I am being given hon-
our for it. I have always liked The Sun
from the time it started. It’s a paper that I
like because, most times, they are neutral.
It shows that they are not being controlled
by the founder. I have given a couple of
interviews to The Sun in the past. When
my husband died and all that, they were
supportive. That was why, when the
award came, I didn’t refuse, because there
are so many awards that I have rejected.
When they told me how rigorous the se-
lection was, I felt comfortable with receiv-
ing it. It was a great night. They put in a lot
of efforts. It was a night of glitz.
CHIEF BISI OLATILO AND CHIEF CHIDI ANYAEGBU
CROSS SECTION OF NORTHERN TRADITIONAL RULERS
Mrs Ngozi Ekeoma,
MD, Nepal Oil & Gas
I feel very excited and happy. I actually
didn’t know it was such a big event until
after the event. I’m happy. I didn’t set out
my business to be recognised. I set out my
business to support my family. But it just
goes to show that the little things we do
in our little corner, people are watching. It
was totally unexpected. I was not expect-
ing any awards. I don’t even like awards
to start with, but coming from a reputable
organisation such as The Sun Publishing, I
feel very happy and I feel much honoured.
Like they say, the response to a reward for
hard work is more hard work. So, I guess
this is more hard work.
Mr. Festus Mbisogu,
CEO, Blue Diamond Group
It’s a great honour to be among the re-
cipients. I did not anticipate it. It’s good to
be honoured by The Sun. The atmosphere
was good. Your event was colourful, start-
ing from the entrance of the hall. Those
pictures by the hallway made it grander. It
THE SUN AWARDS Page 15
PHOTOS BY:
AYODELE OJO,
DELE ONATADE,
TOPE AINA,
OKEBUGWU
BLESSED AND
SHEU ABOLORE
was well decorated. Also, the clips of the
awardees presented at the event were re-
ally nice.
Ms Nike Jones,
Politician
It was well planned and well attended.
Everything was okay. The decoration was
nice. The music itself was nice. It was well
laid out, well planned. The food was good,
a lot to eat and to drink. It was a warm at-
mosphere, very convivial, very nice. I en-
joyed every bit of it.
Dr. Jayne Obioma Onwumere,
CEO of IPWAN Group
It was a good one. All the people hon-
oured deserved to be honoured and I cel-
ebrate all of them. One of them was my
friend and classmate in Harvard, Ngozi
Ekeoma. She’s a good role model. She’s a
woman that deserves to be celebrated. Ev-
ery single one of them, the entrepreneurs,
the investors, they deserved to be hon-
oured. I say kudos to The Sun. Keep it up.
Page 16 THE SUN AWARDS
OBA ADEYEYE OGUNWUSI WITH BARR. OGBONNEYA KALU PRESENTING GOVERNOR OF THE
YEAR AWARD TO GOV. OKEZIE IKPEAZU OF ABIA STATE
Darman Keffi,
Secretary, Keffi Emirate
Council
We are so grateful that The
Sun honoured one of our sons,
Mohammed Haruna (NASENI)
as the winner, Public Service
Award. We are very happy.
Professor Ekanem I.
Braide FAS (President,
Nigeria Academy of
Science)
The Sun Awards is one of the
well-known awards in Nigeria
where people are carefully se-
lected. I am here to celebrate
Professor Mohammed Haruna,
The executive Vice Chairman
and chief executive officer of
National Agency for Science
and Engineering Infrastructure
(NASENI) who has achieved a
lot. While I pray it continues, I
wish the organisers of the award
would look at the younger en-
trepreneurs who are outside the
government to be projected and
encouraged for such awards.
Professor Abubakar
Sambo (Vice president,
Nigeria Academy of
Sciences).
The Sun Awards is fantastic
and a recognition of great efforts
of individuals. I am here to felic-
itate with Professor Haruna who
has succeeded tremendously to
turn NASENI into a new bride.
Arch. Apeh Harrison
It is a very honourable feat,
honouring the men and women
who have achieved a lot, espe-
cially the likes of Dr. Stanley
Uzochukwu who won the inves-
tor of the year and he is in his
40s. It is a huge inspiration for
many of us who are within his
age range to also work hard and
win awards as well.
Mrs. Nonyelum
Onyechi, NASENI
I am here to celebrate my boss,
Professor Mohammed Haruna.
It is a beautiful thing to recognise
people who are working for the
nation. With this, others are also
encouraged to work hard too.
Mrs. Aladi Sadiq,
(NASENI)
The Sun Awards is such a
beautiful thing. With the lovely
setting, the organisation is also
beautiful and I give them beauti-
ful credit.
Helen Maiyegun,
Directorate Head, Lagos
and West, Keystone Bank
What I have seen over the
years is a well-organised event
with carefully selected award-
ees. The award is very worthy
and therefore I am here to cel-
ebrate our customer Chief Ben-
jamin Igwe, Chairman/ CEO
Bensheck Nigeria Limited and
Autosheck Oil and Gas who
won the Entrepreneur of the Year
award. High Chief Linus
Emeka Opara, Vice Igbudu, President,
president, Corporate Association of Enugu
Communications & CSR, State Development
Airtel Africa Union (ESDU)
A very lovely award. I love it
and would always attend. Luck-
ily, I am in town and here to wit-
ness the award. It is incredible to
celebrate excellence.
Sir Francis
Chukwudebelu
This is the third time I am at-
tending The Sun Awards to cel-
ebrate my friends. If the award is
not worthy, I would not be found
seated here. Again, I am here to
celebrate my bosom friend and
brother Chief Benjamin Igwe
who won the Entrepreneur of the
Year award.
Chief Vincent
Anyamele
The Sun Awards is wonderful
and encouraging.
Sir Ben Akano
This is the first time I am at-
tending the awards; it looks nice
and I am here to felicitate with
Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife who
is a great supporter of our politi-
cal Party, Labour Party.
Christian Chukwu
I personally think when it
comes to awards, The Sun stands
out, because their recognition for
people is purely based on merit
while some others are based on
other considerations. The Sun
celebrates people that are de-
serving.
Chief Mrs. Chinyere
Ezem, President,
Association of Enugu
OBA ADEYEYE OGUNWUSI WITH BARR. OGBONNEYA KALU PRESENTING GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR TO
REPRESENTATIVE OF GOV. UMARU FINTIRI OF ADAMAWA STATE, MR SOLOMON KUMANGAR
State/ South East
Women.
The Sun Awards is a good one.
I believe that the award is given
based on merit because The Sun
would have done their necessary
assignment very well. The award
cannot be given out to just any
how person, rather for achievers
who have made impact in vari-
ous endeavours of lives. We are
here for our governor Hon. If-
eanyi Ugwuanyi who won The
Sun Man of the Year award.
The Sun Awards is a fantastic
one given to people that merited
it; not given out to anyhow be-
cause the awardees are carefully
screened before they are chosen.
It is a yearly event where quality
people who have given quality
services to humanity are recog-
nised.
Dr. Jacob Nwachukwu,
Elyon Synergy Ltd
The Sun Awards is an excel-
lent event that brings out people
who matter in the society. It is
a prestigious award that also
brings people together especially
those who have contributed im-
mensely to the development of
the country. It is a great privilege
to be here.
Dr. Ramatu Abarshi,
Convener, Barkindo
Rahama Initiative
The Sun awards came at the
right time for Prof. Mohammed
Haruna. I am personally grate-
ful to The Sun newspapers for
recognizing him because he has
empowered many people in the
engineering profession. I con-
gratulate The Sun for selecting
him because the award is influ-
enced only by merit.
Chief Andrew Oru
Simply respectable.
Dr. Mrs. Nike Akande
(CON) Former Minister
of Industry
The Sun Awards has always
been a great event, I have always
SATURDAYSUN
attended the programme because
it is not an award for sale, but
purely on merit.
Audu Ogbe, Politician,
former Minister of
Agriculture
The Sun Awards is a very good
idea especially that newspapers
can recognize individuals in the
society. When a newspaper and
media house recognises an effort
and achievement, it is very good.
The recognition is very good
especially based on individual
achievement; it is highly com-
mendable.
Zaaki Azzay, Artiste
The Sun Awards is beautiful,
classy and colourful. I think it
is an award objectively given to
deserving individuals and it has
been like that over the years.
Chief Odunukwe
I am happy for the honour
given to the awardees.
Akeem Adesina,
Bank of Industry
The Sun Awards is worth the
fame. A good number of great
Nigerians have been rewarded
for what they have done in the
past. I am here to felicitate with
my Managing Director, Olukay-
ode Pitan.
Chief Mrs. Chinasa
Anyanwu, Legal
Practitioner
I am glad to be here. This
award calls for celebration,
worth the efforts with a beautiful
scenario. Kudos to The Sun Pub-
lishing Limited. The icing on the
cake is that I am here to celebrate
my immediate older brother,
Prof. John Kennedy Opara who
is awarded the Investor of the
year award.
Chika Adiele,
Accountant   credible and fantastic.
The Sun awards is a well-de-
served award and I feel happy
about it. Prof. John Kennedy
Opara is my senior brother.
Hauwa Bage Haruna.
I am yet to experience the
award, but from the little I know
about it, The Sun would have
researched seriously about the
awardees before selecting them.
February 4, 2023
Elvis Obaseki…
The turnout has proved that
the award has carved a niche for
itself. Seeing today’s Saturday
Sun has also shown the accep-
tance of the brand in the society.
So far so good. This year is about
the best that I have seen over the
years.
Chief Bright Igbinedion
This is a great forum to recog-
nise and appreciate distinguished
Nigerians that have contributed
to the society one way or the
other. I commend the organis-
ers for being very thoughtful in
encouraging members of the so-
ciety that have excelled in their
own different walks of life.
Chief Mrs. Christy Ray-
Okoye,
Oil and Gas expert
It is a very worthy award be-
cause it tends to encourage peo-
ple, I look forward to attending
every year; but then the organis-
ers should include more women
because a lot of them are doing
so well in their various profes-
sions.
Iyom Oby
Onwuzuruora (JP)
I thank God for the impact The
Sun is making. I appreciate them
and thank God. I am here to cel-
ebrate with my friend Lady Ada
Chukwudozie of Dozzy Group.
Chris Finebone
The Sun Awards is fantastic as
always. They have remained the
trail blazer while others follow.
The Sun remains the pioneer.
Chief Ekwulor,
Anya Igbo (JP)
The Sun remains the hottest
delicacy. This is my 20th year of
attending the award. It is worthy,
Chief Dr. Udeh Sunday,
President, Igbo Speaking
community, Lagos.
The Sun award is a fantastic/
Annual event. I came to sup-
port Lady Ada Chukwudozie of
Dozzy Group.
Mrs. Mbisiogu
The award calls to do more.
My husband won the Industrial-
ist of the year
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023 THE SUN AWARDS Page 17

OONI OF IFE, OBA OGUNWUSI WITH OGBONNEYA KALU PRESENTING GOVERNOR OF THE FORMER GOVERNOR OF OGUN STATE, AREMO OSOBA AND SENATOR BEN BRUCE PRESENTING
YEAR AWARD TO GOV. DOUYE DIRI OF BAYELSA STATE. THE SUN PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD TO PROF. MOHAMMED HARUNA

FORMER OGUN STATE GOVERNOR, OLUSEGUN OSOBA AND SENATOR BEN BRUCE CHIEF BENJAMIN IGWE WITH HIS WIFE AND MRS NKE AKANDE
PRESENTING CHIEF GEORGE MOGHALU WITH HIS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

LADY ADA CHUKWUDOZIE AND HER HUSBAND RECEIVING THE SUN INDUSTRIALIST OF THE FESTUS MBISIOGU RECEIVING INDUSTRIALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM CHIEF AUDU OGBEH
YEAR AWARD FROM CHIEF AUDU OGBEH

DR. AHMED HASSAN, YAKANAJIE OF UKE KINGDOM PRESENTING LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT FORMER GOV. OGUN STATE, OLUSEGUN OSOBA PRESENTING HOSPITALITY PERSONALITY AWARD
AWARD TO REPRESENTATIVE OF CHIEF GABRIEL OGBINEDION TO KELVIN JOMBO ONUMAH

BARR (MRS.) NGOZI EKEOMA RECEIVING HER ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM DR. STANLEY UZOCHUKWU RECEIVING THE INVESTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM PROF
MRS NIKE AKANDE OBIORA OKONKWO
Page 18 THE SUN AWARDS SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023

AREMO OLUSEGUN OSOBA PRESENTING HUMANITARIAN SERVICE ICON AWARD TO JAMES AREMO OSOBA WITH OGBONNEYA KALU PRESENTING MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD TO
CHIJIOKE UME REPRESENTATIVE OF GOV. IFEANYI UGWUANYI OF ENUGU STATE, MRS. CECILIA EZIELO

AREMO OLUSEGUN OSOBA PRESENTING COURAGE IN LEADERSHIP AWARD TO REPRESENTATIVE DR. OBIORA OKONKWO PRESENTING THE INVESTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD TO REPRESENTATIVE OF
OF GOV. WIKE, TAMMY DANAGOGO PROF. JOHN KENNEDY, MR. ROBERT ANYANWU

AREMO OLUSEGUN OSOBA PRESENTING HUMANITARIAN SERVICE ICON AWARD TO AREMO OLUSEGUN OSOBA AND SENATOR BEN BRUCE PRESENTING THE PUBLIC SERVICE
APOSTLE CHIBUZOR CHINYERE AWARD TO DR. RICHARD OKOYE

MR. OLUKAYODE PITAN RECEIVING BANKER OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM DR IFEANYI EFEDI DR. AHMED HASSAN, YAKANAJIE OF UKE KINGDOM PRESENTING THE LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO CHIEF CHUKWUEMEKA EZEIFE

DR. AHMED HASSAN, YAKANAJIE OF UKE KINGDOM PRESENTING LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT MR. TOPE ADEBOBOYE, EDITOR, MR. ONUOHA UKEH, MD, THE SUN AND IHEANACHO
AWARD TO ALHAJA SINATU OJUKUTU SATURDAY SUN NWOSU, EDITOR, DAILY SUN
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023 THE SUN AWARDS Page 19

TESTAMENTS TO EXCELLENCE
Focus of The Sun Awards has always been excellence
- Ogbonneya Kalu, Chairman/Publisher, The Sun Publishing Limited
IT is my honour and privilege to welcome you
to the 20th edition of The Sun Awards. It is yet
another opportunity for us to celebrate Nigeri-
ans who have done well despite our peculiar
challenges.
There are 26 people to be honoured, both
men and women. I congratulate them. For
them to attract the attention of The Sun Board
of Editors and be chosen to be honoured
proves that they have been exceptional in their
undertakings.
The basic focus of The Sun Awards has been
excellence. Winners must be excellent in their
endeavours to be honoured. It is a tradition we
have maintained over the years.
I am particularly excited that this edition of
The Sun Awards is coming a few weeks before
our country’s general election, when we are
expected to exercise our franchise and elect
a new leadership for our dear country. It is a
civic duty for all eligible voters.
As we go into the general election, it is my
fervent wish that in deciding who to vote for,
we should pay less attention to the divisive is-
sues and focus more on competence, uniting
tendencies and ability to do whatever that is
necessary to lead Nigeria into its desired era
of excellence.
We must all work together to ensure that the
general election is violence-free, transparent
and credible. This ought to be the basic mini-
mum that Nigerians look up to.
For the awardees, I would say this: Contin-
ue to do the good things that earned you the
awards. You should know that to whom much
is given, much more is expected. Nigerians
expect you to do more for the good of our fa-
therland.

We’re celebrating two decades of honouring exceptional Nigerians

–Onuoha Ukeh, Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun Publishing Limited
•Pays tribute to ex-MDs of The Sun
TONIGHT, we are celebrating the 20th edition of The
Sun Awards. We are celebrating two decades of engaging
in a serious and exciting process of selecting exceptional
Nigerians and honouring them. From 2003 to date, The
Sun Awards have become a dominant media event through
which people who have contributed immensely to the
development of Nigeria are recognised. The Sun Awards
graduated from a low-key sole recognition of Man of the
Year, in 2003, to this colourful and elaborate multi-awards
celebration of today.
From that humble beginning, as a planted mustard seed,
The Sun Awards have grown to an Oak tree, becoming big-
ger every year. This was made possible by The Sun staff
who dreamt big and made things happen. Tonight, I pay
tribute to my bosses and former Managing Directors/Edi-
tors-in-Chief of The Sun. I pay tribute to Mr. Mike Awoyin-
fa, the late Mr. Dimgba Igwe, Dr. Tony Onyima, Mr. Femi
Adesina and Mr. Eric Osagie. They lighted The Sun Awards
torch, held it firmly, not allowing it to dim and passing it
until it got to our hands. I also pay tribute to the founder of
The Sun Publishing Limited, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, for
providing the platform upon which the candle was lighted.
I doff my hat to Mr, Iyke Ekeoma, who works behind the
scene, dealing with the technical aspect of the awards, as
the unsung hero. These are great men, who, working with
all of us, transformed a dream to reality.
We are here tonight to celebrate 26 Nigerians, who have
proved that things work in the country. Despite the chal-
lenges the country faces, these Nigerians have done a race,
kept the faith, and won the diadems. They braved the odds,
surmounted obstacles and snatched success from the jaw
of the tiger. By their successes and accomplishments, they
told a good Nigerian story, to the effect that there are great
potentials in the country. They have made Nigeria proud.
We call them Pride of the Nation. They are Pride of the
Nation because they have done extraordinary things that
benefited the majority in Nigerian. From governance to
business, public service to entrepreneurship, hospitality to
entertainment, these Nigerians have done well and have
given hope for a better Nigeria.
Nigerians are doing great things all over the world.
Events have shown that many Nigerians in the Diaspora
are at the top of their careers and dominate their industries.
In these places, they are forces to be reckoned with, well
respected and sought after because of their invaluable con-
tributions to society. These are our countrymen and women
who are achieving success in other climes, in such areas
as medicine, science, technology, sports and even the mili-
tary of other countries. They excel in environments where
things are working better.
The exceptional achievements of Nigerians in the Dias-
pora and the awardees who would mount the podium to
be honoured tonight clearly tell us that Nigerians would al-
ways excel in excellent environments. We need such excel-
lent environments here. This is why the coming elections in
Nigeria are critical. It is an opportunity for us as a people to
elect a leadership which has the capacity to change the tra-
jectory, which would bring about hope, restore confidence,
ensure unity and security, entrench transparency, fairness,
justice, build strong institutions and ready to evolve policies
and programme that would bring out the best in Nigerians
and engender development.
The Sun Awards 2022 is coming at an auspicious time.
It is the 20th anniversary of The Sun Awards. It is coming
in a year that The Sun, as a publishing and entertainment
company, is 20. It is coming in a year that The Sun is go-
ing to unveil a book on Nigeria, titled “Making of Modern
Nigeria,” a book that elegantly sketched the metamorphosis
of Nigeria, from a colonised territory, to independence and
now the Giant of Africa. The book is a sequel to the Golden
Book The Sun earlier published to commemorate Nigeria’s
50th anniversay. It is The Sun’s contribution to scholarship,
at a time when History is coming back in our schools’ cur-
riculum, in collaboration with Compact Communications
Limited and Bridgehead Communications Limited.
Tonight’s celebration promises to be thrilling.

The choices of The Sun Award winners have been profound - Olusegun Osoba, former Governor
of Ogun State and Chairman of the occasion
I want to express my appreciation to the Man-
agement and Staff of The Sun Publishing Lim-
ited, for keeping faith with the arduous task of
conferring honours on Nigerians who have done
well. For an organisation to follow a painstak-
ing process to select people adjudged to have ac-
complished something that deserve awards says
a lot. It means that such organisation believes
that with great effort, the best would always be
found. I commend The Sun for being consistent
in giving awards.
I have followed The Sun Awards for many
years and I can say that the choices of award
winners have been profound. Our country has
produced people with towering credentials,
men and women who have done outstanding
things. In all fields of human endeavours, Ni-
gerians have recorded great accomplishments.
This gives us hope that our nation has the human
resources to excel the more. Extending honours
to those who have excelled is a great feat. This
would rekindle the spirit of hard work and de-
termination to reach greater heights among our
countrymen and women.
I am one of those who believe in Nigeria. I
believe that our country is made to be great. I
believe that we have all it takes to be a great na-
tion. I believe that our tomorrow will be better
than today. I believe that as Nigerians, we are the
ones who will make this happen.
This year, we have the opportunity to lay the
foundation for a greater Nigeria. It is an elec-
tion year. Without mincing words, this year’s
elections are significant. We are transiting from
one government to another. The whole world is
looking at us as a nation and as Nigerians. We
must all strive to fully participate in the exercise
to be part of history in electing credible lead-
ers for the country at all levels. Participating in
elections is a civic duty, which all eligible vot-
ers are enjoined to perform without any material
inducement or coercion. We must vote according
to the dictates of our conscience, bearing in mind
that the choice we make may make or mar the
country. It is by making the right choices that we
can nurture and deepen our democracy and help
the nation achieve the dreams of our founding
fathers and our heroes past.
I wish to use this auspicious occasion to urge
our political leaders, politicians and their sup-
porters to play the game by the rules. At the
same time, the security agents deployed for elec-
tion duties must all be apolitical and neutral in
discharging their duties. Above all, INEC must
follow the rules it had set for the conduct of the
election and also ensure that the outcome of the
election reflects the wishes of Nigerians by mak-
ing every vote to count.
I will not end this remarks without specially
congratulating all those receiving awards today,
for having scaled The Sun Board of Editors rig-
orous selection process and being deemed fit for
honours. When you receive awards for what you
have done, it is a challenge to do more. It is my
hope that The Sun Awards will spur you to do
more in your specific fields, in particular and for
our fatherland, in general.
Page 20 THE SUN AWARDS
Style, glitz, glamour
at The Sun Awards
By VIVIAN ONYEBUKWA
AS usual, this year’s The Sun Awards
came with style, glitz and glamour.
The guests turned out in their numbers,
looking beautiful in their outfits.
Undaunted black
One fashion item every woman
needs in her wardrobe is a black dress.
It is classless, timeless and ageless.
There’s probably no single item of
clothing that is more useful than a
black dress. It is an ideal base to add
to look cool, fashionable and sophis-
ticated. Styled with statement acces-
sories, most women who wore it to the
event made fashion statements.
Clutch it
A clutch bag is a stylish accessory
and has always attracted all admiring
glances. Elegant women were seen
carrying clutch bags at the awards
ceremony, which added a touch of el-
egance, class and sophistication to their
overall outlook.
Long gowns
Every style-conscious woman would
choose to appear in a long gown for
its elegance and grace. It is a look best
for the evenings. An array of of these
beautiful gowns was on display by
women of class who came to witness
the best of the bests awards ceremony -
The Sun Awards.
Native attire
When it comes to choosing the best
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
style to rock in Nigeria, the native
attire is your sure style to go for. It
is always the perfect fit to wear to an
event or occasion regardless of your
age, ethnicity, gender or religion.
They include the agbada, dashiki, and
atiku. Many men made their way into
the event wearing native. Women too,
were not left out as they showcased
their caftans, two wrapper styles and
boubou, among others.
The Senators
Senator wears are created to give one
that confidence you desire in events.
The styles are cool and easy wear for
men to immediately get into the mature
classy mode. At the event, a lot of men
came in different styles and colours
such as dark blue, dark red, black, wine
and green, among others.
Pop up colours
Bright colours are in style. At the
event, you could see the bright hues
like fluorescent yellow, pink, blue,
green and mint, etc. They were really
eye-catching and added glamour to the
event.
Well suited
Some men appeared in different
types of suit styles. Undoubtedly, a
man’s suit is the most versatile and
universally accepted clothing item in
his wardrobe. There are not many oc-
casions where a quality suit will look
out of place such as The Sun Awards.
They were seen in different types of
suit styles, feeling comfortable and
confident
Page 21
POLITICS
PETER OBI HAS
ATTRACTED
PROGRESSIVE
NIGERIANS TO
LABOUR PARTY
–UMEH KALU
FORMER Attorney General and Minister
of Justice, Abia State, Chief Umeh Kalu,
SAN, has explained why many progressives
in the state have left the Peoples Democratic
Party.
In an interview with VINCENT KALU,
the Abia State Campaign Coordinator of Pe-
ter Obi Presidential Council lamented that
the PDP failed to provide infrastructure and
basic amenities to the people of the state in
23 years. He noted the Labour Party’s Presi-
dential Candidate, Peter Obi, has attracted
progressive politicians to the Labour Party,
insisting Obi is the only one among the ma-
jor contenders capable of salvaging Nige-
ria. He also expressed hope that the Labour
Party would win the governorship election
in the state.
The campaigns for 2023 election have
kicked off. What should be the issues?
We cannot divest the issues for the elec-
tioneering from the state of affairs of our
country. The country at the moment is be-
devilled by multifarious problems of such
monumental proportions that have never
been experienced in the history of this coun-
try. As a nation, we are thrown apart and di-
vided by our ethnic affiliations and religious
beliefs. A lot of people feel that they are not
part of this country and as such feel strongly
marginalised. We are passing through a lot
of economic woes occasioned by hyperin-
flation, Naira devaluation, shortage of food
and essential items for human subsistence,
unemployment and underemployment,
incessant devaluation of our currency, na-
tional debt burden etc. Insecurity has vir-
tually made life worthless in the country.
No part of this country is safe for human
habitation. The effect of climate change has
further worsened the decrepit infrastructural
level of our country as the recent flood has
rendered most highways in the country im-
passable, thereby restraining the movement
of persons, goods and services across the
country.
These issues as identified above and
many more should form the fulcrum of the
electioneering campaigns of the various
political parties. Nigerians have indeed had
enough and at the moment have their backs
pressed to the wall. We can only but seek a
team that will pull us out of the doldrums
and the pitiable situation, which we find
ourselves at the moment.
You were in the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP). What led your pitching tent
with the Labour Party?
Yes, I was in the PDP for a very long time,
having served two different PDP governors
consecutively and for a cumulative period
of ten years. Every politics is local and the
PDP where you rightly said I was a member
at a time has been in power in Abia State
from 1999 till date. It is sad to note that
there is little or nothing to show for PDP’s
23 years of governance and being in charge
of the state. Abia State at the moment is one
of the least developed in the country, despite
the human and natural resources available
there and even the fact that we are amongst
the oil producing states in the country. Sala-
ries of workers and pensions are in arrears;
some for over 20 months, while courses in
our only university and even the polytech-
nic are being denied accreditation. The
health care facility is in a sorry state and
health care workers being owed salary for
about 24 months. No human being with the
fear of God and who is honest with himself
will want to remain in a political party that
has left Abia State in the sorry state as I have
described. This actually informed my deci-
sion and those of other progressive minded
individuals to leave the party, as it is obvi-
ous that the PDP in Abia does not mean well
for the citizens. Many of us progressives,
including myself deserted the PDP and APC
and ran into the warm embrace of the La-
bour Party, where we are presently deter-
mined to stay and use its platform to change
the fortunes of Abia State.
If you joined the Labour Party because
of Peter Obi, how were you sure he would
win the election?
It is important that I state from the out-
set that majority of us in the Labour Party
in Abia State, including Dr. Alex Otti, our
gubernatorial candidate, were already in the
party before Peter Obi joined. Being in the
Labour Party before Peter Obi does not in
any way diminish his essence in the party.
I admit in totality that Peter Obi’s presence
in the Labour Party and his decision to fly
the flag of the party as its presidential candi-
date has enormously enhanced the fortunes
of the party. There has been monumental
increase in membership and public accept-
ability of the party since the emergence of
Peter Obi, as its presidential flag bearer, as
so many other progressive persons across
the country have joined the ship of the
party. This, if you ask me is heartening as
like minds attract other like minds. Talking
about winning the election, I remain prayer-
ful and hopeful that Peter Obi will win the
election, because it is in the interest of the
country and its citizens that we vote for Pe-
ter Obi in order to fix the multiple problems
bedevilling us at the moment.
What stands Obi out from the other
frontline candidates?
Peter Obi stands out in many respects
from the other candidates. Firstly, he is
youthful in age and appearance. He is virtu-
ally the most educated amongst the lot. He
has a verifiable track record, having made
remarkable progress in governance, busi-
ness and service delivery. He has the fear of
God and is generally seen as one who is fair
and just in most of his dealings. He is hum-
ble and has no air around himself, and has
shown how to be selfless in public service,
as per his track record in Anambra State.
Peter Obi’s message resonates and one
can definitely not get tired of his analysis of
the problems of this country, the reasons we
are where we are as a country and how we
can get out of the mess we find ourselves
in. Peter Obi can clearly be set apart from
the other front line contenders; the fact that
he has shown capacity and an excellent
past record of good performance in govern-
ment and can hardly be faulted in the way
and manner he discharged his duties in the
past, is a plus for him. I will however, not
join the league of persons who mimic the
other frontrunners as being too old, because
I know that age is a virtue and a blessing
from God. We all long for old age, but in the
dynamics of governance, age is definitely
not a virtue. Old age comes with its chal-
lenges and frailties. Having said this, those
who make reference to the past achieve-
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
KALU
ments of the APC and PDP flag bearers as a
basis for rooting for them in 2023 miss the
point, as 20 years in the life of a human be-
ing is a huge time. Both candidates of the
APC and PDP definitely do not possess the
candour, comportment and strength to rep-
licate at the moment what they presumably
did some two decades ago. The younger
generation which Obi and Datti represent,
must and should be given an opportunity.
Obi has record of excellent performance
in governance and has from his interac-
tions with the electorate shown that he ap-
preciates in clear terms the problems of this
country and has solutions to the myriad of
our problems. I reckon with his message of
turning this country from a consuming na-
tion to a producing nation. He has equally
shown excellence in handling public funds.
He can manage men and resources effec-
tively. He remains the only hope for salvag-
ing the country
Many had expected that you were go-
ing to contest the Abia governorship elec-
tion, but you didn’t show up. Why?
I am aware that there were expectations
and even demands on me to run for the gov-
ernorship of Abia State in the forthcoming
elections. Recall, that I had given a solid
decade of my lifetime to the service of Abia
State as the attorney general. For me, ser-
vice is service, no matter the level at which
you offered the service. Those 10 years that
I gave were equally tedious and took its toll
on me. It was a great relief for me to abate
service in 2019 to attend to my law practice
and family matters.
I decided not to contest the governorship
for several reasons, prominent of which is
that I had identified one of the contestants
whom I think has the capacity to deliver
Abia from its present sorry state. That can-
didate is in the person of Dr. Alex Otti of
the Labour Party. There is only one seat for
the governor and having identified Dr. Otti,
who has consistently expressed desire to
serve as governor, I am under obligation to
God and the people of Abia State to support
him. In supporting Dr. Otti, I am buoyed by
his past record, his pedigree and my judg-
ment of the attributes he possesses vis a viz
what I know to be the problem of the state.
A time like this, Abia definitely needs some-
body in the mould of Otti. He has no god-
father and is sponsoring his election from
his resources and contributions from friends
and well-wishers.
How do you want the Abia governor-
ship election to go?
Abia governorship election of 2023 will
go the way of the Labour Party and by ex-
tension Dr. Alex Otti. He is the preferred
candidate of most Abians. He has the mental
and physical capacity to deliver. He is expe-
rienced in the management of men and re-
sources and that is what Abia State needs at
the moment. He has an enviable track record
of successes in his past endeavours and will
bring his experience and contacts to bear in
the running of the state, if elected. I see him
equally as watershed and a unifying factor,
as he has his roots in both the southern and
northern divides of our state. Abia has been
most unfortunate in the past over leadership
and that explains why we are probably the
least developed state in the southern part
of Nigeria. We are a laughing stock and the
object of ridicule and comic jokes in the
Nigerian public space. So we must grab the
opportunity before us with both hands by
voting Dr. Otti and the Labour Party.
What agenda do you set for the next
Abia governor?
I see most persons who have sought and
obtained tickets to run for the gubernatorial
elections as pretenders and attention seek-
ers, with majority of them ignorant of the
problems of the state. Abia in all sincerity is
a state lying prostrate with virtually no foun-
dation. So my agenda for the next governor
will first of all be to shore up the state’s IGR
through blocking of leakages in the system
and ensuring that all government revenue
goes into government dedicated accounts.
Salaries of workers, public servants and
civil servants, must be paid as and when due
and the backlog cleared. Basic infrastructure
in the state i.e. road network, electricity and
water must be made available in all major
cities in order to boost economic activities
and enhance the living standard of the citi-
zens.
There must be prudent management of
available resources that accrue to the state,
both internally and from the Federal Gov-
ernment. The idea of an individual earning
N700 million in a month in the guise of se-
curity vote, while workers are left without
salaries for several months, must be halted.
We must give attention to our schools and
make health facilities available and afford-
able to the citizens of the state. The basic
infrastructure of state must be put in place,
like the residence and office of the governor
and principal officers of government. All
these I must admit will not be accomplished
in one year or even in one term, but we must
prioritise them and show commitment and
dedication in solving most of these prob-
lems.
Page 22
POLITICS
PRESIDENCY: WHY I’M HEADS
AND SHOULDERS ABOVE
OTHER CONTENDERS –SOWORE
PRESIDENTIAL Candidate of the African
Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore,
has said he is eminently qualified to occupy
the office of the President of Nigeria.
In this interview with Saturday Sun in Abu-
ja, the Publisher of Saharareporters recalled
his establishment of a successful enterprise,
Sahara Reporters, which he says has contin-
ued to report news fearlessly and truthfully
for over a decade, while also saying that for
30 years, he has been a consistent voice for
change in the Nigerian political space.
Sowore further said as the founder of a
political party, which is now four years old,
he achieved all these without compromising
his principles or relying on stolen funds from
government.
Amongst others, Sowore bared his mind on
issues surrounding the forthcoming general
election and the state of the nation. He spoke
with AIDOGHIE PAULINUS
How is the campaign going this time?
The campaign is going well and according
to plan. We have continued to reach out to the
Nigerian people using every means possible.
It is interesting to see that the methods of cam-
paigning that we pioneered during the 2019
run, such as the use of interactive town hall
sessions, are becoming the norm.
People don’t see you campaigning. How
are you reaching people across Nigeria?
We are campaigning, vigorously. We are
not PDP, APC and LP who go about staging
rallies with millions of paid attendees. We are
not in the business of paying N5,000 to each
person who attends a rally. Those are corrupt
practices that should be banished from our
political space. Our style from the beginning
has always been to engage in meaningful con-
versations with the Nigerian people in forums
where they have an opportunity to learn about
the plans the AAC has for them and to hear
back from them about the issues that are top-
most on their minds.
If you take out all the paid coverage that the
APC, PDP and LP candidates enjoy and look
at the actual activities that they have partici-
pated in that brings them in contact with the
Nigerian people, I dare say no single party or
candidate has outworked us in terms of cov-
erage and reach. In addition to our regular
campaign efforts, I have made myself avail-
able to key stakeholder groups like the law-
yers (NBA), accountants, (ICAN), architects
(NIA), doctors (NMA), and the likes. I have
addressed students on campuses, women
groups, done countless media interviews, me-
dia town hall meetings and people’s assem-
blies to engage, to discuss and to debate the
way forward for Nigeria. I have rarely seen
any of the candidates from the APC, PDP or
even Labour Party at these forums. I challenge
the press to be more proactive in calling out
these candidates who blow off the requests by
key stakeholder groups for them to come and
talk about their plans and programmes for Ni-
geria. I also encourage the press to provide a
more even coverage of the candidates. If that
is done, more Nigerians will learn about the
immense work that we are doing around the
nation.
What has the reception from the people
been like?
The reception has been very positive. Ni-
gerians know me to be a fearless and dogged
fighter, committed fully to ensuring that this
nation achieves its full potential and that its
people are provided an enabling environment
for growth. I have felt a deeper engagement
with the Nigerian people than ever before.
You have been trying to be president
over the years, unsuccessfully. How hope-
ful are you this time?
This will be only the second time that I
have run for the presidency – my first run
was in 2019. Perhaps, I should remind you all
that the man who now occupies the office of
president ran unsuccessfully for the position
three previous times before winning. Atiku,
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
the presidential candidate of the PDP first ran
for the office of president in 1992 – over 30
years ago. It is interesting that the questions
being posed to me now were never posed to
them. I believe I have what it takes to lead the
Nigerian nation. To make that happen, I will
need the support of the Nigerian people and
that process takes time. The Nigerian people
have seen more of my consistency and dog-
gedness. They have learned more about my
plans for freeing this nation from the shack-
les that have bound it for decades. They have
also had eight years of the Buhari administra-
tion and witnessed the utter carnage that we
predicted he would plunge Nigeria into. I am
greatly optimistic that the Nigerian people are
finding resonance with our message and that
this will translate into victory at the polls.
Some people have asked, but why presi-
dent? For someone with probably zero ex-
perience in governance at the government
level, why not start with council chairman,
state or federal legislator? Or governor?
Why president?
I get amused when I hear these statements.
It might be necessary for us to take a walk
down memory lane and remind ourselves
of historical facts from our own unique his-
tory that demonstrate the absurdity of this
question. When you ask Nigerians what the
lengthiest period of stability and infrastruc-
ture development was in Nigeria’s history,
most people will tell you it occurred under the
government of Yakubu Gowon, from 1966
to 1975 - especially the post war period from
1970 to 1975. Gowon was 32 years old when
he became head of state. His rank at the time
was Lt Col. He was not even yet a Colonel.
He was not a Brigadier. He was not a Major
General. Yet, his record as a leader has sur- SOWORE
passed that of even those who claim to be than we were eight years ago in every sense that they should realise that they have a sacred
Generals today. What experience did Gowon of the word? We fear to travel for fear of be- duty to deliver to Nigerians, the leader that
have in governance when he became Head of ing kidnapped. Our people are afraid to go to the people truly want. Anything short of that
State? Please note that my answer regarding their farms for fear of terrorists, bandits, and would be a massive betrayal of trust, and the
Gowon doesn’t mean I tolerate military rule in kidnappers. Why do we conveniently choose wilful sabotage of the dreams and aspirations
a form or fashion. What experience did Oba- to ignore or willingly forget our past? of 200 million Nigerians. And that could at-
femi Awolowo have in governance when he Are you satisfied with the way the cam- tract dire consequences.
became premier of the Western region? The paigns are going on now, the rallies, town Do you think INEC can refuse to be in-
same question can be asked of Azikiwe, when halls, etc. fluenced by the political elite?
he took over the helms of the Eastern region. Yes, I am very satisfied with the way my Of course, that’s possible. As I mentioned
Yet, they led their regions through a period or campaigns are going. As for the other parties previously, we have seen that happen at least
remarkable growth and unparalleled progress. and contenders, I will let them speak for them- once in our political history.
While they did not have executive experience selves. What are your thoughts on the general
in governing and had never been local gov- Are the candidates addressing issues? insecurity across Nigeria? What should
ernment chairmen or governors before, what Not in any meaningful way. It is not surpris- the government do to tackle the problem?
they did have was experience in managing ing that they are not addressing issues, because Do you believe the government is over-
people, in forming organisations, in mobiliz- they have all been part of the problem. Tinu- whelmed and helpless?
ing resources, in developing ideas and imple- bu, Atiku, Kwankwaso and Obi are part and You cannot solve a problem that you de-
menting them. parcel of the rotten political system that has liberately created. The insecurity serves this
If that’s the standard we are to use, I am brought us to this point. What do you expect government. When the government felt
heads and shoulders high above anyone else them to say? What issues do you expect them threatened by my legitimate calls that Nigeri-
in this race. I have established a successful to address? They cannot indict themselves ans should demand more of their government,
enterprise, Sahara Reporters that continues and their parties, and so they will avoid speak- I was swiftly arrested and thrown in jail. The
to report the news fearlessly and truthfully ing about the real issues plaguing Nigerians. government has been swift to arrest and de-
for over a decade. For 30 years, I have been Is every state in this nation not run by either tain those whom it is opposed to politically.
a consistent voice for change in the Nigerian the APC or PDP or LP/PDP or NNPP? Is the But when it comes to terrorists and bandits,
political space. I am the founder of a politi- APC not in charge of the federal government? they are treated with kid gloves.
cal party which is now four years old, and is Is the national assembly that is charged with Nigeria has a powerful military. We were
growing and thriving. I have done all this making laws not full of APC and PDP stal- the backbone of the forces that brought peace
without compromising my principles or rely- warts? It therefore stands to reason that what to war-ravaged countries like Liberia and Si-
ing on stolen funds from government. Which plagues Nigeria are these two parties, and the erra Leone. Before that, our military served
of the other presidential candidates can claim candidates of these parties cannot have any- with distinction in Lebanon and the Congo.
that same pedigree? thing positive to tell or to offer to Nigerians. Don’t tell me that a rag tag army of terrorists
When I was in my 20s, I was a student and Can Nigerians vote for another North- and bandits can subdue the Nigerian military.
youth leader in the pro-democracy movement erner after Buhari’s eight years in office? No army can fight with one arm tied behind
fought against the annulment of the 1993 What would that portend for Nigeria’s its back – and the Nigerian security forces
elections and eventually led to the emergence unity? have been forced to fight with one arm tied
of democracy in 1999. When I was being It is my fervent hope and belief that the Ni- behind their backs because the terrorists and
shot at, arrested and detained for fighting for gerian people will be focused on competence, the bandits are all aligned with people in high
democratic rule in the early to late 1990s, no health and preparedness of the candidates places.
one told me I was too young or inexperienced when they vote. I am confident that if those Why do you think terrorism, banditry
then. But I am now not experienced enough to are the considerations, they will be voting for and kidnapping are thriving in Nigeria?
vie for the highest office in the land, in a dem- me. These evils thrive because it serves the in-
ocratic process that I fought to help emerge? What’s your take on INEC? Are you terests of the political elite. Corruption thrives
What was Mandela’s qualification in gov- confident they’ll perform creditably? in chaos. Terrorism allows them to spend
ernment when he came out of 27 years of If INEC is committed to ensuring that we funds on security without scrutiny. Banditry
confinement to lead his nation? And if I may have a free and fair election, they can make and kidnapping allows the political elite to
ask, what good has Buhari’s so-called experi- it happen. We saw that happen in 2015 under
ence done for Nigeria? Are we not worse off Prof Attahiru Jega. My message to INEC is •Cont’d฀on฀Page฀23
Page 23
POLITICS
Tinubu, Atiku, Kwankwaso, Obi part and parcel of rotten political system
•Cont’d฀from฀Page฀22
victimize and terrorise their opponents. Fur-
thermore when a people are scared for their
lives and live in terror, they become too busy
trying to keep themselves and their loved ones
safe that they have no time to ask their lead-
ers tough questions. Nigeria’s current state of
insecurity is exactly what our political elites
want to see.
As ordinary Nigerians, what should we
do to save ourselves?
Our salvation can be gained at the ballot.
We can save ourselves by voting the right
set of people to lead this nation. All of our
problems as a nation have resulted from vot-
ing people into office who have no interest in
moving this nation forward and who do not
care about the Nigerian people. Salvation be-
gins with the rejection of all those who have
been part of the rot and decay in the Nigerian
political space over the last two decades – and
that would include the candidates of the APC,
PDP and those who might have moved to
other parties, but have historically been part of
the machinery of these legacy parties.
Is this redesigning of naira notes by the
CBN necessary at all? And is the extension
of the deadline by the CBN good enough?
What Nigerians need are well paying jobs,
an economy that is growing. Good schools,
reliable power supply, good roads, good
healthcare, security. That is what Nigerians
needed. Changing the colour of naira notes –
that was not something that was done for the
Nigerian people. It was and remains a game
by the political elite. What is sad is that they
did not plan or think their ill-advised plot
Cash shortage: Pain, anger, death
BY OUR REPORTERS
ON a normal day, the delinquent soldiers
who jumped the queue at an ATM machine
dispensing new naira notes at the University
of Benin would have got away with it. But
on Thursday, students of the Uniben de-
scended on them in a fit of rage after they
had reportedly beaten some students trying
to record the incident and stopping the unbe-
coming conducts, in a video that went viral.
The Uniben incident didn’t lead to deaths,
but the shortage of the new naira notes na-
tionwide has already claimed a victim in
Kaduna, following the death of a pregnant
woman, whose husband was unable to get
cash to pay the deposit for her in a hospital.
James Auta, the husband of the dead
woman, said he had gone with his wife to the
hospital at Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru LGA,
Kaduna, five days ago, where the doctor
asked him to deposit money before he could
examine her. But after a series of attempts at
banks and P. O. S. operators, he met a brick
wall, and returned home with the wife, who
was assisted by a nurse in their locality to
deliver. Unfortunately, after a successful de-
livery, she bled to death.
Across Nigeria, the scarcity of the new
naira notes is affecting businesses, causing
pain, hunger, scuffles and needless deaths.
JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, re-
ports from Abuja that, due to the scarcity
of cash, transactions between individuals
and businesses were becoming increasingly
slower, with the fear that economic activities
might grind to a halt if the scenario persists.
Following the Central Bank’s announce-
ment on October 26, 2022, and the 45-day
transition period to the new N200, N500,
and N1,000 banknotes, there has been a
widespread cash shortage even before the
deadline to January 31which led to a 10-day
extension to February 10.
Roseline Jeremiah, a Nigerian who visited
the Maraba Market in Abuja to restock on
necessities, couldn’t do that. The POS could
only accept a transfer and the only operator
who had cash in hand insisted that she pay a
N1,000 fee for N20,000.
Mama Fruits, a woman who sells fruit and
vegetable salads at the market, on her part,
has decided not to replenish her stock until
she has cash. At the time of the visit, she had
not seen alerts of transfers nor had they re-
flected in her bank account, after all of her
customers claimed to be making transfers to
her. “Aunty, when I finish this one, I won’t
go to the market to refill until there is cash,”
through.
Unfortunately, ordinary Nigerians are now
feeling the pain of the poor execution of a plan
that was not designed to help them in the first
place. Whatever time is needed to ensure that
the pain is eased should be provided.
There is fuel scarcity and an incredible
rise in the price of fuel across the country,
yet we’re still talking of fuel subsidy. Your
thoughts please?
My position on these issues has been
clear: fuel subsidy is a scam. Do the Nigerian
people deserve to benefit from the petroleum
resources that they have been blessed with
through subsidies? The answer to that is an
unequivocal YES! By the way, almost every
OPEC nation offers some form of subsidy to
their people – so we are not unique in this re-
gard. What we have in Nigeria is a scam. If
administered correctly – which I pledge to do
– fuel subsidy will bring real relief to Nigeri-
ans and lead to a lowering of the pump price
of petroleum products.
What’s the solution to the fuel crisis?
It is simple. Eliminate the corruption in the
oil industry. Cut out the fraud in the subsidy
programme. Ensure that Nigeria’s refineries
are operating at full capacity and open up the
market to competition. Have we ever stopped
to ask why nations around us that have no oil
have no fuel crises, while Nigeria, which in
many cases supplies them with oil is always
plagued with scarcity issues?
How can Nigerians survive this hardship
in the land?
In three weeks, Nigerians will have the
opportunity to throw away the shackles and
chains that have bound them for so long, by
voting my party, the AAC into power. Nige-
■ As CBN policy spreads sorrow, hardship across Nigeria
■ We now use naira to buy naira, Nigerians bemoan
she said.
From Kaduna, NOAH EBIJE reports that,
since the deadline and eventual extension
of date for the swapping of naira notes for
the new ones, most Kaduna residents have
been practically moving from pillar to pole
in search of currency, either new or old, to
no avail.
However, the few POS centres that oper-
ate, charge exorbitantly per each withdrawal,
with N10,000 withdrawal attracting an extra
charge of N1,500, just as N10,000 deposit is
charged N500.
A resident, Mr. Saxone Johnson, told Sat-
urday Sun: “How can I be buying my own
money at a very high rate before I could feed
my family, buy fuel, pay for goods and ser-
vices. This government does not care for her
citizens. People are suffering, even with their
own money again. It is rather unfortunate.”
In the same vein, shortage of cash has
sparked anger in Bayelsa State, reports
FEMI FOLARANMI from Yenagoa.
Already, in two banks, Zenith Bank Ama-
rata and Sterling Bank Isaac Boro, custom-
ers engaged in fisticuffs over disagreement
on the formation of the queue at the bank’s
ATM. Some of the banks, like First Bank,
that were dispensing N100 and N50 notes a
few days ago have also run out of cash.
“The situation is terrible. No bank has
money to pay out. We called the CBN and
we were told that it is only next week they
are bringing in money to the state,” said a
bank official in one of the new generation
banks.
At WEMA, Stanbic – IBTC and Fidel-
ity Banks along Melford Okilo Road, some
bank customers have turned the ATM gal-
lery to temporary homes, as they wait, hop-
ing that the bank officials would load the
ATM machines.
Adamawa residents are also groaning
over the scarcity of new naira notes. Accord-
ing to BILLY GRAHAM ABEL, reporting
from Yola, the famous Bank Roadin Yola,
Adamawa, had become a sight of pain, frus-
tration and anger.
Ibrahim Usman, who was just passing
through Yola from Jos, lamented, “This pol-
icy is wicked and anti-people. I just came to
withdraw N10,000 from this POS, and the
operator just informed me that I have to pay
a hundred naira for every N1, 000. Why? I
worked hard to make this money, why will
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
SOWORE
rians should not only be surviving through
hardship. We have all that it takes to be a
thriving nation. We are blessed with industri-
ous people, we have immense resources and
therefore, we should not only be thinking
about survival, but about abundance. How-
ever, our path to progress goes through the
ballot box.
Many communities in different states
in the North are still in the grip of kidnap-
pers, bandits, Boko Haram, etc. How can
someone just invent a policy that makes me
lose money for no just cause?”
Another resident of Yola, Njamaina Ayu-
ba, told Saturday Sun: “Every bank you go
to there are endless queues of people who
have abandoned their daily activities to ex-
change their old notes for the newly rede-
signed notes.
“This is crazy, I have never seen anything
like this. This is overheating the system, es-
pecially on the eve of a very important elec-
tion in the country.”
Our reporter in Osogbo, LATEEF DADA,
reports that residents of Osun State have la-
mented that the stress of spending hours to
get money was making people unproduc-
tive.
Saturday Sun gathered that people are
now waking at midnight, like ghosts, to go
and take tallies and return in the morning
to queue on the Automated Teller Machine
(ATM).
Speaking with our correspondent, Olatoke
Opeyemi, who said he picked up his number
around 1 am, added: “I was given number
15, and the ATM has not been dispensing till
now.”
Also, a businessman in Osogbo, Bamig-
bade Muhammed, said he was able to get
number 3 because he went to the bank at
midnight.
“We’re no longer productive. It doesn’t
make sense. The hours that we need to be
productive, that we use to do business, are
being used to queue for money.
“If we queue here and still queue at the
filling station, it doesn’t make sense at all.
People are suffering, and the authorities
should just find a way or means to reduce
the suffering,” he pleaded.
In Kano, millions of residents, including
traders, public servants, almajiri children and
even street beggars, have taken to anger fol-
lowing their inability to access money from
their banks as a result of the currency swap.
This ugly trend has led to black market
transactions, whereby dealers take advan-
tage of the desperate situation to sell new
naira notes at exorbitant prices. It has also
led to a spike in the cost of consumables
and other services, in addition to an overall
decline in transactions in the market, as re-
ported by DESMOND MGBOH.
Saturday Sun also gathered that some
political parties in the state, afraid of pub-
all these be stopped?
Insecurity thrives only because those in po-
sitions of authority want it to thrive. Without
the collusion of top political players and ele-
ments in the security forces, insecurity in all
its ramifications – banditry, kidnapping, ter-
rorism, etc will not thrive.
Do you think the insecurity we have ev-
erywhere will allow a free and fair election?
Insecurity has always been used as an ex-
cuse to introduce fraud and corruption into
the electoral process. Sadly, we have been a
nation grappling with insecurity for the last
two decades. INEC has managed to operate
under those circumstances in the past. What
all Nigerians want to see is a free and fair elec-
tion, and I urge INEC to provide the Nigerian
people with an election that is devoid of fraud.
Some people say you’re too combative in
your interventions on public issues. What’s
your response to that?
I have no apologies for my style. I feel an
urgency to right the wrongs in our political
space. I believe Nigeria is a critical care pa-
tient. When a patient is in the emergency ward,
doctors are not sitting down cross-legged,
writing on forms and being cordial with the
patient. An emergency care health practitioner
is moving with urgency, speed and purpose.
Nigeria is plagued by vary many aliments –
unemployment, insecurity, poor educational
opportunities, corruption, kidnapping, the list
goes on and on. My attitude is reflective of the
urgency of Nigeria’s situation. The question
should not be why Sowore seems to be acting
in a combative manner, instead it should be
why the others who want to lead this nation
are not showing any urgency in their actions
or their plan for the transformation of this na-
tion
lic anger and possible attacks, have shifted
their rallies and political programmes to later
dates.
In Rivers State, residents start queuing
as early as 6am at ATM machines, TONY
JOHN reports.
When this reporter visited one of the
banks along the same Odual Road, Port Har-
court, a cashier told him that there was no
cash, except N20.00 and N10.00 denomina-
tions, and the bank could only pay N5,000
cash maximum.
At POS centres, it is difficult to withdraw
up to N10,000. And each N1,000 is charged
N100. There is also scramble at any POS
centres that have cash.
From Birnin Kebbi, OLANREWAJU
LAWAL reports that long queues still persist
in all the commercial banks as hundreds of
customers are still unable to have access to
new notes.
A customer, Malam Musa Gero from Ku-
karu, Gulma in Argungu Local Government
Area of Kebbi State, lamented: “I have been
here for over five hours waiting in the queue
to deposit my money, as I am talking to you
I am number 260 because the bank officials
have written our names and issued numbers
to all of us, so, we are still waiting.”
Speaking with Saturday Sun, a business-
man, Abdullahi Jega, said, getting new notes
from banks had become extremely difficult.
He disclosed that, if he wanted the new
notes of N20,000, he might end up getting
N15,000 because the insider in the bank, or
agent, would take 20% cut from the money.
The story is the same in Abia State, where
traders, transporters, and everybody are
groaning over cash scarcity.
OGBONNAYA NDUKWE, reporting
from Aba, said, for the teeming business
community of Aba, the commercial nerve
of Abia State, life was on edge, owing to
the current squeeze in availability of cash to
carry out their daily transactions.
Traders, transport operators, artisans and
food vendors complain of ‘poor market,’ the
Nigerian parlance for low or lack of patron-
age.
Saturday Sun gathered that the situation
had even affected school attendance, with
many parents that were yet to pay their chil-
dren’s fees for the second term, which began
soon after the New Year holidays, asking
their wards to stay at home.
24 LITERARY REVIEW
LITERARY
REVIEW
24
By HAMEED LAWAL
FEMI Osofisan’s Adventure in The For-
est of A Thousand Daemons, a stage ad-
aptation of Fagunwa’s Ogboju Ode Ninu
Igbo Irunmole (Brave Hunter in the For-
est of Daemons), was staged with pomp
and peagentry as the 46th convocation
play of Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife at Oduduwa Hall on 8th Decem-
ber, 2022.
Retaining the original title and char-
acters, realisation of the stage adaptation
of the Yoruba novel by Osofisan was
basically through storytelling technique,
pantomime, characterisation of strange
creatures and animal characters.
The story dramatises the exploit of
Akaraogun in the forest of daemons. En-
counters and triumph of the brave hunter
with different strange creature is narrated
and celebrated with merry making that
keeps his town men and women in fes-
tive mood. Envious and threatened by
growing popularity of Akaraogun Chief-
tain of the town poison the mind of the
king against him. While still basking
in the euphoria of his successful hunt-
ing expedition to the forest of thousand
daemons, the king summons Akaraogun
for an errand to mount Langbodo. The
message with ulterior motive is to obtain
from the king of Langbodo the secret to
empower for a long and prosperous reign
knowing the obstacles that lies ahead.
Directed by Wumi Raji, the head of de-
partment and assisted by Tunde Bakare,
the directorial approach was an hybrid
of interpretive and creative interpretation
of the play from page to stage. Interpre-
tive directors attempt to translate the play
from page to stage as accurately and
faithfully as possible.
There is strict adherence to play-
wright’s word and actions in a style that is
true to the script. Creative directors on the
other hand add concepts, designs or inter-
pretation a top the playwright’s words
that were not intended by the playwright.
This later approach dominated the pro-
duction with the director’s artistic vision.
This is characterised in fusion’ of songs,
dances and attempt to animate the animal
characters in the dramatic universe.
In line with this vision, the acting style
of up-and-coming theatre artists was also
an hybrid of traditional and the modern
in humanisation of the fictional char-
acter to the admiration of the audience.
This is typified in folk songs and dance,
signature tuned with talking drum and
chant to herald the arrival of Akaraogun
(acted by Dipeolu Afolabi). Subsequent
narration of Akaraogun’s adventure to
Igbo Irunmole was punctuated with ec-
static chant of the dimunitive chanter
(Muminat Abdullahi) and the highly
evocative praise singing of Ayan (Araba
Oluwatomiwa). Aside from true-to-life
characterisation of fictional Akaraogun,
creativity of Afolabli came to the fore in
incorporation of the hunter’s chant (Ijala)
in his merry making.
As the narration of Akaraogun's
strange encounter with daemons contin-
ued with rapt attention of his Kinsmen,
enactment of his first encounter with one
of the daemons, Agbako (Obed isibor)
was captured in pantomimic combat
with the weird creature in a flashback.
The combat that stretched Akaraogun to
www.sunnewsonline.com
Published fortnightly
SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023
DAY ODUDUWA HALL STAGED
OSOFISAN'S ADVENTURE OF HUNTERS TO A
FOREST OF THOUSAND DAEMONS
The cast after the performance at Oduduwa Hall, Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ife.
his limit with moment of respite to sip palm
wine heightens the suspense and kept the au-
dience at edge of their seats before the mirac-
ulous intervention of Iranlowo, (Akintunde
Goodness), the pretty benevolence daemon.
Appearance of Iranlowo in well choreogra-
phy dance in her immaculate white wrapper
and her retinue of aids added spectacle to the
scene. However, some of the movements of
Akaraogun, chanter and praisesinger among
the enthuastic Kinmen looked awkard with-
out clear motivation.
In the short meeting point of the Oba
(Rowland, Ogidan) and chiefs that preceded
the flashback to Akaraogun’s encounter with
Agbako, the give-and-take dialogue of 1st
Chief (Timilehin Oyewole) and 2nd Chief
(Baale Noah), spiced with code mixing of
Yoruba and English languages, unfolded the
treachery of the palace against Akaraogun.
Acting out the expedition to imaginary
mount Langbodo by Akaraogun, accompa-
nied by other brave hunters, Imodoye (Dare
Fijesuhan) Kako (Sakpere Eric), Elegbede
Ode (Akanbi Qudus), Efo-Iye(Ojopagogo
Damilola) and Olohun-Iyo (Fakunle Joshua),
was in mix grill of pantomime and story tell-
ing technique. Kako’s aggressive stance and
pessimistic view on the existence of mount
Langbodo ignited momentary conflict. This
subsequently degenerated into hot argument
among the hunters to heighten their anxiety
and suspense that arouse the curiosity of the
audience about their destination. To perhaps
cool nerves and temper occasioned by long
Sojourn on the route, the hunters recalled
their exploits with mesmerising narration and
pantomime.
It was while this was still on that they felt a
push by unseen wall. Failure to repel the push
compelled the hunters to cry out for Iranlo-
wo’s intervention. Again, Iranlowo’ sudden
appearance with her maidens aided with
sound effect douse the tension as the unseen
SATURDAYSUN
www.sunnewsonline.com
A member of the cast
wall retreats. The hunters are yet to recover
from the shock of sudden pull when they
were again surrounded by birds in all kinds
of sizes plumages, chicking and chattering
noisily. Iranlowo there and then disappeared.
Spectaculous enactment of the hunters’ con-
frontation with birds and elves were through
character make up, colour and lighting to ani-
mate the human characters.
To prevent boredom and dragging of the
story in the two appearances of the spirit of
stories the long narration of the two parable
of the animal world was dramatised with
February 4, 2023
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characteristics traits of the Lion, Tiger,
Fox, Hyena, Elephant and Goat. While
the miming and speech of human animals
gave flesh and blood to the scene; cos-
tuming and make-up of the animals were
inhibited by limited resources. Two dis-
tinct performance skills, however, stand
out in the two up-and-coming actresses
who acted spirits of stories, good diction
of Ogundusi Toyosi and the flexibility
of Oyesiji Oluwanifemi’s body to dance
rhythm. Other up-and-coming talents
discovered in the production to be honed
were Muminat Abdullahi (the Chanter),
Bamgboye Adewale (leading drummer)
and Eziefule Emmanuel, the double cat
for Akaraogun.
Embedded in the two stories are allego-
ries with animals and strange creature that
are relevant to the socio-political lives of
Nigerians as leaders and followers. One of
these instances is Akaraogun’ justification
to continue the adventure in spite of the
bad omen in his divination:
I tired again. And a third time. Always
the smet result. I was breathing heavily
now. Should I be wise, and forget the
whole idea and prudently return
home?
Then I remembered the entire thing I
had seen that past week. The crumbling
Nation. The rampant cruelty, the
greed of our rulers, the grief on the
Streets. Was I to carry my bags lamely?
And go back to all that?
(Adventure in the Forest of a Thousand
Daemon pp. 30 -31).
Thematic preoccupation of leadership
was further dramatised in the first story
of the lion and other animals on the self-
ish schedule for devouring them for food.
The moral lesson in the cunny ploy of the
fox that saved the herbivorous animals
from carnivorous lion and his cohort is
the fact that, strength is worthless unless
it is married with wisdom and humility.
The second story of the spirit of stories re-
volves around the act gratefulness as char-
acterized in the encounter of the man and
the tiger he released from the Iron Gate.
The intervention of the fox with its crafti-
ness of tricking the tiger back into the cage
again sensitized on virtue of gratefulness
to benefactors.
Acting of the human and animal char-
acters in the tortuous adventure to the
forest of thousand daemons is enhanced
with fragmentary set of the forest and the
hunter’s homestead as an alternative to
naturalism that suggests nature on stage.
The restricted realism style of setting al-
lows for selection things that will por-
tray the location as typified in leaves and
drawings on the set.
General and specific illuminations were
not how ever fully realised due to limited
lighting facilities in Oduduwa Hall. There
was also occasional seizing of sound from
cordless microphones deployed to en-
hance audibility of actors and actresses.
25 LITERARY REVIEW www.sunnewsonline.com SATURDAYSUN February 4, 2023

BOOK REVIEW
TITLE: TINY MERCIES
The world is your oyster
it can answer. These inter- per- etry, like in "Ego Be," where the speaker
AUTHOR: ROTIMI OSIYOYE
PUBLISHER: OUTOFSIGHT HUB, UK rogations border on the in- sona expresses a desire to make it in life: "no wa-
YEAR: 2022 ability or otherwise of the in this hala, no yawa/Dis lyf, we go big, / we go get
PAGINATION: 40 word to solve human prob- poem, money, we go chop."
lems on its own. The poet who, The poet shows his deep relationship with
REVIEWER: HENRY AKUBUIRO hints us of angst and en- t o - God by acknowledging his preeminence in
nui and, at the same time, gether his life, while praying to Him to keep him in
offers a certain hopeful with his His fold forever: "do not take your hands off
Tiny Drops is a collection of 26 poems writ- illumination. The rhetori- friends, my life." Though "A Few Signs" is an octave
ten by Rotimi Osiyoye. Divided into four cal question of "what are leave of eight lines, the poet's deployment of eclip-
sections, the poems dwell on life and living you doing, black man, their tic diction tells many stories in one, running
in Africa, relocation, spirituality and affec- in my country?" in the books a circus show of lionising nature. The poet
tion. They are the poet's way of expressing his poem, "The Politician", aside to continues to pay obeisance to the Most High
emotions while playing the devil's advocate. reminds us of a reverie discover in "Have Faith", where he depicts Him as the
Most of these poems appear as blank vers- cut short amid a silent their new reason we are existing in the world.
es with concrete poetic sprinklings here and indignation against a environ- In the last section, "Sex, Love, Kindness,"
there, the mixtures representing shades of maverick, foreign poli- ment in the poet leads us into a "Ritual" of love and
mental and social flux of a febrile mind and tician. this con- sex between two hearts that melt for each
his society (ies). In the second sec- densed but other. This is similar to "Morning", where the
The heartbreak of losing a precious mother tion, which dwells on remark- voice weaves a sensuous tale of tangles. But,
echoes in "Heartbreak", as the voice fans up migration, the writer able prose in "Not All Losses Are Bad", the leitmotif of
nostalgic memories of his childhood with a writes back to the poem. passion is dumbed down to embrace loss and
caring mother and how her good nature has motherland, draw- T h e resignation.
rubbed off on his upbringing. ing comparisons that shortest The author, Rotimi Osiyoye, is a media
The dystopian settings of an African coun- make one go lacri- poem in and brand management expert who uses his
try is revisited by the author in "Equity", mal at some points. this collec- experience to drive revenue and increase pro-
where rampant deaths have become a given. "Deserving Blues", tion can also ductivity. He has broad experience in Human
Still, jailbreak occurs often such that our pris- for instance, portrays be found in Resource Management, Talent Sourcing, and
ons release undesirable elements —rapists, Lagos as a city of this section Management and Public Service Relationship
murderers and felons —into the streets. The contrasting fortunes: in the poem Management, with over 12 years of Brand
poem also decries the destruction of the judi- "city of wayward entitled "Mi- and Talent Management within the govern-
ciary with bribery and police brutality on in- Joy", "where rats gration", a ment framework.
nocent youths. come to become lions", "where rent is free for one-liner that is soul-searching on the japa Rotimi is presently working at training over
This has given rise to the rhetorical ques- dead things", etc. He acknowledges that La- phenomenon: "Was it the sun that said to the 50 undergraduates on new media and content
tion: "... what do we do with these people —" gos is an accommodating city that mixes love, moon, join me; or was it the moon that threw creation. He has produced over 80 contents
politicians, thieves, terrorists —whose joy is kindness and horror. open the door?" (p. 19). In "Réunion in Man- and has published on YouTube and other so-
tearing up our country and plating horrors for In contrast, "Arrival on the Last Day of Au- chester," the voice depicts adjusting to a life in cial media platforms.
us to eat" (p. 5). gust" celebrates an important vista of discov- a new environment with buddies, and how the Rotimi is also the author of a book entitled
In "To the Elders", the bard offers prose ering and finding joy in a new, foreign land. weather affected them. Digital Affection: New Frontiers for Relation-
poetry, a poem that asks many questions than There is a sense of fulfillment for the student Rotimi also experiments with pidgin po- ships.

BOOK REVIEW
In defence of marriage, for the sake of life
By JAMES TAR TSAAIOR
IN his book significantly titled The Meaning of Mar-
riage, Emevwo Anselm Biakolo, an emeritus professor
of communication and an eminent marriage counselor
and therapist, describes marriage as a sacred institution
with a divine origination. Appropriating biblical theology,
epistemology and hermeneutics, Biakolo situates mar-
riage within the dynamic of a heterodox spousal relation-
ship between a man and woman for the purposes of pro-
creation, communication, communion, co-operation and
friendship. Benefitting from this theology, we can safely
and uncontroversially attest or affirm that the earliest be-
ginnings of marriage can be attributed to the pleasure of
the Godhead. The biblical creation myth informs us that
the primary beneficiaries of marriage were Adam and
Eve, our primaeval parents. And the core of their mar-
riage, in accordance with divine fiat or ordination, and
ever since, is the imperative for communion. Communi-
cation. Community. Procreation.
Marriage, therefore, constitutes the epicentre of
social, cultural and societal engineering. It is the
foundation for all other human institutions. In tra-
ditional Nigerian/African cultures, marriage forms
one of the cardinal rites of passage for individual
social belonging and cultural becoming. A man or
woman is not, and cannot, be a man or woman
in the authentic, metaphoric sense until he/she is
married. Otherwise you are still a boy or girl, no
matter your age. Marriage is believed, in ideal
circumstances, to confer maturity and impose
responsibility on individuality. Indeed, in some societ-
ies, you cannot be initiated into certain cults, take certain
titles or even be accorded full recognition and speaking
rites during council meetings until you have settled down,
that is gotten validly married. Although these traditional
expectations are gradually being eroded and considered
anachronistic with the unrelenting onslaught of moder-
nity, it is still prohibitive to think full-valued personhood
without thinking marriage as a requisite for social and
cultural arrival.
Like cultures which are in a state of perpetual flux,
marriage has also undergone denudation processes in the
course of history. Indeed, the meaning of marriage, to
harvest Biakolo’s title, has been so radically altered and
destabilized in the globalised postmodern world order
we have now found ourselves. In this disordered dispen-
sation, unions or partnerships, certainly not marriages,
between a man and another man; a woman and another
woman have become fashionable and even celebrated and
idealized. Alternative sexual orientations championed by
the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer) are now shamelessly promoted and encouraged.
These sexual abnormalities are flagrantly against the
norm of heterosexual relations. They also contradict and
undermine all known natural laws.
Thus, these illicit liaisons which we thought were only
prevalent in societies and cultural systems under the yoke
and dictatorship of cultural stasis have now invaded and
permeated our society and are becoming increasingly
entrenched in unprecedented ways. The very traditional
idea of the family is not spared the indignity and brutal-
ity of this cultural violence and social assault. In autoch-
thonous societies like Africa, a family comprise a father,
mother and child(ren). These are the three stones at the
hearth or fireplace in every homestead which function as
a site for family nutrition, reflection and recreation. Today,
the family, the very nucleus of society and its tiniest cell,
which is also adjudged as a veritable domestic church,
mosque or shrine, has been completely disfigured and
reconfigured. It now comprises a man and a man with a
dog, or a woman and a woman with a cat or even a man
or woman with a dog or cat. Procreation and children are
no longer relevant or part of the equation. The business of
procreation is abandoned to other unprogressive and un-
civilized couples whose children can be suitably qualified
candidates for adoption by the purveyors of these illicit li-
aisons. Marriage in such societies has come under the anvil
and sledgehammer of cultural relativism. This new culture,
or subculture, represents an odious perversion of nature and
the sacrosanctity of its laws.
The above prefatory remarks are relevant and important
because they form an integral antiphonal, call and response in-
tertextual conversation between the thematic centre of Bridget
Aver Achie’s novella, Just Before Sunset. Set mainly in Abuja,
Nigeria’s capital city and symbol of its corruption, national pa-
thologies and vanishing unity, the 64-page novella narrativises the
amalgam of issues and challenges consistent with marriage. These
include, but not limited to, spousal love, care, communication, the
raising of children, work, family sustenance and other associated re-
sponsibilities. The Tiv couple, Shima Adudu, an engineer, and Tork-
wase, an attorney, live with their four children in relative comfort and
serenity until the relentless challenges of marital life begin to threaten
the very foundation of their marriage. It is instructive that much of the
narrative unfolds against the sordid backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic
which imposes its tyranny on life with a regimen of protocols and the
health hazards associated with it.
Modernity inescapably imposes a myriad of spousal responsibilities
on persons who seek social mobility in cities today. Expectedly, many
get entangled in its sticky web like a hapless and helpless dragonfly. This
is the unfortunate destiny of Shima whose joblessness but also willful
indolence drives his workaholic wife to bear the cumbersome yoke of
fending for the family. This abdication of spousal responsibility by Shi-
ma puts a keen knife to the familiar cords of a harmonious family life and
nearly drives the marriage to the precipice of disintegration. However,
family friends, corporate colleagues and most crucially professional
counseling promise therapy. But as Dr Mary Antsah, the marriage coun-
sellor impresses on the couple, “Marriage counseling is only useful to
people who are committed to working out their marriage”. (p.62)
Achie’s authorial intention through the deft exploration of marriage
as a thematic preoccupation in this narrative is commendable because
of its centrality and continued currency in the global discursive market-
place. Indeed, marriage is one of the most topical but also misunder-
stood, threatened and endangered of social and cultural institutions today
because it is the nucleus of society and hope of humanity. Whatever af-
fects a marriage does not affect just the couple but has spiraling conse-
quences on family life and societal health. Indeed, to destroy a marriage
is to destroy a huge chunk of society. The author idealises and celebrates
marriage. The novella’s sustained narrative foreground privileges mar-
riage and its verities but with the caveat that a marriage works not by
sheer luck or mere wishful thinking. It somehow masks but also tasks
and mines the sensibilities of the couple and invites them to co-operate
and collaborate in spousal love. This is because marriage is duty, trust,
generous self-giving, hard work, patience, understanding, communica-
tion, mutual respect and resilience. Marriage does not mean the absence
of challenges, many of them disruptive and catastrophic, but the willing-
ness to confront, endure and manure the relationship for its efflorescence
and fruition.
•Contd฀฀on฀www.sunnewsonline.com
Page 26 NEWS
Revealed: Why G-5 govs
won’t endorse Tinubu, Obi
■ Political realities, infiltration of state PDP chapters by
Atiku’s men make endorsement risky
FROM FRED ITUA, ABUJA
THREE weeks to the presidential
election, the group of five Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) governors,
who are opposed to the emergence of
Atiku Abubakar as the standard-bearer
of the party, may have abandoned their
planned endorsement of another candi-
Governor of Enugu State and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Enugu
North Senatorial District, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (right), with the PDP candidate and
lawmaker representing Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Dr. Martins Oke
(2nd right), and Chairman of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Hon. Chukwudi Nnadozie
(3rd right), acknowledging cheers from supporters when the governor visited the council to
canvass votes for the PDP ahead of the forthcoming general election, yesterday.
Petrol at N500 per litre dwarfs subsidy
BY ADEWALE SANYAOLU
THE unending fuel scarcity across
major parts of the country has taken
a negative effect on Nigerians and
brought the economy to it kneels.
Indeed, the price of Premium Mo-
tor Spirit (PMS), popularly called pet-
rol has risen above the Federal Gov-
ernment’s projected N410 per litre in
a post fuel subsidy regime with indi-
cations that the fuel subsidy regime
is collapsing as premium motor spirit
(PMS) now sells far above the regu-
lated prices across the country.
Findings by Saturday Sun reveal
that some filling stations in some parts
of the country were selling at N500
per litre
This was even as commuters have
resorted to keeping vigil at filling sta-
tion in a bid to get the product.
Findings by Daily Sun reveal that
commuters in desperate search of pet-
rol now keep vigil at the NNPC retail
outlet on Awolowo road, Ikoyi and
Total filling station on Mobolaji Bank
Anthony Way, Ikeja
The Group Chief Executive Officer
of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr.
Mele Kyari, had last year said that
without fuel subsidy, petrol would sell
for N410 per litre.
But despite petrol still being subsi-
dized, the product hit N500 per litre
in Benin City, the Edo State Capital.
Also in Ibadan, the Oyo State
capital, petrol sold for N350 to N400
respectively in some select filling sta-
tions.
Taking to Facebook to express his
anger and frustration, a resident in
Benin City, Mr.Yinka Adedipe, said
he bought fuel at N500 per litre at Co-
noil filling station on Airport Road by
Reservation Road junction. Another
commuter who also took his anguish
to Facebook and identified himself as
Samuel Asein, said he bought petrol at
N600 per litre at Samadeh filling sta-
tion in Benin as well.
Corroborating the claims of Adedi-
date.
Referred to as G-5 governors, the
state executives had been mobilising
against Atiku’s election, citing many
reasons why his choice as the presiden-
tial candidate of the party was wrong.
The five governors are Nyesom
Wike of Rivers State; Seyi Makinde
of Oyo State; Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia
pe and Asein, another social media
user ,Bisi Olaniyi, said most filling
stations , especially those operated by
major marketers on Ekenwan road,
Benin were selling at N510 per litre
The hike in fuel price may not be
unconnected with the inability of the
Federal Government to deregulate
the downstream petroleum industry
which may have forced the industry
to react to current market reality.
National Operations Controller, In-
dependent Petroleum Marketers As-
sociation of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mike
Oastuyi, said despite the fact that the
current price of petrol at over N500
per litre in some locations was higher
than the post-subsidy petrol price of
N410 per litre, President Muhamma-
du Buhari, has made his plans known
not to remove subsidy at this time.
He said no Government during an
election would be bold enough to take
such decision at this critical time.
Though, Osatuyi maintained that
the continous payment of subsidy
running into several trillions of naira
was longer sustainable in the face of
current economic reality.
He said the most logical thing
for Government to do is to remove
subsidy in order to free up funds for
some other needs which included in-
frastructure among others. A recent
statement by the Major Oil Marketers
Association of Nigeria (MOMAN),
attributed the lingering fuel scarcity
in the country to high costs of vessels
and inadequate trucks to deliver petro-
leum products from depots to filling
stations across Nigeria. The market-
ers explained that these high logistics
and exchange rate costs continue to
put pressure on their operations with
ripple effects on the pump price.
“The major cause is the shortage
and high (US Dollar) costs of daugh-
ter’s vessels for ferrying product from
mother vessels to depots along the
coast,” it said.
Next is the inadequate number of
trucks to meet the demand to deliver
products from depots to filling stations
State; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu
State; and Samuel Ortom of Benue
State. The aggrieved governors, led by
Wike, in late 2022, held series of meet-
ings with Atiku; the presidential candi-
date of the ruling All Progressives Con-
gress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu and
Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). Af-
ter the meetings, Wike had revealed that
nationwide.”
Energy analyst, Kayode Olu-
wadare, maintains that Nigerians
should not equate these price increas-
es with the reality that awaits when
fuel subsidy is eventually removed.
According to him, the same chal-
lenges like forex issues, bad roads,
marketers, and private depot owners’
disagreements, which have made Ni-
gerians struggle with fuel scarcity for
years, will still be present even after
fuel subsidy is removed. He said:
“Fuel subsidy removal will push
up inflation. How will the govern-
ment provide solutions to the impact
the removal will have on the welfare
of Nigerians and all the sectors of the
economy including the capital mar-
ket? The effects of subsidy removal
will be multifaceted.
“If no sound palliative measures
can come from the government that
will remove subsidy, then it is point-
less. I noticed that presidential candi-
dates for the 2023 elections have been
waxing lyrical about fuel subsidy
removal but no one has presented a
framework on how to do this without
hurting the economic welfare of Nige-
rians.”
According to Oluwadare, there is
no way to tell what the price of PMS
would be if the fuel subsidy is even-
tually removed. He said it could go
beyond N500 to about N900 or even
N1000 per litre. He further cautioned
that since Nigeria is still lacking refin-
ing capacity, fuel prices will be deter-
mined by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine
war as well as forex challenges and
even the price cap on Russian oil and
gas supplies which will affect interna-
tional pricing.
Oluwadare advocates that the fuel
subsidy removal should be done in
phases and conducted by an inde-
pendent committee, that will also be
charged with evaluating the impact
of each phase, so Nigerians who are
already battling with a 21.47 per cent
inflation rate, can cope better with the
removal.
SATURDAYSUN
the aggrieved governors were going to
announce their preferred candidate be-
fore the end of January 2023. They’ve
since reneged on that promise.
Saturday Sun gathered that one
of the G-5 governors met with some
stakeholders in Abuja during the
week, where he made some revela-
tions and also explained why they were
in a fix on how to proceed.
According to the source who attend-
ed the meeting, the planned move by
the G-5 governors to publicly endorse
Tinubu or Obi has since been aban-
doned.
He said the governors are faced
with tough realities in the various state
chapters of the PDP, where many of the
members are unwilling to align with
them and work against Atiku.
He said since the meeting of the
governors in early January, no serious
discussions have been held since then.
He said with the current political reali-
ties in Enugu, Abia and Rivers States,
it will be politically suicidal to publicly
endorse Tinubu or Obi.
According to the stakeholder, one of
the G-5 governors said endorsing Obi
for instance in Abia and Enugu where
the Labour Party’s candidate is popular
may cause the PDP its victory. He said
the governors were prevailed upon by
their political associates to jettison the
idea and work for their respective can-
didates discretely in order not to incur
the wrath of the people.
“Endorsing Tinubu for instance in
Rivers, Enugu, Abia or Benue will be
stupid. The people will revolt against
their governors. They know. The only
place where the people may accept Ti-
Marwa to religious leaders:
Make anti-drug abuse messages
constant in your sermons
CHAIRMAN/CHIEF Executive
Officer of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig.
Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd)
has charged religious bodies and oth-
er faith-based organisations to make
the campaign against drug abuse a
constant feature in their sermons and
evangelical activities to save millions
of Nigerian youths afflicted by the
menace of substance abuse and pre-
vent many others from slipping into
the scourge.
Marwa gave the charge when he re-
ceived a delegation from the Jama’atu
Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah,
JIBWIS, led by its Chairman Sheik
Abdullahi Bala Lau at the Agency’s
national headquarters in Abuja.
While appreciating the JIBWIBS
leadership for their advocacy cam-
paigns against drug abuse through
their various platforms, the NDLEA
boss said millions of young Nigerians
are already grappling with substance
abuse and its consequences, and as
such every stakeholder is needed to
mobilise preventive measures that
will save those not yet afflicted by the
scourge.
“I will like to seize this medium
to appeal to our religious bodies, the
two major faiths and other faith based
741 Batch A stream 1 Corps
members pass out in Kebbi
FROM OLANREWAJU
LAWAL,BIRNIN KEBBI
A total number of 741 Batch A Stream
1 of 2022 Corps Members passed
out in Kebbi State while six got an
extension of service for various of-
fences that contravened the National
Youths Service Corps bye- laws. The
Kebbi State NYSC state Coordinator,
Mrs Agatha Okolo Banki made the
revelations on Thursday during the
passing out ceremony of the corps
members held at NYSC Secretariat
in Birnin Kebbi. While addressing the
outgoing corps members, Banki who
congratulated them, charged them to
effectively put into practice, all the
skills they have acquired during their
one-year national service.
“NYSC has not only given you
February 4, 2023
nubu will be in Oyo State,” the source
who attended the meeting revealed.
Making further revelations, he said:
“Wike has vowed not to support Atiku.
He’s secretly funding the campaign of
one of the other candidates in Rivers
State. His thousands of political aides
have been instructed and they’re work-
ing already.
“There are some PDP members in
Rivers State who have vowed not to
work for Tinubu. They’re working for
Atiku while some others are for Obi.
“Abia and Enugu State governors
are smart politicians. They want to be
Senators and they know the backlash
they would both face if Atiku wins and
they too become senators. They are not
campaigning for or against Atiku or any
other Presidential candidate.
“Governor Ortom has said he would
not support another Fulani man as
President after eight years of President
Buhari. But he has not told members
of the PDP in the state not to support
Atiku. Members of the PDP in Benue
State can support Atiku if they want.
“Governor Makinde is also not
openly campaigning against Atiku, al-
though many people believe he would
support Tinubu. So, Atiku appears to
have weathered the storm and unless
something stops him, he may just be
the next president of Nigeria. The odds
appear to favour him right now.
“Atiku’s men have infiltrated the
G-5 states. They’ve made juicy prom-
ises they can’t reject. The next three
weeks will be crucial. As for any pos-
sible reconciliation, the PDP and the
G-5 governors have passed that stage.”
organisations to join this effort being
coordinated by NDLEA and ensure
that anti-drug abuse messages feature
constantly in their sermons and other
evangelical activities”, he stated.
He expressed happiness about JIB-
WIS’ decision to establish a rehabili-
tation centre in Kaduna. “We’re glad
about your choice of Kaduna because
Governor Nasir el-Rufai is passionate
about the drug war and has done a lot
to transform the state”, he added.
Speaking earlier, Sheik Lau con-
gratulated Marwa for the series of
well-deserved recognitions and
awards he’s been getting due to his
outstanding performance in NDLEA.
According to him, “the entire Muslim
ummas and bodies in Nigeria ap-
preciate what you are doing. We’re
ever ready to support this Agency to
save our youths from destruction by
drugs.”
He expressed the determination
of the sect to establish a rehabilita-
tion centre in Kaduna to further sup-
port the work of the agency. “Apart
from this, we have more than 9,000
jummat mosques and 56,000 non-
jummat mosques across the coun-
try through which we’ll continue to
preach to our teeming youths to be
good ambassadors of Nigeria.”
platforms to acquire loans, such as
BOI, CBN, NYSC foundation, etc, to
get you established, but it has also giv-
en you abundant knowledge which
supersedes wealth,” she said.
She further commended their
dedication, doggedness and immense
contribution to the development of the
state, especially in the educational and
health sectors. Calling on them not to
take their exiting the NYSC scheme
as an end to their service to the nation
but rather that they should see it as the
opening of a new chapter for more
positive contributions to the nation.
While urging them to shun all
shades of deviant characters, she ad-
vised those who will be participating
in the forthcoming elections, to be
apolitical and be guided by the rules
of INEC.
Page 27 NEWS
New Naira notes: IGP orders FCID, FIB Protests in Ibadan over
to arrest, prosecute violators, abusers scarcity of new notes
FROM MOLLY KILETE, ABUJA
THE Inspector General of Police
(IGP), Usman Baba, has ordered the
Deputy Inspector-General of Police
in charge of Force Criminal Investi-
gations Department (FCID), and the
Assistant Inspector-General of Police
in charge of the Force Intelligence
Bureau (FIB) to arrest and prosecute
persons engaged in the sale and
abuse of the redesigned Naira notes.
The IGP has equally charged all
Redesigned naira: Police arrest fake
currency syndicate in Enugu
FROM MAGNUS EZE, ENUGU
AS cash crunch persists in Nigeria,
a crack team of men of the Nigeria
Police from the Igboeze South Divi-
sion of Enugu State has intercepted
currency counterfeiters.
Saturday Sun exclusively gathered
that some members of the syndicate
were nabbed in one of the rural com-
munities of the local government
with wads of fake N1, 000 denomi-
nation of the redesigned notes on
From right: Board Chairman Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Bukhari Bello, Corp Marshal
Dauda Ali Biu and Board member Abdullahi Sifawa, during a 1 Day pubic hearing on the
bills to for an act to establish Federal Road Safety Commission Command and Staff College
Ibadan to Serve as a high level centre for training for personnel, strategy Sister Agencies,
Ministries, Parastatals and Departments at the National Assembly Abuja yesterday
Cash shortage: Give me seven days
to decide, Buhari tells Nigerians
■ Doubts banks’ commitment to policy’s success
■ Governors appeal for new and old currency to co-exist
FROM JULIANA TAIWO-
OBALONYE, ABUJA
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari
has appealed to Nigerians to give
him seven days to address cash short-
age which has spread throughout the
nation as a result of the Central Bank
of Nigeria’s decision to replace high
denomination Naira notes with new
ones.
The President made the appeal
while speaking with All Progres-
sives Congress, (APC) governors
who came to the Presidential Villa
to seek solutions to the cash crunch,
which they said was threatening the
good records of the administration
in transforming the economy.
According to a statement by Se-
nior Special Assistant to the Presi-
dent on Media and Publicity, Garba
Shehu, while reiterating that the cur-
rency redesign will help the econo-
my and have long-term advantages,
Buhari expressed skepticism about
the commitment of banks in particu-
lar to the success of the initiative.
“Some banks are inefficient and
only concerned about themselves”,
he said, “even if a year is added,
problems associated with selfish-
supervisory Assistant Inspectors-
General of Police, state Commis-
sioners of police and Formations to
carry out full enforcement of the pro-
visions of Sections 20 and 21 of the
Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007,
which criminalises amongst other
things, the hawking, selling or other-
wise trading, spraying of, dancing or
matching on the Naira notes.
They have also been directed to ar-
rest persons falsifying or counterfeit-
ing bank notes, refusal to accept the
Wednesday.
It was further gathered that the
Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of
Igboeze South, identified as SP Kele-
chi, working on credible intelligence
with his men busted the suspected
criminal gang.
Though the amount of fake notes
found on the counterfeiters could not
be ascertained, a police source said it
was huge, adding that the syndicate
had perfected how to inject the mon-
ey into the system.
Pix MUDASHIRU ATAÑDA
ness and greed won’t go away.”
The President said he had seen
television reports about cash short-
ages and hardship to local business-
es and ordinary people and gave as-
surances that the balance of seven of
the 10-day extension will be used to
crackdown on whatever stood in the
way of successful implementation.
“I will revert to the CBN and the
Minting Company. There will be a
decision one way or the other in the
remaining seven days of the 10-day
extension,” the President assured.
The statement quoted the gov-
ernors as saying that, while they
agreed that his decision on the re-
newal of currency was good and
they are fully in support, its execu-
tion had been botched and their con-
stituents were becoming increas-
ingly upset.
They said that, as leaders of the
government and party in their differ-
ent states, they were becoming anx-
ious about a slump in the economy
and the series of elections that are
coming. They requested the Presi-
dent to use his powers to direct the
concurrent flourish of the new and
old notes till the end of the year.
The President said when he con-
Naira as a means of payment, tam-
pering with the coin or note issued by
the CBN among other directives.
The IGP, who gave the order in
Abuja, reiterated the mandate of the
Nigeria Police Force, to enforce all
laws and regulations without any
prejudice to the enabling Acts of
other security agencies. He urged ev-
eryone to cooperate with the Nigeria
Police Force as it brings the long arm
of the law to bear upon all violators
of the provisions of the CBN Act.
The source disclosed that the sus-
pects made confessional statements
before they were transferred to the
state command headquarters, Enugu,
on the directive of the Commis-
sioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani,
on Thursday.
It was not clear whether the sus-
pects would be charged to court
early next week while investigation
continues. The command was yet to
speak on the issue at press time.
sidered giving the approval to the
policy, he demanded an undertak-
ing from the CBN that no new notes
will be printed in a foreign country
and they in turn gave him assuranc-
es that there was enough capacity,
manpower and equipment to print
the currency for local needs. He
said he needed to go back to find out
what was actually happening.
President Buhari told the gover-
nors that, being closer to the people,
he had heard their cries and will act
in a way that there will be a solution.
Speaking with some journalists in
Hausa language, Governor Nasir El-
Rufai, of Kaduna State, said they ap-
pealed to President Buhari to allow
both the old and new naira notes to
co-exist in order to ease the suffering
of Nigerians.
Rufai, said that while the CBN
mopped up over N2 trillion of the
old notes, it printed only N300 bil-
lion, which is not enough.
El-Rufai who was accompa-
nied by his Kano State counterpart,
Abdullahi Ganduje, said even if the
CBN had wanted to implement the
cashless policy, they should have
printed at least half of what they
mopped up, which is N1 trillion.
SATURDAYSUN
…Makinde suspends campaign
FROM OLUSEYE OJO,
IBADAN
IBADAN, the Oyo State capital,
boiled on Friday as a result of protests
staged in different parts of the city,
over scarcity of newly redesigned nai-
ra notes, and difficult situations people
have been passing through to make
a living. The protests were staged by
bank customers that reportedly went
to banks on Friday to make withdraw-
als, but could not do so because of
paucity of the new legal tender.
The areas in Ibadan, where the pro-
tests took place included Monatan,
Iwo Road, Idi-Ape, Agodi-Gate,
Queen Cinema, Ekotedo, Adamas-
ingba, Dugbe, and Apata.
Bonfires were sighted at Iwo Road,
Queen Cinema in Ekotedo area and
Adamasingba. However, the pro-
tests caused panic in Ibadan, as par-
ents rushed to pick their children and
wards in schools over fear of the un-
known and how the protests would
end. It was observed that the majority
of motorists, tricyclists, and motorcy-
clists put leaves on their vehicles to
show solidarity with the protests, in
order to escape being attacked.
It was gathered that some com-
mercial banks at Agodi and Iwo Road
were pelted with stones by some of
the protesters. The umbrella hung in
front of an office of a telecommunica-
tions company at Agodi was removed
by some of the protesters.
The protests led to traffic snarls in
different parts of Ibadan, and some
shop owners locked up their shops
early to avoid being attacked by the
angry protesters. They mounted a big
barricade at the popular Iwo Road In-
terchange, which prevented vehicular
movement for some hours.
But security agencies, including
the police and Amotekun Corps,
CBN begs Nigerians over
scarcity of Naira notes
...to meet with telcos, mobile money
operators over surge in charges
BY CHINWENDU OBIENYI
AMIDST the outcry and frustra-
tions over the Naira notes scarcity, the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has
appealed to Nigerians to exercise pa-
tience, describing the development as a
transient and temporary phase.
This was even as the apex bank
noted that it is not looking at extending
the February 10 deadline while add-
ing that it will meet with telcos, mobile
money operators to address the surge in
charges for cash transactions. The CBN
Governor, Godwin Emefiele, disclosed
this to newsmen during the press brief-
ing on the benefits of the Naira Rede-
sign Policy in Lagos yesterday. Eme-
fiele stated that the CBN is mindful of
the challenges some Nigerians have
either faced or is facing and is address-
ing them.
“What we are saying and we have
to admit at this initial stage on the is-
sues and circulation we can’t put N896
billion in one day into circulation. So
this is the reason that we said unfortu-
nately we do see that there will be some
transient or temporary pains, but we
are appealing to Nigerians and we are
begging. We are on our knees begging
people to please show understanding.
“Do not destroy bank properties
because bank properties are meant to
serve you. At this time that we are fac-
ing this temporary and transient situa-
tion, we crave everybody’s understand-
ing. Please be calm”, he pleaded.
On the clamor by people to move the
deadline by one more year, Emefiele
said the CBN is not open to further ex-
February 4, 2023
were seen in strategic locations, try-
ing to prevent total breakdown of
law and order. At Queen Cinema in
the Ekotedo area, some operatives
of the Amotekun Corps were seen in
the midst of protesters, calming them
down not to destroy property.
The protesters also gained entry
into the Oyo State Government Secre-
tariat, Agodi, Ibadan, and were report-
ed to have destroyed some govern-
ment property. The appearance of the
protesters caused commotion inside
the secretariat, as many workers ran
helter skelter for safety.
An impeccable source said one of
the security agents that stood their
grounds from gaining access to the
Governor’s Office was seriously
injured. Meanwhile Governor Seyi
Makinde, who is seeking re-election
on the platform of the Peoples Demo-
cratic Party (PDP) for a second term
in office during this year’s general
elections, has suspended the ongoing
campaign to local governments of the
state until further notice.
He made the announcement shortly
after flagging off the 10 kilometres
Omi Adio-Ido Road in Ido Local
Government, in Ibadan on Friday.
According to Makinde, “I appreci-
ate all the leaders and stakeholders,
who are ready for the campaign ac-
tivities for today and I thank you for
coming to meet us here today. But
unfortunately, I will have no choice
than to suspend our campaign. So,
after this flag-off, I will return home,
because there are protests in town and
there is a lot of hardship with this issue
of the scarcity of the new Naira notes.
A lot of our people have money in
banks but they are not able to get their
money. Some of us campaigning are
not able to access funds, maybe they
do not want us to campaign.”
tension of the deadline.
“I am sure that people are going to
say that only last week Tuesday, I said
no, but I want to say unfortunately
again, this time, we will not be look-
ing at an extension of deadlines. This
is because we at the Central bank, the
deposit money banks, and other very
important stakeholders, are looking at
areas where there is pressure and we
are doing everything possible to ad-
dress those areas of pressure.”
The CBN Governor further dis-
closed that the bank will meet with
telcos, mobile money operators over
surge in charges as regards cash trans-
actions.
His words, “By tomorrow, we are
going to have an arrangement with tel-
cos to see how these charges at this time
can be stopped. So that even if we know
whatever you are making that you are
not making because we stopped it, we
can collect it somewhere and look for a
way to pay you but we don’t want you
to continue to create pain on those who
want to use alternative channels when
they do not have cash in their pocket.
By tonight, we are going to call a
meeting of both the banks, mobile
money agents, telcos that at this time,
nobody should be charged. We would
want this service to continue without
charges Whatever it is in terms of vol-
ume and number that you have carried
out. We will look for a way to pay you
your money but please let us render this
service so that those who are moving
away from cash channels can enter into
the electronic channels can please enjoy
seamless use of the of these channels”.
Page 28 NEWS
How unemployment created ‘unknown’
gunmen -Kalu, APP candidate
FROM OGBONNAYA
NDUKWE, ABA
GOVERNORSHIP candidate of
the Action People’s Party (APP), in
Abia State, Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu,
has spoken of the need for Abians to
vote for credible persons that will turn
around the misfortunes of the State to
create a better future for youths to be-
come gainfully employed.
He said the heightening insecu-
rity in the country, especially in the
South-East geopolitical zone, was as
a result of soaring unemployment rate
and the inability of the government to
do the needful to arrest the situation.
Speaking with journalists in Aba,
on Friday, Kalu said the next Abia
governor would emerge through a
coalition of some minority political
L-R: Oyedeji Ojo, Chief Technology Officer, Wakanow; Trevor Henry, Chief Commercial Officer,
ValueJet; Adenike Macaulay, Chief Executive Officer, Wakanow Nigeria and Capt. Omololu
Majekodunmi, Managing Director, ValueJet during the courtesy visit of the Wakanow team to
ValueJet office to commence the partnership of both organizations at ValueJet Head Office,
Ikeja GRA, Lagos
Don’t push an agenda inimical to quest
for Nigeria’s unity, PDP tells Clark Gunmen kill magistrate during
FROM PAUL OSUYI, ASABA
THE People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) Presidential Campaign Coun-
cil on Friday, advised elder statesman
and former Minister of Information,
Chief Edwin Clark, to continue to
maintain his integrity and avoid
making statements capable of derail-
ing the quest for national unity.
The campaign council was react-
ing to the open letter by Clark to
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta
State, where he accused the gov-
ernor, among other allegations, of
betraying his southern colleagues
I set my wife ablaze for failing to
serve me food on time - Suspect
BY CHRISTOPHER OJI
A 46-year-old man, Hassan Azeez,
who allegedly set his wife ablaze
with fuel, has told why he commit-
ted the act. He claimed that he was
angry because his wife refused to
serve him food at the appropriate
time.
The suspects had been on the
run since he allegedly committed
the act on October 22, 2022 until
he was arrested recently in Ibadan,
Oyo State.
Azeez, who was arrested by op-
eratives from Ogun State Police
Command, told police investors
that he was angry that his wife re-
fused to serve him food at the ap-
propriate time.
He was quoted as saying, “on the
fateful day, I asked my wife to pre-
pare food for me, but instead of pre-
parties currently in the race for the top
job and will come from Abia North
Senatorial Zone, in line with the zon-
ing arrangement of the founding fa-
thers of the State. He condemned the
zoning of the position by the ruling
People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to
the Ngwa area of Abia Central zone,
noting that what Gov Okezie Ikpea-
zu, was fighting against in the G-5
Governors group was what he was
instigating in Abia.
“The reason Ikpeazu is in the G-5
group, alongside other governors in
the PDP, was because the party de-
nied the South its presidential ticket.
But here in Abia, he is doing the op-
posite of what the G-5, to which he
belongs, is fighting. I want to tell you
that the next governor of the state will
by accepting to be the running mate
to a northern presidential candidate,
Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. But
addressing journalists in Asaba,
Spokesman of the campaign council
and Commissioner for Information
in Delta State, Charles Aniagwu said
such comments from an elder states-
man would only stoke up the embers
of discord between the north and the
south. He said the PDP with the state
government hold Chief Clark in high
esteem, and urged him not to mort-
gage the unity of Nigeria at the ex-
pense of his preferences.
“The PDP will continue to ac-
paring the food, she was busy wash-
ing clothes. Although, the clothes
she was washing were mine, I was
angry because she neglected me. I
was so hungry because a hungry
man is an angry man. It was the an-
noyance that made me to pour fuel
on her, and set her ablaze. I regret
my action, but I blame everything
on the devil”
The suspect was arrested follow-
ing a report lodged at Ibogun Divi-
sional Headquarters by the victim’s
father, who reported on October
22, 2022, that her daughter, Olay-
inka Hassan was set ablaze by her
husband over a minor disagree-
ment, and that the victim, a mother
of one, was rushed to the hospital
in Ibadan.
Following the report, the Divi-
sional Police Officer (DPO) Ibogun
Division, Samuel Oladele, a Chief
come from Abia North. The election
will be by coalition of some minority
parties.
“We, in Abia North, do not make
noise on issues but believe in action.
So, when the time comes, we will
come together and I am very strong
in my opinion that a candidate of the
minority, will win in Abia.”
On what he will do differently if
elected as the next governor, the APP
flag-bearer, said his administration
will redesign and geographically map
out cities of Umuahia and Aba, with
modern development plans that meet
the 21st Century standards, make
Abia a fully industrialized state, as
well as create enabling environment
for 40,000 new private sector driven
jobs within four years.
cord enormous respect to persons in
the category of Chief Edwin Clark,
but in the midst of that, we will also
advise that, in line with the need to
promote unity and the peace of this
country, elders must make com-
ments that are in line with our desire
to remain as one country.
“It might be pardonable for the
young ones to talk about the north
and south dichotomy, but Edwin
Clark has been around even before
the civil war, and he knows the geo-
graphic composition of Nigeria with
brothers and sisters crisscrossing the
north and the south,” Aniagwu said.
Superintendent of Police, quickly
mobilised his men and moved to
the scene, but before getting there,
the suspect had escaped.
According to Ogun State Police
Public Relations Officer (PPRO),
Abimbola Oyeyemi, “since then,
police operatives have been on his
trail until January 22, when he was
eventually apprehended.
On interrogation, the suspect
who claimed to have run away
to Benin Republic, confessed to
the commission of the crime, but
blamed it on the devil.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner
of Police, Mr Lanre Bankole, has
directed that the suspect be trans-
ferred to Homicide Section of
the State Criminal Investigation
Departments (SCID), for further
investigation and possible prosecu-
tion.
SATURDAYSUN
Obi promises to build new
Nigeria free of poverty, insecurity
FROM OLANREWAJU
LAWAL,BIRNIN KEBBI
THE presidential candidate of Labour
Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi has promised
to build a new Nigeria free of poverty
and insecurity if elected the President
of Nigeria.
Obi stated this while addressing his
supporters in Birnin Kebbi , during his
presidential campaign to Kebbi state.
“This country is a great country with
landmass and courageous people; we
can feed ourselves if we truly harness
our potentials for better. I will also in-
vest heavily in education and ensure
that unemployment becomes a history
in this country as our youth will be
PDP, APC, APGA collapse
into LP in Anambra, declare
total support for Obi
FROM OBINNA ODOGWU,
AWKA
LEADERS and members of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
the All Progressives Congress (APC)
and the All Progressives Grand Al-
liance (APGA) in Anaocha Local
Government Area of Anambra State,
have dumped their respective parties
and joined the Labour Party (LP) in
the state.
The defectors were Chief Ifeanyi
Oji, PDP chairman Anaocha LGA;
Nonso Ezeana, APC Secretary, Ana-
ocha; Chief Charlie Chukwudebelu,
Ward 2 Chairman PDP Agulu (Peter
Obi’s ward) and Chief Elias Abana,
former chairman of APGA Ward 4
Agulu. They all joined LP with their
teaming followers.
The defectors joined the LP at a
mini rally staged for the presidential
candidate of the party, Mr. Peter Obi
and his running mate, Yusuf Datti
Baba-Ahmed at Igwe Central Pal-
ace, Agulu under the chairmanship
of Chief Franklin Anazodo.
The new party members said that
court session in Imo
FROM STANLEY UZOARU,
OWERRI
GUNMEN on Thursday, invaded a
court on session and killed the magis-
trate, Nnaemeka Ugboma, the chair-
man of Ejemekwuru Customary
Court in the Oguta Local Govern-
ment Area (LGA) of Imo State.
A source from the area told our
correspondent that the hoodlums
who operated in two motorbikes
dragged him out from the court be-
fore shooting him.
Pandemonium broke out, as ev-
erybody in the court scampered for
safety, thereby bringing the court sit-
ting to an abrupt end.
According to the source: “He was
NHRC holds meeting with guber
candidates in Nasarawa
FROM ABEL LEONARD,
LAFIA
NATIONAL Human Rights Com-
mission NHRC has conducted a
town hall meeting with gubernatorial
candidates in Nasarawa state on hu-
man rights issues and 2023 election.
Executive Secretary of the Com-
mission, Tony Ojukwu during the
meeting yesterday said the commis-
sion has the mandate to promote and
protect human rights of every person
in Nigeria. Ojukwu, represented by
Agwaari Cordelier, a deputy director
with the commission,
explained that the rights include
freedom of association, right to free-
dom of information and the right to
freedom of opinion and expression.
Speaking on behalf of the civil
February 4, 2023
gainfully engaged in empowerment
programmes,” he said.
Obi who also promised to address
security challenges bedevilling the
country, especially the North, said, 75
millions Nigerians who are youths are
solidly behind him.
“This year’s election is different as
it is based on competence for I and my
running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, are
going to restore the glory of the coun-
try with commitment. We can’t do it
without your support,” he said.
In his remark, the state LP governor-
ship candidate, Mr Gambo Paul-Tashe,
urged the people to vote for Labour
Party, promising that they would never
regret their decision if they do so.
they resolved to join LP because they
believed that Obi was the best person
to lead Nigeria at the moment.
Convener of the rally, Chief Pauli-
nus Aniagbaoso, said that the people
of Agulu community and Anaocha
LGA in general had resolved to vote
massively for LP from top to bottom.
Aniagbaoso, former presidential-
general of Agulu People’s Union
(APU) and currently the traditional
prime minister of Agulu Kingdom
(Onowu Agulu), said the people of
the town, irrespective of their various
party affiliations, met and resolved to
vote for Obi because he’s the most
qualified candidate for the job.
“We organised a meeting for all
the political parties in Anaocha LGA
and discussed critical issues concern-
ing this election, particularly Obi’s
acceptance across Nigeria.
“We reasoned that if Nigerians
across regions and ethnic divides
have accepted Peter Obi and are sup-
porting him massively, what then
will be the contribution of Agulu
town and Anaocha LGA, where he
comes from,” Aniagbaoso asked.
killed in his court while sitting. His
killers came with motorcycles. They
came into the court, dragged him out
and shot him dead and drove off.
“His corpse was there as people in
court fled. The whole thing is confus-
ing because nobody knew why they
killed him”.
Ugboma hailed from Nnebukwu
community in Oguta LGA.
When contacted, the Chairman of
the Owerri branch of the Nigerian
Bar Association (NBA), Ugochuk-
wu Allinor, who confirmed the kill-
ing said that the branch would com-
municate to the public soon.
When contacted, the spokesper-
son for the police in the state, Henry
Okoye, did not take his calls.
society in Nasarawa State, Executive
Director ,Centre for Women Youth
and Community Action, CWYCA,
Dr. Nawani Aboki advised the gu-
bernatorial candidates to be trans-
parent and more concerned on child
rights, gender based violence and the
protection of human dignity.
Five governorship candidates
were in attendance which included
that of the APC, the incumbent gov-
ernor, Abdullahi Sule, represented
by the Director of Strategic Commu-
nication, Yakubu Lamai. Others are
governorship candidates of Social
Democratic Party, Allied People’s
Movement, Labour party and the All
Progressives Grand Alliance which
was represented by its Director of
campaign..
Page 29 NEWS
Atiku alleges plot to incite
Nigerians, disrupt polls
FROM NDUBUISI ORJI,
ABUJA
THE Atiku/Okowa Campaign Or-
ganisation has accused the officials
of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) Campaign Council of mak-
ing hate speech against prominent
leaders in the north and other parts
of the country.
The campaign organisation, in
a statement by its spokesperson,
Kola Ologbondiyan, said the aim
of the APC was to allegedly “incite
Nigerians, cause insurrection and
disrupt the 2023 general elections.”
It stated that the APC presiden-
tial candidate, Bola Tinubu, had
allegedly “resorted to incendiary
statements, as well as deploying
top members of his campaign,
including a serving governor, to
insult and condemn prominent Ni-
gerian leaders as a ploy to trigger
crisis in the polity.”
According to the campaign, “Ni-
gerians can still recall how Tinubu,
recently in London, declared to
his followers that ‘political power
Federal Ministry of Aviation Directors with the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Abubakar
Sirika (seating 4th from right ); Permanent Secretary Dr. Emmanuel C. Meribole; and Ms.
Modupe Bankole; Managing Consultant, Diadems, at the signing of Performance Contracts
and Ministry’s Leadership Retreat: “Delivering On Aviation Roadmap Through Effective
Performance Management System” held recently.
10 political parties endorse Atiku
in Anambra -Obiora Okonkwo
DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the
Presidential Campaign Committee of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and
his running-mate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa
in Anambra State, Professor Obiora
Okonkwu has stated that 10 political
parties in the state have endorsed the
party’s presidential candidate ahead
of the February 25 election.
Okonkwo who spoke to news-
men shortly after the meeting of the
PDP presidential campaign commit-
tee at its state headquarters in Awka
yesterday expressed optimism that
Anambra State will give the party
the highest votes in the South East
zone during the election.
He declared further that all the
South-East states are committed in
Osun: Adeleke mobilises contractor for
abandoned Osun/Kwara boundary road
FROM LATEEF DADA,
OSOGBO
OSUN State Governor, Ademola
Adeleke, has mobilised the contrac-
tor to the abandoned Osogbo-Ikirun/
Kwara State boundary road, initiated
by the Rauf Aregbesola-led govern-
ment.
A statement by the governor’s
spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on
Friday, said the Coordinating Direc-
is not going to be served in a res-
taurant, it is not served a la carte.
It is what we are doing; It is being
determined; you do it at all costs;
fight for it, grab it, snatch it and run
with it.
Fuel, cash scarcity: Peter Obi seeks
end to suffering by Nigerians
PETER Obi, the Presidential Can-
didate of the Labour Party (LP), has
called on authorities in the country
to do “whatever is necessary” to
ease the pain of Nigerians, specifi-
cally in fuel shortages and scarcity
of the new naira notes.
Mr Obi, in a statement issued
on Thursday, said that he has been
travelling around the country on
the campaign trail, meeting and en-
gaging Nigerians of diverse ethnic,
cultural, and religious backgrounds,
and the unified experiences they re-
count is one of untold suffering.
the quest to rescue and recover Ni-
geria, insisting that PDP will win in
the region overwhelmingly during
the general election.
Okonkwo said: “Anambra is con-
fident of victory. We are a liberal
people who understand the dynam-
ics of our politics and nascent de-
mocracy.
“Aside from the thousands of op-
position party members who have
defected to the PDP in Anambra
since we began spreading the gospel
of rescue and recovery, another ten
political parties have adopted Atiku
Abubakar and Senator Ifeanyichuk-
wu Okowa as their presidential and
vice presidential candidates.
“We are confident in the recovery
agenda, the promise of true feder-
tor, Ministry of Works and Transport,
Olusola Ajao, said this in his office.
Ajao noted that the uncompleted
road project was causing hardship to
residents, especially motorists who
ply the road daily.
Ajao said the government of
Adeleke ordered the remobilisation
of the contractor back to the site to
commence the work to ease the suf-
fering of motorists.
He said the governor had specifi-
“Also, Nigerians can recall how
Tinubu, in an APC Campaign Ral-
ly in Abeokuta, Ogun State, made
very wild allegations, inciting his
followers to see the February 25,
“Yesterday, Datti Baba-Ahmed
and I with our team were in Sokoto
and Jigawa states, and today, we
were in Zamfara and Kebbi states.
As I have travelled across Nigeria,
engaging with as many citizens as
possible, the feedback is that Nige-
rians are suffering terribly,” he said.
“Top on the mentions are the bit-
ing fuel scarcity and the scarcity of
the new naira notes. Nigerians, es-
pecially women and the youth, are
impacted negatively by the lingering
shortage of both essentials to regular
daily living in our country.
alism, the stability of the nation’s
economy and security, and other im-
portant policies that Atiku Abubakar
has presented to Nigerians, particu-
larly in the South-East.
“Hence, we are committed to their
success in the forthcoming presiden-
tial elections, as the PDP will con-
tinue to win as always in Anambra
State”, Okonkwo stated further.
The proprietor of the United Nige-
ria Airlines also expressed optimism
that if Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyi
Okowa are eventually inaugurated
president and vice-president of Ni-
geria respectively after the February
25 election, the current hardships Ni-
gerians are facing will reduce drasti-
cally within the first week after their
inauguration.
cally ordered the contractor to ensure
speedy progress of the project and
see that it got to an advanced stage
within the next two months.
“I use the medium to urge road us-
ers and residents to cooperate with
the contractors while the job is being
carried out,” he added.
He said Governor Adeleke was
going to visit the project site to in-
spect the progress of work by next
week.
SATURDAYSUN
Presidential election as a ‘revolu-
tion’.
“It is clear that Tinubu is patheti-
cally being driven by an entitle-
ment mentality, and, as such, he
does not care about the unity of our
“These shortages are dehumanis-
ing Nigerians, even more than they
have already been, by a series of in-
effectual governments who failed to
serve the interest of the people.
“I am worried about the impact
these shortages are having on the
lives of Nigerians and small busi-
nesses, which are a significant force
2023 polls: FG meets
Google, Facebook
over fakes news
FROM AIDOGHIE
PAULINUS, ABUJA
THE Federal Government, yester-
day, called on Google and Meta,
owners of Facebook, WhatsApp and
Instagram, to checkmate the spread
of fake news and disinformation on
their platforms in the country.
The Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
made the call ahead of the 2023 gen-
eral elections.
Speaking during a meeting with
representatives of Meta and Google,
owners of YouTube and other plat-
forms in his office in Abuja, Mo-
hammed said: “It is no longer news
that the use of social media is now
a critical factor in national elections,
and no nation, including Nigeria,
is immune. With a predominantly
youthful population, Nigeria ranks
among the countries with the highest
number of users of the various social
media platforms, especially What-
sapp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
YouTube and TikTok.
‘’The use, or misuse, of these plat-
Atiku is Nigeria’s
worst enemy,
says Tinubu
FROM ROMANUS UGWU,
ABUJA
THE presidential candidate of the
All Progressives Congress (APC),
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described
his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, as Ni-
geria’s worst enemy.
Tinubu also argued that the current
sabotage of the Naira notes swap and
fuel scarcity that have caused untold
hardship to millions of Nigerians
across the country revealed the true
character of the PDP presidential can-
didate as public enemy number one.
Asiwaju, in a statement signed by
Bayo Onanuga, the Director, Me-
dia and Publicity, APC Presidential
Campaign Council (PCC), said that it
takes a visiting presidential candidate
resident in Dubai not to feel the pains
of the suffering Nigerians.
“Nigerians will recall that since the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) intro-
duced its current cash-limit and new
Naira notes swap policies, Atiku and
February 4, 2023
country. In any case, Tinubu had
since announced that he does not
believe in Nigeria as a nation. It is,
therefore, obvious that he is in the
presidential race for purposes that
are not for the wellbeing of Nige-
rians; thus, his readiness to set our
nation on fire for his selfish pur-
pose.
“It is, however, pitiable that a
two-term governor, who has been
spewing divisive insults on the
leaders of our nation, can make
himself a willing tool just because
of personal aggrandisement.”
in our economy.
“I am calling on the governments
at all levels to intervene in this crisis
and ensure that the interest and well-
being of Nigerians are placed on the
front burner, ahead of any other in-
terest group. Nigerians deserve bet-
ter than this,” Obi noted.
forms is therefore of great concern to
all stakeholders in the elections, and
that’s why we have invited you here,
so we can all jointly work to ensure a
responsible use of these platforms so
that they don’t become the platforms
of choice for purveyors of fake news
and disinformation.”
Mohammed also said the govern-
ment has noticed how some unscru-
pulous people are using parody ac-
counts, cloning of reputable media
platforms and the use of deep fakes
to carry out their nefarious activities.
The representative of Google at
the meeting, Dawn Dimowo, who
manages Government Affairs and
Public Policy, pledged the readiness
of the platform to work with other
stakeholders to ensure the credibility
of the elections.
On her part, Meta’s Head of An-
glophone West Africa, Adaora Iken-
ze, said the organisation has set up an
Election Protection Operating
Centre, which has between 60 and
80 people who are working round-
the-clock to ensure their platforms
are not used to discredit the elections.
PDP maintained opportunistic silence
with the hope they will benefit from
the discomfort the policies will create
for Nigerians and the resentment they
will generate for the ruling APC,” the
former Lagos State governor noted.
Lambasting the former vice presi-
dent further, the APC PCC wrote:
“While Atiku and PDP were in bed
with the saboteurs and fifth colum-
nists among the operators of money
deposit banks and oil marketers, who
created the current logjam to force the
outcome of the February 25 presiden-
tial election in favour of the former
vice president, our candidate Bola
Tinubu courageously pitched his tent
with the poor masses, who have been
most negatively impacted by the an-
tics of these evil doers.
“Having realised they have lost the
initiative and their antics exposed to
Nigerians by Tinubu at the APC Pres-
idential Campaign rally in Abeokuta,
Atiku made a half-hearted appeal to
CBN to ‘slightly’ extend the deadline
for the currency swap.”
Page 30 NEWS
We haven’t endorsed
any candidate –OPC
■ Restates commitment to regionalism
THE Oodua People’s Congress
(OPC) has said the Yoruba socio-
cultural organization has never
endorsed any of the presidential
candidate for the 2023 polls.
Speaking against the backdrops
of the news making the rounds
that a prominent candidate of one
of the political parties had hired
the service of the OPC to kill all
Igbos residents in Lagos if he los-
es out in this month elections.
OPC Publicity Secretary, Mr
Yinka Oguntimehin, a lawyer, in
a statement said nobody can use
the OPC to thwart the election and
also cause crisis before or after the
election.
He said the group had never
endorsed any of the candidate, in-
sisting that the group remains fo-
cused on regionalism where each
of the region is allowed to develop
L-R: National Secretary, People’s Redemption Party(PRP), Comrade Babatunde Alli;
Presidential Candidate, PRP, Alhaji Kola Abiola; Chairman, PRP, Mallam Falalu Bello and Vice-
Presidential Candidate, PRP, Haruna Zego Haro, during the PRP South West Presidential rally
held at Adamasingba Stadium, Ibadan, on Thursday
Wike to Buhari: New Naira
implementation policy is anti-people
■ Insists cabal in presidency backing PDP presidential candidate
FROM TONY JOHN, PORT
HARCOURT
RIVERS State governor, Nyesom
Wike, has advised President Mu-
hammadu Buhari to reconsider the
manner with which the currency
redesign policy has been imple-
mented so far because it is anti-
people.
Governor Wike maintained that
those who recommended this ap-
parently anti-people monetary pol-
icy do not love the President and
are bent of tarnishing his legacy.
He stated this at the Comprehen-
sive Secondary School field, Ibaka
Town, Okrika Island during the
Rivers State Peoples Democratic
Party Campaign Flag-off Rally for
Okrika Local Government Area on
Friday.
The governor urged President
Muhammadu Buhari to take a
critical look at the socioeconomic
chaos, and hardship that the ex-
ercise has caused, and revisit the
policy in order to curb the pains of
Nigerians.
“This policy is anti-people. The
new Naira note is not there. Even
though I have money in my ac-
count, I cannot get N10,000. I can-
not go and buy fuel. Who is losing?
Is it not the masses? Is it not the
people?”
He suggested that the President
should stop listening to those who
advise him on this monetary policy
under the guise that it will curb
vote buying. He said those advi-
sors do not mean well for Nigeri-
at their own pace.
The OPC publicity scribe added
that the OPC under the leadership
of the Aareonakakanfo of Yoruba
land, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Ad-
ams is focused on strengthening
the security of the South-West re-
gion and also promote the cultural
identity of Yoruba race across the
world.
He stressed further that the
group’s position on regionalism
still stands, insisting that nobody,
no matter how powerful, can use
the OPC to kill or deny Nigerians
from exercising their civic respon-
sibilities.
“This is a critical time in the his-
tory of Nigeria. However, we are
watching events as they unfold.
But it is very important to say that
the OPC under the leadership of
the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba
ans and cannot feel their sufferings.
Governor Wike also dismissed
the claim that the policy is being
implemented to fight politicians
and corruption, and wondered if
such goals can be achieved within,
barely, the three months left within
the lifespan of the President Bu-
hari’s administration.
“You’re merely fighting against
the poor people. Mr. President, I
know the pressure, but please since
two of us are going the same time,
this policy, it has nothing to fight
corruption at all. It has nothing to
fight politicians.”
“This policy is aimed to suffer
the people who elected us to gov-
ern over them. Our business is not
to make the people to suffer. We all
know how to fight corruption. We
all know how to fight politicians.
This particular one, it does not
come in at all.”
Governor Wike expressed dis-
may that people are now prevented
from accessing money lodged in
their bank accounts and small scale
commercial activities grounded
for lack of cash. According to him,
there is reduced cash flow in cir-
culation and even the redesigned
Naira notes are hardly available to
the citizenry.
“I know Mr President has good
intention, but there are these people
who believe they know more than
everybody, they go and put the
country in total chaos and that is
what we are suffering now.”
He stressed the futility of pre-
senting credit cards to pay for food
items bought from an elderly wom-
land has gone beyond being used
as tools for political gains.
“We are a group of law-abiding
citizens. Our position as an orga-
nization is to seek regionalism,
strengthen the security situation in
the South-West and also promote
the cultural identity of our Yoruba
race.
“We want Nigeria to be restruc-
tured to regionalism, where each
of the regions will develop at its
own pace.
“We have our figures and data
as an organization that spreads
across the country, but I want to
assure everybody that OPC will
continue to protect the interest of
Yoruba race without fear or favour
and all our activities are strictly
tailored towards achieving the
best for Yoruba land.
“OPC will not be used as a can-
non fodder for politicians who are
desperately ready to upturn the
people’s wishes.,” he noted.
an who depends on daily sales to
raise money in the rural areas with
prevailing illiteracy.
“Can you imagine the problem
you’re causing for us. As we are
here, the level of insecurity will in-
crease. We can’t get security agen-
cies money any longer for them
to use and pay those who are in
the field. Even the CIA they carry
cash for operation. Even NIA, they
carry cash for operation. But here,
we can’t even give our security N1
million.”
Speaking further, Governor
Wike said recent events has vin-
dicated him over his initial public
statement that the PDP presidential
candidate and his supporters boast-
ed that they do not need the G-5
governors to win election because
they had been assured of victory by
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Fuel crisis, naira re- design
plot to create instability,
poll extension –Tinubu
FROM PRISCILLA EDIARE,
ADO-EKITI
THE presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Bola
Ahmed Tinubu, has restated that it
is the turn of Yoruba to produce the
president of the country, saying “this
election is yours. It is the election of
goodness. You will use it to liberate
yourselves.”
This was as he alleged that the fuel
crisis and re-design of the Naira was
to create an atmosphere of instability,
postpone the February 25 election and
impose interim government. Tinubu,
who made the remarks in Ado-Ekiti,
Ekiti State capital on Friday, during
the mega campaign rally of the APC,
advised the people of the state to reject
any form of slavery and go out to the
polls en masse to vote, assuring of a
better Nigeria if elected as the presi-
dent. The APC Presidential candidate
who stressed that the forthcoming
election is not about him said: “I am
not looking for what to eat. I am al-
ready a self made man.”
He said,” Yoruba, Yoruba, whose
turn is it? Relax, this election is yours.
It is the election of goodness. You will
Atiku knocks el-Rufai over
comment on Naira scarcity
FROM NDUBUISI ORJI,
ABUJA
PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP)
presidential candidate, Atiku Abuba-
kar, yesterday, berated Kaduna State
governor, Nasir el-Rufai, over his
comments on the scarcity of the rede-
signed Naira notes.
Atiku, in a statement by his Spe-
cial Assistant on Public Commu-
nication Phrank Shaibu, said the
remarks to el-Rufai, is a low point
in the profile of the Kaduna State
governor.
Shaibu noted that it is “inglori-
ous” that the Kaduna State gover-
nor rather than sympathize with the
citizens over the effect of the Naira
scarcity, preferred “to go on political
entanglement over the issue.”
According to him, “for the avoid-
ance of doubt, the currency crisis
(and indeed all other crises), as it
stands today, is a mess created by the
Terrorists massacre 41 Yankasai
group members in Katsina
FROM AGAJU MADUGBA,
KATSINA
THE Katsina State police command
on Friday confirmed the killing of 41
members of the outlawed Yankasai
group in Bakori Local Government
Area. A statement by the Police Public
Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isa, said:
“On Wednesday, January 1, 2023, at
about 2200hrs, terrorists in their num-
bers, shooting sporadically with AK
47 rifles, attacked the house of one Al-
haji Muntari, at Unguwar Audu Gare,
Kandarawa, Bakori LGA, and rustled
cows and 30 sheep. “Subsequently, on
Thursday January 2, at about 10:00hrs,
the Yansakai outlawed group, from 11
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February 4, 2023
use it to liberate yourselves. They
want to turn us to slaves. We are not
slaves. They locked up money. Trek to
your poling units, vote and stay with
your votes.
“I use God to beg you, this matter is
not fight, don’t fight them. Those who
locked up your money will eventually
unlock it. They are doing it to get you
angry, so that you can become vio-
lent. The rat that eats poison will kill
itself. They are not as wise as we are
.” He urged voters who have not col-
lected their Permanent Voter Cards (
PVCs) to do so immediately, adding
that “they want to hoard it and not give
you. Don’t allow them to do so.”
Speaking at the rally, the Governor
of the state, Mr Abiodun Oyebanji
said that the party needed little or no
campaign for Tinubu, adding that, the
people of the state would reward him
with their votes because of his good
deeds.
Similarly, the Senator represent-
ing Ekiti Central Senatorial District,
Opeyemi Bamidele, expressed confi-
dence that Ekiti electorate would vote
massively for Tinubu based on his un-
matched track records in governance.
APC and it will be imprudent of the
Kaduna State governor or anyone
else to associate the PDP or its presi-
dential candidate, Atiku Abubakar
with the crisis.
“It is curious why Governor el-
Rufai and other elements of his ilk in
the APC had to wait this long before
they found it contingent to speak in
disapproval of policies initiated by
their own political party. Perhaps, it
is because for them, self-interest in
an election season is more important
than public interest.
“As a matter of fact, the linger-
ing fuel scarcity and, indeed, the
currency crisis of which el-Rufai
so bitterly complained about did
not just start today. In major cities
across the country, Nigerians have
been contending with the problem of
fuel scarcity for almost two years in
some places like the Federal Capital
Territory, while el-Rufai and others
crying foul in the APC turned blind
eyes to the plight of Nigerians.”
villages of Bakori LGA, regrouped
and went after the terrorists with a view
to recovering the rustled domestic ani-
mals. They traced the footpath of the
hoodlums to a location at Yargoje for-
est.
“Unfortunately, the terrorists
planned and launched a coordinated
ambush on the Yansakai. The hood-
lums shot and killed 41 Yansakai and
wounded two others. “The Area com-
mander, Malumfashi, led a team of po-
licemen to the scene and recovered the
corpses and injured to Kankara Gen-
eral Hospital. A joint security opera-
tions is currently ongoing with a view
to bringing the perpetrators to book.”
world shops across Nigeria. The offer
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the statement added.
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The statement also advised Glo
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 LBA ANNOUNCES
JANUARY 2023 WINNERS

Sports
The influential League
Bloggers Award has announced
Bendel Insurance duo of Imade
Osarenkhoe and Monday Odigie
as winners of the Player and
Coach of the month awards for
January 2023, in the prestigious
Nigeria Premier Football League.
The LBA is the foremost
organisation recognizing
and celebrating outstanding
performers in the NPFL since
2009 and extended its reach to
the second tier Nigeria National
League and Women’s League, in
2017.
In a statement released by
its Brand Communications
department, Osarenkhoe and
Odigie emerged winners for their
impressive outings in the month
under review.

Page 31 February 4, 2023

2023 AFCON Qualifier: CAF approves MKO Abiola,
Godswill Akpabio stadiums for Super Eagles
Ahead of the 2023
African Cup of Nations
qualifiers, the African
football governing body
has released the list of the
approved stadiums for the
games, BSNSports.com.ng
has gathered.
Only two stadiums were
approved in Nigeria and
they are MKO Abiola
Stadium, in Abuja and
Goodswil Akpabio stadium
in Uyo.
Out of the 48 countries
that will compete, 24 do not
have approved stadiums
which means they will have
to play their home games
on neutral ground.
Egypt has the highest
number of approved
stadiums 6, followed by
AFCON U20:
Bosso names
Bamaiyi new
Flying Eagles
captain
Ladan Bosso has named
Daniel Bamaiyi as the new
captain of the Flying Eagles
according to BSNSports.
com.ng.
The Yum Yum FC
defender led the Flying
Eagles out in Friday’s pre-
AFCON U20 friendly
game against Zambia’s
Junior Chipolopolo at the
Main Bowl of the Moshood
Abiola Stadium.
Both teams used the
game to shape up ahead
of the AFCON U20
tournament in Egypt.
Bamaiyi will be assisted
by Dakkada FC midfielder,
Daniel Daga and Giant
Brillars FC goalkeeper,
Chijioke Aniagboso will
serve as first and second
assistants respectively.
Bamaiyi replace
Oluwatosin Adegbiti who
led the Flying Eagles to
glory at the U20 WAFU
B tournament in Niger
Republic.
Adegbiti has since been
ruled out of the AFCON
U20 tournament due to an
injury he sustained while
training with club Enyimba
International FC.
Joshua’s ring return confirmed for 1 April in London
•To face America’s
Jermaine Franklin
Heavyweight Anthony Joshua’s
comeback fight will take place on
1 April at the O2 Arena in London,
promoter Eddie Hearn has announced.
Joshua, 33, is likely to fight
American Jermaine Franklin, who
lost on points to Dillian Whyte last
November.
A news conference will be held next
week to officially announce the fight.
Milan derby, EPL, LaLiga
matches to air on GOtv
Inter Milan, a 19-time champion of the Italian Serie A
will face its city rivals, AC Milan, this Sunday, as it looks
to close the gap on league leaders, Napoli and keep its title
Algeria and Morocco who The qualifiers are slated remained on top of group hopes alive on matchday 21.
have 5 approved stadiums to resume in March 2023 B with maximum 6 points After 20 games, Inter Milan are second in the Italian
each. and Nigeria’s Super Eagles from two matches. league, 13 points behind league leaders, Napoli and two
points ahead of its city rival Milan. The game, which kicks
off at 8:35pm, will be live on SuperSport Select 1 (GOtv
channel 33). Simone Inzaghi’s men will aim to defeat
Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan in order to maintain second
place in the Italian Serie A.
Before the Milan Derby, Jose Mourinho’s Roma
will play host to 10th-placed on Empoli on Saturday, at
5:50pm, live on SuperSport Select 1 (GOtv channel 33),
while Sassuolo will host fourth placed Atalanta at 8:35pm,
live on SuperSport Select 1(GOtv channel 33).
Sunday’s Serie A fixtures promises more excitement
as Nigerian striker, Victor Oshimen, looks to continue his
stellar form by assisting Napoli in extending its Serie A
lead against Spezia, on SuperSport Football (GOtv channel
31), at 12:20p.m. Victor Oshimeh has been a key member
of Napoli’s impressive strike force, which has continued
to dominate the Italian league with only one defeat in the
2022/23 season. Also, on Sunday, Fiorentina will host
Bologna in the mid table battle, live on SuperSport Select
1 (GOtv channel 33).
After losing 15 points following the Italian FA sanction,
• Super Eagles Juventus will round up week 21 Serie A action when they
travel to Salernitana next Tuesday, aiming to steal a spot
Jalla faults decision SPORTSVILLE AWARDS: ‘We’re set to deliver
on Rivers United playing home games away World class awards’, says Ilaboya
By JOE APU one week from CAF to the “Tthere should be no All is set for the annual Senator Douye Diri and
Nigeria Football Federation sacred cow. It is a national Sportsville Recognition Babjide Sanwo-Olu.
Chairman, PFAN task requesting inspection of embarrassment for a club Awards billed to hold Edo state First Lady,
force Harrison Jalla has the Adokie Amiesimaka that has the facility to host this evening at the Lagos Mrs. Betsy Obaseki ,
condemned in strong terms Stadium. its home games to play Country Club, Ikeja, Lagos. the General Overseer
the decision forcing Rivers The ground he pointed outside its home ground Chief Executive Officer of MFM, Dr Daniel
United to play its CAF out has severally hosted because of the incompetence of Sportsville, Frank Olukoya, and former DG
Confederation Cup matches CAF championship matches and negligence of those Ilaboya, said yesterday that of the defunct National
away from their home in the past. “Unfortunately in charge.” Jalla further all arrangements have been Sports Commission
ground. nothing was done on the part noted that there are serious concluded for the event (NSC), Dr Patrick Ekeji .
He noted that it is a sad of the NFF within the time financial implications for slated to begin by 6pm. Others are the President
development the current frame given by CAF due clubs to play outside their According to Ilaboya, of Naija Ratel, Barrister
NPFL champions Rivers to gross negligence. Who home ground and a huge all the sports personalities Paul Edeh, President of
United would play their next are the officers in charge? minus not to get the usual billed to grace the occasion FIBA Africa Zone 3, Col
CAF Confederation Cup The NFF President Ibrahim massive home fans support. have confirmed they would Sam Ahmedu (retd) and
matches outside the Adokie Gusau must fish out those “In this case the Adokie be present at the event President of Remo Stars
Amiesimaka Stadium concerned and reprimand Amiesimaka Stadium is not which is put together to Kunle Soname.
despite the two letters within them accordingly. new to hosting International honour eminent Nigerians Also on the honours
matches. Rivers United is who have done well for list are the President of
Messi doubts playing 2026 World Cup at age 39 flying Nigeria’s Flag in CAF Nigerian sports. HS Group, Mr. Taye Ige,
Confederation Cup and it’s 14 eminent Nigerians the CEO of Owu Sports
Lionel Messi may be in Messi told newspaper the duty and responsibility of would be bestowed with the Manufacturing outfit, Tunji
doubt as to whether he’ll be Olé in an interview the NFF to support and give awards this year alongside Brown, Mrs. Tayo Popoola,
still playing for Argentina
published Thursday that all necessary cooperation two corporate bodies. Initiator of Lagos Women
at the 2026 World Cup but
he’d regularly said his age to Rivers United to win Top on the list of those Run, Emmanuel Etim and
he’s sure about one thing: would make it difficult to the CAF Cup for Nigeria. to be honored are the late Brown Ebewele who
he wants Lionel Scaloni to play another World Cup. Nigeria Football is in a new Governors of Bayelsa is getting a post humous
stay on as head coach until
“I love playing soccer, I order with all hands on and Lagos States, award.
then, regardless. love what I do and while I deck to progress from the
The 35-year-old Messi am feeling well and feel I disaster it was enmeshed Egbayelo, Ejidike, Ikpea, others celebrate
led Argentina to the title in am fit and continue to enjoy in from September 2014 to
Qatar last December and
wasn’t entirely sure if his
it, I will do it. But it seems September 2022 lapses like
this should be nipped in the
Musa Kida on 62nd birthday
to be too much until the
fifth trip to the World Cup next World Cup,” he told bud by the NFF President It has been ceaseless prayers Tokyo, Japan based
would be his last. and encomiums from prominent sportspreneur and owner of
the newspaper. Ibrahim Gusau. Somebody
The next edition will take “I have to see where my must be held accountable
members of the Nigerian sports Iganmu Tiger FC, Dr. Abayomi
place in Mexico, Canada, career goes, what I will do. for this injustice to Rivers
community for the President of
Nigeria Basketball Federation,
Egbayelo describes Musa Kida
as the quintessential sports
and the United States when
It depends on many things.” United,” Jalla emphasized. Ahmadu Musa Kida on the personality, with impeccable
Messi is 39. occasion of his 62nd birthday. character and genuine love for
Kida, who recently retired
as Managing Director of
Nigeria and the development of
sports in the country.
“It’s a really tough fight with loads Matchroom promoter Hearn TotalEnergies Plc, has variously “I’m happy to have met this
of pressure to come back because if AJ dismissed the suggestion 29-year-old been described as a detribalised great Nigerian. He is a genuinely
doesn’t win this fight, then we’ve got a Franklin was an easy opponent for Nigerian patriot, with a large concerned stakeholder in the
major problem,” said Hearn. Joshua. heart. He is equally praised fortunes of Nigerian sports,
for his honesty, integrity, particularly basketball, into
“I believe you’ll see a statement Franklin was unbeaten before losing selflessness and uncommon which he has continued to spend
from a guy who is very dangerous, to Whyte and was unhappy with the philanthropy. several millions of his personal
very motivated to become a three-time scoring of that fight, feeling he won the In his words, Nigeria’s Pillar funds to help develop.
heavyweight world champion.” contest.
Of Sports, Donatus Agu-Ejidike “On this occasion of his
Joshua has lost his last two fights, “There’s so much contradiction: thanked God for the life of Kida, birthday, I pray that God
both to unified heavyweight world ‘Anthony Joshua is finished, mentally while praying that God should continue to protect and bless him
champion Oleksandr Usyk. he’s shot, but he’ll knock out Jermaine bless him with good health, long more. I pray also that God grant
The Watford fighter is a two-time Franklin inside three rounds,” Hearn life, wisdom and prosperity for him good health and longer life,
heavyweight world champion and has told 5 Live Boxing in New York. the benefits of Nigerian sports to His glory,” Egbayelo prayed.
24 wins, as well as three defeats. and the society, in general.
 FEBRUARY 4, 2023 *VOL. 20 NO. 1050 Intimate Affairs TODAY’S MATCH FIXTURES
EPL
BY FUNKE EGBEMODE 1:30pm Everton vs Arsenal
4:00pm Aston Villa vs
WHAT TYPE P.8
Leicester City
4:00pm Brentford vs
Southampton
OF SON ARE 4:00pm Brighton vs
Bournemouth
YOU RAISING? 4:00pm Man Utd vs C’ Palace
4:00pm Wolves vs Liverpool
6:30pm Newcastle vs West
Ham
LA LIGA
2:00pm Espanyol vs Osasuna
4:15pm Elche vs Villarreal
6:30pm Atletico Madrid vs
Getafe
9:00pm Real Betis vs
Voice of The Nation Celta Vigo
SERIE A
3:00pm Cremonese vs Lecce
6:00pm Roma vs Empoli
8:45pm Sassuolo vs Atalanta
BUNDESLIGA
3:30pm Bochum vs Hof-
fenheim
3:30pm Dortmund vs Freiburg
3:30pm Frankfurt vs Hertha
Berlin
3:30pm Cologne vs Leipzig
3:30pm Union Berlin vs Mainz
6:30pm Mönchengladbach vs
Schalke 04
LIGUE 1
5:00pm PSG vs Toulouse
7:00pm Troyes vs Lyon
9:00pm Rennes vs Lille

mikeawoyinfa@gmail.com 08119464747 (SMS only)

WOMAN WHO TOOK A BIG RISK ON ME:

DR. DOYIN ABIOLA
IN my eventful, beautiful life as a newspaperman, I
thank the Almighty Father for using me and my friend
of blessed memory Pastor Dimgba Igwe to create two
great newspapers from zero to hero, from nothing to
something, from ideas to substance, to life. To God be
the glory!
Last week at the 20th anniversary of The Sun newspa-
per and The Sun Awards night, my name and that of my
late friend were mentioned in a brief documentary as
the founding Managing Director/Editor-in-chief of The
Sun with Dimgba Igwe as my Deputy M.D. and later the
Vice Chairman of the Board of the paper. Before The
Sun, there was Weekend Concord, a paper that fills me
with ecstasy and nostalgia, a paper that in 1989 blazed
a trail and changed the face of Nigerian journalism on
Saturdays with human angle stories that excited readers
and newspaper vendors alike. And as to be expected,
every other Nigerian newspaper started its own Satur-
day paper complete with an editor and a team. To God
be the glory!
The woman of substance whom God used to accom-
plish this newspaper revolution in Nigeria is Dr. Doyin-
sola Abiola, 80 on Wednesday, February 1, wife of the
great publisher Chief MKO Abiola, the man Nigerians
voted and elected as their President on June 12, 1993
but the forces of negativity annulled the election and put
our President in the gallows where he was poisoned to
death—some say with a cup of tea. May God forgive
them!
Every writer, every journalist remembers with great
delight that special moment, the defining moment when
your boss calls you to tell you the good news: that you
have been appointed editor. Thirty-two years ago, Dr.
Doyin Abiola, my Managing Director and Editor-in-
Chief at Concord newspapers called me into her office
to tell me about a brainwave she had while holidaying
abroad: to create a distinct Saturday-only newspaper
which would compete with the Sunday newspaper. I
was going to have a team and dream out the editorial
content and design of the newspaper. She wanted it
called Saturday Concord but I preferred Weekend Con-
cord which she accepted. Right there in her office, she
ordered: “Give me a dummy!” By that she meant a
model or a sketch of what the paper will look like. I
left and came back later with the dummy. And the rest
is history.
Today, I salute the courage of my boss. In those days,
some advisers who were fearful and resistant to change
advised her to start slowly, first as a pullout inside the
daily newspaper National Concord instead of a full-
blown Saturday newspaper. Another advice was that
Mike Awoyinfa was not mature enough to be made an
editor. But Dr. Abiola rejected their advice and obeyed
her gut instinct. Thank God for a woman of courage.
And when Weekend Concord succeeded and was creat-
ing waves, the naysayers came back to admit they were
wrong.
From the beginning to the end, Dr. Abiola support-
ed and protected her baby, the Weekend Concord like
a mother hen. When we went into excesses, she cau-
tioned us. Where we excelled, she praised us openly.
As the editor, you worked hard not to disappoint her,
having taken a big risk on you. Looking back, Weekend
Concord was definitely the best years of my newspaper
life. We were young, creative, adventurous and belli-
cose when it came to news. I remember the unapologet-
ically sensational headlines we crafted—most of which
came from the workshop of my brain. Take this story of
the Alaafin arrested with his entourage in London Gat-
wick Airport on March 24, 1998 on the allegation that
drugs valued at 1.5 million pounds were found in their
luggage. What did I do? I simply called for a picture
of the Alaafin laughing. Then coined a headline: NOT
ALAAFIN MATTER!
We did the unusual—which is the real meaning of
news. My comrades in arms were journalists and crafts-
men like Dele Momodu, Femi Adesina, Sam Omats-
eye, Omololu Kassim, Shola Oshunkeye, Eric Osagie,
the late Sunday Umahi, Aliu Mohammed, Ben Memu-
letiwon, Ose Oyamendan, Chika Abanobi, Yetunde
Francis, Olugbenga Opebi, Mrs. Titilayo Balogun, Lat
Ogunmade, Lanre Ajeboriogbon, Timothy Oyeola. We
were in seventh heaven until Abacha’s men came to
close us down and threw us out into joblessness. Maybe
I should start writing my memoirs.
In her memoirs captured in my best-selling book 50
Nigeria’s Corporate Strategists, Dr. Abiola says: “One
DR DOYIN ABIOLA
business and editorial success story in Concord is the
idea of Weekend Concord, Nigeria’s first Saturday pa- largest-selling newspaper in Nigeria. A managing direc-
per. I am proud to say we changed the face of news- tor must be willing to take risk. He or she must be will-
papers on Saturday. We started the Weekend Concord ing to break the norm. At times, I deviate completely
and it became the in-thing. Everybody cashed in on it. from the norm. When I wanted to start the Weekend
Before then, nobody was making money on Saturdays. Concord, Nigeria’s first Saturday paper, I recommended
The idea of a Saturday paper came to me while I was the then features editor of the National Concord, Mike
on holidays abroad. I was thinking about the fortunes Awoyinfa, to edit the paper. I had spotted some quali-
of Concord and I realised that Saturday was a day of ties in him as the person best suited to edit the newspa-
loss. The circulation figure was low, and advertisers per. So, I called the management and told them what I
were not placing adverts on Saturdays because they said wanted to do and they told me it couldn’t be done. But
people don’t read on Saturdays. I said something must I said: ‘Thank you very much.’ And I went with my
be wrong. So, while holidaying abroad, I looked at their plans. I called Awoyinfa and said: ‘Give me a dummy
Saturday newspapers and I saw they are different. The in two weeks’ time’ which he did. They didn’t like it but
packaging is different. It’s lighter. They feature things then Weekend Concord turned out to be a very success-
that affect people in the weekend, things like what’s on ful venture. And they were man enough to come back to
television, entertainment, where people can go to re- say I made the right choice. A managing director must
lax, books, reviews, travels and all that. The paper is be able to spot talents, must be able to know who is good
not heavy in its editorial contents. I began to feel this at what.”
could be adapted to the Nigerian situation. I began to To Dr. Doyin Abiola, I say thank you for yesterday
see a market for a leisurely, people-oriented Saturday and may your days and years be lengthened in good
newspaper in Nigeria. My feeling is that if you give health, sound mind, peace and the joy of the Lord as
the readers what they need, then they would buy your in Proverbs 3:2. May your legacies and the people you
paper. But if you publish what they don’t need, then have trained and mentored continue to speak for you,
they wouldn’t buy your paper. I am still proud of what our mother hen for good journalism, for breathtaking
we have succeeded in doing on Saturdays. Since we scoops that bring in money and joy to our readers. Hap-
started Weekend Concord in 1989, it has remained the py 80th birthday Ma!

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