Men at some times are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings…  -Cassius to Brutus in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

I dare to say that it is not the absence of laws that has denied Nigeria free and fair elections. We have a surfeit of laws that should have guaranteed that we always have credible elections. In other words, the fault is not in the absence of laws – or the inadequacy of laws – it is in us the people that implement the laws. The fault, dear compatriots, is not in our laws but in ourselves that we have been unable to organise free and fair elections!

What have we not tried? Card readers gulped billions of Naira, but it failed us, and we discarded them. Perhaps, it is better to say we were the ones that failed card-readers! What works fantastically well in other places fails woefully here. The fault is not in the system or technology – it is us, its users and manipulators. Billions of Naira went down the drains with the card readers.

We shifted to BVAS. Billions of Naira again went into its procurement. We were told, just as we had been told with card-readers – that BVAS was the magic wand that would give us credible elections. Again, BVAS failed us! Or, better still, we failed BVAS – just like we failed its elder brother called card-readers. Billions of Naira again went down the drains.

Lest I forget, there was iRev! Did it work here?

Now we are being told that electronically-transmitted election results are the panacea to election irregularities in this country. Once elections are electronically-transmitted, Eureka! This is another lie from the pit of hell!

Will election results electronically transmit themselves or it is human beings that will still transmit the results? Will electronic gadgets operate by themselves or will people still operate them? Are we going to manufacture or mint new and fresh people to man the gadgets or the same Nigerians that you and I know too well are those that will still man and operate the gadgets? Are we, like the Dangote refinery, going to India to import people who will man the electronic gadgets and manage our elections for us?

We are adept at telling ourselves lies, like the proverbial ostrich that hides only its head in the sand while its rump remains exposed. We run away from our problems and chase shadows. No amount of gadgets will give us free and fair elections. We will only end up wasting billions of Naira again. Every election cycle, some people smile their way to the bank while Nigerians eager to have free and fair elections gnash their teeth and bemoan their circumstance.

No gadgets will deliver credible elections to Nigerians. Only Nigerians can deliver credible elections unto themselves. Unfortunately, Nigerians, as I perceive them today, are not wired to deliver credible elections to themselves.

The protests and placard-carrying by those yelling for electronically-transmitted election results are mere roadshows and election campaign gambits. It is just another charade of those who leave the substance to chase shadows. If and after the 2027 elections are transmitted electronically and nothing has changed, you will say I said so!

Is it not Nigeria? This same Nigeria that we all know like the back of our hands? The integrity of elections – or the absence of it – is directly proportional to the integrity or absence of it in many stakeholders involved in the electoral process.

Electoral laws, important as they are, are not the only factors responsible for, or contributing to the success of elections. Equally important – in fact, more important – are the roles played and the actions taken by politicians, the voters themselves, the election umpire, the security agencies, and, wait for it, the judges who adjudicate in election disputes.

For instance, can electronically-transmitted election results prevent judges from entering the same kind of judgment they delivered in Kogi state (involving Yahaya Bello) or in Imo state (involving Hope Uzodinma)?

Like a woman lacking in good character who bemoans what she describes as her ill-luck in choosing a good husband, Nigerians, having lost all morals, complain about the inadequacy of laws! Yet, the best election ever conducted in this country was the simplest – and, possibly, the cheapest!

The problems bedevilling credible elections here precede the actual casting, counting, recording of votes and announcement of election results.

The Option A4 that produced the June 12, 1993 presidential election between MKO Abiola and Bashir Tofa was conducted with voters simply queuing in front of the poster of their preferred candidate. And Nigerians as well as the international community agreed that the election was not only free and fair – and the freest and fairest ever in Nigeria – but also credible by all international standards.

No card readers. No BVAS. No iRev. No electronically-transmitted results. The simplicity of that election must have saved the country billions of Naira. That election ought to have taught us useful lessons.

Nigerians generally were tired of ruinous military rule and desperately wanted an escape route out of it. A return to democracy, civil or civilian rule was seen as the most viable option. But 26/27 years down the road, have the civilians creditably discharged themselves? If a referendum or opinion poll is conducted today, will you be surprised if a large number of Nigerians are despondent about civilian rule?

MKO Abiola had a message, which resonated with the people. Farewell to poverty! And his roadmap to achieving it at the earliest possible time – he gave himself six months in the first instance – appeared credible to the people. Since 1999, what can anyone point at as the message of our successive leaders that has fired the imagination and stoked the nationalistic fervour of the people?

Abiola’s larger-than-life personality was also something else. He nearly won a pan-Nigeria mandate; only in the south-east did he badly trail his opponent. Governmental failure since 1999 has led to political apathy, such that a preponderance of Nigerians do not care whether there are elections or not – not to talk of them being free and fair! With the weaponization of poverty, many of those who still go out to vote do so to collect the peanuts that politicians dole out to buy votes.

Now, will electronically-transmitted results stop vote-selling and vote-buying? Will electronically-transmitted results ensure internal democracy in the political parties? Will electronically-transmitted results put an end to the godfather/godson syndrome, the like of which has made Rivers state ungovernable in the past few years?

Before anyone will say that I am against electronically-transmitted election results, let me say categorically that I am not! What I am only saying is that, that, in itself, will not deliver credible or guarantee free and fair elections.

The problems bedevilling credible elections here precede the actual casting, counting, recording of votes and announcement of election results. Most, if not all, of the political parties lack internal democracy. So, godfathers, instead of party members, decide who stands for election.

From that very foundation, free choice is impaired. The best candidates are seldom presented to the electorate. Whatever choice made afterwards by the voters is, therefore, stunted right from the word “go.” And whether or not we electronically-transmit results, voters do not have the last say on election matters. The courts and judges do!

In a 1787 letter, Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States of America, was quoted as saying: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” While we can interpret that statement to mean a strong advocacy for freedom of speech – and it sure is – I can also recoin it thus: Were I to choose between an electoral process full of morals without laws and that full of laws without morals, I will not hesitate a moment to choose the former.

On a trip to Germany in 1994 at the invitation of the German government, my guide, a university professor, told me the percentage of Germans who would willingly do the right thing without anyone compelling them was between 85 and 87 per cent. Yet, she said they were still trying to do some catching up with the Scandinavian countries where the same percentage hovered around 97 per cent. Whaaoh! She waited for me to catch my breath before adding that the vagrant 3 per cent was usually accounted for largely by immigrants! Racism? Not quite! Reality that we are well familiar with!

Elections run seamlessly in some countries. Not the bloody battles that we witness here.  And at a fraction of the humongous costs we incur here. But what should anyone expect?

Terrorism and banditry, kidnapping and ransom-taking, criminal activities and politics are the most lucrative businesses around here these days. There is no consequence for bad behaviour.

Everyone wants quick and easy money. The prayers that receive the loudest “Amen” or “Amin” in places of worship are those that decree little work but big rewards!

Be those in power or the ones angling to replace them, what kind of examples are we giving the younger generations with the kind of leaders we parade?

Clean elections cannot but be a rarity in climes such as ours whether or not we electronically transmit more than election results!

Interestingly, it is, ultimately, a lose-lose situation for both the beneficiaries of fraudulent elections and its victims!

*Bolawole (turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533), former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of the Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the “ON THE LORD’S DAY” column in the Sunday Tribune and “TREASURES” column in the New Telegraph newspapers. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

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When you have a bachelors degree in English and Drama tucked in your belt, and follow up with higher degrees in Communication Studies up to doctoral level, you are poised to conquer the world of journalism. And that was what she did.

Dr Doyin Abiola (née Aboaba) took Nigerian journalism by storm. From Daily Sketch, to Daily Times, and then Concord Press, she was a lady of many firsts. First female to edit a national daily (National Concord), first woman to be Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of a newspaper conglomerate (Concord Press), and many other landmark achievements.

I was both privileged and fortunate to have passed through the tutelage of Dr Doyin Abiola, and became one of her editors at the Concord Press.

From Staff Writer at Vanguard Newspaper, I joined Concord in 1991 as a Senior Staff Writer, recruited by the great and inimitable Mike Awoyinfa, who was editor of the soar away Weekend Concord.

That very first year, I won the award of Best Editorial Staff at Weekend Concord, nominated by Awoyinfa. And that was my first opportunity to meet Doyin (as we called her behind her back) in her office. She congratulated me for winning the award, and put the icing on the cake by saying, “I read your stories. You are very literary.”

It takes a person of literature to recognize another one. And Doyin was one of the best we had. A couple of years later, I did one column on Ibrahim Babangida, where I said what he gave to his friend, MKO Abiola (Concord Publisher and Doyin’s husband)  was “the unkindest cut of all.” I added that Babangida smiled a lot, but “there’s dagger in men’s smile. The near in blood, the nearer bloody.” Those were William Shakespeare’s words, and Dr Abiola was quite impressed.

“I love your literary allusions,” she said when she met me a couple of days after the article appeared.

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Woman of iron and steel. That was Dr Abiola for you. She didn’t suffer fools gladly. If you were sloppy (a favorite word of hers) or unprofessional in any way, you got the sharp part of her tongue, or you may end up being screamed at.

The day I was appointed deputy editor of National Concord, I was presented to her in the office. She congratulated me, and said we would be working closer now. Of course, I had made it a point of duty to avoid her as much as I could as a much junior person. She told me:

“I bark a lot, but I don’t bite. If you do your work well, we will be best of friends, but if you are sloppy (that word again), we will fight. I’ll scream and shout at you.”

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Fortunately for me, that never happened. Not once.

I worked as deputy editor to Dele Alake, and later Tunji Bello, when the former went into government first as Special Adviser to Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State, and later Commissioner for Information and Strategy. Eventually, I was named editor of National Concord.

Concord Press had become quite troubled by then due to the privations of the Publisher in the hands of the military. Chief MKO Abiola was held in solitary confinement for upwards of five years, simply because he claimed the mandate Nigerians freely gave him as President in June 1993, but voided by the military.

We were all waiting for Chief Abiola to come out of detention, so that the newspaper could be reflated. But it didn’t happen. He died. We kept Concord Press alive for a couple of more years, but “a cold coming we had of it.”  (T.S Eliot, Journey of the Magi). The paper also died.

While a lot of people had left when the newspaper was gasping for breath and couldn’t pay salaries, I stayed, though I also could have gone to ply my trade elsewhere. That meant I saw Dr Abiola daily. I was abreast with all her efforts to resuscitate the newspaper, in honour and memory of her husband. It didn’t work.

Eventually, a senior friend and editor-in-chief of the  Nigerian Tribune titles, Sir Folu Olamiti, invited me to join the editorial board of the newspaper on visiting basis. That meant I had to leave Concord Press, where I had spent 11 years.

The day I approached Dr Abiola to tell her about the offer from Nigerian Tribune, we were both crestfallen, sad that things got to that sorry turn.

Dr Doyin Abiola showed me friendship, which lasted for life. Eternal rest grant her oh Lord.

“Your life has to continue. Your career has to continue. Me, I’m a wife, I can’t go anywhere,” she said. “You have my blessings. But who knows, our paths may still cross in future.”

She added in Yoruba: “Omo atijo ni e (meaning you are a child of yesteryear). So very well brought up, so loyal. I watched how you related with the two editors you were deputy to. So loyal to them. I noticed that you never came to me to backbite or run them down in any way. You will go far in life.”

How prescient! From Tribune, I became the pioneer editor of Daily Sun, and rose to Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief of the company. From there, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed me as his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, a position I held for eight years.

All through, I was in regular touch with Dr Abiola. She had valuable pieces of advice for me whenever things got rough, and also words of commendation when we did things right.

When she turned 80 on February 1, 2023, she had personally told me a few days before. She got presidential greetings.

A doting mother, she lived with her daughter, Doyin Abiola-Tobun, in her final years. Many times when we spoke on phone, I heard her remonstrating lovingly with her grandchildren in the background. I was glad she was happy in her twilight days.

When I heard of her passing from my ‘Oga for life’ Mike Awoyinfa in the wee hours of August 6, it was a huge shock to me, though she was 82. She had seemed indestructible.

Dr Doyin Abiola showed me friendship, which lasted for life. Eternal rest grant her oh Lord.

*Adesina was editor of National Concord under Dr Abiola, and adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, 2015-2023.

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Khalifat took the lead in the 12th minute through Henry Ezeonye from a spot kick when he was fouled by the goalkeeper, Sahbiru Abiola.

Ibrahim Abubakar equalised the game for Remo Stars after the break on the 68th minute with a header to give the visitors a lifeline.

Remo Stars turned the game on Khalifat head on in the 78th minute as Nicholas Samson made it 2-1 for the league defending champions, from a goal mouth scramble.

Remo Assistant Coach, Sulaiman Kamil, said it would be hard for his team to lose a match on a good pitch because the team built the ball from the back.

“We always stick to our game plan for each match and are all out to win each match, be it against Enyimba or any other team.

“Remo Stars FC has a good structure and that is what has been sustaining us every season and we are determined to keep wining matches,” Kamil said.

Kun Khalifat coach, Obinna Ozoho, said the day was not favourable to his team and believed they had a lot to do and learn in the course of the league.

“First of all, we are going home to work on our cohesion, which was the major set back we have in the match against Remo Stars.

“I believe we can still come good in the league because it is a marathon and every team cannot play like Remo Stars,” he said.

The result pushed Remo Stars to fourth position with four points and down Kun Khalifat to 14th with a point after two matches.

Source: NAN

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Veteran journalist, Mr. Yakubu Mohammed, has said that an unexplainable friction between late Chief MKO Abiola, the publisher of the defunct National Concord, and late Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu and himself led to founding of Nigeria’s first weekly news magazine, Newswatch.

Mohammed, who together with Giwa, Ekpu and Dan Agbese founded Newswatch in 1984, said made this known in his memoir, “Beyond Expectations.”

He was the Editor of National Concord while Giwa was the Editor of Sunday Concord.

Ekpu was a member of the Editorial Board of the newspaper while Agbese was the Editor of the New Nigerian Newspaper.

According to Mohammed, Giwa’s famed iconoclastic journalism inevitably became a source of friction in his apparently cosy relationship with Abiola.

He wrote: “But was that the only source of friction? It was difficult for me to pinpoint what it was.

“All I can recall now was that there was a cold relationship.”

He recounted how the trio formed a team whose visibility and professional contribution was a positive development for National Concord.

“Out of office, we sometimes moved together and attended social events together.

“We became poster boys for the improved public image of Concord.

“That was when the famous Candido column of the New Nigerian referred to the trio of Dele, Ray and Yakubu as Benzy journalists wearing Gucci shoes,” he said.

Mohammed also said that an in-house fashion competition created by a staff writer, late May Ellen Ezekiel, MEE, also exacerbated the frosty relationship between Giwa and Abiola.

“While learning the ropes at Concord, she (MEE) introduced an occasional competition for best dressed men.

“It was open to the readers who usually voted for men who showed class and displayed sartorial taste.

“One of the installments grouped MKO and Dele together and Dele was rated higher than MKO.

“What the editor and his staff did was in bad taste. It was like committing incest.

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“Why would you feature anybody connected with the newspaper in a contest it was organising? And of all persons, the editor and his publisher.

“This bad judgment did not sound funny to MKO who literally stormed my office to say that Dele’s cup was full,” Mohammed said.

He said that the three of them were later queried by Abiola for an exclusive interview they had with Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the then military Head of State, in January 1984.

According to him, rather than a commendation from Abiola for the scoop, the three editors got “cold shoulders.”

“Unknown to us, the new military regime had fenced him off and the duo of Buhari and Idiagbon were not relating with him.

“When we returned from the interview and told the publisher of the warm reception General Buhari gave us, he was rather glum,” he said.

Mohammed said that Abiola was later pushed by some vested interests to issue the trio a query, preceded by an anonymous letter describing them as “stranger elements.”

He said that the unending friction motivated them to start seeking investors for a weekly news magazine to be fashioned after Time and Newsweek magazines.

He listed some of the early investors in the Newswatch project to include businessman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bilyaminu Yusuf, late Chief Alex Akinyele, Nuhu Aruwa, Ime Umanah, Abdulaziz Ude and Mike Adenuga among others.

Source: NAN

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She was 82 years old.

In a statement signed by its president, Mr. Eze Anaba, and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, NGE described Doyin Abiola’s legacy as a testament to her pioneering spirit, breaking down gender barriers and mentoring generations of journalists who had gone on to become great professionals.

It posited that her remarkable career trajectory, from reporter to the pinnacle of journalism, set records as the first woman to edit a national newspaper and the first woman to hold the position of Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of a newspaper in Nigeria.

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Dr. Abiola’s leadership, dedication to excellence, and commitment to press freedom, gender equity, and national development had left an indelible mark on the profession, the NGE said.

The NGE stated further: “We remember her courage and resilience during the military era, withstanding harassment and threats during her tenure at Concord Newspapers.

“As we pray for her soul’s repose, we celebrate her achievements, which serve as a reminder that a person’s legacy is defined by the positive impact they leave behind.

“Dr. Abiola’s life and work inspire us to strive for excellence, driven by passion and commitment, regardless of gender or circumstance.”

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It is said that some are born great and others have greatness thrust upon them. Dr. Doyin Abiola, who joined the Saints yesterday, showed up on both counts.

She was the scion of the illustrious Aboaba family, reputed for its elitist pedigree and nobility built on professionalism and class.

That heritage ensured that she climbed to the pinnacle of scholarship. Starting with Bachelor in English and Drama of Nigeria’s premier University of Ibadan, she followed with a Masters and later crowned it with Doctor of Philosophy at the New York University, United States.

A seminal reflection of this interesting  foray into knowledge indicated a zig-zag, trapeze dance between theory and practice, private and public media practice. For instance, she started her journalism practice at Daily Sketch, a regional newspaper of the defunct Western State Government in 1969.

After her Masters, she worked at Daily Times, a national medium owned by the Federal Government and following the completion of her doctorate, she moved from Daily Times to Concord Press of Nigeria to birth a newspaper with a distinct and different  approach to mainstream news and tabloid journalism.

Dr. Doyin Abiola, gentle and genial, soft yet solid, inhaled and exhaled journalism. Breaking the news day after day, splashing shockers on the front pages and making sure that readers got the news of Concord hot very early at the newstands, were the goals that drove her to deliver the best copies to the market.

She was, indeed, a newsman, ( as there are no women in journalism), trained for the job with an incredible passion for investigation and staying power for following up till the end of each episode.

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Dr. Abiola’s managerial expertise was unparalleled. Complementing her husband, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, the publisher, Dr. Abiola supervised several innovative projects to position Concord Press as the primus inter pares in the media industry. For instance, Concord was the first to archive newspapers by converting from print to microfilm.

As you prepare to meet your Maker,  Auntie D, the world is aware that you left a void that will be difficult to fill.

She showed her motherly disposition in the provision of conducive working conditions and personal interest in staff welfare and professional development.

Only a professional and manager of exceptional capacity and courage could have translated the publisher’s vision of independent journalism into daily publication of news and respected leaders. Only a woman of quintessential professional standards and stoic sacrifice could have survived the regular onslaught of military invasion of Concord’s newsroom, incessant closures  and incarceration of staff, and ultimately, the detention and death of the publisher.

It is a testament of her doggedness that she brought her resourcefulness and stature to count on the side of the Nigerian people when it mattered most, unbowed by the wicked incarceration of her husband and winner of the June 12, 1993 election.

Dr. Doyin Abiola’s transition signals the gradual exit of the beautiful ones who brought sparkle to the lives of many readers by publishing delightful stories of hope and perseverance.

Dr. Abiola’s transition is a personal loss to me and my family. She was the auntie who held my hand and led me up the corporate steps of Africa’s foremost media establishment. She was the sister who polished the edges of a character in flight to stardom and higher responsibilities. She was the boss who believed in me and contributed to what I have become today. She was the leader who spotted bright minds and nurtured to fruition talents that could have been spent half way. She was the mother who counselled and encouraged us to stand by the values of integrity and enterprise.

As you prepare to meet your Maker,  Auntie D, the world is aware that you left a void that will be difficult to fill.

Adieu, Auntie, and rest peacefully in the bossom of the Lord.

*Alake, former Concord Editorial Board member, former Editor, Sunday Concord; former Editor, National Concord is the Minister of Solid Minerals Development.

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Doyin Abiola died at the age of 82.

In a statement he personally signed, Tinubu described her as a trailblazing journalist, editor, and former Managing Director of the defunct Concord Group of newspapers.

The president said she was an embodiment of integrity, tenacity, hard work, commitment to excellence and dedication to public good and democratic good governance.

Tinubu said he commiserated with the Abiola and Aboaba families, her only daughter, Doyinsola, and the government and people of Lagos and Ogun states.

He prayed for the repose of her soul, adding that “May this nation be blessed with more women of Doyin Abiola’s calibre and pedigree.”

The president’s statement reads in full:

“I received with deep sadness the news early on Wednesday of the passing of Dr. Doyinsola Hamidat Abiola, a trailblazing journalist, editor, and former Managing Director of the defunct Concord Group of newspapers and wife of the late Bashorun MKO Abiola.

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“Doyin Abiola, 82, was an Amazon and an icon in Nigerian journalism. She stayed in the journalism course since starting as a reporter with the defunct Daily Sketch after graduating from the University of Ibadan in 1969, majoring in English and Drama.

“She broke the gender barrier, becoming the first woman to edit a national newspaper and the first Managing Director of a daily newspaper.

“Her immense contributions to journalism and gender equity laid a foundation for generations of women. Her impact on our democracy was even more profound.

“Doyin embodied integrity, tenacity, hard work, commitment to excellence and dedication to public good and democratic good governance.

“In 1980, she emerged as the pioneer Editor of National Concord, owned by the late MKO Abiola. She later became the managing director and editor-in-chief of all the Concord titles, including founding the Weekend Concord, which set new standards for making people the focus of reporting.

“I had a good relationship with the late Doyin, which stemmed from my close relationship with the late MKO Abiola.

“As MKO’s wife, Doyin became acquainted with politics and took a keen interest in it, particularly when her husband ran for the country’s presidency in 1993.

“She played a prominent role in MKO’s election, mobilising and providing direction for the media under her control.

“And when the June 12 election, won by her husband, was annulled, she did not stand aside. Despite the military junta shutting down the Concord Group, she also joined the fray, demanding the validation of the election. She was a soldier of democracy in her own right.

“Nigerians will never forget Doyin Abiola’s leadership during her illustrious journalism career, her championing women’s empowerment, and her commitment to democracy.

“I commiserate with the Abiola and Aboaba families, her only daughter, Doyinsola, and the government and people of Lagos and Ogun States.

“May her soul rest in peace. May this nation be blessed with more women of Doyin Abiola’s calibre and pedigree.”

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Although I was one of the leaders of that movement within the military, my contribution was by no means bigger than theirs. While I have been recognised and celebrated, including this National Honour by the President, they have remained anonymous.

It is therefore incumbent upon me to reveal the identity of these patriots if only to acknowledge and commend their contributions to the emergence of the current democratic dispensation. The fact that Chief Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12th election won over 80% of the Armed Forces votes, clearly demonstrated the contribution of the other members of the military. I should add that this list is by no means exhaustive. There are a lot more participants who have remained unknown to me since they served under others. I apologise to all those whose names I must have missed. May God recognise and reward your sacrifice.

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Top on my list is my deputy at the Armoured Corps Centre and School, Col MA Garba, whose commitment was so strong that he continued with the execution of our plans after some of us were arrested, detained and mercifully retired in October, 1993. He went on, as he should, to attain the enviable rank of a Major General in the army. Others are:

-Lt col Lawal Jaafaru Isa.

-Lt col UF Ahmed.

-Lt col MS Dasuki.

-Lt col ML Gwadabe.

-Lt col J. Temlong.

-Lt col Musa Shehu.

-Lt col Chris Eze.

-Lt col HM Dzarma.

-Lt col Isa Jibrin.

-Lt col JOS Oshanupin.

-Lt Col A Oloruntoba (kabiesi Olugbede of Gbede kingdom).

-Lt col Moke.

-Lt col Happy Bulus.

-Lt col Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

-Col J Okai.

-Col E. Ndubueze.

-Lt Col Yakubu Muazu.

-Lt col Yahaya Abubakar (current Etsu Nupe).

-Major Saad Abubakar (current Sultan of Sokoto).

-Maj Abba Maimalari.

-Maj Jamil Tahir.

-Maj Buzugbe.

-Maj LP Aprezi.

-Maj MK Yake.

-Maj J Dawah.

-Maj Suleiman Wali.

-Maj Dauda Komo.

-Maj Lucky Torrie.

-Maj JS Zaruwa.

-Maj M Sumaye.

-Maj Sani Bawa.

-Maj Ndaliman.

-Maj Ahmed.

-Maj M Bawa.

-Lt col JB Ahmadu.

-Capt Junaid Bindawa.

-Capt Lar.

Mr President must lead in a war against sycophancy in all its forms. This must allow for no exceptions including the rapidly growing trend of naming and renaming public institutions, facilities and other infrastructure after a President or State Governor while in office.

I therefore accept this award with all sense of humility on behalf of all these officers and men. Obviously, it goes without saying that this award will be doubly more meaningful if the democracy we all fought for delivers the real dividends. This can happen only if leaders at all levels govern with the fear of God and in accordance with the tenets of democracy. It remains the hope and prayers of all patriots that nothing is done to derail this infant democracy.

To achieve the stability and progress of our democracy, leaders must prioritise good governance over politicking for self-aggrandizement. The three co-equal branches of government must operate independently while cooperating with each other.

One enduring lesson from the conduct of the officers and men is their decision to operate above sycophancy but to hold their superior officers to account. Sadly, this does not appear to have a positive impact on our political leaders. Sycophancy everywhere has become the scourge of selfless and accountable leadership. It is the reason for the arrogance and vanity we see in our leaders at all levels. Men of straw are widely and falsely being elevated to the position of icons by self-seeking sycophants. Mr President must lead in a war against sycophancy in all its forms. This must allow for no exceptions including the rapidly growing trend of naming and renaming public institutions, facilities and other infrastructure after a President or State Governor while in office. The other day, the Senate President was reported to have predicted that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 election with 99.9% of the votes! Even allowing for the fact that this Senate President is widely known for his humorous incitement, Mr President will do well to shun such oracles.

God bless Nigeria.

*Umar is a retired Colonel

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I read, with consternation, your pathetic attempt to defend your dad, “Mr. Fix-It” (sorry, Chief Tony Anenih), in your rather insolent rejoinder to Mr. Bayo Onanuga’s passing reference to the original author of “No Vacancy in Aso Rock”.

A truly sensible boy would have avoided getting involved in such sensitive issue, lest ancient family skeletons were excavated from shallow grave.

Not surprising, a firestorm of ripostes has since greeted your juvenile musings in the media space.

However, I observed a few points were missing in those epistles. Hence, this addendum of sorts.

Ose, it is obvious your dad told you lots of “tales by the moonlight”, to gaslight your impressionable mind. Far from principled, your dad’s politics was characterised by treachery and mercantilism. Your dad not only betrayed MKO and Nigerian nation as SDP chairman in 1993, but also Shehu Musa Yar’Adua who had made him SDP chair at the Jos convention in March 1993.

At the 1994 national confab sponsored by the military to “bury June 12”, General Shehu Yar’Adua (Rtd) had moved the motion for Abacha to end military rule latest by January 1996, with your dad as one of the foot-soldiers at the confab.

Of course, that resolution by the confab headed by Justice Adophus Karibi-Whyte riled dictator Abacha. Hence, the intrigues that necessitated the confab to adjourn indefinitely, almost immediately.

Not long afterward, Yar’Adua was detained over the 1995 “phantom coup”. And no sooner had the confab recovened thereafter than your dad switched loyalty to Abacha after accepting a dirty brief to move a motion to counter the motion earlier moved by Yar’Adua. Just like Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago!

So, Ose, how dare you now mention Ikimi’s name and your dad’s in the same breadth?!

That was the sort of politician your dad was, Ose.

As almighty Minister of Works under Obasanjo between 1999 and 2003, your dad was a total failure, who spent his time and public resources rather acquitting himself as PDP’s “Mr. Fix It” (euphemism for chief election rigger).

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So much that some fellow PDP members were enraged by your dad’s style. One of them was, in fact, bold enough to openly challenge your dad to account for over N300 billion (equivalent of $3bn then) appropriated for Works ministry in the federal budget. That individual was no other than the then Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu.

Ose, you can goggle this. In case you doubt me.

By the way, I also noticed your listing (Tom) Ikimi among the June 12 witnesses. On this, I am sure your dad must have turned in his grave. For your information, “Mr. Fix It” and Ikimi were implacable political foes, till the very end. Under Abacha, Ikimi, as Foreign Minister and exponent of “Kabukabu diplomacy”, used his proximity to Abacha to oppress and suppress your dad. Such that the Iyasele of Esanland had to depend on returns from his 2-star, “short time” hotel in Uromi to survive. In fact, he was reduced to a mere cheer leader under Don Etiebet’s party, CPC, between 1997 and 1998.

And when he returned to “business” under Obasanjo post-1999 as “Mr. Fix It”, your dad characteristically exacted a pound of flesh by ensuring the garrulous apostle of “Kabukabu diplomacy” was in Siberia in Edo politics and national PDP.

So, Ose, how dare you now mention Ikimi’s name and your dad’s in the same breadth?!

Lastly, I noticed your roll-call of “witnesses” are mostly PDP members. Hmm. But aren’t you ashamed these same PDP folks whom your dad “empowered” in Edo in his time were not even charitable enough to gift you PDP ticket when you contested the PDP primaries in Edo in 2022?

Hmmm. Pikin wey no get sense!!!

The post Ose Anenih: The folly of an insolent son, By John Igbinovia appeared first on Frontpageng.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Lamido’s claim was a distortion of history, adding that it was a “regrettable attempt at revisionism.”

The Presidency denied the claim by the former governor that Tinubu’s mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mobilised market women to back the annulment.

“These allegations are patently false,” the statement reads in part.

The Presidency said rather, Lamido, as secretary of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, — the party whose candidate, MKO Abiola, won the June 12 election—was among those who failed to oppose the military’s injustice.

“The SDP leadership, including Lamido and chairman Tony Anenih, wrote their names in the book of infamy by surrendering the people’s mandate without resistance. To their eternal shame, Lamido and Anenih teamed up with the defeated National Republican Convention to deny Abiola his mandate,” the Presidency asserted.

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The statement titled “Setting The Record Straight: President Tinubu’s Role In The June 12 Struggle” reads in full:

“The attention of the Presidency has been drawn to recent comments made by Alhaji Sule Lamido, former Governor of Jigawa State, on live television, in which he falsely accused President Bola Tinubu of supporting the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

“Alhaji Lamido’s claims represent a distortion of history and a regrettable attempt at revisionism. He alleged that President Tinubu only rose to prominence after the formation of NADECO and claimed that Tinubu’s mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mobilised market women to back the annulment. These allegations are patently false.

“Let us set the record straight: Alhaja Mogaji never mobilised market women to support the unjust annulment. Had she done so, she would have lost her position as market leader in Lagos. While she once had a personal relationship with then-President Babangida, this was before the annulment crisis.

“It is important to remind Nigerians that Alhaji Lamido, as secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)—the party whose candidate, MKO Abiola, won the June 12 election—was among those who failed to oppose the military’s injustice. The SDP leadership, including Lamido and chairman Tony Anenih, wrote their names in the book of infamy by surrendering the people’s mandate without resistance. To their eternal shame, Lamido and Anenih teamed up with the defeated National Republican Convention to deny Abiola his mandate.

“In sharp contrast, Senator Bola Tinubu stood firm even before General Abacha dissolved the political parties and all democratic institutions, including the National Assembly, on November 17, 1993, following his coup.

“Days after General Babangida addressed the Senate and announced his decision to step aside on August 27, 1993, the setting up of an interim government to replace him, Senators debated the speech. On the Senate floor on August 19, 1993, Tinubu unequivocally condemned the annulment, describing it as another coup d’état and urging Nigerians to reject injustice and lawlessness.

“The records captured his contribution, showing that he supported upholding the June 12 election, not against it, as Lamido claimed.

“”We have a situation that suggests that the abortion of the June 12 election is another coup d’etat,” Senator Tinubu said. “My question is, when are we going to stop tolerating injustices, coup d’etat and abuse by the people on whom we invested so much resources—the public funds of this country?… Yes, it is true that we have a crisis, but for every action, there must be a reaction. This is a self-inflicted crisis because, without the abortion or annulment of the June 12 election, there would be no crisis like this. We have a government that made the law and abused its law. Therefore, the present military administration, by virtue of abrogation and violation of its own decree, has committed a crime,” the Senator from Lagos West told his colleagues.

“The election winner, Abiola, was out of the country when the legislators debated Babangida’s offer to step aside for an interim government. He returned in September 1993. And who followed him to the Abacha military group, then openly planning a coup against the Ernest Shonekan-led ING? It was Tinubu. Photographs exist today, showing Tinubu behind Abiola and Abacha.

“Abacha took over on November 17, 1993, and dissolved all democratic institutions, including governors, the National Assembly, and the state legislature. Tinubu and a group of senators reconvened in Lagos, defying the junta. Tinubu, Ameh Ebute, Abu Ibrahim, and others were arrested and kept at Alagbon. The police took them to court and fabricated a case against them. While in police detention, Tinubu continued to fund pro-June 12 protests in Lagos, including the blockade of the Third Mainland Bridge.

“Weeks after Abacha supplanted the ING, it quickly became clear to Abiola and Tinubu that Abacha would not be a soldier of democracy as he reneged on allowing Abiola to reclaim his mandate.

“Enter the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). It was born on May 15, 1994. Comprising a broad coalition of Nigerian democrats, it called on the military government of Sani Abacha to step down in favour of the winner of the June 12, 1993, election, MKO Abiola. On the first anniversary of his election, Abiola made a declaration at Epetedo in Lagos, announcing himself as the duly elected president. Ten days after, on June 22, he was arrested, following which many pro-democracy activists also escaped from Nigeria, including Bola Tinubu. Tinubu lived in exile for nearly five years while Lamido and his ilk made deals with Abacha. While Tinubu was away, agents of the junta bombed his home in Balarabe Musa Crescent, Victoria Island.

“Thankfully, Lamido admitted that Tinubu played a significant role in NADECO. Indeed, Tinubu did more. He also backed Professor Wole Soyinka’s NALICON, offering material resources to fuel the struggle.

“It is well-known that Tinubu played a leading role in the agitation against the June 12 annulment. Many NADECO leaders and journalists in exile and at home openly admitted that Tinubu sustained them and provided them with funds for the struggle.

“With his narrative, Lamido appeared confused about the role of NADECO. It was an offshoot of the June 12 crisis. NADECO provided a platform to channel the struggle. Hitherto, all the resistance was left to civil rights groups, journalists, and a section of labour, such as NUPENG.

“It is thus disappointing that Alhaji Lamido, despite acknowledging Tinubu’s NADECO role, would attempt to rewrite history for political reasons and being a member of the Coalition of the Disgruntled.

“We advise Lamido to check his facts before going on television to spread falsehoods. It does not help his image, and the coalition he belongs to engages in revisionism. Revisionism does not serve the cause of truth or our nation’s interests.

“We do not want to believe that Alhaji Lamido suffers from what psychologists call tall poppy syndrome. However, the conclusion is inevitable as it appears that Lamido is envious of Tinubu’s democratic credentials. The facts remain clear: President Tinubu was—and remains—a steadfast advocate for democracy, in contrast to the record of Lamido and others who capitulated in the face of military oppression and intimidation.”

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