No, I didn’t make our shared dream of becoming a medical doctor. Fate, that silent architect of near-misses, dragged me like a leaf in a storm — through Owode Idiroko, through Owode Egba, through the storm and through the lull; through tears that fell like rain and through cheers that rang like bells. But ehm, ehm… it landed me a doctorate degree in Communication studies instead.

Armed with conviction and the good news of distinctions in Chemistry, Biology, Agricultural Science and others in WAEC — a result our late principal declared one of the best in our entire district — Baami held my hand. He marched me to Odomode Medicine Store in Owode Yewa with one aim burning in his eyes: to make his son a medical doctor.

The man of near-zero formal education wanted the very best for all his children. The bill for that dream? He didn’t have it. The wherewithal? He didn’t know it. Yet every supplication ended with his trademark – “Ola ino ataino.” No prayer session led by my father passed without him begging God to crown his son with the title “Doctor.” He needed that like an elderly alfa needed at least on front tooth to crunch masa. He wanted that for impact and he wanted that so seriously.

He couldn’t foot the bill for a university education — the bedrock of becoming a medical doctor. Still, he could drag me to a patent medicine shop even after I emerged as the overall best student in Science. As they say, a win is a win, even if it’s a bitter-sweet one.

The pre-WAEC era was neither rosy nor a smooth ride. It was a narrow bridge over troubled waters. But just as different Moses rose for every Pharaoh, God raised angels for me.

The first was my mum, Alhaja wa — Baami’s darling wife and the true definition of submissiveness. For years I didn’t know she was quietly bankrolling my education. She wouldn’t only give through Baami; she would beg him, in a whisper, not to let us know he wasn’t footing the bill alone. She was the silent oxygen behind our survival.

The second was Alhaji Odugbemi. The late High Chief of Owode Yewa, on his 70th birthday, commissioned a scholarship for the overall best SS1 student of Area Community High School — right when my funding from JSS 1 to JSS 3 was gasping for breath. Guess who won scholarship? God, again, stitched my senior secondary education together.

Then came the late Mr. Ayanpitan, a neighbor of favor. He didn’t give money. He gave advice that cut like a scalpel and healed like balm. The retired headmaster became a gentle pressure on Baami. “I am fascinated by how this village boy speaks English,” he said. My English probably had K-legs then, but to him, it sounded like music from 200 kilometers away. “Baba, do something about this boy’s education,” he urged in Yoruba, the language they both understood very well. And so began that infamous journey to Odomode Store.

I have asked others to dedicate Surat Ikhlas for those who labored but didn’t eat the fruit. But if you see Baami in your dreams, tell him his son is now a Doctor. Rest assured, he will be so overjoyed he won’t even remember to ask if it was a medical doctor or a Doctor of Philosophy.

At my lowest ebb, Sheikh Najeemdeen Adesina Ajani Yusuf stepped in. My brother who became a father-figure took me in when it was hardest. He had a young family and a tight budget, yet he brought me from Owode to Abeokuta. He couldn’t afford a university then, but he sponsored me through National Diploma and Higher National Diploma at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY. In return, I assisted him and his wife — a woman of valor and values — at the Aduralongba Medicine Store.

Listening to the late Gbenga Adeboye and his mastery of words was like pouring petrol on fire. By the time I sat for JAMB, medicine had slipped from my mind like sand through fingers. I chose Mass Communication. The admin office was thunderstruck when I submitted a WAEC result dripping with science distinctions to study a course far from the lab.

Lo and behold, the storm swallowed me. Within a few years of my HND, while I was still wrestling to make ends meet, Baami died. Alhajawa died. Before I could say Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un, my dream of becoming a medical doctor crashed to the ground like glass.

My heart was lacerated. Hope vanished. Darkness draped the world. Then God, in His bittersweet mercy, gave me Fateemah – a wife and beautiful pillar of support.  He also surrounded me with friends like Adegbuyi Adebayo, Dr. Damilare Shoye, Adewale Sanyaolu, Sulaimon Salau, Dr. Rafiu Ajakaye, Yunus Afobaje Yusuf,  Oluwatosin Balogun, Odenike Timothy Omolaso; family; classmates like Dr. Khadijat Olona, Dr. Adedeji Oluwatoyin Salami, Dr. Taiwo Okeowo, Dr. Folarin Jamiu; and colleagues like Ganiu Olatunji, Abibat Babalola, Opeseitan Joseph Tunde , Fuhad Saheed, Olafioye Olakunle, Abolade S Sokunbee, Akogun Tunde Lawal, and others; who became lanterns in my night.

I crawled back to school, enrolled – after my HND – for BSc. in Mass Communication at Crescent University Abeokuta; climbed to the UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS (UNILAG) for my MSc; frequented the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University for two Masters in Oil and Gas Reporting; and finally journeyed to the LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY (LASU) for my Ph.D.

That last degree, which takes most people three years, took me eight. I gave up four times. The first was when I slumped — story for another day. The second was when my supervisor, Professor Lai Oso, died in an auto crash on the Benin-Sagamu Expressway. Dr. Hassan Brave Olalekan told me how the late Prof, hours before the crash, kept calling my number, agitated that he couldn’t get through. He seemed had something he wouldn’t send through a third ear. Ha. That was a personal earthquake.

And again, God showed mercy. He used Professor Jide Jimoh and Professor Rotimi Williams Olatunji to finish the work. At Professor Oso’s lying-in-state, when I swore “never again” to a Ph.D, Professor Olatunji — then Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies — looked at me and said, “Come and see me in school on Monday.” How did he read the storm in my head?

Professor Jimoh joined him. For three more years, these two heavyweights — one immediate-past Dean, one new Dean — kept their eyes like hawks on my work. It was tough. Painfully, beautifully tough. No typo escaped their red pens. No weak argument survived their questions.

My thesis — about a thousand pages titled “Press Reportage of Oil and Gas Issues in Nigeria: 2017-2021”— was on the energy sector, an area I thought was my turf. But the Professors, joined by my reader, Professor Tunde Akanni, and their “LASU people” — what we call them when the wahala becomes unbearable — made me realize I knew next to nothing about what I thought I knew.

On Wednesday, August 18, 2026 — after a successful viva on June 6, 2025 — the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu, the Visitor to LASU, led dignitaries including his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi; and the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, to officially announce yours truly as a proud holder of a Ph.D in Communication Studies, with a bias for energy communication.

It was a rough, tough, but victorious journey. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I shook hands with Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, Olatunji-Bello, the Ooni, and other dignitaries. O mase o… Baami was not there. Alhajawa was not there. They won’t be here again. And no matter how many barrels of tears I shed, I will never hear people call them Baba Doctor and Mama Doctor.

I have asked others to dedicate Surat Ikhlas for those who labored but didn’t eat the fruit. But if you see Baami in your dreams, tell him his son is now a Doctor. Rest assured, he will be so overjoyed he won’t even remember to ask if it was a medical doctor or a Doctor of Philosophy.

In every situation — including this — Baami Al’Akande would thunder: “Alhamdulillah!” And he would make that word of gratitude sound like do-do-mi-mi-mi-do-do!

To God alone be the glory.

Love for All. Hatred for None!

Sincerely,

Adeola Yusuf, Ph.D

Team Lead of Platforms Africa

I will gladly answer if you simply call me doctor!

READ ALSO:

Kaduna Police raid bandits’ hideout, rescue three kidnap victims

Osun polls: The days after and implications for 2027

Sanwo-Olu appointed APC zonal campaign coordinator

Ikoyi Club tennis boss hails Zenith Bank after success of Team event

24 ISWAP family members surrender to troops in Borno

Five die in Badagry Expressway accident

Police confirm abduction of worshipers in Niger

APC sets up presidential campaign council with Abdulaziz Yari as DG

Troops rescue 59 kidnap victims, neutralise scores of terrorists

The post Please, help me tell baami I am now a Doctor! appeared first on Frontpageng.

The political temperature in Ogun Central appears to be rising long before the formal campaign season has begun.

What happened in Ilewo-Orile on Monday, August 10, may have looked on the surface like another routine episode in Nigeria’s increasingly combative pre-election politics.

But beneath the competing claims and counter-claims lies a more consequential development: the return of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo to the grassroots has become sufficiently significant to attract an immediate counter-narrative.

A report published by News Angle under the headline, “Ilewo Orile Residents Reject Iyabo Obasanjo Bello, Declare Support for Yayi, Other APC Candidates,” presented the community as having rejected the former Ogun Central senator during her visit.

But the account from Obasanjo’s political camp is sharply different.

According to the PDP team, what took place was not a rejection rally at all but a familiarisation visit by Senator Obasanjo and party leaders as part of a grassroots engagement across communities.

The team said opposition elements had hurriedly assembled a gathering before the delegation arrived but dispersed before Obasanjo’s team got to the venue.

More importantly, the PDP camp says the Senator was subsequently received by residents, market women and other community members who interacted with her during the visit.

And there is independent evidence that the visit itself was part of a broader grassroots tour.

Iyabo publicly documented her movement with party leaders and Arc. Oladele Olaleye through Oke-Ogun communities, including the route from Ibara-Orile to Ilewo-Orile.

So, what really happened at Ilewo-Orile? Perhaps the more important question is this: Why has an ordinary familiarisation visit by a former senator suddenly become important enough to generate a political rejection narrative?

That question takes the story beyond Ilewo-Orile. The contest for Ogun Central is already assuming the character of a political heavyweight contest.

On one side is Senator Shuaib Salisu, the incumbent senator and the APC’s candidate for the district. On the other is Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, a former senator who represented Ogun Central between 2007 and 2011 and is now seeking a return to the National Assembly on the PDP platform.

Obasanjo, meanwhile, has shown no sign of retreat. Indeed, rather than waiting for the formal campaign season, she has gone back to the communities.

That distinction matters.

She is not merely issuing press releases from Abeokuta or Abuja. She is actually rebuilding direct contact with the electorate that once sent her to the Senate.

And that is where the Ilewo-Orile episode becomes politically interesting. From political setback to political reinvention, Iyabo Obasanjo’s present journey cannot be understood without revisiting the dramatic events that preceded it.

She returned to active partisan politics earlier this year, joined the APC and sought the party’s governorship ticket. The APC subsequently adopted Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as its consensus governorship candidate. The decision followed a strategic meeting involving the state’s major political leaders.

Senator Obasanjo eventually resigned from the APC. In her resignation, she alleged that the consensus process had not sufficiently accommodated her and that some of her supporters were prevented from accessing the venue where Adeola’s emergence was announced.

She also complained of what she described as persistent rejection and disrespect. The episode might have ended there. But it did not.

Instead of withdrawing from politics, Iyabo Obasanjo changed the battlefield. She abandoned the governorship ambition and returned to the senatorial terrain. That decision has altered the political arithmetic.

For the APC, it means that the woman who only months ago sought to emerge as its governorship candidate is now campaigning against one of its most strategically important senatorial incumbents.

For Yayi, it means that a former aspirant who disagreed with the process that produced him has not disappeared from the political map.

And for Salisu, it means facing a former occupant of the same senatorial seat who possesses familiarity with the constituency and the advantage of having previously represented it.

This is where the significance of the Ilewo-Orile story lies. In electoral politics, especially in a constituency such as Ogun Central, political strength is not determined by social-media noise alone.

It is measured eventually by the ability to establish structures in wards, communities, streets and polling units.

That is why Iyabo Obasanjo’s current strategy is worth watching. Her reported movement from Ibara-Orile through Oke-Ogun communities to Ilewo-Orile is not simply sightseeing.

It is political groundwork. It is an attempt to reconnect with communities, listen to local grievances, identify old networks, build new alliances and, perhaps most importantly, test the strength of her political return.

The irony is that attempts to portray her as unwanted may themselves be drawing greater attention to the very grassroots campaign her opponents would prefer Nigerians to ignore.

Why Yayi remains part of the story

The role of Senator Adeola in this emerging contest cannot be ignored, even though the Ilewo episode should not be attributed to him personally without direct evidence.

Adeola’s emergence as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate was the immediate political turning point in Obasanjo’s APC journey. She had challenged for the same ticket. He emerged. She congratulated him but later left the party, saying she had been treated unfairly.

Since then, the disagreement has remained politically alive. In July, the dispute resurfaced publicly when Senator Obasanjo rejected allegations attributed to Adeola concerning financial demands allegedly made after the APC’s consensus arrangement.

She described the accusations as blackmail and insisted that her disagreement with him was fundamentally about trust, broken expectations and political respect.

Consequently, every movement by Obasanjo has the potential to be interpreted through the prism of that unresolved political history.

But the more immediate battle is Ogun Central. Salisu is not simply another APC politician watching from the sidelines. He is the incumbent senator and the APC candidate seeking another term.

And his public declaration that he intends to defeat Senator Obasanjo shows that the contest is already being framed as a direct political confrontation.

That makes the current narrative battle understandable.

Every community Obasanjo visits can become a political signal. Every crowd can be interpreted as an endorsement.

Every hostile voice can be amplified as evidence of rejection.

Every counter-mobilisation can become part of the effort to establish psychological superiority long before voters enter the polling booth.

There is also a temptation among political opponents to reduce Iyabo Obasanjo’s appeal to her family name.

That would be a mistake. Her political record in Ogun Central predates her current contest.

She served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health before becoming senator and represented Ogun Central in the National Assembly from 2007 to 2011.

She is therefore not entering the district for the first time. She has a political history there.

Whether that history remains relevant after more than a decade away from elective office is precisely what the 2027 contest will test.

That question cannot be answered by a headline. It has to be answered at the polling units.

There is perhaps a larger lesson in the Ilewo-Orile controversy. When a political opponent is considered irrelevant, the easiest strategy is usually to ignore him or her.

But when an opponent begins attracting attention, building structures and returning repeatedly to the grassroots, political actors often begin fighting not only over votes but over the narrative surrounding the candidate.

This appears to be where the Ogun Central contest is heading. There are already competing claims of popularity. There are rival mobilisation structures. There are public declarations of impending victory.

There are counter-attacks over credibility.

And now there are competing narratives over who was welcomed and who was rejected in a particular community.

The election is still months away. The battle for perception has already begun. The real test will not be Ilewo-Orile. Ultimately, neither the News Angle report nor the PDP rebuttal will determine the fate of Iyabo Obasanjo.

Neither will a photograph of a crowd.

Neither will a claim of rejection.

Neither will an opponent’s boast of victory. The real verdict will come from the electorate.

But between now and then, one thing is becoming increasingly difficult to deny: Iyabo Obasanjo has returned to the Ogun Central political battlefield, and the established political players are taking notice.

Her opponents may insist that she lacks the grassroots. Her supporters may insist that she is enjoying a groundswell. Both claims remain to be tested. But the intensity with which competing camps are already attempting to define her political relevance suggests that her return is not being treated as a trivial development. Perhaps that is the real story behind Ilewo-Orile.

Not that one side claimed rejection and the other claimed acceptance.

But that a familiarisation visit has suddenly become a political event.

And when a candidate’s mere appearance in a community becomes headline material for her opponents, it may be because the real contest has already begun. Ogun Central is watching.

Iyabo Obasanjo is back. And the political establishment knows it.

READ ALSO:

QEDNG summit: Nigeria’s creative economy can’t run on talent alone -Stakeholders

Navy rescues 13 kidnap victims, arrests six suspected drug peddlers

Police confirm recovery of nine bodies in Niger community

Over 10,000 benefit from NNPC/Shell Vision First initiative as Badagry hosts latest outreach

Osun 2026: Residents speak on rising political violence

Troops rescue 23 abductees, eliminate 19 terrorists

Osun: Dear Bola Oyebamiji, By Funke Egbemode

What does it take to manufacture a smartphone?

NGX market reverses gains, loses N1.17trn on sell-offs

Kano pilgrims board announces N7m as 2027 Hajj fare

NCC urges protection of fibre infrastructure during road construction

Yilwatda, Sultan lead call for religious tolerance, unity

APP senatorial candidate, Amadi, advocates end to cycle of poverty in Imo

The post Why Iyabo Obasanjo’s grassroots return is jolting Ogun politics appeared first on Frontpageng.

Yayi’s media adviser, Mr. Kayode Odunaro, made this known on Tuesday in a press statement.

He said in two separate strategic consultative meetings at H3 Event Centre in Abeokuta, the Baales and the Ogun State retirees stated that their endorsement was the outcome of the assessment of the person and good works of Senator Adeola over the years and their belief that he was better positioned to significantly develop Ogun State.

Reading the Baale’s communique after narrating the beneficial relations the Baales had had with the APC flag bearer dating back to four years, Chief Tunji Falola, the Chairman of the Ogun State Council of Baales stated that the endorsement of Senator Adeola was borne out of his “proven record of service, his demonstrated commitment to community development and our confidence in his vision for a greater Ogun State.”

The communique further stated that “His record of service speaks for itself. Across Ogun West and indeed the twenty local government areas of the state today, Senator Yayi has delivered life changing projects including roads, schools, hospitals, markets, town halls streetlights, water schemes, transformers, electricity projects and extensive empowerment programmes. We also appreciate the respect and support he has consistently extended to traditional institutions, particularly the Council of Baales.”

Earlier in his address, Falola said the Baales represented all sections of the society and groups as the closest to members of communities at the grassroots and were poised to deliver unprecedented votes for Senator Adeola stressing that he is a philanthropist that had brought succour to the needy in society with his massive empowerment programmes.

“As Baale we don’t just follow any politician but we are in support of Senator Adeola for his good deeds in the society and good gestures towards us in the last four years. We are committed to ensure that he will not only win but win with massive votes that will surpass the highest winning votes of 450,000 previously recorded in Ogun state,” he stated.

He thereafter appealed to the Senator to ensure that all Baales were on uniform salary structure as well as make them part of his administration from May 29, 2027, particularly at the local government level, stressing that they will not want a situation of use and dump.

Similarly, Pastor (Mrs.) Mary Adeosun, the President of YAREN said they were retirees of Ogun State origin from local, state and federal government service, adding that their members numbered over 1,865 with a target for 7000 Ogun State retirees.

“As enlightened part of the society that had put in service for the state, we decided to come together to support Senator Adeola based on the projects he has implemented across Ogun State. Only a blind person will say he has not seen or benefitted in one way or another from these projects,” she stated.

She said their organisation which is self-funded from their pension have a vision of an Ogun State that will be a model to other states, stressing that they were convinced that Senator Adeola was the right person for the position of governor come May 29, 2027.

Responding to the massive endorsement Senator Adeola thanked the Baale and YAREN members for their unalloyed support and endorsement.

He stressed that his relationship with the Baale did not start because of election but the crucial role they played in community development.

“I will immediately get a new bus for the Baales with a pledge to get one per LGA as requested in due course. I will also ensure the issue of uniform salary structure is addressed when I am elected governor,” he stated.

For YAREN, Senator Adeola said he was dazed at their decision to support him based solely on his work and performance even without meeting him personally,

He stressed that instead of campaigning for their support, they were the ones soliciting for support for him.

“I cannot thank you enough for using your own resources just to support me based on your enlightened view and not any pecuniary consideration. This is indeed a first in my political experience to see people who are my mothers and fathers as retirees come together to adopt and work for a candidate even before meeting the candidate. I will not take you for granted. I will look into the proposal you submitted to me and will ensure you are part of my government when elected to tap from your wealth of experiences” he stated.

The senator was accompanied to the two events by his wife, Mrs. Temitope Adeola; Deputy Governorship candidate, Alhaja Kudirat Abiodun Adegunwa-Balogun; Ogun State APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi; the minister of state for health and social services, Dr. Kunle Salako; Alhaja Salmot Badru, former deputy governor of Ogun State; Rt. Hons. Titi Oseni and Suraju Adekumbi, both former speakers of Ogun State House of Assembly; Chief Derin Adebiyi, former APC State Chairman; Hon Sikirulai Ogundele, former PDP chairman now in APC; Senator Lekan Mustapha, Hon. Bode Mustapha, the Osi of Egbaland, Hon. Kayode Amusan, a former governorship aspirant of APC; Hon. Bukky Braimoh, Hon Segun Seriki, Chief Femi Majekodunmi and Chief Tunde Osinowo among other APC leaders and well -wishers.

READ ALSO: 

PHOTO NEWS: New AMCON board chair, Abubakar, others after his screening

NAFDAC nabs two fake alcohol merchants in Lagos

Ogun guber: Iyabo Obasanjo reacts to alleged demand for refund from Yayi

The invisible force behind workplace culture

Two die in Ogun motorcycle, truck collision

Lagos seeks deeper economic partnership with Turkey

Troops intercept suspected terrorist logistics suppliers in Borno

Alleged fake agency: ICPC grills Gbajabiamila

Olisa Agbakoba to chair GOCOP 2026 conference in Lagos

Tinubu appoints Fayose, 25 others into agencies, commissions

Nigerian Young Academy, LASU to host 16th conference, general assembly

The post Ogun guber: Baales, retirees endorse Senator Adeola for 2027 appeared first on Frontpageng.

Speaking during Oju Abe, a current affairs programme on Splash 106.7FM, Abeokuta, Senator Obasanjo described the allegation as “a deliberate act of blackmail” designed to tarnish her integrity and mislead the public.

In a no-holds-barred interview, Obasanjo accused Adeola of lacking integrity and trustworthiness, insisting that the disagreement between them had nothing to do with money but everything to do with broken promises and what she described as disrespect following the APC’s consensus governorship arrangement.

“What I find uncomfortable with Yayi is lack of trust,” she declared. “Yayi has trust deficit. He lacks integrity and should not be taken seriously. What he has done is playing the politics of blackmail. I can never trust him again in my life.”

Her comments came days after Senator Adeola publicly alleged that Senator Obasanjo requested reimbursement of campaign expenses running into millions of naira and dollars, suggesting that such a demand reflected a transactional approach to politics.

But Senator Obasanjo offered a markedly different account of events.

According to her, after she accepted the party’s consensus decision and dissolved her governorship campaign organisation in May 2026, Senator Adeola initiated contact by formally requesting a meeting with her.

She said the meeting was held at his instance in her residence and centred on how both camps could work together following the governorship primary process.

Rather than demanding personal financial compensation, she explained, representatives of her political tendency presented three proposals aimed at fostering unity within the party.

Those proposals, she said, included possible assistance in mitigating campaign expenses if he considered it appropriate, the inclusion of at least three of her loyal supporters in his campaign structure, and support for her eventual aspiration to represent Ogun Central in the Senate.

According to her, Senator Adeola promised to consult widely and revert within one week.

“Six weeks later, there was no response,” she recalled, saying the prolonged silence convinced her that she and her supporters had not been treated with the respect they deserved.

That experience, she explained, became a major factor in her eventual decision to resign from the APC before later accepting the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senatorial ticket.

“Now, I am no longer contesting governorship but Senate,” she said. “If it’s about money, who wants his money anyway?”

Questioning the basis of the allegation against her, Senator Obasanjo wondered why anyone would assume financial inducement could influence her political decisions.

She further criticised what she described as a style of politics built on monetary inducement rather than public service.

“What drives me, unlike them, is not transactional politics—buying people’s votes with money,” she said. “He thinks everyone has a price that can be bought.”

Drawing attention to her own political trajectory, Senator Obasanjo argued that her public service record predated Senator Adeola’s emergence on the national political scene.

She recalled serving as Ogun State Commissioner for Health in 2003 before later representing Ogun Central in the Senate in 2011, maintaining that her political career had been built on service, credibility and grassroots engagement rather than financial inducement.

“When I was Commissioner for Health in 2003, he probably had not started politics. When I became Senator in 2011, he was in the Lagos State House of Assembly,” she said.

She also referenced the humanitarian work of her Iyaniwura Foundation, which she said had empowered thousands of people over the years without attaching political conditions.

“We do real empowerment and touch many lives. We didn’t start helping people because of elections. Service has always been part of who we are,” she stated.

In one of the interview’s most striking remarks, the former senator said leadership must be anchored on credibility, insisting that integrity remains the most valuable currency in politics.

“In politics,” she declared, “your word is your bond.”

READ ALSO: 

The invisible force behind workplace culture

Two die in Ogun motorcycle, truck collision

Lagos seeks deeper economic partnership with Turkey

Troops intercept suspected terrorist logistics suppliers in Borno

Alleged fake agency: ICPC grills Gbajabiamila

Olisa Agbakoba to chair GOCOP 2026 conference in Lagos

Tinubu appoints Fayose, 25 others into agencies, commissions

Nigerian Young Academy, LASU to host 16th conference, general assembly

The weight of a good name, By Lanre Ogundipe

Adeniyi, Jide Jimoh, Olatunji, others to speak at ACSPN webinar on Wednesday

The Nigerian elite’s insatiable greed, By Kazeem Akintunde

The post Ogun guber: Iyabo Obasanjo reacts to alleged demand for refund from Yayi appeared first on Frontpageng.

Baba Adeola, as many of us could address him, was as phenomenal as his late dad with ubiquitous presence even in death, the indomitable doyen of commercial automobile driving, Alhaji Jimoh Adekunle, forever hailed Adelebare but also known to neighbouhood kids as Baba l’oke. He was the only Ede based owner of the only storey building in the entire vast stretch of Asawo- Agbopa-Akaje-Ode Oke-Agate-Ekuntan-Ile Egba and Alajue quarters of Ede. May Allah be pleased with Baba, who, proven to us, had my own darling Dad, Alhaji Tijani Akanni, as his confidant. May Allah bless the souls of the duo eternally.

Talk of a renowned moulder of character and aspirations of others and Engineer Gani Adekunle’s name would readily pop up. He was such rare gifts bequeathed to Ile Asawo. Elegant in appearance, imposing in stature and impeccable in carriage, he embodied the very essence of the Yoruba idea of Omoluabi. Endowed with a well built physique he was always exquisitely dressed.  His appearance in native attire was as smashing as he was in shirt and trousers, with shirt consistently tucked in. He was the main variable in the lives of many of us responsible for our peace with our teachers in the primary and secondary schools when the same teachers would have howled themselves hoarse trying to ensure decent dressing for our colleagues.  Yet, beneath the sartorial splendour lay a heart of uncommon generosity and warmth.

His naturally charming tooth gap, which invariably accompanied his radiant smile, endeared him to everyone. He wore that smile generously, making both young and old feel welcome in his presence. To encounter Baba Adeola was to experience kindness wrapped in dignity.

A graduate of Civil Engineering from Yaba College of Technology, Engineer Adekunle belonged to that pioneering generation of professionals who became symbols of possibility for younger ones.

Back in 1970s, ownership of private cars was some rarity in most semi-urban communities like Ede, our birthplace.  Indeed, Ayinla Adegator, a popular grassroots musician once did a special number to celebrate private car owners presence of his public performance. “A dupe t’ere wa dun/ A dupe t’ere wa dun ni won se gbe moto wa wa wa”.

Baba Adeola’s Volkswagen Beetle, purchased in 1971, was more than enough for us to study very hard. The vehicle, bearing the unforgettable registration number WC 5439, ignited excitement and hope whenever it appeared in town. The snow white car was the pride of the community. It was not uncommon for us children to ask our friends from other compound if anyone in their compound had bought a car before. Such was our obsession with both the man and his automobile that many of us can still recall that number plate decades later.

Our excitement was renewed in the 1980s when he acquired his Peugeot 504 with registration number OY 1735 B. Indeed, our admiration for Engineer Adekunle was so profound that we knew virtually all his contemporaries in Ede who owned Peugeot 504 cars at the time, including the late Dr Akanji and Mr Akano, the respected, ever serious-looking school principal. Akano’s car wore a blood red paint.

But Baba Adeola’s greatest legacy was never in the cars he drove or the attires he spotted. The lives he transformed will eternally bear witness to the good deeds of our darling Daddy.

Long before mega philanthropy of the likes of MKO Abiola began to play out with ultra visibility, Baba Adeola practised it quietly, naturally and ceaselessly. Boda Gani, as some of our elder brothers revered him, gave, not for applause but because generosity was woven into the fabric of his being. Many of us owe aspects of our personal development to his thoughtful interventions.

As children growing up in the 1970s, our world was simple and rustic. We knew only the traditional bar soap, popularly called soda. It was Baba Adeola who introduced many households in Ile Asawo to the use of detergent. Regularly, he brought packets of Omo detergent—the dominant brand of the era—and gently encouraged our mothers to use them in washing our school uniforms. It may appear a simple gesture today, but at that time, it represented a significant leap in our social and hygienic consciousness. In many respects, he quietly elevated our civilisational experience.

His generosity seemed boundless to us. In 1981, despite having no political ambition or partisan motive, he undertook one of the most remarkable acts of communal support many of us can remember. He volunteered to pay for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms for every qualified candidate in the entire Ile Asawo community. He did so quietly, without fanfare, publicity or expectation of reward. He simply identified a need and met it.

Till date, I relish the enveloped, crisp Naira notes he lavished on me when he got to know about my admission into the University of Ilorin in 1982. So much was the money that it enabled me buy a packet of food tickets that covered a whole month for me.  Besides the value, the fact of being mint fresh was most memorable. It turned out to be the highest amount of cash gift I received from anyone to commend me for the admission feat. He repeated that for me when I got married. So, who would not want to be like Baba Adeola?

Expectedly, many beneficiaries of that uncommon gesture went on to acquire university education and distinguished themselves in various professions. It is therefore not surprising that our beloved uncle’s inspiring example has produced several engineers within the family, including a professor of engineering.

His influence extended even to matters of taste and refinement. Boda Alhaji as my late mother of blessed memory would often hail him, had a keen sense of fashion and graciously shared it. Many younger relatives benefited from his fanciful, cotton shirts as well as his impeccable dressing style.

He was equally deliberate in family matters. True to his Omoluabi disposition, he chose as his life partner a worthy companion, Anti Bili, from another respected Muslim family—the Adesolas of Ile Parakoyi, Ede. Baba Adesola was a foremost textile merchant whose only merchandise contemporary in the neighbourhood was Baba Adekomi, legendary cocoa merchant and owner of heavily tinted Peugeot 504 SR. Both Pa Adesola and Adekomi, now late had a son each named Kabiru and both were my classmates at Ede Muslim Grammar School, Ede.

Anti Bili complemented him perfectly. Fair skinned, graceful and accommodating, she embraced all of us, the rustic Baba Okos, with warmth and affection despite the acute social differences between our modest backgrounds back home in Ede compared with the cosmopolitan environment of Ibadan where she subsequently resided for many decades.  Baba Adeola was a senior engineer with the Ministry of Works, first with the Western State and later Oyo State, following the creation of Oyo State.

Soft-spoken, humble and deeply humane, Engineer Gani Adekunle demonstrated that true greatness lies not in noise but in quiet impact. He touched lives gently yet profoundly, leaving behind memories that time cannot erase.

As we bid farewell to a most treasured uncle, we do so with gratitude to Almighty Allah for a life richly lived in service to humanity. Though he has departed this earthly realm, his generosity, mentorship, elegance and enduring example will continue to inspire generations yet unborn.

May Allah, in His infinite mercy, forgive his shortcomings, expand and illuminate his grave, and admit him into Al-Jannatul Firdaus.

Ameen.

*Akanni is a Professor at the Lagos State University

READ ALSO: 

Oriire kidnap: APC chair commends FG, security agencies over release of victims

Stock market reverses gains, investors lose N103bn

State police will bring security closer to Nigerians –IGP

Oriire kidnap: Rescue of victims excites NUT, thanks govt, others

Oriire kidnap: How we sustained public attention till the end –Boiling Point

INTIMATE AFFAIR: Hard times, hard guys, By Funke Egbemode

Oriire abduction: How troops rescued victims –Military

2027: Oyo APC must choose unity over personal ambition

Oriire: Rescue team kills kidnappers, arrests eight others

BREAKING: Just rescued Oriire school principal, Alamu, speaks

BREAKING: Kidnapped Oriire teachers, students finally rescued

Lassa fever: Death toll rises, hits 221

The post Bidding bye to Baba Adeola Adelebare, By Tunde Akanni appeared first on Frontpageng.

Abayomi Hunye who contested with him recorded no vote.

The announcement was made on Thursday by the chairman of the Governorship Primary Election Committee for Ogun State, Mr Wale Ohu.

Before the announcement, returning officers had made public the results from the 20 local government areas of the state.

There were 343,292 registered voters and 305,287 accredited, while Adeola polled 304,055 votes to emerge winner.

Said Ohu: “There were two contestants. Sen. Solomon Adeola scored 304,055 votes while Mr Abayomi Hunye polled zero.”

Adeola pledged to consolidate achievements of Governor Dapo Abiodun and sustain unity within APC if elected 2027.

He commended Abiodun for ensuring a peaceful and seamless primary, describing it as unprecedented.

“I never imagined the exercise would be this peaceful. I thought it was usual primaries where people struggle and fight. God is on our side,” Adeola said.

According to him, Ogun is witnessing first peaceful transition arrangement in 15 years toward 2027 succession.

Adeola said: “By the grace of God, on May 29, 2027, I will be sitting side by side with you for a smooth transition of government,” he said.

The senator assured Ogun residents that he would sustain development and advance state progress.

Adeola also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for support and mentorship throughout his political career.

He described the president as a father, leader and role model, noting 24 years of political growth.

Governor Abiodun said Adeola’s emergence validated confidence reposed by party members across state.

He hailed the peaceful primaries as a historic first in 50-year state history.

The governor noted it was the first time outgoing governor openly unveiled successor ahead election in transparent rancour-free manner.

READ ALSO:

Tinubu commends NDLEA on landmark success

Court voids INEC timetable for conduct of 2027 polls

Tinubu has plan to change Nigeria’s name, abolish Sharia law in the north -Presidency

Oyo bandits attacks: Slain Teacher Adegboye for burial Friday

ASUU slams FG over breach of 2025 pact, threatens strike

Five years on: Remembering Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru

Lagos APC guber primary: Sanwo-Olu praises members for peaceful exercise

Marwa to Nigerians: Counter toxic culture glamorising drug abuse

JAMB releases 279 withheld UTME results

BREAKING: Tinubu appoints 39-year old professor JAMB registrar

From Zacchaeus to Zacch: Taxation, trust and the burden of power

What every tenant must know about rent renewal

The post Ogun guber: Adeola wins APC ticket appeared first on Frontpageng.

DSP Abayomi Jimoh, the command’s spokesperson, who made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Akure, said the breakthrough was recorded on Tuesday, May 5.

According to him, operatives of the command, while on routine patrol along the Oba-Ile axis of Akure, acted promptly on credible intelligence regarding a distress situation involving the occupant of a moving vehicle.

“The information indicated that an individual was shouting for help within a red Toyota Camry. The operatives swiftly mobilised and initiated a coordinated pursuit of the suspected vehicle.

“During the chase, the suspects forcefully ejected the victim, later identified as Kayode Alaba (male), from the moving vehicle in a bid to evade arrest.

“Undeterred, the police team sustained the pursuit, which culminated in the arrest of one suspect identified as Adegbenro Adeola (male), while other members of the syndicate fled the scene, and the vehicle was recovered,” he said.

Jimoh explained that preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had earlier been abducted from his residence along Irese Road, Akure, prior to the timely intervention of the police operatives.

“The victim has since been rescued and is currently receiving medical attention. The arrested suspect has provided useful information to aid ongoing investigations,” he said

The spokesperson said the case had been transferred to the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU, Akure, for thorough and discreet investigation, as well as intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing accomplices.

Jimoh said the Commissioner of Police, CP, in the state, Adebowale Lawal, commended the gallantry, swift response, and professionalism of the operatives involved in the operation.

“The CP reiterated the command’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives and property across Ondo State and assures the public that all perpetrators of criminal acts will be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice,” he said.

The spokesperson, therefore, urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to provide timely, credible and actionable information to police, as collective efforts remained vital in the fight against crime.

Source: NAN

READ ALSO:

34 die in Sokoto meningitis outbreak

An open SOS letter to President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Zenith Bank appoints Mustafa Bello as chairman at AGM

The sickness called xenophobia, By Funke Egbemode

NELFUND celebrates legacy of Jim Ovia on his retirement

Tinubu engages global investors in Paris, speaks on reforms 

IGP Disu orders weapons audit across commands, gives reason

Ethnic bias threatens Nigerian universities, senior academics warn

ADC slashes nomination fees, releases revised primaries timetable

Senate amends standing rules on election of officers

The post How we foiled kidnap attempt, arrested suspect in Ondo -Police appeared first on Frontpageng.

There is a certain electricity in the air when a candidacy feels less like an imposition and more like a collective choice. The emergence of Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) as the APC governorship candidate carries that charge. It has not been greeted with the usual grumbling compliance, but has been met, in many quarters, with something closer to relief, even expectation.

The reaction to his emergence is not accidental. It is something rooted in memory. In places where yawning gaps in infrastructure make government a rumour or folklore, people remember who intervened tangibly. While representing Lagos West, Yayi built a reputation for not treating constituencies like abstract map points.

In Obawole, in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area where I live, he installed a 500KVA transformer in my CDA. He followed that up by tarring seven streets, complete with drainage. Five years on, those roads have held their shape with a dignity that shames many newer projects. In a country where roads do not last longer than lettuce, that kind of durability becomes a political argument.

Those seven roads are inner street affairs that are the responsibility of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area. The Chairman at the time, the now deceased and formidably useless Toba Oke, had his house in the vicinity in which the roads were built. He could not build them. Even the one on which his house stands remained under construction till his two terms ended. It was completed by his successor.

Multiply what Yayi did in my hood across communities that have felt his interventions and you begin to understand the groundswell. For many, this is not about the party platform, but about a man whose record suggests that he understands needs, especially of the very desperate variety. It is not certain that he will win the election, but he looks the out-and-out favourite.

For his candidacy to mean anything beyond comfort for those already touched, I think, it must become something harder, sharper and more consequential. The truth is that just beyond the pockets of progress lie whole belts of abandonment.

We have seen promise curdle into incompetence and self-described reformers turn arsonists, fanning the very neglect they swore to end. Those areas have had enough of that cycle.

You want to know? Akute, Lambe, Oke Aro, Agbado, Matogun, Osere, Maidan, Legun, Adiyan, Ijoko, Mowe, Ofada, Ibafo et al. These are not obscure hamlets, but dense, energetic and economically-alive corridors sitting on the Lagos boundary that have been condemned to exist as afterthoughts for 27 years of civil rule.

In these communities, there are no roads worth the name, no functional schools that can carry the weight of their swelling populations and no hospital worth the description. The nearest fire station to Lambe, for example, is 24 kilometres away.  A few years ago, a tanker fire licked many buildings, including a Celestial Church parish on Matogun Road. Fire trucks could not have arrived timeously because the fire station is far away and because the surface of the moon is smoother than the road leading to the scene of the accident.

In these areas, neglect is not an abstract policy failure. It is a daily assault gleefully carried out by successive administrations, with the worst being that of Ibikunle Amosun. Businesses have been quietly strangled by inaccessibility. Those that survive do so on one leg, unable to expand, unable to employ and unable to breathe. Property values have collapsed, turning what should be family assets into liabilities. Health outcomes are worsening because distance and bad roads are often the difference between life and death. Beneath all of this is a more corrosive message that residents of those places do not matter.

Yayi’s emergence, for all the goodwill it has generated, must confront this history head-on, if he is elected. It cannot be another cycle of selective intervention, of islands of competence in a sea of disregard. The Lagos-Ogun boundary belt is asking for inclusion, not miracles. It has an agenda that suggests itself. It is clear and urgent.

First, roads. Not those ceremonial stretches built for social media. Those areas need a comprehensive grid that connects the communities internally and to economic hubs. They need roads that can carry commerce, not just okada and Keke NAPEP. Second, public services such as functional primary and secondary schools, properly equipped hospitals and fire stations positioned with intent.

Third, economic revival through support for small and medium enterprises and incentives that recognise the strategic location of these areas as spillover zones from Lagos. Fourth, planning. These communities have grown in spite of the state. They must now be integrated into a coherent urban vision that prevents chaos from becoming permanent. I should know. I lived in one for nine years and if you lived in one, you have lived in all.

Finally, dignity. Those areas need governance that signals, in policy and in presence, that the residents do not remain children of a lesser god. That is what they currently are.

The enthusiasm greeting Yayi today is a form of credit earned through past interventions. But credit, in politics, is perishable. It must be redeemed with a broader and bolder commitment, if and when he earns the mandate. He has shown he can fix streets. If he gets elected, he will be required to fix a pattern of exclusion that has endured for nearly three decades.

If he does, this moment of delight will harden into trust. If he does not, it will slip quietly into that long ledger of missed chances. There is reason for caution. Our history is crowded with false dawns. We have seen promise curdle into incompetence and self-described reformers turn arsonists, fanning the very neglect they swore to end. Those areas have had enough of that cycle.

READ ALSO:

NSCDC arrests two men for allegedly defiling minors in Ondo

Troops overrun terrorists’ camps, destroy logistics in Bauchi forest

APC national chair, secretary for nationwide live media chat today

Unlike old ones, new tax laws’ll make Nigerians prosperous -Tinubu

The town that fed a snake, By Funke Egbemode

US-Israel-Iran: Who won and who lost the war?

Obafemi Hamzat: Scrutinising the man who may become the next governor of Lagos State

Fintech, fraud, and Yahooze, who wins?

ADC convention ratifies David Mark-led NWC

PSG defeat Liverpool, move into Champions League semi-finals

Lookman strike sends Atletico Madrid into Champions League semi-fiinals

The post Yayi: The Lagos-Ogun boundary belt can wait no longer appeared first on Frontpageng.

The approval followed the presentation and the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Appropriations in the Committee of Supplies during Tuesday’s plenary.

The report was presented by the chairman of the committee, Olamilekan Adeola (APC-Ogun).

Adeola recalled that President Bola Tinubu had, on December 19, 2025, laid before the joint sitting of the National Assembly the 2026 Appropriations Bill.

“The 2026 Budget, themed Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity, reflects the executive’s determination to lock in macroeconomic stability.

“The committee hereby recommends that the Senate do consider and approve a Bill for an Act to authorise the issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation the total sum of N68 trillion,” he said.

Of the amount, he said that N4.7 trillion was for statutory transfers, N15.8 trillion for debt servicing and N15 trillion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, while N32 trillion was for contribution to the development fund for capital expenditure, with the accompanying schedules and details.

Adeola further said that bureaucratic bottleneck that led to the challenges of late releases of funds in 2025 should be addressed holistically.

“Deliberate efforts must be made in 2026 by the senate, in collaboration with the executive, to implement the 2026 appropriation holistically.

“The Appropriation (Repeal and Enactment) Act, 2025 should be extended to 30th June, 2026,” he said.

The senator added that the capital component reflected the Tinubu administration’s strong emphasis on infrastructure development, while the substantial allocation for debt servicing highlighted the continuing pressure of Nigeria’s debt obligations on public finances.

“Recurrent expenditure remains significant, covering personnel and administrative costs, while statutory transfers will fund key institutions, including the judiciary and other constitutionally-backed bodies.

“The budget approval comes alongside the senate’s consideration of sweeping adjustments requested by President Bola Tinubu, aimed at addressing outstanding capital commitments and funding strategic national projects.

“A major component of the adjustment is the inclusion of ₦5.71 trillion in legacy capital obligations carried over from the 2025 fiscal cycle, alongside ₦2 trillion earmarked for priority projects across key sectors,” he said.

In his remarks, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, commended Adeola and members of the appropriation committee for their tireless work on the bill which had now been passed for the third time.

“Your dedication and sacrifice over several months have not gone unnoticed, and you have truly served the nation well.

“Our prayer in the senate is that God will grant the current President, Bola Tinubu, the necessary resources to meet the obligations of this budget for the benefit of our country.

“Congratulations to all distinguished senators and also to members of the House of Representatives who have worked collaboratively to ensure the passage of this bill.

“This joint effort has eliminated the need for a conference committee. Congratulations as well to all Nigerians.

“With the loans approved and the anticipated increase in revenue from tax reforms, we are confident that this budget will be realistic, beneficial and capable of renewing hope across the nation.

“It is our expectation that this will contribute to a successful and impactful first term for the administration,” Akpabio stated.

Source: NAN

READ ALSO: 

Upkeep allowance for students remains N20,000 –NELFUND

2026 budget: MRA criticises poor funding for FOI implementation

NDLEA, US-DEA hold joint workshop to strengthen partnership

Tinubu seeks Senate’s approval for N9trn increase in 2026 budget

Troops eliminate over 100 terrorists, notorious ISWAP commander

‘Not to be broadcast’: Unveiling Iyamu’s landmark memoir

Insecurity: We’re acquiring more sophisticated equipment –Tinubu

Equities market loses N276bn on sell pressure

MHS Okitipupa: Adesanoye leads new executives of old students

Tinubu appoints Ida as CAC chair, nominates NPC commissioners

US city honours Kegites, issues proclamation

The post Senate approves N68.3trn 2026 Appropriation Bill appeared first on Frontpageng.

The command’s spokesperson, ASP Mohammed Adeola, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Lagos.

He said the minor was discovered on the airport tarmac while attempting to gain unlawful access beneath an aircraft.

Adeola described the act as a serious breach of aviation security protocols in a highly sensitive operational environment.

According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that the juvenile gained entry into a restricted area of the airport without authorisation.

He said the act was contrary to Sections 2 and 3 of the by-laws of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

He said the boy’s actions were consistent with a stowaway attempt, a dangerous act that could endanger both the individual and flight operations.

“Upon interception, the minor was taken into protective custody in line with due process and established child protection procedures,” Adeola said.

He said the boy’s parents were promptly notified and all necessary protocols were observed, including conducting the interview in their presence.

The image maker said the command ensured the minor received appropriate care, support and welfare considerations throughout the process.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Mrs. Olufunke Ogunbode, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting aviation infrastructure.

“Ogunbode described the airport as a critical national asset that requires strict compliance with security rules.

“The CP urged parents and guardians to be more vigilant over their children, particularly regarding movements around restricted and high-risk environments such as airports,” he said.

Adeola stated that the case would be handled in accordance with applicable juvenile justice procedures, adding that the minor would be charged before the appropriate juvenile court.

He reaffirmed the command’s resolve to maintain safety, security and order within the aviation sector, while upholding the rights and welfare of all individuals, especially minors.

Source: NAN

READ ALSO: 

Amotekun nabs 11 kidnappers, 24 others in Ondo

Foreign affairs minister, Tuggar, resigns

Man, 20, drowns in Kano

ADC: Bolaji Abdullahi, stop playing the Ostrich

Hisbah, alcohol, VAT: An unpopular opinion

Kemi James: Remains of ex-Ovation editor’s wife for burial April 1

We’ll rebuild PDP to meet yearnings of Nigerians –Wike

Plateau: Govt imposes curfew as gunmen attack claims lives

Abdulrahaman Mohammed emerges PDP national chairman

WEATHER FORECAST: NiMet predicts dust haze, sunshine

Donald Trump’s war, Iran, and the world economy

Tight security as delegates arrive Abuja PDP national convention

NCC to telecom operators: Compensate subscribers for poor service

Tinubu at 74: Islamic leaders pray for Nigeria’s peace, progress

2027: Two, three or four-horse race?

The post Police intercept 14-year-old over Lagos airport stowaway attempt appeared first on Frontpageng.