Category: Opinion

M.O Ene

It’s an old-time orthodoxy: We are not alone. The cosmos is vast with visible and invisible constituents. Humanity strives to understand and use both natural and supernatural forces also called ‘deities.’ These forces regulate our ecosystems. A formidable force (Chiukwu) is believed to exist. The relationship between followers and the dominant deity varies.

Ọdịnanị is Igbo scientific spirituality. ‘Science’ and ‘spirituality’ in the same sentence seems strange, but the gap in organic Ọdịnanị is not as wide as in imported revealed religions. Ọdịnanị focuses more on what is known but tests the edges of the unknown. When science levels up, it changes suitably.

With the coming of Christianity, Ọdịnanị was castigated in religious circles as archaic and evil. The demeaning and destruction of shrines by Pentecostal preachers, the stealing and selling of sacred statues to foreign museums, continued until many European buyers rediscovered Jesus! No Christian cleric protested.

With the current crashing and corrosive commotions in Christianity, economic recession, poor political leadership, and unconscionable display of newfound wealth, Igbo youths crave alternative paths to sustenance and success: flim-flam frauds, kidnapping, emigration, conversion to Islam, interest in fetish rites, rude radicalism… whatever works!

Enter a crusading Igbo-Christian governor to degrade Ọdịnanị spirituality. Many critics doubt his denial because his actions target the tenets of traditional creed and exclude foreign faiths: Christianity and Islam. He has also declared his state “Christian,” in violation of the Constitution. He demands of ‘Ndị dibịa’ (the so-called ‘native doctors’) to prove the efficacy of concocted charms, but he endorses the Pentecostal fake-miracle ministers.

Here hinges the main problem with Ọdịnanị: fear of traditional medicines (ọ́gwụ̀), which are physical and psychological, bio-based agents. Ọgwụ alleviate, block, or control sundry sicknesses. They include drugs, charms, mystic powers, and therapies. All potent prescriptions that promote good health, cure diseases, manage wealth or weather (as in rainmaking), and enhance success are “medicine” in Igbo worldview. The making of medicines, application, control, and functions differ.

All religions make medicines for success; books, candles, oils, and prayers are medicines. The Igbo dibịa is an ethnopharmacologist, a motivational speaker, and an oracle. Folks should not cringe when they hear of elixirs for success such as ‘awaele,’ ‘ibobo,’ ‘okeite,’ and ‘uduákọmmiri.’ Crosses, masses, scapular, chaplet and rosary (Catholicism), mala (Buddhism), misbaha (Islam), menorah, chai (Judaism), incantations and invocations are “ọgwụ.” Do these potions work? Yes, like every prayer, 50-50… more or less! When dịbịa concocts ‘ọgwụ nshị’ (poison), it has similar effects as ingesting the insecticide Dichlorvos (SNIPER®) and the rodenticide ‘ọtapịapịa.’

Ọdịnanị is not a religion, strictly speaking. Ironically, the crusading governor may catalyze a crucial change. It is the law of inertia. A clash of these crashing creeds is avoidable and unnecessary; constructive cohabitation is possible and mutually beneficial. The bishops and Daddy GOs must discourage continued castigation, condemnation, and demeaning deconstruction of Ọdịnanị.

The fightback could grow into an unorganized religious revolution. Truth be told, every Igbo person is an Ọdịnanị devotee: the name we bear, circumcision, the kolanut communion, the new yam festival, ịgbankwụ, masquerading, etc. Also, Ọdịnanị has a large limit of ecumenical elasticity.

Like North African-born St. Augustine of Hippo, we need philosophers and theologians to reform Igbo scientific spirituality (Ọdịnanị) and to reflect recent religious renaissance and regional realities of crashing creeds.

@DrMOEne. M.O. Ene’s latest work, “The Fundamentals of Ọdịnanị” will be published in May 2025.

By Oseloka H. Obaze

With the recent declaration of State of Emergency in Rivers States, Nigerians find themselves in the most discomfited circumstance. Their democracy is halting as its core tenets and pillars are continually eroded. The state of her democracy is now critical and tending discernibly towards being hopeless. What is true and real of Nigeria, is that the unfolding State failure has been a gradual process.

In her constitutional governance history, no singular event has epitomized the injurious and disquieting state of Nigeria’s democracy than the grossly unconstitutional declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State. The intent, premise and process were all wrong – all very unconstitutional. President Bola Tinubu was criminally ill-advised. But his wrong decision was further complicated by the vagaries of Nigeria partisan politics and the willful acquiescence by the National Assembly to an odious and dubious process, which they are statutorily meant to checkmate. That was a double fault.

Nigeria’s extant 1999 Constitution, which ought to be the governance ground norm, remains what it has always been; an expedient document of dubious parentage. It has no ownership: hence it has no defenders. This explains why the Constitution is continuously desecrated, even by the judicial arm of the government that has the statutory remit to interpret, uphold, and defend it. Inevitably, governance in Nigeria, at best, remains wablly in all ramifications.

The adjunct to the bastardization of the Constitution by those in the Executive and Legislative arms is that fundamental constitutional rights of Nigerians are in parallel being systematically trampled upon, without consequences and recourse. Rule of law, due process and the attendant rights are all being circumvented. Nigeria is a Constitutional Republic that no longer adheres to her laws and founding principles.

The Nigerian Government has visibly gone rogue and has become unwholesome, ineffectual and totally feckless and reckless. Leadership hubris is palpable. Governance is in disarray. State Capture is routine as is Cancel Culture. Presently, the Federal Government is treacherously tinkering with the administration of the States; while State Governors are whimsically usurping the rights and autonomy of Local Governments despite extant laws to the contrary. For most Nigerians, whatever residual hope there is, remains fleeting as suffering and disenfranchisement continue to gain toehold. With poverty now a norm, Nigerians are understandably disconcerted and discontented.

Ironically, those who ought to speak up in Nigeria don’t. Two fearless elder statesmen who dared to consistently speak truth to power, Chief EK Clark and PA Ayo Adebajo recently bowed out due to natural attrition. There is a dearth of successors for them, which in itself, is an alarming reality. Meanwhile, the political opposition is gaunt.

But there is a cadre of Nigerians, who fought hard to keep Nigeria whole. They are not speaking up; at least not collectively. Their taciturnity is exceedingly troubling. By implication, their reticence is a presumptive acceptance of the status quo, if not a tacit approval of the national drift and unscrambling. Perhaps, they are shortsightedly concerned about losing their accruing perks from the national cake. One wonders if they can’t discern that Nigeria is methodically being dismantled; in tandem with her ungoverned spaces that continue to expand exponentially.

Incidentally, these are all presumably astute old men and women, who have nothing more to lose; and for whom the indivisibility of Nigeria should be the utmost preoccupation. Certainly, they can’t join the crass political elite carpet baggers, who justify their noxious relevance with the mantra, “if you can’t beat them, join them.” If they do, then they will figuratively mimic maggots that feed off a carcass, but soon enough confront only dead bones. Then, they too die.

These so-called “owners of Nigeria” – military and civilian cohorts alike- must have an urgent and inevitable conversation for several reasons. Nigeria isn’t at its optimal best. The warped 1999 Constitution is being gutted in ways never imagined, by Executive Fait, especially as regards the Federal Character Principles. Statutory appointment and stipulated retirement age are ignored with impunity. Incidentally, Nigeria remains a pluralistic and multi-ethnic and multi religious country. And nothing can change that except if Nigeria ceases to exist as a nation. And that is an option, farfetched as it may seem.

For now, the Nigerian nation is living a convenient lie. The rulers and the ruled are all estranged, unhappy, nervous and mutually suspicious of each other. As hunger and poverty are statutorily weaponized, the simmering anarchy might seem benign. Yet it is as if everyone is just waiting for the next shoe to drop. Sardonically, if the “owners of Nigeria” don’t speak up now, when the ongoing disassembling is done, the Nigeria mosaic would have evanesced.

Facts are stark. President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight year in office was an era that enthroned nepotism, bigotry and blinkered parochialism without apologies. Nigerians stomached that twaddle and the attendant illiberalism foisted by the “cabal,” perhaps, in the self-deluding pretext that such governance modalities were aberrations -an outlier of sorts that would soon pass. They were resoundingly wrong. Then President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged. If Buhari enthroned and canonized nepotism, Tinubu is presently legitimating and codifying it. The Legislative and Judicial arms have proven his ever willing accessories. The recent declaration of a State Emergency validated this contention beyond any doubt.

Today, the Legislative and Judicial arms are appendages of the Executive arm and this is a mockery of their statutory classification. Checks and balances in government are all but dead. So too, is the separation of powers. Suddenly governance is profligate – and to some, such aberration seems acceptable. Contemplating the equal but separate classification has become mythic and academic. Clustered together, the 10th National Assembly is as sad governance joke.

In a recent personal note to me, a veteran civil service and governance expert, who once served in the Presidency said: “Federal institutions have become ethnic enclaves with the North and the West driving the process.” Imponderably, the South-East remains remote by design. This default chasm is not ancillary or germane to progress or true nation building. Neither is national retrogression a desirable or utilitarian building block for development, stability or peace and security.

Nigerians are confronted with dangerous national drift to a unitary government; to a one-party state, if not to absolute authoritarianism. The last time Nigeria brushed Unitarianism, we know what sadly followed. Our history should thus help us interrogate the emerging scenario. Paradoxically, it seems no one can muster the courage to speak up. Nigeria’s political opposition is clearly in disarray. If indeed there is any truth to the recent allegations by Nasir El Rufai, then we know the identikit of the puppeteer that manipulates and undemocratically pull the national opposition parties apart.

Nigerians should all be acutely distressed when their government becomes reckless and goes rogue with impunity. For their part, the “owners of Nigeria” can’t mimic Nero. They can’t afford to. Reticence or traditional conscientious objections are not viable options. And Nigeria’s problems cannot be wished away. This assertion is not conjectural and for anyone to think that it is will be courting delusion. What’s to do? The “owners of Nigeria” –they know themselves- must now have that seemingly elusive and difficult conversation on Nigeria’s fate and future. That conversation, difficult as it may be, is long past due. The time is now. Chaos is imminent. Delay is dangerous.
——-
Obaze is MD/CEO, Selonnes Consult – a policy, governance and management consulting firm in Awka.

By Ejeh Josh

Born March 17, 1972, Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, has continued to receive encomiums from Nigerians, especially among his people, as he marks 53rd birthday anniversary.

Different sections of the society are pouring in their tributes, describing the young governor as a man of many qualities, shattering the barriers of leadership and doing the seemingly impossible through his mantra of disruptive innovation which he introduced into governance.

“He has done it before. He did it in the private sector, where he disrupted the supply chain of the mid and downstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry. It was an unimaginable feat, and when he embarked on the journey, many of us who were already established players in that sector thought such uncanny idea would end up into a cesspit of nightmare and tale of failure.

“He, however, pulled the plug. From 14 days to 24 hours. He displaced the inefficiencies, consigned the waste and singlehandedly saved the nation of costs – environment, human health, that ephialtes called demurrage, and made the process more efficient for Nigerians. That almost eliminated the tortuous riddle of fuel scarcity.

“So, when he promised disruptive innovations in the public space during his campaign, I knew he had a lot to offer, but not to the extent of what we are seeing today. There is almost a 360-degree turnaround in what used to be the notion behind public leadership – and the governor has laid that foundation, the state has rapidly taken off on its development trajectory, and you start wondering if this was the Enugu we used to know few years ago,” Engr. Rafiu Briggs, a major dealer in the oil and gas industry had reeled out the testimony about Mbah.

Mr Briggs’ immersive impression of the governor was only one out of many. Only recently, a former senator from Enugu North senatorial district, Chuka Utazi, had narrated how he lost his way in the state as a result of the sudden shift in the development process which realigned the state’s landscape. The state of infrastructure was swamped with decay arising from years of leadership droughts and mismanagement. There was a great hue and cry among the residents of the state calling for intervention on the decaying state of infrastructure and total relapse of the economy.

In less than two years, the magic was done. This rather was a magical moment, used figuratively to describe the science behind the disruption witnessed in the governance model that shattered that leadership ceiling in the state. Across the 260 electoral wards of the state, landmark projects worth billions of naira are on top gear. The state transitioned from its static stature of a stunted adult to one setting a giant pace in the country. Enugu became the beautiful bride where analysts and Nigerians point to as a rallying point for good governance.

That is a quick reminder of Ruchir Sharma’s “The Rise and Fall of Nations” which highlighted key indicators he called rules of thumbs to understanding a nation’s economic trajectory and the intentionality of triggering a shift from the cobwebs of established traditions to something novel and innovative. While the journey to disrupting the “incremental development process” became increasingly unpopular among the political leeches rationalised by their conservative prejudices was ongoing, Mbah’s will to recalibrate the state from a state belonging to a cartel of parasites to people-oriented society gives Enugu the shape it has taken in recent months.

From restoration of security confidence to re-tooling the economy, infrastructure, human capital development, youths’ upskilling and education, Enugu shot itself into the moon, becoming a new beacon of hope; a city on the hill. Today, Enugu has maintained that reference point for good governance as people travel from other states to behold its magnificent sites and sweeping vistas made possible by the emerging governance model. Only a leader who is not just competent and disciplined but uncannily financially prudent can muster the courage to pick a state wobbling from years of abuse and neglect and remodel it within months to the envy of its contemporaries.

In describing the governor’s selfless service, the President-General of Enugu State Development Association, Igwe Abel Nwobodo, an elder statesman, referred to the inspiring transformation the state is experiencing under the current dispensation. Moving Enugu from a public service status to private-driven economy appeared insane an idea to conceive looking at the incompatibility it posed. But Mbah had not only shown its possibility, Enugu state is priding itself as an investment hub with opportunities for local and international investors.

On his part, the Chairman of Nkanu West Local Government Traditional Rulers Council, HRH Eze Barr. Igwesi Obi Igwesi, did no mince words in describing the governor’s interventions as transcendental.

“What we are witnessing in Enugu State is transcendental. The governor’s mind knows no limitations. He conceives a thing and births it against all odds – a genius of the first class order.

“Mbah deserves the accolades and encomiums poured on him on his birthday because as a people, we are proud of all that he represents”, the Monarch added.

While those from the private and public sectors have something warm and positive to say about the governor from the prisms of his commitment and dedication to service, public servants – teachers, civil servants, retirees, local governments’ workers are not left out. They have found their voices through the governance structure set up by the Mbah administration to help them fulfill their dreams and live meaningful life. That’s the society where inclusion, equity, equality and justice reign.

Promotions of workers as at when due, salaries and emoluments, pensions and gratuities, including other incentives are now taken for granted under Mbah’s leadership. While not stopping there, the governor marshalled what is now known as, “Rural Dwellers’ Allowance” for teachers as a way of encouraging quality education among people in rural communities.

With the Smart Green Schools, the primary healthcare system and other social services going on across all the electoral wards in the state – the first in the history of Nigeria – the coast to birthing a new smart state positioned as one of the future largest economies in Africa is a matter of time.

Happy 53rd Birthday to the Sheriff of Good Governance.

By Ejeh Josh

When in April 2024, a syndicate – faculty and participants in the Executive Intelligence Management Course 17 of the National Institute of Security and Strategic Studies (NISS) drawn from 26 agencies of 5 African countries; Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Chad and Rwanda – visited the Southeast zone to understudy the state of security affairs and draw strategic comparisons with their experiences (past and present), the West Africa security chiefs left some indelible impressions consequent upon the observation in Enugu.

Led by the directing NISS staff and syndicate supervisor, Bolarinwa Adekunle, the security team gave a graphic disconcerting observation of the situation of security affairs in 2022 and what it was in April 2024 – less than a year after Governor Peter Mbah assumed office as the state’s security chief. Blending a panoramic imagery of a radical shift from the dreadful state of the past where renegade non-state actors held sway, unleashed reign of terror and laid siege on the nooks and crannies of the east to a state of freedom, Adekunle had this to say;

“I came to Enugu in 2022 as a participant of this prestigious course. We arrived in Enugu on a Sunday, and on Monday, we were made to stay in our hotel. We could not go anywhere. But, today, the situation is not the same.” Simple as the terse statement might appear, the coming of Mbah into office as governor was a defining moment not just among residents of Enugu State but the span of the Southeast enclave.

The ante Mbah administration witnessed a state under suffocation and under the jugular of criminals who dictated the way of life of the people. It was an excruciating experience that the memory continues to haunt survivors. Life was shut down. Government appeared to have lost the grip of authority to the rampaging marauders. Schools were under lockdown. The once burgeoning economy – market, industry, tourism – got smothered. People lived in perpetual fear. It’s a nightmare that even the relics of the Biafra war would not compare. And then came in quick succession the deafening silence of the inglorious sit-at-home where citizens and residents were forced to shudder and crouch under their bed for safety.

The situation seemingly appeared irredeemable dotted with daily gunshots. Hundreds of innocent civilians and operatives were abruptly cut short. Authorities were undermined and even cringed in cowardice for safety across the East. Regardless, sit-at-home orders were issued at the draconian whims and caprices of criminals; some of whom issued these orders from faraway foreign lands. Paralysed with fears, residents could only blow muted trumpets while maintaining unquestionable obedience to the dictates of the miscreants. Across the cities, towns and streets were the trail of the felons – silent streets deserted like ghost towns where war had consumed every breathing flesh. In his 1920’s The Second Coming, the Irish poet, W.B Yeats, painted the gory atmosphere that bedeviled the East. “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”

It was in this state of confusion and anarchy that Mbah came in as governor. Dismayed by the reigns of terror, he proclaimed as unacceptable the continuous mortgage of lives of the citizens. He was resolute and committed to flourishing out the hydra-headed monster and put an end to their rampage. But like people long subjugated and mentally coerced by their tormentors, the decision to wrestle and “escort” the monsters out of the state and by extension, the Southeast zone, was resisted. They had accepted their fate of continuous whimpering. Mbah’s decision was very unpopular and the road he had decided to tread was the road less traveled.

In 1915, Robert Lee Frost, an American poet, published his well celebrated poem, The Road Not Taken, where he narrated how sojourners defined their journey of life. Competing and often conflicting choices are presented amidst uncertainty. The average human being is known to take the easy and popular path that resonates with peers and countrymen often borne out of rave of the moment. In Mbah’s governing philosophy, he is known as an unapologetic – unrepentant, rightly added, nonconformist who defied conventions in his uncanny path to dismantling traditions of inefficiency through his disruptive innovation mantra. In May 2023, Mbah mounted the rostrum as a new governor offering inaugural speech, and one take away on the lips of every listener and watcher was the “business unusual” phrase.

When he commenced the radical architectural departure which began to disrupt the webs of underdevelopment, the conservative society was befuddled, questioning and grappling to unravel the riddles the administration was demonstrating. Months later, the recondite administrative reforms began to set the pace for an unprecedented optimism. With the security restructuring, enabled by the deployment of technology to preempt, thwart and eliminate crime the state escorted criminal renegades out of the state. Sit-at-home became a memory consigned to the past. Life burgeons again! Economy, education, investment, infrastructure, and most importantly, emancipation from psychological slavery all became a dream fulfilled. That was the road less traveled taken by Mbah. A sacrifice only few would make in the country.

On Sunday, 16 March, I was at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Independence Layout, Enugu, for the Holy Mass. During the homily, the priest announced the communique issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at its 1st Plenary held between 8 and 14 March in Abuja. The communique made some consequential observations on the state of the nation and called on the governments at all levels to prioritise security and safety of the citizens. Of interest was the tacit commendation of Enugu State over its security re-engineering which led to the deployment of high technology to fight crimes and guarantee life of the people. When the governor embarked on this journey, which today had attracted several states to Enugu to understudy the security infrastructure, it was, for many, a tall dream. Importing the American modern security system which is tech-driven and AI-enabled in gathering intelligence was probably the height of the road less traveled and which would never been taken by many leaders. Mbah did. That was daring audacity of courage.

Born March 17, 1972, Mbah, has continued to receive encomiums from Nigerians, especially among his people, as he marks 53rd birthday anniversary. His life-transforming projects are now left to speak for themselves.

Different sections of the society are pouring in their tributes, describing the young governor as a man of many qualities, shattering the barriers of leadership and doing the seemingly impossible through his mantra of disruptive innovation which he introduced into governance.

“He has done it before. He did it in the private sector, where he disrupted the supply chain of the downstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry. It was an unimaginable feat, and when he embarked on the journey, many of us who were already established players in that sector thought such uncanny idea would end up into a cesspit of nightmare and tale of failure.

“He, however, pulled the plug. From 14 days to 24 hours. He displaced the inefficiencies, consigned the waste and singlehandedly saved the nation of costs – environment, human health, that ephialtes called demurrage, and made the process more efficient for Nigerians. That almost eliminated the tortuous riddle of fuel scarcity.

“So, when he promised disruptive innovations in the public space during his campaign, I knew he had a lot to offer, but not to the extent of what we are seeing today. There is almost a 360-degree turnaround in what used to be the notion behind public leadership – and the governor has laid that foundation, the state has rapidly taken off on its development trajectory, and you start wondering if this was the Enugu we used to know few years ago,” Engr. Rafiu Briggs, a major dealer in the oil and gas industry had reeled out the testimony about Mbah.

Mr Briggs’ immersive impression of the governor was only one out of many. Only recently, a former senator from Enugu North senatorial district, Chuka Utazi, had narrated how he lost his way in the state as a result of the sudden shift in the development process which realigned the state’s landscape. The state of infrastructure was swamped with decay arising from years of leadership droughts and mismanagement. There was a great hue and cry among the residents of the state calling for intervention on the decaying state of infrastructure and total relapse of the economy.

In less than two years, the magic was done. This rather was a magical moment, used figuratively to describe the science behind the disruption witnessed in the governance model that shattered that leadership ceiling in the state. Across the 260 electoral wards of the state, landmark projects worth billions of naira are on top gear. The state transitioned from its static stature of a stunted adult to one setting a giant pace in the country. Enugu became the beautiful bride where analysts and Nigerians point to as a rallying point for good governance.

That is a quick reminder of Ruchir Sharma’s “The Rise and Fall of Nations” which highlighted key indicators he called rules of thumbs to understanding a nation’s economic trajectory and the intentionality of triggering a shift from the cobwebs of established traditions to something novel and innovative. While the journey to disrupting the “incremental development process” became increasingly unpopular among the political leeches rationalised by their conservative prejudices was ongoing, Mbah’s will to recalibrate the state from a state belonging to a cartel of parasites to people-oriented society gives Enugu the shape it has taken in recent months.

From restoration of security confidence to re-tooling the economy, infrastructure, human capital development, youths’ upskilling and education, Enugu shot itself into the moon, becoming a new beacon of hope; a city on the hill. Today, Enugu has maintained that reference point for good governance as people travel from other states to behold its magnificent sites and sweeping vistas made possible by the emerging governance model. Only a leader who is not just competent and disciplined but uncannily financially prudent can muster the courage to pick a state wobbling from years of abuse and neglect and remodel it within months to the envy of its contemporaries.

In describing the governor’s selfless service, the President-General of Enugu State Development Association, Igwe Abel Nwobodo, an elder statesman, referred to the inspiring transformation the state is experiencing under the current dispensation. Moving Enugu from a public service status to private-driven economy appeared insane an idea to conceive looking at the incompatibility it posed. But Mbah had not only shown its possibility, Enugu state is priding itself as an investment hub with opportunities for local and international investors.

While those from the private and public sectors have something warm and positive to say about the governor from the prisms of his commitment and dedication to service, public servants – teachers, civil servants, retirees, local governments’ workers are not left out. They have found their voices through the governance structure set up by the Mbah administration to help them fulfill their dreams and live meaningful life. That’s the society where inclusion, equity, equality and justice reign.

Promotions of workers as at when due, salaries and emoluments, pensions and gratuities, including other incentives are now taken for granted under Mbah’s leadership. While not stopping there, the governor marshalled what is now known as, “Rural Dwellers’ Allowance” for teachers as a way of encouraging quality education among people in rural communities.

With the Smart Green Schools, the primary healthcare system and other social services going on across all the electoral wards in the state – the first in the history of Nigeria – the coast to birthing a new smart state positioned as one of the future largest economies in Africa is a matter of time.

*Happy 53rd Birthday to the Sheriff of Good Governance.*

By FEMI ADESINA

A very unusual kind of topic for me to write on, don’t you think? Well, we learn from different things in life, and there are lessons I’ve learnt from the Apostle Johnson Suleman and Halima Abubakar saga, which spurred me to write this piece.

Suleman is a preacher of the gospel, who runs Omega Fire Ministries, based in Auchi, Edo State. Halima Abubakar used to be a top Nollywood actress, very upwardly mobile, before she ran into stormy weather a couple of years back.

What is the affinity between these people? That was the question to ask, as the actress came out in year 2022 to say she had been having an amorous affair with the preacher for four years, and had even been pregnant for him three times. The pregnancies, she claimed, were lost mysteriously.

Halima had series of health challenges, which took her to different parts of the world, seeking a cure. No headway. She said it was the preacher using her spiritually.

Apostle Suleman went to court, suing for defamation. He won the case, was awarded N10million, and the court restrained Halima from further comments. It was something straight from a Nollywood movie script. Quite salacious.

Then a twist in the tale. Sometime last year, Halima Abubakar came out to say she had lied against the preacher. “I made false allegation against you. I humbly ask for your forgiveness, as I was not thinking clearly at the time,” she said.

Can you just imagine! What kind of mind could have concocted such an allegation against a man of God? How? Why?

Suleman accepted the apology, but added that “forgiveness is not memory loss,” and that status quo would be maintained between him and Halima.

Now, what is your own interest in all these, some readers may ask. Or are you just doing shoboleshon (only God knows how Yoruba people created this word, which means poking your nose into what doesn’t concern you).

This is the nexus. In the year 2020, while I served as spokesman to President Muhammadu Buhari, one Rev Andimi had been abducted by Boko Haram in Adamawa State, and later beheaded. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) shockingly said it was part of the ploy by government to decimate the Christian population in the country.

It didn’t make sense by any stretch of the imagination, and I said so in a press statement. There was some back and forth between myself and the rather pugnacious CAN on the matter. In the middle of it, Apostle Suleman added his voice.

He said my defense was empty, and showed me as being unworthy of the position I held. He used some foul words, which were unbecoming of a preacher.

You know that me too I can be troublesome (only once in a while o). So I looked for prophecies Suleman had made during the period, and which hit the crossbar. Without mentioning his name in my tweet, I said: “He claims to be prophet. He said whoever won the 2015 presidential poll would not rule. He said El-Rufai won’twin in Kaduna. Later, he said the man would die within a time. El-Rufai is well and alive. Is that one a prophet? Fake! It’s not me that says so, it’s the Holy Bible.”

The media made a feast of the exchanges between me and Apostle Suleman, but it didn’t bother me. He was the one that stirred the hornets’ nest, and whatever he got, he should deal with it.

My tweet was on 28 January, 2020. And five days later, there was this surprising Open Letter to Femi Adesina, by Apostle Suleman. He reviewed the state of the nation vis-a-vis the relationship between Islam and Christianity. On the foul word he used against me, he said: “ I apologize if I came out wrongly or rudely.
“I took this approach to respond to the heavy insults and name-calling on your Twitter handle, which is well okay by me, and understandable because you were angry. But I hope this meets you well. This is me pouring out my heart to my brother. I love you my brother, and God bless Nigeria.”

To say I was shocked by the open letter is an understatement. Apostle Suleman? He didn’t have to do it. But he did.

I had met the preacher some years back at Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, where we had both gone to see Governor Rotimi Amaechi. I was still in active media service then, and we had exchanged phone numbers.

I called up the apostle. We exchanged pleasantries. I then asked if the open letter was truly from him. He said it was, and apologized once again for the words he had used against me. He said it was God who directed him to do what he did. I thanked him, and said it was all over.

The Good Book says “…and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Apostle Suleman apologized to me, when he could have chosen not to. And he did it openly. See what Halima Abubakar also did years later. What goes round surely comes round. Whatever you do has a way of coming back to you. With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.

If the apostle was not a man who listened to God, he wouldn’t apologize. I admire his humility in doing it, and making it open. He has my best wishes at all times.

Halima Abubakar? She will find mercy, having retracted her lies against someone who apparently did her no wrong.

Adesina, OON, FNGE, was Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, 2015-2023

By M.O Ene

Senator Natasha Hadiza Akpoti has become a hot political petrel. A maritime myth about storm petrels is that the seabirds predict weird weather. Mariners imagine them as possessing the souls of sailors lost at sea. Natasha may be forecasting a politically stormy season and embodying the souls of some Nigerian political amazons.

We have given flowers to just few great women of colonial struggles: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo, Gambo Sawaba, Janet Mokelu, Alimotu Pelewura, Oyibo Odinammadu, Kofoworola Ademola, etc. They starred alongside our “founding fathers.”

Onyeka Onwenu gave vent to what many knew but kept mute about the reelected Shagari-Ekwueme administration before Buhari-Idiagbon cabal struck. Her findings featured in _“Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches”_ (1984), an acclaimed BBC/NTA documentary.

The Obasanjo-Atiku administration registered great economic successes because of the coordination of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iwuala. Where many men would have melted away or joined the feeding frenzy, she stood firm and made Nigeria Africa’s economic giant.

Before President Yar’Adua gave up the ghost in May 2010, many politicians painted the truth with strange colors. Hardened by her great battles against adulterated drugs as DG, NAFDAC, Dr. Dora Akunyili spoke out and stabilized the polity.

The number of women in power dwindled steadily. In 2022, NASS rejected the gender-inclusive bills. Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, an ardent gender-equity promoter, urged Nigerian women not to give up, that all was not lost. The bill is making its way back.

With some successful sociopolitical squabbles under her belt, Senator Natasha Akpoti did not only disrupt the stillness of the Senate, but she has also internationalized an ongoing scandal. It is no longer about her accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, nor the silly six-month suspension from her colleagues; she has made women participation in politics a hot-button issue.

At the UN Inter-Parliamentary Union, she made it obvious: “I am not here to bring shame to our country; I am here to seek help for the women of Nigeria.” In an emotion-laden presentation, she spoke about political representation, sexual harassment as a form of gender-based violence, hostility in place of accountability, campus sex-for-grades scandals, harassments in workplaces, etc.

Whenever a woman wades past patriarchal pomposity, things happen. Recall the story of Rosa Parks and her critical role in the American civil rights movement. Unlike Rosa Parks who just wanted to rest her tired legs on a bus, Natasha was out for this fight. Akpabio clumsily stumbled onto the allegorical _‘Aboki kaka’_!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement boarded the bus. Rosa Parks became a course for the cause. Natasha is like Rosa Parks without the bus. She needs an organized opposition behind her, not only ‘he said-she said’ sexual harassment. The burning issue to address is the poor representation of women in government and the proverbial dogs feeding on their collar bones. It will take many more women getting on the bus. Alas, for now, few women are waiting; no bus is stopping.

Nigerians must be enlightened about the dangers and the hurt of sexual harassment. On campuses, in churches, offices, and schools, the riling rumors need just one slighted woman to peel off the veil, rock the boat, and wreck many lives. It took just that to unleash Natasha.

Anita Hill, a professor, accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment when she was his adviser. It was a 1991, live-television show of shame. Joe Biden chaired the committee of 14 male USA senators. Thomas survived the confirmation: 52-48. Anita was vilified, but Clarence was dented.

American activist Tarana Burke started the #MeToo movement in 2006 to address the rampant sexual violence and help survivors. It started small in high schools. In 2018, during his Senate confirmation, Justice Brett Kavanaugh was driven to tears when Christine Blasey Ford, another professor, accused him of sexually assaulting her at a 1980’s teenage party. Other women also accused Brett of sexual misconduct. He was confirmed but forever dented.

Famous actor Bill Cosby could hide no more after a Pennsylvania court convicted him of sexual assault. Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was up to no good. #MeToo caught up with him. By 2020, a court convicted him of sexually assaulting an assistant in 2006 and raping an actress in 2013 and sentenced him to 23 years in prison.

Natasha may not win, as in prove conclusively that she was “sexually harassed.” Many still do not get the buzzing. One fellow said at a community klatch: “I beg you, you say no, eh hee?” Natasha has lowered the bar a bit. Hopefully, our politicians, pastors, professionals, and professors are listening.

By Monday Uzor, PhD 

As Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru celebrates his 50th birthday on February 25, 2025, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on his impactful leadership in Ebonyi State.

Born on February 25, 1975, in Oferekpe Agbaja, Izzi Local Government Area, Governor Nwifuru’s journey from humble beginnings to the state’s highest office exemplifies dedication and resilience.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

As Rick Warren would say in his Purpose-driven Life, what gets your attention will get you, Nwifuru’s early life was characterized by perseverance.

This explained why despite challenges, he completed his primary education at Oferekpe Agbaja Community Primary School in 1991 and secondary education at Community Secondary School, Nwofe Agbaja, in 1999 and broke the yoke of illiteracy and ignorance by obtaining a degree in Building Technology and Woodwork from Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. Demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning, he obtained the Bachelor of Law from the prestigious Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki even as he obtained a Master’s degree in Procurement, Logistics, and Supply Chain Management from Salford University, Manchester, UK, in June 2021.

POLITICAL TRAJECTORY

Before becoming governor, Nwifuru served as the Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly from June 2015 to May 2023. His legislative experience provided a solid foundation for his executive role, enabling him to navigate the complexities of governance effectively.

Since assuming office as the 6th Chief Executive of Ebonyi State on May 29, 2023, he has been dedicated to advancing the state’s development through strategic policies and initiatives which space and time marred me from taking a deep dive because of its enormity.

GOVERNOR NWIFURU RUNNING INFRASTRUCTURE AND HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT BLENDED GOVERNANCE:

Governor Nwifuru’s administration is marked by a strategic blend of infrastructure development and human capital investment. Under his leadership, the state has witnessed significant infrastructural transformations, aligning with his “People’s Charter of Needs” agenda. This approach ensures that physical developments are complemented by initiatives aimed at enhancing the skills and well-being of the populace.

Specifically in the area of human capital development, 1000 young men and women have benefitted from the Foreign and Local Scholarship with many almost at the completion of their academic programs in various ivy league universities in the UK.

His giant strides in governance informed the public declaration of support by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ebonyi State.

Suffice it to say that NUJ commended these efforts, highlight the governor’s commitment to delivering good governance through this balanced strategy.

WORKS AND INDUSTRIALIZATION PHILOSOPHY

The Governor Nwifuru’s administration continues to make significant strides in infrastructure development, driving progress and improving the quality of life for Ebonyians. His commitment to modernization of urban and rural areas is evident through landmark projects and strategic initiatives that have reshaped the state.

For instance, the Vincent Agwu Nwankwo, otherwise called the VANCO Junction is an engineering marvel of the present administration. The administration has undertaken the ambitious construction of the VANCO underground and flyover, with a view of easing traffic congestion and enhancing urban mobility.

This project stands as a testament to the governor’s dedication to modernizing transportation networks and improving road safety.

Also, one of the key highlight of the administration’s achievements is the construction of several kilometers of roads across both urban and rural areas.
These road projects facilitate economic growth, improve connectivity, and ensure that communities have better access to essential services and markets.

Central to Governor Nwifuru’s vision is the industrialization of Ebonyi State. By ensuring a conducive environment for businesses and industries, his administration aims to transform the state into a commercial hub. The Pipe Production and Pulverization Companies are fully operational.

Just recently, the Shanghai Jianghan Investment Company Ltd. were in the State to find areas of partnership with the government.

This industrial push is designed to stimulate economic growth, create employment opportunities, and reduce poverty levels, thereby improving the standard of living for residents.

COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW, EQUITY, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Governor Nwifuru upholds the principles of the rule of law, equity, and social justice as foundational elements of his governance. His policies are crafted to ensure fairness and inclusivity, providing equal opportunities for all citizens. This commitment is evident in his administration’s efforts to address systemic inequalities and promote social cohesion across the state. Just recently, 159 pre-trial detainees in connection with the Effium communal crisis who have been in detention have been granted state pardon by the governor as part of the larger plans to reach truce in the war-tone communities.

The Governor is a stickler to equity and social justice. The appointment of members of the State Executive Council, Members and Chairmen of Boards and other positions alludes to this claim.

As Governor Nwifuru celebrates this milestone birthday, his tenure reflects a steadfast dedication to the progress and prosperity of Ebonyi State, guided by principles of development, justice, and equity.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Governor Nwifuru has deliberately Strengthened emergency response across the 13 General Hospitals in the State.
Recognizing the importance of swift medical intervention, the Governor has overseen the purchase of new ambulances and service vehicles to enhance healthcare accessibility across the 13 General Hospitals and Clinics. Medical emergencies marred by mobility is now history.

These vehicles have significantly improved emergency response times, ensuring patients receive timely medical attention.

Noteworthy is the medical workforce expansion which has addressed healthcare gaps. Upon assumption of office 18 months ago, his administration prioritized the recruitment of medical doctors and health workers.

By increasing the number of trained professionals in hospitals and clinics, the governor has strengthened healthcare delivery and improved patient outcomes.

Through these bold initiatives, the governor continues to demonstrate a steadfast commitment to the development of infrastructure and the well-being of citizens.

The Governor Nwifuru’s administration remains focused on fostering sustainable growth, improving public services, and ensuring a higher standard of living for all residents.

As His Excellency celebrates the golden age of 50, it behooves on us the beneficiaries of his interventions and the general public to join hands in supporting the governor as he takes Ebonyi State to its destination of eldorado in line with the vision of the founding fathers.

Congratulations, and happy golden jubilee celebration, Your Excellency.

Monday Uzor, PhD, is the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor. 

The death of Chief (Dr.) Sen. Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, OFR, CON, the Ijaw National Leader, Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF and National Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum SMBLF, on Monday, February 17, 2025 marks the end of an enviable era in the political discourse of Nigeria. The death of Clark followed closely after the death of yet another Titan, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the National Leader of Afenifere and the Deputy Leader of the SMBLF on February 14, 2025. The two deceased had late last year mourned the death of Chief Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, MFR, OFR, CFR, FNSE,FNICE, FNSE, FNIST, KSC (Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo) the former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

The SMBLF comprises the PANDEF, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, and the Middle Belt Forum with Clark, Adebanjo, Iwuanyanwu and Dr. Bitrus Porgu as leaders, respectively. The meetings which attracts the prominent dignitaries of the South South, South East, South West and the Midddle Belt always holds at the Asokoro residence of Chief E. K .Clark.

The major ideology of the SMBLF is to enthrone a restructured prosperous Nigeria where the rule of Law, equity and justice shall thrive. The SMBLF laments the socio-economic condition of Nigerians; a country well-endowed with abundant natural, material and human resources yet the citizenry are in abject poverty. The SMBLF expresses deep concern that if the rate of corruption in Nigeria and the concomitant borrowings by the federal government continue unabated, the Nigerian masses and the generations unborn will be exposed to the worst of human conditions on earth. Amongst the issues that agitate the SMBLF are the self-aggrandizement, display of obscene wealth, and all forms of impunity by the powers that be. The scariest of the problems is the destruction of farms and the violent invasion of communities by the Fulani herdsmen. The release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the federal government has remained a constant agenda in the SMBLF meetings.

Nigeria is a bizarre country that thrives on abnormalities and contraries. It is a country where the votes cast in any election are more than the accredited voters. It is a country where the public office holders pillory the state with impunity; and where the rogues in power are celebrated even the Churches. And the Pastors impoverish the laity and go ahead to flaunt opulent lifestyles. It is a country where a bank account can grow from One Naira to a Billion Naira in one day, and nobody cares. It is a country where the reptiles swallow billions of public funds. Perhaps, the only country, where the opposition party abdicates its responsibilities; a polity where the politicians win elections into the state and national assemblies on the platform of an opposition party only to join the ruling party without scruples; and where the conscience of the legislature, the organ of the government that should checkmate the executive excesses, is mortgaged with exotic flashy cars and mind-boggling humungous money. It is a country that the first class university graduates are denied employment in favour of school dropouts, on account of ethnicity. It is a country where the leaders of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)-an organization charged with the responsibility of enforcing all economic and financial crimes in Nigeria and the recovery of loots from the unconscionable looters- will turn around to steal the recovered loots. Yet, a country the security operatives connive with criminals to inflict mayhem on the citizens. A country where the most corrupt are sanctimoniously preaching against corruption. It is also the country where a federal system of government was converted to an absurd unified federal system through a military fiat, and so on….

At a point, the SMBLF was the only strident voice, the only opposition, against the President Muhammadu Buhari extremities and indeed the conscience of Nigerians. The SMBLF rose against the clandestine moves by Buhari to install another Northerner as a president after his eight years tenure. The Forum called on the Buhari government to embark on the Eastern rail line with a standard gauge; and queried the essence of the $1.9bn Kano-Maradi rail project at the expense of the poor infrastructure in Nigeria. When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed Office, the SMBLF “warned Tinubu against treating the organized violence in Northern Nigeria the same way his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, did”. The Forum in an open letter to Tinubu, plainly “accused the Buhari administration of allegedly indulging the bloodletting in the northern part of the country, etc.” Furthermore, the Forum has insisted that the Nigerian constitution is a faulty document which does not enjoy the legitimacy of the citizenry; and that the founding fathers of Nigeria envisaged a country that can only survive on a true fiscal federalism. It is convenient to add that it was the only group that spoke truth to power. In other words, any communique by the SMBLF was a wake-up call to the government and Nigerians.

During the 2023 general election, the Forum stood vehemently for Mr. Peter Obi on two major reasons. The group maintained that for any country to have a sustainable development, its foundation must be anchored on equity and social justice. The group argued and maintained that going by the rotation and zoning principles which have been entrenched in the Nigerian democracy, it is the turn of the South East to produce a president for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The second reason was that Mr. Peter Obi presented an attractive blue print and manifesto that will transform Nigeria from a consumption to a production economy.

Without any fear of contradiction, the resolute unwavering supports of the likes of Chief E K Clark, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr. Bitrus Porgu, Chief Nnia Nwodo, etc lent enormous credence to the Obi-Datti political hurricane wind that blew across Nigeria. Pa Adebanjo in one of his remarks stated that “the survival of Nigeria is tied to Peter Obi of the Labour Party winning the presidential election in 2023” To draw closer his point, Pa Adebanjo warned Nigerians, saying “you will suffer the consequences if obi is not the next president of Nigeria” He added “as you already know, I am 94 years old. I will be enjoying in my grave soon and you will suffer, particularly the youths of this nation if you fail to vote for peter Obi”

On his side, Chief Clark maintained that “Obi would unite the country with his move to restructure it, if he wins the presidential election” Clark added that “the Niger Delta people wish to see a Nigeria where there would be true federalism, especially in the areas of devolution of power and resource control, and that this aspiration has been presented by the PANDEF to Obi”. In one of the public statements, Clark urged the rest of the country “to either vote an Igbo as president of Nigeria or allow them to go, instead of the persistent injustice against the Igbo”.

Like the Three Musketeers, Clark, Adebanjo and Iwuanyanwu, believed in one for all and all for one. Iwuanyanwu, not only was in full support of the presidential ambition of Peter Obi, of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election but was in constant touch with all the men that mattered in Nigeria. The Musketeers believed that the only option that can guarantee the corporate existence of Nigeria is through restructuring of the polity. They were committed to restructuring Nigeria, fiscal federalism, rule of law, constitutionalism, prudent leadership, impeccable judiciary, genuine separation of powers, social justice, cordial inter-ethnic cultural relations, and curbing wastes in governance, amongst others.

Any patriotic Nigerian should know that the exit of Chief Edwin Clark, Pa Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu has created a huge vacuum. In the absence of a credible opposition to the government, the death of the three Musketeers will trigger a down ward spiral for the country. I weep as I write. I weep that Nigeria may not be able to produce the likes of Clark, Adebanjo and Iwuanyanwu in years to come. I weep that the voices of reason are gone. It is sad that those we tried to emulate in character, courage, fidelity and integrity are gone.

In my mind’s eyes, I can see the palatial living room of Chief Clark and the members of the SMBLF all seated. I can hear the voices of the three musketeers. I can as well surmise a guess that with the death of Chief E K Clark, it is nunc dimittis, the end of an era.

Author: Dr. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia.