₦airaland Forum

Confam

That's how the game is played.
All hail Tinubu the master strategist

All hail the jagaban!
The enviable political strategist. That's who a leader is, a leader shouldn't be full of pride like the constituted authority.

Said baba!
Wailers can cry me a river

Nice one there

SE block vote indeed!
Next level things!

Buhari is winning in Oluyole,Saki west,egbeda,ona Ara,iseyin etc with wide margin

TonyeBarcanista:
David Umaru should tell his supporters to vote for Atiku and PDP

You have no shame!

Maa shaa Allah

He's responsible for killings in the north and bank robbery in the south! When an irony, banks no dey North?

Thanks to PMB

Ladoja can be funny at times

abc115:
The man derives his power from the people..I think he listens and consults more before taking action

Exactly. He's indeed a very smart politician with a lot of materials at his disposal.
All hail the jagaban!

#istandwithbaba

Heeyarh!
Elrufai is waxing stronger

It's indeed a treble for APC
Said Baba we know!

Jazakumullahu khayr

So El-rufai finally humbled this man.

Jagaban of borgu!

#happy
PDP can bury their heads in shame.
The first time the whole of southwest will be ruled by a party since 2003

Arsenalholic:
I can't believe Grenot Rorh started Musa and Iheanacho against tall, physical defended who are renowned for being well-organzed

A combo of Simy Nwankwo and Iheanacho or Ighalo and Iheanacho would have been better off. E now when to put Musa that runs around like a chicken. Let's just hope this all clicks, else...

did
And you can see what musa did
Musa the great
Our highest goal scorer on world cup
With 4 goals and still counting

Its actually not possible.

Alhamdulillah.
But where was it sighted. I mean which state?

Sorry this is a wrong section

Shall We Tell the President?
April 22, 2018

Simon Kolawolelive!, Email: simon.kolawoe@thisdaylive.com. SMS: 0805 500 1961
THISDAY

Dear President Muhammadu Buhari, I hope this meets you well. I don’t know if you remember me. My name is Simon. Simon Kolawole. Never mind. We will come to that later. Let us briefly journey into history for proper context into why I have chosen to openly write you this morning. I first heard of your name in the evening of December 31, 1983 when you were named the military head of state. Earlier in the day, Brigadier Sani Abacha had woken us up with the announcement of the overthrow of the civilian government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. The economy had been in bad shape. Prices of basic commodities had gone out of hand. Life was so hard. We were tired of Shagari. And we were happy to see his back.

You passionately preached patriotism, Your Excellency, and for once we were proud to display the Nigerian flag everywhere without being coaxed. We also started singing the second stanza of the national anthem. Commercial drivers plastered your image on their vehicles as if you were some Michael Jackson or Bob Marley. You passionately preached discipline, Your Excellency, and queuing became part of our culture — even if enforced with a bit of koboko. Open defecation and open urination became a rare sight, even in the remotest of villages. I remember politicians being sentenced to 500 years in prison for corruption. We loved you to bits.

But things soon took a terrifying turn as journalists and activists were being arrested and detained under gruesome conditions. By the time they came out of detention a year later, they were in poor health, most of them looking like 3D images of skeletons. The detention cells of the National Security Organisation (called the NSO, the forerunner of today’s SSS/DSS) were like concentration camps. Human rights abuses became normal. To be honest, Mr. President, I began to dislike you. When Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro announced your ouster on August 27, 1985, I’d be honest, I jumped for joy. Don’t be offended: I just couldn’t help it.


But I was soon in regrets, Your Excellency, after the initial euphoria that greeted the ascension of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida to power. It took a couple of years for me to realise it is not all that shines that is star. Gradually, corruption became a way of life. We used to be discreetly corrupt but it soon became an across-the-counter culture. Our values were completely eroded as Babangida ran a laissez faire government and entrenched a “settlement” culture. In the words of Ike Okonta, the revered prose artist, “Babangida democratised corruption and corrupted democracy.” I started thinking of what might have been if you had stayed a bit longer and finished the moral foundation you were laying.

Something happened that made me walk my way back to you. TheNews magazine interviewed you in 1994 and you said something that melted my heart. You confessed that you made mistakes while you were head of state “but they were genuine mistakes… we were in a hurry to change Nigeria”. Your Excellency, that was the day you won me back. Four years later, with all the work you had done at the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF), I started dreaming of a Buhari presidency again. I wrote an article in THISDAY sometime in 1998, virtually asking you to become president again. My late friend, Chuks Ehirim, teased me afterwards, demanding: “Simon, tell me how much Buhari paid you for that last line.”

Then in February 2001, I finally met you. I had been appointed the editor of TheWeek to re-launch the now rested magazine owned by then Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. I was looking for a great interview. You came to mind. I got your number, called you and promptly got an appointment. I met you at your house in Jabi, Kaduna, and we had a very good interview. Remember me now? You said something that reinforced my belief in you. You said what Nigeria lacked was leadership. You promised to provide that leadership. I became a self-appointed volunteer and started fighting your cause in the media. You were not the darling of the so-called Lagos-Ibadan press, but I never make my decisions based on the crowd.

When you finally won the presidential election in 2015 after several tries, I had only one expectation from you: to offer leadership as you had promised me in Jabi in 2001. I never expected you to be Lee Kwan Yew as many of your latter-day supporters on Twitter were painting you. The only thing I expected was leadership. My expectation was that you would pick a team of competent people, allow them to come up with a blueprint and then be their political backbone for the implementation. That was all I desired. I did not expect you to be an inventor like Graham Bell or make a Martin Luther King Jnr kind of speech. I had been your close “friend” for 14 years. I knew what to expect and what not to expect.

One trait of leadership is swift and decisive action. The herdsmen/farmers had claimed hundreds of lives before you showed up. Leadership entails emotional presence and motivation. Where are you, Mr. President? I need to be blunt with you, Your Excellency. You know very well that I am not looking for a job. I will be a journalist for life, never to be found anywhere in government either by election or appointment. I know how many “juicy” offers I have turned down in my life. That puts me in a very good position to talk to you without fear or favour. All I want is for you to offer Nigeria the leadership you promised me in Jabi. I am neither PDP nor APC. I’m not among those who hate you because you are Muslim or Fulani. You know me well; I don’t need to justify myself.

I will now list three of your failings. One, you are too soft with corrupt government officials, especially those seen to be close to you. Many of them carry on as if they have your backing. The foundation of your moral authority, Mr. President, is being eroded before your very eyes. I understand that you can’t convict anyone, but you can at least fire them! It took you decades to fire Babachir Lawal. The Maina affair remains a baggage. Premium Times has just exposed a N10 billion scandal involving your officials. TheCable recently exposed the sleaze around Abacha Loot recovery. Sadly, nobody is expecting you to act — which shows how expectations have been lowered. Not good, Mr. President, not good.

Remember, Your Excellency, that this is your government. Long after you have gone, nobody will remember who your ministers were. I know that a leader cannot do everything but he must take responsibility for the people he chooses. He must prune when necessary. Most of your ministers are not pulling their weight. But it seems you find it difficult to ask people to go. You appear to be rewarding people with beats based on loyalty — not that they are fit for purpose. Mr. President, your cabinet is long overdue for a shake-up. This is injury time and if you don’t throw the deadwoods in your cabinet overboard, they will sink your ship. It is your name and your legacy that are at stake.

Two, you are not in control of the security agencies. The security chiefs are fighting their own civil war. Last year, two of your service chiefs were not on speaking terms because they were competing to become chief of defence staff. In the process, they refused to co-operate and this helped Boko Haram re-possess Sambisa forest. Where is the leadership you promised, Mr. President? Your EFCC acting chairman, DSS DG, NIA DG, army chief, minister of interior and national security adviser are at one another’s throat. Can’t you call them to order, Mr. President? Where is the leadership you promised me in Jabi? How can Nigeria be at peace when the security chiefs are at war?

Three, Your Excellency, can you please stop running down Nigerians before foreigners? By your position, you are the chief marketer of Nigeria. Why did you say what you said about “a lot of” Nigerian youth at the Commonwealth meeting? That they don’t go to school and only want freebies because of oil money? Who says that about their own people? In the UK where you were talking, young people receive weekly benefits from the government — in addition to free education and free healthcare. And you know what? This is taxpayers’ money, not even free oil money. I know you said “a lot of the youth” not “all” but anybody who tells you that you said the right thing is a boot licker. Quote me, Your Excellency.

There are a dozen other issues, such as human rights abuses by the police and DSS, Mr. President, but I lack space. If you noticed, I did not even talk about your second term bid. I have seen enough to know that those angling to take over from you may not be any better. I have seen it all. In every election, politicians play on our intelligence and ride on our emotions. When they get power, they become something else. So I don’t have any appetite for politicking. My resolve is to always constructively engage with whoever is in power and proffer ideas for national development. If you get a second term, I won’t relent. If you don’t, I will engage with whoever succeeds you. All I desire is a better Nigeria.

By the way, Mr. President, I almost forgot to tell you that there are some things I still admire in you. I still trust your personal integrity – I am yet to hear that you are collecting money from businessmen and ministers; and nobody has yet hinted me that you have a private jet held in trust by some banker. This still gladdens my heart. I will also say the economy is steadily picking up after some initial missteps. On infrastructure, things are looking up. I am also heartened that you are blocking many loopholes in government, even if your anti-corruption war can be better executed and more encompassing. Of course, I know Nigeria is not going to change overnight – I’ve been saying that for ages – but, Your Excellency, all the failings I have listed today do not require divine intervention. It is all about leadership.

Thank you for your attention and please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest esteem.

Shall We Tell the President?
April 22, 2018

Simon Kolawolelive!, Email: simon.kolawoe@thisdaylive.com. SMS: 0805 500 1961
THISDAY

Dear President Muhammadu Buhari, I hope this meets you well. I don’t know if you remember me. My name is Simon. Simon Kolawole. Never mind. We will come to that later. Let us briefly journey into history for proper context into why I have chosen to openly write you this morning. I first heard of your name in the evening of December 31, 1983 when you were named the military head of state. Earlier in the day, Brigadier Sani Abacha had woken us up with the announcement of the overthrow of the civilian government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. The economy had been in bad shape. Prices of basic commodities had gone out of hand. Life was so hard. We were tired of Shagari. And we were happy to see his back.

You passionately preached patriotism, Your Excellency, and for once we were proud to display the Nigerian flag everywhere without being coaxed. We also started singing the second stanza of the national anthem. Commercial drivers plastered your image on their vehicles as if you were some Michael Jackson or Bob Marley. You passionately preached discipline, Your Excellency, and queuing became part of our culture — even if enforced with a bit of koboko. Open defecation and open urination became a rare sight, even in the remotest of villages. I remember politicians being sentenced to 500 years in prison for corruption. We loved you to bits.

But things soon took a terrifying turn as journalists and activists were being arrested and detained under gruesome conditions. By the time they came out of detention a year later, they were in poor health, most of them looking like 3D images of skeletons. The detention cells of the National Security Organisation (called the NSO, the forerunner of today’s SSS/DSS) were like concentration camps. Human rights abuses became normal. To be honest, Mr. President, I began to dislike you. When Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro announced your ouster on August 27, 1985, I’d be honest, I jumped for joy. Don’t be offended: I just couldn’t help it.


But I was soon in regrets, Your Excellency, after the initial euphoria that greeted the ascension of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida to power. It took a couple of years for me to realise it is not all that shines that is star. Gradually, corruption became a way of life. We used to be discreetly corrupt but it soon became an across-the-counter culture. Our values were completely eroded as Babangida ran a laissez faire government and entrenched a “settlement” culture. In the words of Ike Okonta, the revered prose artist, “Babangida democratised corruption and corrupted democracy.” I started thinking of what might have been if you had stayed a bit longer and finished the moral foundation you were laying.

Something happened that made me walk my way back to you. TheNews magazine interviewed you in 1994 and you said something that melted my heart. You confessed that you made mistakes while you were head of state “but they were genuine mistakes… we were in a hurry to change Nigeria”. Your Excellency, that was the day you won me back. Four years later, with all the work you had done at the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF), I started dreaming of a Buhari presidency again. I wrote an article in THISDAY sometime in 1998, virtually asking you to become president again. My late friend, Chuks Ehirim, teased me afterwards, demanding: “Simon, tell me how much Buhari paid you for that last line.”

Then in February 2001, I finally met you. I had been appointed the editor of TheWeek to re-launch the now rested magazine owned by then Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. I was looking for a great interview. You came to mind. I got your number, called you and promptly got an appointment. I met you at your house in Jabi, Kaduna, and we had a very good interview. Remember me now? You said something that reinforced my belief in you. You said what Nigeria lacked was leadership. You promised to provide that leadership. I became a self-appointed volunteer and started fighting your cause in the media. You were not the darling of the so-called Lagos-Ibadan press, but I never make my decisions based on the crowd.

When you finally won the presidential election in 2015 after several tries, I had only one expectation from you: to offer leadership as you had promised me in Jabi in 2001. I never expected you to be Lee Kwan Yew as many of your latter-day supporters on Twitter were painting you. The only thing I expected was leadership. My expectation was that you would pick a team of competent people, allow them to come up with a blueprint and then be their political backbone for the implementation. That was all I desired. I did not expect you to be an inventor like Graham Bell or make a Martin Luther King Jnr kind of speech. I had been your close “friend” for 14 years. I knew what to expect and what not to expect.

One trait of leadership is swift and decisive action. The herdsmen/farmers had claimed hundreds of lives before you showed up. Leadership entails emotional presence and motivation. Where are you, Mr. President? I need to be blunt with you, Your Excellency. You know very well that I am not looking for a job. I will be a journalist for life, never to be found anywhere in government either by election or appointment. I know how many “juicy” offers I have turned down in my life. That puts me in a very good position to talk to you without fear or favour. All I want is for you to offer Nigeria the leadership you promised me in Jabi. I am neither PDP nor APC. I’m not among those who hate you because you are Muslim or Fulani. You know me well; I don’t need to justify myself.

I will now list three of your failings. One, you are too soft with corrupt government officials, especially those seen to be close to you. Many of them carry on as if they have your backing. The foundation of your moral authority, Mr. President, is being eroded before your very eyes. I understand that you can’t convict anyone, but you can at least fire them! It took you decades to fire Babachir Lawal. The Maina affair remains a baggage. Premium Times has just exposed a N10 billion scandal involving your officials. TheCable recently exposed the sleaze around Abacha Loot recovery. Sadly, nobody is expecting you to act — which shows how expectations have been lowered. Not good, Mr. President, not good.

Remember, Your Excellency, that this is your government. Long after you have gone, nobody will remember who your ministers were. I know that a leader cannot do everything but he must take responsibility for the people he chooses. He must prune when necessary. Most of your ministers are not pulling their weight. But it seems you find it difficult to ask people to go. You appear to be rewarding people with beats based on loyalty — not that they are fit for purpose. Mr. President, your cabinet is long overdue for a shake-up. This is injury time and if you don’t throw the deadwoods in your cabinet overboard, they will sink your ship. It is your name and your legacy that are at stake.

Two, you are not in control of the security agencies. The security chiefs are fighting their own civil war. Last year, two of your service chiefs were not on speaking terms because they were competing to become chief of defence staff. In the process, they refused to co-operate and this helped Boko Haram re-possess Sambisa forest. Where is the leadership you promised, Mr. President? Your EFCC acting chairman, DSS DG, NIA DG, army chief, minister of interior and national security adviser are at one another’s throat. Can’t you call them to order, Mr. President? Where is the leadership you promised me in Jabi? How can Nigeria be at peace when the security chiefs are at war?

Three, Your Excellency, can you please stop running down Nigerians before foreigners? By your position, you are the chief marketer of Nigeria. Why did you say what you said about “a lot of” Nigerian youth at the Commonwealth meeting? That they don’t go to school and only want freebies because of oil money? Who says that about their own people? In the UK where you were talking, young people receive weekly benefits from the government — in addition to free education and free healthcare. And you know what? This is taxpayers’ money, not even free oil money. I know you said “a lot of the youth” not “all” but anybody who tells you that you said the right thing is a boot licker. Quote me, Your Excellency.

There are a dozen other issues, such as human rights abuses by the police and DSS, Mr. President, but I lack space. If you noticed, I did not even talk about your second term bid. I have seen enough to know that those angling to take over from you may not be any better. I have seen it all. In every election, politicians play on our intelligence and ride on our emotions. When they get power, they become something else. So I don’t have any appetite for politicking. My resolve is to always constructively engage with whoever is in power and proffer ideas for national development. If you get a second term, I won’t relent. If you don’t, I will engage with whoever succeeds you. All I desire is a better Nigeria.

By the way, Mr. President, I almost forgot to tell you that there are some things I still admire in you. I still trust your personal integrity – I am yet to hear that you are collecting money from businessmen and ministers; and nobody has yet hinted me that you have a private jet held in trust by some banker. This still gladdens my heart. I will also say the economy is steadily picking up after some initial missteps. On infrastructure, things are looking up. I am also heartened that you are blocking many loopholes in government, even if your anti-corruption war can be better executed and more encompassing. Of course, I know Nigeria is not going to change overnight – I’ve been saying that for ages – but, Your Excellency, all the failings I have listed today do not require divine intervention. It is all about leadership.

Thank you for your attention and please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest esteem.

That's good of him
He worth been celebrated

Heeyaarh!

PROFESSOR IS-HAQ O.OLOYEDE: A MAN OF ALL MOMENTS
Dr Mahfouz A. Adedimeji,

Reader, Department of English,

University of Ilorin,

Ilorin, Nigeria

+2348066372516

madedimeji@unilorin.edu.ng

www.mahfouzadedimeji.com

```Citation Read on the Occasion of the Public Presentation of the book, Dynamics of Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences: Essays in Honour of Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, at Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Wednesday, February 21, 2018```

*PROFESSOR IS-HAQ O.OLOYEDE: A MAN OF ALL MOMENTS.*

The saying goes that a man of success achieves his goals but a man of significance changes his world. If there are people who understand the difference between the two, Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), is at the forefront among them.

Prof. Oloyede’s ascension to prominence was not a matter of coincidence; it was rather a product a clear vision, a sense of mission propelled by the keen passion to excel. In other words, here is a man who has internalized five d’s as the operational blueprint for making a difference. He is a man with a dream, who then develops a drive to achieve it. With single-minded determination, remarkable discipline, this three-in-one man (okunrin meta) sets out to achieve his goal with dedication.

To Prof. Oloyede, whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well and on time. This is why he is seen as a workaholic, a man who electrifies his surroundings with an inimitable sense of duty, a man of action and guts. As Dan Gable once said, “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They are made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”

So, wherever Prof. Oloyede finds himself, whether in the classroom or podium as a lecturer, or at the National Political Reform Conference as a Co-Secretary, or as Chairman of the Committee of Directors of Academic Planning in Nigerian Universities, or as National Coordinator/ Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC) or as Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the transformational leadership of the royals’ royal, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, or in several other capacities he has functioned or still functions, he is renowned for being extra-ordinary and first class.

A talented scholar and cerebral intellectual, Prof. Oloyede is an academic genius and administrative guru, who dominates his world with well-reasoned arguments and visionary ideas. A shrewd judge of men and matters, this man who accepts no half measures smashes reputations and sets records with his sterling qualities and impeccable credentials. A man of unconquerable will and a restless questing spirit, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Fountain University, Osogbo, is the proverbial goldfish that has no hiding place. With a Spartan commitment to duty, easy and amiable mien, Prof. Oloyede has remained a raving phenomenon to friends and foes alike with his honesty, simplicity, humility, loyalty, generosity and single-minded belief in service to Allah and humanity.

To tell a peacock a story of bright colours is to sing empty and discordant tunes to a care-free bird, yet the Qu’ran tells us, “And proclaim the Grace of your Lord” (Q. Ad-duha, 93:11) Though Oloyede does not see himself as special, this infectiously simple and rare Nigerian is a man of many firsts, a special gift of God to humanity, right from the classroom to the boardroom. Due to limited time, perhaps ten of his firsts would make a sample viz: first First Class graduate of the Faculty of Arts, University of Ilorin (1981); first Unilorin alumnus to bag a Ph.D. from his alma mater (1991), first alumnus President in the Governing Council of the University of Ilorin; first Unilorin graduand to become a Professor (1995); first academic Director of Academic Planning, Unilorin; first Unilorin product to ever become a Deputy Vice-Chancellor; and first Unilorin alumnus to become a Vice-Chancellor of a University in the world; first Secretary-General of the Association of West Africa Universities; first Nigerian to become President of the Association of African Universities and first JAMB Registrar to remit N7.8 billion to the Federal Government.

Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede was on October 10, 1954 ushered into the world through the family of Alhaji and late Madam Oloyede in Abeokuta, Ogun State. He started his formal education at Ta’limul Islam Ahmadiya Primary School in 1961 after which he proceeded to Progress Institute, Agege, where he bagged his 1st School Leaving Certificate with Distinction in 1969. He perfected his training as an Arabist at the famous Arabic Training Centre (Markaz) between 1973 and 1976. His insatiable quest for knowledge took him to the University of Ibadan, where he bagged a Certificate in Arabic and Islamic Studies while his passion for higher learning brought him to the University of Ilorin in 1978, where he graduated as Best Graduating Student in 1981. The University of Ilorin scrupulously engaged him as Assistant Lecturer in 1982 and he subsequently obtained his higher degrees in 1985 and 1991, rising through the ranks in the process till he became a Professor in 1995.

A true scholar to the core, Prof. Oloyede is a keen advocate of training and in this respect, he leads by example as the prodigy is never ashamed of being a student. He obtained his Postgraduate Diploma in Education just in 2003 and became a Certified Teacher by Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria in 2005. Between 1994 and 1995, he received Special Proficiency Training on Information and Communication Technology at the International Centre for Communication Art and capped his ICT proficiency with a Certificate in Advanced Digital Appreciation Programme – Tertiary (ADAPT) at the International Centre for Communication Studies and Digital Bridge Institute, Abuja, in 2007.

This man of unimpeachable integrity has received several awards and honours in his dazzling and inspiring career and he is a member of many professional bodies. He is a recipient of the Arab League Prize for the Best Certificate Student in Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan; recipient of Merit Award by Islamic Mission of Africa, proprietors of Crescent University, Abeokuta; Fellow, Islamic Academy of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Fellow, Academy of Religion; Fellow, Society for Peace Studies and Practice; Fellow, Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies, Nigeria; Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Management; and Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Letters.

Prof. Oloyede has been a long-time member of the Nigerian Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Professors World Peace Academy of Nigeria and the Nigerian Association for the Study and Teaching of Religion and the Natural Sciences. He is a Board Member of the African Center for Religions and the Sciences and representative of Unilorin Local Societies Initiative at the Metanexus Institute of Science and Religion, Philadelphia, USA and several others. He has won the Federal Government Scholarship, University of Ilorin Merit Scholarship and several national awards, including Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR).

This distinguished gentleman had served the University of Ilorin, Kwara and Ogun States and indeed the Federal Republic of Nigeria in several capacities. His achievements are so many and etched on stone that recounting them will fill several pages. Yet, it would be unfair to the University of Ilorin and its alumni if it is not mentioned that when this illustrious graduate of the University was the Vice-Chancellor, the University was taken to such an Olympian height that Vice-Chancellors visited him regularly to understudy him. Within a period of five years, this great man of honour took the University of Ilorin from being an unranked University to one of the best 20 in Africa, according to international ranking agencies.

Not only did Prof. Oloyede take the University of Ilorin to its apogee, he also electrified the global university system with his sterling leadership qualities and high-octane administrative acumen. No other Nigerian Vice-Chancellor has achieved being Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors (CVC)/ Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU), President of the Association of African Universities (AAU), Board Member of both the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and International Association of Universities (IAU) within a tenure of five years, apart from being the initiator of the Association of West Africa Universities (AWAU) through the Ilorin Declaration.

As a prolific author and astute academic, his hundreds of research works have appeared in scores of national and international journals. Prof. Oloyede has written, co-written and co-edited books and papers published in many outlets in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, USA, among others. He has presented academic papers in conferences all over Nigeria and across the world.

Little wonder that awards and recognitions have been swarming him but the self-effacing Oloyede has been driving them away. Nevertheless, he was on Saturday, November 27, 2017 garlanded by the well-respected New Telegraph newspaper as the “Most Outstanding Public Servant of the Year”. As the blind can see and the deaf can hear, Prof. Oloyede stands tall today as one of the greatest symbols of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade. It was therefore not surprising that when the Presidency released a statement on December 30, 2017 to showcase the achievements of the Federal Government, JAMB’s name was conspicuous in it. Subsequently, when the Minister of Information and National Orientation made an intervention in response to a statement, JAMB under Prof. Oloyede still featured prominently as a major achievement of Mr President.

Known for saying his mind without minding whose ox is gored, Prof. Oloyede is not unmindful of the fact that maggots would detest sanitary inspectors. In his frenetic pace for standard and excellence wherever the combination of hard work and good luck puts him, he steps on toes with integrity. So, one would agree with The Punch in its editorial of January 8, 2018 that “a leadership with integrity is critical….It is a fact that the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Is-haq Oloyede, showed with the N7.8 billion his agency remitted, against 3 million annually remitted by his predecessors.” Perhaps, part of his inspiration for being who he is lies in the words of Bill Cosby: “I don’t know the secret of success but the secret of failure is trying to please everybody”.

A no-nonsense man of super-abundant physical and mental energy, Prof. Oloyede loathes corruption so much that corruption too loathes him in kind. At a personal level, it was through him that I learnt that it is not a shame to be broke. Ten years ago, as Vice-Chancellor, he needed to send me on an errand and he told his son, now a medical Consultant, to withdraw money from his account. He was told there was no money there. He mentioned another account and he was informed the last money there had been withdrawn under his directive. We had to wait till his next salary was paid. I learnt to assure myself since then that being broke is normal, after all, the Vice-Chancellor was broke!

A versatile scholar, a masterful manager of men and materials, Prof. Oloyede is a family man, happily married to the woman of his dream, a supportive, devoted, caring and enduring Dr (Mrs) Raheemat O. Oloyede and the marriage is blessed with children, including a set of male twins, and an expanding clan of grandchildren!

It is my singular honour to present to you the man of the moment, and indeed the man of all moments, a preeminent professor, astute administrator, exceptional scholar, academic mentor, redoubtable Registrar, dynamic Chief Executive, prolific writer, incorruptible leader, marvelous manager, inimitable consultant, wonderful Fellow, intellectual juggernaut, inter-religious activist, compulsive communicator and outstanding Muslim personality, okunrin takuntakun, Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, OFR, FNAL, FNIM, FIAC, FAR, fspsp, etc!

Cc fynestboi , olawalebabs

OPEN LETTER TO NIGERIA GOVERNMENTS AND NIGERIANS

It is sad that one of the orders of the day in Nigeria is victimization of Muslim citizens of this country who have chosen to be subservient to the Creator by obeying His commandments. It is disheartening that it is now a crime in Nigeria to be Muslims who strive to please God through His orders, even though no one is being disturbed through this obedience to our Lord. Religious intolerance has grown rapidly among many Nigerians who see those who practise the pristine Islam as extremists rather than those who seek the pleasure of their Lord.

Muslim men and women have been, on several occasions, victimized and disallowed to enjoy their rights and freedom of religion while other people of other faiths enjoy theirs. Muslim girls, ladies, and women have on different occasions being denied of their hijab and niqab(face veil) in schools, places of work and even in the public; sometimes victimized, sometimes assaulted and at other times prohibited. As for the men, their beards have been the major problem they're faced with. Alas! There have not been genuine reasons behind these prohibitions and violation of humanity. There have been several things tendered as excuses for the reasons for these violations.
One is "for security reasons", another is "not being smart" while at several other times, there are no reasons at all.

Prohibition of Muslim females from wearing their hijab or niqab(face veil) because of security and safety is so flimsy and unacceptable.
Doing a quick but thorough search into records, there are countless number of cases of incidents where Nigeria Armed forces; police, security workers, and even the Nigeria soldiers violated (and still violate) human rights, victimize citizens, physically and sexually assault, and even engage/co-operate in robbery and kidnapping. This is no news to a current Nigerian as these cases are often released in press reports and are read on newspapers. Different people use the social media and blogs to narrate their experiences and experiences of other people who are victims of these violations. Attaching few of these news articles from punch and vanguard newspapers, and other news sites may not be necessary, but these facts cannot be denied. Not in any record, do we have it that our Muslim females in hijab and niqab were or are found with these acts of violation, but records have it where they have been and are being victims of not allowed to wear their hijab, stripped of their clothing, their niqabs being removed or opened from their faces, among several other assaults. So, in whose hands are people not safe? From whom should the people be secured if those entrusted with security of the citizens are themselves the ones ordering or are found with criminals who violate security?

The only thing that has ever been cited is the issue of suicide bombing by insurgents who may under the guise of the veil harbor bombs, but no news ever confirmed this to be true. They have always been reported as assumptions. There is a wide gap difference between people who disguise as some people and do evil, and those who are themselves real, yet do evil. This is the case with the assumed Veiled bombers and the Armed forces. So, if anyone would hate, violate and want to disallow, or even want to ban the hijab/niqab, then the armed forces uniforms must not be spared. In fact, the bodies themselves must not be spared either.

Talking of other reasons like smartness, to be smart is definitely to be good-looking. How does wearing the hijab/niqab or the beard define not being smart if they're not dirty or unkempt? Tight fitted dresses are never a definition or characteristic of smart outfits. Never does shaving the beards portray smartness. What defines smartness of outfits is cleanliness and the style may take any form. Sadly, Tight fitted dresses have now been given to be the only smart dresses and shaving the beards is the only acceptable smart facial look. Hence, the adherents of Islamic injunctions are kept under pressure to go against their faith in schools, universities, work places, the society, et al.

Expressly, the Nigerian constitution, under Chapter 4, section 38, subsection 1, gives rights to freedom.

38.— Right to freedom of thoughts conscience and religion

(1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

Why then are the Muslims denied of their rights to manifest and propagate their religion in practice and observance?

Subsection 2 states
(2) No person attending any place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction or to take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance if such instruction, ceremony or observance relates to a religion other than his own, or a religion not approved by his parents or guardian.

Why then must the Muslims be forced to remove their hijab/niqab or shave their beards and do contrary to theirs? Why must they be forcefully reverted from being Muslims to another religion other than Islam, all in the name of attending a school?

Some institutions of education and work create these violation rules in their constitutions of operation, while others just make it as part of their "tradition", but never can a constitution of an institution preside over the country's constitution. Still in the same Nigeria constitution do we find in Chapter 1, section 1, subsections 1 and 3
1.—Supremacy of the constitution

(1) This Constitution is Supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

(3) If any other Law is inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail, and that other Law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.

So, where are the citizens of this Giant of Africa?
If some people have the freedom to uncover, why can't others have the freedom to cover? Why do some people enjoy some rights and freedom while others are denied of the same freedom when section 42, subsection 1a of the country's constitution gives right to freedom against discrimination?

42.— Rights to freedom from discrimination

(1) A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person—

(a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action, of the government to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, circumstance of birth, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject.

Some other people talk about work or profession ethics. The hijab/niqab has no violation to any profession dressing ethics. No profession, other than prostitution, has a dressing ethic that prohibit body covering. While talking about the niqab (face veil), other people talk about "communication" and seeing the face of the person they're communicating with. In the definition and criteria of communication, seeing the face is not part. When listening to radio, using the phone or while reading, the face of the other person or the writer is never seen, yet communication takes place. So, if anyone wants to hate or stop the niqab, let them start with the radio, books and phones first.

It has been confirmed from reactions and remarks of many people that these violations are due to mere hatred for the religion and the commandments. They ask where it is found to wear the hijab/niqab. They call those who are strict with it, extremists and fanatics.
God has commanded in Quran chapter 33 verse 59
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garment over their persons. That is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."
In the Arabic text of the revelation, the word JALABIIB (plural of Jilbab) has been used by the Almighty, which means an outer garment; a long gown COVERING THE WHOLE BODY. So, if some women have surrendered to be believing women and have obeyed the Creator, why hate them for that? Why deny them from obeying the Creator? Why call them extremists? Why hate God's commandment? Why the deliberate sinning?

It's high time we learned tolerance. It's time we are tolerated as we tolerate others. In so many other countries, Muslim ladies especially are allowed to wear their hijab/niqab. Air hostesses and policewomen who have the hijab as part of their uniforms if they're Muslims, A niqab wearing pilot, doctors who wear their hijab and niqab, surgeons have the niqab designed with their scrubs, and many more.


This letter will not be concluded without stating our demands to allow us enjoy the rights to freedom that we have as Nigerians.

1. Muslims must, on no account, be oppressed, victimized, assaulted or prohibited from portraying their faith. This includes allowing the Muslims to observe their prayers at their times (and not fixing exams at the times of Jumat, et al), as this is another right that is being denied. Muslim students who study in non-Muslim schools must not be forcefully reverted.
2. In schools (including higher institutions), Muslim females must not be prohibited from wearing their hijab or niqab if they choose to wear them, and the men be left to keep their beards. No one is being disturbed by their dressing or appearance.

The Nuns are free to wear their robes anywhere, why should Muslimahs be disturbed for theirs? A Christian man or a man who is not conscious of any religion can keep beards for fashion sake and health benefits, why can't others keep theirs to please their Creator?

3. In medical schools and hospitals, Muslimahs who choose to wear their hijab or niqab should enjoy their freedom too. The dressing has no negative impact on their efficiency. If they can go to hospitals as patients, why can't they be students and workers?
If the scrubs worn are full body covers, masks, and caps are worn by the surgeons (and nurses), why can't the Muslim women (nurses and doctors; workers and students) be allowed to wear their niqab?
The law school is no exception. Having a uniform doesn't mean the hijab cannot be worn, if the color is not violated. The black and white is still maintained.
4. In places of work, private or government owned, Muslimahs should enjoy their freedom as well. The attire or appearance does not negatively affect their efficiency, except for the inbuilt lazy ones and anyone who fails to discharge their responsibilities well should be reprimanded reasonably and not attached to the religion.
5. At the immigration offices, and other places where registration is to be done, it must not be required that the ears be shown while taking passports. The face, as defined and described, never includes the ears. The FRONT of the human head is called the face. It includes several distinct areas, of which the main features are:

THE FOREHEAD, comprising the skin beneath the hairline, BODERED laterally by the temples and inferiorly by eyebrows and ears.
THE EYES sitting in the orbit and protected by eyelids, and eyelashes.
The distinctive human NOSE SHAPE, nostrils, and nasal septum.
THE CHEEKS covering the maxilla and mandibula (or jaw), the EXTREMITY of which is the CHIN.
THE MOUTH, with the upper lip divided by the philtrum, sometimes reveals the teeth.

The face is the front of the head. The ears are on the sides, after the hairline border.
6. In all schools, institutions and professions that require uniforms, without being bias, we should be allowed to design the uniforms for the hijab/niqab wearing Muslim females, which will definitely conform with the works.


We do not need to wonder how to recognize the women in niqab. Familiarity is a sure thing, except that some people are normally not gifted in recognition of even the voice. However, as for facial recognition or in case of fear of impersonation, those who are in authority can be unveiled for to confirm identification. There must however be means of identification - ID cards of the institution or any government approved means. It should however be noted that by a female, and in private, should the identity verification be done. Otherwise, where there are no females around, a male may verify, but still in private.

There definitely can never be any problem when there is mutual understanding. Let us all be law abiding citizens and tolerate one another. If some people can hate, they can definitely love more.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
- Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom.



HAMEEDAH O. ADENUGA
15/12/2017.

greiboy:


omg

The end of sw pdp

Ayo fayose must be considering his options now

Fayose may want to be given the VP slot wch iais actually dead on arrival