The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Sunday congratulated Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo on his victory at the polls.



The party, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo described Akeredolu’s victory as well deserved.



According to the statement, the victory is a referendum on his sterling performance in the first term to the commendation and appreciation of the good people of Ondo state, but to the consternation and bewilderment of his political opponents.



The party further pointed that his victory is a further testimony of Ondo state as progressive that is desirous and deserving of good governance.



“The majority endorsement of Akeredolu is a challenge to build on his past achievements and address the yearnings of the people.



“The victory of the ruling APC shows that the opposition is no match whenever we have all hands on deck working for the overall interest of the party. It reinforces our conviction that the loss of Edo state was an own goal which is not beyond redemption in the near future.



“By the same token, we congratulate Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwoolu who as the chairman of the Ondo state Campaign council for Governorship election brought his Midas touch to bear to ensure the desired result.



“Hopefully, governance which has literally grounded to a halt in the opposition PDP states as a result of their governors’ desperation to snatch victory in APC states will now mercifully resume,” the statement added.



According to INEC, Akeredolu polled 292,830, Mr. Jegede scored 195,791 votes, a difference of 97,039 votes



The incumbent deputy governor in the state and candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Agboola Ajayi, came a distant third by scoring 69,127 votes.



Mr Akeredolu had also defeated Mr Jegede in the 2016 governorship election. Then, Mr Ajayi was Mr Akeredolu’s running mate.

Away from the popular allegation of a forged certificate and blanket betrayal, more condescending attributes of Agboola Ajayi, the gubernatorial candidate of the Zenith Party, has been revealed to the media and the good people of Ondo State, after his desperation chased him from the All Progressive Congress, APC, and after the People’s Democratic Party, PDP camp used, and dumped him.



The popular progressive movement in the State, Ondo Forward Movement, OFM has reiterated that Agboola will loose on the first ballot come Saturday, October 10, 2020, when the people of Ondo will decide who will sail the ship for the next four years.



Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, the group convener, Olumide Joseph maintained that Agboola will dance naked after he’s be stripped of what is left of his dignity by the opposition party, before finding temporary refuge in the party of insignificant value in the State.



He stated:



"The desperate hunger for power-at-all-cost has exposed the true nature and colour of Agboola, who has at every historical junction bitten all the fingers that have fed him and burnt all the bridges built to get him aligned with the party, which has built his political career and made him all that he thinks he is today.

"Agboola had carried the badge of failure for as long as history can record before he was pulled out of his dying political career by his benefactor, Rotimi Akeredolu.", he stated



Agboola Ajayi was formerly a member of the PDP before he defected to APC in 2016, he contested in 2016 election against the same Akeredolu, but he was humiliated at the poll. He was however chosen as Akeredolu running mate





“Mr. Ajayi formally joined the ZLP in August 2020 after he was rejected by the PDP, which lured him to snitch on his political benefactor, Rotimi Akeredolu, in the false promise of clinching a guber ticket with the party. Unfortunately, his sleazy conspiracy against the governor, came as a shock, even to the PDP. If Ajayi can betray his own boss, he can betray anyone, thus, PDP dumped him.” He told newsmen



"The party would go ahead to state categorically that Agboola’s exit from the PDP will not affect its vote.



“In the spirit of loyalty, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu ignored all warnings about his deputy, Agboola Ajayi, and ensured he was well paid to make him comfortable. Ajayi is the only deputy governor in Nigeria, who receives as high as 13 million naira as his basic salary. He also had “free hands to decide on what project to embark upon and which contractor to award projects to. Yet, his desperation to have it all pushed him to consider the pot of porridge that eventually bury his political career.



“With no sense of remorse or dignity, Agbool Ajayi flunks his shamelessness around to reiterate that he would emerge victorious against Governor Akeredolu of the APC and Eyitayo Jegede of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).



“Agboola is an ill-cultured pseudo-progressive irritant, who climbed through the APC political ladder and pushed it aside. He is now stuck in the mud and he’s dead-desperate to drag anyone on sight with him.

“We are also aware of his plot to fabricate lies and propaganda to demean the hard-earned integrity of the governor as a mechanism to distract his excellency, Rotimi Akeredolu so as to pave way for the PDP. While we also know that the governor will not dignify him with any response, but the people of Ondo knows Agboola so well, and nothing that comes from his camp will be taken seriously. They may gather together, but not by God: whosoever shall gather together against Aketi shall fall for his sake



“The people of Ondo knows better. The good people of the state will file out on October 10 to speak in one voice, a voice that may sound strange to a bastard of strange parentage, who puts power before value.



"October 10 will be the day when his masquerade will dance naked in the market.”, he added.

Hon Seye Oladejo is the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State. In this interview, he speaks on the cordial status of the party in the state, the party’s edge in the forthcoming by-elections in the state, and the leadership quality of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others. Daily Vendor reports







What is the state of APC in Lagos State as it is presently constituted in terms of how cordial the party is?



APC in Lagos State is healthy and we are the party to beat. We remain very strong, we have the widespread, we are growing in leaps and bounds in terms of membership and we have no major crisis. Of course, there will be rift as expected in any political party but there is nothing we cannot handle. So, we remain confident in taking care of our affairs, winning elections and overcoming whatever challenges that will come our way. So, APC in Lagos is good and we are one big family.







One of the talking points from the primaries to field candidates for Lagos East senatorial seat and Kosofe Constituency II, was that those who emerged were imposed by the leadership of the party. What is your take on that?





I am glad you said primaries. I can tell you that there was no selection. The APC constitution allows us to have a candidate either by consensus or an open primary. The question to ask is if a particular system is working, why do you want to break it? The consensus option was to the extent that the aspirants from their own free will, not by compulsion, were able to arrive at a consensus that a particular person should fly the party's flag and we had an affirmation thereafter where close to 120,000 people came out to ratify that in form of the primary. If such a huge number could come out to ratify that candidacy, that to me doesn't mean protest or any kind of imposition. As we speak, we found all the would-be aspirants there working and mobilising for Tokunbo Abiru, our candidate.







Maybe they were forced to ratify it?





No, they were not. There was nothing like being forced. Even one of the then aspirants is now the chairman of the campaign committee of our candidate. If he was forced, he wouldn't be doing that. It shows understanding and discipline in the party and that's why after the primary, we are not having a situation whereby we will be doing reconciliation and try to pacify people here and there. We were able to do that which is according to the details of our constitution. I think the party has done well. What you are seeing is just the narrative of the opposition who chooses to weep more than the bereaved. There is nothing like imposition in Lagos APC, far from it.







Do you think party member at the grassroots are in sync with this?







Of course, they are. They were the ones that came to do the ratification and I am sure you and your colleagues (journalists) went round when we were doing this exercise. I also went round too and I saw what happened. These grassroots people are the ones championing the campaign of Tokunbo Abiru and Segun Saheed in their respective constituencies. So, it is a system that has been working for us. Of course, people could have their personal opinion but in a democracy, it is the will of the people that will prevail.











Another talking point was that the Kosofe II candidate, Femi Saheed, is a known party person but the people don't know Tokunbo Abiru within the party structure...







That's not true. From his antecedents and pedigree, Tokunbo’s dad was a politician within the progressive family. His father, Justice Abiru, was at the Senate during the 1979 to1983 tenure to represent this same Lagos East. Don’t also forget that Tokunbo was a Commissioner in this state for about two years. After serving as Commissioner, he went back to the banking sector to get to the peak of his career. This is to tell you that we are talking about somebody who is career-minded and focused. For me, his coming into this race is simply about giving back to the society that has given him so many opportunities.







Don't you think it is a big gamble on the part of APC to field someone with little or no elective position experience?







We are talking about a party that has a structure, we are talking about a party that been calling the shot since the advent of democracy in 1999. The party has viable structures in every nooks and cranny of this state. That ticket is about the party because Tokunbo Abiru is not an independent candidate. So, it is not right to say that he doesn't have a structure, it is about the party, he is carrying the party flag. Since his emergence as a candidate, he has become the baby and business of the party and we are going to by God's grace ensures he wins the election.







Tokunbo Abiru is squarely up against an opponent that has contested governorship in Lagos before and has some measures of political experience….







We need to put it as it is, Tokunbo is in the same race with an opponent that contested the governorship election just a few months ago and lost. This is an opponent that doesn't even have Tokunbo's pedigree in terms of career success, an opponent whose selling point mainly is about running a backyard estate which he flaunts that they enjoy 24-hour power supply. If someone gets to the peak of his career as the managing director of a first-rate bank in this country, definitely, he can't be at the same level as a realtor that is running an estate somewhere.



So, we have brought out Tokunbo to complement what our present senators are doing. We have brought out somebody who on his own, having just left the banking sector, can boast of some measures of national network, someone who can boast of some measure of connection that he can leverage on to attract the proverbial dividend of democracy first to his Lagos East Senatorial district and generally to Lagos as a whole. We are proud that we have Tokunbo Abiru flying our flag, he is our pride and we believe he will do well. In the past, the song from the opposition party used to be we don't have an indigene as a candidate, that doesn't exist now. They are now trying to leverage on other petty stuff, Tokunbo will win.



Let's talk about this so-called opponent, an opponent that has not been consistent. Just few months ago, he was a member of ADP contesting the governorship election. In a jiffy, he moved over to PDP, oppressed the poor aspirants in that party, paid virtually for all the delegates, the result of the so-called primary was predictable which also means that it is so convenient for this man to jump from party to party, I just hope in next year's local government election, he won't be in Labour party contesting for councillorship. It speaks volume about inconsistency and desperation on his part, Lagosians are not fools. We can't rely on such a character to represent the good people of Lagos East senatorial district, Tokunbo is simply shoulder and head above him.











On the Lagos East, there has been some talks in the social media that the Lagos State by-election might also come hard for APC as a party going by what happened in Edo election, I don't know if you have anything to say to that kind of allusion?





That should be expected from social commentators but they are comparing orange and apple. The scenarios are different, the dramatis personae are different. Now we are talking about Lagos State and not Edo State. The circumstances and scenarios are different and that would reflect. There is no way APC will lose that seat, we are also not mindful of the fact that they are trying to mobilise forces within and outside the state to come work for the PDP candidate, that will make the victory very sweet.







Do you think if some of those personnel that worked in Edo come to Lagos, they won't be able to make the difference?



We know what played out in Edo State and that will not happen here; it was a case of APC scoring an own goal and that will not happen here. They are all welcome in Lagos, besides some of them govern their states from Lagos. We are aware of the fact that when they are not in Abuja, they are in Lagos because Lagos is home to everybody. It's our pride but when it comes to coming by-election, we are not losing sleep, you can see the impacts of the campaign, you can see that we are not taking things for granted, you can see that we are confident but not complacent. Tokunbo is selling his programmes, manifesto and he's offering good service to the district, I believe they will keep the faith and will still vote APC.







Recently, the chairman of APC in Lagos, Chief Tunde Balogun, was reported to have reconciled the warring factions in Ndigbo in APC in Lagos? Do you think that matter is rested?



Yes, it is rested. APC is a disciplined party and all gladiators have to play by the rules. They all have their supporters who believe in APC as a party and all the issues have been thrashed out but by and large, moving forward, it has to be a relationship of mutual respect. They are all mature gentlemen with requisite political experience and we believe they will abide by the decision of the party which is that Comrade Joe Igbokwe is the apex leader of Ndigbo in APC while Hon Jude Idimogu is the deputy. That's the way we are going and I believe they will abide by it.











What do you think is the impression of Lagosians about Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the last one year or thereabout?







Governor Sanwo-Olu has been able to surpass the expectations of the majority of Lagosians in the past one year. When one is coming into government, a lot of unexpected and unpredictable issues play themselves up. The pandemic threw up the leadership quality in the governor, he was on top of it in words and action. Lagosians were able to leverage on that and have confidence in the government they elected. To put the icing on the cake, he was always communicating, doing daily briefing twice or thrice in a week; making sure Lagosians are abreast of the plans of the government to ameliorate situations, provide medicals and support at all levels.







Let's take the pandemic out, which has been more or less a big distraction to his governance. Since the pandemic has been easing out, we are all aware of lots of activities going on in the government under the THEME agenda. Just last week, 255 roads and power projects across the state have been approved, reaching out to the grassroots. These are impactful projects and not propaganda. I even feel the government is not saying enough about activities going on in the seat of government in Alausa; he remains a silent worker and achiever and I'm very sure the majority of Lagosians are very happy and proud that they voted him in as a governor. Of course, he will and can do better and as the resources of the state continue to permit him, he will reach out to all the nooks and crannies of the state even surpassing the achievements of his predecessors which will be a thing of pride.







But the opposition is saying he is working with a snail's speed and looking like an apprentice that is yet to get his footing on the job?



The opposition is in the business blabbing but we are in the business of delivery of our promises to the people. The governor has simply refused to be distracted by the opinion of a few frustrated oppositions. He is not even meddling in the politics of APC, apart from the recent assignment where he is heading the campaign of the reelection of his colleague governor in Ondo State. You can see he has rolled up his sleeves, focusing on his work, you won't find the governor respond to any comment or opinion of the opposition; that's the business of the party and which we are up to. Remember he dropped the appellation 'his excellency' which means that when he's all done and dusted, people can now decide if he's worthy of being called by the title. For me, that speaks so much of humility and determination about someone who is really committed to perform and deliver on his mandate.







There were talks when Abiru emerged as the senatorial candidate that he is being set up to take over from Governor Sanwo-Olu...



That came from the camp of opposition because we won't have a governorship election until the next two and half years. So, our party and Abiru as a candidate is focusing on the assignment at hand. The opposition will want to throw a spanner on the wheel to cause disaffection in the ruling party, perhaps that's why they remain as permanent opposition in Lagos State. But nothing can be farther from the truth, Abiru is focusing on the ticket he got from APC and I enjoy some personal relationship with him and I can tell you that he is not even thinking beyond the present mandate he has. But it will suit the propaganda of the PDP to say that somebody is being prepped up to take over from the governor and you can see that the governor didn't even respond to that.





What are your thoughts about Nigeria at 60?





We are still together at 60 and we should be grateful for that. The challenges are enormous but can we do better, the answer is yes. Have we being able to fulfill our dreams at independence, the answer is no. I think all of us could be held responsible for this. Everyone has a part to play in making this country great at different levels. We should ask ourselves whether we have done our parts to make this country great. Or better still, we should ask ourselves what we can do at our levels to make Nigeria fulfill her promises and potentials at independence. If we are all able to do that, I believe Nigeria will be better for us all. I know Nigeria can be greater than what we have today.



Do you think Nigeria might break up?



I don’t think Nigeria can break up but there are germane issues that we need to address. If we are having agitations for a breakup, it means that those issues are now at boiling points and they need to be addressed. I don’t really foresee a break-up

The All Progressive Congress, APC has reacted to the rumour that the senatorial candidate for the forthcoming Lagos East senatorial elections, Mr Tokunbo Abiru is enmeshed in a legal battle that questions his eligibility to contest at the elections.

In a Press Statement issued by the party Publicity Secretary, Hon Seye Oladejo. Lagos Chapter, the general public are advised to ignore the concocted rumour being peddled by traducers, who are bent to distract the said candidate; a move that is dead on arrival.

It reads;

Our attention has been drawn to an online report by an unknown blog alleging that a suit has been instituted challenging the eligibility of our candidate, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, to contest for the Lagos East Senatorial Election on account of a purported double registration as a voter ..



The allegation as contained in that report is not only false but we find it laughable. It is apparent that the Plaintiffs have not availed themselves the original copy of the Electoral Act 2010 (As amended).



We understand their panic, fear and unease on account of the overwhelming and calamitous defeat that awaits them on the 31st of October, 2020. They should do well to ask the Traducers of Willie Obiano (of Anambra State) and Yahaya Bello (of Kogi State) and avail themselves of several other Court decisions in that respect.



Let them continue to chase shadows while we remain focused as we campaign and gather support in the nooks and crannies of the Lagos East Constituency.



We assure our teeming supporters and the entire electorate that our candidate's eligibility is unassailable and by God's grace, he will emerge victorious at the election come 31st October, 2020.

Seye Oladejo

Lagos State APC Spokesman.

The leadership of Lagos State APC led by its chairman, Hon Tunde Balogun, has resolved the raging leadership tussle within the Ndigbo group.

At the meeting convened to resolve the conflict between various splinter units led by Chief Joe Igbokwe , Hon Jude Idimogu, were the Igbo Vision, Igbo Coalition, South East in APC, Igbo Mandate and Anioma Group.

The meeting was also attended by Eze Nwachukwu and Eze Okpotemba, Chief Joe Igbokwe, Dr Segun Mordi and Chief Akabueze. While Hon Jude Idimogu was unavoidably absent.

The meeting resolved that Mr Joe Igbokwe remained the apex leader of NDIGBO in Lagos APC while Hon Jude Idimogu is the deputy.

The meeting reiterated the supremacy of the party and the need to uphold and respect its decisions.

It called for the unity of all Ndigbo in Lagos APC and the accommodation of all tendencies in their fold.

The party called for total discipline among its members and commitment to its ideals.

The proposed inauguration of the executive of Lagos state APC Ndigbo and coordinators earlier slated for Saturday 26th September, 2020 was called off.

Other party chieftains at the meeting were Cardinal James Odunbaku, a GAC member, Hon Lanre Ogunyemi, the state secretary and Mr Ademola Sadiq, the legal adviser.



Seye Oladejo

Lagos state APC spokesman.

Samson Oseni Aremu is one of the most talented and dedicated actors in the Yoruba movie industry. He has been in the industry for close to a decade and has featured in over 50 movies and still counting.





This young man interprets roles so perfectly and his passion for acting has kept him going despite hot competition in the industry.





In this exclusive interview, Aremu revealed how star actor Afeez Abiodun helped him grow in the industry, and the many challenges he has faced. He also mentioned the many sacrifices he has made just to fulfill his greatest desire in life and his plans for his movie Lisa.



Take us through your journey into the movie industry



Well, have been longing to join the movie industry since, before it all started in 2011 when I was coming from a party around Sango area when Mr. Afeez Abiodun Owo drove past the bus I was and immediately I sighted him, I instantly told the driver I wanted to come down and I alighted thereafter, due to the heavy traffic, I was able to run and meet his car.



So I knocked and he rolled down to hear me. He’s such a very nice man, I quickly made my point known to him and he gave me his is contact and asked me to call him the following day which I did and asked me to come to his office the following Monday and that's how all started.



Tell us about the challenges you have been faced with?



Well, actually, the challenges are actually not something so bad but making one grow every day. Should I talk about the ones faced as man, because the ladies have the upper hand, and are always the first to be favoured unless God blessings come yours truly?



When we started, most of the time we sleep on the mere floor at a location, especially in tiles with A. C on but got nothing to do cos it's my passion, So we just have to keep our heads up. But we thank God, we don't look like what we've been through.



Which has been your most challenging role so far?



Doing a typical Islamic cleric is one of the challenging roles have played because I am a Christian and playing a Muslim cleric role to perfection will surely be difficult, but to God be all the glory, I delivered beyond expectation.



Did you train under any caucus for more knowledge?



Yes, I trained under Seriki Olopolo School of Performing Arts owned by Afeez Abiodun and Mide Martins.



Who are your contemporaries in the industry?



Well, the likes of Lateef Adedimeji, Mustapha Sholagbade, Jamiu Azeez are my contemporaries.



Who do you look up to in the industry?



A lot of people, because we have many outstanding and professional role interpreters from a different angle. So can't really pick one, but one to be like some of our good actors today.









Are you working on any personal projects?



Well,, Am working on The Return Of LISA....... Lisa is my first and only movie for now,, it's a crime movie,, So am working on the return.



Can you tell us about some of the movies you have featured in?



Odere Alagbo by Allwell Ademola, Alaya Marun by Afeez Owo, Moni by Mide Martins, My Mom My Wife by Allwell Ademola, Queen Mi By Afeez Owo, Alagbawi Aye by Aide Martins, Ilu Aje and so on.



Where do you hope to be in your career in the next 5 years?



Greater places,,, God almighty in his infinite mercy should make it happen.

…acknowledges his philanthropic strides



National Association of Independent Online Media Publishers, NAIOMP, an organization with the stated purpose of restoring media sanity in online journalism has commended Prince Kazeem Eletu Edibo, Chairman of Kazeem Royal Properties Limited, for supporting the work of the organization to improve lives. In a letter signed by the Association’s Publicity Secretary, Lateef Owodunni, on behalf of other directors, the organization acknowledged his contributions towards supporting the youths and the unemployed.





The letter partly reads, “As an exemplary leader, you join an international group of compassionate people who are committed to serving others, no matter what the challenge is. Today — because of you — another generation can care for their communities in times of uncertainty and need.”



The letter further states that, “because of your generosity, you have found solutions that change lives and make communities more resilient. Your support is critical as we work together to address new and urgent humanitarian challenges.



Congratulations on your wonderful philanthropic achievement, and thank you for building a better world for the youth.”



Recently, Prince Kazeem Eletu Odibo also empowered some of his followers on social media, after challenging those who wants to become a realtor.



He wrote; I want to empower someone who really want to be a Real Estate expert by sending the person to go for the Fast track training by Debo Adejana. State the reasons you want to be a Realtor. I will pick randomly.

The winners include:

Instagram winners:

●@ Skoagmola

●@Richie1477

●@Olatomide_c_



Facebook winners:

●Akin Joel

●Don Pablo Aimar

●Omowunmi Kikelomo

●Prince Obanla Adeyemi Adeniyi

●Adeniyi Barakat Oluwatobiloba



Ambassador Dr. Prince Kazeem was born on February 14, 1978, in Lagos into the Eletu-Odibo family; a royal family that historically served as the Chief Kingmaker who crowned the Oba of Lagos. This was unknown to him for several years that he was born with a silver spoon.



Prior to when his life took a new turn to prosperity, he grew up in a suburb called Ajegunle where he worked as a bus driver, a bus conductor, and even a scavenger. He has attended numerous educational training programs both within and outside the country.



He has shown over the years that he is a dynamic, results-oriented leader with a strong track record of performance in his enterprises. Amb. Dr. Prince Kazeem as Founder and Chairman of Kazeem Royal Properties Limited has done a lot of remarkable projects in the real estate sector and this earned him the City People Magazine Real Estate Award as Most Outstanding Royal Family In Property Award.

Philanthropy is associated with Amb. Dr. Prince Kazeem through the Prince Kazeem Eletu-Odibo Foundation. His kindheartedness is visible amongst many individuals whom he has touched; he personally likes putting smiles on people’s faces irrespective of their tribe, ethnicity, creed, or language.



As a matter of fact, he singled-handily constructed many roads at Osapa London in the Lekki axis in Lagos state following their dilapidated state. Today, Osapa London is a prime area and has very expensive properties situated in it. He has made several donations to many groups, civil societies including the Rotary International, and a lot of individuals, running into several millions of naira. He also set up the Prince Kazeem Eletu Royal Football Academy in order to give young people the opportunity to grow and showcase their talents.



A good number of them are now playing outside the shores of the company. Music is one thing that could not escape his attention; the Kazeem Royal Music Empire does justice to this. Some artists have been signed under this label. His philanthropic lifestyle has attracted a lot of awards from various quarters such as the Nigerian Army, Ecowas Youth Organization, the Yoruba council, and the Nigerian youths just to mention a few.

From #NigerianRisk tweetchat



When asked who an effective leader is, Abdullah Musa Abdul replied: “An Effective leader! Well in my humble opinion, an effective leader is that leader who has in him or her a combined characteristic of competence, diligence, and passion and equally has the ability to identify talents and harness those talents to get things done without prejudice. An effective leader chooses competence over virtue.”



Abu Jabir Abdullah Musa Abdul (Penabdul), is an Architect, principal partner at Diamond 4 Architects, CEO Sustainable Project Works (SPW) Limited as well as the Managing Director A & A HOMES Limited. As an academician he teaches Architecture at Baze University, Abuja. As a cleric he is a member of the Expanded General Purpose Committee Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Founder Darul Tauheed Islamic Center. PenAbdul is a renowned columnist with Dailynigerian.com and a regular writer with www.penabdul.com. Besides being a marriage counselor PenAbdul is also a Polo Player.



In his response to this question in a tweet-chat session held on Friday, when he was hosted in one of Nigerian Risk Awards and Summit’s Chat with the hashtag #NigerianRisk, PenAbdul added that “An effective leader could also be seen as a selfless, competent person who listens and appreciates the insight of others on how to achieve common goals. He thinks ahead of his time and masters the art of delegation. Simply put, he goes macro instead of micro.”



Mr Joachim Adenusi, the MD Conrad Clark Nigeria Limited, who co-hosted the conversation with a youth leader, Mustapha Sa’eed, an SDG advocate, further asked: “What inspires followers to becoming leaders?”



PenAbdul responded that “Interestingly, in life you are either a leader or a follower. However, you can be both because each one of us is a leader in his/her own right. I think, followers get inspired to becoming leaders if they see truthfulness, honesty, selflessness, competence and pragmatism in the way their leaders handle leadership. When a leader leads (in the true sense of the word) he or she inspires the followers to wanting to become like him/her, thus making leaders of our followers.”



PenAbdul stressed the role of leaders in uniting their subjects and ensuring a seamless reign. “Leadership is all about sacrifice and dedication. It entails putting behind any prejudice against any class of the followers. When a leader embraces one and all, including his antagonists and look at the bigger picture, he lays a solid foundation for unity. When a leader is vindictive and bias, he closes all the avenues of unity. So, a leader that demonstrates justice regardless of who it affects will win the hearts of the followers and he will be a rallying point for them. He simply unites.”



He further suggested that the antidote to the polarisation along religious and ethnic divide as it is becoming popular in Nigeria. “A leader that shows love and compassion and deals justly with others irrespective of their religion, background and ethnic affiliations and ensures equal opportunity is provided for one and all definitely will have the moral power to depolarise a nation that has been polarised along ethnic and religious sentiments.”



Followers are not left out of the discussion as they equally play a vital role in ensuring the actualisation of an ideal state or environment with functional leaders. He stated that: “The hallmark of good followership is in showing respect and obedience to the leader. When there is that synergy between the two then the leader strives to please the followers. Gaining confidence is key. The followers should see themselves as pillars upon which the leadership rests. If the leader is doing anything that will undermine the functionality of the society then it is the responsibility of the followers to alert the leader and use an effective tool of checks and balances.”



It is important to know that followers do influence leaders to do the right thing when they are responsible and equally can stand for their rights. If the leaders know that the followers are aware of their rights, it will be sufficient to influence the leaders to lead responsibly.



Shaykh Abdullah Musa stated that in solving the leadership and followership crisis in Nigeria and elsewhere; “First, the leader should own the crisis and simply take responsibility for whatever it is.



This will make the followers to be less defensive. Then, let him then identify the cause of the crisis and immediately invite the stakeholders to initiate a process of managing the crisis to avoid its escalation. Then, roll out strategies that will address the concerns of the aggrieved parties without openly taking sides. This can be followed with an understanding of the remote and immediate causes of the crisis which is critical when setting up an action plan to resolve the issue.”



“Start immediately! By constantly ensuring that all the different members of the community are duly represented and carried along until none of the diverse groups feels marginalized. I think if the leader engages all the diverse members of his community through their accepted representatives, he will be able to sustain and maintain unity.” He added that Leaders should also set up feedback mechanism for their own assessment and action plan with respect to the peculiar needs of each of the diverse groups of the community.



When asked about the risks in leadership, PenAbdul said; “Well, in my humble opinion, Leaders are actually servants of people who step out of their comfort zone to take known and unknown risks to meet up with the demands of those they serve. They are exposed to the risk of physical harm, financial harm, reputation loss, failure, accountability...”.



“The risks that are really of great concern to us in Nigeria and which I would love that Nigerian Risk Leadership Summit (coming up on September 17, 2020) should address are the risks of reputation loss, failure and accountability.

To be part of this Nigerian Risk Leadership Summit, visit www.nigerianriskawards.com/summit to register and reserve a seat at the online summit.

Students lining up by the road sides to wave small handy flags at executives seated in luxury cars with tinted glasses is not uncommon. In fact, such students and pupils are always looking forward to such experience, where they can stand few miles away from the car conveying the executive. It was usually out of magnanimity that some of these leaders take peeps out of the cars to wave hands even with the presence of heavy security.
This act not only made our leaders appear untouchable but also unreachable. Thus, there exist a huge gap between what our leaders are doing and what indeed the followers want and need. In return the sense of followership is appearing to be on the decline. However, for a nation to develop, there has to be a significant synergy between good leadership and followership.
To close this huge gap that is withering the efficiency of our leadership structure, Conrad Clark Nigeria Limited is staging a Leadership-Thought risk summit on 17th of September, 2020 through a virtual platform in conformity with the ongoing social gathering restrictions towards curbing the further spread of Covid19. The 5th edition of the Nigerian Risk Awards and summit, (NRAs 2020) will have the risk leadership summit addressing the leadership and followership with theme: Leadership vs Followership Risk; Uniting a Divided People, and the summit will be chaired by Mrs. Ibukun Awosika (Chairman, First Bank Nigeria Limited/CEO and Founder of The Chair Centre Group) and keynote paper shall be delivered by Prof. Karuti Kanyinga (University of Nairobi). Other speakers are Dr Salihu Lukman, the DG Progressive Governors Forum, and Mr Kola Adesina MD/CEO Sahara Energy Group.
Also, unlike previous editions, this year will feature young generation of leaders as interrogators. These young leaders will have the opportunity to contribute to the conversation as the summit seeks to proffer solutions to socioeconomic impediment of business and economic growth by asking why and what from the younger generation’s perspectives.
Segun Awosanya, Zeal Akaraiwe, Just Omomo Ibe, Ifeoma Melody Ajumobi, Barr Amina Usman, Mustapha Sa’eed and Rt Hon. Mijinyawa are the confirmed interrogators joining the cross-section of leaders that will be speaking.
Visit www.nigerianriskawards.com/summit to register and reserve a seat at the summit. Please note that the premium ticket to the summit will allow the participants access to a break out networking session with panellists. Corporate organisations can also sponsor students and youths to attend this summit with the complimentary tickets to the summit.

Leaders of tomorrow are not expected to take the back seat when the architecture of what tomorrow will look like is being put in place. Besides the planning for a better nation is always a continuous and evolving process, sustained by periodic conversations that will build and fine-tune the mistakes of yesterday, inadequacies of today and the brighter days tomorrow.

The 5th edition of the Nigerian Leadership & Risk Summit scheduled to hold on 17th of September, 2020 as conceived by Conrad Clark Nig. Ltd in collaboration with the Institute of Risk Management-IRM (UK), Risk management Society-RIMS (USA) Business Day (Nig), Convention for Business Integrity (Nig.), is aimed at exploring solutions to national leadership and followership risk through a cross-generational conversation tagged Leadership vs Followership Risk; Uniting a Divided People.


Olufemi Iroko, the Project Lead and Chairman of the Organising committee unveiled the confirmed speakers for the summit which has been redesigned to hold virtually due to the prevailing public gathering restrictions caused by Covid19 spread. The summit will be chaired by Mrs. Ibukun Awosika (Chairman, First Bank Nigeria) and keynote paper shall be delivered by Prof. Karuti Kanyinga (University of Nairobi). Other speakers are Mr Kola Adesina (MD, Sahara Group) and Dr. Salihu Lukman (DG, Progressive Governors Forum). All of whom will be taking critical look at the theme from different perspectives and how it affects the business landscape as well as building our nation.


To actively engage the younger generations, the organisers are fielding proactive young leaders as interrogators who will be asking thought-provoking questions while the speakers dissect the problems and proffer solutions. The interrogators lined up include Segun Awosanya (popularly known as SegaLinks) who is the founder/president SIAF, Zeal Akaraiwe the Founder-Graeme Blaque Advisory, Just omomo Ibe who is the President, Association of African Startups, Ifeoma Melody Ajumobi, Broadcast journalist at Solid 100.9fm, Amynah usman, a lawyer and girl-child advocate, Mustapha Sa’eed SDG and leadership advocate with remarkable strides in the northern Nigeria, and Rt Hon. Mijinyawa, the current speaker of the Nigeria Youth Parliament.


The interrogators are exited to be part of the summit, seeing it as a rare opportunity to be at the front row of the summit with direct involvement in conversations that aimed at making the nation better in business, leadership and overall economy. Doing such will not just give the younger leaders their rightful place in the development framework of the country but also allow them to effectively contribute to the developing of a workable framework for the country.


The summit will allow its premium attendees the opportunity to network with the panelists in a break out session. Sponsorship offerings will also allow corporate organisations to sponsor students, youths and organisations with young members to attend with complimentary pass to the event.


Also, the 2020 winners of the Nigeria Risk Awards aim to recognise and reward excellence in individuals and organisations who have made measurable impact within their sector or industry through the effective application of good governance, risk management and internal control systems and strategies. To register for the summit and be part of this cross-generation leadership conversation, visit www.nigerianriskawards.com/summit to reserve a seat.

The All Progressive Congress, APC Senatorial candidate, Lagos East, Me Tokunbo Abiru, has expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the party functionaries and supporter after scooping a landslide victory at the party primaries held on Thursday, September 3, 2020.

Abiru had polled 111,551 votes to emerge as the senatorial candidate for the October 31, bye-elections to replace the late senator Adebayo Osinowo, who passed away on June 15,2020 after a brief illness.

In a statement released by the new candidate, Abiru stated that his emergence as a candidate in the forthcoming senatorial bye-election is a significant achievement in his personal journey.

He wrote:

Today is significant in my personal journey and in the history of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC), especially in Lagos East Senatorial District. My deep gratitude and humble appreciation goes out to our leaders and members across the district who have trooped out en masse to ratify my candidature as the APC flag bearer for the Lagos East senatorial bye election scheduled to hold on October 31, 2020.

This decision is no doubt an expression of confidence in me, a confidence and trust which as a loyal party man, I will live day and night to earn, justify and protect. Given this great expression of trust, let me first appreciate all our members for coming out in good number to affirm me as the party flag-bearer.

This is an attestation to your firm belief in our great party and its leadership.
Even though all other aspirants graciously withdrew from the senatorial contest in the interest of our party, our members in Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Ikorodu, Kosofe and Somolu could still choose to vote against me. That is the power the people hold in a democracy. Overwhelmingly, however, they decided to affirm me, thus attesting to their belief in the APC.

From what transpired in the last few weeks, I have learnt a lot of things about our party members. I have seen their unshakable belief in the values our party stands for. I have also seen teeming support for the direction our leaders at all levels have been providing to bring about much-needed development. I have witnessed their desire to elect leaders, who can avidly deploy their offices to seek the common good of all.

I must therefore say this ratification is your victory. We must bear in mind that this is the first phase in the senatorial contest. Already, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the second phase of the contest for October 31, 2020. Let me plead with you all that we must all come out in good number on this date in support of our party and me, your candidate for the senatorial election in Lagos East.

Specifically, let me commend all my brothers, who sought our party nomination for Lagos East Senatorial Election but who in the spirit of sportsmanship and in the interest of our party withdrew from the contest and threw their political weight in its entirety in support of my aspiration. I must confess that this is a mark of honour, which I will forever appreciate.

I must also appreciate the Chairman of Lagos APC, Alhaji Babatunde Balogun and all members of the State Working Committee (SWC) and State Executive Committee (SEC), whose hands have been on the plough in the last two months to organise this exercise without acrimony and disharmony. Without them, we could not have been able to conduct seamless and successful primary elections.

All our leaders in the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) have been wonderful and exceptional. They have provided rare leadership, counsel and wisdom that culminated in the success of this exercise. They worked closely with the State Working Committee to ensure the process through the APC candidate for Lagos East Senatorial Election emerged did not lead to disaffection among the aspirants.

My appreciation also goes to my dear brother, the Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for steering the affairs of our dear state in line with the manifesto of the APC, the laid-down vision and development plans of our leader and his THEMES Agenda. Since our party leaders began this nomination process, His Excellency has provided unflinching support for Lagos APC at all times to ensure a peaceful, harmonious and unifying process.

Finally, I am in no small measure indebted to the National Leader of our party and Governor Emeritus of our dear state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He has been providing sterling leadership for the APC right from its conception to date. In all ramifications, he has been a leading light not only to Lagos State, but also the federation at large.

This was again made evident in an interview a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal granted Sunday Punch about fortnight ago. In that interview, Mr. Lawal attested: “Asiwaju is a colossus of Southwest politics. If he had said there would be no merger in 2013, there would not have been any merger we now refer to APC.”

With this testimony and numerous others, history will affirm the place of Asiwaju Tinubu in the conception, birth, growth and consolidation of APC. With Asiwaju’s immense contribution, APC is now a ruling party at federal level with control of 21 states of the federation. This is a great feat historians will document as part of the political evolution of Nigeria.

I can not end this address without putting on record and appreciating the love and support of my dear family-my wife Feyisola and children, my brothers and sisters, my mother and the entire extended Abiru family. I honour the memory of my late father Justice M. A. O Abiru who was elected Senator between 1979 to 1983 and his life and legacy which continues to inspire all of us.

Most sincerely, I thank you all for your support and promise never to disappoint you.

Tokunbo Abiru
APC Senatorial Candidate for Lagos East
September 3, 2020

Tokunbo Abiru and Obafemi Saheed have emerged as APC candidates for the Lagos East Senatorial District and Kosofe 2 House of Assembly October bye-elections.

At the bye-election which was by affirmation, the Chief Returning Officer, Hon. Ibrahim Masari announced that Tokunbo Abiru recorded a total vote of 111,551- one hundred and eleven thousand, five hundred and fifty- one votes only from the returned votes from the five local governments, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Ikorodu, Kosofe and Somolu- that make up the senatorial district covering 71 wards.

Obafemi Saheed scored a total of 34,012 - thirty-four thousand and twelve votes only from the 6 wards that make up Kosofe 2 constituency.
With the emmergence of our candidates, all is now set for APC to contest and retain the respective legislative seats.

Every development in the world of music is due to the creativity and originality of an artist—or, more often, a handful of artists pushing each other playing with rhythm, experimenting with instrumentation, blending genres and sounds to create something new. It’s a living process as musicians build upon the creations of their peers, making something their own.

This clearly defines the gesture of Nigerian creative music act, Asha Gangali, a versatile music act who has not only proven himself in the industry, but also pushed most popular artists who make the headlines today.

Asha revealed in his recent interview with Hip-Tv, how he pushed Wande Coal to stay focus and find himself in the music space. He also revealed how many top artistes today struggled to feature on his music platform, Rock the Mic. He mentioned the likes of D’Banj, Don Jazzy, Wande Coal, and many more.
Speaking Live on Hip TV, Asha hinted that Wande Coal was a dancer, until the day he fell while performing.
“Wande Coal started singing on Rock The Mic, but he was a dancer. And one day he was dancing when he fell. He felt bad and thought to himself, all these other artists that are singing are not better than him..he was referring to the likes of Suspect, LKT and so on. That was when Wande started singing.
“So, Rock The Mic gave them the opportunity but I was funding it. There was a misconception that it was being sponsored but all those corporate people didn’t pay nothing. They will just put banners and backdrop to identify with the project but they didn’t pay. We were not collecting money so I had to end it.
“We did 3 seasons and had the grand finale which featured Goldie. May her soul rest in peace.”. he said.
The interview has raised controversy online as major big artist are coming out to admit that Asha Gangali has been a great influence in the music industry.
Scooby Nero took to Tunde Ednut’s Instagram page to confess how strong and influential is Asha and hisRock The Mic brand he wrote: “Na True oo I was Dancing for RUGGEDMAN around that time , After DonFlex went to PSQUARE dem use me do Substitute”

Ace comedian, Seyi Law also came in to admit. He wrote:
I was on Rock Da Mic with @ashagangali back then. He is a great guy. He gave his platform to many.
DJ Spicey also wrote: Asha ganganli � Na better man from tey tey

Asha Gangali is said to be releasing Lifestyle EP which will be available globally in September 2020.

Multi-talented Singer and Founder of Roc Da Mic Africa, Asha Gangali aka has announced the release of his highly anticipated “LIFESTYLE EP” which will be available globally in September 2020.

The Lifestyle Crooner revealed in a recent interview that the fresh new body of work is a blend of HipHop and Afropop, the HipHop influenced tracks were Produced by Talented Russian producer, Oreo Beats while the other tracks were produced by equally Talented upcoming producers signed to Roc Da Mic Africa .

Asha Gangali confided that he started working on the LIFESTYLE EP back in 2018 when he travelled to Accra Ghana. This journey apparently changed Asha’s Creative Direction after he learned that his biggest musical influence FELA KUTI also visited Ghana before launching the Afro Beat movement, this awakening led to the total rebranding of Asha Gangali aka YoungOG

The Six(6) Track LIFESTYLE EP will feature Roc Da Mic Africa’s Artists like “GIDI GENG” , “PEPE” “TBEATZ” , “LEKAN AKO” and “NAOMI”

The official video for the smash hit title track single “LIFESTYLE” is currently on heavy rotation across platforms , the song debuted at No 4 on iTunes Nigeria Chart and dominated the charts alongside other major hit songs by other prominent musicians for two(2) weeks consecutively .
The audio has gained over one(1) million streams on blogs and free download sites.

Asha Gangali’s focus from the beginning of his career has always been not only to release good music but to also empower new Talents by giving them a platform to showcase their skills and to ensure that the Nigerian Music Industry is translated into a “Digital Ecosystem “ to enable proper monetization of music assets in the Music Industry

The Lagos Chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC has reacted to insinuations that the Party has unanimously picked a senatorial candidate to replace the seat of late Senator, Sikiru Adebayo Osinowo. This is coming after former commissioner in Lagos Tokunbo Abiru resigned from a prominent Nigerian Bank and picked up a nomination form for the senatorial race.



In a press statement released by Hon, Oluseye Oladejo the publicity secretary, it was revealed that the party has not picked a candidate for the highly revered senatorial seat and implore Lagosians to ignore any gesture that suggests otherwise.



The statement reads;



“The party has not picked any candidate for the forthcoming bye-elections. It is not until Thursday when the primary will be conducted that the candidates for the Lagos East Senatorial District and Kosofe 2 constituency will be determined.



“Lagosians should disregard any speculation or rumors making the rounds that the party already has picked Mr. Tokunbo Abiru as the party’s consensus candidate for the senatorial election.”



He implored Lagosians to tarry until Thursday, September 3, 2020, when the party primary will be conducted for the Lagos East Senatorial District and Kosofe 2 constituency

https://www.empressivenaija.com/2020/08/apc-candidates-for-vacant-senate-lagos.html

It is impossible to talk about entrepreneurial programs without mentioning Queensland Academy. This is one of the best schools that infuse entrepreneurship in its curriculum in Lagos and Nigeria in general.


Having a secondary school that creates a foundational backup for students to be an entrepreneur, will not only position them for academic excellence, but also expose them to various skills right from a very early age to put them in the path of financial freedom.



This is the goal of Queensland International School, a Lagos-based reputable citadel of learning poised to help students channel the creative seeds as young minds to confident materials that can compete in a modern business world.


Queensland Academy offers varieties of skill acquisition programs that will benefit students now and even in the future. It is a school that is popularly known for its entrepreneurship infusion into its curriculum.


The classes typically include one year of core business courses and practical training in entrepreneurship. Students usually learn about innovating in existing industries, developing business opportunities, and strategic planning.


Sadly, most schools do not teach entrepreneurship. They focus more on topics that don’t help students think creatively and ambitiously. Entrepreneurship education has a lot of benefits to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

Today we talk about so many graduates unemployed. They are unemployed because they have a certificate but they don’t have the required skills. The certificate means nothing because, what people are looking out for, is the skill that the prospects bring with their certificates.


For 27 years, Queensland has been building innovators, her alumni has been creating new jobs or building on already existing ideas to increase business space in the competitive economy.


Only a few schools compete with Queensland Academy when it comes to entrepreneurship studies. Basically, the inclusion of entrepreneurship class prepares students to start new businesses from scratch, take over family companies, or bring the small-business spirit to larger organization.


Students are exposed to various skills right from a very early age. The philosophy on which the school runs is to raise exemplary and meticulously mentored future leaders who are able to apply their knowledge to solving societal problems. Students are expected to think out of the box with an entrepreneurial mindset. This indeed has inspired early startups among the students in the school.



Queensland exposes the students to skill acquisition programs, business education such as marketing mix, writing business plans, financial literacy, and so on. The school also exposes them to internship with choice companies and organizations before they leave secondary school.


There is the CEO inspirational moments where young CEO come in to inspire the students with their stories. All these make the Entrepreneurship Department very robust.


Many students who graduate from Queensland Academy has launched successful businesses and are equally taking giant strides in their academic pursuit.


Tobi Afilaka-Iyiola is a former student of the school, who graduated in 2019 and she’s currently a medical student at the Vinnytsia National Medical University in Ukraine.



She recently started the foremost African Kitchen in Ukraine called Vinn’s Kitchen, and within a year, the kitchen has been listed on the top 50 most promising business in Ukraine.



There are other budding entrepreneurs at Queensland Academy who has also started their small scale businesses even while in school which spells for greater things to watch out for.



Our education system is responsible for preparing young people to be ready for a wide range of opportunities ahead of them. Becoming an entrepreneur requires good communication skills, commitment, creative thinking and also a strong passion for technology innovation; these are the structure upon which Queensland Academy is based.



www.queenslandacademy.com



ADDRESS:1- 5 Ebem Oha Street, Okota, Isolo, Lagos, Nigeria.



EMAIL: info@queenslandacademy.com

queenslandacademy2001@yahoo.com









PHONE: +234 8033293480, +234 8037116570

Renowned educationist Mrs Adenike Okudoh, has advised education stakeholders on the urgent need to revisit, review and reshape Nigeria’s curriculum to align with the fast-evolving world, so that Nigerian children will remain relevant in the global space.

Mrs Okudoh, who is the Director of Lagos's foremost academic institution, Queensland Academy, believes that using the two powerful tools of Education & required Entrepreneurial skills, the Nigerian students will remain socio-economically relevant especially in the 21st century. This is what has formed the basis of the curriculum run at Queensland Academy and have birthed several amazing testimonies from current and ex-students of the school.

Speaking on the future of work at the recent Entrepreneurship Summit on Zoom, Mrs Okudoh said that in sub-Saharan Africa and in the poor countries around the world, 75 million jobs will cease to exist in the next 10 years. The new jobs that would evolve will require new skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, creative thinking, team bonding and the likes. The Nigerian child needs to be equipped with these skills through quality entrepreneurial education within our schools which goes beyond mere skill acquisition programmes.

“Globally, companies are more interested in employing people who have these required skills rather just the certificates. In fact in the next few years, certificates will become more and less relevant. The employability of the Nigerian students will therefore depend on the skills they can bring to the table.
Hence, there is no gainsaying that the future of the work place is rapidly changing and the big question is if our education system is preparing our children for this place. This is a cause for concern to all stakeholders in the Nigerian education space. The Nigerian child must be future ready.

Until that particular day in the first legislative session (1999 – 2003), federal lawmakers always stroll to their respective chambers in flowing Babaringa with broad smiles and banters. Despite the banana peels that swept off some members into irrelevance in the two chambers, the tumult of that era could not take away the shine and their happy moods.
A particular day was different. The atmosphere in the Federal House of Representatives was tensed and the mood of the members, stone-cold. Mobile telephone or GSM has just debuted and it assisted in networking outside the chambers to prepare for what was to happen at the plenary.

The lawmakers had been disturbed from the news filtering out from African Petroleum (Now Ardova) where some of them had invested a huge amount of money. Nigerians, the Federal Government and especially, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) had all just been scammed, and Sadiq Petroleum, the core investor that bought the federal government’s 30 percent shares in AP that was privatised in 2000 was not happy that debt as huge as N22.5 billion was not detected by the privatisation agency while preparing African Petroleum (AP) for sale.

Owing to the huge debt of AP, Sadiq Petroleum and other shareholders have on their hands a carcass. That was the first of the due diligence of the BPE that failed. The second was the one that heralded the sale of the Aluminum Smelter Company, (ALSCON) Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State that ended in controversy and protracted litigation.

It was the same period that Cadbury Nigeria Plc also overstated its account and gave the shareholders a false sense of ownership.

The plenary at the House of Representatives on that day was different, the lawmakers were angry and they entrusted their House Committee on Commerce to detect how false financial reporting of Cadbury, AP, and that of the Lever Brothers; now Unilever (in the era of late Rufus Giwa) went undetected. Scrutiny of the various investment laws in the land as well as the relevant Federal Government agencies that were supposed to protect such laws began. The first to have a taste of the anger of the legislators was the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which is the regulator for the capital market. The second was the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on which the three companies were listed.

After a heap of investigations, a tiny and obscure agency under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Commerce (now Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment) as it was then called was found wanting and discovered to have been under-performing. Owing to the loopholes in the enabling law, that supposedly establish the agency, the cowboys that were behind the three entities could not be stopped from toying with people’s investments and lives.

That was the first time, the public knew of the quasi-parastatal of the Federal Government called the Nigerian Accounting Standard Board (NASB), the enormous and overwhelming responsibilities and usefulness the agency had (for the investing public) and also the fact that there was no adequate legal backing in its over 20 years of existence. Owing to its porous enabling laws, the tidal waves of the Nigerian investment space have turned it a paperweight which is tossed up and down and, in some cases, boxed.

With the support of and tireless works of Lanre Laoshe, a member of the House Committee on Finance and also, a member, of the House Committee on Commerce, in the first legislative session that ran from 1999 to 2003, the NASB was empowered with enabling legislation, the Nigerian Accounting Standards Board Act, No. 22, 2003 that gave it new and enormous powers to protect investors and make the economy safe for foreign direct investments to flow into Nigeria.

Just as Nigerians thought all is well and investments are safe, then the news came in from the United States of America that Enron has failed, taking away billions of dollars of investors’ money. Also came the news of the collapse of WorldCom, Parmalat, etc. which sunk with billions of dollars of investments. The failure of these companies threw global investors into confusion, fear, and depression which many could not live through.


This brought new fears to Nigerians and again, attention was turned to the NASB to see whether it could prevent the spillover from Nigeria.


The first fear that the NASB was behind time came on 4th November 2005, from the then Minister of Commerce, Idris Waziri, who raised an alarm that the NASB’s enabling law was not well-conceived and structured and as such, could not prevent the decline in the nation’s accounting system.

“I understand that the NASB had issued 21 accounting standards compared to over 40 issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), the world’s accounting standard-setting body. It is my hope that the Board (NASB) will work round the clock to bridge this gap,” Waziri said.



Noting that the nation’s accounting system, if well-structured and upgraded, will immensely pave way for more foreign direct investment and rid the nation of financial vices, Waziri stated that “a major objective of the Obasanjo led government’s reform agenda is the enthronement of transparency and accountability in all areas of our national life as a means of attracting the much-needed investment’.

Again on 22nd November 2006, Ibrahim Dankwambo (the then Accountant General of the Federation and former Governor of Gombe State) at the National Training Workshop on Accounting and Financial Reporting in the Public Sector in Abuja raised another fear.

“NASB is yet to issue any standard for use in the public sector” he noted as he lamented the lack of an established accounting standard for use in the public sector which continued despite all efforts to standardise accounting and financial reporting systems among the three tiers of government.



The complaints by both Waziri and Dankwambo and coupled with the collapse of both Enron and WorldCom set the tone for a fresh and total reform of the NASB. This new effort was again championed by Lanre Laoshe, who had exited the National Assembly in 2003, using his enormous legislative experience and influence to push through the new reforms of the NASB, which then metamorphosed into the current Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC) with powers strong enough to withstand several antics of many fraudsters in the Nigerian economic landscape.

Paperwork for the repeal of the Nigerian Accounting Standards Board Act No 22, 2003 began late 2009 after the exit of the then Executive Secretary of the NASB, Godson Nnadi, who exited office after 20 years, running the NASB as a quasi parastatal of the Federal Government until the NASB got the Act in 2003. In fact, he had to submit his resignation letter to the then Minister of Commerce and Industry, Jubril Martins Kuye, on 5th May 2010 as there was no justification for the continuation of his stay in that agency which was still obscure despite his methuselah tenure.

Then came the appointment of the fearless Jim Obazee in November 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan.

That was the era of the global financial crisis during which the World Bank, was marketing reforms under its Economic Reforms and Governance Programme (ERGP) to world leaders including Nigeria. This global effort led to the urgency by the then Nigerian government to repeal the NASB Act 2003 and enact the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act in June 2011. The Federal Government took this agenda seriously as they saw a huge window that will enable Nigeria to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) into the country which was then unattractive because of poor regulatory and governance framework. It actually paid off as Nigeria then rose to become the number one investment destination in Africa. This is a matter for another day.

The Council went to work and started with a roadmap for the phased adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) which moved Nigerian firms and its managers to international financial reporting practices. This was an easy road for Jim Obazee because he was the one that chaired the National Committee for the Roadmap to the adoption of IFRS in Nigeria prior to his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of the defunct NASB in November 2010. This phased transition provided for the introduction of financial reporting standards to allay the fears raised earlier by both Waziri, the former Commerce Minister, and Dankwambo, the former Accountant-General of the Federation.


Much of the work of the FRC was not in the limelight until the Goodluck Jonathan administration started to revamp the economy, and was working to up the ante for foreign direct investments which was very competitive among nations at the time and which still is though.


To demonstrate his administration’s readiness to make the Nigerian economy transparent, accountable, and give comfort to Nigerians and the global community, the Goodluck Jonathan led administration allowed the scrutiny of the accounts of government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) by the FRC. Even the “almighty” Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was not spared, of which the outcome led to the suspension and ultimate removal of its Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi following the damning briefing note of the then CEO of FRC, Jim Obazee, to former President Goodluck Jonathan. This made an interesting and shocking read at the time and may still be worth our while as of today.


DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT BELOW
The FRC again bared its fangs on the private sector and Stanbic IBTC Bank was caught with several financial reporting infractions which led the FRC to direct the Bank to withdraw and restate its financial statements for two consecutive years in addition to a fine of N1 billion. StanbicIBTC Bank took FRC to court for redress but the judgment was given in favour of the Council. The External Auditor that signed the offensive financial statements of StanbicIBTC Bank, on behalf of KPMG, Ayo Othihiwa, was not spared by FRC which also suspended him from practice and withdrew his ability to sign any financial statements in Nigeria. KPMG also did not take this sanction lying low. The giant audit firm, like StanbicIBTC Bank, also took FRC to court. It also lost.


This led some observers to acknowledge that the fear of FRC is likened to the biblical injunction of searching for wisdom. The air of financial reporting sanity in Nigeria was evident to all. It was at this time that Nigeria was christened as the Number one investment destination in Africa. The FRC was not done yet. It then moved to reform the corporate governance codes in Nigeria which were largely persuasive and numerous. The FRC Act, 2011 domiciled the unification of these codes on the doorstep of the FRC as seen in sections 50 and 51 of the Act.

It is the issuance of this unified code of corporate governance by the FRC in 2016 that led to a series of events that opened the ground for the sinking of the FRC. Some persons and entities used the civilised path by taking the FRC to court. They, like StanbicIBTC Bank and KMPG, also lost to the FRC as the judges were satisfied that the FRC was following its enabling Act.


The so-called “prominent” Nigerians then decided to find a political solution by seeking the removal of the then Chief Executive Officer of the FRC, Jim Obazee, who they could not compromise under any guise.

On the faithful morning of January 9, 2017, the newspapers were awash with the news that Jim Obazee, the FRC czar, had been sacked by the President of Nigeria without reason other than that the General Overseer of a major Pentecostal Church in Nigeria whose followers included the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and the then Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment (the supervisory ministry of the FRC) Okechukwu Enelamah, feels offended by some provisions of the Code of Corporate Governance for Not-for-Profit Organisations.



The announcement of the sack of the fearless Jim Obazee also came with the appointment of the current Executive Secretary of the FRC, Daniel Asakpokhai, and Adedotun Sulaiman as the chairman of the FRC governing board.

It is, however, interesting that the gentleman, that succeeded Jim Obazee at the regulatory body of financial statement reporting does not have a degree in Accounting other than the professional examination of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). One needs not to consult the oracle to know that the grave of the FRC had just been dug by this misnomer because findings show that Asakpohia was at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he came from, a Risk Management Partner with no background in financial statement reporting.


The fraudulent minds celebrated the removal of the fearless Jim Obazee while Nigerians, who are the losers in this battle, watch helplessly.


Analysts criticised the appointment of the two individuals which they noted was wrong especially when the two were attached to companies that are under the regulation of the FRC. The entity from which the Executive Secretary was appointed from had a client that was in court with FRC (Eko Hotels wherein the auditors were also to be questioned because they were the signatory to the accounts) while Dotun Sulaiman that was appointed as chairman was a director in a company that was undergoing probe at the FRC over financial statement infractions and corporate governance abuses; at the time of the appointment.

Immediately after their appointments, the FRC began a steep decline from its lofty heights having lost its voice, and now, the foot-mat that is trampled on at will in the Nigerian economic space.


Some observers hold the view that the shameful drift of the FRC and the seeming recklessness of business owners and operators occasioned by the suspension of the National Code of Corporate Governance of 2016 and the nonchalant attitude of the FRC towards the promotion of credible financial reporting prompted Pastor Sunday Adelaja, a Nigerian-born clergyman in Kyiv, Ukraine to, on July 8, asked the Federal Government, in a global broadcast, to return Jim Obazee to clean up the country.

Adelaja caused a stir in the country, especially at Aso Villa, the Nigerian seat of power, with his sermon titled, “Buhari, Bring Back Jim Obazee to Clean religious circles in Nigeria”. Adelaja, the founder of the Embassy of Blessed Kingdom of God Church, who has huge followers in Europe, said the leadership and structure of the church in Nigeria are as guilty as the political class.



“We must bring back the former FRC boss to help us sanitise the public service and clean up religious circles in Nigeria”, Adelaja said in the sermon that ran on YouTube and drew huge followers and listeners.

The Nigerian born pastor said, “There are so many concepts that churches in Nigeria are promoting and some of the practices might be worse than what the politicians do”.

Adelaja’s request might have been informed by the inactiveness at the FRC under Daniel Asakpokhai, the current Executive Secretary whom, findings by InsideBusiness show that he has not been in the office since February this year.

A visit to the new office of the FRC on the Fourth and Fifth floors at Alexander House at Alausa Ikeja, Lagos, revealed that a Deputy Director, Iheanyi Anyahara, who also has no first degree in Accounting but has passed ICAN professional examinations, was in charge in an acting capacity for only three months between April to June. Currently, Anyahara’s tenure as Acting Executive Secretary has elapsed since the end of June and the FRC is now rudderless as the Executive Secretary is still out of the country and the governing Board is struggling to find a way out to manage the situation.

The staff of FRC, who volunteered information about the current situation of the organisation confirmed Pastor Adelaja’s fears. Since the exit of Jim Obazee, things have degenerated so fast that the FRC, will need to be cleansed before it can clean up the public space.

Efforts to get Anyahara to comment on the dwindling fortune of the FRC was not fruitful. Anyahara also, as a management staff, has helped in turning the Council to a boxing ring, bringing to the fore, the in-fighting among the staff. Iheanyi Anyahara and one Vincent Okhiria had exchanged blows in the presence of their juniors in the office. This was after the show of shame between Okediran Folashade and Nelson Anumaka.

Letter sent to Anyahara’s official email is yet to be answered but a hard copy of the letter was acknowledged by his office.

However, Anyahara in a WhatsApp message to InsideBusiness on June 22 said the Public service rules forbid him to comment without clearance from Asakpokhai, who unfortunately was not around.

“There is a substantive CEO. I am just holding the fort for him for a short period,” Anyahara said.

This current scenario at the FRC has now made it more compelling for President Muhammadu Buhari-led-Administration to quickly intervene in the Council and restructure its Board and management to enable the agency to deliver on its mandate.

SEE FULL ATTACHMENTS BELOW
https://insidebusiness.ng/117437/financial-reporting-council-now-rudderless-sinking/#.Xzp-Dyoz2j0.whatsapp

Aizu is a young and talented artiste that made his debuts in the Nigerian music industry in 2019, making the year an impressive one. For Aizu, it was a take-off year, and was able to consolidate his gains. Aizu has proved to music lovers that he is a bag of talents with a melodious voice easy to listen to. He recently spoke to one Nigeria’s biggest show promoters, Issa Abubakar on how the pandemic has affected the music industry and how to wriggle out





How Did Music Start For You?



Music has always been life to me. it's the way i see the world, its the way i connect and interpret everything that's going on around me. Am an introvert and don't do a lot of talking so when I really want to say something i just sing, my feelings are the flows, I am sensitive and feel alot, music is how i bring out what's in the me world to the outside world. I respect everyone in the entertainment industry and outside the entertainment industry, we are all playing our part to make the world a better place. Mine is through singing, am always conscious of my songs cause I know how powerful music is. Music is my voice, my influence and my everything



How Did You Coin The Name Aizu?



My stage name Aizu itself came from my surname Aisunuvbo. The name is more than a name to me, it represents something bigger and I plan to take it farther.



How have you coped amidst the pandemic as it affects the industry?



Albert Einstein once said and I quote In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. The pandemic has been hard on everyone especially artists cause of the cancellation of shows, tours, concerts and apart from the inability to bring in revenue from them, we have to cancel already made plans, plans that time and money have been invested in, trust me when i say i understand and it is not so good but now is also giving us the opportunity to look inward and be better than we were. We have time to connect to our inner being now, to create, to learn, to focus, to think. Coronavirus won't last forever but whatever good we bring out of it will. Let's use this time wisely, we might not get a second chance and honestly, no one is praying for this kind of second chance lol��



What is your advice for those coming into the music business?



There are many ways a contract can go wrong and many ways a contract can be right for you, my advice is to know yourself and know what you want before going into an agreement with a party. No man is an island, seek help from a professional, you might be a music genius but that doesn't make you a lawyer or an engineer. I believe contacting a professional in a field to do their part in your field is a sign of respect. A lawyer can go a long way in deciding how your future will turn out so don't overlook their importance when it's time



What inspires you as an artiste?

A wise man knows there is something to be learned from everyone and no one is perfect. I’m inspired by everyone facing their struggles and keeping their head up through it all, you don't have to be a celebrity to inspire me, Just do your thing. I respect everyone





Instagram @iam_aizu



Twitter @its_aizu



Facebook - Aizu

Admittedly, Dele Momodu commonly called Bob Dee by his friends and close associates knows his job too well but sometimes, it is too difficult to figure out which side he belongs. If he says 'A' today, tomorrow he might say 'Z'. Many years go, he bragged about being a dependable voice of Nigerian youths, next thing you know, he's doing the contrary. I'm sure he's not unaware the world is watching and noting.

When Sowore was arrested and detained by power that be, Dele Momodu shared fiery tweets that berated youths where he claimed they 'abandoned' Sowore. He mentioned in his tweets why the youths with their 'mouths' could not 'put resources together' to secure the release.

Fact is, Dele Momodu, a failed presidential candidate (whose only supporters were his immediate household) lacks principles. This is a man who writes against corruption yet celebrates looters. He almost sold Diezani Allison Madueke back to us if not for few bright minds close to top, who didn't buy his lies. He was disappointed!

Here's a man who is putting his resources together, including his literary prowess to support a known drug baron, certificate forger, billion van mover to fulfill what he called 'a day with destiny in 2023.

He's been everywhere on social platforms; he had initially thought Facebook is too low for his caliber of journalist. He believed Facebook is for the fracas and playground for nonentities. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to be fulfilled on Twitter and Instagram, now he's back on Facebook where a little less than 60 to maximum of 150 viewers watch his Facebook live chat.

What a pity. What a man.
Anyways, I'm joining a good number of his curious observers to welcome him on board.


Author: HRH Tinuade Mabel Onaneye,
The Erelu Oodua of Aye Kingdom.

Sequel to the appointment of Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the chairman of the 104-member National Campaign Council for the Ondo Governorship Election by the All Progressives Congress, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) has raised an alarm over alleged diversion of Lagos funds to re-engineer Ondo state governorship elections in favour of the ruling party.



The APC through Hon Seye Oladejo, the Lagos APC’s Spokesman dismissed the allegations as baseless and unfounded. In a statement released on Wednesday, 12 August 2020, the APC said all allegations raised by the opposition in the state is not only wild and reckless but also, false and unfounded.

It reads in part;



“Our attention has been drawn to the nauseating occasional vituperation of the opposition PDP as regards the appointment of the governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwoolu-olu to lead the APC campaign for the forth-coming Ondo State Governorship election.



“The characteristic wild and the reckless allegation has shown the consistency of the warped state of mind of a frustrated opposition party that is determined to sell falsehood to the people. The false and unfounded allegation of the intention to divert resources of Lagos State is at best admission of what obtains in the PDP whenever there’s an election.



“Nigerians haven’t forgotten the Dasuki-gate which provided a looting spree in the name of elections. It’s also an open secret that the PDP has remained in permanent opposition in Lagos State because its leadership is gifted in looting election funds.



The party added that while the opposition is healthy in a democracy, it is not a license for false and jittery allegations, adding that the Lagos State Governor was appointed to lead the election campaign based on his remarkable performance in office despite the pandemic.



“It is important to put it on the record that the well-thought choice of the Lagos State Governor to lead the election campaign was based on his well-acknowledged remarkable performance in office despite the prevailing unusual challenge. He’s also known as a great manager of human and material resources.



“It’s laughable that you described Mr Governor as lacking political experience after successfully and effortlessly retiring your serial governorship candidate.

“However, the bad news is that the discerning general public find your bazaar-like governorship primaries in Ondo and Edo states distasteful and has resolved to react accordingly with their votes.



“The release which can be regarded as crying wolves where there’s none can at best be described as prophetic of PDP’s imminent defeat in the coming elections.



“The disintegration of the PDP house of cards in Ondo State after the governorship primaries and the desperation of your Edo state candidate which led to the demolition of the state house of assembly are incontrovertible pointers,” Oladejo added.

The ancient Iruland has continued to wobble through her multi-faceted challenges, and one of the issues involved the alleged hijacked throne of the ancestral Oniru, by an individual from the Abisogun ruling house.

The current strife in the ancient town is majorly about the imbalances in terms of the sense of belonging nursed by the ruling houses in the delicately structured declaration that has been conserved by the founding fathers of Iruland, a situation that’s necessitated the allegation for marginalisation and the call for review.

The Ogunyemi ruling house have been short-changed over the years on account of the prism ascension to the throne, which was sequenced in turn as Akiogun comes first and Ogunyemi comes second. The Abisogun, going by the 1993 declaration, comes third.

Being one of the most organised towns in Lagos State, there is a laid down declaration that regulates succession sequence to the stool of Oniru; a unanimously established document that is meant to be followed by every royal blood of Iruland.

The Lagos Island Local Government Chieftaincy Committee, having the interest of all the ruling houses represented, established the declaration and was duly signed by His Royal Majesty, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan II, the past Oba of Lagos and the Governor of Lagos state at the time, Sir Michael Otedola. The declaration was later registered by the ministry of Local Government later that year.

The section 1 of the Declaration established identities and number of the Ruling Houses in the Oniru Chieftaincy Family to include the Akiogun, Ogunyemi and Abisogun.

Secion 2 of the Declaration specifies the order of rotation in which the respective Ruling Houses are entitled to provide candidates to fill the successive vacancies in the Oniru Chieftaincy as follows: Ogunyemi, Abisogun and Akiogun.

When Chief Yesufu Abiodun Oniru joined his ancestors, and there was need to select another leader, it was then that the entire ONIRU ROYAL FAMILIES agreed to have a declaration which we regulate Ascension to the throne without future crisis.

Following the section 5 of the declaration, however, when the ruling house whose turn is to provide candidate to fill the vacant stool of Oniru fails to do so, and there are more than one ruling house, the next entitled ruling house would be called upon. This is embedded in the registered declaration.

So in 1993, OGUNYEMI RULING HOUSE received a public notice from ETI OSA LOCAL GOVT asking them being the next in line ruling house to provide a candidate, they held a meeting and the minutes of the meeting was sent to the local government where it was declined by not having a candidate as at then, ETI OSA LOCAL GOVT, again notified ABISOGUN RULIING HOUSE, being the next entitled that, OGUNYEMI RULING HOUSE had declined and according to the regulations they are next entitled.

They also held a meeting and minutes of their meeting was sent to the local government, in which they also declined based on the enormity of the office. It is pertinent to know that when the two Ruling houses declined, it was then that ETI OSA LOCAL GOVT had to notify the 3rd Ruling house which is AKIOGUN.

It is evidently proven in OGUNYEMI RULING HOUSE, press release and it was aired for purpose of clarity on the 11/02/2020 and this was sent to all the appropriate office for their perusal and response. There are also indication that Gbolahan Lawal’s underserving imposition as the Oniru of Iruland by the Governor of Lagos State, was blatantly rejected by the Abisogun family.

The family had in a protest staged in June 2020, claimed that Lawal was neither a member of their family nor qualified to be the Oniru. They called on the federal government to prevail on the Lagos State government to reverse Lawal’s installation as Oba.

The head of the Omowunmi Abisogun Oniru ruling house, an 88-year- old Alhaji Surajudeen Durosinmi, claimed that Gbolahan Lawal, was imposed by the Lagos State governor, as the new Oniru for motives best known to him and his cacophony of plotters.

The entire Abisogun ruling house made clear of their unanimous rejection of Gbolahan Lawal, discrediting his Obaship as a brazen desecration of tradition, and a suppression of the clear extant laws of the land in respect of the procedures for choosing a new king.

The management of Lagos' foremost academic institution, Grace Schools has decried the attempt by some disgruntled elements and a section of the media to drag the school into slanderous, baseless and unfounded rumors stemming from the extortion of the parents.
In a statement released on Monday, 10 August 2020, the school stated that the report doing the rounds is merely a malicious effort to soil the name of the school by evidently disgruntled elements whose intention and purpose is best known to them.
It's statement reads;
"We unequivocally put it on record that Grace Schools has not collected such unreasonable amounts from any of our parents in the course of resuming academic activities after the COVID-19 lockdown.
The children only resumed school first time today since the forced closure of schools in March.
All the students resumed as day students and none have paid any boarding fees. We request the rumormongers to present evidence of payment and who they paid the alleged N1.5M to, or which hotel the children were camped in.
We believe this baseless story is sponsored by aggrieved people who could not accept our decision not to open the boarding house without ironclad safety measures being put in place. It is wicked, immature and uncalled for.
We have sought a legal modality to investigate those sponsoring the malicious rumour and the blogs used to magnify the slanderous, malicious and defaming lies.

Grace Schools has thrived on a long standing record of integrity, credibility and honesty. As an institution whose teaching is hinged on honesty, and good moral conduct, we eschew any vice that may soil the hard-earned, and long-won credibility that the school is known for.
It is saddening that a media platform can jump at junk stories and in unconcerned desperation publish such without following the basic code of journalism, INVESTIGATE.
We also appeal to the general public to disregard the story as a deliberate attempt to create unnecessary crisis for this noble institution.

The management of Lagos' foremost academic institution, Grace Schools has decried the attempt by some disgruntled elements and a section of the media to drag the school into slanderous, baseless and unfounded rumors stemming from the extortion of the parents.
In a statement released on Monday, 10 August 2020, the school stated that the report doing the rounds is merely a malicious effort to soil the name of the school by evidently disgruntled elements whose intention and purpose is best known to them.
It's statement reads;
"We unequivocally put it on record that Grace Schools has not collected such unreasonable amounts from any of our parents in the course of resuming academic activities after the COVID-19 lockdown.
The children only resumed school first time today since the forced closure of schools in March.
All the students resumed as day students and none have paid any boarding fees. We request the rumormongers to present evidence of payment and who they paid the alleged N1.5M to, or which hotel the children were camped in.
We believe this baseless story is sponsored by aggrieved people who could not accept our decision not to open the boarding house without ironclad safety measures being put in place. It is wicked, immature and uncalled for.
We have sought a legal modality to investigate those sponsoring the malicious rumour and the blogs used to magnify the slanderous, malicious and defaming lies.

Grace Schools has thrived on a long standing record of integrity, credibility and honesty. As an institution whose teaching is hinged on honesty, and good moral conduct, we eschew any vice that may soil the hard-earned, and long-won credibility that the school is known for.
It is saddening that a media platform can jump at junk stories and in unconcerned desperation publish such without following the basic code of journalism, INVESTIGATE.
We also appeal to the general public to disregard the story as a deliberate attempt to create unnecessary crisis for this noble institution.

Following the recent social media claims that the Niger Delta Commission is demanding refund from the senator Peter Nwaobosh, representing Delta North senatorial district in the 9th senate, the red chamber lawmaker has reacted to the deman which has been tagged as invisible.

In statement released on Saturday, August 8, 2020, by the media aide to the senator, the lawmaker stated that no letter has been received by his office and no copy has been seen anywhere else online.

He advised that the sponsor of the letter should have gone through the legal path if his claims are genuine and implore reputable media to ignore the letter.





Read statement in full









Our attention has been drawn to the purported subject matter above, credited to one Peter Claver Okoro, Esq, posing as the Director, Legal Services of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and we make bold to state the following:











1) The purported letter addressed to the Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi was written on the 5th of July 2020 and as at today, 8th of August 2020, said letter has not reached Senator Peter Nwaoboshi - either in person or Office or by substitution.







2) We have searched through the internet, no one has seen a copy of an officially signed letter on the above claim. This would have helped us identify whoever has signed to go to jail for such an unimaginable falsehood in a supposed corporate environment.







3) The purported letter, unlike any formal letter emanating from a recognized government Ministry, Agency or Department is not signed, therefore, can easily be denied.



The ostensive letter is obviously fake as it was not conveyed through the official letter-headed paper of the NDDC, one would not expect any serious media organization to pay attention to such as it is obviously meant for the usual blackmail to divert attention from the monumental corruption charges hanging on the management.







4) Our media organizations, aside failing to reach out for a balanced story, ignored the many obvious traps in the said letter that inadvertently has the name of someone from “Delta Development Commission” as contained in the piece sighted online.







5) Nowhere in the contents of the purported letter was it stated that the contractor is directly linked to Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi. it is expected that since the said letter did not claim the contract was awarded to Sen Peter Nwaboshi, there was no way he could be asked to make a refund. The scam meant for blackmail contain ominous sign of a fake piece.







6) In addition, nowhere in the purported letter was it stated that the warehouse, where the plastic chairs were domiciled belongs to Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.







7) The purported letter is absolutely fake and should be ignored by the public. We also appeal to the media to be more diligent and not allow criminals on the prowl take false advantage of freedom of expression to malign innocent citizens.







We appeal to the media organizations who have published, unknowingly, to immediately correct the attempt to legitimize the fake piece.







9) We are also not ruling out media urchins who may have been recruited by the desperate members of the IMC of NDDC in an attempt to divert public attention from the humongous corruption allegations. The public should, therefore, pay no attention to such debauchery.











However, if the IMC of NDDC feel they truly have a genuine case against Senator Peter Nwaoboshi as contained in the purported letter, we are challenging them to go to the law court or make use of every legal procedure available to them. A clear conscience fears no accusation.





Awele Onokwai Legislative/Media Aide to Sen Peter Nwaoboshi



Saturday, 8th August 2020

Fresh off the introduction of rave-of-the-moment in Nigerian music, Swayze, Etins Records has unveiled a new artist, Yarden.

In a statement, Etins Records founder and President, Etinsosa Ehiorobo Edwin said: “We are pleased to announce our new imprint deal as we unveil our new artist, Yarden.

“We’re excited to be working with Yarden on the release of several new records, while also working on creating visuals that truly represent the artist.”

Okereke Blessed Jordan, popularly known as Yarden is a singer and songwriter who comes from a music and entertainment enthusiastic family. So the love for music was from a tender age, from school and church performances he has always enjoyed the thrill of adding emotions to music and has been doing this since 2018. But he started doing music professionally in 2019. Yarden’s music is a blend of pop, Afrobeats, and hiphop rhythm.

The 19-year-old who is the newest male signature of Etins Record family was raised in Lagos but is a native of Abia State.

“Yarden’s sound features a dark, groovy and ominous vibe, a new different sound for the world to accept, and for the youths to relate to on an unlimited scale, we can’t wait for them to hit your playlists,” Edwin said