The HQ of Diamond was contacted this week and they got back in touch with my relative over the wrong POS deductions from his bank account.
I would not advice anyone to use POS machines to make payments in Nigeria for now because of poor network connectivity... especially when it rains heavily. This is when the purchaser gets debited for incompleted transaction - and even the merchant with the POS also ends up not getting credited with funds from purchases made.
So I've been obsessed (recently) with documentaries on anything pertaining to Nigeria and I found some docs on people called, "The Hyena Men"...
Embarrassing as this is to probably say, I have watched those specific docs about 7-8 times (between the two)...lol...because they were so good. Deep obsession....I guess.
So, being the well-versed historian that you are, do you mind me asking you some questions about these fascinating people? I always like to ask before I delve into something that may be too controversial or make folks uncomfortable. If yes, I'm gonna watch them again (lol), get my questions and have them ready for you sometime tomorrow. If no, then I'd be honored if you would recommend me to someone who would be able & willing.... Thanks
^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ Hey... @Mobilia, how are you?
I'm doing really good right now... and thanks for the compliments!
I initially thought you were interested in the INFAMOUS "The Hyena Man" who is based in the Southern African country of Malawi who I first heard about on the British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC] on 21 July 2016.
He assumed global notoriety for disvirgining young ladies before they get married according to the local customs in his Malawian village... and ended up infecting several women with HIV!
"This week, a man named Eric Aniva from Malawi was arrested after the BBC broadcast the 27-minute radio report: 'Stealing Innocence' in Malawi," which featured Aniva bragging about being paid to sleep with more than 100 young girls and women, some as young as 12 years old."
OK... I have personally seen some of those Hyena owners while on local tourism trips in the North of Nigeria [especially Kano] and in documentaries on TV... and I find them to be fascinating to watch because of the the ability to TAME the very deadly creatures and the share POWER that hyenas have... and based on watching "Discovery Channel" and "Nat Geo Wild's" focus on "Predators Gone Wild," I've come to NOT mess up with untammed Hyenas.
They are known in the Hausa language as "Gadawan Kura" [hyena handlers/guides]... AND USUALLY perform during festivals and are also move around from one state to another displaying or performing stunts for money. The hyena men are itinerants - they never spend more than two days at a location!
In 2017, a criminal gang of baboon handlers in the Ikeja axis of Lagos State [who were Hausa-speaking from the North of Nigeria] were caught/arrested for using these animals to "distract and attack people" in the evenings with the aim of robbing them. This was widely reported in the media! So it is better to have YOUR instincts at alert when these Hyena/Baboon handlers are around!
CastedDude: A man was severely dealt with and arrested after he was caught stealing in a bank earlier today in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state.
According to reports, the suspect who claims his name is Ifeanyi Dike from Abia state, was apprehended while allegedly stealing from unsuspecting victim in GT bank located at GRA in the state capital.
It was reported that the suspect goes from bank to bank - disguising as a customer who wants to do a transaction before looking for victims to steal various properties from including cash.
After he was nabbed, he also claimed to be a graduate of Criminology at the University of Port-Harcourt (UNIPORT).
He was beaten severely as one of those who caught him - revealed that this was the second time he was nabbed for the same offence.
He was later taken away to the police station after receiving some strokes.
eyamensah: The Chairman, traditional rulers council of Cross River State, His Majesty, Chief (Dr) Etim Okon Edet has released a press statement warning the Igbo Community in Cross River State to desist from its plan installation and coronation of Sir E. A Ezenwenyi (KSS, KSM, JP) as the Eze Ndi Igbo of Cross River State.
In a statement released on the 13th of November, 2018, the traditional rulers council suggested that the Igbo Community in Cross River State are free to choose such other title that reflects the association but not one which is reserved for traditional rulers in igboland.
The traditional rulers council advised the Igbo Community to use such titles as president, chairman, etc, but not necessarily, Eze Ndi Igbo of Cross River State.
The press statement was co-signed by HRM, Barr. (Dr) Patrick Oqua Agbor.
AutoReportNG: Just like the Biblical phrase that says, "When the Lord turn again the captivity of Zion, we are like those that dream". The same can be said of Apapa-Wharf Road. For the first time after a long time will a driver drive from Apapa Ports in Wharf and get to CMS in less than 20mins.
It was earlier reported that the Wharf-Apapa road is a death trap for all road users. This road serves as the gateway road to the Nation's Seaport and it hosts several industries like Dangote, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Leventis and a host of others.
Last year the companies spearheaded by Dangote, Flour Mills, and other industries signed an MOU with the Federal Government to reconstruct the roads while the government gives them a tax holiday.
AutoReportNG was in Apapa last April to access works being done where we give first-hand reportage from the site. Fast forward to September, we start seeing some pictures of a new Apapa-Wharf Road and we felt as a responsible media outlet to see things for ourselves.
Base on our reports, we noticed that the four-kilometer dual carriageway, built with cement, has a median, walkways and side barriers on the various sections painted in black and white. Big drainage on both sides has also been completed while street lights have also been erected on Sections one and four of the project.
Interlocking stones are still being laid on about three-quarter of the service lane of out-bound Apapa dual carriageway. Section one of the project is 520 meters, section two is 450 meters, three is 380 while section four is 650 meters.
We can report that the road is 85% completed with some minor adjustments still ongoing at some various points but so far, its a new dawn on this road.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, had on June 17, 2017 signed a N4.34 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd and some other stakeholders for reconstructing the Apapa-Wharf Road.
The project is being funded by AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc.
MhizMuna: The race for the coveted miss world beauty pageant is on with Nigeria’s Most Beautiful Girl, Anita Ukah as representative of the most popular black nation on earth.
Having got the chance to interact with other top beauties from across the globe, the 23 year old MBGN 2018 has promised make the country proud.
In a recent post however, she shared photos from the Miss World Press Conference. She wrote:
‘I’m really having a great time here at Miss world 2018, Meeting beautiful, warm and intelligent ladies from all over the world. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and hope that by God’s grace, I make Nigeria proud. At the miss word press conference today with’.
Below are some pictures from Anita’s Miss World experience so far:
Psychodavidovic: It's not always about the money, it is about getting value for your money.
Leagoo Kiicaa power gives me the following:
2GB RAM
16GB ROM
4000mah battery.
Fingerprint sensor.
All these for how much ? The same 20k on jumia.
Not hating tho but Itel can do better.
Joetechs: The Chinese based smartphone company are really making waves in the world at large. Today we will be looking at the smartphones which was recently launched, called the Itel A22 and A22 Pro!
Wow this is an amazing one indeed and a wonderful one you know? the both new smartphone Itel A22 and A22 Pro are both been powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which offers faster multi-tasking and hassle-free entertainment experience for users. Going down to the specs of this smartphones, they both has similar specs but have a slight changes in the Operating system and the inbuilt memory.
It is a good thing we make it known to you that it packs impressive 1GB of RAM and both runs on Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition), While Itel A22 has 2GB of RAM and also runs on Android 8.1 Oreo OS.
BabaOwen: The Nigerian Army has redeployed some of its officers from Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Operation DELTA SAFE, as well as over-stayed officers from the theatre as part of routine posting.
Also, a Deputy Vice Chancellor is appointed for the newly established Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB).
Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, Director Army Public Relations, in a statement on Saturday said the posting affected 103 officers including Majors and Captains.
Those affected in the redeployment included; The Commander Headquarters Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE Major General Abba Dikko who moves to the Department of Civil Military Affairs as the Chief of Civil Military Affairs, Major General Jamil Sarham to remain in Headquarters 6 Division as the General Officer Commanding/Land Component Commander, Major General Nuhu Angbazo now moves to Headquarters 3 Division as the General Officer Commanding while Major General Benson Akinroluyo redeployed from Headquarters 3 Division to Headquarters Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE as Commander.
Others were; Major General Victor Ezugwu from Depot Nigerian Army to Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO), Major General Adeyemi Adetayo from Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) to Department of Army Standard and Evaluation as Director Procurement and Projects and Brigadier General Ifiok Obot redeployed from Headquarters Operation DELTA SAFE to Nigerian Army University Biu as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Military).
Also affected in the redeployment were; Brigadier General Olufemi Dada from Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) to Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) as Director Combat Development, Brigadier General Solomon Udounwa redeployed to Defence Headquarters as Deputy Director Campaign planning, Brigadier General Adekunle Adesope from Department of Army Standard and Evaluation to the Office of the Chief of Army Staff as Acting Director in the Directorate of Audit and Financial Management.
Brigadier General Caleb Dalhatu moves from Headquarters Infantry Corps Centre to Headquarters 81 Division Garrison as Commander, Brigadier General Abdu Hassan redeployed from Headquarters 2 Brigade to Headquarters Infantry Corps Centre as Chief of Staff (COS), Brigadier General Kabir Mukhtar from Headquarters 81 Division Garrison to Headquarters Department of Army Administration as Acting Director Manpower, Brigadier General Nasiru Jega redeployed to Headquarters 2 Brigade as Commander.
Brigadier General Sani Mohammed moves from Department of Administration to Depot Nigerian Army as Acting Commandant, Brigadier General Kevin Aligbe is to remain in Headquarters 16 Brigade as Commander, Colonel Adamu Nura from Headquarters 21 Special Armour Brigade to Nigerian Army Armour School as Chief Instructor, Colonel Louis Lepdung redeployed from Headquarters 25 Task Force Brigade to Headquarters Infantry Corps Centre as Deputy Director Research and Development.
Colonel Kingsley Umoh from Administration Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) to Defence Headquarters as Assistant Director Defence Information and Colonel Kayode Ogunsanya moves from Headquarters 3 Division Army Public Relations to Defence Headquarters Garrison Army Public Relations as Deputy Director Army Public Relations.
economia: Yesterday, like thousands of GTBank current account customers, I woke up to an unwelcome, ill-timed gift which arrived in this format:
"Desc: SI TRANSACTION (DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS)-GeNS CHARGE FOR 26NOV2015-06JAN2016."
It appeared that I and others had been once again, unexplainably robbed debited of our hard-earned money. At the last count, I counted over 50 complaints on Twitter (to which GTB typed out the generic response: "Enter our DMs"wink and I have been boiling ever since.
What does "Different Customers" even mean, and how does it qualify as a reason to charge whatever the hell they like, right in the middle of a month and without any warning? The most annoying thing about this is that this charge has come in addition to a separate, unspecified charge for November - December. I mean, how can you justify this sort of repeated financial rape from a body that should be begging for your services? Are they shoring up my hard-earned money for an inevitable "MTN style" fine, or now that the CBN directive has abolished Commission on Turnover charges, is this their new money making scheme?
Either way, this is unacceptable and if these banks won't do the right thing, it is about time we the customers make them sit up and realise we pay their fucking salaries. With the current state of the economy, we cannot sit back and let these guys continue to screw us over and act like they are doing us a favour while doing so. Some of the bank staff even have a misplaced sense of sovereignty over our rights as customers, so it's up to us to educate them on how to treat customers.
This year, let us use the little we have to change our situation.
What is little known to the public is that the CBN will listen to customer complaints, as long as the complaints are lodged using their guidelines. So let's do this. If you've been affected, it won't take much of your time, plus I will make this as easy and pain-free as possible in 2 easy steps. However, I will need your commitment to join us in complaining by following the steps below. This is our money and most of all, this is our country and for the sake of our children, we the people must salvage it from the hands of those who want to create a culture of intimidation. Let's do this.
What are the CBN guidelines for lodging complaints about banks?
Step 1. Lodge a complaint with your bank in-branch, and give them 2 weeks to respond. I would suggest first backing yourself up by sending your complaint via email in advance. What you are after is a confirmation that your e-mail has been received and is being dealt with (you will need this if you need to proceed to step 2). If you do get a confirmation, print it out and make a photocopy. Now, you can take a copy of your complaint letter the bank branch.
Below is a free guidance template you can download and adjust to your taste before taking to the bank.
According to a 2011 CBN circular, all banks are required to provide a consumer complaint help desk and/or expand their ATM help desk to deal with all kinds of complaints. Before you take your complaint to the branch, ensure that you take a photocopy, and ask someone to stamp this to confirm that the branch has received your complaint.
Step 2. If the bank fails to address your complaint after 2 weeks, escalate it to the CBN's consumer protection department. Please note that you cannot escalate the issue without lodging a complaint with your bank first, so please follow the steps as prescribed.
Here is a free template letter you can adjust to suit your taste.
Please personalise this as much as you can, so that it doesn't look like you just copied it word for word off the internet. Then send to the CBN by email and then by post.
Here are contact details for the CBN:
E-mail: cpd@cbn.gov.ng
Letter: Director, Consumer Protection Department, Central Business District, Abuja
Your letter of complaint should be addressed to the Director, Consumer Protection Department. You can submit your letter at the CBN Head Office or at any of of their nationwide branches.
Zaria street, Garki II, Nigeria. PMB 0187, Garki, Abuja. +(234) 09 2342132-4, 234332-6, +(234) 09 23435363
Port-Harcourt branch:
2 Bank Road, Nigeria - P.M.B. 5134 Port Harcourt. +(234) 231019, +(234) 084 230539
Some more CBN guidelines to support your complaint:
Your complaint should be clear and concise to avoid ambiguity. The Complaint letter (petition) should contain amongst other things the following:
Name, Address, Contact Phone Number & E-mail of the Complainant; Name of your Financial Institution; Personal banking details (Do NOT include PIN & Passwords, pleasewink History/Date of the transaction in dispute; Amount claimed (if any) Attach relevant documents to support you claim and Evidence to show that you have first lodged the complaint at your bank. Wait for a response, and follow up if you hear nothing after 2 weeks. Please let me know of your progress in the comments section, let's keep this open an transparent. All the best!
Babygiwa: Recently the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El'Rufai called the former governor of Anambra and the PDP Presidential candidate in 2019, Peter Obi an ethnic bigot over his treatment of Northerners while he was governor.
The governor alleged that Peter Obi mandated all Northerners to carry identification cards witch was only restricted to them.
But now a video has emerged of the Former PDP chairman in Anambra, Dan Ulasi who accused Peter Obi of splitting the states along religious grounds as it has become a matter of Catholics against Anglicans against Pentecostals.
slimderek: I had a POS issue since October, EVen COntacted CBN but no reply from them. Truely A Wack Country
^^^^^ ^^^^^ Did you finally get the POS illegal deduction reversed by your bank?
A relative is having the same issue right now after making series of POS transactions that were declined and he has been debited by Diamond Bank for over 1 month now and no full reversal of his money yet!
^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ A relative of mine made some fuel purchases via POS at filling stations such as Total and he got Transaction Declined as a response message... and the money was still deducted from his Diamond Bank account. He's been going to Diamond Bank week after week without the problem being fully resolved even after seeing the Branch Manager who also said the HQ will have to be contacted to resolve some of the issues.
It's over 1 month without all his illegally deducted bank funds being reversed or refunded!
I would like to advice everyone to stay away from making POS payments at fuel stations and some other places because you can lose your money.
It's time to use the CBN option from this week and that is how I found this thread via Google.
Please if anyone has had success with the CBN Consumer Protection Department channel of reportage, kindly let us know if the email option or direct phone call is the best.
Diamond Bank has to reverse the illegally deducted money this month because it is getting too long for a man in his 70s to get his money back!
There are more of his skinny pictures that are more pronounced than this that I have seen in old editions of "Hip Hop World" Magazine of the early 2000s!
Angelanest: The airport in Benin city, Edo state, was brought to a temporary standstill as the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, returned from Abuja where he went to meet the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles.
The monarch was welcomed by the sons and daughters of the kingdom who gathered in their numbers and waited for him to arrive at the airport.
Meanwhile, the Oba on Tuesday, asked the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, to lend his voice to the call for the British empire to return all the ancient Benin artefacts that were taken by the British authorities in 1897.
Speaking at the parley the visiting British royal had with royal fathers this evening, the Benin monarch told Prince Charles that the repatriation of the artefacts would enable him establish Oba Palace Museum for the promotion of tourism in his kingdom.
Other traditional rulers that attended the meeting were the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi; Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar; Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe; Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, and others.
forgiveness: The reason Dapo APC lost the election in Ogun East was because Ijebus don't like Amosun. You can see they voted for PDP in Senatorial, House of representatives and governorship elections in 2015.APC lost elections in those areas because of Amosun. But when it was time for the presidential election, they voted for APC because of Osibanjo.
This time around, APC will win Ogun East because of Osibanjo and due to the party at the center.
^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ... Let's hope APC wins the Governorship. What of the PDP Kashamu factor?
Who Is Dapo Abiodun? | Biography Of Dapo Abiodun| Profile Of Dapo Abiodun| History Of Dapo Abiodun| Wife Bamidele Abiodun | Meet Ogun State 2019 APC Gubernatorial Candidate Dapo Abiodun Aka Heyden Oil Boss AKA Father Of Late Olugbemiga Abiodun aka DJ Olu,
Meet Ogun State 2019 APC Gubernatorial Candidate Dapo Abiodun Aka Heyden Oil Boss. The Ijebu Ode-born businessman and politician whose impeccable pedigree on the social scene is well known.
He was Chairman of Corporate Affairs Commission and a founding member of All Progressives Congress in Ogun State,Adedapo Abiodun has declared that his governorship ambition in the state was to sustain the legacy of the state governor,Senator Ibikunle Amosun .
Not many people know that wealthy businessman, Dapo Abiodun, and father of late DJ Olu was contesting to become the next governor of Ogun State come 2019.
His campaign posters which are trending have been on social media as far back as February this year 2019 and a couple of dedicated social media accounts have been spreading and campaigning for the Ogun State Prince.
Mobilia: Konquest! Wow....wasn't expecting to hear from you?! What made you reach out to me? I'm doing well...blessed as usual. Hope you are as well.
P.S. Yes sir....that has been my experience on N.L. You know I told you about that several months ago (publicly & privately)..lol. Ninety-nine percent of the lovely guys (that I communicated with) know that I'm telling the truth...
Never seen such tenacity in my life! But I'm still here.... Surprised you're just now reading this....wrote that some months ago.
^^^^^ ^^^^^ Hi again @Mobilia
I actually found this thread when I Googled your moniker and the thread link popped out on the first page of my search.
I just wanted to say hi and to know how you were doing as of then.
The pressures of everyday living can actually compress time and space and I was surprised that I hadn't communicated with you in about 6 months.
gateleo: The Lagos State Government on Monday said the ongoing Oshodi Transport Interchange conceived and being implemented to evolve a seamless way by which Lagosians commute across the State on a daily basis would be completed within the first quarter of 2019.
Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr Adebowale Akinsanya, in a statement on the state of the project, said it was gratifying to report that substantial progress had been made towards its completion. The Commissioner added that with the ongoing pace of works, the project would be completed within the first quarter of 2019, and operations commencing soon after, saying that commuters around the State should look forward to having a comfortable, accessible and world-class transport system.
Besides, Akinsanya commended motorists and residents in the State for cooperating with government in the implementation of the project, just as he assured that all hands were on deck to expedite work and complete it on schedule. According to him, “At the moment, 83 per cent total work progress has been achieved, including completion of piling works on the three terminals and completion of the piling works for the Skywalks. “Among others, we have also completed works on the pile caps for the three terminals, concrete works of the buildings, ground floor works on all the loading bays for the three terminals, erection of steelworks for the Skywalks and terminals and Taxi Park and car park area, while road works around the terminal are at an advanced stage as well as bus holding bays around the terminals also at an advanced stage,” Akinsanya said.
The Oshodi Transport Interchange Project (OTIP) which is part of the Bus Reform Initiative of the State Government, is an iconic infrastructure designed to transform the axis forever and enhance connectivity. The project, in a nutshell, seeks to transform Oshodi into a world-class Central Business District (CBD) with business, travel and leisure activities conducted in a serene, secure, clean, orderly and hygienic environment, comparable with other transport terminals around the world including Stratford and Victoria Bus Station in the United Kingdom.
The project, on completion, would consolidate all the 13 city and interstate bus parks into three multi-storey terminals, providing standard facilities including waiting area, loading bays, ticketing stands, drivers lounge, parking areas, rest rooms, accessible walkways and pedestrian sky-walks linking all the terminals.
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FTP2019: Before Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for 19 years, the status quo had remained the same in Lagos. Win a first term, do some pretty transformative work and win an easy second term, but for the first time we heard a new name and beheld posters of a new candidate cropping up around Lagos. Is this a case of the Party of Change changing someone that wasn’t delivering on his promises?
Is this the new anointed one? Who is he? Why should we look at him? Will he be forced on us? I had my opinions. I mean, if you were in Lagos and you had not been living under a rock over the last one month, you’d probably have your own opinions too. The entire drama had played out in front of us all. The crux of it was when his opponent in the party primary election, the incumbent governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode had called a press conference to cast aspersions on his mental state and accuse him of past criminal misdeeds.
That had piqued my interest. This was worth looking into. If the man that wanted to be my next governor had a case of spending fake currency then I needed to know about it. I didn’t take those alleged accusations lightly. I think a lot of people did not take them lightly. They came from the lips of the governor but at the same time I have never believed an incumbent deserved a second term just because he is an incumbent. If you are doing a good job and the people you are serving can feel the impact, then yes, maybe a second term is in the offing but if the general populace is not happy, then you surely can not expect a second term. This is not a “Buy One Get One Free” scheme we are doing here. You have to work really hard to deserve that second term.
So with all these in mind, the press conference was watched with a pinch of salt but was my curiosity piqued? It definitely was. I wanted to meet the man and ask him these questions face to face. “Ngbo sir, they say you were spending fake dollars in America? How come?” “And while we’re on that, what mental illness is it that they say you suffer from?”. These were the firsts of many questions that I wanted to ask Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
I did a couple of posts to my thousands of followers on social media. I followed the primaries for the two leading parties in the state and when both candidates were announced, I put out a post about my interest in moderating a governorship debate between both candidates.
Mr. Jimi Agbaje, the candidate of the PDP to me is like a leap year, he disappears and pops up every 4 years. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to me, though a three-time Commissioner and Special Adviser in Lagos for more than 10 years, still didn't evoke much statewide recognition, so I set out to find out more about him.
First I googled his public profile. 53 years old Babajide Sanwo-Olu, spent 16 years in the public sector and 11 in the private sector. Educated at University of Lagos, Lagos Business School, Kennedy School of Government, London Business School, his educational qualifications, public and private sector achievements made him an interesting candidate. He was a three-time commissioner in the state ( Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry,Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions), had done a lot of work on improving the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), had led the publication of the Lagos State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LASEEDS) and set up of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.
An opportunity for a meeting finally came up. I was prepared for him to come late because you know how these politicians do. Keep people waiting because they have to attend to every issue under the sun.
Waiting for a politician can be quite a tedious affair, my experience in the past had left a sour taste in my mouth so I was pleasantly surprised when he was on time. This might seem like a small deal but African timing has never been alluring to me and the penchant Nigerians have for keeping people waiting is a pet peeve. I was glad that we were setting off on the right path.
He came into the room wearing a simple blue native attire. If you hadn’t seen his picture before and hadn’t met him prior, you might be forgiven for thinking he was one of the many people slated to attend the meeting. There were no airs around him. He came in, introduced himself and took a seat. I kept looking at him. I didn’t know what I was expecting to see but it wasn’t this man that looked simple and unassuming. He looked liked he could be your uncle. He wasn’t brash. He waited for a person to finish speaking before he responded. He didn’t interrupt. He wasn’t condescending with his answers to the questions being asked. All through these, I kept looking at his eyes and I could have sworn I saw the gears in his brain turning while he was answering questions. He looked like one of those people we used to call ‘efiko’ in my high school. Ah! This one is smart oh! I thought, but we can’t deny that the questions might have been scripted and he had prepared. Well, you can’t fake smarts for too long and I was confident that if the session was scripted and put on, I would see a crack before it was over.
During a period when everyone seemed relatively relaxed, someone had cracked a joke earlier and while the laughter was still wafting around the room, I asked him why the incumbent governor, his opponent during the election and a member of the same political party he belonged to, had made those accusations against him.
For the first time, I saw something other than warmth, intelligence, wit and smarts behind his eyes. I saw hurt. I wasn’t sure. Was the hurt because of the question, or because of the person that had leveled the accusations against him? I didn’t know but I wanted to find out.
Truthfully speaking, after Fashola, I didn’t know how much I had missed having a well-spoken orator as a governor. I know people will say “Ehen? He can speak English well and so? How does that translate to governance?” I don’t know but I daresay a governor that can express himself confidently and explain issues in a concise and deliberate manner is a delight to listen to any day and yes, Lagos has missed that. Ok, fine, I have missed that if we’re being pedantic.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu explained these allegations clearly. He doesn’t have a criminal record. Home or abroad. He doesn’t have issues with any authority in the United States. He put it on record that he had traveled out to this same America where he supposedly has criminal charges against his person four times this year alone.
On his records as a patient at Gbagada General Hospital, he has never been admitted as a patient at Gbagada General Hospital. He has never sought treatment for any ailment at Gbagada General Hospital, nor anywhere in the world. The one and only time he had been to Gbagada General Hospital was on a charity outreach visit where he had gone to donate equipment to the hospital.
Just like that? Allegations explained away just like that. It was anti-climatic, I won’t lie to you. With the way the incumbent governor had called a press conference, a World press conference for that matter, mind you, just to level these accusations then to have them explained away without any pomp, fanfare or attendant drama was weird. I was expecting to hear stories of cover ups, blackmail etcetera etcetera or maybe just a little mudslinging back at his accuser but no, none of that.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu did a very good job of explaining these accusations that came his way before he even got the party ticket to contest as the candidate in the general elections. His answers were clean, clear and precise. It also spoke to his simplicity. Simple answers to clear up the spurious allegations leveled against him. I liked it.
I really liked that he didn’t see the need to disrespect his accuser or the office, after all, it is an office he is vying for. I liked that he didn’t go down and dirty. I liked it. It inspires confidence in him and says he knows what he is doing.
For an introduction to the person who would be the next governor of the Centre of Excellence, this was a pretty good one.
Babygiwa: All You Need To Know About Razak Atunwa, The PDP Governorship Candidate In Kwara
49 year old Razak Atunwa is a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives representing Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency.
Hon. Atunwa is the Chairman, House Committee on Justice and currently also heading the House Committee investigating corruption in the award of Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245.
Born on the 17th of October, 1969 in Ilorin, Kwara state, He attended Immaculate Heart Secondary School, where he obtained Ordinary Level Certificate in 1986.
Hon. Atunwa studied law at the University Of East London, graduating in 1992 with LL.b (hons). He further obtained his Masters Degree (LLM) in International Law from the University of London in 1993. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in October 1994 by the Inner Temple Inns of Court.
After 11 successful years as a Barrister at law in London where he specialized in criminal and international law, Hon Atunwa returned to Nigeria in 2005.
36 year old Atunwa was appointed as the commissioner for Land and Housing in Kwara state in August 2005, Commissioner for Information and Home Affairs ( 2006 - 2007), Commissioner for Works and Transport (2007 - 2009) and Commissioner for Finance ( 2009 - 2010). Hon Atunwa has Immense Governance experience in Kwara state after working in 4 different ministries in his thirties.
In 2011, he was elected into the Kwara state house of assembly to represent Owode/Onire Constituency of Kwara State on the (PDP) platform and was later unanimously elected Speaker of the Assembly at the inauguration of the 7th legislature.
Hon Atunwa was elected as a Member of the Federal House of Representatives of the National Assembly to represent Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency in 2015.
Asides from his law practice, Hon Atunwa, an avid reader is a licensed pilot certified in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Razak Atunwa contested the PDP Gubernatorial primaries in Kwara state on the 1st of October 2019 and was duly elected by 1,555 delegates making him the PDP's flag bearer in next year's elections.
Honorable Atunwa is running a #Kwara First campaign that focuses on human Capacity development for everyday Kwarans, local content development to drive inclusive growth, and massive investment on health and Education infrastructure.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ So the dude is also a pilot and knows how to fly?
Let's see how he'll "fly himself" out of the certificate forgery mess as a UK-trained lawyer.
Let me sip my Pina Colada while watching the political drama!
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ OK... Have a nice read. The journalists found you to be worthy of mention and this is how people get invited on TV or radio to become Public Affairs Analysts.
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ OK... Have a nice read. The journalists found you to be worthy of mention and this is how people get invited on TV or radio to become Public Affairs Analysts.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ The title of the Saturday Punch article is:
"Outrage Over Buhari's Failure to Submit Certificate" on page 8 of Saturday Punch of October 27, 2018.
Just Google the article title above, and you will get to read the online version of Saturday Punch.
Some other Nairalanders comments were also used. Some journalists from major media organizations usually visit NL to pick stories or listen to comments posted on NL.
Business › Re: Unauthorised Bank Charges: How To Complain To The CBN (Very Simple) by Konquest: 2:51pm On Nov 15, 2018
