John Eke Uti was born in Delta State, but he came to Lagos to further his education. In an old interview that I saw, he said that he became interested in bodybuilding while in Lagos. This was because of the bodybuilding magazines and TV shows that he saw.
Wrestling
He tried to feature on a show on the NTA, but he wasn't successful. He saw the famous actor, Enebeli Elebuwa (of Andrew fame) while he was at the NTA premises and Mr Elebuwa advised him to go into professional wrestling because he had the physique for it.
Power Mike Promotions
Power Uti then tried to get the attention of famous wrestling promoter and retired wrestler, Power Mike. Power Mike set up a match between Power Uti and Timesman Udo and although Power Uti lost that match, the crowd at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium loved him and that's how he got involved with Power Mike Promotions.
Power Uti's first major match on the Power Mike platform was against the Mexican legend, "Ariba" Luis Martinez. Back then, in the early 1980s, the NTA showed 3 main American wrestling promotions on TV and they were the IWA (which was the most popular), the NWA and the WWF. Luis Martinez was on the IWA platform and Nigerians knew him very well back then because they saw him on television every weekend. Power Uti was relatively unknown at that time and the crowd at the National Stadium supported Luis Martinez.
Power Uti fought against many famous foreign stars at the National Stadium in the 1980s and 1990s. These include Kamala The Ugandan Giant, Mr Fuji, Ox Baker, Playboy Buddy Rose, etc. Most of these fights were promoted by Power Mike Promotions.
Problems with Power Mike
I read a newspaper interview sometime in the late 2000s or early 2010s in which Power Uti talked about the problems that he had with Power Mike. He praised Power Mike in that interview and talked about his contributions to wrestling, but he also talked about some problems that they had in their relationship.
Power Uti told Power Mike that he would like to go to the United States in order to wrestle there. Power Mike convinced Power Uti to go to the West Indies instead. He said that Power Uti would do well in Trinidad and so he got legendary Trinidadian wrestler, Ray Apollon to take Power Uti to Trinidad.
However, there was something that Power Uti did not know. Power Mike was owing Ray Apollon and the promoters that helped him to bring some American wrestlers to Nigeria and he used Power Uti as part payment of the debt. This meant that Power Uti was paid less than he was due in Trinidad, because the promoters used to balance to offset the debt that Power Mike was owing. He had 63 fights in Trinidad, but he came back with much less money than he thought that he would make.
When they eventually returned to Nigeria, Ray Apollon told Power Mike that he couldn't get a particular American wrestler who they wanted to fight Power Uti in Lagos. He suggested that Power Uti should fight Mil Mascaras instead (Mascaras was due to be in Lagos for one of Power Mike's shows). He said that he believed that a match between Mascaras and Uti would be a huge draw. Power Mike agreed.
However, when he was in a car with some other people, Power Uti said that Power Mike did not tell him that he was going to use the Trinidad trip to settle his debts. Power Uti told the journalist that was interviewing him that he believed that someone in the car told Power Mike what he said because Power Mike later cancelled the match between Power Uti and Mil Mascaras. Instead he decided that Mascaras would fight Ben Lionheart. Ben Lionheart was a Nigerian wrestler who had been abroad for a long time and only returned to Nigeria shortly before the promotion (I remember that this was one of the reasons that I was looking forward to that show). He was also the Commonwealth champion.
Power Uti later made up with Power Mike and Power Mike scheduled him to fight against Mr Fuji at the same show.
Ben Lionheart lost to Mascaras and the crowd (at the National Stadium in Lagos) was not happy with the result, but Power Uti defeated Mr Fuji and this energised the crowd.
United States and the CWA
Power Uti's match against Mr Fuji made waves and this gave him an opportunity to wrestle in the United States.
He wrestled in the Continental Wrestling Alliance (CWA) and soon became their junior champion. Some of his matches were shown in Nigeria (just a few).
He eventually got a title shot and defeated Dino Rosetti (the champion) to become the CWA Heavy Weight Champion. He is the first person to hold both the junior and heavyweight championship belts at the same time.
He occasionally returned to fight in Nigeria and I remember that he defended his title against Dino Rosetti in Lagos.
Most popular wrestler
Power Uti was the most famous Nigerian wrestler in the 1980s and 1990s. He was one of the famous people that were regularly interviewed at half time during Super Eagles matches (they were interviewed either in the stands or at the side of the pitch). He also often appeared on Morning Ride to promote his matches (Morning Ride was on Saturday mornings and most of the wrestling shows were on Saturday evenings).
Born Again
Power Uti became born again in the mid-2000s and he appeared at one of David Oyedepo's events to give testimony about his transformation.
He modified his ring walk after he became born again. Now he plays gospel songs on his saxophone as he walks to the ring. If I remember correctly, he actually became a reverend.
Bizarre matches
Power Mike moved to Abuja in the year 2000 and left the wrestling business. He died in 2004.
Power Uti tried to promote some matches by himself in the late 2000s and 2010s. They were the strangest, weirdest and most bizarre matches that I have ever seen.
I remember that he was publicising a match against someone and there were adverts and so on, but the match never actually held (I can't remember who his opponent was supposed to be). (Modified: I think it was Cliff Compton).
Then, in 2011, he had a series of matches against Super Festus (Doc Gallows). This was shortly after Festus left the WWE.
The first match was held on the football field of the main bowl of the National Stadium in Lagos and it was shocking. This was back when the stadium had electricity problems. The match was held at night and a man held up a rechargeable lamp to illuminate the ring. I mean that a man held up one of those cheap red Sunca rechargeable lamps to illuminate the ring. The rest of the stadium was in complete darkness. Fans who were used to the great promotions of the 1980s and 1990s were very disappointed. The booed and asked for a refund. I was in shock.
The second match was held at the Velodrome of the National Stadium in Abuja and it was equally shocking. It seems like the fans had heard about what happened in Lagos because there were no spectators. The hall was empty!
Jide Alabi brought Power Uti to Silverbird Sports Cafe so that he could defend himself. Power Uti tried to pretend that nothing wrong happened, but Jide Alabi told him exactly what the fans thought. People were expecting to see the kind of shows that we had in the 1980s. Thousands of fans in the Main Bowl of the National Stadium, working floodlights (otherwise the match should have been held during the day), proper ring announcers, multi-camera coverage, etc. but there was none of that. I felt sad all over again while watching him on Sports Cafe.
These matches have become a source of discussion on American wrestling blogs and YouTube channels. Some people in wrestling circles have mocked Power Uti because of those matches, while some of his American fans have defended him.
Wife's death
In 2017 there was a headline on Nairaland's front page which stated that Power Uti had been arrested for killing his wife. The story went viral and was on blogs and social media sites all over the place. It was also discussed on American wrestling sites.
There are 4 versions of the story and I'm going to give you all of them.
1) The first story was that Power Uti beat his wife to death. This is the story that went viral on the Internet.
2) The second story was that Power Uti didn't kill his wife, but he kept her corpse in his house until the body decomposed and began smelling and that it was his neighbours that called the police when they couldn't bear the smell.
3) The third story was told by his in-laws. They said that Power Uti refused to take his wife to the hospital, rather he kept her at home and was praying for her when she was sick and they also claimed that, after she died, Power Uti took her corpse to a church where people prayed for her revival. They said that they called the police on Power Uti because he desecrated the corpse of his wife by taking it to church for people to pray for her revival.
4) The fourth story was told by Power Uti. He said that he was very conscious of his strength and that he never laid hands on his wife and that he loved her very much.
He said that he never went to the hospital and that even when he had injuries from wrestling, he usually just went home and his wife would massage him and he would better. He said that it was probably this practice that his wife copied.
He said that his wife complained of a severe headache and he offered to take her to the hospital, but she refused. His wife's cousin came to visit them and also advised his wife to go to the hospital, but she refused again.
He said that he took his kids to school one morning and when he got back he discovered that his wife's situation had deteriorated, so he rushed her to the hospital. She was at the hospital when she died. He said that it's not true that he refused to take her to the hospital or that he kept the corpse at home, rather her body was still at the hospital. He said that he prayed for her at the hospital before she died. He also said that there was a secret that his in-laws were hiding and that's why they were persecuting him.
Twitter
Power Uti is on Twitter and this is his Twitter account. He was released from detention sometime in 2018 and it was through his tweets that I knew that he was free. https://mobile.twitter.com/PowerUti
Photo 1) World Top rated wrestlers at a press conference in Lagos where trophies to be won during the tournament was displayed (1979). Source: Nigerian Herald.
The trophies were displayed by the President of Pegson International Promotions, Mr Peter Eruteya (right) and in the middle is Nigeria's female wrestler Bella Ogunlana (in dark glasses).
Photo 3) Bella Ogunlana and her manager, Orig Williams.
Bella Ogunlana (aka Black Panther) is a British-Nigerian wrestler who fought in the UK and Nigeria in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
She was sometimes billed as being from Lagos, Nigeria and sometimes billed as being from Llandudno in North Wales.
She was trained by Orig Williams and fought in matches that were promoted by him in the UK. She also fought for Power Mike Promotions in Nigeria.
She fought against the top women wrestlers of the time, including Mitzi Mueller.
She became world champion when she defeated Rusty Blair in Lagos Nigeria. However, she also lost to Rusty Blair in matches in Kaduna and London.
Bella Ogunlana and other female wrestlers had a difficult time in the UK in the early 1980s. Women's wrestling had not been shown on television and when they were able to get some of their matches on ITV, the TV regulator banned women's wrestling on TV.
She has a sister, Caroline Ogunlana, who is a model.
Photos 1 and 2) Nigerian wrestler, Bella Ogunlana before the world championship match against her arch rival Rusty Blair of Great Britain in Kaduna May 1981. The match was promoted by Power Mike International Promotions
Photo 3) A more recent photo of Bella Ogunlana.
Photo 4) Nigeria's Bella Ogunlana applies to the winning Boston Crab to subdue Lola Ashlery of England. Source: Daily Times, May 22, 1979
naptu2: I have written about him very many times on this thread and other threads since 2012 (search for Ben Lionheart and you'll see the posts). I have also posted his pictures many times. Unfortunately I still don't have videos of his exploits (which I watched when I was a kid), but here is a video of his community paying tribute to him.
Ben Lionheart
FORMER COMMON WEALTH HEAVY WEIGHT WRESTLING CHAMPION: AKPO COMMUNITY IN AGUATA LGA IMMORTALIZES HIM
The story of NZE BENNETH AFULUEKE OKOYE (A.K.A BEN LION HEART) began on the 24th december (before the lords days) 1942, when he was born as the first child in a family of five children to NZE & LOLO OKOYE IGWEBUIKE of udo village, Akpo in Aguata Local Govt. Area of Anambra state.
Benneth attended St. paul's catholic school (Now Akpo Central School) from 1953 to 1960 where he obtained his first school leaving certificate. While in school he was one of the most brilliant student of his time, and was also noted for his very active involvement in sports such as football and athletics.
Even though benneth lost his mother at a very tender of eleven, he was uncharacteristically of a boy at such age to take care of his younger ones. He made sure that his immediate younger brother, now a medical practitioner, who was a toddler when he was in junior class accompanied him to school. He also took care of his other siblings, thereby filling the lucuna creating by the death of his mother. This early hardship impose upon him by fate was to be of immense value to him in later part of his life as it imbued with an unimaginable survival instincts that saw him through the fratricidal biafram war and even beyond his chosen professional career in wrestling.
At the end of his Primary education Benneth opted for business and served late FIDELIS UMEOPRINNAKA (Alias :Kwa-aji Kwa) a rich trader as at that time, before setting up his own business in Lagos. This was before the commencement of the civil war and by this time he was already a well established timber merchant. When the war eventually broke out In 1967, he like every true igbo Youth returned home to defend his fathers land, He Joined BIAFRAN ORGANIZATION OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS (BOFF) and as a result of his intimidating personality and fearlessness he was revered and respected by both commissioned and non-commissioned officers where eve he went.
At the end of the war Benneth married former Miss Jane Ezeaka (Now Mrs. Jane Okoye) before returning to Lagos to re-establish his timber business. While there, he made it a priority to identify with his towns people. In recognition of his efforts at assembling Akpo people residing in Lagos under one umbrella, he was elected the first executive chairman of Akpo Development Association (A.D.A) Lagos branch, about two years after the civil war and under his leadership a solid foundation of his branch was laid in Lagos.
But when Benneth was struggling for the welfare of his people, his business was dwindling due to lack of funds all the Capital required to run it had gone with the war and there was no one to offer assistance. As time went by, life become very unbearable for him and members of his family.
On realizing that he had a lot of Physical strength he decided to try his hands on weight lifting, and it was at this stage that he met Chief Mike Okpala A.K.A. "Power Mike" from whom he drew inspiration to become a wrestler. As luck would have it a good Samaritan in the person of Chief J.S. Abajue assisted him to procure travelling documents with which he traveled to Greece (ITALY) to learn the art of wrestling and from there he traveled to other countries, including Great Britain and Germany.
After his training he returned to his country as a professional wrestler. On arrival he introduced himself to the nation as one of the best wrestlers in the world and adopted the name "BEN LION HEART OF AFRICA" His first fight caused a big sensation because people were so thrilled by his wonderfully performance and display of raw strength that he pulled large fellowship of supporters in his subsequent fights. He was specialized in what was described as the "Greek-Roman" style with this he was able to defeat many famous wrestlers, such as john kwango, Silva man etc. His achievement in his new found love "wrestling" bore eloquent testimony to his charisma, perseverance determination and fearlessness even in the face of all odds.
On the 22nd of January 1978 he won the national heavy weight title, and on 30th march 1978 he beat Honey boy zimba of sierra leone to win the African heavy weight title. His effort were crowned on the 16th day of December 1978 when he defeated Count Bertilli of Great Britain to become the "Common Wealth Heavy Weight Wrestling Champion"
His selfless nature and desire to see to the Welfare Growth and Development of others were manifested in 1985 when he single handedly and with the unalloyed support of the then Military Governor of the Old Anambra State "Navy Captain Alison Madueke (as he then was) organised the championship match in defense of his common wealth title, the proceeds of which were specifically meant for the coffers of "Anambra State Stadium Appeal Fund" for which there was a strongly worded letter of commendation from the Governor. He was also a source of inspiration as well as the Patron of "Akpo Lion babes football Club of Lagos" which purpose was to develop and bring to limelight the latent football artistry among indigenous youths. Being a man that was filled with the zeal to serve in whatever capacity towards ensuring a functional society, he was not found wanting even in his professional association. He was at various times Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary General of Nigerian Professional Wrestlers Association (N.P.W.A.) and a member of Nigerian Wrestling Board of control.
Following professional controversy, he retired from active wrestling in the late 1985, But as result of his insatiable love for sports, he engaged in the importation and sales of sports equipment till the time his ill health began to manifest in the year 1992.
In the month of march 1997 he was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) by his wife & daughter who did every thing humanly possible to help him regain his health. The doctors after diagnosing his heath problem as "DIABETICS" discharged him after one month of intensive treatment , But Ben never regained his old self.
On the 15th August 1998 he was yet again admitted in the same hospital where he gave up the ghost ten days later. It is pertinent to mention that despite his busy schedule and engagement. Ben Lion Heart still found time for development of his home town Akpo. In 1988 he was appointed Chairman Akpo Rural Electrification Project (A.R.E.P.) and through his influence the project was commissioned by the Anambra State Government. He was also an active foundation member of Njikoka Age Grade, Akpo Development Association (A.D.A) and Udo Charity Movement. He was always participating in Community Development and Social Activities. He also donated various sums of money to support individuals and groups.
BENNETH AFULUEKE OKOYE A.K.A. BEN LION HEART will be remembered for a long time to come, for the glory and honour he brought to Aguata Anambra state in particular and the nation Nigeria in general through his exploits as a wrestler. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen
REMEMBERING MIKE BAMIDELE, FORGOTTEN NIGERIAN UNDEFEATED WORLD CHAMPION
Mar 17, 2021. Written By Olusesan Olukoya
Born in 1945 at Ipetu Ijesha, Osun State, he attended St. Mary’s Primary School, Ipetu Ijesha. He was forced to leave the school in standard four owing to financial problems and the sudden death of his father.
As a young boy, he took delightful interest in street wrestling and to keep the banner of his family flying, he wrestled with many of his contemporaries round the town clearly distinguishing himself as a terror in the localities before he moved down to Lagos at the age of 19.
Bamidele never started in Lagos as a wrestler; rather he was selling electrical parts at Lewis Street. He had interest in boxing and left his shop several times to watch boxers. In 1962, he signed up as a boxer when he enrolled at the Broadway Boxing Club at Lewis Street, Lagos under the guardianship of Howard Jones, trainer Speedy Twitch, Lawson Moon, a former middleweight champion of Nigeria boxer who turned promoter Bonny Ade. He finally sealed up his shop in to enable him have full attention to purse his sporting career.
He followed the sport steadily until 1964 when he decided to change to wrestling – a game he loved very well because of all the gymnastics and acrobatic displays involved. For instance he watched the first world light heavyweight wrestling title fight staged in Nigeria between the former champion Khalil Abu Khalil – the Seven Up man from Lebanon and contender Apinosse of Greece.
Inspired by the performance of the Abu Khalil, Bamidele followed the great wrestler to Beirut on July 10, 1964 and started active amateur wrestling training in the same year. He showed remarkable talent in mastering all the technicalities of the sport of his choice and within four years of his sojourn in Beirut where he fought many amateur and international contests, Bamidele has become a force to be reckoned with in the world of Professional Wrestling.
In a career ranging from Spain, France, Belgium, Cardiff, Valencia, Pakistan, Australia etc, Mike courageously sought and fought his way to stardom successfully.
Some of Michael Bamidele’s victims in his over 500 professional wrestling fights were Ray McGuine who was kayoed in 1967 the same year Jon Contex of Mexico fell by the knock out route. Steve Grey was knocked out in 1968 in France. His record further shows that he fought more than 300 times in the middleweight class before switching to the light heavyweight category where he became a world champion.
Mike Bamidele died on the 27th December, 1989 in his residence in London of heart attack, The history of the pro wrestling stars in Nigeria and Africa will be an uncompleted story without putting into considerations and its proper place the immense contributions and the exploits of Mike Bamidele as the first indigenous Amateur coach in Nigeria as well as the first pro wrestling coach who took some selected Nigerian wrestlers round the nation to introduce the game in 1979.
In commemoration of his the 10th year remembrance anniversary, on January 29, 2000, a statue was unveiled in his hometown, Ipetu-Ijesa on his behalf where little or nothing is known about him on the sincere exploits he made in his active days as an undefeated world champion.
Unfortunately, this statue is the only form of immortalization for Mike. He was one of the many Nigeria’s Unsung Heroes.
Statue of an Undefeated World Light Heavyweight Champion
Mike Bamidele, was a London-based Wrestler and a former World Light Heavyweight Champion who died undefeated.
A lover of his country, he came to introduce Amateur Wrestling in Nigeria. As reported, In 1979 he took some selected Nigerians round the States to introduce the game.
As part of the10th year remembrance celebration of the late wrestler, on January 29, 2000, this statue was unveiled in his hometown, Ipetu-Ijesa in Osun State, where little or nothing is known about him or the exploits he made in his days.
I remember seeing the representatives of the Nigerian Wrestling Federation and the family of the Champion during the unveiling ceremony while heading to school that early morning of January 29th, 2000. I also remember seeing the surroundings unkempt and the statue in bad shape. This definitely is a renovated one.
Unfortunately, this statue is the only form of immortalization for Mike. Mike was one of the many Nigeria's Unsung Heroes.
Chief Mike Okpalla, fondly called Power Mike gave Nigeria a big name when he became the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion after defeating Ali Baba in 1975. He had beaten the likes of Johny Kwango, known for his head-butts then, Musonga and a host of big wrestlers. One week after his feat, Enugu Rangers were on the verge of winning more honours for Nigeria in the African Club of Champions Cup final against Hafia of Guinea. Rangers lost and Nigerians took consolation in the great feat that Power Mike had achieved.
Power Mike never quit sports after retiring from its active participation. He went into wrestling promotion and gave Nigerians the opportunity to watch live, their wrestling idols like Mill Mascaras, Mighty Igor, Ray Apollon etc.
21 JUNE 2004 Daily Champion (Lagos) OPINION By Isaac Ayozie
Lagos — NO doubt, the death of Chief Michael Okpala, a.k.a Power Mike, which came as a rude shock to his family, relations and admirers is an incident that would linger in our memories for long if not indefinite. It is bound to be so because of the ideals he lived and died for. His eventful life that spanned for 65 years, 1939 to March 10, 2004, was remarkable for the legacies he left behind. He devoted so much for sports, his chosen field. He not only promoted sports, he used it as a tool to build friendship, brotherliness and upliftmentof the dignity of the black race. Most interestingly, he displayed rare spirit of sportsmanship. He was indeed a unique gem that left his footprints in the sands of time.
His prowess in sports which showed early in his life while he was at Adazienu Central Primary School, Anambra State, eventually, took him across the globe. He began with strongman show carrying incredible weights like 12 bags of cement, held vehicles in motion to standstill, and similar feats. Between 1967 and 1969, he was a trainer and instructor at YMCA, Tottenham Court Road, London. He toured all over England, performing in clubs as African strongest man. Later in 1969, he went into professional wrestling campaign in Greece. In 1970 he defeated Gambian Massembula to become African Wrestling Champion. He wrestled in Madison Square Garden, New York, known as the Mecca of professional wrestling. In 1973 he defeated Ali Baba of Lebanon in Kampala, Uganda, to become World Heavy Weight Wrestling Champion. In 1975, he defended his world title against Ali Baba. That happened to be his last titled fight. Before his retirement, it is noteworthy to recall that he wrestled and defeated notable wrestlers like Johnny Kwango of West Indies, Joseph Kovacs of Hungary, Derek Withinton of England and Jude Harris who he fought in Lagos, to mention a few.
CHIEF MICHAEL OKPALA (MON) AKA POWER MIKE (August 8, 1939– March 11, 2004).
Michael Okpala was born on August 8, 1939 to Echeobi and Janet Okpala at Neni in what is now Anambra State. He attended Anglican Primary School at Adazi-Enu (a neighbouring town). He was a gifted athlete in primary school.
After primary school, he left Neni at the age of 13 and moved to Onitsha in 1952 to seek his fortune as an apprentice to a fabric dealer at the famous Onitsha Main Market.
Onitsha and Dick Tiger Boxing Club
His immense physical strength was also visible at the market as he lifted bales of clothes and other heavy items with such enthusiasm that it was soon clear to everyone that the young man had a more than average strength. Two years into his apprenticeship, a buddy introduced him to the Dick Tiger Boxing Club, where he began to train as a middleweight boxer. Dick Tiger, a professional boxer who would become very famous in the coming years, became his role model.
Kano as a mechanic and strongman
He later moved to Kano and became an apprentice to his kinsman in order to learn the trade in car tyres. He changed jobs and became an apprentice mechanic in the same city.
His ability to lift engines and other heavy vehicle parts attracted attention of people in Kano. His fellow mechanics and the people around his neighbourhood began to call him Power Mike as his popularity as a strong man grew. He began to perform strongman stunts like lifting vehicles off the ground, etc. The way in which these feats came to him made him realise that he might fare better pursuing a career that utilised his physical strength.
Strongman shows
Power Mike toured all over Nigeria to perform incredible feats of strength in strongman shows. His performances included preventing two Volkswagen Beetle 1300 cars from moving by pulling them back via a rope that was tied to their bumpers, driving a six-inch nail into a piece of wood with his bare hands and carrying incredibly heavy loads.
He went on a national tour in 1961 and performed in Port Harcourt, Enugu, Onitsha, Aba, Jos, Kaduna, and Lagos.
Wrestling
By 1964 he had added wrestling contests to his shows and he began touring internationally. He performed in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal and all over West Africa. His shows had wrestling matches, strongman feats and weightlifting.
He got a one year contract in Sweden in 1967 and his promoters encouraged him to stop his strongman shows and focus on professional wrestling. Thereafter he made Greece his base and began wrestling all over Europe. He was known as the African Hercules (Αfrikanikos Iraklis) in Greece.
Power Mike fought against some of the most famous professional wrestlers of the late 1960s and 1970s. His first famous professional win was against the Greek Heavyweight champion, Paparazallo. He beat British legend, Johnny Kwango, who was famous for his deadly head-butts (funny enough, when I was a kid, Johnny Kwango was often billed as being from Nigeria (when he fought in Britain) and billed as being from the West Indies (when he fought in Nigeria).
Other wrestlers that were defeated by Power Mike included Joseph “Kingpin” Kovacs, Jude Harris and Lee Sharon.
United States
Power Mike also fought at the Madison Square Garden in New York, which was probably the most famous venue in the world for boxing and wrestling matches at the time.
Africa
In 1970 he returned to Africa and defeated Gambia's Massambula to become the African heavyweight wrestling champion and titleholder.
By far Power Mike’s most famous match-ups were against the over six-foot and 266 pound Lebanese wrestling champion, Ali Baba.
Their first fight was at the Nakivubo Stadium in Kampala, Uganda in 1973, where Power Mike won the World Heavyweight title after inflicting a straight defeat on his opponent.
The first match in Lagos in 1975 was Power Mike’s first title defence as World Heavyweight Champion. Crowds thronged the National Stadium in Lagos. The arena was so packed that some people hung on the fences. It was an intense, keen fight of equals, but Power Mike soon got his opponent into an impossible position, finally ending in a double knockout. The stadium erupted in a loud joyful clamour. (It is possible that they did not understand what the final score meant).
All ambiguity will be put to rest when later that year, in a rematch at the Sports Hall of the National Stadium, again in Lagos, Power Mike finally defeated Ali Baba in a clean knockout.
Retirement
Power Mike retired early as a professional wrestler in 1976 with a fight record of 125 without recording a single defeat.
Power Mike Promotions
Power Mike became a wrestling promoter and his company, Power Mike Promotions, brought some of the biggest stars in professional wrestling to Nigeria from the late 1970s till the late 1990s.
The Mighty Igor, a Polish strongman, was probably the most famous wrestler on Nigerian TV in the late 1970s and early 1980s (long before the Hulk Hogan era). He was so popular that anything that was unusually big was called "Mighty Igor" by Nigerians. He was a fan-favourite and he often brought polish sausages for the fans. He fought for the IWA, NWA and WWF promotions in the United States. Power Mike Promotions brought him to Nigeria.
Mil Mascaras is one of the most popular wrestlers ever (he is in the WWE Hall of Fame and he is like a god in Mexico). He fought in the Lucha Libre style of Mexico and he has influenced a lot of wrestlers, including Rey Mysterio. His wrestling style was very attractive and it involved a lot of diving and high rope manoeuvres. He also had tremendous upper body strength.
Mascaras was known as The Man of A Thousand Masks. He always wore a fancy mask while walking into the ring (which he took off before fighting) and he always had his fighting mask underneath it. Many wrestlers have tried to unmask him and failed, but I’ve seen one or two matches in which his fighting mask was removed, but he always had a third mask underneath.
There were some parts of Lagos in which night soil men removed human waste at night. They usually wore masks so that they won’t be easily identified and also to help them deal with the smell. Those night soil men were nicknamed Mil Mascaras, because of the masks that they wore.
Power Mike Promotions brought Mil Mascaras to Nigeria.
Power Mike Promotions brought the Mighty Igor of Poland/USA, Mill Mascaras of Mexico, Ray Apollon of Trinidad, Johnny Kwango of Britain, Luis Martinez of Mexico, Argentina Apollo of Argentina, Playboy Buddy Rose of the United States, Kamala The Ugandan Giant (from the US, though he was billed as being from Uganda), Gentleman Chris Adams of the United Kingdom, Ox Baker of the US, Dick the Bulldog Brower of the US, the Great Malumba from Guyana (he was billed as being from Zaire) and many other stars to fight in Nigeria.
Power Mike Promotions also promoted matches that involved Nigerian stars like Power Uti, Ben Lionheart, Bella Ogunlana (a British-Nigerian), Elephando Bassey, Baba Mutum (an enormous man) and Ajanlekoko The Giant.
Power Mike's shows were usually held during the Christmas and New Year, Easter or Independence Day holidays. He staged fights in Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Ibadan, etc.
His shows in Lagos were usually held at the main bowl (football pitch) or indoor sports hall (basketball court) of the National Stadium in Surulere.
Sometimes, for example during the Christmas season, he would bring stars from abroad and they would tour Nigeria, staging shows in Lagos, Enugu and Kaduna within a two-week period.
After wrestling
Power Mike moved from Lagos to Abuja in the year 2000 and left the wrestling business. He began investing heavily in real estate and construction instead.
Death
Chief Michael Okpala (MON) died on March 11, 2004 at the National Hospital, Abuja after a long illness.
Recognition
In his heyday, Power Mike was the toast of many African governments. He met with, amongst other leaders, Milton Obote of Uganda, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, and Kenneth Kagunda of Zambia, who called him “a great ambassador of the black race.” In Power Mike’s hometown, he was bestowed with a chieftaincy title: “Ide,” meaning “pillar” in Igbo.
President Shehu Shagari conferred the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) on Power Mike in 1982.
In Neni, standing at the traffic centre of the town, at Ọkacha junction, on the road to Awka, is a huge concrete statue of Power Mike, standing tall and muscular like a Greek marble titan on a citadel of some ancient Ionian island. Power Mike’s statue in his hometown, obviously of no Hellenic origin, had been sculpted from one of his more famous photos, after a famous victory, holding his right hand aloft in acknowledgement of the ecstatic crowd around the ring, one leg slightly forward, showing that he was clearly in motion, perhaps walking about the ring in the adrenaline flush of victory.
Photo 3) Power Mike in 1985.
Photo 4) The Mighty Igor (wearing a cap) and Mill Mascaras (in mask) with staff of Daily Times Newspaper in Lagos in 1984.
AIG Tunji Disu has served as commander of the Nigerian contingent of the African Union Peace Keeping Mission in Darfur, ADC to the Lagos State Governor, commander of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (where he performed very well and received accolades from Lagosians), commander of the Inspector General's Intelligence Response Squad, principal staff officer to the Inspector General of Police, Rivers State commissioner of police and FCT commissioner of police.
He attended Mayflower School, Ikenne (founded by Dr Tai Solarin), St Gregory's College, Lagos and the Lagos State University (LASU). He has a masters degree in public administration and he has recently been promoted to the rank of assistant inspector general of police (AIG).
Some officials of the Trump Administration say that the Signal app was preloaded on their phones and systems by the Biden Administration.
They say that no sensitive information was shared in the group and that they moved to more secure communication when they wanted to discuss sensitive information.
Donald Trump was asked about it and he said that he doesn't know anything about it and he hasn't heard about it.
Some officials of the Trump Administration say that the Signal app was preloaded on their phones and systems by the Biden Administration.
They say that no sensitive information was shared in the group and that they moved to more secure communication when they wanted to discuss sensitive information.
Donald Trump was asked about it and he said that he doesn't know anything about it and he hasn't heard about it.
At 11:44 a.m., the account labeled “Pete Hegseth” posted in Signal a “TEAM UPDATE.” I will not quote from this update, or from certain other subsequent texts. The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East, Central Command’s area of responsibility. What I will say, in order to illustrate the shocking recklessness of this Signal conversation, is that the Hegseth post contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.
The only person to reply to the update from Hegseth was the person identified as the vice president. “I will say a prayer for victory,” Vance wrote. (Two other users subsequently added prayer emoji.)
According to the lengthy Hegseth text, the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours hence, at 1:45 p.m. eastern time. So I waited in my car in a supermarket parking lot. If this Signal chat was real, I reasoned, Houthi targets would soon be bombed. At about 1:55, I checked X and searched Yemen. Explosions were then being heard across Sanaa, the capital city.
I went back to the Signal channel. At 1:48, “Michael Waltz” had provided the group an update. Again, I won’t quote from this text, except to note that he described the operation as an “amazing job.” A few minutes later, “John Ratcliffe” wrote, “A good start.” Not long after, Waltz responded with three emoji: a fist, an American flag, and fire. Others soon joined in, including “MAR,” who wrote, “Good Job Pete and your team!!,” and “Susie Wiles,” who texted, “Kudos to all – most particularly those in theater and CENTCOM! Really great. God bless.” “Steve Witkoff” responded with five emoji: two hands-praying, a flexed bicep, and two American flags. “TG” responded, “Great work and effects!” The after-action discussion included assessments of damage done, including the likely death of a specific individual. The Houthi-run Yemeni health ministry reported that at least 53 people were killed in the strikes, a number that has not been independently verified.
On Sunday, Waltz appeared on ABC’s This Week and contrasted the strikes with the Biden administration’s more hesitant approach. “These were not kind of pinprick, back-and-forth—what ultimately proved to be feckless attacks,” he said. “This was an overwhelming response that actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out.”
The Signal chat group, I concluded, was almost certainly real. Having come to this realization, one that seemed nearly impossible only hours before, I removed myself from the Signal group, understanding that this would trigger an automatic notification to the group’s creator, “Michael Waltz,” that I had left. No one in the chat had seemed to notice that I was there. And I received no subsequent questions about why I left—or, more to the point, who I was. Earlier today, I emailed Waltz and sent him a message on his Signal account. I also wrote to Pete Hegseth, John Ratcliffe, Tulsi Gabbard, and other officials. In an email, I outlined some of my questions: Is the “Houthi PC small group” a genuine Signal thread? Did they know that I was included in this group? Was I (on the off chance) included on purpose? If not, who did they think I was? Did anyone realize who I was when I was added, or when I removed myself from the group? Do senior Trump-administration officials use Signal regularly for sensitive discussions? Do the officials believe that the use of such a channel could endanger American personnel?
Brian Hughes, the spokesman for the National Security Council, responded two hours later, confirming the veracity of the Signal group. “This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Hughes wrote. “The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security.” William Martin, a spokesperson for Vance, said that despite the impression created by the texts, the vice president is fully aligned with the president. “The Vice President’s first priority is always making sure that the President’s advisers are adequately briefing him on the substance of their internal deliberations,” he said. “Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration’s foreign policy. The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement.”
I have never seen a breach quite like this. It is not uncommon for national-security officials to communicate on Signal. But the app is used primarily for meeting planning and other logistical matters—not for detailed and highly confidential discussions of a pending military action. And, of course, I’ve never heard of an instance in which a journalist has been invited to such a discussion.
Conceivably, Waltz, by coordinating a national-security-related action over Signal, may have violated several provisions of the Espionage Act, which governs the handling of “national defense” information, according to several national-security lawyers interviewed by my colleague Shane Harris for this story. Harris asked them to consider a hypothetical scenario in which a senior U.S. official creates a Signal thread for the express purpose of sharing information with Cabinet officials about an active military operation. He did not show them the actual Signal messages or tell them specifically what had occurred.
All of these lawyers said that a U.S. official should not establish a Signal thread in the first place. Information about an active operation would presumably fit the law’s definition of “national defense” information. The Signal app is not approved by the government for sharing classified information. The government has its own systems for that purpose. If officials want to discuss military activity, they should go into a specially designed space known as a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF—most Cabinet-level national-security officials have one installed in their home—or communicate only on approved government equipment, the lawyers said. Normally, cellphones are not permitted inside a SCIF, which suggests that as these officials were sharing information about an active military operation, they could have been moving around in public. Had they lost their phones, or had they been stolen, the potential risk to national security would have been severe.
Hegseth, Ratcliffe, and other Cabinet-level officials presumably would have the authority to declassify information, and several of the national-security lawyers noted that the hypothetical officials on the Signal chain might claim that they had declassified the information they shared. But this argument rings hollow, they cautioned, because Signal is not an authorized venue for sharing information of such a sensitive nature, regardless of whether it has been stamped “top secret” or not. There was another potential problem: Waltz set some of the messages in the Signal group to disappear after one week, and some after four. That raises questions about whether the officials may have violated federal records law: Text messages about official acts are considered records that should be preserved. “Under the records laws applicable to the White House and federal agencies, all government employees are prohibited from using electronic-messaging applications such as Signal for official business, unless those messages are promptly forwarded or copied to an official government account,” Jason R. Baron, a professor at the University of Maryland and the former director of litigation at the National Archives and Records Administration, told Harris.
“Intentional violations of these requirements are a basis for disciplinary action. Additionally, agencies such as the Department of Defense restrict electronic messaging containing classified information to classified government networks and/or networks with government-approved encrypted features,” Baron said.
Several former U.S. officials told Harris and me that they had used Signal to share unclassified information and to discuss routine matters, particularly when traveling overseas without access to U.S. government systems. But they knew never to share classified or sensitive information on the app, because their phones could have been hacked by a foreign intelligence service, which would have been able to read the messages on the devices. It is worth noting that Donald Trump, as a candidate for president (and as president), repeatedly and vociferously demanded that Hillary Clinton be imprisoned for using a private email server for official business when she was secretary of state. (It is also worth noting that Trump was indicted in 2023 for mishandling classified documents, but the charges were dropped after his election.)
Waltz and the other Cabinet-level officials were already potentially violating government policy and the law simply by texting one another about the operation. But when Waltz added a journalist—presumably by mistake—to his principals committee, he created new security and legal issues. Now the group was transmitting information to someone not authorized to receive it. That is the classic definition of a leak, even if it was unintentional, and even if the recipient of the leak did not actually believe it was a leak until Yemen came under American attack. All along, members of the Signal group were aware of the need for secrecy and operations security. In his text detailing aspects of the forthcoming attack on Houthi targets, Hegseth wrote to the group—which, at the time, included me—“We are currently clean on OPSEC.”
Jeffrey Goldberg is the editor in chief of The Atlantic and the moderator of Washington Week With The Atlantic.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
By Jeffrey Goldberg
The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen.
I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.
This is going to require some explaining.
The story technically begins shortly after the Hamas invasion of southern Israel, in October 2023. The Houthis—an Iran-backed terrorist organization whose motto is “God is great, death to America, death to Israel, curse on the Jews, victory to Islam”—soon launched attacks on Israel and on international shipping, creating havoc for global trade. Throughout 2024, the Biden administration was ineffective in countering these Houthi attacks; the incoming Trump administration promised a tougher response.
This is where Pete Hegseth and I come in.
On Tuesday, March 11, I received a connection request on Signal from a user identified as Michael Waltz. Signal is an open-source encrypted messaging service popular with journalists and others who seek more privacy than other text-messaging services are capable of delivering. I assumed that the Michael Waltz in question was President Donald Trump’s national security adviser. I did not assume, however, that the request was from the actual Michael Waltz. I have met him in the past, and though I didn’t find it particularly strange that he might be reaching out to me, I did think it somewhat unusual, given the Trump administration’s contentious relationship with journalists—and Trump’s periodic fixation on me specifically. It immediately crossed my mind that someone could be masquerading as Waltz in order to somehow entrap me. It is not at all uncommon these days for nefarious actors to try to induce journalists to share information that could be used against them.
I accepted the connection request, hoping that this was the actual national security adviser, and that he wanted to chat about Ukraine, or Iran, or some other important matter.
Two days later—Thursday—at 4:28 p.m., I received a notice that I was to be included in a Signal chat group. It was called the “Houthi PC small group.”
A message to the group, from “Michael Waltz,” read as follows: “Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours. My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening.”
The message continued, “Pls provide the best staff POC from your team for us to coordinate with over the next couple days and over the weekend. Thx.”
The term principals committee generally refers to a group of the senior-most national-security officials, including the secretaries of defense, state, and the treasury, as well as the director of the CIA. It should go without saying—but I’ll say it anyway—that I have never been invited to a White House principals-committee meeting, and that, in my many years of reporting on national-security matters, I had never heard of one being convened over a commercial messaging app.
One minute later, a person identified only as “MAR”—the secretary of state is Marco Antonio Rubio—wrote, “Mike Needham for State,” apparently designating the current counselor of the State Department as his representative. At that same moment, a Signal user identified as “JD Vance” wrote, “Andy baker for VP.” One minute after that, “TG” (presumably Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, or someone masquerading as her) wrote, “Joe Kent for DNI.” Nine minutes later, “Scott B”—apparently Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, or someone spoofing his identity, wrote, “Dan Katz for Treasury.” At 4:53 p.m., a user called “Pete Hegseth” wrote, “Dan Caldwell for DoD.” And at 6:34 p.m., “Brian” wrote “Brian McCormack for NSC.” One more person responded: “John Ratcliffe” wrote at 5:24 p.m. with the name of a CIA official to be included in the group. I am not publishing that name, because that person is an active intelligence officer.
The principals had apparently assembled. In all, 18 individuals were listed as members of this group, including various National Security Council officials; Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East and Ukraine negotiator; Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff; and someone identified only as “S M,” which I took to stand for Stephen Miller. I appeared on my own screen only as “JG.”
That was the end of the Thursday text chain.
After receiving the Waltz text related to the “Houthi PC small group,” I consulted a number of colleagues. We discussed the possibility that these texts were part of a disinformation campaign, initiated by either a foreign intelligence service or, more likely, a media-gadfly organization, the sort of group that attempts to place journalists in embarrassing positions, and sometimes succeeds. I had very strong doubts that this text group was real, because I could not believe that the national-security leadership of the United States would communicate on Signal about imminent war plans. I also could not believe that the national security adviser to the president would be so reckless as to include the editor in chief of The Atlantic in such discussions with senior U.S. officials, up to and including the vice president.
The next day, things got even stranger.
At 8:05 a.m. on Friday, March 14, “Michael Waltz” texted the group: “Team, you should have a statement of conclusions with taskings per the Presidents guidance this morning in your high side inboxes.” (High side, in government parlance, refers to classified computer and communications systems.) “State and DOD, we developed suggested notification lists for regional Allies and partners. Joint Staff is sending this am a more specific sequence of events in the coming days and we will work w DOD to ensure COS, OVP and POTUS are briefed.”
At this point, a fascinating policy discussion commenced. The account labeled “JD Vance” responded at 8:16: “Team, I am out for the day doing an economic event in Michigan. But I think we are making a mistake.” (Vance was indeed in Michigan that day.) The Vance account goes on to state, “3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.”
The Vance account then goes on to make a noteworthy statement, considering that the vice president has not deviated publicly from Trump’s position on virtually any issue. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.”
A person identified in Signal as “Joe Kent” (Trump’s nominee to run the National Counterterrorism Center is named Joe Kent) wrote at 8:22, “There is nothing time sensitive driving the time line. We’ll have the exact same options in a month.”
Then, at 8:26 a.m., a message landed in my Signal app from the user “John Ratcliffe.” The message contained information that might be interpreted as related to actual and current intelligence operations.
At 8:27, a message arrived from the “Pete Hegseth” account. “VP: I understand your concerns – and fully support you raising w/ POTUS. Important considerations, most of which are tough to know how they play out (economy, Ukraine peace, Gaza, etc). I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what – nobody knows who the Houthis are – which is why we would need to stay focused on: 1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded.”
The Hegseth message goes on to state, “Waiting a few weeks or a month does not fundamentally change the calculus. 2 immediate risks on waiting: 1) this leaks, and we look indecisive; 2) Israel takes an action first – or Gaza cease fire falls apart – and we don’t get to start this on our own terms. We can manage both. We are prepared to execute, and if I had final go or no go vote, I believe we should. This [is] not about the Houthis. I see it as two things: 1) Restoring Freedom of Navigation, a core national interest; and 2) Reestablish deterrence, which Biden cratered. But, we can easily pause. And if we do, I will do all we can to enforce 100% OPSEC”—operations security. “I welcome other thoughts.”
A few minutes later, the “Michael Waltz” account posted a lengthy note about trade figures, and the limited capabilities of European navies. “Whether it’s now or several weeks from now, it will have to be the United States that reopens these shipping lanes. Per the president’s request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans.”
The account identified as “JD Vance” addressed a message at 8:45 to @Pete Hegseth: “if you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.” (The administration has argued that America’s European allies benefit economically from the U.S. Navy’s protection of international shipping lanes.)
The user identified as Hegseth responded three minutes later: “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close. Question is timing. I feel like now is as good a time as any, given POTUS directive to reopen shipping lanes. I think we should go; but POTUS still retains 24 hours of decision space.”
At this point, the previously silent “S M” joined the conversation. “As I heard it, the president was clear: green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”
That message from “S M”—presumably President Trump’s confidant Stephen Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff, or someone playing Stephen Miller—effectively shut down the conversation. The last text of the day came from “Pete Hegseth,” who wrote at 9:46 a.m., “Agree.”
After reading this chain, I recognized that this conversation possessed a high degree of verisimilitude. The texts, in their word choice and arguments, sounded as if they were written by the people who purportedly sent them, or by a particularly adept AI text generator. I was still concerned that this could be a disinformation operation, or a simulation of some sort. And I remained mystified that no one in the group seemed to have noticed my presence. But if it was a hoax, the quality of mimicry and the level of foreign-policy insight were impressive.
It was the next morning, Saturday, March 15, when this story became truly bizarre.
(Continued below)
Photos 2 to 4: A screenshot from the Signal group shows debate over the president’s views ahead of the attack.
papyjaypaul: Some of these things are what you call PLAGIARISM.
I know many of you take it for granted but assisting someone with an assignment meant for them is plagiarism. Submitting someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Many Nigerians, Indians and others find out the hard way abroad. There is a difference between doing it and seeking help on how to do it. You need to submit your own work, not someone else's 'help me do am' work.
I am surprised the mods allowed this to be on FP. We don't seem to have highly experienced mods anymore. Anyone who went to school and who went through school and allowed this post as a mod should be ashamed to sponsor crime on the FP.
The apex court said Justice Agim attended the convocation as an esteemed honouree and an alumnus of the institution, whom the Governing Council had found worthy to be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law.
By Donatus Anichukwueze Updated March 24, 2025
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has debunked reports circulating on social media suggesting that Justice Emmanuel Agim accompanied the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to the convocation ceremony of the University of Calabar on Saturday, 22nd March, 2025.
In a statement signed by the Supreme Court’s Director of Information & Public Relations, Akande Festus, the apex court described the circulating reports as false narrative.
It said that Justice Agim attended the convocation as an esteemed honouree and an alumnus of the institution, whom the Governing Council had found worthy to be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law (Doctor Honoris Causa).
The apex court emphasize that Justice Emmanuel Agim’s participation at the ceremony was independent and not as an official representative of any government ministry or department, let alone accompanying any serving or retired government official.
I[b]t added that any insinuation to the contrary is not only inaccurate but undermines the judicial independence that is crucial to our democracy.[/b]
The statement reads,
“In light of the reports circulating on social media and other news platforms, we wish to clarify the circumstances surrounding the attendance of Hon. Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at the convocation ceremony of the University of Calabar on Saturday, 22nd March, 2025.
“It has come to our attention that misleading information has emerged, suggesting that Hon. Justice Emmanuel Agim accompanied the Hon. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike to the ceremony.
“We hereby dispel this false narrative.
“Hon. Justice Agim attended the convocation as an esteemed honouree and an alumnus of the institution, whom the Governing Council had found worthy to be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law (Doctor Honoris Causa).
“He was recognized for his significant contributions to the legal profession; which is a reflection of his commitment to justice, integrity, and the rule of law, serving as a model for aspiring legal professionals and students alike.
“Hon. Justice Agim was scheduled to attend the burial ceremony of Hon. Justice Stanley Alagoa alongside other Hon. Justices of the Supreme Court in Bayelsa State but sought permission to go for the convocation ceremony.
“We wish to emphasize that Justice Emmanuel Agim’s participation at the ceremony was independent and not as an official representative of any government ministry or department, let alone accompanying any serving or retired government official.
“Any insinuation to the contrary is not only inaccurate but undermines the judicial independence that is crucial to our democracy.
“We encourage the public and media to verify information through credible sources before sharing or publishing to prevent the spread of misinformation.”
Sports › Re: Nigerian Wrestling Legends Of The 1970s And 1980s by naptu2(op): 1:26am On Mar 26, 2025*. Modified: 3:16am On Mar 27, 2025
