₦airaland Forum

The chief priest and other organisers of the festival were arrested as they came out of the palace.

The Chiefpriest in Ozoro alongside the Oramudhu leaders that orchestrated and planned the festival without informing the king have been arrested by the Nigeria Police.

They are being transfer straight to State CID . pic.twitter.com/pikttGYT19

— Nukky 24/7 Media (@Nukky247media) March 22, 2026

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7619350415288716565

Kings held court and acted as judges in ancient times. Therefore, the morning after videos of sexual harassment of women in the town went viral, the Ovie of Ozoro, His Royal Majesty, Barrister Anthony Uvietobore Ogbogbo, Ibuka I summoned everybody involved to his palace to find out what happened.

The Ovie was visibly angry. He said that he had received very many messages, including videos and pictures from the students union president, the vice chancellor of the university, senior state government officials from Asaba, other traditional rulers and prominent Isoko sons and daughters. He was shocked by what he saw.

Among the people that were summoned to his palace were leaders of the community like the chief priest, president-general, etc and leaders of the students unions. The people inside the palace did not know that the king had also invited the divisional police officer and the DPO and his men were waiting outside in the palace compound.

The king asked one of the leaders of the community what happened the previous night.

The leader said that the chief priest came to tell them that the diety wanted to celebrate the festival and that they should make an announcement that women were not supposed to come out when they were coming back from the festival.

The King asked what would happen to the women if they came out. Another person said, "Nothing". The king shouted on the person that said nothing, insulted him and told him that he was not speaking to him.

The king asked them whether the festival was a civic or traditional festival. The man said that it was a traditional festival. The king asked the man who was the head of the tradition in the kingdom. The man replied that it was the king. The king asked the man whether they informed him about the festival. The man hesitated for a while and then said that he thought that the chief priest would inform the king.

The king asked the chief priest whether he informed him. The chief priest said that they were supposed to inform him. The king shouted that the chief priest did not answer the question. He said that it's not a matter of "supposed to", did he inform the king. The chief priest said no. The king asked him whether he informed the president-general. The chief priest said no.

The king asked them when was the last time that the festival was held. The man said that it was held in 2022. The king asked the man whether what happened the previous night (rape) happened in 2022. The man first said no, then he said that he didn't know.

The king said that they would all make statements to the DPO outside.

The King said that he has been king for 22 years and he has never heard that rape is part of the festival. He said that many people had phoned him to find out what was happening and he didn't know what to tell them. He said that he couldn't say that he didn't know, because he would be indicting himself and he couldn't say that he knew because he would also be indicting himself.

He said that what happened was very serious and many human rights groups were taking it very seriously. He said that he was shocked when he saw the videos and pictures that were sent to him.

Page 2.

Thank God!

I created this thread with one specific purpose. In all the threads about business and job opportunities, some people came and said that those things were not important and that security and defence were important.

So I created a thread about security and defence in order to give them an opportunity to condemn security and defence so that I can document it.

Thank God they didn't disappoint me.

Nigeria's minister of defence, General Christopher Musa also signed agreements with British officials to deepen security cooperation between the two countries.

Lord David Hanson (Baron Hanson of Flint) is the British minister of state at the Home Office (internal affairs ministry).

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is Nigeria's national security adviser.

Mr Lateef Fagbemi is Nigeria's minister of justice and attorney general.

Lord Hanson of Flint Labour Peer & Minister @RTHondavehanson

Almost a year on from signing the memorandum of understanding on fraud prevention between Uk & Nigeria , it was good to catch up with the Attorney General & national security lead at Lancaster House London today to discuss progress .

Joint cooperation to prevent fraud #Nigeria

https://x.com/i/status/2034649847161139685

Lord Coaker (Baron Coaker of Gedling) is the British minister of state for defence. The talks focused on focused on combating terrorism, improving intelligence sharing, and enhancing training between both nations.

Voice of Nigeria @voiceofnigeria

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, met UK Minister of State for Defence, Vernon Coaker, at Lancaster House, London, for bilateral talks on strengthening defence cooperation. The meeting, held on the sidelines of President Bola Tinubu’s State Visit, focused on deepening security partnerships between both nations.

Musa reaffirmed Nigeria’s resolve to defeat terrorism and related threats, urging citizens to support ongoing military efforts. He expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve and commended the UK government for its warm reception during the visit.

source

Listen to how Afroman answered the lawyer's questions.


https://www.tiktok.com/video/7618331001428741390?

Ishilove:
Glut?

SpencerForbes:
Surplus. Remember other countries have been producing oil too and once there’s surplus of goods, what happens, the price crashes. So we’re hoping the price of oil can reduce to probably $50 per barrel. If this happens and Iran were selling at $112 per barrel to fund their military missiles, they’ll experience shortage and moreover, the US has guaranteed they would track the money so it can only be used for humanitarian purposes and not military expansion. So Iran wins and lose. They can spend the money on food and drugs but not on military expansion.

There's no glut because Iran's oil is already and has always been on the international market.

Despite US sanctions, shadow fleet have been smuggling Iranian oil to places like China. Countries have been buying it at a discount (discount/cheaper because Iran needs to sell the oil and its market is limited because of sanctions).

All this will mean is that Iranian oil will become a little more expensive for China and other customers because Iran now has a greater choice of customers, but the oil has always been available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_shadow_fleet

Ishilove:
Glut?

There won't be a glut. Guess why

Posted a lot of words without saying anything.

zoedew:
Fine, investors are attracted to Nigeria by the visit of the President Tinubu but they will need electricity to run the business optimally. The business will CERTAINLY not run profitably running on generators and expensive diesel! Power sector is where the attention should be even as we deal with corruption and insecurity. The President needs to sit at home and fix this.

Bluntemperor:
True talk,bro 👍.
I absolutely agree with you on the above mentioned issues.
I'm an advocate of NO LIGHT 🕯️🚨,
NO INDUSTRIALIZATION-For Every Sector of the Economy Depends On Light.
WE CAN NOT RUN Industrialization ON Buying A Generator!
Tinubu Should have Sacked the Power Minister - for adding nothing to the Power Sector during his term.
Just FACTS AND TRUTH!

I am quite familiar with the Nairaland trick in which posters keep shifting the goalpost. They'll keep changing topics and you'll have to chase them. I am too old and I do not have time for that, so I shouldn't have responded to these posts, but I need to make an important point.

It doesn't matter who is president or minister of power, we will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER, NEVER EVER HAVE 24 HOURS POWER AS LONG AS THAT SUBSIDY IS STILL THERE.

I have been saying this for decades and I will say it till tomorrow, we will never have 24 hours power while there is subsidy. It doesn't matter who is minister, afterall Obasanjo made Bola Ige minister and Buhari made Fashola minister.

Nigerians are always obsessed with cheap things and it never works.

I witnessed with my own eyes (I wasn't told) when Shagari wanted to make food cheap and he subsidised rice, milk, sugar, etc (Esential Commodities, aka esenco). There was no food! Even if you had money, there was no food to buy! The food magically appeared when the subsidy was removed.

We have seen what happened to every president from Shagari to Tinubu with respect to petrol. We should have had petrol scarcity right now, because of the war in Iran, but there's no scarcity because subsidy has been removed.
.
You cannot run a business with prices that are below cost price.

Electricity generators must buy gas, pay workers, buy equipment, maintain equipment and you want to force them to charge below the cost of these things? No matter what you do it will never work. It is not a curse, it is a statement of fact.

I often hear people say all kinds of things, I assure you, all those things will never work as long as Nigerians pay below the cost of generating, transmitting and distributing electricity.

In fact, I don't want to write about this subject again because it annoys me. I have written a lot about it on my diary in the past 4 years, just search for subsidy in the diary section.

I'm off to exercise on the bridge. I should be back soon.

(Ignore people who see that a factory is being established in Nigeria, which will mean jobs for people and taxes for government and will still tell you that there's nothing for the common man to benefit. They are just trying to provoke you).

I wrote this yesterday

Presidential travels and electricity projects.

I know it's just politics, but some people were saying that ordinary Nigerians do not benefit anything from foreign trips by the president and other leaders.

I said that it's very obvious that this is a lie because almost all the big projects that have been done have come about because of these foreign trips and everybody can see them. I listed some of these projects like the Lagos-Abuja rail line, the Lagos-Ibadan rail line, the railway university, the rail coach and wagon factory, the trains for the Blue Line and Red Line railways, the Super Tucano attack aircraft, etc.

However, despite best efforts, it's not all the plans that succeed. This post is about a very good plan that Muhammadu Buhari had, but which failed because of the Nigerian situation.

Shagari and Mambilla

President Shehu Shagari planned a lot of hydro-electric projects in his 4 years in power, but unfortunately he could not complete any of them. The biggest of these projects was the Mambilla Power Project.

The Mambilla Power Project was designed to be the biggest power plant in Nigeria. It was to provide 3,050 megawatts of power. For comparison, the Egbin power plant in Lagos, which is currently the biggest power plant in Nigeria and which burns gas, has a capacity of 1,320 megawatts.

The Mambilla Power Project consists of 4 dams and 2 underground power stations across the Donga River in Taraba State (near the border between Nigeria and Cameroon).

President Shagari's administration conceived of the project, but Nigeria ran into a financial crisis in 1982 and the government was overthrown on December 31st, 1983. The project was therefore abandoned.


Importance of the Mambilla Project

Nigeria depended on hydro power plants when I was a kid (that's why people often spoke about "no water in the dam", but we have since transitioned to thermal power plants, specifically gas powered plants.

The argument for using gas was that Nigeria had the 3rd largest gas reserves in the world and therefore, we might as well use it.

However, gas is expensive.

That's one of the reasons why the Mambilla Project is important to me. It helps us balance our energy mix.

Gas is expensive and you run into trouble when you can't pay for it. Furthermore, there are strange people in Nigeria who actually go and cut gas pipelines and besides, some of those pipelines are not well maintained.

You don't need to worry about buying gas when you are using a hudro plant. God provides the river water. However, you still need to pay workers and maintain equipment, so money is important.

Which brings me to my important point. The Mambilla project is not the solution to the power crisis in Nigeria. The solution is to remove subsidy. If you don't remove subsidy and charge a cost reflective tariff, then you'll still have problems maintaining equipment, paying workers and buying equipment at the Mambilla Power Plant.

However, the addition of Mambilla's 3,050 megawatts will help significantly.


Muhammadu Buhari and Mambilla

Nigeria is a poor country and this fact has affected the ability of many governments to deliver services to the people. However, the Buhari Administration did not allow this to disturb them. The administration borrowed a lot of money and used the loans to provide projects and services to Nigerians.

So President Buhari travelled to China and reached a deal with the Chinese that the China Export Bank will provide 85% of the funds to complete the Mambilla Power Project and the Nigerian Government would provide 15%. Obviously the construction work would be done by Chinese companies. That's when the Nigerian factor came in.


Obasanjo and Mambilla

Dr Olu Agunloye was a protege of Professor Wole Soyinka. There were many former students of Professor Soyinka (and other young people that admired him) who collaborated with him after they graduated from school.

Professor Soyinka pitched the idea of a Federal Road Safety Corps to President Babangida and Babangida made him the first chairman of the corps (this was in 1988). Dr Olu Agunloye was made the first corp marshal (chief executive) of the corps.

Dr Agunloye had problems with the Abacha Regime (probably because Professor Soyinka was campaigning against the regime) and he was removed from the FRSC and harassed.

President Obasanjo made Dr Agunloye his personal assistant on power. He later made him the minister of state for defence (Navy) and then the minister of power and steel.

Dr Agunloye took a proposal to President Obasanjo when he was minister of power and steel. It was from a company that wanted to partner with the Federal Government to complete the Mambilla Power Project.

President Obasanjo told Dr Agunloye to bring the proposal to the Federal Executive Council for approval.

President Obasanjo said that Dr Agunloye never brought the proposal to FEC.

However, when the Buhari Administration wanted to partner with the Chinese to complete the project, they discovered that they were sued by a company that claimed that the Federal Government breached an agreement to complete the project. The company claimed that President Obasanjo and Dr Agunloye agreed that it would complete the project, but the FG reneged on the agreement. The company was thus suing the Federal Government for compensation.

President Obasanjo said that he never approved any such agreement and that his last instruction to was that Dr Agunloye should bring the proposal to the FEC.

The Mambilla Power Project has thus been grounded because of that dispute.

Indeed, the last national duty of President Buhari was to testify at the arbitration hearing in Paris over the dispute.

Cc bernardtotti

zoedew:
We want electric power and security with corruption stamped out. With those in place the people we seek to attract will come over themselves on our own terms. Very simple strategy!

OK, then go and do those things, it won't stop others from doing what they are doing.

Stop making noise online and get to work!

(Then maybe you can actually learn something about the things that you wrote about).

zoedew:
What have we done with the one at Ikun Ekiti? Has Nigeria enforced the laws against open grazing and organized cattle breeders into ranchers with the multiplier effect of dairy production? Have we sufficiently made Vom and the temperate areas of Nigeria sufficiently safe for dairy farmers? A very close watch of the signed document is bound to disclose what becomes of the venture it envisages.

You always ask questions that are completely out of point.

You are the same person that came to the previous thread to say that nothing ever comes from these trips, yet today you mention the dairy farm in Ekiti, which came from one of this kind of trips. I created a thread about that farm and it's doing fine.

An Overview Of Ekiti State's Ikun Dairy Farm
https://www.nairaland.com/6572906/overview-ekiti-states-ikun-dairy

Just as this farm will do fine.

It was because of you that I made that post about people that shouldn't be taken seriously. The results of all these trips are visible for all to see, but you can never see them because you've been blinded by negativity.

Apapa Port, Zenith Bank, Ebony Life, Monie Point, Ovaltine and other investment announcements as President Tinubu visits the UK

Statement from the UK Ministry of Business and Trade.

Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment

Hundreds of new UK jobs are set to be created as Nigerian companies scale up their operations, reinforcing Britain's position as a leading global business hub.

From: Department for Business and Trade, The Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP and The Rt Hon David Lammy MPPublished17 March 2026


⚫️ Nigerian companies including LemFi, Kuda, Moniepoint and Fidelity Bank expand UK operations.

⚫️ Major boost to North West economy as Zenith Bank opens new Manchester branch.

⚫️ Twinings Ovaltine opens £24 million Lagos manufacturing facility, ahead of historic Nigerian State Visit this week.

Hundreds of new jobs are set to be created across the UK as Nigerian banks, fintech innovators and creative industry businesses scale up their operations in Britain.

The move will see millions invested into the UK economy and reinforces the UK’s position as a leading global business hub, backed by world‑class talent, strong access to capital, and a stable regulatory environment - while showcasing Nigeria’s expanding role as a key source of innovation and investment into the UK.

It comes as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, are set to commence an historic State Visit on Wednesday, strengthening the UK’s position as a global hub for African business.

Thanks to the UK’s Trade and Industrial Strategies – combined with commitments made through the UK–Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) – the government is attracting investment into key growth sectors including financial services, technology, education and advanced manufacturing.

The Deputy Prime Minister held an ETIP reception yesterday at Kensington Palace, bringing together 180 senior representatives from government and industry to celebrate the breadth, depth, and continued growth of our trade relationship across priority sectors including financial services, education, creative industries, infrastructure and technology. Florence Eshalomi, UK Trade Envoy to Nigeria, also addressed the group. 


Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said:

"The UK and Nigeria share a belief in the power of enterprise, innovation and education to transform lives, and today’s commitments show exactly that.

With Nigerian firms creating jobs across the UK and British businesses expanding into one of the world’s fastest growing markets, our partnership is strengthening both economies and delivering real benefits for people in both countries".

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said:

"The UK and Nigeria’s Strategic Partnership is bringing momentum and opportunity to innovators in both our countries. We are reducing barriers, creating jobs and opening new pathways for growth.

Growth is the core mission of this government and it underpins our relationship with Nigeria. I am deeply proud that the cultural and commercial bonds between our nations are thriving and that both our businesses and people are feeling the benefits of that".

Zenith Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest financial institutions, opens its Manchester branch today [Tuesday 17 March] with the capacity to create up to 30 new direct jobs in a boost for the North West economy. The bank is also exploring a 2027 London Stock Exchange listing to deepen its UK market presence and unlock long-term funding for UK–Africa growth.

Fidbank plans to double its 62‑person workforce in 2026 and add new capital, while the Fidelity Group makes London its global hub. FCMB has also selected the UK as the first international destination for its digital cross border payments platform, boosting trade and investment flows between Africa and the rest of the world. Seven Nigerian banks now operate in the UK, supporting at least 1,000 jobs in total.


Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji OON, Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank PLC said:

The United Kingdom remains a key global financial centre. The opening of Zenith Bank, Manchester, therefore, marks another important milestone in our international expansion strategy, enabling us to deepen relationships with our customers, support trade and investments, and connect businesses between Africa and the UK more effectively.

Nigerian fintech investment is also accelerating rapidly:

⚫️ LemFi will invest £100 million over the next five years as it designates London its global headquarters.

⚫️ Moniepoint plans to grow its London based team to 100 employees in 2026, building the infrastructure that supports millions of African users worldwide.

⚫️ Kuda Bank is strengthening its UK headquarters as the base for global expansion and plans to double its UK footprint in 2026.

The UK’s reputation as a global creative capital also continues to deepen ties through:

⚫️ EbonyLife, one of Nigeria’s leading creative industry brands, will launch EbonyLife Place London, creating up to 40 new jobs and strengthening the UK’s role as a home for African storytelling and creative talent.

⚫️ The SCALE Creative Entrepreneur Award Programme, developed by the British Council and supported by DBT, will support young Nigerian and UK creative entrepreneurs to grow internationally and build lasting ties to benefit both the UK and Nigerian creative economies.

⚫️ The UK Advertising Exports Group will announce a strategic partnership with the Nigerian advertising sector. This will include a UK-Nigeria Advertising Summit taking place later this year and a talent exchange scheme which will deepen bilateral engagement.

⚫️ The British Council and the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy in Nigeria, will deliver the UK/Nigeria Season of Culture in 2028, involving a range of innovative initiatives and events designed by UK and Nigeria creative organisations.

⚫️ A Creative Industries Roundtable at Lancaster House will bring together alumni, Chevening scholars and creative leaders from both countries.

The following British businesses are also set to benefit thanks to:

⚫️ Twining’s Ovaltine launching a £24 million manufacturing facility in Lagos, its first in Africa, creating over 100 direct jobs and boosting the company’s exports across West Africa.

⚫️ British fintech Wise will receive approval for its first Nigerian licence, enabling it to expand in a remittances market valued at up to £39.9 million.


⚫️ The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has signed an agreement with Asset Green Ltd to explore a largescale integrated dairy project that will strengthen Nigeria’s dairy value chain, reduce reliance on imports and improve nutrition.

Leading UK universities are also expanding into Nigeria, helping train the next generation of Nigerian and British scientists, technologists and innovators. Nigeria is a key education partner and a priority country for the UK’s International Education Strategy.

⚫️ The University of Birmingham and the University of Lagos have signed a new agreement to deliver programmes in Applied AI, Digital Communications and Global Surgery.

⚫️ The LSE has launched a new Data Science partnership with Nile University of Nigeria alongside the University of the West of England opening a dedicated office in Lagos.

⚫️ Wellington College International Lagos will open in 2027, offering places for 1,500 students - becoming one of West Africa’s flagship British curriculum schools.

⚫️ EStars, a UK‑owned educational esports and technology company, will partner with the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to deliver esports‑based digital learning programmes to around three million students.


Notes to Editors:

⚫️ With bilateral trade now at an all-time high of £8.1 billion a year, the UK and Nigeria are showing how countries grow faster when they grow together.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hundreds-of-new-uk-jobs-as-nigerian-companies-confirm-millions-in-investment

President Olusegun Obasanjo was another person that helped to open doors for Nigerian businesses.

In one of his books he wrote about the time that he started "taking him out". The him refers to Alhaji Aliko Dangote and President Obasanjo was referring to the times that he included Aliko Dangote in his official delegations and introduced him to other African leaders.

Video of President Obasanjo talking about how he "took Dangote out".


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTyJGyioXAU?si=YqaHgw3mHr81Sl3t

I've told you that Nigerians always make strange comments when their leaders travel and this time is no exception. I have addressed most of the strange comments, but this time I'm going to address something that I have rarely written about.

Delegations

I noticed the composition of the US president's entourage when he travelled in the 1980s. There were usually businessmen in his delegations and they usually struck deals with their hosts. I wondered why Nigerian presidents didn't do the same thing.

President Ibrahim Babangida made me happy in the early 1990s. He travelled somewhere and took people like Chiefs Gabriel Igbinedion and Sonny Odogwu with him. I was happy.

You see, the private sector is the engine of the economy and it is the private sector that grows the economy, not the government. I wanted Nigerian businessmen and companies to go out and conquer the world.

Let's jump forward a few decades to another time that I was happy. President Goodluck Jonathan travelled to Kenya sometime around 2014 and his visit shook Africa. There were reports that Africa's richest men had descended on Nairobi, some reports were about the number of private jets that flew to Nairobi and the Kenyan finance minister also spoke about it.

And over time I realised that it's not just the private sector, but the president also needs to go with heads of ministries, departments and agencies and also with state governors. We have seen the impact of such trips in recent years.

Trips to China by President Muhammadu Buhari gave us the Lagos-Ibadan Rail Line, the Railway University, the completion of the Warri-Itakpe Line, etc. He took the minister of transport with him.

Trips to the the Middle East (especially the UAE) by President Tinubu led to construction of free estates for victims of Boko Haram attacks and to programmes to render assistance to the victims.

So President Tinubu has travelled to the UK and in his delegation are state governors, ministers, business executives, etc.

Already funny Nigerians are saying that these people only went to the UK to "greet" President Tinubu. They don't know what they are talking about. There are very many events that are happening on the sidelines of the visit and they require the presence of these people (people are talking about Sanwo-Olu and General Musa, but a lot of these investments will be done in Lagos and of course Nigeria is in talks with the UK about training and equipment for our troops).

I would have created a mega thread about these events if I could still post as many pictures as I wanted.

Previous threads:


New Investments And Jobs To Be Created As President Tinubu Visits The UK
https://www.nairaland.com/8637555/new-investments-jobs-created-president

State Visit: Coventry University To Establish Campus In Lagos
https://www.nairaland.com/8638131/state-visit-coventry-university-establish

State Visit: Zenith Bank Opens Manchester Branch
https://www.nairaland.com/8638165/state-visit-zenith-bank-opens

State Visit: UK And Nigeria Hold Investment Summits
https://www.nairaland.com/8638205/state-visit-uk-nigeria-hold