₦airaland Forum

Exclusive interview with H.E Atiku Abubakar ! Out Tomorrow. It promises to be very hot 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/oLA37gMBd5

— Emma ik Umeh (Tcee )🇳🇬 (@emmaikumeh) March 25, 2025

Open Letter To Peter Obi On His Take Re The Female Corp Member

Mr. Peter Obi,
Former Governor of Anambra,
C/O Labour Party,
No. 2 IBM Haruna Street,
Utako, Abuja FCT.,
Nigeria.

Dear Mr. Peter Obi,

I write to draw your attention to an issue of grave national importance that, if left to fester, could affect the stability of the Nigerian state.

It is the height of indiscipline for Ushie Uguamaye, also known as Raye, a serving youth corp member, to describe the President of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the language used in her viral video. It is also distasteful for her to insult Lagos State as a smelly place while serving in a scheme meant to promote Nigeria's unity.

If she were not a serving National Youth Service Corp member, then her behaviour would not be an issue. But she is.

And I am not sure that you displayed the right judgment in validating a corp member who insulted the President of Nigeria and attacked the government of Nigeria while undermining the management of the National Youth Service Corp.

As a former Governor, sworn in on the Nigerian Constitution, sir, perhaps you ought to think beyond your present position as an opposition politician. If she can insult President Bola Tinubu, she can also insult you.

Nobody aspiring to lead Nigeria should support lawlessness even if it aligns with their political objectives.

This has nothing to do with whether or not some of her complaints are valid or not.

In my opinion, if a graduate has been posted to Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, or any other metropolitan area with a higher cost of living than the average Nigerian standard, they ought to be paid more than those posted to less urban states.

In spite of my personal opinions on this issue, I am cognizant that it is simply impossible to run a government if members of the armed forces, paramilitary services, and civil service do not show total loyalty and allegiance to the lawfully constituted government.

As God sees my heart, this would be my stance whether the government in power was led by you or any of the Presidential candidates that contested the 2023 elections.

Where would Nigeria be if soldiers, police officers, customs, prisons, immigration officers, civil servants, and youth corps members could just go on social media, radio and television, or the print media to publicly attack the lawfully constituted government under which they serve?

The answer is that Nigeria would become an anarchic society.

They can do it. But first, they ought to resign or, in the case of the NYSC, wait until the end of their mandatory service year.

Sir, if you feel that I am not being objective, I urge you to subject my analysis to Grok or other AI fact-checking.

Young people without the benefit of your public service may act based on their emotions. However, it is expected of you, sir, to focus on what is stable: the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Are you not the same person who kept malice with Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, after he called you 'Gbajue'? Why did you quarrel with Mr. Soyinka if you genuinely believed what Raye did was right?

Can you, sir, hire such a person as Ushie Uguamaye, in your private company?

Without proof, you accused the government of threatening Miss Uguamaye, but what did you do when your supporters threatened to kill me and my family? Peter, are you not the same person who threatened 'religious war' on the Muslim Ummah in your leaked audio?

No freedom or right is absolute. Citizens have freedom of movement. However, if you walk unauthorised into Aso Rock Presidential Villa or any restricted military facility, you can be legally shot on the spot.

You have freedom of association. However, if you associate with an institution or individual deemed an enemy of the state, you can be prosecuted by law.

Sir, I sincerely appeal to you to reconsider that statement in Nigeria's best interest. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Reno Omokri

I know some ethnic bigots will be upset that Babangida debunked the Igbo coup narrative

Let’s refresh their memories

Ademoyega wrote a book called “why we struck”and he also said it was not an ethnic coup!

Ademoyega was not an igbo man.

The truth is bitter

Why we struck was released in 1981.

Facts are sacred. Sentiment is free

Babangida was right. It was not an Igbo coup.

We all know there was no Igbo coup. It was a lie to tarnish the Igbo’s.i have always condemned every form of Igbophobia. I am happy babangida said this much in his book

The Nasarawa State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has approved the demotion and dismissal of Chief Magistrate Emmanuel A. Jatau, who previously served in Masaka, Nasarawa State.

Jatau has been downgraded from Chief Magistrate II (GL 15) to Senior Magistrate I (GL 14) and relieved of all magisterial duties.

Meanwhile, the decision followed a recommendation by the Committee for Appointments, Promotions, and Discipline (CAPD).

The disciplinary action was prompted by a petition from Nigerian human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, submitted in August 2024 to the Honourable Chief Judge of Nasarawa State.

Effiong accused Jatau of judicial misconduct, forgery, illegality, and abuse of power.

He stated that the Magistrate Court in Masaka bore an official filing stamp from the Federal High Court (FHC) in Lagos, signed by a staff member of the FHC, Lagos, identified as M. Tofowomo-Adegbite (Mr.), and dated January 8, 2024.

According to Inibehe, the police did not attempt to secure a valid warrant of arrest or a warrant of commitment to prison on remand from any court in Lagos, where the defendant resides, or in Abuja, where the case was reported.

He said instead, they allegedly conspired with certain unscrupulous elements within the Nasarawa State Judiciary to fabricate documents falsely labelled as a warrant of arrest and a warrant of commitment to prison on remand.

The case involved Jatau's issuance of a Warrant of Arrest and Warrant of Commitment to Prison for one Okoli Udoka Chioma from Lagos to Nasarawa State.

Effiong argued that the alleged offences were not committed within Nasarawa State, nor did the defendant reside there, rendering the court's actions outside its jurisdiction.

In a statement released on Monday, Yahaya Yakubu Shafa, Executive Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission, confirmed the disciplinary actions against Jatau.

The statement read, "You would recall that following the receipt of your complaint against the Hon. Chief Magistrate, Masaka Nasarawa State, the committee for Appointments, Promotions and Discipline (CAPD) invited you to prove your allegations in the interest of fair hearing. Thereafter, the Committee deliberated and made recommendations to the Commission.

"At the regular meeting of the Nasarawa State Judicial Service Commission held on the 6th December 2024, the findings and recommendations made by the committee was approved.
"Consequently, I have been directed by the Hon. Chief Judge of Nasarawa State and Chairman Judicial Service Commission to write and inform you that Hon. Emmanuel A. Jatau has been demoted by a grade level lower than his current grade level i.e from Chief Magistrate II on GL 15 to Senior Magistrate I on GL 14 and stripped of his magisterial duties," Shafa added.

On May 2024, SaharaReporters reported that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ordered Chioma Okoli to be remanded at the Suleja Correctional Centre over the review of Tomato products made by Erisco Foods Limited on Facebook.

Chioma Okoli was arraigned on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at the Federal High Court in Abuja before Hon. Justice Peter Lifu.
Okoli pleaded not guilty to the two counts of conspiracy and cyberstalking levelled against her.

She was remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre till Friday 31st May, 2024 for ruling on her bail application.

Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, along with S. M Oyeghe appeared for Chioma while Abdulrashid Isyaku-Sidi appeared for the Inspector General of Police.

Okoli’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, told the court that his client suffered miscarriage in the course of the case and eventually lost her baby.

Recall that the CEO of Erisco Foods, Eric Omeofia, had alleged in 2023 that a negative product review by a customer, Chioma Egodi, negatively impacted his business when she claimed that the Nagiko Tomota Mix she bought had too much sugar.

Okoli was eventually arrested by the police in September 2023 with her lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, raising alarm that the fundamental right of his client was being breached by the police and Omeofia.

Meanwhile, in August 2024, Inibehe Effiong, the lawyer representing Okoli Udoka Chioma in a case involving the Nasarawa State Judicial Service Commission, addressed a suit pending before the Federal High Court in Lagos (Suit No: FHC/L/CS/2164/2023).
The case, titled MRS. CHIOMA EDOKA OKOLI v. ERISCO FOODS LIMITED & 6 ORS, includes an application by the Defendant against the Nigeria Police Force and others for the enforcement of her fundamental rights.

This admission does not, in any way, take away from my broader point about the Yorubacentric—or more specifically Lagoscentric—provincialism of Tinubu’s government.

Dear @seunosewa
Cc: @nairaland

I told you one day you would be exposed for the ethnic/religious bigot that you are

You used your fake news platform @nairaland to spread lies, misinformation and outright fake news against Baba @MBuhari for 8 straight years

“I congratulate President Tinubu for making our public refineries work, a task I deemed unachievable because many previous governments tried and failed……..” yen yen yen yen, cho cho cho

I challenge you and any other bigot for that matter to state with specific evidence what contribution @officialABAT made to this $2.9 Billion REHABILITATION project of Baba @MBuhari

If you have any proof I will be prepared to donate N100,000 to the first 10 people of your choice for new year eve celebrations

Your time starts now

Frame 1
This was you shortly after Baba @MBuhari approved the rehabilitation of the refineries saying “the government owned refineries “are never going to work”

Frame 2
That’s you there congratulating T-Pain “for making our public refinery work which you deemed unachievable in the past because many governments have failed

Please tell me exactly what contribution T-Pain made to the $2.9 Billion rehabilitation project

Frame 3 & 4
Show the inconsistencies in your shameless attempt to give credit to T-Pain for a project he knows nothing about

Tinubu Did Not Rank Among the Most Corrupt: The West's Hypocrisy and Netanyahu’s Overlooked Crimes

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project's (OCCRP) recent attempt to label President Bola Ahmed Tinubu among the world's most corrupt leaders is nothing but a smear campaign rooted in Western double standards. This report not only reeks of bias but blatantly ignores leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden, whose actions have caused untold devastation worldwide.

Where Is Benjamin Netanyahu?

It is shocking that Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been convicted of war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), is conspicuously absent from the OCCRP's so-called corruption rankings. Netanyahu, often dubbed the "butcher of Gaza," is responsible for policies and military actions that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. His regime has been marked by relentless bombings, illegal settlements, and apartheid-like governance in occupied territories.

In recent history, no individual has overseen the mass murder of more innocent civilians than Netanyahu. Under his leadership, the Gaza Strip became a theater of destruction, with entire generations displaced, maimed, or killed. The ICC has already outlined his culpability in war crimes, yet OCCRP conveniently sidesteps this glaring truth to vilify leaders from third-world nations.

The "Genocide Joe" Factor

Similarly, President Joe Biden—nicknamed "Genocide Joe" by his own citizens—has approved military interventions that have destabilized nations and claimed countless lives. From Afghanistan to Yemen, his administration continues to fuel conflicts and back regimes that perpetuate human rights abuses. Yet, instead of accountability, Biden is celebrated in the West as a leader of the free world.

The Facts About Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has faced allegations, but these claims have been investigated, and no court has convicted him. His administration has embarked on transformative reforms aimed at stabilizing Nigeria’s economy. The removal of fuel subsidies, investment in infrastructure, and recalibration of fiscal policies are bold steps for long-term growth.

The claim that Tinubu “amassed enormous wealth” as Lagos governor is another recycled accusation devoid of substantiated evidence. If transparency is truly OCCRP’s goal, why not focus on Western corporations looting Africa’s resources or on leaders in Israel and the U.S. who have bankrolled wars and chaos?

The West’s Neo-Colonial Antics

Reports like this are part of a broader agenda to undermine non-Western leaders and portray developing nations as hubs of corruption while ignoring Western-sponsored terrorism, unholy regime changes, and economic exploitation. It is hypocritical to attack African leaders while shielding those like Netanyahu and Biden, whose policies and actions have caused unparalleled destruction.

Netanyahu: The World's Deadliest Leader in Recent History

Netanyahu’s actions have killed more people in the Middle East than any other figure in recent history. His policies have systematically erased the rights of Palestinians, destroyed their homes, and murdered their families—all while the world watches in silence. His conviction by the ICC is a testament to his crimes, yet organizations like OCCRP fail to acknowledge his atrocities.

Conclusion: Exposing the Bias

The OCCRP’s report is not an objective assessment of corruption; it is a calculated attempt to deflect attention from the crimes of Western and Israeli leaders. Leaders like Netanyahu and Biden, whose hands are stained with the blood of innocents, are given a free pass while African leaders are vilified.

It is high time the global South unites to reject these narratives and focus on solutions for economic empowerment, peace, and self-reliance. The West must no longer dictate the terms of morality when its own leaders are guilty of the world’s gravest crimes.

helinues:
Those are mushroom group

So,Trump and Biden are not on the Top list?

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday cautioned Nigerians to shun corrupt practices this year (2025) and remain resolute in their fight against corruption.

According to the chairman of the commission, Ola Olukoyede, the nation’s progress and development depend on collective efforts to combat economic and financial crimes.

In his New Year message to the citizens, delivered in Abuja on Tuesday, the EFCC boss emphasised that rejecting corruption was key to improving the quality of life for all Nigerians and advancing the economy.

The anti-graft agency boss urged citizens to seize the opportunities the New Year brings to recommit to values of transparency, accountability and integrity.

“We can make any progress and development we want for our nation to happen by our support for anti-corruption initiatives.

“The new year is offering us fresh opportunities to recommit ourselves to the ideals of transparency, accountability and probity.

“The commanding heights of the economy and improvement in our lives can only be driven by our dedication to integrity and accountable conduct,” Olukoyede said.

He assured Nigerians that the EFCC was poised to surpass its achievements in 2024, while promising that the officers will remain relentless in their pursuit of justice.

“Our work is more than a vocation but a patriotic calling. We know this and will always offer our best to move the nation forward.

“2025 will be another year of bringing towers of corruption down. Our focus is set and our commitment is total,” he added.

President Bola Tinubu’s ranking as one of the most corrupt leaders in the world by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project is a deliberate attempt to vilify, ridicule and delegitimise his presidency, former Senator Shehu Sani and other supporters of the ruling APC have said. The infamous award came after OCCRP called for citizens worldwide to nominate individuals worthy of taking the spotlight for their roles in advancing criminal activities while aggravating poverty.

The group, which coordinates a network of investigative journalists and activists around the world, said the Nigerian leader came third after a vote by participants. While Kenyan president William Ruto scored the most votes, Mr Tinubu was listed as number three, following former Indonesian president Joko Widodo.

Mr Sani branded the award as lacking in substance, insisting mere online perspectives are contestable yardsticks that should not be used to gauge the performance as well as attitudes of African leaders.

“Labelling the Nigerian President and other African Leaders as the most corrupt by online voting, and not by incontrovertible facts and figures is more of a political rating crafted from views, opinions and perspectives,” the ex-lawmaker wrote on X.

A number of APC supporters on X also flayed the award while noting it as yet another calculated scheme to demarket and delegitimise Mr Tinubu.

“Let them keep on deceiving themselves,no be today they have been trying to bring Jagaban down through blackmailing but God keeps on elevating him everyday in their presence, what a waste of effort from them,” wrote Gbotemi on X.

“Who said it and who voted for it. They lies to you completely and they are bunched of fools,” another supporter, Don Tesman Irabor, noted.

Criticising the move as an international blackmail, Ask Fatai wrote, “their aim was to project an image of global relevance to solicit donations, while simultaneously exploiting this platform to engage in international blackmail through polls lacking empirical foundation.”

“People are making it look like Nigeria is the most corrupt nation in this world. When u hear the level of corruption even in the USA then you will know that Nigeria is still learning,” said Yhemite, who also branded the award as inconsequential.

“The award changes nothing from the fact that he is president now & probably will be till 2031! Move on with your lives,” said Ibrahim Abubakar.

NIGERIA UPDATE - The interesting lifecycle of Wendell Simlin, also sometimes retained as a political mercenary by any person or government that can pay….. 😂😂😀

"Losing out on being a minister should not make you so demented that you begin to attack a government you once begged to be a part of."

Dear Shameless Reno Omokri watch it again and tell us who begged to be part of what?

These things happened not a long time ago, it was at the same time you were calling this same Tinubu a DRUG LORD just few months ago.

---

El-Rufai was quiet under Buhari, but he was the first and only governor to write a secret memo to President Buhari in 2016 informing him that the APC was abandoning its campaign promises. The memo was leaked, and you call him all sorts of names.

El-Rufai was quiet under Buhari, but he was the lone governor who led other northern governors to challenge the then-FG's cashless policy in court when your governors couldn't.

He is alot of thing but not a COWARD!!

While El Rufai was doing all these for Tinubu & APC, Reno Omokri & his likes were heating up the polity with neferious & mischievous narratives to demarket Tinubu & hurt his chances at the polls. Guess who their darling is now & who they consider a foe¿ Bloody hypocrites.

Reno Omokri condemning El-Rufai is peak irony. Reno fought tooth and nail to stop Tinubu from becoming president but suddenly switched sides when Tinubu won. Meanwhile, El-Rufai, who poured everything into Tinubu's campaign, has every right to feel betrayed. Reno, who had no stake in Tinubu’s success, now wants to lecture El-Rufai on loyalty? Reno is just a political opportunist chasing relevance, while El-Rufai is dealing with the consequences of his investments. Know your place, Reno!

Reno!!! You were blinded by your hatered for Buhari thar time that you did not know what El-Rufai did fully. Now you are just jumping here and there in the name of hustling. Ojelo fi ara bale.

Reno,you started out well in trying to establish your grouse against el-Rufai’s virtue signaling. Unfortunately, you derailed the course of your argument when you,albeit unfittingly,injected the serum of the same destructive virus you were trying to cure.

Reno, your hypocrisy reeks. One minute, you discredit Tinubu at Chatham House; the next, you pose for photos with him in Aso Rock. Now you attack Malam El-Rufai for demanding balanced resource allocation? Maybe reflect on your own inconsistencies before dragging other.

It would be better for El-Rufai not to respond to Reno. This is akin to the advice Reno gave to Atiku Abubakar suggesting that he should not lower himself to Wike's level

Overseen the fraud and everything that transpired during the 2023 presidential election, I can’t imagine APC criticizing @elrufai today, I didn’t see it coming. Even Reno and Bayo? Wow!!
Anyways, I blamed El-Rufai for the role he played in bringing this calamity upon Nigeria.

This dubious political rat, Reno is now the one PBAT @officialABAT is mobilizing to diss Mallam El Rufai @elrufai. His own party member o.

This worm that should not be seen in the midst of right thinking people is the voice of the president now. Wow!

See ba, APC is finished.

Where was Reno when El-Rufai was doing everything for PBAT to become president?

Nasir el-Rufai is using the same stale propaganda that he and his vile agents on social media used to turn Nigerians against President Jonathan. Why does he only do this when we have a Southern President? He succeeded in removing former President Jonathan. Did your life improve after Jonathan was defeated?

The lies he is peddling about President Tinubu's Yorubanisation of the government are coordinated. It is not coincidental that they are coming at the same time as the lies from the Nigerien junta leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani.

What does el-Rufai gain by turning the North against the Tinubu government?

The so-called Yorubanisation or Yorubacentricity of government under President Bola Tinubu is a myth. And if anyone chooses to push this discredited theory, Nigerians should not just accept broad accusations without data and statistics.

Ask that person to provide stats. If they cite a sector, they should give Nigerians a regional breakdown of everybody in that sector rather than making broad statements to paint a manipulative narrative that is neither creative nor supportive of our national growth.

People like el-Rufai should think twice before destabilising Nigeria. If they destroy the bond between the North and the Southwest, they will also put the glue that holds Nigeria together in disarray.

Is El-Rufai Right About President Tinubu's Yorubacentric Agenda to Yorubanise Government?

I honestly cannot fathom why anyone, basing their judgement on intellectual arguments alone, can truthfully accuse President Bola Tinubu of having a Yorubacentric agenda for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the financial sector.

I would have ignored this shoddy piece of propaganda were it not for the fact that no less a personality than the former Governor of Kaduna, Nasir el-Rufai, elected to peddle this ethnic baiting dog whistle.

Coming from him, that fallacy cannot go unchallenged.

The facts do not support that argument. Even if it were true that President Bola Tinubu is considering the appointment of a Yoruba Northerner as Group Chief Executive Officer, it would still not be accurate.

Let us consider the facts. Please find below a breakdown of the current management of the NNPCL

Chief Pius Akinyelure: Non-Executive Board Chairman-Southwest
Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari: Group Chief Executive Officer-Northeast
Adedapo Segun: Chief Financial Officer-Southwest
Mr. Ledum Mitee: Non-Executive Director-South-South
Mr. Musa Tumsa: Non-Executive Director-Northeast
Mr. Ghali Muhammad: Non-Executive Director-Northcentral
Prof. Mustapha Aliyu: Non-Executive Director-Northwest
Mr. David Ogbodo: Non-Executive Director-Southeast
Ms. Eunice Thomas: Non-Executive Director-South-South

Now, if you look at the board of the NNPCL, whose members are listed above, only two board member are from the Southwest.

Now, let us look at those who have direct executive oversight authority over the NNPCL.

Heineken Lokpobori: Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil)-South-South
Ekperikpe Ekpo: Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas)-South-South
Ambassador Nicholas Agbo Ella: Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources-North-Central

From the above, how can anybody honestly project to the Nigerian people that President Tinubu is Yorubacentric in his appointments at the NNPCL? It beggars belief.

If there is any dominance at all, then that hegemony is in favour of the South-South, who are the most represented on the board and cabinet-level with authority over NNPCL. Then you have the Northwest, Northeast, and North-Central.

Now, even if you want to go to the ridiculous extent of scrutinising those in the lower cadre of the NNPCL, you will find that, with the exception of possibly two positions, all of those posts were filled by General Buhari.

Therefore to say that a Yoruba heads every consequential agency in finance in Nigeria is not only without basis, it is capable of causing the type of market ripples that negatively affect the All Share Index of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

When you mention finance, you use a broad brush that includes revenue-generating agencies. And the highest revenue-generating agencies in Nigeria are not the Central Bank of Nigeria or the Ministry of Finance.

In Nigeria, other than the NNPCL, the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, the Nigerian Communication Commission, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation are the top five revenue earners for the Federal Government. Please fact-check me.

Only two of these six agencies (when you add NNPCL) are headed by people from the Southwest.

The CEO of the NNPCL, Mele Kyari, is from the Northeast
The CEO of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Abubakar Dantsoho, is from the Northeast
The MD of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mrs. Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku, is from the Southwest
The CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, is from the Northwest
The CEO of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dayo Mobereola, is from the Southwest
The CEO of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, Bello Hassan, is from the Northwest

Flowing from the above, where is the Yorubanisation or Yorubacentricity?

As a Nigerian,How are you surviving the economic policies of TinubuLet us have fair conversation…. Do not politicise this issue please!

I spoke to a friend back home and said “Otunba,things are really hard; I should forget the DETTY DECEMBER pictures I am seeing online” He went further to say people can hardly eat two square meals.

I was planning to send him 50k; I had to double it. This is a friend that was doing very well before I left Nigeria. Man is so broke that he had to sell all his cars…

How is this administration treating you?? Speak up forget any political affiliation. Always remember politicians will consider themselves first.

As of today, the most beautiful girl in Africa is Chidinma Adetshina, a Nigerian woman of Igbo descent, who is the first runner up in the Miss Universe 2024 competition, while the most handsome man on Earth is Samuel Nwajaju, a Nigerian man of Igbo origin, who won the Mister International 2024.

That cannot be a coincidence. From Rosemary Anieze Adams, who was Miss Nigeria at Independence in 1960, to then Miss Bianca Onoh (now Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu), who was the second Nigerian beauty queen to advance into the advanced stages of a major international beauty pageant, the Igbo keep showing that they have pulchritudinous qualities.

Edna Park was the first Nigerian to achieve that in 1964. However, her participation in the 1964 Miss Universe was problematic. She collapsed on stage in Miami after failing to advance into the top fifteen. She caused an international incident, as the audience thought she had died. The wife of a Nigerian ambassador, Nneka Onyegbula, who attended the event was crying profusely and accusing the White judges of racism. Edna Park was rushed to the best hospital in Miami, where she was resuscitated.

The event was a major embarrassment to the Miss Universe brand because the world media began comparing Edna Park with Rosa Parks due to the similarities between their names and life experiences.

Whether by design or accident, no Nigerian has been able to break into the Miss Universe pageant's elimination round until Chidinma Adetshina broke the jinx this year after a sixty-year hiatus from 1964 to 2024. Talk about Igbo power!

For that achievement, Nigeria has Senator Ben Murray-Bruce to thank. He was to have ended the dry spell in 1983, but after South Africa won a place, Mr Murray-Bruce patriotically withdrew his contestaant because he did not want to be in the same room as an Apartheid beauty queen.

Immediately before the contest, and because of her recent scandal, Chidinma was known as a Nigerian beauty pageant. After she became first runner-up, every major South African publication now refers to her as a South African-Nigerian model—not a Nigerian-South African model. A South African-Nigerian model!

In terms of pageantry, no Nigerian ethnicity has won as many beauty contests collectively in both male and female categories as the Igbo.

Please don't get me wrong. I was specific about that fact being in both male and female categories combined. I am not referring to just individual genders. I know how sensitive some of us can get about the praise of others.

It vindicates what I have written about the Igbo in the past. In terms of physical beauty, they are among humanity's best specimens.

Reno Omokri

Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Hodophile. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022. 21st Most Talked About Person in Africa, 2024.