₦airaland Forum

I can see that none the you understands the politics of Benue State. Akume and the so called stakeholders want to milk the State dry as they have been doing in the past, but the Governor has refused to give them a chance. The Governor has insisted that he will use the available resources to work for the betterment of the State.
And truly, if you come to Benue State now, you will see it has been completely transformed by the Governor. The entire State has been turned to a construction site. So, whether Fr. Alia contests on the platform of APC, ADC or whatever platform, he will win landslide.

This road alone will earn Tinibu 70% of Benue votes

1. FBN 2. UBA 3. ACESS/DIAMOND 4. ZENITH 5. FCMB 6. SKYE 7. GTB 8. STERLING

Congratulations

As shared by Senator Shehu Sani

Bukar Dipcharima: The Forgotten Acting Prime Minister of 1966

Bukar Dipcharima (1917–1969) was a Nigerian politician from Borno Province in the old Northern Region, remembered today as the little-known acting Prime Minister during the national crisis following the January 15, 1966 military coup.

Dipcharima was a teacher by profession who became active in politics through the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) and later the Northern People's Congress (NPC). He was elected to the House of Representatives and served as Minister of Transport under Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

When Balewa was abducted and later killed in the 1966 coup, Nigeria faced a severe leadership vacuum. As one of the highest-ranking surviving ministers, Dipcharima was chosen by the remaining cabinet members as acting Prime Minister to stabilize the government. However, this arrangement was short-lived. Just days later, the military under Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi assumed control, marking the end of Nigeria’s First Republic.

Although Dipcharima held the position of acting Prime Minister for only a brief period, his role was crucial in trying to preserve civilian authority during a national emergency. Sadly, he died just three years later in 1969.

Today, Bukar Dipcharima is rarely mentioned in Nigerian political history, yet his name remains tied to a defining moment when the country stood on the brink of total collapse. His loyalty to civilian rule and calm leadership in crisis deserve greater recognition.

The ADC (Angry Defeated Criminals) cannot unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The camp will break up when it comes to who will fly the party's flag. All the leading candidates are over ambitious, over zealous individuals that one to achieve own selfish ambitions.

It's just plane Waves

Opinion

Here’s the latest on the Iran–Israel conflict:

Military momentum: Israel has achieved air supremacy over Tehran and has significantly degraded Iran’s missile defense infrastructure, destroying hundreds of launchers and cutting down its ability to retaliate effectively .

Damages and casualties: According to recent tallies, Iran has suffered heavy losses—over 140 senior military commanders killed, with civilian casualties possibly ranging from hundreds to over 900 depending on the source . Israeli casualties are much lower, in the low dozens, with most civilians either sheltered or evacuated safely .

U.S. involvement: The U.S. entered the conflict by striking Iranian nuclear sites—Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow—further crippling Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities .

Proxy support: Iran’s regional proxies (Hezbollah, Houthis, etc.) have mostly remained subdued, limiting Iran’s indirect hits and reducing its broader leverage .

Current status: As of June 24, 2025, a U.S.-brokered ceasefire is in effect. Iran reportedly began ceasing hostilities at midnight ET on June 24, with Israel to follow at noon ET . Both sides agreed, though Israel warns it remains ready to respond to violations .



---

✅ Who's "winning" so far?

️ Israel holds clear advantage:

Military dominance with air superiority and degrading strikes

Significant impact on Iran’s leadership and nuclear/missile infrastructure

Low Israeli casualties relative to Iran


️ Strategic tipping point:

U.S. intervention accelerated Israel's gains

Iran’s cadre of allied proxies stayed largely out, further isolating Iran


️ Cease-fire phase:

Hostilities have paused—but no permanent resolution yet

Israel asserts it achieved core objectives; Iran may be recuperating under pressure



---

🕊️ Summary

Tactically & operationally, Israel (with U.S. support) has decisively outperformed Iran.

Strategically, the pause via ceasefire locks in gains—for now.

Looking ahead, long-term stability and whether Iran can rebound depend on how seriously both sides, especially Iran, adhere to the ceasefire and return to diplomacy.

See the hierarchy:
(1) Tinubu
(2) Wike
(3) Akpabio
(4) AKUME
(5) Gbajabiamila
(6) Shetima

Cmanforall:
Ok, the headline is bit misleading.
He meant he was exhausted, and took energy drink, yet the sleep kept calling. How he got to the next destination was by God's grace ('God drove the car')

I think it was better when Amaechi was silent.
He's talking too much recently. Is he about to decamp?

That's exactly what he meant

Pope Francis has today made surprised public appearance after spending months in the hospital.

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Congratulations Gen. Nafiu. He was my camp commandant @ black gold camo back in the days. Then Captain Nafiu

Benue Assembly recommen

The Benue State House of Assembly on Tuesday recommended the immediate removal of the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, over allegations of gross misconduct and violations of judicial ethics.

The Chief Judge is accused of engaging in acts deemed incompatible with the status of a judicial officer in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The recommendation followed a correspondence from Governor Hyacinth Alia, which was read during plenary by the Majority Leader, Saater Tiseer.

In the letter, the governor accused Justice Ikpambese of abuse of office by overturning the Benue State Electoral Law, which had been passed by the House of Assembly and assented to by the governor.

He also alleged financial mismanagement, claiming that the Chief Judge misappropriated budgetary allocations meant for the judiciary.

The governor further accused him of interfering with judicial processes by engaging with politicians and political officeholders to influence court rulings.

Related News
Oyebanji appoints acting chief judge
Benue assembly passes 95 resolutions in first legislative session
Benue Assembly rejects gov’s nominee over Facebook post
Justice Ikpambese was also alleged to have played a role in inciting industrial action against the state executive.

Additionally, there were accusations of bribery, corruption, and favoritism, with claims that he ensured unqualified individuals were appointed to key positions.

During the session, Speaker Hyacinth Dajoh directed the Clerk to divide the House after opposing interests were presented.

Following the division, 23 out of the 31 lawmakers voted in favour of removing the Chief Judge.

With this decision, the recommendation now awaits further action from the executive arm of the state government



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GOV BALA vs HE WIKE: LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD

Like Budha once said, “like the sun and the moon, the truth will always rise”.

Governor Bala Mohammed’s recent outbursts against His Excellency Nyeson Wike the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory though not entirely surprising have only served to expand the vistas of ingratitude and treachery based on what I know. As I witness this gross injustice, the questions I ask myself, are: is my comfort more important than saying the truth and is my fear of conflict worth allowing harm to go unchallenged? I have learned enough over the years to know beyond reasonable doubt that in the face of situations like this, if I choose to prioritize my comfort, I will fail the victim and fail myself. This is because injustice itself is a festering wound, it only grow its worse when brushed aside.

As someone who knows so much because I was the provocateur of the events between the two that I will speak to, I consider my silence not just cowardice but complicity. Therefore, I am not afraid to stand alone or risk conflict. I should not be misunderstood to be defending Wike but simply stating the raw truth that I know and I really don’t give a damn if the truth makes Wike look good. I have learnt to say the truth as I enjoy my freedom from being a slave to human opinion.

For starters, need I remind Governor Bala Mohammed that in 2018 PDP Gubernatorial primaries when we were not too sure he will win because, his then major opponent, Senator Abdul Ningi was the one who constituted the State party structure and had a bosom friend as Party chairman, it was Wike we turned to for help. I had called Wike to plead with him to help us in Bauchi without necessarily disclosing to him that it was Bala Mohammed that we wanted delivered. His response to me, was that are you sure you are in control of the process 100 percent? I said, I wasn’t too sure and he said to me leave it to me, I will help you sort it out.

To do it, Wike first of all made his bosom friend and close ally, Chief Dan Osi Orbih the Chairman of the Panel for the Primaries and said I should discuss whatever I wanted with Chief Dan. We got talking and on the eve of the Primaries, Chief Dan was in Benin city and we needed to get him to Bauchi for the assignment, it was to Wike that I turned to again and his response to me was, my brother, I have told you not to bother about this. Tell Chief Dan to come to meet me in Port Harcourt. I did just that and amazingly Wike provided the private jet that flew Chief Dan to Bauchi and out of Bauchi for the assignment. I can say without fear of any contradiction that Wike bore all expenses for the exercise. It’s therefore shocking that this so called transactional character called Wike did not place any condition whatsoever for his support.

That is just the beginning of the story, I hate to tell but I must. After the emergence of Bala Mohammed as the party flag bearer and having promised to sponsor all the party candidates if he gets the ticket, we were rudely awoken to the reality that Bala Mohammed had no money for his own campaigns let alone for other candidates of the party. Initially I thought it was some kind of a funny joke but as time went, I realized to my utter bewilderment that it was true. It turned out Bala Mohammed had lied to us about his financial capacity. So we had a meeting at my then residence at Wuse 2 Abuja to help raise money and we thought since Bala Mohammed was one time Minister for nearly 6 years he must have built enough goodwill we could harness if we organised a fundraiser for him. A committee was put in place and we spent N20 million to organize the fundraiser at the then Lady Kwai Hall, Sheraton Hotels, Abuja.

Before then, I had asked Bala Mohammed to give me a list of some of the people he had helped while he held sway as Minister for FCT. He obliged me with the list and after calling just four people on the list that I know so well, what they said to me jolted me and I reserve that for some other day. But suffice to say that I knew the fundraiser will be a flop so I was already thinking of alternatives. And as predicted, we had the fundraiser and to cut the long story short, all we raised from the fundraiser was a paltry N48 million and If you deduct the N20 million invested in organising it, that leaves you with a net of N28m. I have the records and our stakeholders are there to bear witness to this .

When it was obvious the masquerade will soon turn to a human being, I told our then two serving Senators who are alive and can testify that the only option we had was to go to a friend and brother, then Governor Wike for assistance. We got tickets and flew to Port Harcourt with Bala Mohammed without informing Wike that we were coming with him. On arrival, we were ushered into the Government house and asked to take our seats and wait for the Governor who was still upstairs to join us shortly. As soon as Wike walked down the stairs to join us and saw Bala Mohammed his visage changed and I noticed he was cold to me for the very first time. He asked us to join him at the dining room for breakfast but excused me while those on my delegation waited. What happened next was nerve raking and humbling, I must say!

He was like, Speaker why did you bring Bala to my house without even caring to find out what our mission was. I said to him, I thought he is your friend since both of you served in the same cabinet under President Jonathan. He said to me let me tell you what you don’t know. When we were ministers, Bala Mohammed allocated plots of land to all Ministers except me. He also recalled how he humiliated him when he went to see him in his office as a colleague Minister just to get an approval to increase the number of floors on a building he had in Abuja, not to beg for plot which he refused to allocate to him. He said Bala Mohammed kept him in his waiting room for hours and later sneaked out of the office. That from that day he made up his mind never to have anything to do with him again. He added, I wish, you had told me it’s Bala you were rooting for but whatever you want I will assist you guys because I don’t say no to a brother but I assure you, you will regret your decision if Bala Mohammed becomes Governor. The rest is history.

He said to me let’s join them at the dining so that I can confront him with these issues for you to know that I am not making things up. We joined them at the dinning and Wike confronted Bala with these issues in the open and in our very presence. Bala admitted and pleaded for forgiveness assuring that he is now a changed man. The two Senators with me that day can confirm this to anyone who wants to establish the veracity of these narratives.

To cut the long story short, we passed the night at the Government house and the next morning Wike called and directed that his cash assistance be handed over to me to pass to Bala. I said, your Excellency, it’s better I call him so that he can collect the assistance himself least he thinks you are still angry with him. I sent for Bala and when he came Wike’s aide handed over the package to him and he collected it while almost kissing the ground. Wike therefore gave us the lifeline we needed to kick start Bala’s campaigns. If Bala has forgotten how much we left with that day, I will remind him. Wike didn’t stopped there, he gave us a private jet to ferry us back to Abuja. And I must add that was not the only time Wike helped Bala with resources and logistics. What is baffling is that the so called transactional Wike did not demand for anything in return nor place any condition for all that he did. Believe me this is not the end of the story but let’s leave it here.

With all these, my question to Bala is what happens to the golden adage that you don’t attempt to break the calabash from which you once sucked honey? For Bala, power is a poison and anyone who questions how he wields it, for that reason, is an eternal heretic that must be crushed at all cost.

Every sane person knows that true freedom doesn’t insist on expressing itself to the harm of others especially those that stood by you in your time of desperate need. For it is not in vain that they say, “a friend in need is a friend indeed”. Unfortunately, for those of us who know Bala too well, there is no room for debate about whether he is a rogue or mere scoundrel, as much as there is no debate about his moral bankruptcy, rooted in a contempt for truth. His mental pathology reveals a man that harbours grand delusions to the extent that he would not recognize the truth, whether about his private or political life, if confronted by it in an identity parade. As someone who is false to his friends and neighbours, it is impossible for him to be true to the public. Between Wike and Bala, Bala should be told in unequivocal terms that it is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not. It is obvious that Bala is not near anything that he is projecting to the public.

When Wike was his benefactor, he said he knew Wike had done better than him and referred to him as, “ someone who is courageous, focused and determined, a person qualified and competent to help salvage Nigeria”. His words not mine. Now that Wike cuts off the benefits, he is a dead wood, former friend and a “transactional politician”. As a known wimp, he believes that Wike is now on the robs and he is punching so hard so that he can appropriate the glory from whatever pyrrhic victory that may ensue. Is it not ludicrous for someone who is mostly disliked for no reason other than he is shady, to call someone transactional? Time will not permit me to list those Bala has betrayed which includes his known godfather and our father, Baba Waziri, Alhaji Bello Kirfi, Elder statesman and former minister under President Shehu Shagari in the second republic.

Bala represents everything but decency which I said before that I doubted he will ever have. Those who thought I was too harsh including an ally of Wike who pleaded with me not to talk about Bala again are increasingly noticing this. I am sure they are now convinced that we cannot continue to run a therapy session for a troubled pyromaniac nay reptilian brat like this who consistently seeks to elevate himself by putting others down and who inhales rather than think before he talks. After all, it was saint John Chrysostom who said, “we must not mind insulting men, if by respecting them we offend God”.
Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, CFR

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ANAMBRA – IMO RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, OWERRI (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi)

1. Senator Emmanuel Anosike – Chairman (Anambra)

2 .Rt. Hon. Emeka Nduka – Managing Director (Imo)

3. Nwebonyi Priscilla Nkechi – Executive Director Finance (Ebonyi)

4. Hon. Evaristus Asadu – Executive Director, Engineering (Enugu)

5. Barrister Onukwubiri N.Ojigwe – Executive Director, Agric Services (Abia)

6. Barr. Abigail Igwe – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Anambra)

HADEJIA JAMAERE RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, KANO (Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi)

1 . Mamman Da’u Aliyu – Chairman (Jigawa)

2. Engr. Rabiu Suleiman Bichi – Managing Director Director (Kano)

3. Tijjani Musa Isa – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Jigawa)

4. Hajiya Zainab Gamawa – Executive Director Agric Services (Bauchi)

5. Baffa Dandatti Abdulkadir – Executive Director, Engineering (Kano)

6 . H o n. Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso – Executive Director Finance (Kano)

CROSS RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Cross River and Akwa Ibom)

1. Mr. Wabilly Nyiam – Chairman (Cross River)

2. Mrs. Glory Ekpo Oho – Managing Director (Akwa Ibom)

3. Effiwatt Otu Eyo – Executive Director Finance (Cross River)

4. Ms. Ebiere Etuk Udoh – Executive Director, Agric Services (Akwa Ibom)

5. Engr. Charles Usua Akpan – Executive Director, Engineering (Akwa Ibom)

6. Dr. Ndom Abia -Executive Director, Planning and Design (Akwa Ibom)

SOKOTO RIMA BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Katsina)

1. Hon. Bello Yahaya Wurno – Chairman (Sokoto)

2 Abubakar Mallam – Managing Director (Kebbi)

3. Kabiru Ladan Maigoro – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Zamfara)

4. Abubakar Ibrahim – Executive Director, Finance (Katsina)

5. Muttaka Badaru Jikamshi – Executive Director, Agric Services (Katsina)

6 . Mansur Aminu – Executive Director, Engineering (Zamfara)

President Tinubu expects the appointees to use their wealth of experience to bolster the efficiency of the organisations, in line with the administration’s commitment to bettering the lives of citizens.


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OGUN-OSUN RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, ABEOKUTA (Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Osun):

1. Hon. Odebunmi Olusegun – Chairman (Oyo)

2. Engr. Dr. Adedeji Ashiru – Managing Director (Osun)


3. Ayo Oyalowo – Executive Director, Finance (Oyo)

4. Dokunmu Olufemi Oyekunle – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Ogun)

5. S u l e i m a n Oris – Executive Director, Agric Services (Lagos)

6 . Engr. Julius Oloro – Executive Director, Engineering (Lagos)

UPPER BENUE RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, YOLA. Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe and Bauchi)

1. Alh. Sanusi Mohammed Babantanko – Chairman (Bauchi)

2. Samuel Mahmud Mohammed – Managing Director (Taraba)

3. Hon. Usman Babandubu Bakare – Executive Director, Engineering (Taraba)

4. Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo – Executive Director Finance (Gombe)

5. Hon. Isa Matori – Executive Director, Planning and Design Part of Bauchi

6. Hamman Dikko – Executive Director, Agric Services (Adamawa)

CHAD BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, MAIDUGURI (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa)

1. Prof. Abdu Dauda – Chairman (Borno)

2. Tijjani Musa Tumsa – Managing Director (Yobe)

3. Barr. Bashir Baale – Executive Director, Finance (Yobe)

4. lliyasu Muazu – Executive Director, Agric Services (Adamawa)

5. Engr. Mohammed Shetima – Executive Director, Engineering (Borno)

6. Vrati Nzonzo – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Borno)

BENIN-OWENA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Edo, Delta North, Ondo and Ekiti)

1. Hon. Mike Ohio Ezomo – Chairman (Edo)

2. Femi Adekanbi – Managing Director (Ondo)

3. Dr. Austin Nonyelim Izagbo – Executive Director Planning and Design (Delta)

4. Hon. Johnson Oghuma – Executive Director, Agric Services (Edo)

5. Adegboyega Bamisile – Executive Director Finance (Ekiti)

6 . Bayode Akinduro – Executive Director Engineering (Ondo)


NIGER DELTA BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Rivers, Bayelsa and parts of Delta)

1. Chief (Barr.) Ebikemi Boi Bosin – Chairman (Delta)

2. Hon. Amgbare Ebitimi – Managing Director (Bayelsa)

3. Chief (Mrs.) Mary Alagoa – Executive Director Finance (Rivers)

4. Dr. Austin N. Izagbo – Executive Director, Engineering (Delta)

5. Mr. Felix Kurogha – Executive Director Agric Services (Bayelsa)

6. Barr. (Dr.) Nnamdi Akani – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Rivers)

UPPER NIGER RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, MINNA (Niger, Kaduna and FCT)

1. Haruna Y. Usman – Chairman (Niger)

2. Dangajere Shuaibu Bawa Jaja – Managing Director (Kaduna)

3. M o h a m m e d Usma – Executive Director, Finance (Niger)

4. Dr. Abdullahi A. Kutso – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Niger)

5. Ayuba Waziri Tedde – Executive Director, Agric services (FCT)

6. John Hassan – Executive Director, Engineering (Kaduna)

LOWER NIGER RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, ILORIN (Kwara and Kogi)

1. Alh. Abdullateef Alakawa – Chairman (Kwara)

2 . Engr. George Olumoroti – Managing Director (Kogi)

3. Engr. Babajamu Adeniran – Executive Director, Engineering (Kwara)

4. Hon. Abdullahi Sadiq – Executive Director, Agric Services (Kogi)

5. Engr. Alanamu Ayinla Abolere – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Kwara)

6. Hon. Abidemi Adeyemi – Executive Director Finance (Kogi)

LOWER BENUE RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, MAKURDI (Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and Kogi)

1. Dr Amos Gizo Yadukso – Chairman ( Plateau )

2. Engr. Ninga Terese – Managing Director (Benue)

3. Chief Chris Takar – Executive Director, Engineering (Benue)

4. Hon. Yusuf Omaaki – Executive Director, Finance (Nasarawa)

5. Hon. Hassan Omale – Executive Director, Agric Services (Kogi)

6. Okibe Timothy Ogomola – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Benue)

ANAMBRA – IMO RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, OWERRI (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi)

1. Senator Emmanuel Anosike – Chairman (Anambra)

2 .Rt. Hon. Emeka Nduka – Managing Director (Imo)

3. Nwebonyi Priscilla Nkechi – Executive Director Finance (Ebonyi)

4. Hon. Evaristus Asadu – Executive Director, Engineering (Enugu)

5. Barrister Onukwubiri N.Ojigwe – Executive Director, Agric Services (Abia)

6. Barr. Abigail Igwe – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Anambra)

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Recently, the singer David Adeleke was given a global stage to do whatever he wanted and deliver any message.

Sadly, Mr. Adeleke used the opportunity to speak in an American accent. Not only that, he used that American accent to talk down on Nigeria and tell the world not to invest in Nigeria because, as he put it, Nigeria's "economy is in shambles".

Coincidentally, a month after his faux pas, Kemi Badenoch, probably inspired by Davido, used her British accent to talk down Nigeria, calling us "a very poor country" where the police rob citizens.

But the interesting thing about her own case is that the next day, the BBC featured a panel of Conservative Party big shots, and one of them, Albie Amankona, a party chieftain from Chiswick, who is also a celebrity broadcaster, said, and this is a direct quote:

"If you are a Brexiteer, and you are saying we need to be expanding our global trade beyond the European Union, we want to be looking at emerging markets for growth, don't slag off one of the fastest growing economies in Africa."

Is it not strange that it took the BBC and a British politician to promote Nigeria as one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa? In contrast, Davido and Kemi Badenoch used their global platforms to pooh-pooh our economy.

And just when we thought it was all bad news, God gave us a breath of fresh air in the youthful Ademola Lookman, who used the global podium granted to him by his winning the 2024 African Footballer of the Year award to promote and project Nigeria and the Lukumi Yoruba language to the world.

Wisdom is not by age. If not, Ademola Lookman, who is just twenty-seven, will not have displayed greater wisdom than David Adeleke, who is thirty-two, and Kemi Badenoch, at forty-four.

Mr. Lookman proved that the age of Methuselah has nothing to do with the wisdom of Solomon.

And though I often praise the Lukumi Yoruba, it is not as though other ethnicities with global icons do not also project Nigeria. They do.

For example, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala spoke Igbo on the podium of the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland. In terms of international prestige, she is FAR above Ademola Lookman.

I have also watched the American rapper Jidenna proudly speak Igbo. And he is not alone.

My campaign is not for the Lukumi Yoruba alone. It is for all sub-Saharan Black Africans to learn to speak their language and not use ability to speak English or another colonial language as a measure of intelligence.

Besides Lukumi Yoruba and Hausa, every other Nigerian language, including Fulfulde, is gradually dying out.

I will give you an example. General Buhari is half Fulani and half Kanuri. Yet, he cannot speak either Fulfulde or Kanuri. But he speaks Hausa and English.

Language erosion is occurring at a frightening rate in the Southeast and the Niger Delta.

Please fact-check me: In 2012, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) projected that the Igbo language would begin facing extinction by 2025. This does not mean that it will vanish. What UNESCO meant is that fewer and fewer people will stop speaking their language, and those who are well-versed in it will start dying with the knowledge of words that can no longer be translated.

However, the Lukumi Yoruba are to be commended for their affirmative actions to preserve and advance their language and culture.

Let me give you an example. All six Governors of the Southwest bear full Lukumi names: Jide Sanwa-Olu, Seyi Makinde, Dapo Abiodun, Ademola Adeleke, Abiodun Oyebanji, and Orighomisan Aiyedatiwa.

None uses a European or Arabic name as even a middle initial.

No other zone in Nigeria has all its governors bearing ethnic Nigerian names as first and second names. They either bear Arabic or European names as first names or even first and second names.

If we truly want to be the Giant of Africa, we must take affirmative steps to preserve our language and culture so we can have children who make us proud, like Ademola Lookman.

Teach your language to your children. Teach it to them before you teach them English. They will learn English at school. And it will not make them less intelligent. On the contrary, being multilingual is scientifically proven to boost intelligence.

Again, fact-check me: In the U.S., Latino children do not speak English until they start kindergarten. They learn Spanish as a first language.

English is a borrowed language. Even if you relocate to the United Kingdom, the best you can be is British. You can never be English. And if your choice of Japa is to the U.S., the highest you can be is an American citizen. You will never become a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant WASP who control the military industrial complex.

Your power lies in balancing ancient and modern, Western and African, English (or other colonial languages) and your native tongue.

That is the way to reverse language erosion and create a culture, like the Lukumi Yoruba, whereby your music, movies, and language end up being Bigger Than Africa.

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.

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Much of What We Call Christianity Has Nothing To Do With Jesus

The word Christ is not a Hebrew word. Yeshua, Whom some call Jesus, was NEVER called Christ in His Earthly lifetime. Please, instead of arguing, criticising, or insulting me, take a break from the spell cast upon you by your pastor and his church and simply fact-check me. Understand your religion and know your faith so you can have accurate beliefs.

Throughout His Life on Earth, Yeshua was recorded as speaking Aramaic Hebrew-Mark 15:34.

And He was called either Rabbi (John 1:38, John 11:8, etc), which is Hebrew for teacher.

The word Christos, which is spelt χριστός in Koine Greek, was used because ALL four Gospels, beginning with the oldest (Mark), were written to a Greek audience more than sixty years after Yeshua, left this world.

Mark was written about 63 years after Yeshua left the Earth. The other Gospels came later, and guess what, their authors are anonymous. Yes. They will not tell you this.

We do not know who wrote these other Gospels apart from Mark. Some also argue about the authorship of Mark. But I believe he wrote it.

Even the present book of Mark, which many Bibles have, is inaccurate. Why? Because the original book of Mark ends in Mark 16:8.

Before you accuse me of being demon-possessed, just research and fact-check me. Don't just follow me or any pastor, priest or church blindly.

Matthew may or may not have been written by Matthew. It was only attributed to Matthew two hundred years after Yeshua left this world. Before you insult me, fact-check me.

The Book of Luke was ascribed to Luke, but nobody knows for sure who wrote it since the original copies do not exist. What we have are various copies, which vary. The book of Luke you find in the King James Version, for example, will differ from the book of Luke used in Orthodox churches.

The Book of John was written after the Books of Mark and Luke. Again, nobody knows who wrote it. Ascribing the book to John is actually a tradition, not a fact. Because of John 21:24–25, it is likely that someone else wrote it.

But the more important thing is that it is not known whether the original John (whose actual name is Yohanan) could speak, read, and write in Greek. It is possible that a miracle gave him that ability.

What is the point of all this? It is to let you know that Yeshua, Whom you call Jesus, was never a Christian. He was a Jew, and even these Gospels record that in John 4:22. Peter, believed to be His successor, was also never a Christian. He self-identified as Jewish in Acts 10:28.

Finally, Paul was never a Christian. He stated boldly that He was a Jew in Acts 22:3. This is long after his Damascus experience.

The word Christian was not used as a name of a religion until it was given as a nickname by local people in Antioch-Acts 11:26. In that context, it was used as either a noun or verb to describe the act of being like Yeshua, who was called Christos in Greek. Being like Yeshua involves believing in what He believed, not what any church believes.

Therefore, when you see anything in Christianity that deviates from Judaism, such as Trinity, Christmas, Easter, purgatory, etc., try to research the origins of those beliefs and practices.

I did not say you should not believe them. I said you should research it. You. Not me, or your pastor, or your church. You!

Yeshua did not change any Jewish Law. He lived and died by them. The actual historical Yeshua did not call Himself God. In fact, He used the term 'My God' frequently-John 20:17.

And finally, for those who think being Jewish is a race, you may want to research the subject.

The Earthly race of Yeshua and His disciples was Hebrew. Their Earthly religion was Judaism.

The words Christ, Christian, Trinity, Christmas, Purgatory, etc did not emanate from Yeshua or His disciples. These words, concepts, and ideas came AFTER He left this world.

Now, you have two choices: Refuse to fact-check me and insult me, or research the above and appreciate the truth.

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.


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Should Power Return To The North In 2027?

Saying that the North has only been in power for eleven years since 1999 and that power should return to the North by 2027 is a dangerous argument being made by desperate people.

Nigeria's independence did not start in 1999. Prior to 1999, Nigeria experienced twenty good years of Northern leadership, with only 83 days in between those twenty years given to the South when Chief Ernest Shonekan headed the ill fated Interim National Government.

In the nineteen years before that, the North enjoyed another fifteen years in power, with only four years to the South comprised of six months for Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and three and a half years for General Olusegun Obasanjo.

In the sixty four years of Nigeria's existence as an independent nation, the North has been in power for a total of forty six years, versus only eighteen for the South.

If you further break it down to elected civilian governments and military dictatorships, the North has had twenty one years of democratically elected leaders, including six years for Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa, four years for President Shehu Shagari, three for President Umaru Musa Yar'adua, and eight for General Buhari.

This is compared to fourteen for the South, with eight years for President Obasanjo, five for President Goodluck Jonathan, and less than two for the incumbent.

The North has also had twenty-five years of military dictatorship, comprising nine years for General Gowon, six months for General Murtala Muhammed, two years for General Buhari, eight years for General Babangida, five years for the butcher, Abacha, and nine months for the blessed General Abdulsalami Abubakar. This is versus only three and a half for the South, and three out of those three and a half years were not even deliberate. If Murtala had not been murdered by his fellow Northerner, all that the South would have had would have been only six months!

Yet, Southern Quislings have the temerity to spew such gobbledygook about the North being shortchanged?

In mathematical ratio, for every year the South has been in power, the North has been at the helm for 2.56 years. And now, Oliver asks for more?

Look, I am a Sokoto boy. True Arewa people know me and my deep, unfeigned love for the North and Islam. Without being a Muslim, I practice more Islamic principles than many people who profess Islam as a religion. And it did not begin with me. My late father was an expert in Sharia Law.

I am the second generation of the perfect Nigerian experiment. My father went to Sokoto as a twenty three year old National Youth Service Corp member and became so entrenched in the North and Islam that he represented the Northwest in the Court of Appeal.

Nobody has a greater stake in Nigeria than my family and I.

If we are talking about equity, the South still has much catching up to do.

For the stability of our nation, it is essential that power rotates between the North and South.

Yes, I supported a Northerner in the previous elections because he won my party's presidential primary. My hands were tied. But even with tied hands, we made him state publicly that he would do only one term and hand over to his Southern deputy.

As thoroughly useless as General Buhari was, the South did not disturb his eight-year reign. No serious Southerner rose up to challenge him in 2019. 2019 was exactly like 1999, when the rest of the country left the race to the Southwest, specifically General Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae.

Northern Nigeria must not allow itself to be goaded into actions that could have serious ramifications for its political stability. The Southwest is the most pro-Nigerian region of the South. If they feel cheated out of their just desserts in 2027, those behind the action will unwittingly unite the South in calling for a renegotiation of Nigeria's unity, which will not augur well for unity campaigners like myself.

Nigeria is better together. And Southerners like myself and others know that. But our Northern counterparts should not empower Southern Judases, who have found a breath of fresh air in Kemi Badenoch's 'I have nothing in common with Northern Nigeria' comment.

If Arewa makes that mistake, and Kemi Badenoch should become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, they would have inadvertently created a perfect storm that could lead to the disintegration of Nigeria.

And why even remove President Tinubu? Our economy is growing at 3.46%. Our trade surplus is at a record high of ₦5.81 trillion for the third quarter of 2024. The Federation Account Allocation Committee received an all-time high revenue of ₦3.134 trillion for November. In the area of insecurity, which is likely to be the biggest challenge facing the North, according to the Global Peace Index, Nigeria is less insecure than it was under Buhari.

So, except there is something those paid to float that vacuous argument are not saying, there is no reason for Northern Nigeria to want to change a horse midstream and seek a return of power to the North after just four years of power residing in the South.

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.

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What chapter of the Bible was today's sermon taken from and how do you intend to live it?

Massive examination malpractice nothing more, nothing less.

Those loving, singing and dancing to his songs are as guilty as he is.

The Benue State House of Assembly has today 4th September,. 2024 approved the total sum of N6.6 billion for the conduct of Local Government elections

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The story of Jumoke the bread seller went viral when destiny beckoned to her some few years ago. It was reported she was recruited in the modeling industry which found her appearance well-suited.
Nigerians had so much expectations for her becoming a big celebrity, standing tall in the entertainment world.
However, this possibility seems far-fetched as little is heard about her since then

Reno Omokir Wrote...

Why Do Over 75% of Nigerians Arrested Abroad For Drug Trafficking Come From One Region?

Sadly, many men are driven to commit crimes by women who call them stingy because they are managing the small amounts of money they have. Take a country like Nigeria. If you look at the state breakdown of where Nigerian drug traffickers are imprisoned abroad, the states where parents demand the highest bride prices feature at the top, whereas those where families request no bride prices are found at the bottom. Is this a coincidence?

Let us invest in reforming our culture. Some need this more than others, because abroad they do not know Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. They see you as a Nigerian. And in some places, that is a stigma. When you have a country like Seychelles, having more Nigerians in their prisons for drug offences than their own citizens, you must accept that there is a problem.

It is not racism that makes the queues for Nigerians long at foreign airports. For the most part, it is pragmatism.

And when something like 89% of Nigerians in prison for drug trafficking come from one region, and 68% of that 89% come from two states, one beginning with A and the other starting with I, you must consider addressing the cultural practices that make these men desperate to make money at all costs.

I deal with facts. There are data with names and places to back up my assertions. If the Federal Government wants them (that is, if they do not already have them), I am happy to provide these details to them.

That is why I have maintained that if these states refuse to pass laws restricting how much can be demanded as bride price or used to bury parents, then the Federal Government must step in and enact a federal law, the way the Supreme Court stopped the practice of preventing women from inheriting in one particular region, which may or may not be the same region where the bulk of Nigerians imprisoned for drugs come from.

People are not naturally greedy. There is no greed DNA, in the same way we have genes that cause obesity. Greed, just like hate, is learnt from the prevailing culture in an environment.

When you are young, and you see your community disrespect your aged father and respect a young man simply because he has money, your brain is being rewired. When your sister is being given away in marriage to a complete stranger, simply because he can afford the exorbitant bride price they demand, your brain is reengineered.

The traditions of a society subliminally drive the culture of that community. Unless you have an exceptionally strong and stubborn personality, your morals, values, beliefs, and even your most private thoughts will be dictated by the culture in your society, which has emotionally scripted you from the day you became self-aware.

If we do not address this scourge at the cultural level, we will continue to experience the devaluation of the Nigerian passport and our reputation.

If you frequently travel abroad, you know what I mean. The 'look' you get when they see your green passport. You are presumed guilty by association. Everywhere is not like Thailand, Kenya, and South Africa, where they have pinpointed the actual set of Nigerians who have a higher propensity for such crimes.

In most of the world, you are just viewed as a Nigerian, meaning that your perception is that of a person more given to crime than the average person. It is wrong. I know. But guess what? Perception is reality.

Things like location and nationality affect perceptions. For example, if you are seen with a cow at a church, it will be perceived as an offering. However, the perception is entirely different if you are seen with a cow at a shrine.

Nigerians are suffering from that perception. Many large firms with access to people's private data, such as ID and credit card details, are hesitant to hire Nigerians abroad, because of the perception challenge we have. You and I may not be drug pushers and romance scammers, but we pay the price for sharing the same passport with syndicates and cartels that engage in these practices.

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.


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The newly appointed coach of the Nigerian national football team, Super Eagles Mr Bruno Labbadia has allegedly turned down the offer few days to AFCON qualifiers.


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The Benue Fashion Hub constructed by Revd. Fr. Hycienth Alia was today commissioned by Vice President Kashim Shetima in the State capital, Makurdi.

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IGP deploys tactical operatives to rescue 20 medical students kidnapped in Benue
Photo of Jerry Wright-Ukwu Jerry Wright-UkwuAugust 17, 2024 1 minute read

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the deployment of tactical operatives and assets to ensure the prompt rescue of the kidnapped medical students in Benue State.

Twenty medical students of the University of Maiduguri and Jos, traveling to Enugu, were kidnapped along the Otukpo/Otukpa/Enugu Road on Thursday.

Governor Hycienth iormem Alia has ordered the immediate release of 21 medical doctors kidnapped in Benue State


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Nigerian Military Flags, Not Russian Flags

By Farooq Kperogi

I had been distraught with deep sadness over what I thought was the unwarranted, self-denigrating, and counter-productive celebration of Russian flags by #EndBadGovernance protesters in the far North until someone called my attention to the fact that it is actually the flag of the Nigerian Armed Forces that protesters display—or intend to display— in their processions.

This makes sense because the protesters always chant “(mulkin) soja muke so,” which translates as “we want military rule,” as they wave the flags. It’s instructive that they never mention Russia. Why would they fly the flag of a country and not mention its name but instead sing the praises of the military?

The Nigerian Armed Forces flag has three colored stripes: red on the top, blue in the middle, and white on the bottom.

Since presidents are also commanders-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, they routinely fly the Nigerian military flag, along with the Nigerian national flag, when they deliver formal public addresses, as these photos of Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu show.

The Russian flag’s tricolor scheme is similar to but slightly different from the Nigerian Armed Force’s flag. It is white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom. Red and white are transposed but the blue in the middle is common to both flags.

A grasping but illiterate tailor eager to cash in on the sudden popularity of the Nigerian Armed Force’s flag mixed up the positions of the colors and ended up unintentionally mass-producing Russian flags. I think he has been apprehended.

It’s also possible that this unintentional error birthed a new reality that meshed with Russia’s support for the military regimes in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

But it’s important to acknowledge that the flags symbolize a yearning for a return to military dictatorship, not the start of Russian colonialism.

The nostalgia for military rule isn’t limited to these northern protesters, unfortunately. In the aftermath of the 2023 election, for example, calls for a military coup trended on Twitter for days.

In moments of severe existential strife people tend to develop a kind of cognitive bias called rosy retrospection, which is the propensity for people to recall past times more romantically than they actually were as they recede into distant memories.

Military rule was horrific. Those of us who came of age during military absolutist monocracies will never support a return to military rule.

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The 10-day nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests that end today, known by the reduplicative compound “Zanga-Zanga” in Hausaphone northern Nigeria, have ruptured the coalition that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu managed to build with a portion of the northern Nigerian Muslim political establishment since 2014, which put Muhammadu Buhari in power in 2015 and 2019 and him in 2023.

But this Zanga-Zanga-inspired rupture also reveals the initial precarity and fragility of the strange-bedfellows coalition. Buhari and Tinubu were previously fierce political adversaries who distrusted each other’s motives and undermined each other. Their alliance was more accurately a political scaffold that papered over their contradictions for a temporary gain, which was the ouster of Goodluck Jonathan from power.

Tinubu’s associates and acolytes in the Southwest, who said they protected Buhari from revolt in their region even when he bungled governance with uncommon ineptitude, are understandably miffed at the rawness, fierce intensity, and undiluted anti-Tinubu fervor of the protests in northern Nigeria.

They are wondering why Buhari, his associates, and even the APC establishment in the North didn’t return the favor. The answers are obvious, but people in power are often blind to the obvious, especially if the obvious is disquieting.

First, Buhari and his supporters know that the Tinubu group, which had a tight leash on the Southwest political space, didn’t protect Buhari from the consequences of his infernal incompetence out of any high-minded considerations. They did so because they needed power after Buhari’s term in office. It was unvarnished calculative opportunism.

Since Buhari’s people have no expectation of any kind of requital from Tinubu, like Tinubu did from them, they felt no obligation to protect or explain away Tinubu’s own hard-hearted incompetence. The chase often stops after a conquest. Men who woo women can relate to this sentiment.

Second, the misery that Tinubu’s simultaneous policies of never-before-seen astronomical petrol price increase and devaluation of the naira unleashed on the country are felt more deeply in the North than in any part of the country because of the preexisting multidimensional poverty in the region and the pervading insecurity that makes farming almost impossible.

Money is now both hard to find and worthless when it is found, and food is both hard to find and unaffordable when it is found. That is an unprecedentedly profound, not to mention unsurvivable, existential torment.

Two days after the #EndBadGovernance protests started, I told someone that many people in the North have been rendered so desolate, so destitute, and so despondent by the economic crunch that they are looking to cash in on the protests to commit suicide by police bullets because Islam forbids suicide.

Islam teaches that committing suicide guarantees an unfettered passage to the hottest depths of hellfire in the hereafter. I said many people who couldn’t survive the pain and humiliation of perpetual hunger might tempt security forces to shoot them so they could end it all and not fear that they would provoke the wrath of their Creator for committing suicide.

Of course, this is twisted thinking because a famous hadith, which every Muslim who took Islamic Studies in secondary school knows, says “Actions shall be judged according to intention.”

Well, my predictions turned out to be accurate. A friend shared a video of scores of protesters in a northern city chanting, “da yunwa ta kashe mu, da ma bullet ya kashe mu" (rough translation: "Instead of dying of hunger, we would rather be killed by a bullet”) as they confronted gun-wielding military and police officers.

There is also the viral video of protesters bursting into the Zamfara State Government House in Gusau and defying, even daring, menacing, gun-toting soldiers who tried to stop them. Several such scenes have been replicated throughout the North.

The mistake the government is making is to dismiss the protests as entirely politically motivated. They are not. Even if they wanted, Buhari and his associates couldn’t stop the protests both because the shelf life of Buhari’s “magic” has expired (his own house was besieged in Daura, and he had been pelted with stones while he was in power in cities like Kano and Maiduguri where he had been idolized) and because the extent of anguish people are going through now is unappeasable.

Apart from the usual criminals of opportunity (who exploit every unrest to steal and destroy), the vast majority of protesters think their only hope of living is to risk death and push back at policies that kill them slowly but surely. You can’t persuade people who have nothing to lose by dying.

That was why American author Dan Groat pointed out in his 2014 book titled In Monarchs and Mendicants, “Not interested in scarin’ anybody, but people with good sense are afraid of a man with nothin’ to lose.” Lance Conrad echoed this in his book The Price of Nobility when he said, “Only a fool would underestimate a man with nothing to lose.”

People who weren’t exempt from the rage of protesters can’t stop protesters from protesting.

The self-inflicted attenuation of Tinubu’s political capital in the North plays into the old debate in the Southwest about the best coalitional strategy to attain and retain power for the Yoruba.

The Chief Obafemi Awolowo strategy, which Afenifere still believes in, sees the Muslim North as a competitor and not an ally. The Awo strategy for getting power is to build an alliance between the entire South and Northern Christians.

But the Chief Ladoke Akintola template sees the Muslim North as a strategic partner in light of the deep historical and cultural ties that bind Yoruba people and several linguistic, ethnic, and cultural groups in the Muslim North, such as Borgu, Nupe, Igala, and Hausa people. (Read my October 9, 2021, column titled “Arewa and Oduduwa More Alike than Unlike.”) This is hardly surprising because even though Akintola was a Christian, he was from Ogbomoso whose traditional ruler traces ancestral roots to Borgu.

Chief MKO Abiola—and now President Tinubu—subscribe to the Akintola template. Abiola was briefly vindicated when he won the June 12, 1993, presidential election with enormous support from the North, including Kano, his opponent’s home state.

But the revocation of his epochal electoral triumph by a Northern military head of state—and the decidedly ethnic and regional character the fight for and the opposition to his mandate later took—appeared to justify the distrust of the Muslim North by the Awo group, which nonetheless gave full-throated support to Abiola to reclaim his mandate.

Tinubu, undeterred by Abiola’s experience, reinvented the Akintola template. It’s as if he wanted to prove that he could tread the same path and get to the destination that Abiola couldn’t get to. That must be why he called his presidential bid “Renewed Hope.” Abiola’s was “Hope.” Like Abiola, he chose a Muslim running mate. And, like Abiola, his running mate is a Kanuri man from Borno.

With the Muslim North now souring on him only one year into his first term and the unlikelihood of his ever recovering whatever goodwill he had from the region if he continues with his economic policies that push people to the brink of the existential precipice, the Awo/Afenifere group may be having the last laugh.

So, what should he do? The best option is to discard the IMF/World Bank neoliberal policies he’s enamored with (which have never worked anywhere in the world) and embrace Awolowo’s welfarist capitalist template of governance that puts the development and wellbeing of people at the center of policies. That may restore his goodwill with the North—and even earn him more support elsewhere.

The other options are non-starters, but I’ll mention them anyway. Like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who won his first term with the support of the Muslim North, but who later used the Awo/Afenifere template to get a second term, Tinubu can court the Christian North and galvanize the South. Goodluck Jonathan used this template in 2011 and won.

The problem is that if Peter Obi runs in 2027, and I don’t see any reason why he won’t, Tinubu won’t be able to galvanize the South into a unified voting bloc. And, although the worst fears of his Muslim-Muslim ticket among Christians haven’t materialized, northern Christians are unlikely to embrace him wholeheartedly, however hard he tries to woo them.

In other words, Tinubu is cooked, as Gen Zs say. Anything short of bringing down the cost of petrol, restoring the value of the naira, and making everyday things affordable will doom Tinubu’s first term and deny him a second term because he is now effectively a political orphan.

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