₦airaland Forum

Okpebohlo seems to be doing well politically
He is not like Fubara
He is managing his various political benefactors well, and also managing their respective tendencies
He is a wise man

Fayemi is a cool-headed Godfather

They will so wear Dele out with lawsuits, he won’t forget this in a long time. Dele had a strategy. He expected libel suits, and he had his strategy for it. But he never expected this response strategy from the Afe Babalola team. That’s why the yorubas will always say, if you think you know how to talk, know some people know how to hear

If Wike was a wicked person, he wouldn’t make you a governor

I thought Sowore said the court granted him N50m bail yesterday? I don’t understand

It’s official
Mahama is the new President of Ghana

No official declaration has been made yet. Collation is still ongoing. Let’s avoid fake news

Dele should have his day in court
He must bring out all the evidences he claim to have
You can't just confidently defame a man, tarnish his lifelong work, and expect him not to angrily respond
Let's put ourselves in Afe Babalola's shoes, whether we won't react even more angrily
Nobody should hide under activism to pull others down
If he has evidence, fine and good
If he does not have evidence, then justice should be served

You can’t hide under activism to damage another person’s reputation. Where was Sowore when Dele was publishing unsubstantial and damaging information about Afe Babalola in his book? Where your right ends, is where another person’s rights begin.

[b]I appreciate your contribution and insight, and I believe we can have decent conversations as intellectuals without getting personal. We can't all have the same opinion on issues, and that's the beauty of diversity.

That said, I quite understand how badly bastardised our system is, not just our judicial and political systems, but almost every aspect of our national lives. However, I still believe if you must approach equity, you must do so with clean hands. If Dele has corrupt information against Afe Babalola, I don't believe rushing to publish it in a BOOK is the right way to do it. The other person should have a right to refute or defend it. What is a fact to him might end up being half-truths or even outright lies when superior information is presented. We like too much sensationalism in Nigeria, and that is also part of our problems. It is completely wrong to publish yet to be substantiated information about a person in a BOOK, while the person is still alive.

I don't believe in trying to right the wrongs, we should create more wrongs. [/b]

VULCAN:
How did you sit in your parlour and deduce that Dele has no facts to back up his case?

Reading your entire writeup it's clear you are a supporter of our bastardised system.

Probably,you are a beneficiary or someone close to you is benefiting.

Burna Boy's security details shot a man in the club for warning Burna to stay away from his wife. To avoid arrest, Burna flew out within 24hrs and stayed away for a while.

He came back and the press and police have moved on. No doubt he settled the police and nothing came of the matter.

What if that was your brother?

The same Burna arrested Speed Darlington and they dragged him to Abuja.

I'm sure you like abuse of power...

That is, until it is used against you

Be guided

[b]Afe Babalola has the right to react the way he did. Dele threw a TERRIBLE jab by publishing damning allegations against the man without first substantiating them as fact. Like I said earlier to someone, all of us feel terrible about a lot of our bigwigs, and am sure a lot of us talk about their perceived corruption among ourselves, in our homes, at newspaper joints, at beer parlour e.t.c. Of course, none of us have facts about all these things apart from hearsays. Now, imagine us now writing a book on these people and saying all the atrocities we think they have committed based on our own perception. Publishing it in a book means they are FACTS. Books will be read by children yet unborn.

It is natural for Afe Babalola to feel badly maligned. He is a man that has put in over 60 years into his practice. Law students that would be born in 100 years from now will read DELE's book and form an opinion. Dele started the rascality by first publishing the allegations in a BOOK, knowing fully well it won't be retrievable. He went for the man with FULL force.
[/b]

Willie2015:
I understand your position...
But...
Afe Babalola should have handled...
this scenario in a matured way.....
Ekiti police should have invited the other party...
instead of arrest in a gestapo style......
Ekiti police got furious that they forgot...
to follow protocols....
Na normal style of Naija elites...incl Afe Babalola..
I have the power and connection...
so I can deal with you....
Nothing will happen...
We have a long way to go in Naija.....

ys.

How many of us will accept what Dele Farotimi did to Afe Babalola? Most of us just join the bandwagon.

He made terrible accusation about the man and published them in his book that has now gone global. That means, if those details are false, how will he retrieve the book from the thousands that have bought it globally

If we are in Afe Babalola’s shoes, and someone wrote terrible things to destroy our hard earned reputation, and have the effrontery to publish them in a book that would be read by children that are not yet born, am not sure we would take it likely. I don’t know Afe Babalola and I don’t know Dele Farotimi. I just took my time to digest the information objectively and dispassionately. I will advise us to do the same

But why aren't they losing their seats?
Why is it in Rivers alone that people claim defecting lawmakers have lost their seats?
Nobody can self-interpret the law
That is the purview of the judiciary

This is a respectable Man, that appreciates the fact that God has used Kwankwanso to elevate him
He is not like Fubara
Even if Wike's own is too much, there is a level Fubara shouldn't go to. Insulting his benefactor, saying things like we met a dead system (the same dead system that produced you as Governor), calling your benefactor Thief e.t.c. is a great offense against everything humanity stands for.

Fubara should have resisted every attempt to denigrate his benefactor publicly, while maintaining his decent independence and dignity

I thought she said Tinubu is not her President. She should address the letter to her President

But Wike made Fubara Governor
It seems everyone have forgotten that
It is ingratitude to say the Ijaws have rejected Wike when he single-handedly made their son governor. If Wike wanted an Ikwere man the same way Yahaya Bello made his kinsman governor, he would have succeeded..

No matter what is happening between Wike and Fubara, the Ijaws owe Wike a lifetime of gratitude

Only if Wike is not as boastful
Only if Wike does not talk as much as he does
Only if Wike is more tactful
Only if Wike is more of action than talk
Only if Wike is more humble and graceful

He would have been one of the biggest political leaders of our times. His political charisma is enduring and truly, a lot of Nigerians openly or secretly admire him, but he talks and brag too much. He lacks the finesse befitting of a statesman. He is also boastful.

Wike mismanaged Fubara. No doubt, Fubara made some early ugly moves, but so did Fashola and Ambode in Lagos but Tinubu managed them. Wike's lack of tact, made him to order the 27 House of Assembly guys to decamp to APC. That was Fubara's saving grace. Fubara saw the error and moved on it. Wike is yet to recover from that error. Imagine now that he is firmly in control of the PDP structure in Rivers, of what use is the decamping of the Assembly guys to APC to him? I guess he was betrayed by some elements in the Villa who must have advised him to make that move, promising him the full backing of the President in impeaching Fubara once APC is in firm majority in the assembly. He forgot that even Tinubu could not remove Fashola or Ambode through impeachments despite also being in firm control of the Lagos House of Assemblies at the time. All of these reek of lack of tack and strategy on the part of Wike. Once you begin to talk and boast too much, you begin to lose your reverence.

Silence is a better show of strength, than boastful talk and vain glory. Someone should pass this piece to Nyesome Wike, if they really love him. And he needs better strategists and handlers. He is currently making a poor show of himself and he may go down for it if he is not careful

Shalom

Only if Wike is not as boastful
Only if Wike does not talk as much as he does
Only if Wike is more tactful
Only if Wike is more of action than talk
Only if Wike is more humble and graceful

He would have been one of the biggest political leaders of our times. His political charisma is enduring and truly, a lot of Nigerians openly or secretly admire him, but he talks and brag too much. He lacks the finesse befitting of a statesman. He is also boastful.

Wike mismanaged Fubara. No doubt, Fubara made some early ugly moves, but so did Fashola and Ambode in Lagos but Tinubu managed them. Wike's lack of tact, made him to order the 27 House of Assembly guys to decamp to APC. That was Fubara's saving grace. Fubara saw the error and moved on it. Wike is yet to recover from that error. Imagine now that he is firmly in control of the PDP structure in Rivers, of what use is the decamping of the Assembly guys to APC to him? I guess he was betrayed by some elements in the Villa who must have advised him to make that move, promising him the full backing of the President in impeaching Fubara once APC is in firm majority in the assembly. He forgot that even Tinubu could not remove Fashola or Ambode through impeachments despite also being in firm control of the Lagos House of Assemblies at the time. All of these reek of lack of tack and strategy on the part of Wike. Once you begin to talk and boast too much, you begin to lose your reverence.

Silence is a better show of strength, than boastful talk and vain glory. Someone should pass this piece to Nyesome Wike, if they really love him. And he needs better strategists and handlers. He is currently making a poor show of himself and he may go down for it if he is not careful

Shalom

Only if Wike is not as boastful
Only if Wike does not talk as much as he does
Only if Wike is more tactful
Only if Wike is more of action than talk
Only if Wike is more humble and graceful

He would have been one of the biggest political leaders of our times. His political charisma is enduring and truly, a lot of Nigerians openly or secretly admire him, but he talks and brag too much. He lacks the finesse befitting of a statesman. He is also boastful.

Wike mismanaged Fubara. No doubt, Fubara made some early ugly moves, but so did Fashola and Ambode in Lagos but Tinubu managed them. Wike's lack of tact, made him to order the 27 House of Assembly guys to decamp to APC. That was Fubara's saving grace. Fubara saw the error and moved on it. Wike is yet to recover from that error. Imagine now that he is firmly in control of the PDP structure in Rivers, of what use is the decamping of the Assembly guys to APC to him? I guess he was betrayed by some elements in the Villa who must have advised him to make that move, promising him the full backing of the President in impeaching Fubara once APC is in firm majority in the assembly. He forgot that even Tinubu could not remove Fashola or Ambode through impeachments despite also being in firm control of the Lagos House of Assemblies at the time. All of these reek of lack of tack and strategy on the part of Wike. Once you begin to talk and boast too much, you begin to lose your reverence.

Silence is a better show of strength, than boastful talk and vain glory. Someone should pass this piece to Nyesome Wike, if they really love him. And he needs better strategists and handlers. He is currently making a poor show of himself and he may go down for it if he is not careful

Shalom

Ododo defended a worse heist at the Supreme Court. Kogi's election was a massive case of over voting with terrible mutilation of result sheets. Yet, SDP didn't get even one win at the lower court. Ajaka of SDP was so confident he has all the data to prove his case. Everyone thought he had a case but alas, it was a no show at the Supreme Court. In the last election, Supreme Court didn't upturn even one governorship election across the country. Were all the elections perfect? Obviously not. But electoral jurisprudence is not as straightforward as we all think. I can bet it that Asue will get nothing at the tribunal. He will just waste his money and his emotion. At best, he should just walk away now without staking any more of his emotional energy in an exercise that will be futile at the end of the day. Its my one cent advise for that amazing gentleman

Congratulations to the APC Family.
Edo victory was a strategy well executed
Its a lesson in political sagacity and Strategy.

These fertilizers were given to the states by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Some states get as much as 20 trailers of fertilizers. It is important for the State government to tell everyone that the fertilizers they are distributing was donated to them by the Federal Government, and they are not owned by the State governments. They way everyone put all blames on the Federal Government as if they are not doing anything is because State Governments stylishly try to mention that Federal Government is doing anything through them. They collect these Largesse and distribute to their cronies.

But then I don't blame the States. I blame the poor communication strategy of the Federal government

Let's not forget that States also have their Monthly Allocation from the Federal Government which they should use to make impacts in their various states, but they pocket these monies and let the citizenry heap all blames on the Federal Government

Everything is easy theoretically
Everyone has a theoretical solution

She's tactical about her approach. If Wike wins and Fubara is impeached, she will be the biggest beneficiary as the new governor. If Fubara wins, she will continue to enjoy her role as the Deputy Governor. She's a Smart Lady

When she was unveiled as the running mate to Siminialayi Fubara, the then governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Professor Ngozi Nma Odu, had dreamed of and prayed for two things; victory at the poll and a peaceful tenure as a deputy governor.

Undoubtedly, Odu, born on October 23, 1952, in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, has her first prayer granted. She excelled at the 2023 election with her boss. But, the same thing cannot be said about her request for a peaceful, crisis-free and fulfilled tenure.

Odu, who obtained her first degree in Microbiology from the Paisley College of Technology, Renfrewshire, Scotland, the United Kingdom (UK), watched as the substructure of a once united political family built by a former Governor Nyesom Wike, who is currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, began to collapse, following irreconcilable differences between Fubara and Wike, his erstwhile godfather.

The same family nominated and worked for her to become deputy governor. Her choice was unanimous. She was singlehandedly picked by Wike through the recommendations of former Governor Peter Odili.

Odili is a key figure in modern Rivers politics who supported Wike throughout his tenure as his political father. He has also often been referred to as the political godfather of Odu. While Wike solely nominated Fubara and made him governor, the former governor out of respect for Odili reportedly asked the latter to recommend Fubara’s deputy. Without hesitation, Odili was said to have chosen Prof. Odu.

Odu, a refined international scholar and first PhD graduate at the Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt, was brought into politics by Odili. Under the administration of Odili, Odu was a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health between 1999 and 2006, making her the longest-serving permanent secretary. She also rose to become the Commissioner for Education in January 2006.

The scholar, who led the rescue team of the December 2010 ill-fated Sosoliso crash in which only two people survived, owed her political loyalty to Odili. She was said to have developed a fondness for Wike, who used to pour encomiums on her publicly, especially during the campaigns.

How has Odu faired amidst the political crisis in Rivers? A peep into her activities shows that the professor has been discharging the functions of her office diligently. The nature of her office and Odili’s position in the impasse have helped Odu to define her feelings.

The office of a deputy governor has always been likened to a spare tyre. Just like her predecessor, Dr. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, who is now the senator representing Rivers West, Odu has maintained a quiet mien. She has never made controversial political statements. Though she has maintained her loyalty to Fubara, she has never been heard casting aspersion on or verbally attacking Wike.

She has meticulously attended all programmes of the governor that required her presence. She has also been representing the governor in various events. In her public speeches, Odu has shown her complete loyalty to Fubara as required by her office.

Recently at the 2024 Rivers Economic Summit, Prof. Odu described Fubara, whom she fondly refers to as her boss as a leader with the ability to inspire, motivate and encourage people to bring out the best in them. She said: “We thank him for conceiving the idea of this summit. He is a man of courage; a man of focus and a man, who puts Rivers people first.”

Similarly, when Prof. Odu received the Silverbird Man of the Year Award on behalf of Fubara, she wrote: “It was truly well-deserved for my boss to be recognized for his efforts in promoting peace and unity in our state. This award serves as a reminder of the importance of working towards a peaceful and harmonious society for the betterment of all.

“I am proud to be a part of his team and to contribute to the progress and prosperity of our dear state. Thank you, Silverbird, for this recognition. We also thank everyone who has supported us in our mission for peace. Let us continue to strive for a world where peace and harmony prevail.”

While refraining from making public statements about the crisis, Odu has shown nothing but complete loyalty to Fubara. For instance, during the governor’s birthday, Odu wrote: “Your excellency, as you celebrate your birthday today, it is my fervent prayers that the Almighty God shall continue to bless, protect, guide and keep you in good health and give you the wisdom to pilot the affairs of the state excellently.”

Apart from the nature of her office, a key factor that has propelled Odu to maintain unwavering loyalty to Fubara is that Odili has pitched his tent with Fubura right from the beginning of the crisis. The former governor chose to support the Fubura camp from the outset. He is said to be an active leader of the camp and the backbone of the governor in the crisis.

In the heat of the crisis, Odili has openly identified Fubara as the political leader of Rivers. He further remarked that Fubara had taken full control of his administration. He said: “The time for politics is over; it is now time for governance. You have done well by hitting the ground running. You have touched all sectors: education, agriculture, and now health. This is in line with Mr. President’s agenda.

“Regard your office as key. Don’t look back. It is not a matter of age. What is important is that your people are with you. The Rivers State people said I should tell you that you are their political leader. Whatever you say stands and wherever you go they will follow.”

Fubara has also boasted that Odili’s membership of his camp was giving his enemies sleepless nights. Therefore, Prof. Odu naturally belongs to Odili’s camp and can flaunt her loyalty to Fubara without any doubt.

Despite not having the peace she dreamed of, which her predecessor enjoyed, Odu has continued to discharge her responsibilities, guarding her utterances and demonstrating unalloyed loyalty to Fubara while showing gratitude for the roles Wike played by resisting the temptation to be drawn into abusive outbursts against the FCT minister.

https://thenationonlineng.net/rivers-crisis-fubaras-deputy-walks-a-tightrope/

The protesters were not peaceful
They were burning tyres on major roads, and preventing school children and innocent people from returning to their homes after a long day at work. Some people had to take alternative route that took 4hours before getting home.

If Yale Staffs want to protest against their employers, they should restrict it within the premises of their employers. They can even shut down the company gates and throw the keys away. Not blocking major roads and preventing innocent children and people that have no business with them from getting home.

So if every employee that have problems with their employers shut down major roads everyday, how will they feel?

Victor is a great player and he indeed has the right to be angry at the coach laying the blame of the team's loss at his feet. That was uncharismatic of Finidi to blame a player that didn't play and was even injured more so Victor even offered to be in camp to motivate the players. Having said that, I think Victor needs anger management therapy. As a public figure, that outburst was overboard and exposed the flaws in his personality, just like all humans anyway. I think some cosmetic Public Relations stunts should be pulled by his manager to dampen the effects of the outburst. It might affect his assessment in the future, and it might not even be in the national team.