ariesbull: Students from Nigeria’s South-East geopolitical zone have delivered a stunning and historic performance at the 2026 National Mathematics Competition held in Abuja, sweeping all categories in what observers are calling a rare and unprecedented clean sweep.
The competition—organised annually by the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges in collaboration with the National Mathematical Centre—drew participation from over 10,000 pupils and students across the country, making the South-East’s dominance even more remarkable.
Emerging reports and related competition data indicate that top-performing students in the South-East pipeline—including those feeding into national contests—have come from standout institutions such as Diamond Special College, where a pupil recently clinched the primary category in a major 2026 regional mathematics olympiad, outperforming competitors from across the zone.
Additionally, schools like Divine Rays British School have been previously documented as national mathematics competition winners, further highlighting the South-East’s strong academic ecosystem feeding into national victories.
Education analysts say this dominance is not accidental but reflects years of strong emphasis on STEM education, disciplined academic culture, and competitive training across schools in states such as Anambra, Imo, and Enugu.
While the full official breakdown of all winning schools in the 2026 national finals is yet to be publicly released, the clean sweep by South-East students signals a powerful shift in Nigeria’s academic landscape—firmly positioning the region’s schools as national leaders in mathematics excellence.
anonimi: How come incorruptible city boy is borrowing more than when your two expired and corrupt politicians’ party gave us widespread prosperity, cheap petrol and less insecurity for 16 years
Spokesperson for vagabonds seeking power in ADC. Dem plenty in the other political parties as well. Make we ask for Osinbajo, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Shehu Sanni and other well meaning Nigerians who can govern well not characters with their past shaded in pencil against the background of corruption scandals!
Just shows that Nigerian politicians across the political divide have little to offer. Their problem skills are not on display. They specialise in driving Toyota Jeeps enhancing Japanese economy instead of patronising INNOSON Jeeps enhancing the Nigerian economy. Corruption is their nature! Shamelessness is their garment!
Seeplusplus: That's what her Animal Scientist social critic of a colleague ought to do, instead of sitting down in the studio and being criticizing every government policy while also tweeting up and down with very terrible punctuations.
femi4: Which part of the book ...they are all the same
I smiled!😅. Very good observation there!! What became of Chris Anyanwu in politics after she entered the Senate?🧐🧐🧐 During the Nigerian general election, 2007 Anyanwu was elected to the Senate on the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) as a representative of Owerri Zone, Imo State, Nigeria.[12] In describing her change in careers, she stated, "I felt I could do more than observe and moan the things that were not going right ... With my years of reporting government, politics, social issues, oil and diplomacy, I had come to understand governance issues well. I felt I could be more useful in helping find solutions to the problems." How many solutions she enhanced in Owerri Zone as Senator remains to be seen.
The critical question is - What is the quality of intelligence gathered if any by our security agencies in places that have very well known security challenges? With sound intel these things can be nipped in the bud and eventually stopped. What are DSS, DMI, NSCDC doing in those places. Reason why many say government is involved or at best complicit.
About time the wannabe journalist Rufai is courageous enough to go the same route! The video of his juvenile tantrum on BRT Lane in Lagos State will finish him off!
Amumaigwe: The way you are holding onto the past, are you sure you have a future?
If you do not take the past seriously enough which is all your subject is doing then you have no future worth calling one. If Tinubu does the needful and the daddies are found guilty and executed the children will recall history and be far away from planning coup in the future. Ever heard of a child of executed coup planners planning a coup? Not when they are in their right minds!
Heis00: A touching and emotional protest was recorded in Abuja as children of individuals accused of plotting a coup took to the streets, crying and pleading with authorities.
In the viral video, the children were seen holding placards and chanting “Don’t kill our daddies!” as they begged for mercy, drawing sympathy from onlookers.
The situation has sparked mixed reactions online, with many Nigerians calling for justice and due process, while others debate the seriousness of the allegations.
But they are alleged to have planned to kill the daddies of other children like you. Once proven they should be executed in line with Military Law. They should seek God's face for uncommon mercy not carrying placards. They just worsened their case with the rabble rouse and transactional fellow Omoyele Sowore in their corner!
treesun: Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, at his residence in Abuja.
Disclosing this in a statement via X on Wednesday, Atiku said the visit provided an opportunity for both leaders to exchange ideas on strengthening the party.
He described the meeting as a productive engagement focused on repositioning the ADC and enhancing public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process.
The ADC chieftain said talks centred on strategies to further consolidate the party’s structure and restore confidence among Nigerians in the nation’s democracy.
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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar meets with the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, in Abuja on April 1, 2026. Credit:X/@atiku
The visit comes amid ongoing political realignments and consultations ahead of future electoral engagements, with key stakeholders exploring avenues to build stronger opposition platforms.
READ ALSO: ADC Woos Bauchi Gov Mohammed
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ADC has been aligning and realigning ahead of the 2027 general polls by trying to drag more prominent personalities to sack the ruling All Progressives Congress next year.
On Tuesday, the party sent emissaries to Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed.
Also this afternoon, I visited the National Chairman of our great party, ADC, Senator David Mark, at his residence in Abuja. It was a courtesy call that provided an opportunity to share ideas on how to further strengthen the ADC and restore confidence in Nigeria’s democracy. -AA pic.twitter.com/6Gi2bAZGZg
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) April 1, 2026
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At the meeting which held at the Government House in Bachi, the delegation led by the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, said the visit was at the instance of the ADC National Chairman.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar meets with the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, in Abuja on April 1, 2026. Credit:X/@atiku
He took a swipe at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the handling of the nation’s affairs, saying the ADC provides a credible alternative to rescue Nigeria.
“We are here in Bauchi State today at the instance of our National Chairman, Senator David Mark,” Lawal said.
“Senator Mark sent us here because he is fully aware that the coming battle between us in 2027 to elect new people to lead Nigeria can only be successful if all the various elements of the country that have good intentions towards Nigerians are able to unite to stand and resist the pending disaster that is waiting for us in 2027.
“We are fully aware that if we make a mistake and allow this government to continue post-2027, Nigeria will probably be no more. By then, we will probably be parking people in trailers who are unable to afford medical bills.”
Prior to the Bauchi meeting, the ADC succeeded in winning ex-Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, into its fold.
Two expired and corrupt politicians. Atiku and Jefferson issues in US. David Mark has nothing beneficial to the public good to show for all his years in politics. Am no fan of Tinubu either and wish we had an alternative to him in 2027 but not folks who flock with Babchir Lawal the Grasscutter SGF!
fineboynl: While Israel successfully destroyed the main underground bunker beneath the leadership compound in Tehran on March 6, 2026, the new leader has since moved to alternative, more secretive sites.
The following factors contribute to the difficulty in finding his current location:
Communication Blackout: Reports indicate that the Supreme Leader has suspended all electronic communications, including cellphones, to avoid signal detection by Israeli and U.S. intelligence. Non of the government official knows where he live or can reach him.
Despite the destruction of the central command bunker by 50 Israeli fighter jets, Mojtaba Khamenei remains out of public sight, with his only "appearance" since taking power being a portrait displayed at a rally on March.
Rumors of Injury or Relocation: Conflicting reports about whether he is receiving treatment in Russia for injuries sustained in February or hiding in a "rat hole" in Iran create "noise" that complicates intelligence verification.
He who is sworn to ensure the destruction of another will himself need to be ready to be destroyed.
frankson1: "Speaking on Saturday on Magic FM in Aba, Abia state, Obi said getting closer to them offers him an opportunity to change them positively if they are guilty.
Obi cited Jesus Christ in the Bible, whom he said associated with prostitutes and tax collectors while on earth, to change them positively"
This is the topic but shame won't let you comment on it.
I have no shame commenting on public matters. The association of Jesus with the characters Peter Obi agrees are in the class of prostitutes, corrupt and shady characters of questionable value to the society was not to prosecute ANY PURPOSE with them. Peter Obi is in association with the people in the class of prostitutes, corrupt and shady characters of questionable value to the society to win and to wield political power and no one needs a soothsayer to know that the common purpose will be prosecuted in the manner that agrees with their characters. I am no fan of Tinubu and wish we could have a viable alternative to him in 2027 but definitely not Peter Obi who in his desperation for power will sleep in a brothel claiming to be preaching to prostitutes!
Jakpon: Nigerians or BIAFRANS? Please make this clear. Well this news is not a news to some of us. We all know obi to be frod star
In June 2009, two aides of Peter Obi (Valentine Obienyem and Benjamin Uba) were detained by the EFCC for transporting ₦250 million in raw cash in Lagos. Nigerian Journalists are so disappointing they do not confront our politicians who seek public office with their life trajectories. For example, I am reasonably sure terrible Buhari would not have been opportune to misgovern Nigeria for eight years and building a train track to Maradi in Niger Republic if his malfeasance in voting for a Niger Republic Citizen instead of a Nigerian when he was a coupist Head of State had been sufficiently highlighted and his feet put to the fire!
Peter Obi was at his deluded best! I saw the Grasscutter former SGF among them ADC. One needed to see him on a Channels TV interview to appreciate how bitter and incorrigibly corrupt he is! Knowing very well that Nigerians are generally not given to reading these wicked and thoroughly conscienceless Nigerian politicians get to power notwithstanding their well chronicled past of infamy! All of them with very few exceptions. For example, Buhari and his infamous life history especially in the public service had enough written on him yet he came to power and was no less a disaster than he was when he got to power as a coup plotter. Tinubu's life trajectory with all his shady past which he has unrepentantly refused to acknowledge and be sorry for- today is Nigerian President!
Galactics: Anything to send the man back to Iragbiji.
I agree Tinubu has performed dismally in not fixing power and insecurity but what option do we when we have rejected Osinbajo and not pushed the candidature of others who mean well like Shehu Sanni and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Very poor attempt at explaining away the obvious. We do not appear willing to be free from misgovernance and the yoke of inept and corrupt politicians.
EponObi: All of Una wey dey shout, shey na Tinubu carry ADC matter to court?
Why are you people like this?
You never accept responsibility for your failure, no wonder you are serial losers.
If two factions are fighting for control of the party and they both head to court, what do you expect INEC to do? Shey na INEC file the case in court?
No be the same factionalization cause governors to run away from PDP because they don't know which faction the court will recognize.
Atiku is a veteran in the political space, same with guys like Obi, Amaechi, Aregbesola, David Mark. If they can't, as dem many so, properly structure their adopted party, the blame is on them. No be this same issue Atiku caused in PDP before that party imploded? He think he can use money to buy anybody and always want things to go his way alone. That's is his problem. If not, he would have met Wike and the G5 in the middle; same with other ADC faction.
What an irony sha. The implosion you all have been screaming will happen in APC is what is happening in your ADC now. You haven't even done congress or primaries and you've started having serious issues like this.
Losers.
What did you expect considering that ADC Manifesto is “Tinubu must go!” I also want that but beyond rerouting traffic to Iragbiji in 2027 what do they have to offer? ADC is populated by thieves and political vagabonds whose skin complexion is corruption! Ali Baba and the forty thieves best describes the ADC! The jostle for its Presidential ticket is the IED that will blow them into smithereens!
Iran has repeatedly denied it is talking to the U.S. Until a cockroach is completely killed it keeps putting up a show! America will finish the job. Abeg which country on earth except terrorist Iran has it as State Policy to destroy another nation! Iran has vowed to destroy Israel. Anyone who wishes another dead is best put to sleep before his intention is actualised.
ogugwa1992: Untold story: How Peter Obi lost his strongest intellectual soldier, Isaac Balami
By Meche Oswald
There is a dangerous culture growing in Nigeria’s political space, one that is rarely discussed but deeply corrosive. It is the culture of selective memory, where sacrifice is quickly forgotten, and loyalty is only valued as long as it serves a moment. History, it seems, repeats itself for those who refuse to learn. As Aristotle said, “He who cannot be a good steward of small matters cannot be entrusted with great ones.” Leadership begins with honoring those who labor for you.
Nigeria witnessed one of the most underreported tragedies in its political history during the 2023 Labour Party presidential campaign. It is the story of Engr. Isaac Balami, a young man whose intellect, resources, and dedication kept Peter Obi's campaign aglow—and whose sacrifices were met with cold indifference, ingratitude, and betrayal.
This is not just about one man. It is a case study in how movements rise on the shoulders of committed individuals, only to discard them when convenience demands it. It is a lesson in leadership, moral integrity, and the dangerous consequences of personality worship over principle.
Engr. Isaac Balami was not a spectator in the 2023 Labour Party presidential campaign. He was not among the social media enthusiasts tweeting slogans. He was part of the engine. Peter Obi, for all his media visibility, was merely the passenger in a vehicle someone else drove. Balami was a solid part of the infrastructure. He was capacity. He was one of the pillars that gave the movement credibility beyond hashtags.
As a renowned aviation expert, young entrepreneur, and CEO of 7 Star Global Hangar, Balami brought something rare into the Obidient movement. He came with technical competence backed by real resources. Campaigns in Nigeria are not powered by sentiments alone; they require logistics, mobility, security, and funding. These are not abstract ideas; these are expensive realities. Balami understood this, and he stepped in with solutions.
He leveraged his company to maintain and manage critical campaign vessels that ensured Peter Obi's nationwide mobility throughout the campaign period. Balami was the silent force, the subsidy of silence, that allowed a candidate who “no dey give shishi” to comfortably consume the massive private wealth of his supporters. Ensuring that campaign logistics were operational and mission-ready required immense dedication and personal investment.
Beyond operational logistics, his sacrifices became even more staggering. Engr. Balami personally procured five Toyota Prado Land Cruisers and two additional Jeeps to support campaign operations across the country. These were not symbolic gestures but strategic assets deployed nationwide. He personally fueled these vehicles throughout the campaign period, covering all 36 states and the FCT, without requesting for or receiving a dime from Peter Obi.
In a move that underscores the depth of his commitment, Balami sold key aviation assets to meet the ever-growing financial demands of the campaign. He spent his life savings, risking both personal comfort and financial security. This was a total investment, financial, professional, and personal.
At the time he joined the Labour Party, Balami’s hangar was handling the presidential aircraft of the late President Muhammadu Buhari. Aligning with Peter Obi meant making a costly and deliberate decision to forgo that high-level patronage. And we must not forget, being a Northern Christian, it exposed him to the danger of being tagged as an enemy of the Muslim North for choosing Peter Obi over Buhari. It was a sacrifice of his safety, access, influence, and financial stability in exchange for belief in a political vision. That decision alone speaks volumes about the level of trust and commitment he placed in the movement.
Balami also bore the cost of campaign mobility beyond infrastructure. He paid for his own campaign tour flights, including those of his team and accompanying police escorts. While others spoke about a New Nigeria, he was underwriting it. While others amplified the message online, he was funding its physical reality.
He also provided critical security assets, ensuring that Peter Obi's campaign activities could proceed safely in volatile regions of northern Nigeria, where insurgency and banditry were daily threats. Beyond hardware, he funneled significant personal funds into the campaign at a time when others offered nothing more than noise.
Balami’s contribution was not just financial or logistical. He served as the National Deputy Campaign Manager for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, a position of strategic influence. He was a bridge-builder. As a Northern youth leader from Borno State, he worked tirelessly to sell the Obidient movement’s message in regions traditionally and historically hostile to a presidential candidate of Igbo extraction. His credibility brought legitimacy to a movement otherwise overshadowed by personality cultism. Many young professionals, artisans, military personnel, and police officers gravitated toward the movement because of his influence. Balami was a convener, influencer, and problem solver.
His institutional credibility was unassailable. As a former President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, Balami brought respect, professionalism, and legitimacy to a campaign overshadowed by social media hype and personality worship.
I witnessed firsthand, as a former member of the PCC, how this man’s dedication mirrored that of the late Dr. Doyin Okupe, the Director-General of the campaign council. Dr. Okupe made huge and costly sacrifices. He abandoned his own people, business, and personal comforts to carry Peter Obi’s vision on his shoulders. Despite tribal opposition and immense pressure, he persisted in supporting Obi for justice and equity. When Dr. Okupe fell sick, not even Peter Obi reached out to him. He was maliciously abandoned immediately and left to seek financial help for his medical attention from other sources. Yet Obidients were angry that he embraced those who cared for him. The parallel with Balami is undeniable: both were betrayed and sidelined as the movement descended into internal chaos after the 2023 elections. Despite monumental contributions, life savings spent, logistical and moral labor expended, Peter Obi became unreachable, cold, and indifferent. The basic decency of acknowledgment was replaced by calculated withdrawal. The men who literally kept the campaign functioning were left in the shadows.
Compare this with historical political figures who understood the currency of loyalty. Bola Tinubu, for example, has long been criticized in Nigerian political discourse, yet even his harshest critics acknowledge his ability to reward, acknowledge, and strategically deploy the loyalty and expertise of his key allies. Balami’s treatment under Peter Obi is the polar opposite. Where Tinubu builds and sustains networks of influence, Obi discards the very people who make his political survival possible. The contrast could not be starker. One cultivates loyalty as an asset; the other exploits it as a convenience.
The tragedy here is not just personal; it is systemic. Movements that fail to institutionalize gratitude drift into arrogance. They forget the hands that built them and start acting as though momentum appeared spontaneously. Peter Obi did not consider Balami a partner, but a fueling station. Once the tank was full and the destination reached, or missed, he drove away without a backward glance.
Where were the Obidients when Engr. Balami traversed dangerous terrains, from local government to wards, mobilizing support for Peter Obi with his own resources? Where were they when he sponsored Obidient conveners’ meetings and took care of their logistics? Why do we continue attacking men who made strong sacrifices at the detriment of their own comfort? Where are Peter Obi’s strongest men today? Many are gone. Has anyone bothered to find out why they left? You cannot use people and dump them and expect them not to move forward.
The Obidients failed to see the history, the life savings spent, the assets deployed, the risks faced, and the lives impacted that made the movement nationally and globally relevant. Many of those attacking him today contributed nothing to the foundation they now claim to defend.
This is the moral corruption of Peter Obi’s leadership. He creates dependence, draws loyalty, exploits expertise, and, when convenient, withdraws without acknowledgment. As Plato said, “The measure of a man is what he does with power, not what he claims in rhetoric.” Peter Obi’s rhetoric was boundless; his actions toward those who served him faithfully were barren.
The Obidient movement now reveals itself as a fragile personality cult. When a key contributor leaves, the response is not reflection, it is not gratitude, or strategy; it is insult, emotional blackmail, and the display of ignorance. The movement has traded substance for social media noise. When you swap an aviation engineer and campaign strategist for online urchins and content creators, the campaign is grounded, both metaphorically and literally.
A movement that cannot tolerate dissent, that discards talent, and that attacks those who choose self-respect over subservience is doomed. Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony. Obi keeps treating his strong soldiers as disposable tools to be used and discarded. Leadership is not popularity. Leadership is recognition, engagement, and the humility to honor those who invest their time, intellect, and wealth in the collective cause.
Balami’s move is not betrayal. It is agency, intelligence, and integrity. It is the inevitable reaction of a professional who understands his value and refuses to be exploited. History will judge him kindly.
Let it be clear to the Obidients who attack, troll, and attempt to shame Engr. Isaac Balami: your insults cannot erase history. You are not criticizing betrayal; you are exposing your bitterness and ignorance. You know nothing of the life savings spent, the miles traversed, the risks faced, the moral labor expended, or the lives uplifted to make Peter Obi’s campaign possible. You were not there in the local governments, the wards, the conveners’ meetings, the flights, or the dangerous terrains. Yet you claim authority to judge a man who has already given everything for a cause you only saw from behind a screen.
A real movement honors its builders. A real political leader protects and celebrates those who make their success possible. Engr. Balami acted with courage, intelligence, and integrity. He chose life, principle, and vision over exploitation and ingratitude. Those who cannot understand this are blinded by the noise of online zealotry.
You cannot use people as tools and expect them to remain pawns forever. When loyalty is disrespected, when sacrifice is ignored, and when expertise is exploited, men move forward. History will remember Engr. Isaac Balami as a hero, a patriot, and a visionary. And those who sought to belittle him will be remembered only for their ignorance, envy, and failure to honor the work of giants.
Because in the end, the true measure of any political movement is not how loudly it shouts, but how faithfully it remembers those who built it. Nigeria has seen enough packaged deception. It is time for leadership that remembers, leadership that respects, and leadership that honors sacrifice.
Meche Oswald is a preacher, social commentator, and advocate for good governance. He is a passionate writer with a deep interest in politics, religion, and the moral foundations of leadership.
He writes extensively on democratic values, institutional integrity, and the intersection of faith and public life. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate Degree in Humanities.
Indeed true that delusion is a fatal phenomenon. Obedients are largely deluded folks who close their eyes and shut down their brains following Peter Obi! Balami just came round! No one in his right mind should follow ANY politician that way!
ogugwa1992: Untold story: How Peter Obi lost his strongest intellectual soldier, Isaac Balami
By Meche Oswald
There is a dangerous culture growing in Nigeria’s political space, one that is rarely discussed but deeply corrosive. It is the culture of selective memory, where sacrifice is quickly forgotten, and loyalty is only valued as long as it serves a moment. History, it seems, repeats itself for those who refuse to learn. As Aristotle said, “He who cannot be a good steward of small matters cannot be entrusted with great ones.” Leadership begins with honoring those who labor for you.
Nigeria witnessed one of the most underreported tragedies in its political history during the 2023 Labour Party presidential campaign. It is the story of Engr. Isaac Balami, a young man whose intellect, resources, and dedication kept Peter Obi's campaign aglow—and whose sacrifices were met with cold indifference, ingratitude, and betrayal.
This is not just about one man. It is a case study in how movements rise on the shoulders of committed individuals, only to discard them when convenience demands it. It is a lesson in leadership, moral integrity, and the dangerous consequences of personality worship over principle.
Engr. Isaac Balami was not a spectator in the 2023 Labour Party presidential campaign. He was not among the social media enthusiasts tweeting slogans. He was part of the engine. Peter Obi, for all his media visibility, was merely the passenger in a vehicle someone else drove. Balami was a solid part of the infrastructure. He was capacity. He was one of the pillars that gave the movement credibility beyond hashtags.
As a renowned aviation expert, young entrepreneur, and CEO of 7 Star Global Hangar, Balami brought something rare into the Obidient movement. He came with technical competence backed by real resources. Campaigns in Nigeria are not powered by sentiments alone; they require logistics, mobility, security, and funding. These are not abstract ideas; these are expensive realities. Balami understood this, and he stepped in with solutions.
He leveraged his company to maintain and manage critical campaign vessels that ensured Peter Obi's nationwide mobility throughout the campaign period. Balami was the silent force, the subsidy of silence, that allowed a candidate who “no dey give shishi” to comfortably consume the massive private wealth of his supporters. Ensuring that campaign logistics were operational and mission-ready required immense dedication and personal investment.
Beyond operational logistics, his sacrifices became even more staggering. Engr. Balami personally procured five Toyota Prado Land Cruisers and two additional Jeeps to support campaign operations across the country. These were not symbolic gestures but strategic assets deployed nationwide. He personally fueled these vehicles throughout the campaign period, covering all 36 states and the FCT, without requesting for or receiving a dime from Peter Obi.
In a move that underscores the depth of his commitment, Balami sold key aviation assets to meet the ever-growing financial demands of the campaign. He spent his life savings, risking both personal comfort and financial security. This was a total investment, financial, professional, and personal.
At the time he joined the Labour Party, Balami’s hangar was handling the presidential aircraft of the late President Muhammadu Buhari. Aligning with Peter Obi meant making a costly and deliberate decision to forgo that high-level patronage. And we must not forget, being a Northern Christian, it exposed him to the danger of being tagged as an enemy of the Muslim North for choosing Peter Obi over Buhari. It was a sacrifice of his safety, access, influence, and financial stability in exchange for belief in a political vision. That decision alone speaks volumes about the level of trust and commitment he placed in the movement.
Balami also bore the cost of campaign mobility beyond infrastructure. He paid for his own campaign tour flights, including those of his team and accompanying police escorts. While others spoke about a New Nigeria, he was underwriting it. While others amplified the message online, he was funding its physical reality.
He also provided critical security assets, ensuring that Peter Obi's campaign activities could proceed safely in volatile regions of northern Nigeria, where insurgency and banditry were daily threats. Beyond hardware, he funneled significant personal funds into the campaign at a time when others offered nothing more than noise.
Balami’s contribution was not just financial or logistical. He served as the National Deputy Campaign Manager for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, a position of strategic influence. He was a bridge-builder. As a Northern youth leader from Borno State, he worked tirelessly to sell the Obidient movement’s message in regions traditionally and historically hostile to a presidential candidate of Igbo extraction. His credibility brought legitimacy to a movement otherwise overshadowed by personality cultism. Many young professionals, artisans, military personnel, and police officers gravitated toward the movement because of his influence. Balami was a convener, influencer, and problem solver.
His institutional credibility was unassailable. As a former President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, Balami brought respect, professionalism, and legitimacy to a campaign overshadowed by social media hype and personality worship.
I witnessed firsthand, as a former member of the PCC, how this man’s dedication mirrored that of the late Dr. Doyin Okupe, the Director-General of the campaign council. Dr. Okupe made huge and costly sacrifices. He abandoned his own people, business, and personal comforts to carry Peter Obi’s vision on his shoulders. Despite tribal opposition and immense pressure, he persisted in supporting Obi for justice and equity. When Dr. Okupe fell sick, not even Peter Obi reached out to him. He was maliciously abandoned immediately and left to seek financial help for his medical attention from other sources. Yet Obidients were angry that he embraced those who cared for him. The parallel with Balami is undeniable: both were betrayed and sidelined as the movement descended into internal chaos after the 2023 elections. Despite monumental contributions, life savings spent, logistical and moral labor expended, Peter Obi became unreachable, cold, and indifferent. The basic decency of acknowledgment was replaced by calculated withdrawal. The men who literally kept the campaign functioning were left in the shadows.
Compare this with historical political figures who understood the currency of loyalty. Bola Tinubu, for example, has long been criticized in Nigerian political discourse, yet even his harshest critics acknowledge his ability to reward, acknowledge, and strategically deploy the loyalty and expertise of his key allies. Balami’s treatment under Peter Obi is the polar opposite. Where Tinubu builds and sustains networks of influence, Obi discards the very people who make his political survival possible. The contrast could not be starker. One cultivates loyalty as an asset; the other exploits it as a convenience.
The tragedy here is not just personal; it is systemic. Movements that fail to institutionalize gratitude drift into arrogance. They forget the hands that built them and start acting as though momentum appeared spontaneously. Peter Obi did not consider Balami a partner, but a fueling station. Once the tank was full and the destination reached, or missed, he drove away without a backward glance.
Where were the Obidients when Engr. Balami traversed dangerous terrains, from local government to wards, mobilizing support for Peter Obi with his own resources? Where were they when he sponsored Obidient conveners’ meetings and took care of their logistics? Why do we continue attacking men who made strong sacrifices at the detriment of their own comfort? Where are Peter Obi’s strongest men today? Many are gone. Has anyone bothered to find out why they left? You cannot use people and dump them and expect them not to move forward.
The Obidients failed to see the history, the life savings spent, the assets deployed, the risks faced, and the lives impacted that made the movement nationally and globally relevant. Many of those attacking him today contributed nothing to the foundation they now claim to defend.
This is the moral corruption of Peter Obi’s leadership. He creates dependence, draws loyalty, exploits expertise, and, when convenient, withdraws without acknowledgment. As Plato said, “The measure of a man is what he does with power, not what he claims in rhetoric.” Peter Obi’s rhetoric was boundless; his actions toward those who served him faithfully were barren.
The Obidient movement now reveals itself as a fragile personality cult. When a key contributor leaves, the response is not reflection, it is not gratitude, or strategy; it is insult, emotional blackmail, and the display of ignorance. The movement has traded substance for social media noise. When you swap an aviation engineer and campaign strategist for online urchins and content creators, the campaign is grounded, both metaphorically and literally.
A movement that cannot tolerate dissent, that discards talent, and that attacks those who choose self-respect over subservience is doomed. Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony. Obi keeps treating his strong soldiers as disposable tools to be used and discarded. Leadership is not popularity. Leadership is recognition, engagement, and the humility to honor those who invest their time, intellect, and wealth in the collective cause.
Balami’s move is not betrayal. It is agency, intelligence, and integrity. It is the inevitable reaction of a professional who understands his value and refuses to be exploited. History will judge him kindly.
Let it be clear to the Obidients who attack, troll, and attempt to shame Engr. Isaac Balami: your insults cannot erase history. You are not criticizing betrayal; you are exposing your bitterness and ignorance. You know nothing of the life savings spent, the miles traversed, the risks faced, the moral labor expended, or the lives uplifted to make Peter Obi’s campaign possible. You were not there in the local governments, the wards, the conveners’ meetings, the flights, or the dangerous terrains. Yet you claim authority to judge a man who has already given everything for a cause you only saw from behind a screen.
A real movement honors its builders. A real political leader protects and celebrates those who make their success possible. Engr. Balami acted with courage, intelligence, and integrity. He chose life, principle, and vision over exploitation and ingratitude. Those who cannot understand this are blinded by the noise of online zealotry.
You cannot use people as tools and expect them to remain pawns forever. When loyalty is disrespected, when sacrifice is ignored, and when expertise is exploited, men move forward. History will remember Engr. Isaac Balami as a hero, a patriot, and a visionary. And those who sought to belittle him will be remembered only for their ignorance, envy, and failure to honor the work of giants.
Because in the end, the true measure of any political movement is not how loudly it shouts, but how faithfully it remembers those who built it. Nigeria has seen enough packaged deception. It is time for leadership that remembers, leadership that respects, and leadership that honors sacrifice.
Meche Oswald is a preacher, social commentator, and advocate for good governance. He is a passionate writer with a deep interest in politics, religion, and the moral foundations of leadership.
He writes extensively on democratic values, institutional integrity, and the intersection of faith and public life. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate Degree in Humanities.
Indeed true that delusion is a fatal phenomenon! Balami got to learn that the hard way. It is delusion to follow ANY politician with your eyes closed and your brain shut down!
Great but what do we really export to China that should positively impact our economy? What? They cheaply cart away our mineral and natural resources? They simply made it easier to keep doing so!!
Some of you think 24/7 power is easy to generate in a populous country like Nigeria.
The problem with the sector is not the minister,it will take the president to implement certain structural reforms to guarantee steady power.
We don't even have the money to fix it, didn't you read that FG is owing gencos over #4 trillion for supply of gas
It will cost over #15 trillion to fix the power sector of which Nigeria doesn't have.
Eeya!! It should be interesting to find outlaw long and how much it took Brazil to have the much power they presently generate. We should be asking Obasanjo and Atiku what they did with our 16 billion dollars they said they spent on Power! The Olusegun Obasanjo administration (1999–2007) is widely reported to have spent approximately $16 billion on the power sector, according to various probes and allegations. This amount, which some reports suggest was $13.8 billion, was aimed at National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) to boost electricity generation, though critics describe it as a "colossal waste"
ProudlyLagos: 😂😂😂 incoherent gibberish…….typical nya Mir and delusion nah 5&6….fear who? Gringory the 3rd place loserrr? Bikonu don’t make me laugh 😂🤣🤣🤣
Politics › Re: How Peter Obi Lost His Strongest Intellectual Soldier, Isaac Balami - Oswald by zoedew: 9:05am On Apr 02
[/quote]Delusion is a fatal phenomenon!
