Top ten things that made the news last week
An opinion article by Festus Adebayo on why Bola Tinubu must never be Nigeria’s president, the Adeleke family feud over the forthcoming Osun State governorship election, and the billionaire story of Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, and serving senator, are among the issues that made the top 10 stories last week.
1. Bola Tinubu
Bola Tinubu recently declared his interest to run for the office of the Nigerian president in the 2023 general elections. This has created a sharp division between those who support and those who are against his ambition among ordinary Nigerians and the political class. Some have also been lauded or vilified for being for or against Mr Tinubu’s ambition. A presidential aide, Babafemi Ojudu, serving as the political adviser to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is also believed to be quietly nursing a presidential ambition, has said he is not supporting Bola Tinubu.
Although Messrs Ojudu and Tinubu have been long-time political associates, Mr Ojudu said supporting the former Lagos State governor’s presidential bid does not agree with his conscience and ideals.
In 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Mr Ojudu, a former senator, his adviser on political matters and detailed him to work with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
In an op-ed, Festus Adebayo wrote the reasons Jagaban should not be Nigeria’s president.
2. The Battle of the Adelekes
The Adelekes, a popular family with rich political history, is currently embroiled in a battle over who among them becomes the next governor of Osun State — the uncle, who ran for the office unsuccessfully in 2018, or his nephew who played a crucial role in the 2018 governorship bid. Popular singer, Davido, who is a member of the family, seems to have picked a side already. He has declared support for his uncle and has criticised his cousin. When was the last time we saw a family rivalry over political ambitions?
Dele Adeleke, an aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), explained why he is challenging his uncle, Ademola Adeleke, for the party’s ticket ahead of the Osun 2022 governorship election.
In an interview with Channels Television, Mr Adeleke said he is more competent than his uncle, who was the governorship candidate of the PDP in 2018. He also said that being Senator Adeleke’s nephew should not hamper his aspiration to serve the people of the state.
Davido, whose full name is David Adeleke, has asked his cousin to ‘Rest Abeg’. Sharing thoughts on his Twitter account last week he wrote, “Wonderful! Me I finished uni with a 2:1. But it’s now cousin dele who struggled to even get a 2:2 that is now forming ‘intellectual’. Intellectual that has not succeeded in building one single thing in his life on his own. This life ehn! Osun beware of FAKES!”
Is the qualification for running for elections now based on GPAs and CGPAs? If that is the case, then Davido may have unwittingly set up his preferred candidate, Ademola Adeleke, whose O’Level result was a major issue in the 2018 governorship election, for a tougher scrutiny as the race towards the 2022 election gets hotter.
3. Orji Uzor Kalu — The Billion Stories
A former governor of Abia State and a serving senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, has narrated his venture into several businesses and how he made his billions.
Mr Kalu, a senator representing Abia North District and the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, has an ambition to run for president in 2023.
He is said to be one of the rich politicians from Nigeria’s South-east.
The senator, in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, said he has been involved in different kinds of businesses, ranging from the sales of palm oil to crude oil export and the importation of sugar.
He said he had also been involved in supplies of military equipment to the Nigerian Army and food to soldiers at the battlefronts.
Reuben Abati, a renowned writer, was among the Arise TV crew which interviewed the senator.
Mr Kalu said he started moving palm oil from the south to the north, specifically to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in the Nigeria’s North-east, when he was a student at the University of Maiduguri.
4. Ebeano in Canada
A Nigerian consumer store, Ebeano supermarket, has opened a branch in Canada.
Peter Ityohuna, the co-founder of Ebeano Canada, confirmed this to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday in a telephone interview. According to Mr Andokari, the store was officially opened on December 3, 2021.
According to the supermarket’s website, the store is located on 358–360 Ontario Street, St Catharines.
Chris Bittle, a member of the Canadian parliament, for St. Catherines, was present at the opening.
He described Ebeano as a true global market where food from around the world can be found.
5. Wike accuses police chief of operating illegal refinery
Governor Nyesom Wike has accused a divisional police officer in Rivers State of operating an illegal refinery in the state.
Mr Wike said the officer heads the police division in Emohua Local Government Area of the state.
He demanded his redeployment from Rivers State.
“He must leave this state. I can’t be governor here and the security man owns an illegal refinery. No, it is not possible. The man has to go. Take him to wherever they allow bunkering,” Mr Wike said on Friday at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, during a meeting with local council chairmen and heads of security agencies in the state.
6. Newest Bank on the Block
Parallex Limited, previously a microfinance bank, has announced its transition to commercial banking, becoming the latest entrant into that competitive banking cadre in Nigeria.
The Lagos-based bank, registered in 2008, launched its transition on January 14, a year after it received a licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Commercial banks have a higher equity structure and have higher costs of capital relative to risk.
To obtain a banking licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria, minimum paid-up share capital of N10 billion (for regional banking licence) must be maintained.
Parallex Bank said it set out with a mission to redefine the banking landscape in Nigeria, and Africa, by extension.
7. Nigeria’s holy romance with ignorance
In this op-ed, Niyi Osundare wrote about Nigeria’s holy romance with ignorance starting with this quote from Bunmi Fatoye-Matory, “Ours is a tragic case. We are the most unscientific people on earth.”
Here is an excerpt:
Nigeria’s underdevelopment is no surprise, for we do not seem to possess the mindset, vision, values, behaviour, actions, and practices of a people who understand what development really is, the way it is achieved, and how it is sustained. It should have been clear to us by now that miracles never build a nation nor are citizens ever elevated above their dehumanising poverty through a mindless reliance on magic and accidental fiat.
Read More Here: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/506038-nigerias-holy-romance-with-ignorance-by-niyi-osundare.html
8. Nnamdi Kanu Trial
There was a four-day lockdown in the South-east as Nnamdi Kanu’s trial resumed last Tuesday.
The IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, said on Saturday that the sit-at-home order in the region is only for Tuesday, January 18, and that the other two days in which Mr Kanu would appear in court are excluded so as not to “compound the pains” of the people.
Mr Kanu was accused of various offences, including treasonable felony and terrorism, offences he allegedly committed in the course of his separatist campaigns.
He was initially scheduled to be re-arraigned before the court on Tuesday, but the judge, Binta Nyako, had to adjourn the case after the defence team complained about the late service of the amended charges on them.
Mr Kanu pleaded not guilty to all 15 counts read to him on last week Wednesday.
9. The Rice Pyramids
The price of rice, a staple food in Nigeria, began an upward trend when the Nigerian government closed the Seme border between Nigeria and Benin Republic in August 2019.
The government said the decision was to strengthen the agricultural sector and curb massive smuggling activities, especially of rice, on that corridor.
The rice pyramids made of 1 million rice paddy was achieved through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), a programme launched in 2015 to boost agricultural production and reverse Nigeria’s negative balance of payments on food.
At the launch of the pyramids Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari said the measure will aid efforts at reducing the price of rice in Nigeria.
The Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Aminu Goronyo, appreciated President Buhari for initiating the agricultural revolution programme.
According to him, the programme has translated into wealth for farmers across the country.
Mr. Goronyo added that the rice pyramids unveiled by the President were the largest in the world.
We do like creating our own records!!!
10. Abuja Rent Hike
The rents in Abuja have been at an all-time high from last year and it’s made the issue of housing in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory a prevalent issue as it’s been over the years.
This speaks to Nigeria’s underrepresented mortgage sector and a housing policy that will make life easy for Nigerians.
A bill sponsored by Smart Adeyemi, a senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, may help in mitigating the issue of housing in Abuja.
The bill seeks to regulate the mode of payment of rent in the FCT. Mr Adeyemi said the bill would enable tenants to pay maximum advance payment of three months rent, followed by subsequent monthly payment.
Inasmuch as this is a good development, there are concerns about how to ensure an effective enforcement of the provisions of the bill pass through legislative scrutiny and become the law.
