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Bobrisky, VDM, Falz And Our Very Dark End (2) [OPINION]

Published

12 months ago

October 11, 2024

Editor

Tunde Odesola

Luxuriating in a posh apartment when he should be doing time for his crime, Bobrisky got on the phone with a friend, disgorging the content of his innards in a flirty, whimpering and entitled voice.

The Very Important Prisoner coos, “I called my friend. You know, because I can’t use my account, I wanted to send money from my account but they said I’m still under investigation. I cannot withdraw from my account. So, I now called (a) few of my friends. You know Polanco – Elele – that Polanco. He’s my very good friend. So, I called him. He was like, ‘Ah, no o, account wo ni kin n send owo si, account wo ni ki n send owo si’? I gave him my brother’s account, he now sent N8m, ‘pe iye ti awon le sare send ni’sinyi ni yen o’. I was even shocked that he can send that amount of money. He said, ‘Ah, omo gidi ni e, o n se omo be yen; you’re a very nice person’.

“So, I called Demola, Demola in New York, you know he’s my friend too. Demola sent me N1m immediately. Then, I called other people. I can’t start making call (sic) (to everyone), because I don’t know who set me up, so, let me not start calling the wrong people, do you understand? I called the people I trust, so, the money sha complete N15m, they now remove (sic) money laundering charge, they now took me to court for spraying of money.”

Tracing the genesis of his wahala, Bobrisky recalls in the recorded phone call, “The whole thing started from when they gave me Best Female Dress (sic) (award). That’s where the whole thing started from, you know – jealousy, envy, we sha got to court, I sha told them that I’m guilty, that, ‘Ah maybe court will even pity, that o ya pay fine or community service’. Sadly, the court sentenced me.

“So, you know, I was on my way to the prison, then my godfather called me and said, ‘You will not enter that prison, ma worry, let me make arrangement for an apartment close to the prison’; that he’s going to call the (Controller General) (Nigerian Correctional Service), that’s the overall (head) in Nigeria and Abuja, and he (godfather) will talk to them. They sha talk o, before I come back sha, they now took me to one apartment – that I must not come out till I finish my sentence, that the oga said they should come and keep me here, that nobody should know that I’m not there (in prison).

“They said the guy would collect money…N5m. I had to call Elele (Polanco) again, there’s nobody to call, Elele gave me the balance of N2m. I’m supposed to come out in ending of July, next month, 29th, …Bad Guy, his father is a SAN, so, Falz reach (sic) out to me, his father spoke to me, his father said we can apply for pardon, that…my case is federal, that the federal can actually pardon me – that’s the President – that if they pardon me, I can even leave here by next week. Do you understand? That I don’t have to wait till ending of next month. Ok. So, the man started the pardon, he said he want to send it to Minister of Justice. So, Minister of Justice will now send it to the President to approve it, but you know Nigeria, Nigeria with their corruption and everything, they take it back to him, the lawyer said they will collect N10m, that that pardon will clear my name off the record…”

Imagine Bobrisky lamenting corruption!? What a country!

Well, I won’t dwell much on the second audio recording released by VDM because it’s essentially like the first one presented above – the only difference being Bobrisky’s corroboration of the fact that he never stayed inside the Nigerian prison facility.

Hear him, “Truth be told, I don’t want to lie to you, you’re my person; I’m not in prison. I’m around there, they got me an apartment because of my godfather. My godfather was able to tell them that never, I will not smell the prison. Let the world think you’re in there but you will never (get inside the prison). So, we were able to talk to the Deputy Controller in Nigeria, and he (Deputy Controller) said that (everything would go well) if Bob is not forcing anything, if Bob is not saying anything, if Bob is not doing anything – they can put me in a place close to the place (prison), so, I can always come inside (the prison) and see people and welcome my family and nobody needs to know. My godfather got me a new SAN.”

At the deathbed of an elephant, knives of various sizes and blades converge for condolence. Numerous recordings on the Bobrisky saga have sprouted up everywhere, making the task of tracking the emerging issues a helluva job.

Along the line, an audio recording (not from VDM) revealed that the ongoing Bobrisky Prisongate scandal was baked in the oven of vengeance as a young man, who purportedly lives in the US, and whom Bobrisky allegedly owed N4m, was said to be the one who released the audio recordings to VDM. While answering questions when he met a joint committee of the House of Reps in Abuja, VDM confirmed that someone whom Bobrisky owed gave him the recordings.

However, the way VDM is handling his presentation of the recordings to the public shows the gulf of difference between a journalist and a mere blogger. VDM could have hidden behind the petal of ‘Fair Comment’ located within the sepals of the Law of Libel. He could also have claimed he made the revelation in the public interest. But his comments lost the fragrance of fairness when he questioned the sexual orientation of Falz and also impugned the integrity of the iconic human rights crusader and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, together with Falz’s, saying, “But all the people that would be mentioned, I don’t care, you understand, I don’t care, and from today, no longer respect for all of you, you understand, because all of una na di same.”

In the same recording, VDM goes magisterial, saying, “Wait, Falz the Bad Guy? I can’t even believe this. Falz De Bad Guy contacted Bobrisky? He contacted his father, Femi Falana, and Femi Falana, his father, spoke to Bobrisky in order to divert justice. And this same Falz, if this story is true o, will have the audacity to come out and say he is fighting against the government – for oppression, that he wants justice, he wants Nigeria to be better, so na like dis you dey carry yourself? I don’t even want to believe that Femi Falana will bring himself down to this level! A whole Femi Falana wey bi Fela lawyer, wey we respect!? Femi Falana will engage himself in something like dis? Wait, wait, wait, what is the relationship between Falz and Bobrisky? Abi Falz sef dey do? Oh, ok. (Bursts into a song) ‘Who are we to crucify the homosexual? Most of una don dey involve from time, everybody is a hypocrite o’ Abi Falz sef dey do?”

VDM made an effort to appear fair to Falana and his son, Falz, by interjecting his narration with ‘if this story is true o’. He also started another video by saying, “Before I go on, everything in this video is ‘allegedly’.”

If VDM was a journalist, he would know that a thousand ‘allegedlys’ or a million ‘ifs’ cannot save his neck from the guillotine of defamation because many people who viewed his posts won’t reckon with ‘allegedly’ or ‘if’ as they would presume Falana and Falz are guilty. The law is clear on this.

Falz, a lawyer, represented by Falana and Falana, the law firm of his father, has embarked, through his lawyer, Taiwo Olawanle, on a move to clear his name of the allegations levelled against him, giving VDM a 24-hour ultimate to retract his statements and apologise even as he refuted the allegations.

Falana, in an interview, denied the allegations by VDM and expressed concern over some ‘mentally deranged’ netizens who threatened to burn down his office and kill his daughter if he dragged VDM to court. He said, “Some of these guys, who I believe are mentally deranged, have dared me, (saying) ‘if you go to court, we shall burn your office’, they have also sent messages to one of my daughters, that ‘if your father goes to court, we shall kill you’. I beg your pardon, in this country! I just laughed. I asked my girl, ‘I will take it up’. I’ve already taken that up because we also need to let these guys know where we are coming from.”

Here’s a piece of unsolicited advice, VDM. When next anyone gives you a story, always take it with a pinch of salt, don’t be overexuberant, seek all the sides to the story and do a holistic presentation. It shouldn’t be Seun Anikulapo-Kuti who should advise you to reach out to Falz. No, you should’ve reached out to Falz and Falana as a point of duty. It would be beneficial if you run your stories through the lenses of a journalist and a lawyer, subsequently. When the Yoruba extol wisdom over strength in the proverb, “Ejó là á kó kó, ká tó kójà,” e get why.

VDM, good you’re a mouthpiece, a drum. But the drum is useless without the hands. I advise you to get some education in public communication. When you do that, you will know to dissociate yourself from your posts. By so doing, you will stay out of trouble and be more effective and believable.

Bro, please, shun overexcitement and the urge to lionise yourself in the eyes of your viewers because some discernable viewers know the stories of the Bobrisky saga were dropped on your laps, it wasn’t sourced. Any other blogger could have relayed the message, too. You also need to shun threats and blackmail. It’s unreasonable to say, “I give you 24 hours…” Giving Bobrisky a deadline to pay up the N4m he owed or risk being blogged was arm-twisting and not in public interest. That means if Bobrisky paid the N4m he owed his creditor, you wouldn’t have exposed him. When you do this, you’re no corruption fighter but a debt collector.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: The Bile In Oshiomhole’s Heart

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Eneke the bird says, “Since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching.” It’s high time the judiciary strengthened its oversight at the prisons by devising a tactic to check if its judgments are carried out. It’s pointless to make ineffective laws.

We’re all victims! Lions are shot dead after human beings forget to lock the zoo gates and lions kill man. Man in power tramples upon the man in poverty. Man in power, a victim of greed. Victims, victims, victims, we all are.

As for the EFCC and the Nigerian Correctional Service, it’s another soprano in the dirge of shame pervading all the structures of the Nigerian government. Bobrisky mentioned President Bola Tinubu and his Minister of Justice. But there’s no backlash. Rotten heads are not rolling, they’re still on their fat necks.

Abba Kyari, the disgraced police cop, remains wanted in the US for criminal offences but the All Progressives Congress government has continued to shield him. Nothing has been heard of the drug and bribery offences against him in Nigeria. Haba, Kyari! Haba, Federal Government of Shame!

Concluded.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

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News

Ooni’s Palace Slams Oluwo Over ‘Ife Not Yoruba Origin’ Claim

Published

2 hours ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

The palace of the Ooni of Ife on Tuesday slammed the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, over his claim that Ile-Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba people.

Reacting to the comments, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the statement, saying, “No reasonable person will react to Oluwo’s comments.”

Oba Akanbi, known for his controversial views, had in a video posted on his Facebook page while conferring a chieftaincy title in his palace, insisted that “Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.”

Flanked by his chiefs, the Iwo monarch argued that the language spoken in Ile-Ife — widely regarded as the cradle of the Yoruba race — differed from mainstream Yoruba. He also questioned the use of certain expressions.

“Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language is different. They refer to God as Eledumare, and there is nothing like Eledumare in the Yoruba language. What we have is Olodumare.

“Ife people will always say Olofin. If you ask them the meaning, they will tell you it means the owner of the palace. But in Yoruba, that is Alaafin. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.

“I am the Arole Olodumare because I am here to tell you the true history. Iwo is where you can get the real history that was not even documented,” he said, stressing his determination to preserve his version of history.

Debates over the origin of the Yoruba and the authority of monarchs to confer titles have long been contentious.

In August, The PUNCH reported a similar face-off between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, over the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland, allegedly conferred on Ibadan businessman Chief Dotun Sanusi by the Ooni.

The Alaafin, through his media aide Bode Durojaiye, insisted no traditional ruler other than him had the authority to bestow a title covering the entire Yorubaland. He issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni to revoke the title or “face the consequences.”

In response, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Olafare, dismissed the ultimatum, saying the monarch had chosen to leave the issue “in the court of public opinion.”

“We cannot dignify the ‘undignifyable’ with an official response. We leave the matter to the public court of opinion, as it is already being treated. Let’s focus on narratives that unite us rather than those capable of dividing us. No press release, please. Forty-eight hours, my foot!” he wrote on Facebook.

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[OPINION] Rivers: The Futility Of Power And The Illusion Of Victory

Published

5 hours ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

By Israel Adebiyi

Power is a strange thing. To some, it is a crown that dazzles; to others, it is a sword that conquers. Yet history, both ancient and modern, is replete with reminders that power is fleeting, fragile, and often fatal to those who cling to it without wisdom. Nigeria’s Rivers State has, in recent months, provided a theatre where this truth has played out in its rawest form, a play in which the actors ranged from elected governors to godfathers in high places, from lawmakers turned pawns to a weary citizenry who bore the bruises of political combat.

As you may have learnt, the democratically elected Governor Siminalayi Fubara is back in the saddle. What a traumatising six months it must have been for the man who thought being the Chief Security Officer of his state truly makes him the man in charge. What a tormenting time it must have been for the legislature, those who, entrusted with making laws, would rather sink the ship of state than allow Fubara to sail. And what excruciating experience it must have been for the people of Rivers themselves: to have their choice nearly swapped for a civilian in khaki, to watch their lives held hostage by political gladiators in a power struggle that never had their welfare at heart.

At the centre of this drama stood the godfather, one who straddles Abuja and Port Harcourt, ministering to the Federal Capital Territory while seeking to lord it over Rivers, unchallenged. His triumphs and setbacks are well-documented, but the bigger question remains: what has the political elite learnt from all this? From potential godsons, to godfathers, to supporters, to the rest of us, the truth is painfully clear, no one wins in a state of anarchy, not even the chest-beating King Kong.

The Rivers imbroglio reinforces a timeless principle: governance does not happen in chaos. The seat of power may be occupied, but when the instruments of state are weaponised against one another, the business of the people suffers. Schools do not function, hospitals languish, investments are scared away, and trust in government crumbles. A peaceful atmosphere is the precondition for governance, for no policy, no matter how well-crafted, can thrive in the soil of instability.

In this sense, what happened in Rivers is not new. History shows us that the vanity of power games leaves behind a trail of ruins. Rome, mighty and invincible, crumbled not because its armies lost their strength but because its leaders indulged in intrigues, conspiracies, and betrayal, weakening the republic from within. In Africa, the ghosts of Liberia’s civil war and Sierra Leone’s dark decade still whisper lessons of how political egos, once unchecked, descend into rivers of blood where the people are the ultimate casualties.

Even in more stable democracies, we see shades of this futility. Recall the Watergate scandal in the United States: an overreach of power that forced President Nixon’s resignation, not because America lacked laws, but because one man believed his political survival was above the rule of law. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe’s prolonged hold on power may have begun with promises of liberation but ended with economic collapse and national despair. In all these, the lesson is the same: unchecked power, exercised without restraint, consumes itself.

The real victims of Rivers’ crisis are not the gladiators in high office; they will always find soft landings. The true casualties are the people, the market woman in Port Harcourt whose business was disrupted by endless protests and palpable fears, the civil servant whose progress and commitment are beclouded by uncertainties, the student whose classroom leaks under the rain because the funds for renovation are trapped in political crossfire.

What is often forgotten in the heat of power play is that governance is not an abstract exercise; it is the daily bread of the people. When leaders quarrel, roads go untarred, hospitals go unequipped, and children go unfed. To reduce governance to a chessboard of egos is to mortgage the people’s welfare for vanity. This, tragically, is the recurring story in Nigeria’s democratic experiment.

Philosophers have long wrestled with the meaning of power. Shakespeare, in Macbeth, captured it as “a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.” The story of Rivers is a fresh Nigerian adaptation of this drama. For months, power appeared to belong to one, then another, and then another still. Yet in the end, it was revealed that no one truly wielded power in its purest sense, because power without legitimacy, without the consent of the governed, and without the peace to implement vision, is no power at all.

The futility of the Rivers crisis holds lessons for Nigeria as a whole. Across our federation, godfatherism continues to haunt governance. From Lagos to Kano, from Anambra to Oyo, the tussle between political benefactors and their protégés has become a recurring decimal. Rarely do these battles end in progress for the people; more often than not, they end in paralysis.

The comparison need not be far-fetched. Look at Kenya, where post-election violence in 2007 consumed more than 1,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands. The fault line was political ego, the refusal to let the people’s will stand unchallenged. It took the Kofi Annan-led mediation to restore peace. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, decades of instability trace back to leaders who personalised power, treating the state as property and the people as pawns.

Rivers may not have descended into outright war, but the undertones of instability remind us that democracy is not guaranteed; it must be guarded. When politicians play roulette with the rule of law, they court a descent into chaos that ultimately swallows everyone.

The Rivers episode should compel us to reflect on the foundations of Nigeria’s democracy. For too long, politics has been driven not by institutions but by personalities. Our allegiance is more to godfathers than to constitutions, more to individuals than to principles. Yet sustainable governance is only possible when the rule of law, not the whims of men, governs the game.

What does this mean in practice? It means state assemblies must not be reduced to errand boys of powerful interests. It means governors must respect their oaths of office, governing for all, not just for loyalists. It means party structures must operate with transparency, giving room for dissent without retribution. Above all, it means citizens must rise in defence of their democracy, insisting that their mandate cannot be traded on the altar of ego.

The Rivers drama may be easing, but the scars remain. It was a sobering reminder that power, when divorced from service, becomes poison. That democracy, when stripped of rule of law, becomes anarchy. That in the final analysis, no one truly wins when the people lose.

From the godfathers to the godsons, from the lawmakers to the electorate, we must all acknowledge a shared truth: we are losers when power games eclipse governance. The real triumph is not in who sits in Government House, but in whether that House delivers schools, hospitals, jobs, and peace.

Let Rivers be a lesson to Nigeria: that power is not an end in itself, but a means to service. That peace is not weakness, but strength. And that the greatest legacy any leader can leave is not monuments of ego, but institutions that outlast them.

For if Rivers has taught us anything, it is that governance cannot happen in a state of anarchy, and the futility of power is revealed when its pursuit leaves the people broken. Let us, therefore, rise to build a democracy where power serves the people, not the other way round.

News

NYSC Deploys 1,900 Corps Members To Bauchi State

Published

14 hours ago

September 23, 2025

Editor

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has deployed 1,900 corps members to Bauchi State for the 2025 Batch ‘B’ Stream II orientation exercise.

Mr Kufre Umoren, NYSC State Coordinator, told journalists on Tuesday in Bauchi, that registration would be conducted from Sept. 24 to Sept. 26, at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Wailo in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state.

He said the swearing-in ceremony of the corps members is billed for Sept. 26, and the orientation exercise would end on Oct. 14.

Umoren said each of the corps members would be allowed into the camp after being adequately certified to be genuine graduates.

He said discreet screening of the corps members would be conducted to guard against intrusion or impersonation.

“Registration dates have been announced to the corps members, and they are advised to adhere strictly to all camp rules and regulations.

“Defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the scheme’s extant rules,” he said, warning the scheme frowned at late-night journeys and urged corps members to avoid it for their own safety.

While urging them to be punctual, diligent, and comply with dress code, Umoren warned that defaulting corps members would be sanctioned.