An Ogun State-based businessman, Ademola Alade, has been stabbed to death in the Magede, Ibafo area of the state by yet-to-be-identified assailants.

The PUNCH gathered on from a source privy to the incident, who pleaded anonymity due to the nature of the case, that Alade was killed by unknown men at the entrance of his house last Wednesday, but his corpse was discovered the following day.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, the source revealed that Alade was stabbed in his house when he returned from a family event around 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

He narrated that the unidentified assailants had laid siege to Alade in his house as he returned from the outing.

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The source said, “He was killed on Wednesday, and I was called on Thursday. I learnt that as he came in, some people were already in his house. We don’t know if they were hired assassins.

“As he came in, they just descended on him and took him outside. They stabbed him in the neck with a very sharp object. It pierced through his vein, and the blood was all over the compound entrance.”

The source also explained that nobody was around at the time the incident occurred in the night, as the deceased was only discovered by neighbours on Thursday afternoon.

He added that Alade’s car, which was always parked in the compound, was missing—raising suspicions that the assailants may have either stolen the vehicle or used it as a means of escape.

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“In the morning, nobody heard from him. In the afternoon, the people around went to his house and found that the whole gate and door were left open. They came in and saw his lifeless body in a pool of his blood.

“Strangely, they took his car. Because he always parked his car inside, maybe they used it to escape, or they stole it —nobody knows.

“At the same time, they took all his phones and some other things,” the source said.

He also noted that the incident was reported to the police division in the area, adding that the deceased’s corpse was taken to a morgue before his family came to retrieve it for burial in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

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However, when contacted, the Ibafo Divisional Police Officer, Atteh Samuel, said he could not give details of the incident as he was not authorised to speak to the press.

When contacted on Tuesday, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, said she had yet to be briefed on the matter.

“I am sorry, I don’t have any brief on that yet,” she said.

A former Minister of Education and Chief Executive Officer of Human Capital Africa, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, on Thursday, knocked the National Assembly over its efforts on the ongoing constitutional amendment, describing it as a charade and a conduit pipe to waste public funds.

Ezekwesili equally lamented that hijack of the nation’s political space and, by extension, that of the continent by a set of criminal enterprise gangs who now sit at the table and slice governance in the direction that best suits them while the larger interest of the people suffers.

The former minister stated this on Wednesday while delivering her keynote address on “Reworking Nigeria’s Federalism: Perspectives on Restructuring and Fiscal Federalism” at the 7th Penpushing anniversary and annual lecture.

Ezekwesili said that rather than acceding to the people’s demand for a fresh constitution that will help address all the imbalances and the inequalities that defined the current constitution, the National Assembly decided to embark on a venture that will do little or nothing to help address the need to restructure the country along the practice of true federalism.

She explained that the agitation for secession by some part of the country, the problem of insecurity, the challenge of unemployment and poverty, and maladministration as a whole will only be resolved with a new constitution that prioritises devolution of powers, justice, equity, and fairness to all irrespective of tribes and ethnicity.

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The former minister has equally called on the media to be at the vanguard of demanding a new constitution that is powered by the people and will ultimately serve the progress and development of the country.

Ezekwesili said, “The ongoing constitutional amendment cannot work, it cannot address our problem, it is a charade and sheer waste of resources. The demand for a new constitution is a matter of life and death

“For instance, when the engineer tells us that the foundation of a building is structurally defective, is it not to take the whole building down because it will continue to constitute an endangerment to the people.

“You won’t say, Oga, can we just do some little adjustment to the building, no, it won’t work, and this is same with nation building. So this expensive charade that the National Assembly is embarking on and spending money on won’t take us anywhere.

“The media should take the front seat and be at the vanguard of a demand for new constitution. We must have a constitutional conference that enables the people of this country to have honest conversation around things that will make us make progress and make Nigeria work for all of us.

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“If there is anything that will come out of this annual lecture it must be that the media should be at the vanguard of a push for a constitutional conference, one that will enable the constituent part of this country, a constituent assembly elected by the people, they go, they sit, they have the discussion on the basis of the issues that makes fiscal federal system of government to work and come out with issues that are eligible for constitution which is put before the people to vote in form of referendum.

“This is what Kenya did after almost collapsing, and since then, you never hear them talking about break-up, they will talk about the need for good leaders”

Ezekwesili added that there is nothing mysterious about good governance, as it has been done in other parts of the world and could be replicated here too in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

She disclosed, “There is nothing that is mysterious about good governance, this thing has been done elsewhere and could be replicated here in the country.

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“Unfortunately, today’s politics has been hijacked, what we now have is a criminal enterprise gang and this is not only in Nigeria but across the continent. A criminal enterprise gang has taken hold of politics and excluded the society and these people just sit at the table and just slice governance in the direction that suits them but that must not be made to continue.”

Ezekwesili explained that there is a strong connection between the quality of African politics and its economic performance and prosperity, adding that this sad reality may, however, not change for a long time to come if nothing is done to improve the quality of its politics and the political leaders.

The activist said that the true practice of fiscal federalism will foster greater regional autonomy and collaboration, satisfy the demand for self-determination without breaking up the country, boost productivity and accountability, and improve leadership capabilities, among other things.

Also speaking at the annual lecture, the immediate past Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sarafadeen Ishola, said that the country’s current federalism is adopted in principle but suffers in practice and neither delivers the autonomy expected by the federating units nor promotes the developmental competition required for national growth.

Ishola, who chaired the occasion, said that true federalism is not only about devolution of power but about responsible governance, institutional clarity, fiscal equity, and citizen-driven accountability.

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He added that Nigerians must therefore not behold restructuring as a sectional agenda but must embrace it as a national rebirth strategy to address some of the challenges hindering effective management of the country.

Speaking at the event, the founder of Penpushing Media, an online platform, Mr Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, said that the essence of the annual lecture is aimed at elevating conversation around issues that could further enhance the greatness of the country.

Kayode-Adedeji said the online news medium has continued to grow in leaps and bound, contributing significantly to changing the narrative of the country through qualitative reportage and dose of philanthropic gestures that are deliberately designed to uplift humanity.

He explained that as part of the focus of the online news medium to contribute to the growth of mass communication undergraduates, the news platform has helped to train over 80 students from various institutions, while it has also instituted an annual award honour for the best graduating mass communication students in the higher institutions.

There were also goodwill messages from former Presidential Spokesman to the Late Mohammadu Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina, the Chairman of Editorial Board of Penpushing Media and former Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos State Council, Deaconess Funke Fadugba; and the Chairman, Planning Committee, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, among others.
(PUNCH)

Former Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing the party’s inability to provide credible leadership and deliver good governance to Nigerians.

In a resignation letter shared on his official X account on Thursday, dated July 4, 2025, and addressed to the chairman of the PDP in Ward 1, Aiyetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Melaye announced his immediate withdrawal from all party activities.

“I hereby tender my resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party at all levels of involvement.

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“This decision has become imperative due to the lack of potency and capacity by the party to deliver the Nigerian people from the prevailing political cankerworms that have eaten deeply into the fabric of our dear nation”, the letter partly read.

Melaye, who once served as the PDP’s candidate in the 2023 Kogi State governorship election, said his decision followed deep reflection on the party’s current state and trajectory.

“Having carefully reflected on the state of the party, I can no longer in good conscience participate in the activities of the parties or lend my support to her agenda”, the letter continued.

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He further requested that his resignation be treated as a formal and total withdrawal from all party levels and structures.

“In view of the above, please consider this as my formal withdrawal from the party and all its activities at all levels with immediate effect”, the letter added.

In his closing remarks, Melaye expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve under the party’s platform during his time as a member.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve under the platform during my period of membership,” the letter concluded.