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Open Letter To Gov Wike (1)

Published

3 years ago

August 23, 2022

What Did Rivers PDP Elders Do?

It appears there is no more love lost between Your Excellency, Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON, GSSRS, Executive Governor of Rivers and the erstwhile great Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) family in the state, the PDP elders in particular.

Though you have remained unusually taciturn since after the PDP presidential primary election which you fought gallantly but narrowly lost, it could not be hidden that you were not happy with the outcome of that election.

A pointer to that was your address to Rivers people on your arrival from Abuja after the ill-fated primary election.

You readily blamed the failure to clinch the coveted presidential ticket on betrayal by certain persons even from our dear south-south zone but you rarely mentioned names.

Your Excellency, every other Riversman including the elders of the party in the state was as pained and aggrieved on the outcome of the primary election.

We are however, taken aback by your recent outburst over the primary election, using every possible opportunity and available forum to berate those you allege were responsible for the turn-around of events in your quest to contest the presidential election on the platform of the PDP and later to become the vice presidential candidate.

More shocking is the extreme localization of the issue whereby Your Excellency seem to have singled out the Elders of the party in the state for underserved persecution.

Your Excellency have accused some of the Elders of the party in the state of ganging up against you simply because they did not scale through the primary to be the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state.

You further alleged that some of them have relocated to Abuja, gossiping you to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and plotting against you. You are yet to disclose what they are plotting against you for since you are serving out and not contesting any election.

In a feat of anger, Your Excellency recently made some sweeping changes in some of the party wards across the state, demoting some and elevating some of the Ward and Local Government Area Leaders, a move many have described as too extreme and authoritarian and seemingly so.

May be, you drew your conclusion from the visit to the PDP presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar by some party Elders from the state. Prior to that visit, Alh. Atiku Abubakar and other PDP chieftains had visited the state to see and confer with Your Excellency severally.

The PDP Elders in the state are also stakeholders of the party in Nigeria. They are well known and respected as senior citizens of this country and have the freedom of movement and association as of fundamental right.

Most importantly, at no time had Your Excellency met with them or instructed them on who to consult or relate with which of course, could be unwise ‘to do so’.

Your Excellency, we must not lose sight of, or forget so soon the various roles played and still playing by these PDP Elders in the stability of the PDP as a ruling party in the state which has all of a sudden become a beehive for your erstwhile political detractors and critics.

Today, the PDP in the state is a party to join, some trooping in to partake in the largesse and stupendous spending being doled out to woo them while the real stakeholders who staked their lives are out there in the cold languishing in hunger and frustration.

Your Excellency, with due respect, this to us, is not how to appreciate and reward hard work and undiluted support such that you have received all these years from the persecuted PDP Elders.

The question that agitates the mind therefore, is what sin did the PDP Elders commit by visiting Alh. Atiku Abubakar whether to broker peace between their angry Governor and the PDP presidential candidate or to express their solidarity as Elders of the party from Rivers State.

How does this visit amount to, and indeed surpass all the blackmail, name calling, sabortage and defamation of character of Your Excellency by those who now dine and wine with you in the name of decampees with millions of Dollars to compensate for their insults. What an irony of fate?

Your Excellency, perhaps, it is instructive to refer you to one of the statements of Rev. Monsignor Pius Kii while delivering the sermon during the 74th Birthday Anniversary of Sir Dr Peter Odili on August 15, 2022.

According to him, “Growing up, children are for the most part dependent on parents in many ramifications. When a parent trains, nurtures and empowers a child in such a measure and manner to be able to give something of real worth to the parents subsequently, it confers on the child dignity and self-worth like no other, it provides the child with the dignity to answer love with love. It is a way of expressing thanks to parents who brought him/her into being and sheltered him or her from harm”.

By extrapolation therefore, it is expected that Your Excellency have a retrospect into the recent past and contemplate how the present place of the PDP in the Rivers State was made possible, and say without fear of castigation if the treatment being meted on the party Elders is right and justified.

Still drawing from that all illuminating homily, “Humility is the essence of royalty. Failure to remember this can be very dangerous as it were”.

Your Excellency, wisdom tells us that we are all called on, to be leaders and followers, the two concepts being of the same process and not opposites.

Leaders and followers, and in this case the Elders inclusive, must sit around the same table, engaged in the same task, asking same question: how, together, can we lift one another?

The current ostracization of the PDP Elders from their collective property (administration) and partaker in the proceeds for whatever reason is a negation of this natural justice and has the potential to destroy the hard earned party victory in the state if not now, definitely in no distant time.

The earlier therefore Your Excellency retrace your step and accord the respect and honour to whom honour is due (the Elders), the better and happier for all.

We must not allow the ‘defections of the enemies yesterday and friends today’ into the house built by persecuted Elders to delude us into self-destruction for the heart is deceptive.

The election that brought the party to power in the state was collectively won with immeasurable contributions from all, especially the party Elders who now appear to be on trial.

A good leader is not only a manager of material resources. He should also be able to manage humans with whom he works no matter their differences.

A word they say is enough for the wise.

Please Your Excellency, watch out for part 2 of this open letter.

Long live Rivers State

Long live PDP, Rivers State Chapter

Dr John B. Amadi, Spokesman, Concerned PDP Supporters, writes from Rivers state.

News

How I and Obey’s Son Escaped Getting Caught In Benin’s Coup —Dele Momodu

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

The 2011 presidential flagbearer of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Chief Dele Momodu has revealed how he and his entourage missed getting caught in Benin Republic’s coup on Sunday.

A group of military personnel in Benin on Sunday announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon, who is due to step down next April after 10 years in power.

Soldiers calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic”.

Reacting to the news via a post on his official X account, Momodu said he and his entourage would have been caught in Benin Republic’s coup if not for a missing document.

“OUR GOD DID THIS FOR US… My friend ROTIMI OBEY, the second son of legendary musician, CHIEF COMMANDER EBENEZER OBEY and I were to head out to Accra, Ghana, by road, this morning. All was set and ROTIMI went to bed early so that we can set out at 5am. But something went wrong,” he said.

“Before going to bed, I asked my driver for the originals of my car documents. He said he had only the copies with him. I searched the Home Office in Victoria Island but I couldn’t find it. I then went to the Penthouse in Ikoyi to check my other office. Still no luck. So , I called ROTIMI at 10:38 PM to give him the decision to fly instead of driving. He agreed.

“Meanwhile, my Beninese friend and mentee, ALEX DALMEIDA, was already in town waiting to accompany us through the French-speaking borders. So I called him at 23:02 last night to abort our road trip.

“I called PRECIOUS, my travel consultant, to check available flights. She got us tickets at 11:15PM. It was at the airport we received the news of the coup in Benin Republic… We barely missed it by the whiskers…”

Soldiers led by Lieutenant Pascal Tigri announced that they have taken over the country. They also suspended all political parties and announced the closure of land, sea and air borders.

Speaking further, Momodu expressed surprise at the coup attempt, saying: “Benin is one of West Africa’s most peaceful countries.

“The Benin’s President changed the constitution just last month to allow him extend his presidential term, this morning the military has overthrown him.”

Talon’s entourage has, however said that the Benin Republic President is safe and the army was regaining control.

Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman dubbed the “cotton king of Cotonou”, is due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office marked by solid economic growth but also a surge in jihadist violence.

West Africa has experienced a number of coups in recent years, including in Benin’s northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.

News

OAU Unveils Seven-foot Bronze Statue Of Chief Obafemi Awolowo

Published

9 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

…Yemisi Shyllon, other dignitaries praise Awo’s commitment to humanity

A giant bronze statue of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was unveiled on Friday at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.

The statue, the worth of which was put at N120 million by the donor, has the sage dressed in his Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) attire. It is of a height of seven feet, which goes to 15 feet after the inclusion of the pedestal.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Adebayo Bamire, stated that the statue is a legacy project for the university.

Professor Bamire said the statue was a celebration of Chief Awolowo’s selfless service to humanity and expressed the appreciation of the university to the donor, Prince Yemisi Shyllon.

Prof Bamire noted that the life of Chief Awolowo should serve as a lesson for all to live for the good of the people.

“It is known that the soul of any civilisation, the very pulse of its humanity, beats strongest on its art, on its music, its literature, its visual splendour and its performances. This affirmation resonates with the Obafemi Awolowo University academic philosophy: ‘for learning and culture’—a culture of creativity and a creative culture.

“The donor of the statue, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, is a man whose name resonates across continents. He is Africa’s foremost art collector, an accomplished creative mind, a committed philanthropist of extraordinary vision and a relentless advocate for cultural advancement and one of the most remarkable cultural ambassadors of our time.

“For a university like ours, dedicated to the holistic development of mind and spirit, this example is a beacon. It reinforces our own commitment to ensuring that the sciences converge with the humanities, that innovation dances with tradition and that our graduates are as culturally literate as they are professionally skilled.

“This iconic piece will not only beautify our campus but also serve as a permanent cultural marker, reminding future generations of the ideals of leadership, service, excellence and intellectual courage upon which this university was founded,” the Vice Chancellor said.

Speaking, the donor of the statue, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, stated that the project was aimed at celebrating Papa Awolowo for living a purpose-driven life.

Prince Shyllon said conceiving the project and funding it was his own way of saying thank you to Chief Awolowo for the sterling leadership he gave his people and for showing what meaningful life meant.

“Indeed, many people solely focus on material wealth, such as having cars, building and buying properties, buying private jets, jewelries and the many other worthless and selfish illusions of life, that are generally not meaningful to the real essence of human life,” he said.

He added that Chief Awolowo would be remembered forever for living for what was right and just even as he listed some of the enduring legacies of the sage.

Prince Shyllon pointed at “free education in the old Western Region, and other landmark projects such as the Cocoa House, Western Nigeria Television, Liberty Stadium, industrial estates, farm settlements and the Obafemi Awolowo University, among others” as worthy legacies left behind by Chief Awolowo.

Shyllon noted that the sage was a man who could be best described as an example of a person who lived a “meaningful life.”

He added that Chief Awolowo lived his life planting seeds for generations while leaving his indelible footprints on the sands of time.

He charged all to live the kind of life that would make humanity remember them for something positive, “just as Papa Obafemi Awolowo, who died 38 years ago.”

He stressed that the Holy Qur’an and the Bible preach the act of showing love to the needy, adding that all should not give to the needy for the purpose of getting anything in return.

“Life is full of emptiness. Awolowo lived a meaningful, purpose-driven life and planted seeds through his various selfless services to humanity before his exit. That is why he is celebrated every day since he died 38 years ago,” he said.

In his remarks, Chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of the Tribune titles, and daughter of Chief Awolowo, Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, thanked Prince Shyllon for donating the statue.

She also appreciated the university for being receptive to the idea and for keeping the legacy of Chief Awolowo alive.

Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, who was represented by the Editor, Saturday Tribune, Dr Lasisi Olagunju, noted that the project was a celebration of selfless service to the people which was what Chief Awolowo lived for.

“History is always there to reward selfless leadership and expose pretenders. We are here today in celebration of an uncommon man who died 38 years ago. This honour, this statue is a demonstration of what immortality means.

“Chief Awolowo gave his very best in the service of the people. We appreciate the donor, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, for the gesture and also appreciate the university for giving the right space for the erection of the statue. Good life is about services; what we are celebrating today is history’s reward for Chief Awolowo’s selflessness.

“Papa was one leader who believed that service to the people is a rent paid for the space we occupy in this world. The Awolowo family appreciates this monument and thanks the donor and the sculptor for doing a great job,” he said.

He urged students of the institution to learn from the life lived by Chief Awolowo and rededicate themselves to noble causes.

At the ceremony were principal officers of the university and other dignitaries, including Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who also said positive things about Chief Awolowo and the leadership he gave the Nigerian people.
(TRIBUNE)

News

FULL LIST: FG Selects 20 Content Creators For Tax Reform Education

Published

9 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government has released a list of 20 content creators selected to support public education on Nigeria’s ongoing tax reforms.

The Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee issued the announcement, which was posted on Thursday by its chairman, Taiwo Oyedele, on X.

The list, titled “Top 20 Content Creators for Tax Reform Education,” was shared after the organisers received 8,591 nominations covering more than 200 creators.

The organisers said the selected creators will attend a special training session designed to deepen their understanding of the new tax laws so they can share clearer and more balanced information with their audiences.

They encouraged Nigerians to tag any creator on the list and ask them to confirm their interest by completing the acceptance form.

“If your favourite creator is on the list, tag or mention them and ask them to confirm their interest by completing this form: forms.gle/Ph49kSE4okDf6g….

“Deadline for acceptance is Monday, 8 December 2025.

“Tell us the areas of interest and key issues you’d like the training to focus on in the comments section.”

According to the announcement, the creators were ranked by their followership across major platforms. The top 20 include:

1. Financial Jennifer

2. Onlinebanker

3. Don Aza

4. Mary Efombruh

5. Baba Ogbon Awon Agba International

6. Perpetual Badejo

7. Personalfinancegirl

8. Tomi Akinwale

9. Emeka Ayogu