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OPINION: ‘ADC Is A Mere Distraction’

Published

5 months ago

August 25, 2025

By Lasisi Olagunju

Yesterday, someone asked me to give my current impression of that coalition party called the ADC. I asked if the person knew the meaning of the idiom: a loud fart in a windstorm, or simply, a fart in the wind. That is my impression of the party that came loud and furious like Hurricane Katrina just a few weeks ago. And unlike that hurricane of devastating results, the ADC appears to have gone limp like a boastful eunuch’s potency, so soon after its entry.

Apart from beautifully written press releases, what else have you seen of the ADC that should make any person in government uncomfortable, or make the distraught street trekker hopeful of a coming change? ADC’s National Secretary is Mr Rauf Aregbesola. The secretary is the engine room of the party. But the gadfly appears more interested in the politics of Western Nigeria than in making the party run strong from its national secretariat. Last month, the party announced its plan to inaugurate a 50-man policy committee to set an agenda for Nigeria. Have you heard anything about that since then? That is how you know the difference between a thunder clap and a fart.

A party seeking power does what the man seeking a woman does. They show practical, consistent, engaged behaviour. The party must do what great chess players do: “Great players consider their opponent’s threats before they think about their own moves; they avoid moves that will help their opponent. They also take the initiative whenever possible.” That is how ‘chess fox’, a website on the game of chess, put it. If a party is interested in taking power, you would know from its plans and moves. I have not seen anything extraordinary in the footfall of the ADC for it to be seen as a viable alternative to the party in the Villa. Could that be the reason why the South-West chapter of the ruling APC dismissed the ADC as “a mere distraction” last Friday?

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: APC And Lessons From Oyo By-election

If a party is tired of being in government, you would see it pandering to, and pampering the opposition. Goodluck Jonathan was seen doing exactly that between 2013 and late 2014 with the Buhari/Tinubu combo. Jonathan nursed the APC boa with so much naivety until it was matured enough to constrict and consume him. I have not seen such suicidal inclinations in Bola Tinubu and his APC. Indeed, what we hear from the party in power is that “Tinubu is not Jonathan.” And I think those saying that are very right in their assessment of the man who owns Nigeria. Tinubu is not just a vote seeker; he is a ruthless vote maximizer. That is not the kind of man you can confidently remove with press releases.

During the Ileya festival of 2016, a group of young drummers went to Tinubu’s Boudillon to try their luck with him. And they were very lucky. He met them drumming and singing. The big man loved their song and danced to their beats with gusto and meaningful gestures.

As the boys beat the drums, they also sang out what the drums were saying: “Novice they are/ they don’t know anything/Ajanaku emerges from a distance, they went for canes/ The Elephant is more than an animal you beat with sticks…(Òpè ni wón o, won ò mo nkankan/ Àjànàkú yo l’ókèrè, wón lo m’óré dání/ Erin kojá eran à nf’òpá lù…). This battle song was composed for the Lion of Boudillon nine years ago. I wrote about it here on October 3, 2016. That was seven years before the lion roared his way into the Villa. Now, Tinubu is in power controlling all weapons of war, peace and politics. Anyone who would fight and worst him needs more than canes and bluster.

“People tell stories. And, as they tell stories, they express and explore their ideas about the world and their place in it.” That line belongs to Christine Goldberg in her interrogation of ‘The Construction of Folktales’ published in 1986. Nine years ago, Boudillon celebrated the Elephant’s steeze in the face of impotent sticks. The song and its drumbeats stand on all four with an old folktale on a jungle that could not overcome its overbearing king:

Long ago, Lion (Kiniun) ruled the forest with pride and guile. Every animal feared his roar. Whenever he was hungry, he pounced on whichever creature he desired. He would snatch food from the monkeys, chase the antelopes away from their grazing fields, and even drink the river dry before Elephant could take a sip.

One day, Tortoise (Ijapa) called a secret meeting. “Brothers and sisters,” he said, “Lion is too powerful for one animal to fight. But if we work hard and stay united, we can defeat him.”

The animals nodded, but their hearts were not together. Monkey boasted, “With my speed and skill, I can handle Lion alone.” Elephant grumbled, “Why should I dig or plan with smaller animals? My strength is enough.” Antelope said, “What’s the use of all this talk? Lion will eat whom he wants anyway.” And the little Rat whispered, “Even if I try, the big ones will not notice me.”

So, instead of making a real plan, they argued and scattered. Some went to sleep, some local, regional champions boasted, some acted as moles for Lion, others simply refused to work. Only a few, halfheartedly, scratched the ground, saying they were “preparing a trap.”

When Lion came roaring to the river, the animals rushed at him without order. Monkey leapt from the trees, but Lion caught him with one paw. Elephant charged blindly, but Lion sidestepped and bit his ear. Antelope ran forward, bleating, and was knocked aside. Even Tortoise, who tried to crawl near Lion’s feet, suffered a badly broken shell.

Lion laughed thunderously. “So this is your rebellion? Disorganised, lazy, and divided? You thought you could defeat me without planning and unity? If you would farm like the king, you would do what the bard suggested: you would make a million heaps in one day!”

That day, during the fight, many of the animals were injured. Each one had at least some bruise to treat, exactly as the palm trees of Ijaye nursed wounds of defeat 180 years ago. The scars, up to today, tell the gory news of the war that ruined their pride. The defeated animals limped back to the forest, ashamed and sorrowful. Tortoise shook his head: “I warned you. No one defeats Lion with pride, laziness, and quarrels. Disunity and half-work only strengthen the oppressor. Unity without action is empty; hard work without planning is wasted; pride and quarrels make the weak even weaker before the strong. Until we learn to plan, to work hard, and to unite, Lion will always rule over us.”

News

Edo Targets 2.2 Million Children For Measles, Rubella Vaccination

Published

11 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Government says it is targeting about 2.2 million children aged between 0 and 14 years for measles and rubella vaccination across the state.

The Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Eseigbe Efeomon, who disclosed this during stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting in Benin City, said this would be done in collaboration with development partners.

Efeomon, while noting that the vaccination exercise scheduled to hold simultaneously from January 20 to January 30, 2026, across the 18 local government areas of Edo State at designated health facilities and temporary vaccination posts, said the campaign aims to contribute significantly to the reduction of measles and rubella in Nigeria.

He explained that achieving this target requires increased population immunity through sustained vaccination.

Dr. Efeomon stressed that only qualified and certified health workers would be recruited as vaccinators because the vaccines are injectable.

According to him, the vaccination strategy would involve fixed posts and temporary fixed posts, and vaccination cards would be issued to all vaccinated children as proof, which parents and caregivers are advised to keep for future reference.

He added that vaccination teams would visit schools, churches, mosques, markets, motor parks, internally displaced persons’ camps and other public places, while children who receive the vaccine would be finger-marked to prevent double vaccination.

He reiterated that the overarching goal of the campaign is to drastically reduce rubella incidence nationwide and protect children from preventable diseases through effective immunisation coverage.

Also speaking, the World Health Organization Local Government Facilitator, Mr. Ajaero Paul, described measles and rubella as major causes of death and congenital abnormalities among children globally.

He said both diseases are preventable through the measles-rubella vaccine, which he described as safe and effective,

He added that sustained advocacy is critical to reducing child mortality and lifelong disabilities.

On his part, UNICEF Social and Behavioural Change Health Officer, Yakubu Suleiman, emphasised that the measles-rubella vaccine is safe and effective for all children aged nine months to 14 years.

He stated that the government has fully paid for the vaccines, making them available at no cost to all eligible children in government health facilities across the state.

Suleiman explained that vaccination not only protects individual children but also safeguards communities from deadly vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and rubella.

He added that even children who had previously received the measles vaccine should still be given the measles-rubella vaccine and appealed to schools and other key stakeholders to support the campaign to ensure that no child is left behind.

News

Togo, Niger, Benin Owe Nigeria Over $17.8m For Supplied Electricity – NERC

Published

15 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Nigeria’s electricity regulator has disclosed that three neighbouring countries, Togo, Niger and Benin, are indebted to Nigeria to the tune of $17.8 million, equivalent to more than N25 billion at prevailing exchange rates, for power supplied under bilateral electricity agreements.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, made this known in its Third Quarter 2025 report, which reviewed market performance within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI.

According to the report, the international customers were billed a total of $18.69 million by the Market Operator for electricity supplied during the third quarter of 2025. However, only $7.125 million was paid, leaving an unpaid balance of $11.56 million for the period under review.

NERC also revealed that the same international offtakers had outstanding legacy debts amounting to $14.7 million from previous quarters. Of this amount, $7.84 million was settled, leaving a residual balance of $6.23 million.

When combined with the Q3 2025 shortfall, the total outstanding debt stood at $17.8 million, which translates to about N25.36 billion at an exchange rate of N1,425 to one US dollar.

The regulator identified the international electricity customers as Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of Benin Republic, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of Niger Republic.

NERC stated that the three utilities collectively paid just $7.125 million against the $18.69 million invoice issued for electricity supplied in the third quarter, resulting in a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent.

This meant that more than half of the billed amount remained unpaid at the close of the quarter.

The commission explained that the electricity exported to the three countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian generation companies and delivered through cross-border bilateral power supply arrangements.

By contrast, NERC reported a stronger payment performance among domestic bilateral customers. According to the report, local customers paid N3.19 billion out of the N3.64 billion invoiced for the same quarter, representing a remittance rate of 87.61 per cent.

The regulator further noted that some bilateral customers, both international and domestic, made additional payments to offset outstanding invoices from earlier quarters.

Specifically, the Market Operator received $7.84 million from international customers and N1.3 billion from domestic customers in settlement of previous obligations.

Beyond bilateral transactions, NERC disclosed that Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies remitted a total of N381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator in the third quarter of 2025. This was out of a cumulative invoice of N400.48 billion, translating to an overall remittance performance of 95.21 per cent.

The commission said the figures were derived from reconciled market settlement data submitted as of December 18, 2025, as part of its statutory evaluation of the commercial health and performance of the electricity market.

News

Expert Identify Foods That Increase Hypertension Medication’s Effectiveness

Published

23 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Hypertension remains one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide, contributing significantly to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Despite the availability of effective antihypertensive drugs, long-term control of high blood pressure is often challenging because of drug resistance, side effects, and poor adherence.

This has fueled growing scientific interest in complementary strategies that can enhance drug efficacy while minimising toxicity. One promising approach is the combination of conventional antihypertensive medications with herbs and spices in many kitchens.

Recent evidence suggests that augmenting modern antihypertensive drugs with foods rich in p-coumaric acid, a naturally occurring phenolic acid, may offer a novel and effective strategy for blood pressure control.

Phenolic compounds, commonly found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and blood vessel–protective properties.

In a study, researchers investigated the combined effects of lisinopril, a widely used antihypertensive drugs and p-coumaric acid on hypertension.

They reported in the Comparative Clinical Pathology that p-coumaric acid enhance the antihypertensive action of lisinopril, potentially allowing for improved blood pressure control without increasing drug dosage.

The study used an established animal model in which hypertension was induced in rats through oral administration of L-NAME, a compound known to suppress nitric oxide production and raise blood pressure.

Following the induction of hypertension, the animals were treated for 14 days with p-coumaric acid (at two different doses), lisinopril alone, or a combination of both.

Untreated hypertensive rats showed significantly elevated activities of key enzymes linked to high blood pressure such as ACE, arginase, acetylcholinesterase, and phosphodiesterase-5 along with increased lipid peroxidation, an indicator of oxidative stress. At the same time, levels of nitric oxide, a critical molecule for blood vessel relaxation, were markedly reduced.

By contrast, rats treated with a combination of lisinopril and p-coumaric acid experienced notable improvements. Blood pressure was better controlled; harmful enzyme activities were reduced, oxidative stress declined, and nitric oxide levels increased. These improvements were mirrored in the tissues the heart compared with untreated hypertensive animals.

They said that the findings suggest that p-coumaric acid may enhance the antihypertensive action of lisinopril, potentially allowing for improved blood pressure control without increasing drug dosage.

This drug–food interaction model is particularly important in the circumstance of long-term hypertension management. Many patients rely on lifelong medication, and strategies that can improve treatment outcomes while reducing side effects are highly desirable.

The study also reinforces the growing recognition that diet is not merely supportive but can be biologically active in disease control.

The use of medicinal plants and plant-based therapies in the management of hypertension is deeply rooted in traditional medicine across many cultures. While such practices have often existed outside conventional healthcare systems, modern scientific research is now providing evidence-based explanations for their effectiveness.

While these findings are based on animal studies and cannot yet be directly translated into clinical recommendations for humans, they open the door to future research on dietary strategies that can safely complement antihypertensive drugs.

Further clinical studies are needed to determine appropriate dosages, safety profiles, and real-world effectiveness.

In the fight against hypertension, the future may lie not only in new drugs, but also in smarter combinations, where medicine and nutrition work together to deliver better, safer outcomes for patients.

Such nutrition to help maintain healthy blood pressure includes garlic, potatoes, walnuts,tomato and tomato products, legumes and citrus fruits (grapefruits and oranges).
(TRIBUNE)