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OPINION: Angels In Police Uniforms

Published

2 years ago

June 14, 2024

Editor

Tunde Odesola

His parents named him Edison – after an American – Thomas Edison, who invented the lightbulb, motion picture camera and the revolutionary music box known today as the turntable, among 1,093 patents. But no one calls him Ed(i)son, people call him Pelé, a name, which he initially rejected, long before the name became synonymous with soccer immortality.

Born Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, the name Pelé was borne out of a childhood joke a preteen friend cracked on the street of Três Corações, São Paulo. The joke was on Pelé. Like many nicknames are creations of error or mischief or both, some innovations like the Penicillin, microwave, fireworks, saccharin and potato chips were produced in error, too. But Pelé loved his nickname, Dico.

Call it rags-to-riches or grass-to-grace supplication, the thunderous reversal-of-fortune prayers by Nigerians in endless religious revivals, crusades and vigils underscore the country’s biting poverty amid government’s impotence. I’ve worshipped in white churches in the US, they don’t shout, “Fire! Fire! Kill them! Strike them! Destroy them!”

In church, Americans pray for the safety of their immediate community, national economy and prosperity, even as they express their desire to make paradise. Whether in church, at leisure or at work, many Americans have their guns tucked away under their car seats, that is, if the guns are not strapped in (concealed) holsters on their bodies.

Verily, I say unto you, brethren, the rejected name, Pelé, cannot become a global brand without hard work. When people seek the face of God in churches, mosques shrines etc, praying for their shame to be turned into fame through a ‘s’egan mi d’erin’ miracle, they should also work hard, face their fears, and not feed them.

Self-educated, Thomas Edison surely had his fears but he didn’t feed them. He believes hard work is superior to genius, and he crystallises his thought in this famous quote, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

In an interview, Pelé, the Brazilian soccer god, discloses the origin of his nickname in smattering English. “We used to say in Brazil, my name was Edson Arantes Do Nascimento because now everybody recognises only Pelé. If you say Edson in some place, nobody knows who he is. When I was around 8-9 years old, a little boy in the street called me Pelé.

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“For me, that time, it was ugly (the name Pelé), you know, because I got mad with him. I said, ‘Hey, my name is Edson, why you call Pelé? What you mean Pelé?’ Everybody starts to laugh. I don’t know if it was a joke, or (because) I did (something) wrong or (I got some) pronunciation wrong; nobody know up till now why (what it means). I just remember I fight with him; I was in the school, I got three day suspended because he called Pelé, (I) say my name is Edson, this ugly name I don’t like. But now, I like it because it’s an easy name to pronounce.”

Unofficial sources say owing to his innocence and thick Minas Gerais accent, Pelé mispronounced the name of Vasco de Sao Lourenco’s goalkeeper, Bilé, as Pilé, a slip his childhood friend wasn’t ready to overlook, dipping Pilé into the frying pan of mockery to make the world a sumptuous meal called Pelé.

Bilé the goalkeeper was a teammate of Pelé’s father, João Ramos do Nascimento, nicknamed Dondinho, who scored five headed goals in a match, a feat which Pelé publicly coveted but failed to achieve.

Regarded by fans as the king of jogo bonito – the beautiful game, Pelé, who was declared a national treasure by the Brazilian government in 1961, died of colon cancer complications in Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital, on December 29, 2022, aged 82. His soul has been resting in peace thenceforth.

Though the Nigeria Police Force was established in 1930, its origin could be traced to Lagos, with the creation of a 30-man Consular Guard in 1861. Unlike the name Pelé, however, the name, Nigeria Police Force, wasn’t a product of an error. The naming of the force was deliberate.

Naming the nation’s foremost law enforcement agency the Nigeria Police Force wasn’t a brand blunder aka misbranding. However, you may describe the naming and its claims as puffery – a parlance in advertising that defines exaggerated and untrue claims about a product or service. The motto of the NPF, “The police is your friend,” comes to mind.

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Despite not supporting the revisionism change of the national anthem by the Bola Tinubu administration and being contemptuous of the CHANGE mantra the Muhammadu Buhari administration paid lip service to for eight years, an incident happened on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, which gave a ray of light that all hope is not lost in Nigeria.

On the fateful day, I was in company with my friend, Wole Adeniyi, a chartered accountant. We were coming from Ekiti State en route to Lagos when I decided to pay Osun a glancing visit. We had visited WEMA Bank and UBA in the city capital and were heading towards the Ajegunle area from Olonkoro when I urged Wole to indulge me pay an unscheduled visit to the Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta states, Dr Tunde Badmus, who lives in Osogbo.

As we neared the roundabout at Dugbe, vehicular traffic was building up. When we came within sight of the roundabout, I noticed policemen in an unmarked black colour mini bus popularly called ‘Korope’ were harassing a young driver of a black 2013 Toyota Camry in a heated argument.

“Kilo n sele,” I asked the young man as our vehicle snaked its way abreast of the scene. “They want to cheat mi ni o. They said I hit them, look at my car, look at their bus. They want to cheat me o!” I told the young man, “Don’t move, just stay right there. I’m coming.”

I turned to Wole, “Please, park.” “You said Asiwaju is likely to go and play golf. You will miss him,” gentleman Wole cautioned. “No, I won’t,” I stated, hopping out of the vehicle as Wole meandered in search of a place to park.

I walked back to the roundabout, took a look at the scene and it was as clear as a full moon on a starless night that the police vehicle was the one that hit the Camry. The armed policemen from the State Tactical Squad were telling the driver to move his car to the divisional police station which is just two blocks away. “Don’t move your vehicle,” I told the driver as I took many pictures and videos from different camera angles. The policemen took pictures, made some markings on the road and verbally added ‘obstruction of traffic and causing tension on the road’ to the numerous ‘offences’ of the Toyota driver, which included ‘wilful stopping of police vehicle bearing criminal suspects’.

A shouting match ensued. “You people are wrong. Your vehicle hit the Toyota from the side,” I told the policemen. “No, he hit us from behind,” they said. “If he hit you from behind, why is there no scratch at the back of your bus or the front of his car?” I asked. “Are you a policeman,” they responded, probing: “who are you sef, can you identify yourself? “I will identify myself to your commissioner,” I retorted.

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Just then, a clean man in mufti walked to the scene, inspected the two vehicles, took pictures, made some markings on the road and told the two parties to come to the nearby station with him so the rage on the road could abate. The young driver looked at me, I told him to drive the car to the station. Wole and I went back to our car and drove to the station.

At the station, the clean man in mufti, Mr Eyinade Ifeoluwa, whom I later identified as the Divisional Traffic Officer, conferred with the Divisional Police Officer, Mr Akinloye Oyegade, who came out to listen to both parties. Osun State PUNCH correspondent, Bola Bamigbola, joined the fray at this point.

After extensive talks, the DPO said the DTO had briefed him, adding that he was waiting for the Tactical Squad policemen who went to the state headquarters to return before he would make the result of police investigation on the case known.

Inside the station, Wole, Bola and I engaged the DPO and the DTO in further talks. I told them of the respect I have for the police, recalling my interventions on behalf of the police.

The next statement of the DPO moved me to tears. “As I said earlier, we have conducted our investigation and we know who’s at fault. Road accident investigation is the easiest thing to conduct for the police. I’m waiting for the policemen to come back from the state headquarters. They are the ones at fault. When they return, I’ll tell them the three options open to them: beg the driver, if he agrees, good; if he doesn’t agree, they will repair his car. If they don’t, I will take the next step.”

The policemen arrived from their assignment and the DPO told them they were at fault, giving them the options available. As they were talking with the driver, I left my phone number with the driver as I left the station.

Nigeria is redeemable.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com
Facebook: @Tunde Odesola
X: @Tunde_Odesola

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Judge Orders Trump White House To Restore Access To Banned Media Outlets

Published

3 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after the three news organisations challenged their exclusion from the presidential complex.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday, directing the White House to immediately return, reinstate and restore the press credentials of journalists from the three outlets.

The ruling followed a lawsuit filed on Monday by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which challenged President Donald Trump’s decision to bar their reporters from the White House.

Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the outlets of repeatedly publishing what he described as “FAKE NEWS” and negative coverage of his administration.

The three organisations argued that the administration’s action violated their First Amendment rights and deprived their journalists of due process under the Fifth Amendment.

In his ruling, Kelly said the outlets were likely to succeed in showing that their press credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.

The judge also rejected the administration’s argument that national security concerns justified the restrictions.

“The record lacks factual support for defendants’ contention that the revocation of plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” Kelly wrote.

He also noted that Trump had focused on the outlets’ reporting when announcing the ban rather than national security concerns.

“Certainly, that is not what President Trump said when he announced that he was ‘banning’ plaintiffs from the White House—instead, he focused on the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity of plaintiffs’ reporting,” the judge wrote.

The administration had argued in court that access to the White House was a privilege rather than a right and that the outlets’ reporting raised concerns about national security and professionalism.

The Justice Department is expected to appeal the ruling.

Trump had previously said he would probably allow the three organisations back into the White House if a court ruled against his decision.

The dispute began when reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away from the White House after their press credentials were revoked.

The decision also affected the White House television pool. CNN had been scheduled to travel with Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly as part of the pool, but its removal led the other participating television networks to suspend the pool in solidarity.

Other media organisations also joined the legal challenge indirectly by filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the three outlets.

The case now moves forward with the temporary restraining order in place for 14 days. During that period, the court is expected to consider whether longer-lasting relief should be granted.

The ruling comes as Trump faces a series of high-profile events at the White House, including his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The administration and the three news organisations are expected to continue their legal arguments as the court considers the broader dispute over press access and the constitutional rights of journalists covering the president.

(TimeMagazine)

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Man Charged After Fatal Southall Collision

Published

3 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

A 20-year-old man has been charged after a fatal road collision in Southall, west London, which claimed the life of a 17-year-old passenger.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 1:04 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, following reports of a collision involving a Ford Mustang on South Road, Southall.

Officers attended the scene alongside paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and firefighters from the London Fire Brigade.

Despite efforts by emergency responders, 17-year-old passenger Ranbir Singh died at the scene.

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Another passenger, a 26-year-old man, sustained serious injuries in the collision and remains in hospital, according to police.

The driver of the vehicle, Sukhveer Singh, 20, of Townsend Road, Southall, was arrested at the scene.

He was subsequently charged on Sunday, September 20, with causing death by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving.

He was also charged with driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and using a vehicle without insurance.

Singh appeared before Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 21, and was remanded in custody.

He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday, October 19.

Detective Inspector Fiaz Janjua, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This is a truly tragic incident in which a young man has lost his life and another remains in hospital with serious injuries.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with Ranbir’s family and friends, who continue to be supported by specially trained officers. during this extremely difficult time.

“While a man has now been charged in connection with this collision, our investigation remains ongoing and we are continuing to establish the full circumstances leading up to the incident.

“I would ask anyone who witnessed the collision, the manner of driving beforehand, or the movements of the Ford Mustang in the Southall area during the early hours of Saturday, 19 September, to come forward.”

Police are particularly appealing to anyone who may have CCTV footage, doorbell recordings, mobile phone footage or dashcam recordings that could assist the investigation.

The Met urged anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference 01/8080469/26.

The force said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision.

(MetPolice)

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Four Nations Back Permanent African Seat On UN Security Council

Published

6 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Editor

Four nations, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan, have backed a permanent African seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calling for urgent reform of the Council to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.

The four countries, under the Group of Four (G4), made their position known in a joint statement issued after their foreign ministers met in New York on Tuesday on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

The ministers said reform of the Security Council had become more necessary than ever, given the increasingly challenging global geopolitical environment.

They said the Council was currently unable to effectively discharge its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, with its representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and efficacy in question.

According to them, the Council’s eight-decade-old structure was “not reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities” and had become an impediment to addressing present and future challenges to international peace and security.

The ministers stressed that expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories was central to meaningful reform.

They called for greater representation of under-represented and unrepresented regions and groups, particularly Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The four nations also welcomed the reform model presented by the African Group during the Inter-governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform in the 80th session of the General Assembly.

They reaffirmed their support for Africa’s case for enhanced representation on the Security Council, including in the permanent category.

The ministers, however, expressed concern over the slow pace of negotiations, noting that the IGN process had produced no concrete outcome towards substantive Security Council reform despite 18 years of discussions.

They also expressed reservations over the presentation of what they described as a “bridging proposal” before the commencement of text-based negotiations.

According to them, the proposal failed to take into account the position of a clear majority of UN member states in favour of expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.

The ministers further maintained that consensus should not be the benchmark for decision-making on Security Council reform, citing the UN Charter and the mandate of the IGN.

They said Brazil, Germany, India and Japan would work with other reform-oriented groups to develop a consolidated model that reflects the views of the majority of UN member states.

The four countries said commencing text-based negotiations should be treated as a priority towards achieving substantive reform of the Security Council.

They said this would help restore the Council’s representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness, while strengthening the multilateral system with the UN at its centre.

The ministers also said discussions on reform should not be restricted to the IGN, expressing willingness to engage the wider UN membership through other platforms, including the General Assembly.

They pledged to continue coordinating closely during the 81st session of the General Assembly and directed their officials to follow up on the discussions.

Progress on the issue is expected to be reviewed at the next Director General-level meeting in New Delhi.