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OPINION: Donald Trump’s Wildfire For The Bad Men!

Published

3 weeks ago

November 10, 2025

By Tiny Erha

A fuzzy analyst on a social media platform called it the “roar of a cat-king that frightens the land-animals of the jungle”. Another onlooker also likened it to a rattlesnake that meander the market place, while in a full gathering, causing intense stampede. Yet, another called it “fire on the mountain top”. What a-gwan? – An American street jargon for “what is going on? – would question.

Behold, a stormy returnee-president of the Yankee’s nation, the United States of America (USA), Donald J. Trump, has scattered ‘the table’, an sobriquet by Nigerians for an angry man’s disruption of a wrong setup. In a premeditated recourse to action, Trump, the most powerful president from the God’s own country, had declared Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and one of its principal allies on the continent, a ‘Country of Particular Concern (CPC)’. The tempestuous man vowed to deploy American military forces to smoke out Muslim Jihads and other terrorists from the country’s north, if his confirmed-genocide on Christians wasn’t stopped.

CPC is a similar acronym for the Congress for Progressive Change, a political party once formed by Mohammadu Buhari, the country’s immediate-past president, who is mainly responsible for the lapses that earned Nigeria the CPC’s designation. ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC), is a classification of the US Secretary of State on a country that causes severe violations of religious freedom, under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as amended in 1999. America is said to be given the right by the UN to expedite disciplinary actions about the CPC.

The news of the CPC derisive classification and Trump’s razor-edge assertion of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Nigeria as a ‘disgraced country’, had spread fast like the Harmattan’s bushfires or the tinder wintry fires that roasts American country sides all-year-round. It is only a sane person who would be disturbed that the fire he set on a portion of the bush, in the flammable season, is the same that had spread far and wide, causing tangible destructions, in the shoddy manner Abuja had mismanaged its security.

China had threatened brimstones, thus encouraging Muslim extremists, who proclaim that Trump dare not undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty, with his ‘threat to invade’ the country. Isn’t it the same Asia country that Senator Adams Oshiomhole recently accused on the floor of the Senate, as instigating illegal mining operations in the country, backing by armed bandits that carry out kidnapping, ethnic and religious persecution, against the people? The Russians, not minding its bitterest war against its Ukraine neighbour, also warned Trump. Nevertheless, a Conservative Caucus and lawmaking body of Canada supported Trump’s decision.

Ezekiel Dachomo, the intrepid clergy from Plateau State, whose relentless advocacy puts his life on the terrorists’ cliff, with other activists, was the one who attracted Ted Cruz, a Republican Senator and a coterie of foreign humanists on the genocide matter, had chided the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Nigerian government, as playing the poker that resulted in the deaths, maiming, arsons and railroading of millions of Nigerians into IDP exiles. But Pastor Enoch Adeboye, leader of the mega Redeem Christian Church of God, had yanked aside his cassocks to advise an unsettled President Tinubu to play it soft, and not to be hoodwinked that China, Russia and the United Kingdom would come to his aid, should Trump make good his threat.

Adeboye pleaded for 90 days of grace, for Tinubu to flush out the multitudes of Boko Haram, ISIS, ISWAP and the Fulani militants that have laid a deadly siege for over a decade.

Although notable clergies from the mosque and church, alike; had towed the line of peace as Pastor Adeboye, a headstrong Ahmad Abubakar Gumi and the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jubrin, in a ‘bravado of guilt’, had told Trump to do his worst. Gumi is the outspoken bearer of Abyssinian long beard, who’s frequently accused of ‘a hand in the gloves’ with known terrorists and was allegedly repatriated from Saudi Arabia on terrorism claims.

And in what pundits regarded as shocking and an un-presidential, a former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, who is acclaimed to be an Ambassador of Peace, bluntly scolded that “Trump is trying to disintegrate Nigeria, with his comments that threaten our hard-won unity”. One would have thought that he and his fellow ex-head of state, Ibrahim Badamasi Banbagida (IBB), who couldn’t rescue their Niger State, from the terrorists’ stranglehold, are glad that Trump’s intervention would eventually rid their people of the menace. Obviously, General Abubakar would be in the swelling league of those who accuse Trump of persecuting the Muslim faith.

Why the claims of attempted violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty by Trump, , when the same country is complicit of the genocide on tens of thousands of souls; children, women, able-bodies and the aged that are butchered in cold blood? Does it truly merit to be called a sovereign state? Which sovereignty where a large section of its security outfit hobnob those who massacre the same ordinary people they sworn to protect? Can there be autonomy in a country where terrorists rule over some of the country’s un-governed spaces?

Yet, numerous organizations and credible voices across the northern religion and its political divides are united that President Trump couldn’t be faulted that Nigeria’s current president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu had been disinterested at stopping the excessive killings. Trump had reminded all that Tinubu and his associates in APC, once visited him in the White House in 2014, accusing the then government of President Goodluck Jonathan of committing same genocide against Christians, for which they sought his cooperation to remove Jonathan from office. Trump asserted that that visit was what prompted the CPC designation.

The “US strikes will make sense if they are directed at terrorist groups like Boko Haram, ISIS, and ISWAP, who have been killing both Muslims and Christians. Trump and the US will be hailed if this is the objective”. Intoned, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Executive Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) He chided CAN as having betrayed President Tinubu for failing to water down the Trump’s influence, he urged Muslim youths not to do anti-America and anti-Trump’s protests, as they used to do.

But, there is a growing concern and propaganda that Trump’s America is not to be trusted on their dealing with Nigeria on the CPC issue. They say Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and Iraq are evident, where the US claimed to have gone in to root out those terrorists who caused troubles in there. They say the terrorists, instead, were empowered to take over power therein, fearing that Nigeria could be next. They narrate further that the defeat or humiliation of Nigeria by President Trump would spell doom for Africa, while regard Nigeria as the continent’s moral and diplomatic compass.

Believe it or not, the Trump’s encounter must’ve spurred President Tinubu and the security establishments into frenzy, where the terrorists and their backers are running for cover, not only for the renewed onslaughts against them by the Nigerian forces, but for a Donald Trump’s hostility.

News

FULL LIST: FG Lists Nigerian Veterans For Honours To Celebrate 100 Years Of Aviation Industry

Published

50 minutes ago

November 30, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government of Nigeria has unveiled Nigerian veterans and distinguished aviators to be honoured for pioneering contributions that have shaped Nigeria’s aviation industry over the past century.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the event in an X post on Saturday, describing the awardees as “icons whose vision and dedication laid the groundwork for Nigeria’s aviation success.”

He also shared photos of some of the honourees ahead of the event slated for Monday, December 1, 2025 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

According to him, the recognition is part of activities marking 100 years of aviation in Nigeria, tracing the sector’s evolution from colonial era to its present status as a critical contributor to the country’s economy.

“The first ever aircraft to land in Nigeria was in Kano in 1925. As a result, we are celebrating 100 years of aviation in Nigeria this year. On Monday, December 1, 2025, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Center, Abuja, we shall celebrate this milestone with a number of performances and events, including honouring veterans of the aviation industry in the last 100 years. We are inviting all aviation stakeholders to the event,” he wrote.

Below are the list of some of the Nigerian veterans who have shaped the aviation industry, as shared by the Aviation Minister:

Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, founder of Okada Air.

Late Alhaji Ahmadu Dan kabo, founder of Kabo Air.

Capt Robert Hayes, Nigeria’s first certified pilot.

Chief Mbazulike Amechi, former Minister of Aviation and instrumental in establishing Nigerian Airways.

Chief Allen Ifechukwu Onyeama, Air Peace founder, promoted local content and invested in Nigerian youths’ training.

Dr Emmanuel Enekwechi, contributed to the aviation industry’s growth.

Capt. August Okpe, founder and CEO of Okpe Aviation Services, Nigeria’s first indigenous aviation engineering company.

Sen. Hadi Sirika, former Minister of Aviation, initiated policies like the national carrier launch.

Capt Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu, pioneered Nigeria’s aviation industry and transformed airports into world-class facilities.

Capt Ado Sanusi

Chief Wale Babalakin

Sir Joseph Arumemi

Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu

Capt Dele Ore

Capt Wale Makinde

Capt Ibrahim Mshella

Capt Dapo Olumide

Ms Bimbo Sosina

Capt Benoni Briggs

Mrs Deola Olukunle

Dr Thomas Ogunbangbe

Capt Edward Boyo

Dr Gbenga Olowo

Elder Dr Soji Amusan

Engr Awogbemi Clement

Sen Musa Adede

Georg Eder MBA

Capt Prex Porbeni

Mrs Folashade Odutola

Dr Taiwo Afolabi OON

Capt Fola Adeola

Dr Seindemi Fadeni

Capt Chinyere Kali

Harold Demure

Akin Olateru

Mr George Urensi

Mrs Deola Yesufu

Engr Babatunde Obadofin

Dr Ayo Obilana

Capt Felix Iheanacho

Capt Peter Adenihun

Capt Jonathan Ibrahim

Pa Odeleye AC

Capt Toju Ogidi

Pa Abel Kalu Ukonu

News

Bishop Kukah Insists No Christian Genocide In Nigeria, Gives Reasons

Published

1 hour ago

November 30, 2025

Editor

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and Convener of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, has insisted that there’s no Christian genocide in Nigeria, explaining that number of people killed doesn’t amount to genocide.

Bishop Kukah stated this while presenting a paper at the 46th Supreme Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM) in Kaduna.

His comments follow criticism that trailed reports quoting him as advising the international community against designating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”

The bishop explained that such labels could heighten tensions, fuel suspicion, and give room for criminal groups to exploit the situation, which would disrupt interfaith dialogue and cooperation with government.

Addressing figures circulated about alleged Christian killings in Nigeria, Kukah said he aligns with the Vatican Secretary of State, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, and all Catholic bishops in the country.

He said, “They are saying that 1,200 churches are burnt in Nigeria every year, and I ask myself, in which Nigeria? Interestingly, nobody approached the Catholic Church to get accurate data. We do not know where these figures came from. All those talking about persecution, has anyone ever called to ask, ‘Bishop Kukah, what is the situation?’ The data being circulated cleverly avoids the Catholic Church because they know Catholics do not indulge in hearsay.”

On the use of the term genocide, he noted, “Genocide is not based on the number of people killed. You can kill 10 million people and it still won’t amount to genocide. The critical determinant is intent, whether the aim is to eliminate a group of people. So, you don’t determine genocide by numbers; you determine it by intention. We need to be more clinical in the issues we discuss.”

Kukah also challenged claims that Christians in Nigeria are being targeted. He said, “If you are a Christian in Nigeria and you say you are persecuted, my question is: how? At least 80% of educated Nigerians are Christians, and up to 85% of the Nigerian economy is controlled by Christians. With such figures, how can anyone say Christians are being persecuted?”

He linked many of the challenges faced by Christians to a lack of unity, stating, “The main problem is that Christians succumb to bullies. The day we decide to stand together, believing that an injury to one is an injury to all, these things will stop.”

He further warned against loosely labeling victims as martyrs. “Because someone is killed in a church, does that automatically make them a martyr? Whether you are killed while stealing someone’s yam or attacked by bandits, does that qualify as martyrdom? I am worried because we must think more deeply.”

Clarifying his earlier remarks, he added, “People say there is genocide in Nigeria. What I presented at the Vatican was a 1,270-page study on genocide in Nigeria and elsewhere. My argument is that it is not accurate to claim there is genocide or martyrdom in Nigeria.”

News

OPINION] MOWAA: Unpleasant meal cooked for Benin from the outside (Two)

Published

3 hours ago

November 30, 2025

Editor

By Tony Erha

“Agha tot’ ikolo, t’ amen mie ede”; A Benin idiom holds sway that; “When the earthworm dominates a discussion, the rainfall would be all day long”. For the Museum of West Africa Art (MOWAA), whose skewed establishment had resurfaced about 2018, dominated global discourse and has reached a peak. Day in, day out, there is intense global indignation, bothering on an alleged swindling of the museum’s artefacts and huge accrued monies, which were under the care of the immediate-past governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, alongside some of his political and business associates, which many commentators presented to be a f monumental fraud. As already claimed, it could as well have been called MOWAA-gate!

This article, being the second and last stanza of the first, published two weeks ago, was predicated on the decimating crisis of MOWAA. A condensed recap of the said article was partly anchored on a lavish reportage by swamps of Nigerian and foreign press, which largely implicated the Obaseki’s government, as inept in the due processes of MOWAA’s setup. MOWAA is a charitable entity, which sprang up on global funding and other resources of the state government, whereupon a case of undue diligence was allegedly stressed on Obaseki and his government.

There is a threesome public inquiry, thus raising a gummy accusation of indecency, especially when the ex-governor Obaseki’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had been voted out by the All Progressives Congress (APC), with Senator Monday Okpebholo as the present governor. And the MOWAA-gate is getting messier as Governor Okpebholo and the state’s House of Assembly, the lawmaking arm, had each set up a probe panel. Disturbed that the MOWAA-gate is earning the nation a bad name, the National Assembly, from a far-away Abuja, the nation’s capital, also instituted another probe.

”The returned looted Benin artifacts, like other sacred art work of Benin provenance, are not just superficial or ornamental, but infused with the mystical command and supernatural energy of the Benin kingdom of great antique. The key to correctly identify, classify, and position the authentic totems, in time and space, lies in the Royal Benin Palace, under the power of the Oba of Benin”. Sampson Ebome, a lawyer and perceptive cultural activist, uttered, postulating further;

“In every other society as Japan, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Britain, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Morocco etc., royalty holds a choice-place in preserving the unique cultural and corporate identity of the society and its governance. It is no co-incidence, therefore, that even in today’s Europe, there are about twelve statutory monarchs in its advanced democracies. Perhaps, the grave error of Godwin Obaseki’s administration was to proceed on the false logic that a concrete divergence existed between the government and the Benin kingdom, the very source and origin of the history, dialects, cultural identity and heritage of all the people of Edo State. To have persisted in this gargantuan ruse, an original artifice of the colonising powers of Europe, was always bound to be destabilising to the spiritual and socio-political equilibrium of the state”

In the state’s legislative’s probe, cans of worms are being revealed on MOWAA and the Reddisson Hotel construction, said to have been Obaseki’s conduit pipes. And there is intense firework by the contending parties. Chief Osaro Idah and some of the Oba’s palace chiefs have dragged MOWAA to the law court, a development which Oyiwola Afolabi SAN, MOWAA’s lawyer said had jeopardised the appearances of Godwin Obaseki, Osarodion Ogie (former Secretary to State Government) and other MOWAA’s executive at the House of Assembly summon.

“Even khiri-khiri keke udemwen idan ere ogbakhian”. “Fierce wrestling is a companion to violent thuds”. And the fight is now more forceful as no man will leave his leg for an opponent to grab. “Emwin na ma ru ese, to si itale emwen”, a Benin parlance for; “That which had been tardily or slyly done is bound to cause disaffection”. And so, the fight ranges whilst the onlookers are left to mock he that is already falling!

“Ovbi ekpen ere otolo ekpen ehae”. “Osayomore Joseph, the late music crooner and a soulmate, had often reminded me about the age-long Benin axiom; “It takes only the Cub – heir, to tickle the forehead of a Leopard. Instructively, HRM, Ewuare II, the revered Oba of Benin, with the Methuselah of wisdom at play, narrated the seizure of the artefactual ownership and benefaction, as he stoically alleged the undue conscription of his heir into the corporate board of Edo Museum of West Africa Art (EMOWAA) by ex-governor Obaseki. His son had also attested to that. The claim was also buttressed that EMOWAA was an inordinate scheme evolved by Obaseki and his associates to wrestle the returned looted artefacts and supplement payment from their foreign sources.

The Esans of Edo would say; “Ehun no ho obhiaha emoen, avava uwendin, ole odia”. “The sharp fart that disgraces the bride perches in-between her buttocks”. Once upon a time, Governor Okpebholo, on the heels of his final governorship declaration by the Supreme Court, which Obaseki and his protégé, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate had dragged him through, was swayed by the of Senator Adams Oshiomhole insistence on the probe of Obaseki and his government. But Nyesom Wike, the flammable minister of Abuja, had dissuaded a pliable Okpebholo. But, Obaseki wasn’t mindful that he had escaped the expected probes, until he caused it with his usual foibles.

“Asua gha sua egile, oya danmwen ekpatu; eighi ye ebe gue egbe”. In a Benin folktale, it’s about the adventurous snail that crawls up the tree and soon crash to the ground, failing to cover itself from its hunters. The headstrong former governor, with the braggadocio of a ‘diaspora governor’, has taken the fight from ‘iya’ (valley) to ‘oke’ (mountain top). All we now see is the continuation of a “filaga filogo” (a street brawn with broken bottles and cudgels), now that ‘slappers and bone breakers’ fight wherever they meet in Europe and America. It is a bitter reminder of Obaseki’s heydays of masterminding the ‘Torgbas’ fighters’ gang that fought the APC’s ‘Tokpas’, which had earned him aliases like ‘Emanton’ (Iron Rod) and ‘Isakpana’ (the god of anger).

Whilst Nigerians and humankind watch the ‘filaga filogo’ and shame emanating from the Nigeria’s ‘heartbeat’ state, the very man who was called the ‘Wake and see Governor, may be laying down in the foreign climes the same landlines, that he laid on his home’s pathway that makes him to go into self-exile’.