News

OPINION: With A Heavy Heart, I Pity Sanwo-Olu [Monday Lines]

Published

7 months ago

March 3, 2025

Editor

By Lasisi Olagunju

There is a royal family in Lagos called Oniru. In the earliest times when there was no Lagos and Eko knew its boundaries, that family owned all lands that house today’s Awolowo Road, the prime area called Falomo, Tafawa Balewa Square, the Independence Building, Island Club, Yoruba Tennis Club, et cetera, et cetera. Add Oyinkan Abayomi to that list, and, in addition to those places, input 18 other villages – all in pricey Lagos Island.

The family that owned all those is the family that produced the new and contentious speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs Mojisola Lasbat Meranda. Do not mind her surname; she is an Oniru. Her brother is the reigning Oba of their Iruland. She is a princess but being a princess is not enough for her to join the big league of Lagos. Her election as speaker by almost all her colleagues, means little or nothing. In the pantheon of Lagos politics, there is always one god whose one vote trumps a million ballots. In some places, you do not have to enter the grove before you become an elder; grey hair is enough. Not in Lagos. In Lagos, the godfather is the igbó’rò, the sacred grove that confers age, that vests authority in and breathes life into all figurines.

The search for that breath is what is making Meranda and her backers panting. And, she has just started. Breaking into the power vault of Lagos uninvited is akin to sitting on a million needles. She did that and must, therefore, writhe from the needle effect. Fortunately for her, she is a woman with a lot of fluid in her tear gland, and she has been generous with shedding princely tears since her colleagues invested her with the authority to be speaker of the president’s state. Last week, the sacked speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, borrowed some lines from Black Scorpion’s Third Marine Commando. Obasa landed at the House complex at dawn and sensationally announced his comeback. As cover, he had guns and boots of various shapes and sizes behind him.

I watched the video and saw his enemies under a tent, peeping like fearful, terrorized children of Gaza and the West Bank. It was obvious that the state was behind Obasa. With a wand, the herdsman runs his flock around. Lateef Jakande did what Bola Tinubu does with the politics of Lagos today. From his emergence in 1979 until he went to Abuja in 1994, Jakande was the god and father of Lagos politics. He decided who got what and who should and would not get anything. But because every godfather has an expiry date, hugely popular Jakande took a federal job, went to Abuja and lost his spell.

He returned to Lagos, to a palace without people. Bola Tinubu is in Abuja. The spell in Lagos is unraveling. I hope he knows this and quickly cements his cracked walls. He cannot keep Lagos by overtly having favourites among his disciples. Every parent knows how slippery it could be not to respect the choice of boys who have become men. What do you think are the consequences of a blind king riding a blind horse through the market of the blind? The king will fall; the horse will maim and kill; the market will be over. That is what I fear happening in Lagos.

The casualties will be unimaginable. The possibility of the market being stung by bees is the reason I wonder why the principalities driving this crisis are not seeing what we see. The brake is there, press it! Enemies are saying that Lagos won’t stop the war because it is God at work. A river, no matter the length of its course, must necessarily empty its waters into the ocean. It is the natural course of power.

A village, town, or city’s foundation stone orders its affairs. Ìdálu ni ìsèlú is the Yoruba construction for that English phrase. With one lone, worn-out stick, the Fulani commands his herd. That is Lagos. Lagos has always been godfathers’ playground. It may keep preening itself as the landing bay for civilization in Nigeria but it has a sorry history of being herded by political herdsmen. If everything escapes your memory, I do not think you would forget the 1991 miracle of Otedola. When siblings fight without looking back, outsiders grab and pack their everything and run with it.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) thought it owned Lagos in 1991 and could do anything there and get away with it. In its fold were two irreconcilable groups, each backing an aspirant for the governorship. There was the Primrose Movement with Chief Dapo Sarumi as its anointed candidate. Mr. Bola Tinubu belonged to that group. Primrose drew its strength from the Patriotic Front (PF) owned and funded by Fulani aristocrat, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: [OPINION] Pa Adebanjo: A Celebration Of Death

The second group’s anointed was Professor Femi Agbalajobi. He is now late. Lagos godfather, Lateef Jakande, was the father and guardian spirit of Agbalajobi’s group. The war between the two ended only with the disqualification of both aspirants by the then all-powerful National Electoral Commission (NEC). Yar’Adua’s group then did a coup. The General used his influence and wealth to foist his protégé, Yomi Edu, on the very popular SDP as its governorship candidate. The result was a defeat that shocked everyone home and abroad. Sir Michael Otedola was the governorship candidate of the rival National Republican Convention (NRC), a very unpopular party in Lagos. NRC had only two seats in the Lagos House of Assembly; the rival SDP had 38.

But SDP lost the governorship to the unpopular NRC. NRC’s Otedola won the election because Lateef Jakande, the reigning godfather of that era, was sufficiently incensed to kill his goose rather than watch an outsider appropriate its golden eggs. But, did that action have consequences? If it did, what were they? In all these, I pity two persons as they hide behind their fingers while their Lagos burn from their match sticks.

They have my pity; they do not have my sympathy. The first is President Bola Tinubu. Elders don’t get angry; they don’t fight all wars. Brigadier General Benjamin Maja Adekunle in his ‘Biafra War Letters’ said his middle name, Maja, which means ‘Don’t fight’, was given to him as a leash for his incessant street brawls. Yoruba bards say a careless, listless owner will have the oil in their lamp dissipated before their very eyes. It is happening in Lagos. The puppies that Eko carefully nursed for a day like this are openly barking resentment at his preference and choice.

That is classic demystification. He should pause, ponder and re-plan. More importantly, the ponderous should repossess himself from hubris; for the king who cannot master himself may find mastering others very impossible. The second person I invest my pity in, with a heavy heart, is Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The sacrifice he took to the Lagos intersection last night is still there; those who should eat it did not. Check the Ìrókò and its branches. The squirrel that used to dance with its head is no longer rejoicing with its tail.

The omens are not good. The man is fast becoming a bigger Fubara and I ponder his fate as he fords this flood. Neither iyán lébé nor okà lèbè will satisfy those he might have offended. He should just hurry home to his fathers and ask them what the gods want. Unfortunately, he cannot be heard complaining about anything that is not fair in the Lagos arrangement – he is a product of that system. May God help him and help his godfather. ‘Why Empires Fall’ is a book by two western scholars, Peter Heather and John Rapley.

It is in that book that I got a perfect imagery to describe what is unfolding in Lagos: the image of broken pottery. They note, and I agree with them, that once broken, a pot becomes useless but the individual shards endure to cry the story of their collective tragedy. From Ikate to Iru to Marina to Alausa, the spell that binds the Lagoon and the sea; the mainland and the Island is flooded and its potency now watery. The shattered crockery of the Lagos establishment is getting flung hither and thither. Unless sanity is allowed to reign there, there may be more there to break in days ahead.

News

ASUU Declares Two-week Strike, Orders Members To Down Tools On Monday

Published

9 hours ago

October 12, 2025

Editor

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced the commencement of a two-week ‘total strike’ and ordered its members to withdraw their services across the country, effective 12:01 a.m. on Monday.

ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday.

The development comes after the two-week ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to address their long-standing demands expired.

Prof. Piwuna expressed dismay that nothing significant had happened since it issued the two-week ultimatum. “Government has been asking for time with nothing concrete on the ground to resolve it,” he said.

According to him, the decision to embark on the total strike was reached after several rounds of meetings with government representatives ended without any tangible commitment.

He noted that the union had exhausted all avenues for dialogue and patience, emphasising that the strike action was the last resort to compel the government to fulfil its promises.

He further explained that the union had consistently shown restraint in order not to disrupt the academic calendar, but the government’s insensitivity had left them with no alternative.

“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight (12:01 a.m.) on Monday, 13 October 2025. The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting,” he said.

He also called on well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the media to prevail on the Federal Government to address the lingering issues once and for all. The union warned that unless concrete steps are taken within the two-week period, it will not hesitate to extend the strike indefinitely. “This struggle is not just for university lecturers; it is for the soul of public education in Nigeria,” Prof. Piwuna declared.

The seven-point demands include: re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement; sustainable funding of universities; revitalisation of universities; victimisation of ASUU members in Lagos State University (LASU), KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University), and Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).

Others are outstanding 25–35 per cent salary arrears; promotion arrears for over four years; as well as third-party deductions.

News

Nigerian Engineers applaud Gov. Mohammed’s $5bn Investment Deals

Published

10 hours ago

October 12, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Bauchi state chapter has commended Gov. Bala Mohammed for organising the maiden international investment summit that recorded a 5 billion Dollars investment deal in the state.

It could be recalled that Prof. Murtala Sagagi, Chairman of the Summit Planning Committee, disclosed at the end of the summit that it recorded over 5 billion Dollars investment deals and 47 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed.

He said that the agreements signed covered agriculture, solid minerals, power, infrastructure, and ICT sectors, adding that one of the MoUs translated into a concrete investment deal worth 1 billion dollars, which would become operational before the end of 2025.

Speaking with newsmen on Sunday, Engr. Abdulkarim Hassan, Chairman, NSE, Bauchi state chapter, congratulated the state government for organizing and the successful completion of the economic and investment summit.

According to him, the summit has also showcased Nigerian engineers’ professional prowess to the world as the newly constructed International Conference Centre (ICC) where the summit was held was built by a Nigerian construction company.

He expressed confidence in the governor for engaging Nigerian engineers to do the job, saying “the feeling is mutual because if he didn’t have confidence in us, he would have engaged foreign engineers to do the work.

“We extend our profound
congratulations to the governor on the successful completion of the Bauchi
Investment Summit.

“This summit was not merely an event, it was a clear demonstration of his visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to transforming Bauchi State into a prime destination for investment.

“The quality of delegates, the insightful discussions, and the tangible commitments secured during the summit have set a new benchmark for economic engagement in the North-East and other
regions in Nigeria.

“As professional engineers, we were particularly encouraged by the strong emphasis placed on infrastructure, industrialisation, and technological development, which are key pillars that will
drive sustainable growth,” he said.

Hassan added that the success of the summit has laid a robust foundation for attracting the capital necessary to execute the ambitious infrastructural projects required for the state’s development.

He expressed the readiness of the NSE, Bauchi branch to partner with the state government by offering its professional expertise and technical support to ensure that the outcomes and MoUs from the summit translated into sustainable reality for the people of Bauchi State.

News

OPINION: Oshiomhole In A Fight Between The Elephant And The Pit

Published

20 hours ago

October 12, 2025

Editor

By Tony Erha

‘Okuo imose”, “no fight is attractive” – all fight is ugly, according to the Edo people. If a fight doesn’t pluck the teeth it would drip the noise of red blood. That is why pundits were apprehensive and had to caution Dangote Refinery and the Petrol and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to a sound reasoning, over the sack of 800 of its workers by Dangote, which was followed by a strike action that was later called-off. The fisticuff was intensified as the National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers of Nigeria (NUPENG), joined the spat by supporting PENGASSAN.

Like the American freestyle wrestling, where partakers fight with anything they lay their hands upon, a melee, a-free-for-all in which no one seems to know the real opponents. The fallout of the Dangote and PENGASSAN fight has unsettled Nigerians. The Benins would say “ama re fi ekpa arie gb’ ihue”; “the fisticuffs hadn’t started when the nose bled blood”. For the hapless consumer public is still at the mercy of the raging feud after the settlement. Indeed, the grass suffered where two elephants fought dirty. Buyers of Dangote products are still groaning under a surge of cooking gas price, from about N1,000 to N3,200 per kg.

Dangote Refinery’s kingpin, Aliko Dangote, who has huge investment monies flowing in his veins, vowed to a showdown with the PENGASSAN and NUPENG. Do not take my calmness for cowardice; Aliko seemed to have said, flinging his hat into the ring. “…There is no fight I have never won…” he boasted, whereas he actually won several and lost some, in the monopoly business with fellow competitors.

It was a rivalry fight between the Elephant and the Pit, when the Elephant arrogates to being the largest land animal; and the Pit boastful he is the hugest depth in the ground. The Pit threatens to swallow the Elephant and the Elephant determined to cover up the Pit. Finally on the encounter, the Pit that swallows the Elephant wouldn’t swallow more animals, nor will the Elephant live to swallow another pit.

In wrestling and boxing of exchange of punches and slams, America’s loquacious president and all-time wrestling and boxing promoter, Donald Trump, is well-known. One of the memorable grim and tricky fights of the tempest Trump was when he dragged his fellow promoter from the ringside to the dais, and beckoned on others to instantly shave his head, to the wild delight of wrestling fans across the globe. Realising that he had truly missed out from his rasmatazz in promoting competitive boxing and wrestling, an intoxicating Trump had recently arranged for a cage-wrestling showdown to mark one of his official events in a US presidential venue. When a lion king thirsts for the blood and flesh of prey, as he no longer go hunting, he claws to his own tongue to a consolatory leak of his own blood to quench his lust for blood.

Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, Nigeria’s former labour leader and ex-governor of Edo State, was dragged into the fight with his comment that PEGASSAN erred declaring a strike action without a second thought for the majority poor, who were bound to suffer the strike’s consequences. PENGASSAN and NUPENG thereby saw Oshiomhole as entering the fight arena as in ‘Enter the Dragon’, an epic film in which Chuck Norris; a famous kickboxer sorted it out with Bruce Lee, the late iconic martial artiste. It was somewhat absurd for NUPENG to point menacingly at Oshiomhole, declaring him a ‘persona non grata’ and placed a ban on him from all NUPENG’s activities, whereas the oil union was only one amongst the over 41 affiliate unions that constituted his command of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), with him as its two term president.

Now, Oshiomhole seems better placed having resumed his pro-people stand, with his current valuable contributions to it in the Senate’s chamber. But NUPENG is irritated that one of their own could attempt to stop the mongoose from killing the snakes that had all along been killed for gains and superiority sakes. Do the organised labour trust Oshiomhole, vice versa? It’s likened to the crusading music of the late musician Joseph Osayomore; “Who know man naim dey kill man” (one’s enemy is his friend). Although Oshiomhole left active labour activism about two decades ago, he’s probably the same ‘adamant Adams’ who knows the strength and pitfalls of regimental unionism, where men in khaki are soldier ants.

Why will NUPENG, led by William Akporeha, its president, be so unfair banning their former leader from speaking in their public fora, knowing that speaking in the function of the organized labour was the most effective pills he takes to get well?

Oshiomhole may not be a ringside promoter to Dangote and his mercantile, in the fight-to-finish with the PENGASSAN and NUPENG warlords, as he was accused of, nor for a ravaging workers union, than for a weary public that is a usual butt of undue strikes by insensitive workers’ and endless monopoly by businesses. A suspicious PENGASSAN and NUPENG, even though are rightly condemned for anti-people stand, by their inept strike, might have made a valid point that leaders, whose words sometimes (if not often) conflict with the good examples they preach, set the bad example for others to follow.

In a game of survival, like the odd one currently faced by the Super Eagles, in their bid to qualify for the world cup, a Gernot Roy, Nigeria’s former coach, who was booted out, and now leading the national team of the Republic of Benin, would open Nigeria’s football secrets to his newest side, as NUPENG also think their leaders are to Dangote. And is an irony that Gernot Roy is a decider of the fate of Nigeria, in the Super Eagles final match with the Benin team for the world cup carnival.

Like Trump, Oshiomhole is ‘very slippery’ as he has in common a showmanship, raw courage and the resilience of a marathoner. Oshiomhole is ‘a giant’ who’s physical and determined. Sufuyan Ojeifo, a prolific writer and journalist, once called him ‘dynamite that comes in pieces’; while I add ‘dynamite that turns a mass into pieces’. For a man who trains so rigorously, and does drills which most young men can hardly do, I was terrified when Oshiomhole, unlike a pugilist promoter in a prematch talk-show, angrily warned Reuben Abati, the Arise TV presenter, that he would punch him to puff-puff’ (swollen pie), with a black-eye and calluses, for slandering him.

If the fight between the Dangote petroleum outfit and the oil unions was in the interest of the public, and not for their selfish interests, all wouldn’t be bothered. Union workers usually orchestrate strike actions, only when it comes to their welfare, whilst staple oil derivative products are still beyond reach , notwithstanding that Nigeria is one of the leading oil producing countries of the world, that are starved of its products.