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Before They Begin Igbo Point-And-Kill In Lagos By Felix Oboagwina

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Before They Begin Igbo Point-And-Kill In Lagos By Felix Oboagwina

Before They Begin Igbo Point-And-Kill In Lagos By Felix Oboagwina

April last year, I wrote an article, titled, “Didn’t Tinubu Just Goof On MC Oluomo?” The piece did a post-mortem on the crisis rocking the Lagos State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). Long story short, Musiliu Akinsanya, alias “MC Oluomo,” was issued a query by the union’s national leadership, he refused to answer it and he was handed a suspension. Out of the blue, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu declared NURTW banned. In its place, they created the Lagos Parks and Garages Management Committee and appointed MC Oluomo to head it as Chairman. Those who know, know that Sanwo-Olu merely served as the hand of Esau carrying out the dictates of the godfather puppeteer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. MC Oluomo is Tinubu’s strongman.

 

 

 

 

 

Before They Begin Igbo Point-And-Kill In Lagos By Felix Oboagwina

 

Lately, MC Oluomo’s pre-Governorship-Election message to the Igbo stock in Lagos became a social media virus. In it, the Tinubu-assisted tough-guy warns all Iya Chukwudis (all Igbo), “Vote APC or stay at home!” Simply put, should the South-Easterners fail to support APC, these attack dogs want to scare Igbo with a promise of Rwandan-style point-and-kill. It is a desperate message from a desperado whose desperate paymasters have read the handwriting on the wall from February 25, where they fell from their Olympian heights and lost Lagos to Peter Obi’s Elu-Pee. However, people like me saw the February 25 fall coming long ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my April 2022 piece, I observed and warned: “As the Nigerian proverb says, ‘It is the foolish fly that gets buried with the corpse.’ Tinubu, in bailing out his embattled unionist godson may have succeeded in damaging his own ambition.” Could I have been more right?

 

 

 

 

Anywhere in Nigeria, where commercial transportation takes place, NURTW “full ground berekete.” So does its parent body, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). These are nationwide networks. Injury to one of them means injury to all. NURTW and NLC could be making Tinubu pay for robbing them of Lagos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apart from the MC Oluomo blunder, several others factors triggered the shock APC and Tinubu received in their traditional hold of Lagos and gave the lead instead to the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, on February 25. That February loss made them zero in on Obi’s Igbo kinsmen in Lagos. They think they have an Igbo problem they could solve through scare tactics. Perish the thought! It has nothing to do with Igbo people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAGOS-BORN WANT LAGOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is the “Omo Eko factor.” Aboriginal Lagosians from the Awori stock and the Saro Islanders, descendants of the freed slaves who returned to Lagos and Freetown in the dying days of the slave trade, these too want a shot at the throne too. Rallying around the likes of Chief Olabode George and General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, they have formed “Omo Eko Pataki,” dedicated to planting a trueborn, full-blooded Lagosian in Eko Roundhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dream the aboriginal Lagosians and Island Lagosians dream about ruling Lagos should make sense. They point out that unlike the likes of Rauf Aregbesola (Osun State), who, after a spell of meritorious service in Lagos, still headed back home to vie for state governorship positions, indigenous Lagosians have nowhere to go. Only godfather Tinubu knows why he shunned their yearnings since 1999. He paid dearly for it on February 25. It has nothing to do with Igbo people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE #EndSARS FACTOR

The 2020 anti-SARS protests against police brutality threw up leaders like Aisha Yesufu at the national level. In Lagos, from its angry embers rose the likes of the comedian Mr. Macaroni, the musician Eedris Abdulkareem and FALZ, the “Bahd Guy” musician son of quintessential Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN. The #EndSARS protests eventually became a symbol of youth resistance to constituted authority.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is an understatement to say that Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu soiled their hands in the ugly episode, which started out as a peaceful protest. The Lekki Tollgate has today become a symbol of that epic struggle, Nigeria’s own version of China’s Tiananmen Square, a place of sorrows, tears and blood. Lekki Tollgate, a private concern run by LCCI, has its ownership traced to Tinubu. His son Deji owns the advert firm that runs advertisements atop and around the structure. On the D-Day, three things happened at Lekki Tollgate.

·         CCTV cameras were removed.

·         Lights were switched off.

·         A killing squad of soldiers shot into the crowd of hyper-peaceful, flag-waving protestors.

Blood flowed. Corpses of Nigerian youth piled up. The Army whisked away the slain, denying them the decency of a burial. Who sent in the marines? Sanwo-Olu denies but the military insists he did. Those youngsters have been waiting to get their pound of flesh. These 2023 elections provide that chance. They have waited for this moment since October 20, 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fate only provided Peter Obi as the accidental rallying point. Is it by omission or design that Aisha Yesufu, a veritable symbol of the #EndSARS protests, is highly visible in the Obi’s LP campaigns?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is payback time. For that desecration of the flower of their youth at Lekki, Benin, Ogbomosho, young Nigerians want their pound of flesh. And they are determined, mobilised and organised enough to get it. It has nothing to do with the Igbo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANTI-MEDIA POSTURING

Apart from TVC and The Nation newspapers that he owns, which media can Tinubu identify as friends and allies today? The likes of Arise TV and AIT have gone overboard to denigrate him, after they wooed him without success. So does AIT. They spend generous airtime to mock and disparage Tinubu and his party. Little wonder. Before and since June 2022 that he won the APC ticket, Tinubu shunned the several debates they organised for presidential contestants. What cockiness! This anti-media posturing, unfortunately encouraged by his publicists, has proved a damager.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who remembers that pre-February 25 even Sanwo-Olu did not much campaigning in Lagos? Instead of running his own political business, he was minding Tinubu’s business –gallivanting all over Nigeria with his godfather. The electoral results of February has sent the poor guy running from mall to shops to churches to computer villages, doing photo ops like a jack-of-all-trades! It has little to do with the Igbo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUSLIM-MUSLIM TICKET

By the way, Sanwo-Olu blames their poor show on his godfather’s Muslim-Muslim ticket. And who says that formation would escape unscathed in a multi-religious country? Tinubu performed woefully in the Christian-dominated South-East, South-South, as it did in several Christian featuring states of the North? Ditto Lagos. It has nothing to do with the Igbo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GODFATHER’S LIMITED TENURE

The governorship is a tenured office. You do your maximum term of eight years and quit the scene. Tinubu became Lagos Governor in 1999. He left office in 2007. Thereafter, he has remained the ultimate godfather of Lagos politics. From Babatunde Fashola, to Akinwunmi Ambode, to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, all Lagos governors have come under the control of this ultimate puppeteer. All local government and Legislature operatives are handpicked by him. The question is: Will Tinubu’s godfather tenure in Lagos last till death do them part? Or will die the natural death of Olusola Saraki in Kwara State, Orji Uzoh Kalu in Abia, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo, Jim Nwobodo in Enugu and James Ibori in Delta, all of whom have had their godfather influence extinguished? The law of diminishing return is a nature thing. It has nothing to do with the Igbo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LOSS OF AFENIFERE

Egbe Afenifere singlehandedly made Tinubu in 1999. His romance with them has long lost its fire –forget the other day’s PR trip to Pa Reuben Fasoranti in Ondo. Today, that foremost Yoruba socio-political group backs Obi 100 percent. Without Afenifere’s pillar of support, it cannot be smooth sailing for the former Lagos Governor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OBI AND THE IBO FACTOR

Yes, Peter Obi is a boy, an Igbo (or Ibo) boy. Therefore, the former Anambra State Governor will naturally command the support of his kith and kin. However, social media buffs have pointed out that if you drop Obi from LP and replace him with any other Igbo politician, like Orji Uzoh Kalu or Rochas Okorocha, they would abandon LP like hot potato. Obidents swing only in one direction, the Peter Obi direction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Obi? Obi packs qualities that those other politicians lack. Like them, he served in public office, but his integrity rings loudly and deafeningly. Here is a man who has refused to allocate to himself post-service pecks and pecuniary, where his mates corner lifelong cars, cash and castles from the state coffers! He exudes capacity, competence and character. Those qualities make sweet music in Nigerians’ ears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has nothing to do with the Igbo people. Obi’s magic goes beyond Igbo backing. His votes in Lagos came majorly from non-Igbo voters. Go and verify.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agreed that the garrulousness, bragging and verbosity of a minuscule few of Igbo loudmouths would not help matters, but not all Igbo proclaim Lagos as a NO-MAN’S-LAND that they want to TAKE OVER. Yoruba “indigenes” will fight anyone proclaiming that assumption.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, one thing I know (since serving as Director twice in the Jimi Agbaje governorship campaigns of 2015 and 2019) is that the Tinubu political family dusts up this propaganda-blackmail every election cycle. Fela calls it “their regular trademark.” This Igbo-want-to-take-over-Lagos is a xenophobic slang they apply during every election. They spread the misinformation that the opposition wants to red-carpet and royalise the “Igbo strangers” in Lagos. They used it against Jimi Agbaje. They tried it with Jandor. Now they are bringing that piece of trash against Rhodes-Vivour, whose principal happens to be Igbo. They disguise the blackmail as a clarion call for Yoruba unity, irredentism and nationalism. By these satanic verses, they paint Tinubu’s clique as protectors of Yoruba interest and resisters of Igbo expansionism. Those who know Lagos politics know that the MC Oluomo-Tinubu group are lying. Unfortunately, however, the formula seems to work. Always.

(OBOAGWINA IS AN AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST, AND MAY BE REACHED VIA: [email protected])

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Ramadan 2026: Let’s Be United, Shina Akanni Urges Muslims.

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Ramadan 2026: Let’s Be United, Shina Akanni Urges Muslims.

 

As Muslims all over the world begins the 30 days compulsory fasting and prayer today,top Fuji Musician Aare Sir Shina Akanni Aroworeyin Scorpido has congratulates them for witnessing another month of Ramadan.

 

Akanni advised them to follow the teachings of the the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which is peaceful co existence among themselves and their neighbor ‘because Islam is Religion of peace”.

 

He said the month of Ramadan is an holy month therefore Muslims should try as much as they can to maintain peaceful coexistence among themselves and others and that they should see themselves as ambassador of peace.

 

While praying for Nigeria,Aare Sir Shina Akanni Aroworeyin Scorpido said he believes that there will be an economic turnaround soon because what’s is happening now are signs of thought times that never last “if we can pecevere things will get better”.

 

The Scorpido crooner who recently released a hip hop single titled “Magbelo” said he is currently working on a complete album which will be released before the end of the year.

 

Aare Sir Shina Akanni Aroworeyin Scorpido whose last album ‘ABCD” is still in hot demand said that his next album will be a pot pouri of all kinds of music because his brand of Fuji music is a blend Fuji , Hip-hop,Apala ,Highlife and others.

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The Enemies Within:  Jonahs Are Not Manageable — Dr. Chris Okafor

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The Enemies Within: 

Jonahs Are Not Manageable — Dr. Chris Okafor

…….“To remove Jonah, you must bring Jesus into the matter.”

 

When a “Jonah” enters a person’s life, confusion, gossip, blackmail, betrayal, and the pull-him-down syndrome often follow. But the moment Jesus Christ is invited into the situation, the storm subsides and stability is restored.

 

 

This was the central message delivered by the Generational Prophet of God and Senior Pastor of Grace Nation Global, Dr. Chris Okafor, during the midweek non-denominational Prophetic Healing, Deliverance and Solutions Service (PHDS) held at the international headquarters of Grace Nation Worldwide in Ojodu Berger, Lagos, Nigeria.

 

The Clergyman also declared that Nothing Happens Without Spiritual Influence

 

 

In his sermon titled “The Enemies Within,” Dr. Okafor declared that nothing happens without spiritual involvement. According to him, every visible battle has an invisible root.

 

 

Referencing the biblical story of Jonah, the Man of God explained that Jonah’s presence on the ship gave access to a contrary spirit that tormented everyone onboard.

 

Despite the losses suffered by innocent traders and sailors, the storm persisted because of one man’s disobedience.

However, he noted that when Jesus speaks into a situation, every storm must obey. Just as Christ rebuked the storm and it ceased, so too will the storms in believers’ lives subside when He is invited into their “boat.”

 

*The Impact of a Jonah*

 

Dr. Okafor further emphasized that “Jonahs” are difficult to manage. When such individuals are present in one’s circle, progress becomes delayed.

 

 

What should ordinarily manifest quickly may be prolonged or frustrated because someone close—someone who understands you deeply—may be operating as a spiritual adversary.

 

 

He explained that negative narratives, unnecessary battles, and unexplained setbacks often begin when a “Jonah” gains access to a person’s inner circle.

 

*The Solution*

 

“To remove Jonah from the boat of your life,” the Generational Prophet declared, “you must invite Jesus Christ into the matter.”

 

 

 

According to him, when Jesus takes control of the boat, the plans of the enemy are overturned.

 

What was designed for downfall becomes a testimony. No storm or battle can succeed where Christ reigns, and the enemy is ultimately put to shame.

 

 

 

 

The midweek service witnessed a strong prophetic atmosphere, with the power of God evident through deliverance, restoration, and divine revelations.

 

 

 

The Generational Prophet ministered deeply in the prophetic, calling out names, villages, and addressing alleged spiritual strongholds, as many lives were reportedly restored—all to the glory of God.

 

By Sunday Adeyemi

 

The Enemies Within: 
Jonahs Are Not Manageable — Dr. Chris Okafor

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FROM BORDER TO MARKETS: HOW NIGERIA’S REFORMS ARE REWRITING AND MODERNISING TRADE FACILITATION By O’tega Ogra

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FROM BORDER TO MARKETS: HOW NIGERIA’S REFORMS ARE REWRITING AND MODERNISING TRADE FACILITATION

By O’tega Ogra

On the surface, the 2026 World Customs Organization (WCO) Technology Conference in Abu Dhabi, held in the last week of January, followed a familiar script: flags, formal sessions, carefully worded speeches. But beneath the choreography, something more consequential was unfolding. As customs chiefs and trade officials compared notes on the future of borders, Nigeria arrived not with theory, but with a working proposition.

 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Modernisation Project, being implemented through Trade Modernisation Project (TMP) Limited, unveiled to a global audience of customs administrators and policy leaders a window into how Africa’s largest economy is confronting one of the most complex challenges in public administration: reforming the machinery of trade while it is still running.

 

For decades, customs reform was treated largely as a technical exercise—frequent patches here, shoddy fixes there; new software in one corner, revised procedures in another. Nigeria’s presence in Abu Dhabi signalled something different. TMP Limited, working in partnership with the NCS, advanced the argument that trade is a cornerstone of economic development and must be supported by organic, sustainable partner ecosystems. Such ecosystems deliver speed and trust, revenue and credibility, and secure borders without stifling commerce.

 

 

That argument resonated in a room increasingly aware that global trade is no longer defined solely by tariffs and treaties, but by data, interoperability, and the quiet efficiency of systems that simply work.

 

The annual WCO Technology Conference has, in recent years, become a barometer for the direction of global trade governance. This year’s discussions reflected a shared anxiety: supply chains are more fragile, compliance risks are rising, and governments face mounting pressure to collect revenue without discouraging investment. Customs administrations now sit at the intersection of all three.

 

Nigeria’s response has been to attempt a full reset.

At the heart of this effort is the NCS Modernisation Project, implemented through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with TMP Limited as the concessionaire. The project seeks to replace fragmented technology deployments and manual processes within the Nigeria Customs Service with a single, integrated framework. This is anchored on B’Odogwu, a Unified Customs Management System (UCMS) that brings together cargo clearance, risk management, payments, and inter-agency collaboration. The ambition is sweeping—and so are the stakes.

Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu, OON, Chairman of TMP, framed the initiative as nothing less than an institutional reconstruction, designed to position the NCS at the forefront of global customs administration technology, aligned with international standards and assurance frameworks.

“Digital trade modernisation is not just about upgrading systems,” he told participants in Abu Dhabi. “It is about upgrading trust, predictability, and confidence in how trade flows through our borders.”

That choice of words matters. Nigeria’s economy has long struggled with the perception gap between its size and the ease of doing business. Investors cite delays. Traders complain of opacity. Government points to revenue leakages. In this context, customs reform becomes as much a credibility project as a technical one.

Saleh’s message was timely and direct: modern trade demands modern customs. Data-driven processes, automation, and risk-based controls are no longer luxuries; they are prerequisites for competitiveness in a world where capital moves faster than policy.

The institutional face of this digital transformation is the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who led Nigeria’s delegation to Abu Dhabi. His message reflected a subtle but important shift in how customs leadership now understands its role.

“Customs administrations today must evolve from gatekeepers to facilitators of legitimate trade,” Adeniyi said. “Nigeria’s customs modernisation project reflects our determination to place the Nigeria Customs Service at the centre of national economic transformation.”

It is a familiar refrain globally, but one that carries particular weight in Nigeria, where customs revenue remains a critical pillar of public finance. Automation, Adeniyi argued, is not about weakening control; it is about strengthening it through intelligence rather than discretion.

Risk management systems reduce unnecessary physical inspections. Integrated platforms limit human contact. Data analytics improve compliance targeting. When executed well, the result is faster clearance for compliant traders and tighter scrutiny for high-risk consignments.

In Abu Dhabi, peers from Asia, Europe, and Latin America listened closely to Nigeria’s presentation. Reforming customs in a small, open economy is one thing. Doing so in a market of over 200 million people, home to some of Africa’s busiest ports and its largest economy, is quite another.

Nigeria’s engagement emphasised that customs modernisation is embedded within a broader economic reform agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. Simplifying trade procedures, strengthening revenue assurance, and aligning with international standards form part of a wider effort to reposition the economy for investment-led growth.

What makes the project particularly noteworthy is its insistence on end-to-end coherence. Rather than digitising isolated functions, the reform aims to connect agencies, harmonise data, and reduce duplication across government—an all-of-government approach that acknowledges an uncomfortable truth: trade friction is often created not at the border, but between institutions.

The WCO 2026 Technology Conference offered Nigeria more than a platform; it provided a stress test. Questions from peers were pointed. How will change be sustained across political cycles? How will capacity be built? How will entrenched institutional behaviours be unlearned?

The responses were pragmatic. Reform is being phased. Training programmes are ongoing. International benchmarks are being adopted not as slogans, but as operating standards. There were no claims of perfection—only a clear statement of intent.

“Our engagement here underscores Nigeria’s commitment to international cooperation,” Adeniyi noted. “We are learning, sharing, and contributing to global conversations on the future of customs administration.”

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That contribution matters. As Africa moves to deepen regional trade under continental frameworks, customs efficiency will determine whether integration succeeds in practice or remains aspirational on paper. Nigeria’s experience, if successful, could offer a valuable template for other developing economies navigating similar constraints.

In Abu Dhabi, the mood was cautious but curious. Reform fatigue is real in many countries. Yet there was a growing sense that Nigeria’s effort—precisely because of its scale and difficulty—deserves attention.

Borders are rarely glamorous. But they are decisive. In choosing to modernise its borders in public, under global scrutiny, Nigeria is signalling something beyond technical competence. It is signalling seriousness.

And in global trade, seriousness still counts.

O’tega Ogra is Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, responsible for the Office of Digital Engagement, Communications and Strategy in the Presidency.

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