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Edo 2024: Onaiwu scolds homegrown mantra, says it’s about capacity
Edo 2024: Onaiwu scolds homegrown mantra, says it’s about capacity
By Elvis Omoregie
Sahara Weekly Reports That A Frontline governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the Edo 2024 gubernatorial election, Hon. Osaro Onaiwu, yesterday, scolded those calling themselves homegrown for the purpose of gaining cheap popularity in the name of election, saying it is about capacity to deliver the dividend of democracy to the people of the state and not mere sloganeering of homegrown.
He expressed his views while speaking with newsmen in Benin ahead of the party’s primary.
Onaiwu said that there is nobody that is more homegrown than himself if that is what they should go by because he has represented the state in a competition when it was still Bendel State and has equally served the founders of the state which none of those chorusing homegrown has done.
“Let first of all talk about the homegrown thing because nobody is more homegrown than me because one, my wife is Edo. Majority of the aspirants thier wives are not Edo.
“So, my wife, as governor to be, my wife understands the values and culture of the women and which is key, that is one.
“I served the two major people that built Edo, Samuel Ogbemudia, was the maker of Edo, then the man who created the state, Akhomo, so I served him.
“So, when they say homegrown, there has to be a definition of homegrown. So, I have served the two great people of this state. I have also participated in sports festival. I played handball for Bendel state.
“So who could be more homegrown than me? Let any of the aspirants come out put a medal on the table to say this is what I did for Bendel state when he was young.
“So, this is not the time for us to talk about who is homegrown and who is not homegrown. So, we are looking at capacity, we are looking at those who are ready to serve. In the Igboland, there is what we call the apprentice system.
“So, when you have finished serving, they will set you free. So, let all of them come and tell me who they have served that they now want to serve Edo people.
“When you have not served somebody, you can’t serve the people. Service is about passion, service is about humility, service is about care.
“So, we don’t want people who say that they are coming to serve us. Are they coming to serve us or they are coming to loot our common wealth? No. So, the homegrown issue should not even come to play because if they want to talk about the homegrown, I am the original homegrown because my wife is Edo.
“I married in Edo, I didn’t married outside Edo. My mother is Ishan, my father is Benin. So who is more homegrown than me? So I don’t want to use that word homegrown, that should not even come in at all. If we want to go there, we have a lot to talk about some people”, Onaiwu said.
On the issue of zoning, the aspirant said those who advocating for it have forgotten the political history so soon adding that politics is a game of numbers, therefore those who are seeking for elective position should be prepared to canvass for votes and stop playing up sentiment.
“The issue of zoning, we have never zoned in Edo. It is clear. People are just trying to bring sentiment and emotion.
“Emotion and sentiment don’t win election. Election is about consensus, election is about talking to people. We have never zoned. If you check from 1999 till date, every other areas in the state have always participated in elections.
“So why the emotion? why the sentiment? When Osunbor was the governor, was it zoned? He contested against Julius Ihonvbere.
“It was not zoned. So why are they now talking about zoning? Have we forgotten our history? Some people that are talking of zoning, did they participate in the electoral process in Edo State from 1999?.
“The candidates in 1999, who were the two aspirants in PDP? was it not Azzis Garuba that was parmanent secretary that Akhigbe brought and Lucky? Was it zoned? When Lucky finished in 2007, Ihonvbere from north wanted to contest against Osunbor and Ogbesia, was it zoned? In 2020, did Rice man, Gideon not try to contest against Godwin Obaseki, was it zoned? So, if you have the capacity, if you know you have what it takes to govern the people, go round the local governments and sell yourself.
“You don’t sit down in one place and you expect them to come and give it to you. Go round, go to Akoko-Edo and other local governments, that is how to be a politician.
“They have people who have the capacity to be governor in Edo Central. It is not by sit at home that we know your capacity. You have to go out.
“We have never zoned in Edo. That emotion will not work and for your information, democracy is a game of number”, Onaiwu maintained.
More than ₦3 billion was targeted, but about ₦677 million reached the culprits, with recovery and prosecutions underway, reflecting how banks are responding to more sophisticated fraud risks.
Nigeria’s expanding digital banking sector is facing increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts, as financial institutions adapt to faster transactions and broader online services.
A recent case involving First City Monument Bank (FCMB), linked to fraudulent activity detected in December 2025, has drawn attention to how banks are responding to such incidents, with a focus on limiting exposure, recovering funds and working with law enforcement.
According to findings referenced in proceedings before the Lagos State Special Offences Court, the incident involved unauthorised transactions tied to a digital product. Early reports erroneously suggested more than ₦3 billion was lost. Subsequent clarification shows that over ₦3 billion was targeted, ₦2.4 billion was blocked and recovered, while ₦677 million got into the possession of the culprits. This outcome reflects the bank’s cyber security and monitoring capabilities, as well as improved collaboration among regulated financial institutions and with law enforcement agencies. Several suspects and beneficiaries have been apprehended, while recovery and prosecution efforts are ongoing, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Proceedings at the Lagos State Special Offences Court have resulted in convictions, including that of a repeat offender, with restitution orders issued. Related matters are also being handled at the Federal High Court in Lagos, where additional suspects are being tried in connection with the scheme. This process is aimed at ensuring that bad actors are identified and permanently blacklisted from the financial system.
Authorities say recovery efforts are continuing as additional funds are traced.
Analysts note that the pace of legal action reflects closer coordination between financial institutions and enforcement agencies in addressing cyber-related financial crime.
The case comes as banks contend with more complex fraud methods, including social engineering and automated exploitation of system processes.
As digital products and platforms expand, so too does the risk associated with cyber-crime and related fraud.
“The scale of digital banking means risks are evolving alongside the systems,” said a Lagos-based financial analyst. “Institutions are now judged by how they manage these events.”
Observers say the sector is moving toward a stronger focus on response and recovery, rather than prevention alone.
This includes improving monitoring capabilities, strengthening transaction controls and enhancing collaboration with regulators and law enforcement. The FCMB case, with limited exposure relative to the amount targeted and ongoing recovery, reflects that shift.
For customers, the primary concern is the safety of their funds. In this case, there has been no indication of losses affecting customer deposits. Maintaining that level of protection remains central to sustaining trust in the financial system.
Nigeria’s financial sector continues to grow, supported by digital innovation and expanding access to banking services.
However, analysts say fraud attempts are likely to persist as systems become more complex and interconnected.
They say institutions will increasingly be judged not only on their ability to prevent incidents, but on how effectively they respond and recover when they occur.
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Ex-APC Deputy Guber flag bearer, Joshua MacIver backs Tinubu, express fears over implosion in Bayelsa APC
….congratulates new State Party Chairman, Warman Ogoriba
APC Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver has declared his total commitment to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu come 2027, declaring that the Tinubu re-election project is non-negotiable.
Great Joshua MacIver, in his statement titled ” BAYELSA APC CONGRESSES: GOING FORWARD, A CALL TO LOOK INWARDS” and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, warned APC leaders in the state to look Inward and take note of certain factors which may hinder or cut short our victory.
According to Great Joshua MacIver, such noticeable pitfalls include the imbalance in the united front being put up by the State Governor,Senator Douye Diri among various political blocs in the state.
In the statement issued at the weekend. Great Joshua MacIver stated that “First, before His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, joined the APC in the state, there were clearly two political blocs that made up the party, with the approximate population ratios of the blocs standing at 95% to 5%.”
“After the entrance of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, ONLY THE SMALLER BLOC IS BEING CARRIED ALONG IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE PARTY, leaving the greater percentage to their fate, and this situation has the potential to build anger and dissatisfaction in our dear party.”
” The consequence of this has been the high level defection we have witnessed in the party recently and we believe more may likely follow, if we do not put our house in order.”
” If we do not pull together as a party, we may witness a situation where we will lose key stakeholders, especially after the State and National Assembly Primaries as well the Gubernatorial Primaries.”
“Finally, while it is very clear that we are the party to beat in the 2027 elections and that our loyalty to Mr. President IS NON-NEGOTIABLE, we must make haste to say that we cannot afford to create situations or loopholes in our unity which will be exploited by other political interests in the state. We cannot afford to under-rate anyone.”
“Our core interest remains the re-election of Mr. President, a project to which we have committed our all. We also pledge our total loyalty to the party as we have no alternative to the APC. However, our concern is that we must, as a party, look inwards and ensure that we do not create loopholes that can impede our common goal.”
Great Joshua MacIver, however congratulated the newly elected State Executives of the APC in Bayelsà State led by Hon. Warman Ogoriba, saying their emergence is welcomed at this critical time in our national history.
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
https://www.stanbicibtcbank.com/nigeriabank/personal/products-and-services/all-loans/stanbic-ibtc-mreif-home-loans
More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
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