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MY BOOK’S PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS ADVOCACY FOR THE AGED – Felix Amadi

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The Chairman of Crown Insurance Brokers, Chief Felix Ohiri Amadi has enjoyed a successful career spanning over three decades in the insurance sector of the economy, having worked closely in chatting lasting solutions towards pension management, he knew exactly what the senior citizens go through after their active service years in accessing their pension benefits, the challenges of retirement age and reasons why people fail to plan for their old age.  In his new book, Retirement in Nigeria, Amadi sought to highlight the need to build a robust retirement sector, where professionals would be trained on the intricacies of managing and caring for the aged.  He recently engaged the media on why he embarked on the project, “Retirement in Nigeria”, his insurance career, amongst other sundry issues.   Enjoy the excerpt…


How has it been with Crown Insurance Company during this time of the pandemic?

Crown Insurance Brokers Limited is a company that has been in existence for over three decades.  We have had very good times and difficult times such as this season and it has caused us to scale down our operations at the moment in other to cope effectively during this challenging period.


How well has Crown Insurance been able to fair in the insurance sector of Nigeria since its birth?

There is no Federal Government Institution that Crown Insurance hasn’t managed either full or in parts from MPC, MPA, Police, Custom, DSS and much more.  We have been part of their management over time and we have also managed some private institutions like Shipping companies, Oil and Gas companies, too numerous to mention.  So, Crown Insurance Brokers Limited can be taken as one of the elite insurance companies in Nigeria.  Our records are intact and the reference about us can be obtained from the Nigeria Corporation of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB).


With all the successes you’ve enumerated, it shows you’ve done well in the sector; what defines a good insurance company?

Insurance is a major aspect of risk management, whether it affects an individual or organization. Every insurance organization that cannot define the risk of an individual or the organization in a long term may not succeed because risk, if not properly managed to a long term can lead to a major hazard for either the individual or organization involved.  Anybody that is managing another person’s risk and fails to define it well cannot have a lasting relationship and if an organization can’t keep a relationship then it will fail when its backups disengage.  For the insurance companies that have succeeded, it means they’ve been able to define their client’s risks in a long term and have followed the procedures religiously.


What are the challenges of running an insurance company in Nigeria?

The challenges here aren’t different from the challenges of most other organizations.  Economy is looking south and it’s been like this for some time that makes every organization that wants to remain in place to indulge in difficult management.  Insurance as an area of endeavor is not considered most of the time as important as health and stomach care, so issues of risk management is put after the Medicare which is basic because people cannot combine them, even when they are aware they need it, the basics comes first. Historically, insurance in Nigeria hasn’t enjoyed deep penetration even with our efforts to create awareness and cause people to accept it.


What is the high point of your career as an insurance broker?

Well, over the years I have managed many public and private accounts and I have managed them veritably, it is difficult for me to single out one as the high point.  When I was called by the Federal Ministry of Defense to review Military Pension as it was in serious crises; a lot of destitute were hanging round Ikoyi, claiming they were ex-soldiers who were waiting for their benefits so T. Y. Damjuma and Mrs. Delaja felt there was need to look critically into the reason the soldiers who claimed to be retirees were not being paid.  That was where I was called to improve the management of retired soldiers in Nigeria.  In 2015, Crown instituted what may have become the biggest Group Life Insurance Scheme other than the Omnibus scheme that is managed by the Head of Service in the Department of Security Services (DSS).  That scheme has the signature Crown Insurance and it is one of the finest insurance schemes running now in the country.  There are much more achievements to count regarding my high points in service. 


If you weren’t an insurance broker what other business or career would you have ventured into?

I would have loved to retire as a professor; I would have functioned well as an intellectual.  When I graduated from the University of Lagos, Akoka at the age of 23 the University enlisted me for post graduate studies in Colombian University, somehow I preferred going to work in other to support my younger ones, that was how I diverted my career in the world of academics.  Before I decided to quite my dreams, I had calculated that at the age of 27 I would’ve gained my PH.D and if I kept working hard as I did at that time, I foresaw myself as a Professor at the age of 35/36 but all that didn’t happen because I diverted from it.


Some time ago you had a stint in politics, what was your intention when you delve into it then and currently are you still nursing political ambitions?

My sojourn in politics is still work in progress.  When you see some people in the corridor of power in Nigeria, you’ll feel that they don’t have the indebt of love that is required from the leaders in a nation. Unlike some serious minded professionals that have attempted politics who go there to assist because they’ve seen some loopholes they think they can fill-in in order to move the country to a better place that was the motive that made me become a politician.  I joined a political party, I was an active member of the party and secured a ticket to run for the senatorial seat of Imo East where I come from; I didn’t win but everybody says I made a very huge impact.  You know that once you attempt a political position in Nigeria you are likely to sacrifice a lot of your personal savings so it’s not that I have quit politics but I am waiting to see my like minds come together to form a critical movement so that the country can be safe.  If you are a reasonable human being in Nigerian politics and you have to go against fifty rascals out there, you cannot maneuver them; they’ll deal with you and make you seem useless. Our prayer is that more mature minds, more professionals and more of the ones that has the good of the country at heart should come up and work together to make this country a better place. 


As 2023 approaches, do you have any intention of coming out for an elective position and are you one of the people clamoring for Igbo presidency?

I have no such plans now and it is too early for one to come out and start telling what will happen in three years’ time.  Instead of clamoring for either Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba president pray that only a person suitable for the position will come and let’s advice those in government starting from the local government that politics isn’t about getting rich in government and gaining firm and power.  Let them understand that politics is about governing the people with good will. All the people that think about how to win the next elections at all costs are the traditional politicians who have nothing to offer and I am not one of them. 


Talking about groups like minds and professionals, few months ago, Pat Utomi, Olisa Agbakoba and others came together to form a coalition for 2023, what’s your take about such moves and would you embrace their idea?

Of course their ideas are good, more people should join them. They aren’t forming a political party; they are uniting to realize what’s in the best interest of the people, people like them are good people. Anybody who has intention in just willing and dealing is making a mistake because at the end of the day there might not be a country for them to continue to deal if they don’t protect the one at stake now.


Generally speaking Sir, what’s your assessment of the Nigerian political space?

A lot of improvement is needed.  There are good people but I would say that they are in the minority, the job is to bring more people that are ready to save Nigeria and impact the people in a way that will benefit the country’s future; people have to forget about the old ways of becoming a billionaire without lifting a finger.  Let them bring in people that will make impact in a way that the future generation will look back and say “but for this people”, that’s the way forward.


You’ve done well with your new book, Retirement in Nigeria; can you talk about it?

Retirement is one of those areas that are still lagging behind particularly from the point of view of those that are retired and aged.  You don’t need to stretch your neck to have a view of those who are suffering because they have not received their retirement funds from either the state or local government.  So there is need for our government to champion the cause of these suffering senior citizens, they say little or nothing about it and it’s bad.  I embarked on retirement management research for the reason of the suffering retirees; the same thing I realized when I was called to manage the military retirement.  If you go through the whole of Nigeria you’ll see that there is no solid literature that can be used as reference or capacity building in terms of retirement so I decided to write about it.  No one talks about retirement till death and for one to be able to manage retirement in order for old people not to suffer it has to be well planned; between retirement planning and retirement management the time has come for further research for people both in the higher institutions and professional institutions to be trained for proper clarification so that when they are confronted by retirees or workers either as consultant or employees of Retirement Management organization, they would be adequately prepared. Federal Government has done well through the Obasanjo regime that saw the decay in pension management and they put together in a reform act in 2004, now successive governments have been managing pensions based on the reform principles yet no refunds are needed, the states and local governments have to look into the affairs of pensioners in their areas.  What affects a part of the country affects everywhere so they have to begin to take issues that concerns pensions seriously. I do not want to review my book, let others do it for me but it covers a lot.  The Retirement Management Industry has come, research is seriously needed in this area; we have Pediatricians everywhere who take care of babies but a lot of old people need care, they need a special hospital not General Hospital. Look carefully, you’ll discover that the traditional system of children taking care of their parents has collapsed.  The reason is the world is now a global village and your child can decide to go and live in another country; while you as the parent is here in Nigeria.  All the child can do is send money to you and money can’t take care of an old parent but if there is a professional who has passion and ethics governed by the profession will take care of you and get paid. An aged person doesn’t need money but care, but such things are lacking in this country and it’s in this book I’ve written.  If you look around the entire world, countries that have the size and economic capacity of Nigeria all have elderly people whether they have worked or not, they collect a certain amount of money for their care but we don’t have that here and advocacy is needed.  We don’t have so many elderly people in Nigeria who live beyond 70 and 80 years because of suffering, let this people live and be happy; let them not die cursing the government and the system.  This book will help those that are making laws on social securities to begin to re-examine current positions to make amends where necessary so that those who will be managing pensions will manage better and those who will receive pensions will be happy and be thankful to the government.


What challenges did you face in putting up this massive volume of write-up “Retirement in Nigeria”?

Writing a book first of all needs a clear motivation.  It is the motivation that guides and being that I’ve encountered a lot of retired people both as a consultant and individually, I know a lot of what they go through.  Once you have motivation and you decide to do a thing out of your busy schedule you’ll create your time for passion because it is what you want to do properly not because of money but for impact and education; though it cost me time and money but for the sake that I wanted to do it and here it is ready to be presented to the world.


How soon should we expect the book on the shelves?

We delayed the public presentation because of the Covid-19 challenges but now we know that social distancing is the new order for safety so we’ll soon with safety measures adequately put in place present it to the general public.

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Prophet Ogundipe Honors Governor Dapo Abiodun’s 65th Birthday With Gratitude And Blessings

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Prophet Ogundipe Honors Governor Dapo Abiodun’s 65th Birthday With Gratitude And Blessings

Prophet Israel Oladele Ogundipe of Genesis Global Church recently celebrated Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on his 65th birthday, expressing heartfelt gratitude for the governor’s impactful leadership and unwavering support for the church and the state. Prophet Ogundipe prayed fervently for Governor Abiodun’s continued good health, wisdom, and divine guidance as he marks this significant milestone. The spiritual leader’s tribute is a testament to the governor’s dedication to the well-being of his people and his commitment to developing the state.

 

The governor has been a beacon of hope and progress for Ogun State, implementing numerous initiatives that have transformed the state’s infrastructure, economy, and social welfare. From improving road networks to promoting entrepreneurship and education, the governor’s policies have had a lasting impact on the lives of Ogun citizens. His commitment to developing the state has earned him widespread acclaim, and Prophet Ogundipe’s celebration is a reflection of the governor’s positive influence on the state.

The relationship between the respected man of God and Governor Abiodun is built on mutual respect and a shared vision for the betterment of Ogun State. The governor has been a strong supporter of Genesis Global Church, often participating in significant church events and initiatives. In return, Prophet Ogundipe has consistently offered prayers and spiritual guidance to the governor, seeking divine favor and protection for his administration. As Governor Abiodun celebrates his 65th birthday, he can look forward to continued blessings and support from the people and spiritual leaders of Ogun State.

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Retired, Not Tired: Buratai’s Fitness Routine Sparks Motivation Nationwide

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Retired, Not Tired: Buratai’s Fitness Routine Sparks Motivation Nationwide

 

After years of distinguished service at the helm of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (rtd) is redefining what life after uniform looks like—with energy, discipline, and a commitment to personal wellness.

 

Recent photos of the former Chief of Army Staff in the gym, widely shared on social media, show a man who has swapped combat boots for training shoes but not his signature resolve. Relaxed yet resolute, Buratai continues to lead by example—this time, in the pursuit of health and balance.

In a caption accompanying the viral images, Buratai emphasized that his workout routine isn’t just about staying fit—it’s about celebrating a life of service with renewed purpose. “This gym walk-out is about more than exercise; it’s about enjoying the fruits of a long, honorable career,” he wrote.

The message has struck a chord. Admirers across the country have commended his discipline and positivity, lauding his transition from top military leadership to a model of healthy living in retirement. For many, Buratai is not just a retired general—he’s now a wellness ambassador.

His journey offers a powerful reminder: retirement isn’t the end, but the beginning of a new chapter—one where growth, self-care, and inner peace can thrive.

Retired, Not Tired: Buratai’s Fitness Routine Sparks Motivation Nationwide

Photos and full message available on his verified Facebook page:
Read more here

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16hgxtnhXu/

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TRUMP, MALEMA, RAMAPHOSA AND THE OVAL OFFICE GRILL by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

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THE ISRAEL OF SHAITAN

TRUMP, MALEMA, RAMAPHOSA AND THE OVAL OFFICE GRILL by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

It was quite a show at the Oval office in the White House a few days ago when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with American President Donald J. Trump to discuss bilateral issues and world affairs.

 

It began with Trump’s unsubstantiated and frankly asinine allegation that the white Boers of South Africa are being subjected to mass murder, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

 

This is not only false but also painfully absurd.

 

Sadly it did not stop there. Trump went on to assert that Julius Malema, the inspirational charismatic and colourful M.P. and leader and founder of the South African Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is a hate-filled black supremacist and racist and a cold-blooded murderer and ruthless terrorist whose intention it is to kill every white person in South Africa.

Needless to say these allegations are baseless and false. The Americans are attempting to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. It is nothing but yet another well-crafted but unsubstantiated mendacity.

 

Even though Malema is very vocal and highly controversial he does not strike me as a hater of whites but rather as a hater of injustice, oppression, persecution and institutional racism.

 

He is a man with a social conscience who speaks for the poor, the weak, the vulnerable and the oppressed and who has constituted himself into a major thorn in the flesh of the political establishment and the ruling elites in South Africa both white and black.

 

He is very eloquent, well-informed, well-read and quick off the mark and these qualities, coupled with his obvious courage and strength, make him a formidable adversary which every person of class, rank or privilege in his country has every reason to be wary of.

 

He also speaks a good deal of sense and his passion for truth, justice and equity for the black majority population of South Africa and commitment to the emancipation of the African continent from the forces of imperialism and neo-colonialism cannot be denied.

 

To millions of South Africans Malema is a deeply courageous, insightful and profound man and possibly the greatest post-Mandela hero and rising star that their nation has ever known.

 

To add to this millions of Africans (including Nigerians and Zimbabweans) who live in South Africa regard him as a loyal and trusted friend who has always spoken up for them and sought to protect them from the rabid xenophobia that most black South Africans suffer from and who has a strong and commendable Nkrumaist Pan-African vision.

For Trump and his White House to attempt to disparage such a man that brings so much to the table and that has done so much to restore the self-respect and dignity of black South Africans and Africans all over the world simply because he sang an old outdated, pre-independence, apartheied-era, anti-Boer war song at his political party rally is uncharitable and unkind.

 

To turn down the lights of the Oval office, watch a film on him on television for four good minutes and make him the centre of discussion at a bilateral meeting between the Presidents of two of the most respected nations on earth only proves the fact that he is no longer only an African phenomenon but also a global brand and a rallying point for blacks from all over the world.

To that extent Trump has inadvertently elevated his profile rather than diminish it.

 

Like in the case of the Biblical Joseph, what Trump meant for evil, God meant for good.

Yet perhaps the most shameful thing that Trump did on that day was not what he attempted to do to Malema but rather the following.

 

He presented a picture to Ramaphosa and his delegation of what was purportedly “1000 white South African graves with white crosses on them of white South African farmers” that were supposedly “dispossessed of their land by black terrorists” and “murdered in cold blood”.

Contrary to the American Presidents assertions it was later confirmed that the picture was NOT of the graves of white farmers in South Africa but rather of a burial ground in a completely different country called Congo!

 

One wonders how the President of the most powerful nation on earth could make such an egregious and monumental blunder and indulge in such deceit and doublepeak all in an attempt to humiliate the South African President.

 

Sadly it didn’t stop there. Trump literally ambushed Ramaphosa, lectured him, bullied him, spoke down to him, accused his Government and people of heinous crimes, kept interrupting him when he attempted to speak, mocked his role as a peacemaker in the Ukraine/Russia conflict and sought to utterly humiliate him.

To behave in this unacceptable manner and indulge in such mendacious falsehood is below any President let alone the most powerful one in the world.

 

I see the hand of Elon Musk, who himself is a South African and who has not hidden his contempt and disdain for the ANC-led South African Government and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu, whose Government has been accused by South Africa of genocide and indeed taken to the International Court of Justice and to the International Criminal Court both at the Hague, in all this.

 

Both must have thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle!

 

Yet the truth is that even if his predominately white right-wing MAGA base in America may have been excited and thrilled by his proverbial lynching and carpeting of a helpless and whimpering black President at the Oval office it has also alienated a lot of black and particularly African Trumpers like yours truly who have always refused to regard Trump as a racist but rather as a man who was specially chosen, prepared, raised and anointed by God to destroy the American Deep State, to terminate the Godless agenda of the globalists, to stop the wars of the world, to put God at the centre of affairs when it comes to politics and governance, to re-establish and re-instill the Christian virtues and values that America was built on, to break the back of the unholy, Luciferean trinity and anti-Christ philosophy of Obama, Clinton and Biden in world affairs and American politics.

I sincerely hope that we do not end up regretting our support for him but if he continues in this way that support shall undoubtedly dwindle.

Why do I day this? Consider the following.

First it was “let us grab Greenland, Canada, Mexico, the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal and rename the Gulf of Persia”, then it was “let us turn Gaza into an American Riviera”, then it was “let us wage a tariff war against the nations of the world”, then it was “let us alienate and abandon our European allies”, then it was “let us provoke China”, then it was “let us go to the three richest nations in the Middle East and compel their Kings to invest trillions of dollars in America and even give us a new presidentiel jet”, then it was “let us bring the little African leader who leads a country with the largest and most properous economy on his continent to the Oval office, humiliate him before the world and bully him into leaving our white brothers in South Africa alone” and the latest is “let us stop foreign students from attending Harvard University because the authorities of that school have refused to bring to an end the pro-Palestinian
demonstrations that are taking place on campus”.

These actions are increasingly troubling and whether we have hitherto admired, loved and prayed for Trump or not we cannot support a confirmed bully and racist. That would be ungodly.

We cannot support a man that finds it difficult to empathise with the suffering of others or that is fast losing his humanity. That would be incorrigible.

 

Trump needs to retrace his steps, divest himself of these glaring and obvious symptoms of meglomania, obsessive vanity and extreeme narcissim and get real.

 

God did not deliver him from the hands of his enemies and make him President to do this sort of nonsense but rather to make America great again and to make the world a better and safer place. If he fails to do this God will leave him, remove him and replace him with another.

Back to the episode at the White House.

 

Cyril Ramaphosa’s responses to the grilling were equally embarrassing and frankly disappointing.

 

Most western commentators have described his disposition, body language and reaction as “weak”, “cowardly” and “cringeworthy” and I am constrained to concur.

 

No President should bow and tremble before another no matter how rich and powerful the latter may be.

 

In the African context Nelson Mandela would not have done so and neither would Murtala Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Jerry Rawlings, Thomas Sankara, Ahmed Ben Bella, Muammar Ghadafi, Patrice Lumumba, Gamal Nasser, Sani Abacha, Ibrahim Babangida, Kwame Nkrumah, Muhammadu Buhari, Robert Mugabe, Samora Machel or Ibrahim Traore.

 

This ritual of inviting foreign leaders to the Oval office like King Hussein of Jordan (who literally had to bow and lick Trumps posterior), President Vlodomer Zelensky of Ukraine (who was insulted, rubbished, humiliated and finally thrown out) and now Cyril Ramaphosa (who was forced to watch an embarrassing scene about his country on television) and belittling and denigrating them must stop.

 

The humiliation of the South African President particularly was painful for me to watch because of the frightful history of his country and the terrible atrocities and apartheid system that the white Afrikaaner Boers subjected the black Africans to for hundreds of years.

 

They went through all that and now they have to suffer this in the hands of yet another white man.

 

This same white minority that oppressed and enslaved them in their own land for hundreds of years control 80% of the economy and own 90% of the land in their country today despite the fact that they only constitute 8% of the population.

These are the people that Trump is claiming are being subjected to genocide and is offering asylum in America.

 

These are people that in the main and in the past have regarded black Africans as being “no better than animals”.

 

These are people that practised apartheid and that described black people as the biblical “hewers of the wood and drawers of the water”.

These are the people that once regarded a black man as being a quarter of a human being and that not only refused to have legal inter racial sex or marriages but compelled black people to live in shanty towns that were little better than concentration camps and subjected them to pass laws much in the sane way as the Israelis are subjecting the Palestinians to such inhumanity and degradation today.

If a Nigerian leader had been treated like this at the Oval office and I was in the room believe me all hell would have broken loose and Trump, his VP, his Ministers, his team and the American White House Press Corps would not only have got more than they dished out and bargained for but they would have been given a curt history lesson about the past and present atrocities of their nation and a thorough and precise lecture about the matter at hand.

I am a Trump supporter but in all matters my nation and continent must come first.

I despise the way he bullied Ramaphosa and I hope and pray that if he or any other foreign leader tries this with any Nigerian leader that I am in the room.

The days of talking down to African Presidents are long over.

 

More importantly the days of cowardly, weak, subservient, spineless, grovelling, corrupt, compromised and ignorant African lichspittles and
quislings who call themselves leaders but who lack self-esteem, self-respect and pride in their people and who have no shame or dignity, who are hopelessly compromised, who have no knowledge of world affairs or world history, who are pawns of the neo-colonialists and imperialists and who have sold their soul and destiny of their nation to the western powers are long over.

This fact can be confirmed by what can best be described as the “Traore spirit” that is blowing into all the nooks and corners of our continent today.

As much as I love and support Trump his attitude and policy on Africa and Gaza leaves much to be desired.

He needs to do better and he must understand that the Palestinians and the Africans, though facing challenges, are far more resilient than his people ever were and come from a far older and greater civilisation than his country ever did.

 

We may not have their money and power but we have God.

 

Their time is now but tomorrow belongs to us. That God that put them up there and established their hegemony and empire shall remember us.

 

We too shall rise and at that time all men shall say that the rejected stone has become the corner stone, that the Lord uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wisdom of the wise and that in truth all things are possible with God.

 

(Chief Femi Fani-Kayode is the Sadaukin Shinkafi, the Wakilin Doka Potiskum, a former Minister of Aviation and a former Minister of Culture and Tourism)

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