By Chinedu Nsofor

On Tuesday, popular Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele, shared a statement regarding the threat issued by President Donald Trump to invade Nigeria with military troops over reports of Christian genocide in the country.

Primate Ayodele, who vehemently opposed the idea, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to beg the US President because, according to him, Trump wants to negotiate with Nigeria for natural resources. He noted that the US president is only looking for ways to make money for his country and nothing more.

He had earlier warned Tinubu that the US is looking for ways to destabilise his government and that instead of going to beg him or negotiate, it’s better to seek God’s face and tackle insecurity adequately.

However, it appears this wise counsel didn’t sit well with a terrorist organisation, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, which expressed dissatisfaction in the statement Primate Ayodele made. This terrorist organisation, which has always supported anything that can divide the nation, stated that Primate Ayodele has always supported the APC government and that he ignored the Christians who are being killed daily. The terrorist organisation also tackled the prophet for not supporting Peter Obi during the last election.

When I read the statement which was signed by the National Director of Information, Comrade Edeson Samuel, it simply felt somewhat seeing MASSOB and Primate Ayodele in the same sentence because by every standard, MASSOB, a terrorist organisation, is just too little compared to what Primate Ayodele represents in Nigeria.

I just want to ask, what has MASSOB actually done even for the Igbo people in the nation other than hurt their businesses and waste their lives? For years, in some Southeast states, businesses have been crippled every Monday. Anyone who comes out is either shot dead or injured by MASSOB and its likes, even Peter Obi, this terrorist group is talking about now, did they support him in 2023? MASSOB has not done any good thing for the Igbos; the terrorist group is actually a curse to the Igbo people, so I wonder what is annoying this group?

For Primate Ayodele, the Igbos who have benefited from him are countless. The Igbo pastors he has are uncountable. The Igbo members of his church are countless. He even has a special service dedicated to the Igbos in his church, so I wonder what MASSOB is talking about here.

Just last week Sunday at his church, at least in pictures I saw on the internet, I saw a lot of members dressed in Igbo attire, which signifies that there are even some Sundays dedicated fully to the Igbo community. Recently, Primate Ayodele gave one of his members the sum of N1 million cash during a live service. The member, who is an Igbo man, couldn’t hold his tears while revealing that he had never seen such a huge amount of money all his life. These are records that can be found online, so I wonder where MASSOB got the audacity to speak about Primate Ayodele from.

Sincerely, the whole of MASSOB can’t lace the shoes of Primate Ayodele, and I know for sure that Igbo people will forever be grateful to Primate Ayodele, but for MASSOB, they will always rain curses on the terrorist group for robbing the good Igbo people of prosperity.

By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare

America, the world’s largest economy and symbol of democratic leadership, has now entered Day 36 of its historic federal government shutdown — the longest in U.S. history. Once again, it is under the watch of Donald J. Trump, who is repeating his own record from his first term. What was once dismissed as a political bargaining tactic has now become a national tragedy and a global warning.

The paralysis of the American government has brought hardship to millions. Across federal offices, the lights are off, salaries frozen, projects halted, and workers left uncertain about their future. Families are facing eviction notices, children are being withdrawn from schools due to unpaid fees, and hospitals are overwhelmed as medical coverage lapses for many government employees. The shutdown is eroding public confidence in institutions that once stood as pillars of strength.

THE HUMAN AND ECONOMIC TOLL

More than 4,100 federal employees have been laid off, while over 10,000 more are awaiting the same fate if the impasse continues. Hundreds of thousands remain furloughed, trapped in a cycle of unpaid work and financial distress. Small businesses that depend on government contracts are folding. Air travel is experiencing chaos as unpaid air traffic controllers call in sick, security personnel are stretched thin, and flight schedules are disrupted nationwide. Tourism has taken a deep hit as national parks remain closed, costing the hospitality and travel industry millions of dollars daily.

Consumer confidence is crashing. The stock market is jittery, responding nervously to Washington’s dysfunction. Banks have begun tightening credit lines as loan defaults rise among affected households. Grocery sales are falling as families ration food; retail chains are reporting declining foot traffic. Real estate markets are freezing up as mortgage approvals stall, and construction projects funded through federal programs are abandoned midstream. Public universities relying on federal grants have suspended research. Scientists, engineers, and innovators are being forced to pause vital national projects, weakening America’s technological edge.

The ripple extends to the private sector, where suppliers to government agencies have lost billions. From defense contractors to IT service providers, uncertainty has stalled productivity. Manufacturing output is shrinking as import bottlenecks persist under frozen customs operations. The shutdown has delayed the release of critical economic data, leaving both the Federal Reserve and global investors blind to key metrics. Even the agricultural sector is suffering, with farmers unable to access subsidies or export permits, deepening the crisis in rural America.

“The longer the shutdown continues, the more we worry about those permanent effects on the economy,” said Andrew Hollenhorst, Chief Economist at Citi.

GLOBAL FALLOUT

The global economy is trembling from America’s self-inflicted wound. International markets depend heavily on the stability of the U.S. government and its currency. With Washington at a standstill, foreign investors are pulling back, global credit is tightening, and the U.S. dollar is losing its commanding certainty. The shutdown has halted trade negotiations and delayed aid disbursements to partner nations, creating economic gaps in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Global oil prices are fluctuating erratically, and shipping routes are slowing due to reduced American import demand.

“The trust deficit has been there for a long time because of how Trump’s acted,” noted Senator Andy Kim, lamenting the erosion of America’s bipartisan cooperation.

While the U.S. reels under confusion, China is gaining quiet strength. Beijing’s steady governance and sustained industrial output have made it a magnet for investors fleeing American volatility. With U.S. trade policies in disarray, China is expanding its influence across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, consolidating its reputation as the world’s most stable major economy. The U.S. tariffs and trade restrictions of Trump’s earlier years have now come full circle — hurting American farmers, consumers, and manufacturers while empowering Chinese competitors.

Analysts at JPMorgan Chase estimate that each week of the shutdown reduces U.S. GDP by 0.1 percentage points, a loss that compounds with every passing day. The Federal Reserve warns of long-term scarring to employment, business confidence, and investment flows. Every day the government remains shut adds billions in losses — unrecoverable and irreversible. The once-booming U.S. economy is now bleeding internally, not from external wars but from internal political warfare.

PAINFUL RECOVERY AHEAD

Even if the government reopens tomorrow, the damage will not simply vanish. Workers will need months to recover from unpaid bills. Businesses will face severe liquidity gaps. Federal projects, scientific research, and military readiness will take time to restart. The psychological cost — fear, mistrust, fatigue — will linger longer than the shutdown itself. Foreign partners, once reliant on American leadership, are quietly reorienting toward other alliances.

“This is no longer a shutdown,” remarked a Brookings Institution economist. “It’s a slow-motion implosion of credibility.”

The shutdown has triggered unemployment, hunger, insecurity, educational disruption, health crises, and the slow decay of national morale. It has shaken the financial markets, reduced America’s international standing, delayed innovation, increased global inflation, strained international relations, halted diplomatic travel, weakened the dollar, and fuelled global economic anxiety. These are not isolated problems; they are interlinked consequences of one man’s egocentric governance.

Trump, who once promised to make America great again, has instead rendered it uncertain, divided, and economically fragile. His second shutdown, longer and costlier than the first, underscores the peril of leadership built on pride rather than principle. As America remains shut down, the rest of the world moves on — recalibrating, rebuilding, and realigning.

The United States once represented reliability. Today, it symbolizes dysfunction. Its economic heart is faint, its moral compass spinning. And as nations adjust to life without America at the helm, one painful truth emerges: the world’s greatest democracy is now teaching others how not to govern.

…Says He Followed Due Process, Seeks Government Intervention, Justice

A small-scale industrialist and promoter of Sevam’s Gases and Real Life Products, Mr. Tunde Taiwo, has cried out for help following the alleged demolition of his ₦500 million gas production facility by a Chinese firm, Sheng Xin Industrial Co. Ltd, and its local collaborators.

Mr. Taiwo, whose company deals in industrial and medical gases, including carbon dioxide and oxygen for commercial and hospital use, alleged that his plant located at Peteh area along Lagos-Ibadan Airspace Way, Ogun State, was illegally invaded and destroyed by men who claimed to be acting on behalf of another firm, Sengen Industries Limited, said to be owned by Chinese nationals and one “Olugere’s son.”

According to a petition written to the Commissioner for Justice and the Attorney General of Ogun State, the incident occurred in mid-October 2025, when over a hundred men, including armed mobile policemen and heavy-duty equipment operators, stormed his premises without any court or government demolition order, razing down buildings, production equipment, and storage facilities valued at over ₦500 million.

Recounting how the crisis began, Mr. Taiwo said he lawfully purchased the land measuring one acre in August 2023 from the Asurugbe family of Ogere Remo, under Ogun State jurisdiction.

“Before I bought the land, I went to the Ministry of Lands in Abeokuta. The government surveyors came, charted the land, and confirmed that it was free from acquisition,” he narrated.

“They advised me to do the survey, submit all my company documents, and begin the process of ratification since the land fell within government-acquired territory. I followed every instruction to the letter.”

He said that after completing all necessary assessments, officials informed him that another company, UNIFED, had an overlapping boundary, and both parties were advised to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

“We were ready for the MoU, but it never materialized. Still, we had no issues. We commenced operations peacefully by December 2023, producing industrial and medical gases,” he said.

For months, the company operated without interference. The traditional landowners, led by Alhaji Awusipe of the Asurugbe family, reportedly attended the plant’s commissioning ceremony.

“No one ever challenged our presence or ownership. Even the families who sold the land stood with us during development,” he said.

However, Mr. Taiwo said trouble began on May 1, 2025 (Workers’ Day) when he was alerted that a 40-foot container had been placed across the factory entrance by individuals claiming he had encroached on their land.

“They locked my customers inside and blocked access. They claimed we encroached on their property, even though their own land had been untouched, undeveloped, and only accessible through ours. It was shocking and provocative,” he recounted.

According to him, he reported the matter to the Ogun State Task Force on Land Grabbing and Illegal Development, as well as the Area Command of the Nigeria Police. He also involved the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, where petitions were submitted to relevant authorities.

“I wanted peace. I warned that if government didn’t step in, it could lead to confrontation or bloodshed,” he said.

Mr. Taiwo’s worst fears materialized on Saturday, October 17, 2025, when heavily armed men invaded his property.

“They came in about four trucks, five vehicles of mobile policemen with no identification, and a caterpillar,” he said.

“When asked for any demolition order or official backing, they said none was needed because they were taking possession of their land.”

He said his lawyer intervened, and the police temporarily stopped the demolition. However, by Monday, the attackers returned, allegedly backed by individuals claiming to have “court approval.”

“At the meeting with police, they tried to show us a document that turned out to be fake. Even the officer who read it said it only mentioned adjusting a fence, not demolition,” he alleged.

Despite the confusion, the group allegedly leveled the entire plant, destroying production machines, gas storage areas, administrative buildings, and perimeter fencing.

“They didn’t just destroy; they stole. Some of the vandals carted away valves and gauges, thinking they were scrap metal. I lost everything I’ve worked for in over 27 years of my career,” he lamented.

After the destruction, Mr. Taiwo claimed the same group fenced off the entire area, barring him and his workers from accessing the premises.

“They fenced it completely. I can’t even go in to salvage a single item. It feels like my property has been seized in broad daylight,” he said bitterly.

He accused a local monarch, the Ologere of Ogere, of being complicit in the takeover.

“The Ologere’s son, together with the Chinese partners, were behind everything. They claimed to have bought the land in 2024 months after I had purchased and developed mine,” he stated.

According to information seen on the CAC website, the company Sheng Xin Industrial Co. Ltd was incorporated in October 2023, after his own acquisition, yet allegedly produced backdated documents to justify their claim. Checks also revealed that the Ologere’s son is a director of the company.

“They even forged a family member’s signature to claim ownership of all the surrounding land,” he alleged.

“Even if they believe they have a case, the law is clear you don’t take possession through violence or self-help. You go to court.”

He however call for Government intervention, Mr. Taiwo appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, and the Ogun State Task Force on Land Grabbing to urgently intervene.

“I want the government to call the Chinese company and the Ologere family to order. They should compensate me for malicious destruction and theft. The government must also determine the true ownership through proper investigation,” he said.

He further urged the police hierarchy and anti-land-grabbing agencies to ensure that such acts of impunity do not continue unchecked in Ogun State’s industrial corridor.

“This is how investors lose confidence. I worked for nearly three decades in the gas industry, invested all my life savings, and within a day, everything vanished. Government must not allow this injustice to stand,” he appealed.

For Mr. Taiwo, however, it is not just another headline it is a painful reminder that in Nigeria’s property market, due diligence may not always guarantee safety, unless government institutions rise firmly in defense of justice and lawful ownership.

“I only want justice,” he said quietly. “Let the truth come out, and let what has been destroyed be restored.”

When contacted for his reaction, the Ologere of Ogere replied,
“Neither myself nor my son was involved in any demolition of property. It’s better to direct your letter to the company involved. The manager of the Chinese company can be reached on 09127********.”

When contacted, the son of the Ologere, whose name appeared on the CAC document as a director of the company, responded courteously:

“Good afternoon. I am not a director or staff of Shengxin Company, as was wrongly stated in their CAC document which shall be rectified soon. I didn’t lead any demolition, neither do I have detailed information about the incident.
Nevertheless, you can direct all your enquiries to this principal staff of the company 0912*******.”

However, efforts to reach the firm’s owner, Mr. Xuehong Yang, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to text messages as at the time of filing this report neither was there any response from the number given by both the Ologere of Ogere and his son.