news
Oko Opo Foundation Set To Berth Formally December 26
Oko Opo Foundation Set To Berth Formally December 26
… To Put Smiles On Faces Of More 100 Widows In Ogun
Sahara Weekly Reports That Oko Opo Foundation, the dream project of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Dr Babatunde Adeyemo, will formally berth on Boxing Day, December 26 at The Podium inside the cosy Pelican Valle, Laderin, Abeokuta where unsual home happens.
Oko Opo Foundation, a non- profit making and Humanitarian organisation, meant to cater for the widows, children and other vulnerable members of the society, will be formally unveiled to the world through Live Executive Media Briefing using the Foundation’s official Facebook page.
The 45 – minute long online briefing scheduled to hold between( 9 – 9.45am on boxingday) will be anchored by Veteran broadcast Journalist Eddie Aina, Public Relations expert, Tope Adaramola, Public Affairs Commentator, a author/publisher, Mr. Lanre Jaji, Correspondent of The Nation Newspaper in Ogun State, Mr Ernest Nwokolo. The media briefing is also going to be attended by the Board of Directors of the Foundation and also.a veteran actor and Pelican brand ambassador, Mr. James Sehinde, popularly know as pa.James.
The promoter, Dr Adeyemo who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in his office at the Pelican Valley Estate Laderin, said the anchor persons will use the avenue to highlight the vision, mission and activities of the Foundation.
According to him, there will be a meeting with no fewer than 100 widows at The Podium immediately after the Executive media briefing and this segment will feature education and enlightenment talks on aging, age related health issues and effective coping strategies for widows.
This session will be handled by health consultants, Pelican Valley Brand Ambassador and Mr. Lanre Jaji who has authored a book on aging. The Iya Adinni of Ginti Muslim Community Central Mosque Ikorodu, Alhaja Sidikat Adeyemo; the octogenarian mother of the founder of the Oko Opo Foundation? Dr. Adeyemo and herself a widow, is also expected to share her useful experience to encourage colleagues on that day.
Adeyemo said at the end of the meeting, each of the widows will go home with food items and cash gifts while transportation arrangements have also been made to convey them to and from the event venue on Boxing Day.
He revealed his long term plans for the widows, saying he will keep the Register of the widows for necessary follow up, and also facilitate the provision of modest housing accommodations for most vonourable widows in the long run – comprising one bedroom and two – bedroom studio apartments, to be built within an acre of land he had donated for that purpose.
Fielding questions from newsmen about the rationale behind the Oko Opo Foundation, he said, “I have a covenant with God that I want to dedecate my heart and soul towards given hope to the widows . We are already leading by example because apart from distributing some materials, we built the podium purposely because of the foundation. We actually want to make it a long term as what I will do for the rest of my life and my children can also take over from me.
“I don’t want the foundation to look political because if we do that, we will find ourselves in politics without knowing and I don’t want to do politics that is why I set up the foundation. I want to touch the life of people directly. The only two ways you can touch the life of people is through politics or having a Foundation, and I don’t want to do politics that is why I’m opting for Foundation.
“People often get it wrong that settingup a foundation shouldbe a springboard to politicking. If you want to go into politics, join politics, because politics itself is a charity work; it ought not to be something you will do and collecting salary. For me, politics is like you are protecting the people, the economy and the world from imminent collapse. When you are protecting the economy, it is akin to protecting the whole world and source of sustenance of humanity but most people don’t get it right.
“Politics shouldn’t be about self interest and that is why I set up this foundation and I don’t want to invite politicians but whoever that wants to support the Foundation can support without expecting reciprocation or any gesture because even me that set it up is not expecting anything. I could have used the money I have to buy exotic cars or travel abroad. Though, I don’t have money in my account but out of none, we are still trying to cater for people that we believe are most vulnerable in the society. Instead of using the money for vacation with my family, I would rather spend the money on the needy.” Dr. Adeyemo said.
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.
news
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.
-
society7 months agoReligion: Africa’s Oldest Weapon of Enslavement and the Forgotten Truth
-
news4 months agoWHO REALLY OWNS MONIEPOINT? The $290 Million Deal That Sold Nigeria’s Top Fintech to Foreign Interests
-
society6 months ago“You Are Never Without Help” – Pastor Gebhardt Berndt Inspires Hope Through Empower Church (Video)
-
celebrity radar - gossips2 months agoDr. Chris Okafor Returns with Power and Fire of the Spirit -Mounts Grace Nation Altar with Fresh Anointing and Restoration Grace on February 1, 2026