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OSUN 2018: APC IN THE HANDS OF ARCHENEMY*
- Highlighting some of the factors that is likely to cause hullabaloo to All Progressives Congress APC in Osun State.
Osun State recent electoral misfortune in the western senatorial district can not be easily forgotten,not with the margins at which the opposition triumphed in the previous election that made the dancing senator to emerged victoriously.
Divergent views and opinions were expressed,what is however cleared and monumental is the fact that APC has lost Nine against one, which was a collosal loss if not disgraceful to say the objective truth.
We can not deemphasis various factors but rather term it as a bye product to the reproduction of what made APC lost two federal constituencies in the last national election namely the Oriade Obokun and ife federal constituency.
One of the greatest factors affecting All Progressives Congress APC includes ;
*Hidden Ambitions*
Hidden ambition and the idea of fielding those gladiators to work for same elective position as campaign coordinators or mobilizer chairman for the same election they lost its ticket without consulting the winner or the candidates involved ,those silent pretenders sometimes become controller of funds ,men and women meant to work for the party victory,these are people who have unsettled score and malice with the same person aspiring election.
Apparently, The case is like asking the same person who seek obaship to be the one to crown the same person who emerged. This among others is said to be the reasons why ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS APC in Osun State normally record downthrow in many areas.
*Power Tussle*
The same scenario is re-emerging in embryonic way, where ,One time Commissioner who once indicated his interest for the house of Representatives seat of Oriade Obokun is now said to be overhauling his structure ahead of others and without even consulting the sitting Governor of Osun State.
He is believed to be one of the richest and well blessed commissioner under the first term of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
Same also is the feelings from ife federal constituency on also a one time Commissioner in Osun State who is equally eyeing the federal house of Representatives seat.
Meanwhile, It is on record that these two grand styling gladiators had served under the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as commissioners. The reasons for them not to be returned as commissioner was connected to top security report at government disposal and their roles as campaign chairmen and their superogatory ambitions.
These two personalities has been eyeing elective posts to satisfy their inner conscience, but the whipped of the Governor as cabinet members made them dropped their ambition and both ironically became the campaign chairmen of their respective domain.
There goes the errors, It was very possible for them not to worked with their full hearts because election funds,materials and men were at their disposals, discretions and candidates were left at their mercies.
*Issue of Aggrieved Members*
This is contained in a press statement Diekola made available to journalists in Osogbo on Monday, saying members of the party are divided and that the party cannot win the governorship election of 2018.
“There is nothing romantic about crisis within a political family, but we can’t afford to condone a lie that has a tendency to drag us backwards in our quest to genuinely reposition the party ahead of 2018.”
“As a concerned party member, I have studied the press statement, I wish, I could maintain silence after reading the poorly calibrated speech. The urge to respond to some of the political notes extracted from the statement, is irresistible.”
“With much reluctance to believe that Barrister Kunle Oyatomi genuinely meant some of the notes averred in the party press statement. Further, it’s very doubtful that Barrister Kunle Oyatomi had all round consultation with party bigwigs before he rushed to the press and tagged the ‘brains’ behind the electoral success of Osun APC in the past, and before things fell apart ‘dissidents.
“The diction and tone of the press release worries me, it doesn’t reflect that important lessons had been learnt from the concluded Osun West Senatorial bye-election.”
“However, I’m politically tempted to sympathise with Barrister Kunle Oyatomi, as APC spokesman; he’s understandably handicapped and under intense political pressure to promote a facade of unity within Osun APC.”
“Recall, the same Barrister Kunle Oyatomi issued a press statement before the concluded Osun West Senatorial bye election where he dismissed and downplayed the existence of the aggrieved bloc within Osun APC. The outcome of the bye election pointedly punctured his lie and dismissed him as a naive party member constrained by the party position.”
“While I cautiously agree with Barrister Kunle Oyatomi that unlike Osun PDP, we have one chairman in the person of prince Gboyega Famodun and our Secretariat headquarters is along Gbongan- Ibadan Road in the heart of Osogbo, unfortunately, Oyatomi forgot albeit deliberately, to tell us the number of times the Famodun led APC state executives had met, when last it held meeting at the state party Secretariat and how many of its members in the state executives are currently aggrieved and uncomfortable with the leadership of prince Adegboyega Famodun?”
“The time has come to say the truth. Whist it might be inconvenient for the political cotton weights, and a handful of politicians without a solid political base, masquerading as friends and loyalists of governor Rauf Aregbesola. I believe we need to speak the truth. And the truth is this: Famodun’s leadership is the biggest albatross on the neck of Osun APC.”
“The failure of Osun APC state leadership became manifest when we lost Osun West bye election to the Peoples Democratic Party. If the leadership of the party in the state had guided the selection process of the party without public display of bias against one of the aspirants, may be, the result could have been much different.
“How would Barrister Oyatomi convince party members and political watchers that party leadership is in charge of a ruling party where a cabinet member gleefully appointed his brother in-law as SSA legal without a murmur from the party leadership.”
“Quite to the contrary, we are divided in Osun APC, but unlike PDP; we have one chairman whose politics and leadership style have divided the party into two major blocs.”
“With the tone and diction of the press statement released by Barrister Kunle Oyatomi, dismissing the ‘home based politicians’ in Osun APC as ‘dissidents’, there is nothing suggesting that the ‘hawks’ in Osun APC are comfortable with the reconciliation process initiated by the National Secretariat of our party.
“Notwithstanding this temporary setbacks, we, the home based politicians in Osun APC have absolute confidence in the national leadership of our party and strongly in support of its political efforts to reposition the party in the state ahead of 2018 governorship election,” the statement reads.
Now,the game has started again, the coast is becoming clearer and opinions of today is that their ambitions remained alive and seriously manifesting day by day.
This could not have just started within a short period. Let the judges therefore learn to excuse themselves from this new game of governorship for history not to repeat itself again and again.
Precision and Heritage: How Fifi Stitches Is Rewriting African Fashion Narratives
A Nigerian-born designer is gradually carving out a cross-continental footprint in contemporary fashion, blending African textile heritage with British technical discipline.
Esther Fiyinfoluwa Adeosun, Founder and Creative Director of Fifi Stitches, is gaining recognition for structured womenswear and bridal couture that reinterprets traditional fabrics through architectural tailoring and precision construction.
Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeosun’s fashion journey began at home, seated beside her mother’s sewing machine. What started as childhood curiosity, sometimes jamming the machine just to understand its mechanics—evolved into a disciplined design practice now operating between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
During an interview with journalists the fifi Stitches once mentioned “I was fascinated by how flat fabric could transform into something structured and meaningful”.
In her Story , early designs made for her family, though imperfectly finished, were worn with pride—an encouragement that laid the foundation for her professional confidence.
Today, Fifi Stitches is recognised for sculpted bodices, controlled tailoring, corsetry construction, and the contemporary reinterpretation of Ankara, Aso Oke, and Adire textiles.
The brand challenges the long-held perception that African fabrics belong solely in ceremonial contexts, instead positioning them within global luxury and modern design spaces.
Adeosun’s training reflects this dual perspective. She studied Fashion Design and Entrepreneurship at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, and earned a Diploma in Fashion Design through Alison Online.
In the UK, she undertook industry-focused technical training with Fashion-Enter Ltd and gained fashion business exposure through Fashion Capital UK.
Her technical expertise spans pattern drafting, draping, garment technology, structured tailoring, corsetry, and bespoke fittings—skills she describes as central to credibility in fashion. “Precision builds trust,” she says. “A designer must understand construction as deeply as creativity.”
Fifi Stitches has showcased collections at the Suffolk Fashion Show, Liverpool Fashion Show – FB Fashion Ball, Red Carpet Fashion Event in London, and through editorial features in London Runway Magazine.
The brand has also received coverage in The Guardian Nigeria and Vanguard Allure, expanding its visibility across markets.
Beyond couture, Adeosun integrates community impact into her practice.
She has facilitated garment construction workshops, draping sessions, and introductory training programmes for women and emerging creatives, promoting fashion as both artistic expression and vocational empowerment.
Fifi Stcithes Boss operates between Nigeria and the UK, in order to continue to shape her brand identity.
According to her “Nigeria provides cultural richness and expressive textile traditions, while the UK offers structured production systems, sustainability conversations, and institutional frameworks”.
Looking ahead, Adeosun said she plan to establish a fully structured fashion house spanning Africa and the UK, develop scalable production partnerships, launch capsule collections, and expand independent editorial visibility.
Her broader ambition is clear: to position African textile craftsmanship within global contemporary design conversations—through structure, discipline, and technical excellence.
GTCO Launches “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, Opens Call for Applications
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has announced the launch of “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, reaffirming its commitment to fostering innovation, empowering talent, and supporting the development of technology-driven solutions that address real-world challenges across Africa.
Now in its third edition, the Hackathon brings together developers, designers and entrepreneurs across Nigeria in a collaborative environment to build practical solutions across key sectors including financial services, healthcare, commerce and digital inclusion. Under the theme “Smart Systems: The Intelligent Economy,” participants are challenged to design and build intelligent, data-driven solutions that transform how communities engage with money.
Applications are now open, and interested teams can find full guidelines and registration details on the official portal at https://squadco.com/hackathon.
Speaking on the initiative, Eduophon Japhet, Managing Director of HabariPay, stated: “Today’s dynamic, digitally driven world demands continuous innovation, which is shaping how economies grow, how businesses scale, and how societies evolve. Through “Take on Squad” Hackathon, we are deliberately investing in the ideas and talent that will define the future. Our objective is not simply to encourage innovation, but to enable its translation into scalable solutions that deliver real and measurable impact. This reflects GTCO’s role as a financial services platform that connects capital, capability, and creativity to drive sustainable progress.”
The social coding event remains a cornerstone of HabariPay’s mission to foster creativity and problem-solving among emerging tech talents. Competing teams will leverage Squad’s advanced APIs to create scalable digital tools that address everyday challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
Through initiatives such as this, GTCO continues to position itself at the intersection of finance, technology and enterprise, actively shaping the future of digital transformation in Africa.
About HabariPay
HabariPay Ltd is the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa with direct and indirect investments in a network of operating entities located in 10 countries across Africa and the United Kingdom.
Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), our goal is to support SMEs, micro merchants, large corporations and other fintechs (Tech Stars) with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving digital economy and expand beyond their current market reach. HabariPay’s solutions include Squad, a full-scale digital payments toolkit to make in-person and online payments simpler, HabariPay Storefront, an e-commerce website to facilitate online purchases, Value-Added Services to help merchants access cost-effective and flexible airtime and data bundles to run their businesses, as well as a switching infrastructure that enables tech-focused businesses to optimise cost and make transactions more efficient.
HabariPay’s contributions to Accelerating Digital Acceptance in Africa have not gone unnoticed–it received Mastercard’s Innovative Mobile Payment Solution Award at TIA 2022 for its innovative payment solution, SquadPOS.
About Squad
Squad is a complete digital payments solution that is reliable, secure, and affordable, making receiving in-person and online payments simpler and convenient.
Thousands of merchants currently leverage Squad’s payment solutions for their daily business operations. Squad’s current products and service offerings include SquadPOS, Squad Payment Links, Squad Virtual Accounts, USSD, and E-Commerce Storefront.
Find out more at www.squadco.com.
Electric 8-Seater Tula Moto Keke Enters Nigerian Market, Targets Higher Operator Earnings
LAGOS — A new electric-powered tricycle with an expanded passenger capacity has been introduced into Nigeria’s urban transport sector, offering operators a potentially more profitable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional petrol-driven “keke.”
The newly launched 8-seater electric tricycle, now available in Lagos with plans for nationwide distribution, features a dual-row seating arrangement capable of accommodating up to eight passengers per trip—significantly higher than the standard three-passenger configuration common across the country.
Promoters of the innovation say the increased capacity is designed to boost daily earnings for operators, particularly amid persistent fluctuations in fuel prices. By running entirely on electric power, the vehicle eliminates dependence on petrol, reducing operating costs and shielding drivers from fuel price volatility.
According to the distributors, the tricycle is equipped with a durable battery system capable of covering extended distances on a single charge, making it suitable for commercial operations across high-traffic routes, residential estates, campuses, and marketplaces.
“The concept is straightforward—enable drivers to earn more while spending less,” a company representative stated. “With higher passenger capacity and zero fuel requirements, operators can maximise each trip without the burden of daily fuel expenses.”
Beyond its cost-saving potential, the electric keke is also said to require less maintenance than traditional models, offering additional long-term savings. Its quieter and smoother operation is expected to enhance passenger comfort and overall commuting experience.
Industry analysts note that the introduction of electric mobility solutions reflects a growing shift toward cleaner and more sustainable transportation alternatives in Nigeria, particularly in densely populated urban centres such as Lagos.
The distributors added that the product is currently available under a limited promotional offer, with delivery options across the country.
For inquiries and purchase: 📞 08153432071
📞 08035889103
Office Address:
📍 Plot 9, Block 113, Beulah Plaza,
Lekki–Epe Expressway,
Lekki Phase 1, Lagos
As transportation costs continue to rise and environmental concerns gain prominence, innovations like the electric 8-seater keke may signal an emerging transition toward more efficient and sustainable mobility solutions nationwide.
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