Nigeria Will Not Die For Their Comeback Tour
By Otega ‘The Tiger’ Ogra

/You Can’t Preach From a Pile of Ashes You Helped Light/

There is a particular breed of former power brokers who, having tasted relevance and lost it, now cosplay as revolutionaries, writing elegies and requiems for a country they once helped bleed. They say not every critic deserves an audience, but for this, I’ll speak.

I do know one thing, though… you do not get to light the fire and then sermonise over the ashes.

Their weekly essays and media junketing rounds should not be mistaken for rage. It is plain, simple revisionism. They attempt, hard as they try, to masquerade it as patriotism, but it reeks of projection. Yes, Nigeria may be in pain, but it is dishonest, almost wicked, to pretend that the decay began yesterday. And yes, many who should have healed her in the past chose instead to feed off the wound when they had the chance. In fact, some of the loudest mourners were the most efficient architects of the rot. You and I know them, and they know themselves.

I say to those who can hear… Nigeria is not dead, nor is it dying. But it had been bruised! Our Nigeria is now healing. Slowly. Surely. Steadily. This is despite those who once broke her, broke those under her care, and now write poems about the pieces.

Regardless of their diatribes, the Tinubu-Shettima administration is doing the hard, unpopular work of triage and rebuilding. Quietly. Deliberately. Without drama. I know this does not fit the poetic outrage some want to sell, but facts do not need applause. Time will tell, and future generations will hail the architect of this clinical surgery that is being done on our dear nation.

There is a reason these sudden prophets did not cry this loud when they sat in the seat of power. Their silence then was self-preservation, and their noise now is self-relevance.

KOKO OF THE MATTER: I personally do not deny the anger on their keyboards. Neither does my principal, President Bola Tinubu. However, we have chosen to confront this anger and the issues that have led to the malaise directly. We work through it, but we will not be lectured by those who had power and chose vengeance over vision or those who chose self-preservation in office rather than putting the needs of the many over theirs.

I say to this new breed of ‘politiprophets’: The Nigeria you mock is still home to millions waking up with fire in their bellies daily, building, fighting, and fixing—without noise, applause, or hashtags. It seems easier to curse and post than to craft and build. But if words were enough, Nigeria would be paradise by now.

Our job is not just to describe the decay but to disrupt it. We must bend systems, not just burn them with adjectives. We must enter rooms, not just shout from rooftops. We must rid the nation of its cabals in almost every sector. It is slow, complex, and unflattering. But it is necessary, and the positive results are beginning to show.

Yes, con men trend. But reformers still walk this land, and some lead this administration from top to bottom. You may choose to scroll past them because outrage travels faster than progress, but that doesn’t change the positive progress.

I will never defend what deserves condemnation. But I will never declare Nigeria a corpse while millions still fight for its pulse.

To those still fighting for Nigeria in schools, markets, farms, communities, and offices – home & abroad, President Bola Tinubu sees you. Our administration believes in you. And I refuse to sing a funeral song for a country and its beautiful people still breathing, still trying, still rising – against all odds. This is a reckoning.

Finally, those who seek Nigeria’s failure in the face of necessary reforms to put her back on the trajectory of sustainable prosperity and make her take her rightful place in the comity of Nations, kindly note that Nigeria will not die for your comeback tour.

~ Otega ‘The Tiger’ Ogra
Proudly Nigerian.

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Hon. Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo Breathes New Life into Abeokuta North LG Secretariat

In a landmark move aimed at strengthening governance and revitalizing public infrastructure, the Executive Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government, Hon. Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo, has successfully renovated the long-abandoned local government secretariat.

The secretariat, which had been in a state of disrepair for several years, has now been transformed into a functional and dignified administrative hub. This achievement marks a significant step in the Chairman’s commitment to restoring the pride of Abeokuta North and enhancing the delivery of essential services to the people.

The renovation work included structural repairs, re-roofing, modern office fittings, repainting, and upgrades to utility systems to ensure a conducive working environment for staff and a welcoming atmosphere for the public.

Residents and stakeholders have applauded the initiative, noting that the revamped secretariat is symbolic of the Chairman’s proactive leadership style and his focus on impactful, people-centered development.

How Nigeria can step into greatness it deserves-Former COAS, Buratai

Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (Rtd) has noted how Nigeria could attain the greatness it deserves in the comity of nations, saying that to achieve this, citizens must tolerate one another irrespective of ethno-religious differences.

General Buratai stated this at the weekend in Kaduna on the topic, “Religion as a Tool for Peace and
National Unity”, on the occasion of Award Recognition organised by Authentic Daily News.

Buratai who was represented by Major General Bulama Biu (Rtd) was among the Awardees.

This was even as the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) 19 Northern States & FCT, Rev. Joseph Hayab commended General Buratai for exemplary military leadership, citing the handling of the banned religious group from kaduna state crisis with maturity while in active service.

Others also spoke in justification of the Award given to Buratai.

According to the former COAS, “The theme before us today “Religion as a Tool for Peace and National Unity” is both a timely reminder and an urgent call. In the hands of the wise, faith becomes a bridge that spans rivers of misunderstanding; a balm that soothes ancient wounds. It teaches us that beyond creed and confession, our common humanity binds us more strongly than any differences could ever divide.

“No nation can rise on the foundations of suspicion and discord. It is only when our pulpits, our altars, and our mosques become fountains of tolerance, of respect, and of compassion, that Nigeria will truly step into the greatness she
deserves.

“These, we must work to achieve by every means available
including but not limited to accommodating one another in true
brotherhood.

“To the awardees present, may this recognition renew in you the silent vow we all make to labour not for applause, but for posterity.To be champions and advocates of better society we can all be proud of.

“To the young ones here today, remember: nations are not built by wishful thinking, but by the daily, patient sowing of seeds of understanding,
tolerance, and selfless service.You must therefore eschew all those
things that seek to undermine the development of our society. You are
indeed leaders of tomorrow. May the light of peace forever guide our steps as we build a united and
prosperous Nigeria.

“This award “The Authentic Award of Recognition Year 2024” is not
merely a plaque or a title. It is a silent testament to a journey travelled
with discipline, with devotion, and with an unshaken faith in Nigeria’s
promise. Let me also thank and appreciate the organisers for choosing a theme that is quite contemporary and a critical tool in our struggles for prosperity. This year’s theme “Religion as a Tool for Peace and National Unity” cannot come at a better time than now. It is a common knowledge that all religions acknowledge peace and preach peace in our human engagements”.