LG Poll: Party leaders urge Obasa to support son’s aspiration for Agege Chairmanship
… Endorse Akinola Idowu for Orile-Agege LCDA

Leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Agege Local Government Area and Orile Agege Local Council Development Area have unanimously endorsed Abdulganiyu Vinod Obasa and Akinola Idowu’s bid to contest for the chairmanship of the respective councils in the upcoming July poll.
They also urged Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, to throw his weight behind his son’s aspiration.

This was the outcome of a recent meeting attended by Hon. Wale Ahmed, a member of the House of Representatives; Hon. Taofeek Adaranijo who represented Agege Federal Constituency in the Eighth National Assembly; Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, Lagos State Commissioner for Establishments and Training; Hon Tajudeen Afolabi, Special Adviser, Political, Legislative & Civic Engagement to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Richard Oshungboye, former chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Commission.

Among other attendees are the incumbent chairman of Agege LGA, Hon. Ganiyu Egunjobi; his Orile Agege LCDA counterpart, Hon. Johnson Babatunde;
Agege LGA vice-chairman, Hon. Gbenga Abiola; Hon. Jubril Abdul Kareem, Member, Lagos State House of Assembly; Chief Safari Adaranijo, octogenarian party leader; Alhaji Tunde Disco, chairman, APC Agege chapter; Hon. Salaudeen Olaniyi, Orile Agege APC chapter chairman,
and former Agege LGA chairmen, Rotimi Adesina and Chief Owolabi Dada.

Speaking on behalf of the community and party leaders, Egunjobi, Executive Chairman of Agege LGA, said the leaders resolved to support the younger Obasa’s chairmanship bid because he has all the professional and political bona fides to occupy the seat, and to give the younger generation a shot at leadership.

According to him, “Our agitation stems from the indisputable fact that Vinod has the professional and political experience, exposure, education, and capacity to take Agege to a new height, given his outstanding involvement in grassroots politics and community service over the years.

“He is also a very well-educated young man with first and second degrees in Accounting and Finance from universities in the UK, and currently a PhD. student at Babcock University. Also, Vinod is not lacking in experience, having worked for Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) and Providus Bank before moving to Parallex Bank, where he left as the Head of Performance Management and Strategy to start his own business, an emerging force in real estate and farming.”

Egunjobi added that the younger Obasa’s football academy, VINOD FA, run by his Kings Sports International, is impacting the community positively. “I know that over four footballers from his academy in Agege here are currently in Europe on the verge of signing professional contracts. So, we have another Kunle Soname of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council on our hands. Therefore, Vinod needs all the encouragement he can get from us and his dad,” the council chair added.

The two-term chairman of Agege LGA declared that Vinod’s political vibrancy and youthfulness are consistent with what currently prevails in the council’s administration, saying, “How old was I when I became the Council Chairman eight years ago? The two vice-chairmen who have worked with me are also young men.”

He added, “We consider our earnest desire to have Vinod as our council chairman as a way of rewarding the numerous humanitarian endeavours of the Speaker in Agege land and beyond. Obasa has removed several families from poverty by helping them to get jobs in the civil service and political appointments; and for most of us, this is payback time.”

He concluded, “It’s our heartfelt wish that Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa rescinds his opposition to our collective desire to make AbdulGaniyu Vinod Obasa our next council chairman.”
Egunjobi described Idowu, the Orile Agege LCDA aspirant, as a dedicated leader with experience in community development who had developed a deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of his community.

However, sources say Speaker Obasa has insisted that there must be a level playing field for every aspirant at the upcoming polls.

Senator Solomon Under Fire As Mushin Group Demands End To Political Imposition:

As the July 12, 2025, local government elections approach, political heat is rising in Mushin. A civic group, Mushin Democratic Front, has lashed out at the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the party, especially its Mushin apex leader, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS) f consistently imposing candidates on the people. The group described the practice as a “shameless tradition” that stifles internal democracy and sidelines grassroots voices.

Speaking at a press conference held at Benson Hall in the heart of Mushin on Thursday, the group’s convener, Comrade Rasheed Ogunlana, accused Senator Solomon of “running Mushin politics like a family estate” and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) to halt what he described as “this growing cancer of political manipulation.”

According to Ogunlana, the outgoing Local Government Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary to the Local Government, and the Member representing Mushin Constituency in the House of Assembly were all “products of Senator Ganiyu Solomon’s sole decision, without any or with minimal input from party faithful or the people.”

“It has become a norm for Senator GOS to summon Mushin APC leaders to his Magodo mansion, where decisions about our future are taken behind closed doors. He dictates who gets what, who runs where, and who gets silenced. This is not leadership; this is tyranny dressed in agbada,” Ogunlana declared.

He alleged that over 90% of key APC executive positions in Mushin are directly attributed to Solomon’s personal picks, leaving little or no room for democratic engagement or fresh grassroots participation.

The Mushin Democratic Front warned that such impositions are breeding frustration, apathy, and resentment among the electorate. Ogunlana hinted that if the APC fails to address this undemocratic culture, many aggrieved stakeholders might explore alternative political platforms.

“The APC is losing the trust of the people in Mushin. The same faces, the same scripts, the same author. How do you expect innovation, development, or credibility?” Ogunlana asked rhetorically.

The group further emphasized the urgent need for fair and equitable power-sharing, calling for the nomination of individuals with the capacity to give Mushin a new direction.

“Can we honestly compare the development in Mushin to that of Odi-Olowo or Surulere? Our local government needs a new face, and for that to happen, our findings show that the distinguished Senator must take a back seat in the nomination of who leads the council,” he added.

“No one group should dominate others. If the APC must truly serve the people in Mushin, then power must be evenly distributed among all legitimate and recognized blocs. Anything less is injustice,” Ogunlana concluded.

The group also called on LASIEC to ensure transparency in the electoral process, stressing that democracy must not only be preached, but practiced.

They urged President Tinubu, who has deep roots in grassroots politics, to intervene and restore internal democracy in the Lagos APC.

“We call on Mr. President to remember that Mushin has always stood with him. It’s time for the local government to have a fresh and refined leader. The GAC, which is the party’s highest decision-making body, must not sit idle while one man derails democracy in Mushin,” the statement concluded.

With weeks to go before the local government elections, Mushin joins a growing list of places where political manipulation, candidate imposition, and lack of transparency threaten the integrity of the democratic process.

WHERE IS NIGERIA TODAY UNDER PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU

Easter Weekend Special by Otega ‘The Tiger’ Ogra

Just so you are better informed about our country, Nigeria, here are seven facts about our debt stock and our dear country’s path to progress under President Bola Tinubu (x – @officialABAT / Instagram & Facebook @officialasiwajubat).

Nigeria’s economic progress is evident in several key areas. Firstly, Nigeria’s Debt Stock (External + Domestic of FGN, the 36 states, and the FCT) is down from $108.2bn to $94.2bn as of Dec 31, 2024. Additionally, PBAT has cleared all verified FX backlogs of about $7bn. Despite dutifully paying off the backlog and reducing our total debt stock through consistent payments to creditors, Nigeria’s gross external reserves still grew to approximately $40.9 billion at the end of 2024, significantly higher than the $33.0 billion recorded in 2023. Net external reserves amounted to $23.3 billion, a 482.5% improvement from about $4.0 billion in 2023.

The Balance of Payments (BOP) surplus is another indicator of Nigeria’s economic growth. Nigeria achieved a BOP surplus of $6.83 billion in 2024, a significant turnaround from deficits of $3.34 billion in 2023 and $3.32 billion in 2022, reflecting stronger trade performance and increased investor confidence. Furthermore, our Non-oil exports also increased by 24.6% to $7.46 billion, while gas exports surged by 48.3% to $8.66 billion, boosting our overall trade surplus. Thanks to NGML and NLNG.

Investor confidence is also on the rise. Portfolio investment inflows, a sign of rising investor confidence in a country, more than doubled, increasing by 106.5% to $13.35 billion in 2024. Renewed investor confidence in Nigeria is driven by President Bola Tinubu’s bold macroeconomic reforms. Moreover, personal remittances from Nigerians abroad grew by 8.9% to reach $20.93 billion, complemented by a 43.5% rise in inflows via International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to $4.73 billion, demonstrating increased trust from the diaspora in our economy. Thank you, dear Nigerians in the diaspora, for believing in your country.

These achievements demonstrate President Tinubu’s effective leadership. Prudent management, optimization, and deployment of resources are what you get when you elect a President who understands finance and accounting and has done actual work along these lines with major corporations in the world. This is who our President Bola Tinubu is—educated, focused, knowledgeable, and a Strategic Thinker & Planner. ‘Our Asiwaju,’ ‘The Jagaban,’ President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not ‘someone who gets governance and financial management advice from a mentally impaired person living under a bridge’ like a particular critic who ran for office does (_not my words but the critic’s_). What I mean is that #FollowWhoKnowRoad knows the work that needs to be done and ‘knows the book’.

P.s. You can always visit (https://dmo.gov.ng) or ask the Debt Management Office @DMONigeria for more info on our debt profile.

PART II

NIGERIA’S DEBT PROFILE FUN FACT

Do you know that our IMF loan obligations have been significantly paid down from $2.47 billion as of 2023 to $800.23 million at the end of 2024? A substantial decrease of over 67% in that period.

Some key points to note about Nigeria’s debt profile include:

– Nigeria, under PBAT, is paying its loans back. No default. No unnecessary borrowings. No seeking for tens of billions of dollars in debt bailout and sacking of 70% of the workforce (as another ‘critic-perennial candidate’ prescribed as a solution citing another country in South America as his example).

– Nigeria, under PBAT, is clearing legacy debts from multiple administrations. Yet, our foreign reserves are rising.

– The federating states are receiving more FAAC allocations under PBAT’s administration. Their highest ever.

– Nigeria under PBAT is now exporting more than it imports. We have a trade and payments surplus. Did I hear someone say PBAT is the real ‘consumption to production’ advocate?

– Foreign investors are coming back under PBAT – from those in the oil & gas sector who left to new investors in Agribusiness, Solid Minerals, Aviation, Industry, etc. That’s confidence.

– Local investors are not left out. From Dangote to BUA, Breweries to Banks, and many others, they are pulling in their biggest profits in years. If you doubt me, check the official company results on the NGX website. e.g., Nigerian Breweries did a massive turnaround in profits in their just-released results. Go and verify!

Road construction is simultaneously ongoing in 74 roads across 24 states of the Federation, as well as the marquee Lagos-Calabar & Sokoto-Badagry super highways which will open up industry, agriculture, and productivity along those routes. Approvals have been given for the completion of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road. The East-West Road is on track. Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Road is being reconstructed. 2nd Niger Bridge Phase 2B (access roads) has commenced. The list is almost endless.

Again, follow whoever knows the road!!!

After former President M Buhari (2015-2023) did his best to navigate the country through an economic crisis brought about by profligate spending by the admin before him + Covid-19 + global recessions + disruptions to the global supply chains, President Tinubu said upon assuming office that he will build on the good works of his APC predecessor, fix cumulative structural imbalances from previous admins, and build a solid foundation for Nigeria and generations yet unborn.

Nigeria will thrive and succeed. Amen. If you are not betting on Nigeria already, you are on a long thing! #BetOnNigeria

Otega ‘The Tiger’ Ogra

Senior Aide to President Bola Tinubu

18 April 2025

Part I

https://x.com/otegaogra/status/1913172288788214001?s=46&t=-WT1A6V3jj52Bil8fk9JS

Part II:

https://x.com/otegaogra/status/1913172426805981653?s=46&t=-WT1A6V3jj52Bil8fk9JSg