De Patriot

By Suyi Ayodele “From tomorrow, don't pity me. I applied for the job, I campaigned for it, and I got the job, no excuses, I must deliver….” I chose to begin today’s piece with the words of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was sworn in yesterday as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. He spoke at the Presidential Inauguration Banquet and Gala Night held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja on Sunday, May 28, 2023, a few hours to his inauguration. Even as I sat down to write this, the ceremony was going on in Abuja, and I could hear the ecstasy of the supporters of the new president as they milled round their television screens to savour the joy of “a dream come true” as Tinubu stepped forward to take the oath of office. I must congratulate them; the Emilokan loyalists, and more importantly, the man of the moment himself, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I was locked out of my Facebook account for almost a year now because my device crashed. While trying to retrieve...

As the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari formally comes to an end today, Monday, 29th May, 2023, Edo Governorship Hopeful and Oracle of Rural Development, Hon. (Barr.) Deacon Sergius Ose Ogun has appealed to Nigerians who are dissatisfied with the outcome of the 2023 General Elections to keep calm and seek redress in court. The outgoing federal lawmaker representing Esan North-East and Esan South-East Federal Constituency of Edo state in the House of Representatives who gave the admonition via a terse release issued today urged the opposition to have faith in the ability of the judiciary to do justice to the myriads of election petitions begging for urgent attention in various courts across the federation. While urging the judiciary to do justice to all the election petitions without fear or favour, the Uncommon Federal Lawmaker opined that the bare-faced robbery and brazen irregularities that characterised the 2023 polls in some places should not be allowed to st...

By Lasisi Olagunju  There is a road in Canada that is officially known as 'Road to Nowhere'. Road signs there say so. At the terminal point of that road is virtually nothing apart from an access to a shooting range and a gated path that leads also to nowhere. A political journey can mirror a cruise on that road. There is also a popular town in Norway officially called Hell; the road to that town is the Road to Hell. In Oyo State, Nigeria, there is a town called Ilu Aje (town of witches); the road to that town is paved with misery. Each of these places has a history behind the weirdness of the name it bears. Road to Nowhere. There is a rock song of that title too. Its supposed writer and Talking Heads singer, David Byrne, told Q magazine in 1992 that the song is “about how there's no order and no plan and no scheme to life and death and it doesn't mean anything, but it's all right.” Those words sound so much like the Nigerian experience with democracy. It...

   By Suyi Ayodele   The Benin people of Edo State salute themselves as Ugievbudu (someone with a bold heart). Two Benin indigenes spoke about our economic situation as a country in an interval of two weeks. The two of them occupied very vantage positions that we will ignore the alarms they raised at our own peril. One is a Vice Chancellor (VC) of a university. The other is a governor. The two of them are subjects of the Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II the Oba of Benin. I have lived among the Benin people for a quarter of a century now. I can attest to the fact that when a Benin man or woman decides to be bold, he or she takes no prisoner. Professor Lilian Salami is the VC of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), and doubles as the Chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Universities of Nigeria. She delivered a keynote address recently where she raised the alarm that the Federal Government could no longer fund tertiary education. Professor ...

  By Suyi Ayodele   The president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a lucky man. Next to him in luck is Senator Dino Melaye, the PDP governorship candidate in Kogi State. Melaye will be lucky if he heeds the instructions of those who have given him their own version of 'Expo 2023' for the governorship election slated for November 11, 2023. If I were him, irrespective of my faith in the Lord, I would do what he was asked to do. Don't doubt my spirituality, folks. I remain in the Lord. I am only just being circumspect here. After all, our Lord Jesus Christ, when confronted with the legality of paying taxes to the Roman Empire admonished thus: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Ifa, the Yoruba main religion, in an Odu (Ifa Corpus), talks about "Òhun ti Ifa ni ti Ifa, òhun Toore ni ti Oore; Ògbé mu òhun fun olohun". The simple interpretation here is the same as the admonitio...

. Speaker, Edo state House of Assembly and member elect, Esan West, Esan central and Igueben federal constituency to the house of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Marcus Onobun ksc has celeberated his mother ,Hon. Cheif Mrs Stella Okoro as she marks her birthday today 5th May 2023, describing her as a jewel of inestimable value and a mother in a million. Rt.Hon. Marcus Onobun ksc in a special birthday message said " it has pleased God to bless me with a great mother like you ,who has been in the forefront of my growth from cradle till now , physically, spiritually and politically." " I celeberate you now and always , and thank God for making you a blessing to me and our family ,I thank God for who you are and who I have become through you."  " As a politician you have blazed the trail for others to follow, you have excelled as a great Pathfinder and a great mobilizer of women ." "Happy birthday , may God continue to enlighten your path, give you...

By Suyi Ayodele My first and only physical encounter, at least at a close range, with the Great Guru was on Tuesday, August 3, 2004. I had gone through two stages of interview for a job in his Globacom telecommunication outfit. The message came on Friday, July 30, 2004, that the final interview with Mr. Chairman was slated for Monday August 2 at 4.00pm. Monday came, and another message came, postponing the interview to August 3. There were about 23 candidates. We waited at the Saka Tinubu HR Department of the company. It was one of the longest waits for me. By 6pm, we were told that the interview would be held at the Oko-Awo office of the Chairman. We moved there. It was around 10.30pm, when the HR manager came to school us on how to sit, and speak when called in. “Once you enter, sit straight with your hands on the table and speak loudly”, the man said. By 11.17 pm, I was the first to be called in. I entered the office, which was like a cold-room because of the air conditi...

By Lasisi Olagunju  It was almost a missed call; or, more appropriately, an ignored call because the telephone number was unusual - an eight digit number. But, something told me: pick it, and I did. “Hello, is that Mr. Lasisi Olagunju?” “Yes, sir,” I answered, waiting for what would come next. “My name is Mike Adenuga...” It took me two, three seconds to process what I just heard: Adenuga? Of Globacom? The voice sounded real. I heard myself exclaim “Ha!” He heard me too and burst into laughter; he laughed heartily. Then, he followed up; telling me that he called to appreciate what I wrote. “I have just read your most recent article,” he said while commending the language, the choice of words. That was four years ago. He was referring to my August 19, 2019 piece I entitled: “Awujale's Ojude Oba 'swansong.'” He, particularly, thanked me for the mention I gave him and his company in that piece. But - I told myself - words about him and his exploits were in not more...