De Patriot

By Suyi Ayodele Not long ago, multi-millionaire militant, Asari Dokubo, in an interview with Arise TV, had this to say about his own ancestry: “I don’t know whether IPOB is Igbo. Even though I have Igbo blood flowing in my veins. I am not an Igbo man today. My great ancestor was originally an Igbo man from Abam (in Abia State). His parents moved to Obosi in present day Anambra State. From there, he came to Kalabari… and he became a Kalabari man.” In another breath, the same Dokubo spoke about his identity as a Nigerian. He denounced his Nigerian citizenship and claimed the separatist state of Biafra. Hear him: “Nigeria is not my country. I am an Ijaw man. I have never chosen to renounce my citizenship of Ijaw Nation. Abonnema is Biafra, Buguma is Biafra, Bakana is Biafra, Ogbuma is Biafra, Kula is Biafra, Abise is Biafra, Idama is Biafra, Soku is Biafra. These are the communities that I come from. The whole of Ijaw is Biafra. Biafra is a coastal region.” You need to see the...

By Lasisi Olagunju There was a time in Nigeria's media history when a certain Ebenezer Williams was arguably one of the country's best newspaper columnists. But that popular name was a pseudonym, a fictitious identity. The masquerade donning that beautiful costume was Abiodun Aloba, colonial and post-colonial Nigeria media genius. He died in 2001. In the Daily Express of April 18, 1970, three months after the Nigerian civil war ended, and thirty-one years before the man died, he did a post-mortem of the Nigerian civil war and a character portrait of the Ibo (now called Igbo). Read him slowly, carefully: “They are too ebullient in victory, too sullen in defeat. They are too mechanical in a technology world ...They are too bookish; they are too much of crowd, jumping just where the leader had jumped...” Ebenezer Williams believed that if the Igbo had won the civil war, all, and that included their friends and foes, “would have all had it.” Three weeks after Ebenezer W...

By Suyi Ayodele Onibara consulted the Oracle to know what the future held for him. Ifa warned him that a strange, but beautiful woman would approach him for marriage and that he should decline. To ward off the emergence of the strange woman, Onibara was asked to make sacrifices, which he bluntly refused to carry out. Shortly thereafter, a beautiful woman came to Ibara and declared her love for the king. Palace functionaries who were privy to the Ifa divination, reminded the Oba and he refused all entreaties. He eventually married the woman. The problem with the new Olori was that she had only one meal. She ate only raw meat, which must also be fresh. She was too beautiful to eat yesterday’s leftovers. How would a king tell his subjects that he could not feed his Olori? Eewo (abomination)! Onibara started by killing his livestock for his new wife. When he ran out of supply, he started buying. When he could no longer get the money to buy, the king formed a bandit group that s...

  By Lasisi Olagunju  In 1948, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, thought of the best way to protect his country's security information from invasive media toxins. He summed his strategy up in one short sentence: “Take the thief and make him guard.” But a thief would remain a thief even if he is made the chief hunter. A maxim of the Yoruba drives this home: Twenty years after you've made the palm wine tapper king, he still won't stop casting furtive glances at the neck of the palm tree (Bi ó lé l'ógún ọdún táa ti fi ad'ẹ́mu j'ọba, kò ní yé ọrùn ọ̀pẹ ẹ́ wò). There is an Italian Island called Sicily; it gave the world the term 'mafia' to describe its homegrown group of outlaws who sold protection and competed violently with the law. Increasingly failing states exhibit this tragedy of falling into the hands of mafia dons. That point appears to be where Nigeria is today. Mafia gunmen are on parade –and are in charge, almost official...

By Team Sergius Edo 2024 Governorship Hopeful and immediate past member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. (Barr.) Deacon Sergius Ose Ogun has felicitated with fathers on the occasion of the 2023 Father's Day while commending them for their immense roles in family building, community development and societal advancement. In a special message released by his media aide today, the Oracle of Rural Development who charged fathers to be worthy role models to their children prayed God to grant them the grace to surmount the daunting challenges occasioned by current economic realities. A portion of the message reads thus: "On this memorable occasion of the 2023 Father's Day, I celebrate and commend all fathers around the world and Edo State in particular. The world is at a critical point where the roles of fathers as the counsellor, defender, bread winner and pillar are even more important than ever before. May God continue to bless all fathers as we remain...

By Team Sergius In the world of politics, certain individuals rise above the rest, capturing the attention of both the young and old, rich and poor alike. One such figure is Hon. Sergius Ogun, a prominent name that has become synonymous with credible leadership and good governance . Borne out of a genuine passion for public service, the Game Changer has carved a notable path in his career which is all too conspicuous to be ignored. In this article, we will delve into the life and accomplishments of this remarkable individual, exploring the question: *Who is Hon. Sergius Ogun?* *Early Life and Education:* Hon. Sergius Ogun was born in a modest Nigerian household, where he imbibed the values of hard work, integrity, and compassion from an early age. His parents, recognizing his potentials, instilled in him a desire to pursue education as a means to effect positive change in society. He attended St. John Grammar School in Fugar, Edo State and graduated in 1983 with the West A...

In the end, we realise that nothing really belongs to us; not power, not life. Power is fragile; it can also be deadly. It shares properties with candle flames. I take this idea from Brandon Sanderson, author of 'The Way of Kings.' Sanderson thinks the lives of men are as brittle and lethal as candle flames. What you get is what you consciously worked for. And, it is no brainer that that thing that provides warmth can also burn if you increase the intensity. Sanderson says when left alone, candle flames "lit and warmed." When they are allowed to burn without control, "they would destroy the very things they were meant to illuminate." That is Godwin Emefiele and the enormous powers he wielded at the Central Bank of Nigeria. He was brought in in June 2014 as CBN governor to rearrange the bales in our strongrooms and illuminate the various dark rooms of the Nigerian economy. But, because for eight years we had a president who lacked the mental and p...

  By Suyi Ayodele I would have loved to talk about the suspended Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, today. I changed my mind because something more ennobling than Emefiele and the pantomime of his suspension, 'arrest', intended investigation and his sojourn in detention, however, temporarily, happened. Occasionally, we should leave the inanities of Nigerian politics to talk about humanity. That is exactly what I am doing today.   There are people you meet in life and everything about you changes for the better. I can beat my chest and say loud and clear that I have been too privileged to meet such people. From the man who sired me from his loins, my very own father, Baba Fafunmiloni Solomon Ayodele Obajusigbe, to many others I met in my few years on mother earth, I can declare without any form of equivocation that I have come across men and women, who shaped, and are still shaping my life and world outlook, positively. One of such personalities is Professor Anth...

It was an evening of praises for Prof. Tony Afejuku who pulled out of the services of University of Benin (UNIBEN), after attaining the age of 70 years. Afejuku, a Professor of English and Literature, who hails from the Itsekiri ethnic nationality of Delta State, taught in the university for 43 years. A retirement reception put together by the Friends of Afejuku (FAJ) to celebrate the literary icon, who for over two decades tended literary minds in the university. Speaking at the ceremony that held at the University of Benin Banquet Hall, Benin City, the Chairman of the occasion, Professor Mon Nwadiani, described Afejuku as someone who left a legacy of truth and boldness. Nwadiani noted that it was the first time such ceremony was being held for a retired teacher in the department and faculty, a testimony, he acknowledged, stood the celebrant out amongst others who retired before him. Nwadiani therefore, advised those still in service to emulate the qualities of...