Journalist and writer, Dele Momodu says the late Femi Osibona, owner of Fourscore Homes and developer of the 21-storey building that collapsed in Lagos, was a cousin of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
On Monday, the building located on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos collapsed, killing over 40 people, including Osibona.
In an opinion article titled, ‘The Unsolvable Jigsaw of the Ikoyi Tragedy’, Momodu said the deceased was an ambitious man and not the “greedy avaricious person that his traducers now suggest he is”.
He added that Osibona despite being a cousin of Vice President Osibanjo never sought or got any government contracts.
“I had known Femi for over 20 years in London as an extremely gifted marketer. Femi’s tongue was honey-coated, and it was impossible not to like him,” Momodu said.
“We lost touch after I ended exile and returned to Africa, but he soon traced me to Ghana, and he came visiting. He was so happy to reunite with me. He told me how God had blessed him mightily and had made him veer into real estate in London. Femi was a genius who made stupendous gains from regenerating ghetto neighbourhoods in East London. He regaled me with tales of his exploits in the property business.
“He promised to build the classiest residential apartments in Africa. He said he was out to prove there was nothing the multinational construction companies were doing that his company can’t do. I have never seen such a level of audacity, determination and tenacity. Fourscore was a visionary and a missionary when it came to seeking to excel and do as well as his international counterparts at home and abroad. He had competed in their space, in their countries before, with moderate successes and did not see any reason why he could not replicate the same and attain loftier heights in his home country.
“If he made any mistakes, it was probably that he overstretched himself, but he was such an ambitious man, full of faith. And certainly not the greedy avaricious person that his traducers now suggest he is. In our country, mistakes are never excused, forgiven or forgotten. When you fail, you’re a villain and outcast. When you succeed, you’re a hero, genius and superstar.”
Momodu said the inquest and investigation ordered into the incident should be done diligently
“It must be painstaking and thorough. Such investigations cannot last thirty days as being directed by the government; I foresee that any credible inquiry must take months of arduous diligent work. Various possibilities including negligence, sabotage and even natural or human causes such as the over-dredging occurring in that vicinity must be considered. Dead men tell no tales. They cannot defend themselves, but records and logic abound,” he added.
“Those making claims and allegations which are easily rumpled will soon be exposed. I’d known that In February 2020 the third block was at the beginning of the foundation stage and the other two blocks were merely a few storeys gone. It is interesting that nobody who had any misgivings reported such to the Regulators. I say no more, other than that it is always convenient to cast aspersions when it seems there is no potential for the reply.
“What I know is Fourscore was a self-made man who depended on no godfather. Despite being a cousin of the vice-president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, he was too proud and self-reliant to approach the vice-president or anybody else for favours of that kind. He never sought for or got any government contracts. He relied on his own ability, marketing skills and funds.”
Manchester United’s Norwegian manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, reacts at the final whistle during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on November 6, 2021. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
Roy Keane has delivered a brutal blow to his former Manchester United team-mate and current manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, admitted he “gives up” on their woeful defending.
The frustrated former Red Devils captain revealed his thoughts after watching Solskjaer’s team concede two weak goals against Manchester City during the first half, yesterday.
City’s first goal against United at Old Trafford was an own goal from Eric Bailly, with United’s defence going to sleep for Bernando Silva’s strike on the stroke of half-time.
Speaking at the interval, Keane said: “Just on half time, a huge goal against City dominating possession but this defending from Shaw and De Gea, there’s not enough pressure.
Manchester United’s Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on November 6, 2021. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
“You have to show the intensity and put pressure on. You’re on the ropes to stay in the game. You’re like a boxer – stay in the game!
“I’ve been crossing these fellas for years – I give up. I give up on these players. These are international players, I give up. I can’t understand the defending. I give up.
“I drove up thinking United have a chance, but unless they do something drastic it will be another four or five.”
United stopped City from scoring in the second half but failed to lay a glove on them, suffering a comprehensive 2-0 defeat to the defending Premier League champions.
Keane’s Sky Sports colleague Graeme Souness added: “It’s a simple thing but fundamental – stop the cross. Do your mate in the middle of the goal a favour by stopping the cross.
“That was a joke. The second goal came from the same – people not doing their jobs.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, former United goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel said: “David de Gea couldn’t do anything about the second goal, it should have been cleared.
“The defending, I mean… Man City have been far, far superior and it could have been four.
There’s a lack of willingness to do what you have to do – closing down, stop the crosses, the passes, it’s not happened.”
Although Solskjaer’s United were not up to scratch, City were superb and praised by Souness and fellow pundit Micah Richards.
Souness said: “City have been sensational the way they’ve kept the ball and how hard they’ve worked when they give it away.
“It’s easy to admire City when they have the ball but the amount of graft they put in to get the ball back.
They’ve been a fabulous watch today”
Richards added: “Mind-blowing. Talk about controlling the game from start to finish. Cute passes, long passes – everything they’ve done has been excellent.
“We talked about if City needed a striker but when they play like this, with false No9s getting balls into the box getting forward. It comes out then goes right back in.”
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said that the worst military regime in the Nigerian history performed better than the current democratic government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The governor described Buhari’s administration as being a specialist in the destruction of security, economy and social life of Nigerian people which makes it worse than a military government.
The governor added that the settlement for herdsmen being planned by the Buhari government in different states was to allow Fulani herdsmen come in to settle from other countries.
Ortom who spoke to journalists in Makurdi, the Benue State capital after his return from Abuja said that the county had not been so divided as it was under the present regime, stressing that the worst military government was better than it.
He, however, said that the success of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention last Saturday rekindled the hope of Nigerians and assured them that the party is poised to take over power.
He said, “They (the Buhari government) are being deceitful and not being able to secure our land. They have rather succeeded in destroying our economy, our security, our social life and everything you can think of in this country.
“I have been privileged to read the history of Nigeria and that of those who have been destroying us including the military. Usually, we say that the worst democratic government is better than the military government.
“That is what we used to say, but for the purpose of APC-led government, I want to say that the worst military government we have had in Nigeria is better than this particular government led by APC.
“I have never seen anything like this; people who don’t want you to tell them the truth or advise them, try to twist things and tell the world that you are against them,” he said.
Ortom alleged that the farm settlement been canvassed by the present regime was targeted at populating the nation with foreign Fulani, adding that Benue would continue to be opposed to the Nigerian government’s gimmick at seizing territories in Benue land.
“There is another trick again that the presidency is trying to bring. Before they came with a water bill aimed to annex our river, but I opposed it. Now they are talking of farm settlement so that they can bring Fulani from Niger, Sierra Leone, Mali Chad and Mauritania, terrorist Fulani to take over our land. I’m saying capital no, it will not work.
“I don’t have problem with our indigenous Fulani who have been cohabiting with us but for those terrorist Fulani, it will not work,” Ortom said.
The Lagos Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has given an update on the victims of the collapsed 21-storey building at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi.
Odumosu said three people have been confirmed dead while three others were injured.
According to him, rescue efforts were still on to get others trapped alive.
He urged members of the public to exercise caution and allow the rescue workers to concentrate on their job.
“We do not want to lose more lives; the rescue workers are working carefully to rescue those still trapped in the building. Let’s give them some space to allow them do diligent work,” he said.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN)
The Operation Commander of the Assets Recovery Investigation Team, CSP Lawrence Ajodo, wrote a letter to a Chief Magistrate in Abuja, requesting for a warrant to search an area which was the residence of the Supreme Court judge, Mary Odili, SaharaReporters has reported.
SaharaReporters obtained the letter requesting for the search warrant written by CSP Ajodo, whose team is under the Federal Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami.To cover up his tracks and those of his senders, the police commander failed to mention in the application for a warrant that the said area was the apartment of the Supreme Court judge.
Documents obtained by SaharaReporters confirmed that CSP Ajodo made an excuse that the warrant “was to carry out his lawful duty.”
One of the documents, titled, Application for your requisite consent to issue to me CSP Lawrence Ajodo, AP No. 201192 Attached to Joint Panel Receovery under the Ministry of Justice a Search Warrant to Enable me Carry out Investigation of Complaint on oath by Mr Aliyu Umar Ibrahim, about illegal activities at No 9, Imo Street, Maitama, FCT, Abuja.”
The letter dated October 28 was addressed to the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.
“May I with due respect apply for the above document to enable me carry out my lawful duty. I do hereby attach collectively for your perusal the nominal complainant affidavit and my own affidavit. We count on you,” he said in the letter.
The emergence of fresh evidence exposing the role of Malami who earlier denied his involvement in the reported invasion of the residence of Justice Odili had been reported earlier.
Justice Odili’s family residence at lmo Rivers Street in Maitama, Abuja, was raided by fully armed plain-clothes security men around 5 pm on Friday, October 29.
The security operatives were said to have comprised soldiers and officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) who identified themselves as members of a joint task force.
Even though he has denied any involvement in the invasion of the house of the number two judge in the country, Malami still has to come clean with convincing explanations.
The Identity Card of the police officer who led the assault on the house of Justice Odili was signed by the AGF.
It had been reported on Saturday that the Chief Magistrate of Wuse Zone 6 Magisterial Division in Abuja, Emmanuel Iyanna, admitted that he was lied to, which made him sign a search warrant allowing the raid on the residence of the Supreme Court judge, Mary Odili.
Iyanna had said he was misled by the Federal Ministry of Justice under Malami.
The Chief Magistrate consequently revoked the search warrant due to misrepresentation in the first information application supplied by an ad hoc public asset recovery panel domiciled under the justice ministry and overseen by Malami.
“Upon misrepresentation to this honourable court that led to the issuance of a search warrant in favour of Joint Panel Recovery, Ministry of Justice, against House 9, Imo Street, Maitama, Abuja, dated October 29, 2021; in view of the above fact, the said search warrant is hereby revoked,” he had ruled.
Sources had said the raid, approved by Malami was to let Odili know that she would not be allowed to succeed the current head of the nation’s judiciary.
SaharaReporters reported on Sunday that there are plans to remove the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad and the Presidency cabal does not want Odili, who is next in line, to succeed him as she is seen as a ‘PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) judge’
Odili is the wife of a former Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili, a member of the PDP.
Odili, who was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court on June 23, 2011, was born on May 12, 1952. This means she will be due for retirement by May 12, 2022, on turning 70.
But Muhammad, who was appointed a supreme court judge in 2006 and sworn in on January 8, 2007, was born on December 31, 1953 — meaning he is younger than Justice Odili and will not retire until 2023 when he turns 70.
There have been public outcries and condemnation since Friday over the invasion of Odili’s residence with many calling on the Muhammadu Buhari government to punish and fish out the erring officers behind the invasion if it was not a political game or a witch-hunt.
The Vice-Chancellor, Nassarawa State University, Professor Suleiman Bala Mohamed, has said the older generation of Nigeria is not ready to relinquish power to the younger generation calling on youths to urgently begin to reflect on their future.
He said the youths must not allow themselves to be used as political thugs during elections but mobilise themselves to vie for different political positions to enable them to make positive changes in the polity.
Mohammed, who was represented by the deputy vice chancellor academics, professor Haruna Ayuba stated this at the opening ceremony of a two-day roundtable on raising political awareness among youths and students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria organized by African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL).
He said: “they will keep saying you are the future leaders or you are the leaders of tomorrow yet you see those who are supposed to leave the seat not ready to leave the seat and you wonder when this tomorrow is going to come.”
The vice chancellor further said the youths represent 60 percent of the population of this country urging them to leverage on this to create political awareness and also exercise their voting rights.
In his address, coordinator, AFRICMIL, Chido Onumah said while it appears that many of our young citizens do not show interest in taking up the baton of leadership, some who dare to, are challenged following barriers placed by the present political actors.
Onumah also said Nigerian students have been in the frontlines of efforts to change unequal social relations in the country as far back as the mid-1920s with the creation of the West African Students’ Union (WASU) which was partly pioneered by Nigerian students in London.
“They fought against colonialism and the emancipation of Africans,” he added.
He further said the aim of this roundtable, among others, is to help students understand that because they are linked to the larger society by family, marriage, friendship, religion, ethics, culture, and history, they cannot pretend to be indifferent to the fate of the larger society and that as young and active members of society, they have a historic role to not only challenge the current social order but to work to change it.
Also speaking at the event, Programme Manager, Rosa Luxembourg West Africa, Ms Angela Odah said Nigerian youths have historically played vital roles in the transformation of societies.
“We must organise and build issue-based coalitions to focus on unbundling the challenges that confront us on in all sectors, rebuilding our country in the area of credible electoral processes, participatory and inclusive governance, media rights and freedom of speech, peace and security, education, agriculture, health, access to justice etc,” she noted.
Adeolu Akande, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo, says national leadership of the party will resolve the lingering crisis in the state.
Akande, also the chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said this a statement on Sunday evening in Ibadan.
Akande was among the stakeholders who kicked against the conduct of Saturday’s rescheduled state congress over the alleged falsified delegates’ list.
He said that the congresses held at the three levels in the state remained contentious and called for the resolute intervention of the party’s national leadership toward addressing the issue.
The NCC chairman added that the party leadership would not leave the lingering crisis in the state unresolved if truly it was committed to the party’s victory comes 2023.
“I acknowledge that there are unresolved issues with the ward, local government, and state levels of the party’s congresses. I wish to commend the intervention of the national leadership of the party so far in resolving the lingering crisis,” stated Akande. “I have no doubt that the commitment of the national leadership to the victory of APC in the 2023 elections will make them evolve a formula to resolve the crisis in Oyo state.”
The NCC chief urged party members to remain calm over the crisis resulting from the conduct of the party’s congresses.
“I call on members of the party to remain calm and be law-abiding, knowing that as members of the same party, we shall soon be working together to return the party to the fold of progressive states comes 2023,” he said.
Ex-Governor Segun Oni of Ekiti State says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has learnt lessons from its mistakes, promising to make amends as the 2023 general elections approach.
“As a party, we are set to work with Nigerians to help Nigeria to rise like a phoenix from hopelessness, poverty and insecurity, to the summit of governance where no one is left behind,” Mr Oni stated. “We make bold to say that we have learnt from the errors of the past, and we are poised to unleash the limitless potential of our nation for the common good of all,” he said.
Mr Oni pointed to the “successful” conduct of the PDP National Convention to indicate that the party is back stronger and ready to salvage Nigeria from the clutch of President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.
The former governor said this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
He described the emergence of PDP new National Working Committee (NWC) as a good omen for the party.
He rejoiced with PDP leaders, governors, legislators and all members of the party on the successful conduct of the convention. He congratulated the newly-elected chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, and other elected executives.
Mr Oni urged party members and stakeholders to build on the convention’s success by putting their differences aside and working together for the progress of the party.
The PDP chieftain explained that it was time to commence the purposeful task of “endearing the PDP once more, to Nigerians, as the party of the government in waiting.”
Several members of the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) and Boko Haram have been killed in an encounter with troops of Operation Hadin Kai, Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operation in the North-East.
Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, a Brigadier General, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to him, the terrorists were killed in two different operations.
The statement read, “Joint troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have continued to intensify their onslaught on terrorists’ enclaves in the North East, as in the early hours of Saturday, 30 October 2021, the vigilant troops observed the movement of six Gun Trucks within Sambisa Forest general area, which were subsequently located at a settlement near Yuwe.
“The trucks later moved to a remote location, where they were joined by other terrorist elements, in what seemed like a convergence for a meeting. Over 50 Boko Haram/ ISWAP fighters were observed to have gathered at the meeting. Having clearly identified the terrorists’ hideout, the Air Component of OPHK immediately dispatched two aircrafts to conduct air interdiction on the location.
“The strikes, which were carried out under cover of darkness, were successful and devastating, as battle damage assessment corroborated by local sources revealed that over 37 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists were neutralized, while several of them reportedly suffered varying degrees of injury.
“In another development, as the aircraft retreated to base after the air interdiction, the combat air crew located another set of four Gun Trucks about six Kilometres South West of Bama. The air crew immediately relayed the coordinates of the location of the Gun Trucks to troops of the Land Component at Bama, who promptly engaged the location with Artillery fire bombardment, neutralising the insurgents’ gun trucks.
“The successful joint operations conducted by both the Air and Land Components, with the support of other security agencies under Operation HADIN KAI has yet again underscored the importance of synergy and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.
“Troops of OPHK remain resolute and unshaken in their effort to bring the insurgents to their knees.”
President Muhammadu Buhari had a very successful visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the high which is the symbolization of our mutual trust and resolve to combat climate change, improve trade and promote investment in humanity, not profit as a motive.
It was also an opportunity used by the President to reassure the global investment community on the question of security which is of utmost significance to anyone wishing to bring their money here.
Addressing the 5,200 participants at the 5th Future Investment Summit, FII called by the Saudi Arabian Monarch and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the President gave the most important assurance his large audience-physical and virtual in attendance- wanted to hear: “security is our most important priority. It’s the bottom line and common sense. It is up to us to secure our country and we will do it.”
To President Buhari, growing social unrest and insecurity are products of inequalities and unfair policies that exclude the majority from opportunities for participation, admonishing world leaders and global investors to prioritize inclusive and humane policies.
He then went on to list a litany of things going for the country: we are the largest on the continent in the economy and population-a people driven by aggressive competitiveness.
He had on the entourage retinue a of Nigeria’s successful business leaders including Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabi’u, included in the top ten ranking of Africa’s richest.
The official delegates included Mr. Tope Sonubi, Wale Tinubu, Omoboyede Olusanya, Abubakar Sulaiman, Herbert Wigwe, Muhammadu Ndimi, Alan Sinfield, Leo Stan Ekeh, Hassan Usman, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal. It was their opportunity to seek deals and partnerships with their foreign counterparts.
As an aside, it interested many seeing Abdulsamad and Dangote arriving together and leaving on the same aircraft. They shared the same hotel and same car throughout.
This was contrary to the public perception of the relationship between the two business moguls.
On the Government side, the President was supported by the Ministers of Trade and Investment, Communications and Digital Economy-the nation’s fastest-growing sector with a record contribution of two trillion Naira in a year from almost nothing in the past-and the Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs and Petroleum.
The Saudi’s made it clear from their invitation that they were impressed by President Buhari’s last outing at the summit and had hoped that this same spirit will reflect in this year’s event.
The President, indeed Nigeria was honoured by the organizers in making our country’s leader to be the first Keynote Speaker at the prestigious event anchored by two of CNN’s leading finance, business and investment analysts’ cum-reporters, Richard Quest and John Defterios.
Taking a cue from the theme of this year’s summit, President Buhari presented an address titled: “Investing in Humanity: The Nigerian Perspective.” Of course, he had a strong statement to make here. Not only is this in line with his personal philosophy, fact is that investing in humanity is all that his government has been doing.
It’s the angle from which all decisions of government are taken. For him, therefore, this was a most befitting platform to tell the world what his country has been doing.
In that speech, he mentioned that:
“Investing in humanity is investing in our collective survival. This is why in Nigeria we believe that public and private partnerships should focus on increasing investments in health, education, capacity building, youth empowerment, gender equality, poverty eradication, climate change, and food security. By so doing, it will go a long way in reenergizing the global economy in a postCOVID-19 era.
“Nigeria’s population today exceeds 200 million people. Some 70 percent are under 35 years old. When we came into government in 2015, we were quick to realise that long-term peace and stability of our country is dependent on having inclusive and humane policies.
“In the past six years, our government took very painful but necessary decisions to invest for a long-term prosperous future knowing very well that this will come with short term pains,” he added.
The President took a look at global challenges, past and present and warned thus:
“We cannot invest in humanity without relieving our countries from the crushing effects of the debt burden especially when the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of deepening the debt portfolio of poor countries.
“These nations increasingly allocate more and more resources towards external debt servicing and repayment at the expense of the health, education and other services that contribute to the overall wellbeing of their population,” he said.
Describing the summit as a credible forum for interaction between the public and private sectors, to explore ways of advancing economic growth, development and global prosperity, the President said Nigeria’s diversification efforts continue to yield results, particularly in agriculture.
On the important government policy of Climate and the place of Public-Private Partnership, the President noted that climate change has triggered conflicts, food insecurity, irregular youth migration, rising level of sea waters, drought and desertification, as well as the drying-up of the Lake Chad.
“In the Lake Chad Basin region, where Boko Haram insurgency continues to undermine the peace, security and development of the region, climate change is largely responsible for the drying up of the Lake Chad which has shrunk by more than 85 percent its original size.
“The diminishing size of the Lake is at the root of the loss of millions of livelihoods, displacement of inhabitants and radicalization of teeming youths in the region who are recruited to serve as foot soldiers in the insurgency.
“In order to redress this situation and restore the lost fortunes of the Lake Chad Basin region, strong public-private partnership through massive investments will be needed to recharge the waters of Lake Chad. I am confident that this forum will rise to the challenge in the interest of durable peace and sustainable development of our region.”
The President’s meeting with Nigerians in the Diaspora gave him an opportunity to send an important message to Nigerians on his unbending determination to respect the Constitution at all times and on all issues.
Not only did he restate his determination to leave office at the end of his tenure in 2023, he followed up with a warning to would-be campaigners, in case there are some who are contemplating this, that he will not undermine the law of the land by extending the tenure of office and that nobody should start doing this nonsense.
Apart from the usual homily to Nigerians to respect the laws of the counties in which they reside, the President threw his weight behind the clamour for the incorporation of new technologies in the election process.
He was blunt with the fact that without technology in the 2015 election, the Electronic Voters Register and the Card Reader, he may not have won; that he could have been schemed out or ought rightly cheated of his victory by the governing authorities as did happen on three previous elections 2003, 2007and 201.
“With this innovation, they could not defeat me on the altar of money and fraud.”
The President also narrated a story familiar to many Nigerian families, in which members dared the desert and walked their way to the Holy Land for the pilgrimage.
They traded on the route, served as farmhands and the skilled among them earned upkeep as they trudged on for years before getting to their destination.
Millions of these made these journeys as millions of others failed to make it, by either losing their lives or choosing to settle down as migrants in countries on the way.
“My uncle” whom he named as Hussaini “undertook this arduous journey but died in Sudan in the homeward stretch,” said the President.
An important point he made of this, was that these earlier generations built the strong bond of relationships between our peoples and nations and the present generation must do nothing to derogate from the existing cordiality and friendship of our two states.
President Buhari’s trip to Saudi Arabia focused mainly on marketing Nigeria and developing a positive image for the nation. From all intents and purposes, the objective has been achieved.
GARBA SHEHU IS SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT, MEDIA AND PUBLICITY
