Headline

Trust as a Coefficient of Leadership: Celebrating Akinwunmi Ambode at 55

Published

8 years ago

June 14, 2018

Eric

By Ade Bodunrin Mohammed

I am going to break protocol and dispense with the titles and formalities of addressing my Governor only this once.

Akinwunmi Ambode is celebrating his 55th birthday on earth on 14th June 2018. Is it a remarkable age? probably not , but it appears like a watershed in the life of this dogged and committed reformer. For those who know him well he shys away from celebrating birthdays and will probably “disappear” on that day preferring others to celebrate in his absence. Perhaps this final year of his first term as Governor of this great State he will accept to be part of it.

The trajectory of person’s life is often dependent on several factors both seen and unseen but a persons personal drive and passion is an extremely critical success factor.

How do you deconstruct this driven man of deep intellect who reluctantly mounted the saddle of governance of this State, breaking the jinx that a civil servant is only fit for direction and not action. His rise to leadership of this State is the stuff movies are made of and perhaps his inspirational story will be made into a movie some day but we must be content to tell a little bit of what we know makes him tick .

Akinwunmi Ambode’s style and persona has been defined by his background and upbringing. He will freely tell you that he has street credibility having grown up in various less than affluent areas of the State but yet it is safe to say his schooling especially his time in FGC Warri and UNILAG have moulded him into a man of panache and style. A man who could easily pass for an entertainment mogul in the night and a hardcore private sector entrepreneur/consultant in daytime.

Governing Lagos State is probably one of the greatest challenges he has faced in his life time. His casual mien definitely belies the complexity and difficulties he faces on a daily basis in ruling the mega city state called Lagos. Ambode is typically a kind hearted person and his generosity, loyalty and kindness are legendary but in the last three years he probably has had to discover “teeth” that he never knew he had. Governing people of diverse backgrounds and problems forces you to be firm and you make enemies in loads when have to take tough decisions for the greater good.

Great thinkers and innovators can sometime be quirky and non-conformist but that’s where Akinwunmi Ambode’s strength lies. As they say in the Star Trek franchise, he often chooses to go “where no man has gone before”. An ideas man par-excellence who is so passionate about the welfare of the people that it often triggers him to wake up at odd hours of the night to dry-run ideas that can help governance and welfare of the people of the State.

Is he infallible ? Of course not, and he already has his fair share of traducers who accuse him of not being social enough, being spontaneous etc. His reply would be that who is perfect except God, but his drivers are governance and the interest of the people, and with that in mind you can’t always have time to socialize. Nonetheless and paradoxically he is a fiercely loyal and passionate people’s person who loves having people around him all the time.

I believe trust is one of the strongest attributes of leadership and any successful politician must strive to acquire the confidence of his people that he will not betray the trust reposed in him by them. Akinwunmi Ambode assumed office as an astute financial manager in a time of recession and whether you hate him or like him he has been able to keep this State going with prompt payment of salaries, regular pensions, innovative and balanced infrastructure development, security of lives and property , employment opportunities etc in the face of bleak prospects and dodgy performance in other parts of the Nation. I strongly believe he has not betrayed the trust of the people that voted him into power. In his quiet moments he would tell you that he has traversed the entire fabric of this State for over 30 years both as a civil servant and now as Governor and he is simply content in knowing that he can improve the quality of the lives of Lagosians with the special knowledge he has developed over time.

Sadly most citizens don’t trust politicians as they believe they are full of promises and short on delivery. Posterity will surely judge whether Akinwunmi Ambode has fully delivered on his promises across the State. One thing that is however certain is that no one that has come across the man called Akinwunmi Ambode can doubt his passion and honesty to deliver the dividends to the people of the State. His virtuoso presentation from the heart at the recent 2018 “Lagos means business”Forum clearly demonstrated his passion for the development of this State despite any odds.

On his 52nd birthday in 2015 after his assumption of office I sent him a message and it read thus:

“…Indeed by that collective will together with God’s grace you have become the 14th Governor of Lagos State. It appears surreal but it is real and we are relishing the fact that many are going to be shocked to find how successful your Government is going to be.

But enough of that. I know things will never be the same again because you now belong to the over 20 million people in Lagos State. They are your constituency and children. They will be greedy, naughty ,supportive and sometimes disloyal but you must never lose your patience because they are your greatest path to immortality.

When you succeed with Lagosians you don’t need the books or films to record your legacy because it is the people that will record your legacies in their hearts and minds, it is them that will exalt you to high heavens and it is them that will build monuments in your honour.

You have fought for us and loved us in so many ways you can imagine. You have also been a great leader to many of us and that is why we must particularly ensure you succeed in this new quest you have embarked on. I therefore join all your supporters, friends and well wishers to wish you one of the best birthday’s you will ever have on this planet. I wish you continued God’s protection, love of family and friends and the continued admiration of your friends and foes alike…”

Three years after, my thoughts of and trust in this great leader have remained unchanged, and as he marks his 55th birthday he has shown that he is still a mere mortal but he is certainly heading for immortality .

Happy birthday and my very best wishes to my dear Governor and leader .

Dr. Mohammed writes from Lagos.

Headline

The Search for Justice: ADC vs Tsoho

Published

6 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

From the first day the African Democratic Congress (ADC) took a new shape in July, 2025, in readiness to wrest power from the government of the day, crises, allegedly engineered by the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC), have remained its lot.

From the struggle for leadership positions to the fight to save itself from deregistration, the hitherto coalition and main opposition party, has remained in a battle for its life and existence. And has not relented in the search for lasting justice. This time, it has taken the law itself to court to ensure that justice is not only done, but seen to have been done.

It would be recalled that shortly after the the party ratified the election of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as Chairman and Secretary of the party respectively, skirmishes were noticed among the rank and file of the party as a supposedly former deputy national chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, claimed chairmanship of party, saying that since the founding chairman had resigned, it is constitutionally incumbent upon him to automatically assume the chairmanship role.

Gombe’s claims came on the heels of his ‘resignation’ from office, which paved the way for a new national executive of the party to be constituted. But his claims did not deter the party from carrying on with the formation and running of the party, including holding a keenly contested presidential primary election, which produced His Excellency, the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. So Gombe went to court. Yet, Mark and Aregbesola carried on the running of the party.

As a result, Gombe had approached a court for an order restraining Mark leadership from parading themselves as leaders of the ADC pending the hearing and determination of his suit challenging their leadership.

He had also asked the court to issue another order against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), restraining it from recognizing the Mark leadership.

But in his ruling in the interlocutory application, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered Gombe to put the defendants on notice so that they appear before the court to show cause, why the application should not be granted.

Rather than appearing before the trial court to show cause, the defendant appealed to the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, challenging the jurisdiction of the trial court to dabble into the matter they described as internal matters of the ADC.

The appellate court in dismissing the appeal for lacking in merit, ordered accelerated hearing in the suit and further ordered all parties to maintain status quo ante bellum.

Dissatisfied, Mark had approached the appellate court but, his appeal was dismissed and the matter returned to the trial court.

With the to and from nature of the cases involving the ADC leadership crisis, the party has accused judges of bias in favoring party detractors and disobedience to court rules among other malice, the party has taken a new route to obtain the much eluded justice, and that involves charging the custodians of the law to court.

Consequently, the ADC has filed a lawsuit before a High Court in Abuja involving the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, over concerns arising from the ongoing leadership dispute within the party.

Also joined in the suit is the National Judicial Council (NJC), which the party said had not addressed issues it raised regarding the handling of a case challenging the leadership of former Senate President, Senator David Mark, within the ADC.

The lawsuit, dated June 4, 2026, was filed by the National Welfare Secretary of the ADC, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who is seeking to be joined in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025 instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe against the Mark-led leadership of the party.

According to the suit, Ukandu expressed concerns about the handling of the matter and alleged that the actions of both Justice Tsoho and Justice Peter Lifu, the judge assigned to hear the case, could affect confidence in the proceedings.

The lawsuit further stated that the assignment of the case to Justice Lifu stirred concerns among some members of the party, who believe the process may not guarantee a fair hearing.

The legal action marks a fresh twist in the leadership dispute within the ADC, which has attracted significant political attention ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Aside Justice John Tsoho, other defendants are the National Judicial Council (NJC), and Justice Peter Lifu, a judge newly assigned to hear the suit challenging the Senator David Mark-led leadership of ADC.

The plaintiff, who was seeking to be joined in the Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe against the Mark-led leadership, accused the chief judge and Lifu of manifest bias, and willingness to do the biddings of persons against the interest of the party.

Ukandu, in the suit he personally filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, faulted the chief judge for reassigning the suit to Lifu, in alleged disregard of the orders of the Supreme Court as well as Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, who initially heard the suit brought by Gombe against the party.

The plaintiff, in the suit marked FHC/ ABJ/ CS/ 1165/2026, recalled that an appeal from an interlocutory decision of Nwite rose to the Supreme Court, wherein the apex court on April 30, 2026, “made an order of remittance of Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025: Nafiu Bala Gombe VS. ADC & 4 ORS back to Justice Emeka Nwite for continuation of hearing of pending applications challenging the jurisdiction of the trial court.”

He stated that upon resumption of hearing before Nwite, the plaintiff wrote to the chief judge praying for a reassignment of the matter to another judge of the Honourable Court.

Ukandu stated, “All the defendants’ counsel, including counsel to the applicants seeking to be joined in this matter, opposed the said application by the plaintiff’s counsel and Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite thereafter adjourned the matter sine die pending the service of the said letter by the plaintiff’s on all the parties in the matter, outcome of the letter by the 2nd defendant and the furnishing of the CTC of the judgement of the Supreme Court to the court.

“Without complying with the orders of the Supreme Court and Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite, the 2nd Defendant in abuse of his judicial powers reassigned this matter,” to Lifu.

He added that the third defendant, on his part, pretending not to see the order of Nwite, went ahead and fixed the matter for hearing for June 3, 2026.

Ukandu further recalled that ADC had on May 7 informed the public through a press release that the chief judge had planned to reassign the case to another judge favourable to the plaintiff.

He said the party had “warned against such unethical practice but the 2nd Defendant despite the public outcry reassigned the suit to the 3rd Defendant who have been nick-named as ‘Wike Judges’.”

He stated that the third defendant had started presiding over the matter, despite taking judicial notice of the orders of the Supreme Court and Nwite, and that the matter came up for hearing before the third defendant.

Though neither the Federal High Court nor the National Judicial Council had publicly responded to the issues raised so far, it is imperative to to state that the ADC appears to have lost interest in both the judiciary, which it believe is kowtowing to the dictates of Gombe, and by extension the body language of the Federal Government.

The ADC appears to have managed to draw the sympathy of the public as a group known as the Grassroots Mobilization Network (GMN), has lent their voice to the supposed injustice leveled against the Mark-led ADC, raising concerns about the handling of the matter, and calling for transparency in the judicial process.

The group alleged that the judiciary was being used to target opposition parties.

The group expressed concern over what it described as growing public distrust in the judiciary and called on relevant authorities to ensure fairness and transparency in the handling of politically sensitive cases.

While Nigerians await the outcome of the litigation, and other resolution of other sundry issues arising from the ADC and the judiciary, the party is going ahead making last minute transparent efforts to nominate a suitable running mate to bear the presidential flag with the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Among the party’s shortlists are the first runner-up in the presidential primary, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Akinwumi Adesina, Emeka Ihedioha, Emeka Nwajiuba and Chief Dele Momodu.

Headline

Gunmen Abduct Ex-Power Minister Adelabu’s Sister, Her Two Sons in Ibadan

Published

5 days ago

June 3, 2026

Eric

Suspected gunmen have abducted the sister of a former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The family of former minister and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) confirmed the abduction, disclosing that Mrs. Olaide John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons were kidnapped by the gunmen on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

According to a statement issued by Adelabu’s media aide, Femi Awogboro, the victims were kidnapped at about 7:30am while Mrs. John-Paul was taking her children to school.

Mrs. John-Paul, the youngest of five children of Mrs. Olufunmilayo Aduke Adegoke Adelabu, reportedly retired voluntarily from her career at First Bank Pension Custodian in 2025 before relocating to Ibadan with her children.

She was said to be making arrangements to join her husband, who had earlier relocated to the US.

The family expressed deep concern over the development but stated that security agencies had already commenced efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend those responsible.

“We are pleased to confirm that security operatives have swung into action and preliminary investigations have commenced in earnest,” the statement partly read.

While appealing for calm, the family urged members of the public to refrain from spreading unverified information that could undermine ongoing rescue operations.

“We are deeply distressed by this unfortunate incident, but remain hopeful that the victims will be rescued safely. We appeal to the public to remain calm, avoid speculation and support ongoing efforts with prayers,” the statement added.

The family also called on anyone with useful information that could aid the rescue operation to promptly share such intelligence with security agencies through the appropriate channels.

It assured that it would continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities and provide updates as investigations and rescue efforts progress.

Headline

Adeboye Proposes 90 Days Ultimatum for Security Chiefs to Eradicate Terrorism or Resign

Published

5 days ago

June 3, 2026

Eric

The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has called on the Federal government to issue a 90-day ultimatum to security chiefs to end terrorism in Nigeria or step aside.

Adeboye made the appeal in a video shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, expressing deep concern over the country’s deteriorating security situation.

He emphasized the need for urgent and decisive action, stressing that security chiefs must be held accountable for tangible results in the fight against terrorism.

According to him, while citizens can only advise the Commander-in-Chief, it is within the government’s power to set clear expectations and timelines for security leaders.

“If I were to make a suggestion, I would say the government should act swiftly and direct the service chiefs to eradicate terrorists within 90 days or resign,” he said.

The cleric also urged authorities to go beyond targeting terrorists alone, insisting that their sponsors must equally be identified and dealt with, regardless of their social or political influence.

“When issuing directives, it should be made clear that both terrorists and their sponsors must be eliminated, no matter how powerful they are,” he added.

Adeboye recalled that a former Nigerian president had once issued a similar three-month directive to security chiefs to end the Boko Haram insurgency but failed to enforce the order after the deadline expired.

Reflecting on his interaction with the late president, Adeboye noted that although initial efforts were made, the lack of follow-through undermined the directive’s effectiveness.

He maintained that his current recommendation is informed by that experience, urging the government to ensure strict enforcement if such a timeline is adopted.

His comments come amid renewed concerns over persistent terrorist attacks, banditry, and kidnappings across the country, with increasing public pressure on authorities to take stronger action against insecurity.