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Opinion: Policemen Behaving Badly: The Cases of IGP Idris and Chairman Magu

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By Reno Omokri

By now you must have watched the embarrassing video of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, giving a speech somewhere in Kano. If you have not watched it, then do yourself a favour and please watch it. You can thank me later. Or not.

The video is beyond embarrassing. I am not even sure that the word to describe that video has been coined by linguists. I am still searching. I may be wrong.

But truly you need to watch the video to understand the ineptitude of the Buhari administration which has led to the unprecedented nationwide insecurity in Nigeria.

How can a man who cannot express himself be expected to expressly implement Nigeria’s policing plan? How did IGP Idris rise to his exalted position? Where his promotion examinations administered in his native language? Too many questions are begging for answers. Too many.

Now, we know the real reason why the Inspector General of Police failed to honour the Nigerian Senate’s summons. The poor man did not want to expose his inability to read and understand the English language. We have a President who preferred to hire 13 SANs rather than just provide his WAEC Certificate, an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman who wears a Muhammadu Buhari re-election lapel pin, a minister of finance who cannot perform elementary mathematics and now an IGP who cannot read a speech in simple English. How did we get here? This government looks more like Humpty Dumpty and the King’s clowns!

First, R. Kelly released the hit single IGNITION. Not to be outdone, Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, who is also a budding rapper, Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, released his own rap single titled TRANSMISSION. The song is so hot that iTunes and other streaming music platforms crashed the moment it was released. I also received word that the Transmission Company of Nigeria has appointed IGP Ibrahim Kpotum Idris as its Brand Ambassador. Congratulations sir!

How many times do you have to say the word transmission? Z$ 1 million to the first person who can tell us how many times Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotum Idris used the word ‘TRANSMISSION’ while rapping (or reading) his now infamous Kano speech. Nigeria urgently needs to solve this national dilemma!

But on a serious note, the case of IGP Ibrahim Kpotum Idris is a good lesson on why a State Commissioner of Police should not be promoted over his more capable seniors and made Inspector General of Police. The man is obviously not qualified for the job. Every sensitive security position does not have to be held by a Northern Muslim. It is this type of nepotism that has brought Nigeria to this sorry level under Buhari!

And it was rather comical for the Presidency, through Abike Dabiri, to say that IGP Ibrahim Kpotum Idris’ ‘TRANSMISSION’ rap video was doctored. Well again, it is not impossible. Since that is what the Buhari administration is claiming, can they please produce the original video before it was ‘doctored’? Or have rats eaten the original tape?

I think that rather than being embarrassed by the IGP’s video, the Buhari government should be proud of producing such a talented appointee. People keep saying Buhari’s cabinet lacks talent. Well, they can point to Idris as a talented rapper and shut the critics up!

The Idris video should be a wake-up call for President Muhammadu Buhari. After the Inspector General disobeyed (allegedly) the President’s orders to relocate to Benue state to personally take responsibility of bringing the state of insecurity there to an end, one would have expected the President to at least sanction the police boss for his gross insubordination and incompetence.

If the incompetence of the IGP was not clear to President Buhari then, it must at least be glaring now. It is sad to see the level of decay and morass that the Nigerian Police Force has fallen under because of the President’s penchant for nepotistic appointments.

As it stands now, there is no salvific value in the top leadership of the Force and it is not just the IGP. On the morning of Tuesday May 15, 2018, Nigerians woke up to the strange sight of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, giving an interview on ‘Sunrise Daily’, a breakfast TV show on Channels Television, wearing a lapel pin promoting the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Not since the dark days of General Sani Abacha have Nigerians seen this type of disturbing behaviour. Nigerian Civil servants are mandated by law to be politically neutral in order that all civil servants can render unbiased and loyal service to any government that comes to power legitimately, irrespective of the political party that produced such a government.

Furthermore, in a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly regarding the International Code of Conduct for Public Officials, for which Nigeria is a signatory and bound by, the UN stated in the 11th principle that: “the political or other activity of public officials outside the scope of their office shall, in accordance with laws and administrative policies, not be such as to impair public confidence in the impartial performance of their functions and duties”. That being the case, how can President Muhammadu Buhari, who swore on the Quran to abide by the Constitution of Nigeria which produced our civil service, stand idly by while his political appointee brazenly and with impunity goes against domestic and international laws as well as the principles of natural justice? ‪

Someone should remind Ibrahim Magu that it was the PDP that created the EFCC and not Muhammadu Buhari. And in the 16 years that the PDP governed Nigeria, not one of the chairmen of the EFCC appointed by PDP ever wore a lapel pin promoting the re-election of the PDP President who appointed him. If they had done so, would the EFCC have survived long enough for Magu to perpetrate his shameful aberration? Just a little food for thought for Magu and his god, Buhari.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, is meant to be a neutral enforcer of Nigeria’s laws on economic and Financial Crimes, but when the head of the body brazenly shows his partiality, how can those laws be applied impartially? How can an open sympathizer of the All Progressive Congress be expected to conduct a fair and balance war on corruption? Perhaps now, Nigerians and the international community will believe me when I say that the EFCC under Buhari is nothing more than the armed wing of the APC. The agency has in effect been ‘transmission’ (apologies to the IGP) to the Gestapo of the Presidency. And the sad thing is that, with the evidence of decay so glaring all around him, President Buhari insists on insulting the intelligence of Nigerians by claiming that he has performed better than the Jonathan administration.

Nigeria was the world’s third fastest growing economy under Jonathan. We are not even in the top 100 today. Nigeria was 136 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index under Jonathan. We are 148 today. Yet Buhari has the guts to say he performed better than Jonathan? Perhaps it is not only his IGP that has Transmission issues! Obviously the President has Transmission problem. He is unable to see reality and transmit it to his mind for appropriate interpretation. Reno’s Nuggets Your co-workers are your colleagues, not your friends. They are not at the office because they are looking for friends.

They are there because, like you, they are looking for money. If you confide things to them, they are likely to betray you if it means they benefit financially. So don’t be deceived by appearances. Note that cakes arrive in a square box. When you open the box, the cake inside is round. When it is served, the piece of cake is a triangle. That‘s how people are. They present themselves to you in a well packaged box, but when you open and deal with them, you see triangles #RenosNuggets

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Henry Ukazu: Celebrating a Catalyst of Pathfinding

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By Abdulakeem Sodeeq Sulyman
In a world where everyone uses others’ yardsticks to measure their progress, the trailblazers are set apart by the utmost pursuit of their passion to actualise their purpose.” – Abdulakeem Sodeeq SULYMAN
Those who are familiar with Henry Ukazu would have heard about his life’s trajectory and a certain point in his life would prompt them to ask how a potentially-thoroughbred legal practitioner turned to a leadership trainer, self-discovery coach and youth advocate, using his platform to transform lives globally. For those who are still in the wilderness, imagining how Henry Ukazu settled for the path he had chosen, the answer is not far-fetched. The turning points in everyone’s life beckons when we realise what we have to do to carve a niche for ourselves.
The above assertion perfectly depicts the life of Henry Ukazu. Another aspect of Henry Ukazu’s life that can cause one to raise eyebrows is knowing that Taxation Law was his major during his master’s in New York Law School. Those who are familiar with the arithmetical demands of taxation would know that settling for it as a practitioner goes beyond being faint-hearted! Yet, Henry Ukazu overcame all odds by not only graduated in taxation; but also earning a laurel by winning the Dean’s prize.
Knowing that Henry Ukazu won the Dean’s prize in Taxation Law and still chosen another path makes it important to stress that the hallmark of every life’s achievement is the one connected with personnel fulfillment. It was the pursuit of this fulfillment that made Henry Ukazu swerved from legal practice and taxation into the pursuit of enculturing people for their purpose and nurturing them for lifetime impact. To me, Henry Ukazu is a replica of Robin Sharma, a trained lawyer, who abandoned one of the Ivy-league chambers, to pursue the quest of leading people to harness their healthset, heartset, mindset and soulset.
Don’t get me wrong readers. I am not saying that Henry Ukazu wouldn’t have attained greatness if he had chosen to venture into legal practice. I know many legal practitioners who are lightening people’s lives through their works; many of those lawyers I have unalloyed admirations for! What I am trying to say is that how Henry Ukazu abandoned the temptations of the social recognitions and financial rewards that accompanied the revered, learned profession is uncommon.
That reflects Henry Ukazu’s selflessness and dedication to worship God with everything he has. A revered pastor, Rick Warren, states that the human potential begins to manifest when they believe in God and allow Him to take absolute control of the courses of their lives. He cited the likes of Abraham, Joseph and others, who, despite being chosen by the Most High, faced their challenges with positive attitudes. Their beliefs in God slotted them in admirable places in the books of histories.
Henry Ukazu’s personality is one that exudes the aura of companionship and humanity. Any encounters I have with him always prompt me to think about the words of Gary Thomas, in the book, “The Sacred Pathways,” where he outlined nine ways human beings worship God, the supreme being. To me, Henry Ukazu is an enigma, who falls into the realms of Ascetics, Activists, Enthusiasts, Caregivers, Contemplatives and Intellectuals.
Henry Ukazu is an Ascetic because he devoted certain hours of his days to worship God in solitude and simplicity. There are certain hours of the day that he would neither receive calls nor respond to messages all because he is strengthening his ties with his Creator. Henry Ukazu is also an Activist by using his resources to battle evil, fight injustices and strive to make the world a better place. To him, nothing makes the world when its adherents are suffering! This justifies why Henry Ukazu is always ready to spend his last penny on appreciating talents and ingenuities.
Anyone who had witnessed Henry Ukazu’s celebration of successes and landmarks would attest to his Enthusiastic nature. No doubt that as today marks his birthday, it is very certain that his mouth would be full of praise for God’s favours showered upon him! Moreso, I can also say that Henry Ukazu is an Intellectual because he worships and loves God by studying other people’s minds. Anyone meeting Henry Ukazu for the first time without narcisurfing about him would never have a clue of his intellectual mettle. He is an intellectual of yore imbued with sound and robust absorptive capacity.
As the day breaks daily to set people apart for what they would be celebrated for, it is imperative to state that Henry Ukazu is one of the global icons that have deployed their intellectual and spiritual resources to brighten the lives of many. His utmost devotion to the pursuit of God’s purpose for his life has distinguished him, positioned him to stand with the giants and catapulted him to the heights of his ambitions.
Today, I joined other colleagues, acquaintances, protégés, well-wishers, friends, brothers and family members across the world to celebrate Henry Ukazu, thank God for his life; pray to God to continue to perfect his ways and crown his efforts with rewards that will elevate him to the league of change-makers and life-changers.
Many more productive, fulfilling and prosperous years!!!
Abdulakeem Sodeeq SULYMAN is an Author, Librarian and Researcher, who writes from Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. He can be reached via +2348132226994
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Alimosho LG Boss Pledges Support As Glo Opens Outlet in Iyana-Ipaja

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As technology company, Globacom, opened  another customer service outlet in Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos, on Friday, the Chairman, Alimosho Local Government, Honourable Jelili Suleiman Adewale, has assured the company of quality patronage by the community.

Hon. Adewale, who was the special guest at the commissioning of the Gloworld shop, commended Globacom for bringing its services closer to the people of Alimosho. “Globacom is our company; we are going to patronise you; we will ensure that this shop flourishes.  You will never regret that you brought your branch to Iyana Ipaja”, he declared.

Also at the event  were Hon. Obadina Ahmed, Speaker, Alimosho LGA House, council officials, Jamin Shotayo Tadeyo, Chief Akeweje of Alimosho General, who stood in for the Baale of Iyana Ipaja, High Chief Rasak Mosaku.

Globacom’s business partner who covers the area, Mr Chukwuma Leonard, Managing Director, Talkpoint Telecommunications, also lauded Glo for siting its outlet in Iyana Ipaja.

Abdulrazaq Ande who represented Globacom  at the event said that the new premium experiential center is another in a new generation of iconic contact centers which are aesthetically appealing and equipped for comfort and speedy services.

It added that the commissioning was in line with its desire to bring its services closer to the people, and give them more exciting experience on the network, adding, “Our approach to customer service is that we are consistently seeking innovative channels to make available our array of products and services to them”.

According to the company, the retail shop is equipped with well-trained, polite and customer-friendly customer care staff who will provide first-class services and attend to customers’ complaints and enquiries as well as their service and product needs.

“They will also help you to access services including Glo Berekete 10X, which offers ten times the value of every recharge, double data value, amazing benefits on voice calls, free Instagram and TikTok access and audio and video streaming platforms perks as well as Glo Café, a one-stop app for all digital services and other Glo products and offerings, and also offers a more user-friendly experience, with ample benefits for customers who download it.”.

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Abimboye Fetes Ode Omu Residents with Food, Cash to Celebrate Adeleke’s Second Year in Office

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In a heartfelt celebration of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s second anniversary in office, Hon. Babatunde Michael Abimboye, a stalwart of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), extended goodwill to members of the party in Ode Omu, Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State. The event, held on Friday, November 29, 2024, brought together party loyalists to commemorate the Governor’s remarkable achievements over the past two years.

The atmosphere in Ode Omu was vibrant, as PDP members gathered to receive food items and cash gifts distributed by Hon. Abimboye. The initiative, which underscored the importance of grassroots engagement, was described as both a celebration of democracy and a recognition of the efforts of party members in supporting the state’s leadership.

Speaking at the event, Hon. Abimboye highlighted the importance of the gesture, framing it as an appreciation for the loyalty and dedication of PDP members in the area. “This celebration goes beyond distributing food and cash gifts; it is a reflection of the Governor’s impact in transforming Osun State and ensuring that no community is left behind. As PDP members, we are proud to stand by him and share the dividends of democracy with our people,” he stated.

He added that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s two years in office have been marked by a focus on transformative governance, with initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic opportunities across Osun State. These efforts have not only earned him the admiration of residents but also solidified his reputation as a leader committed to inclusivity and development.
Hon. Abimboye’s event served as a platform to reflect on these accomplishments, with attendees lauding Governor Adeleke’s approach to leadership. Many described the past two years as a period of renewed hope and tangible progress, particularly in rural communities like Ode Omu.

In Ode Omu, Abimboye listed the Governor’s impact has been particularly evident through targeted projects aimed at improving the lives of residents. These include the rehabilitation of two Primary Health Centres in the town as well as the total reconstructuon of the Oke-Eso Road which has facilitated easier movement of goods and people within the community.

Hon. Abimboye’s outreach in Ode Omu is reflective of the Governor’s broader commitment to grassroots engagement. By directly connecting with party members, the event reinforced the importance of unity within the PDP and underscored the administration’s dedication to inclusive governance.

Party members expressed their gratitude for the initiative, describing it as a reaffirmation of the bond between the leadership and the grassroots. One attendee remarked, “This is not just about food or cash; it is about recognizing our contributions and making us feel valued in the governance process.”

As Osun State celebrates Governor Adeleke’s second anniversary in office, events like the one in Ode Omu serve as a reminder of the administration’s achievements and the work that lies ahead. Hon. Abimboye’s gesture highlights the importance of fostering a strong connection between leadership and the people, ensuring that the dividends of democracy are felt across every community.

With ongoing projects and a vision for a brighter future, Governor Adeleke’s administration continues to set a standard for transformational governance in Osun State. As celebrations extend across the state, the focus remains on building a more prosperous, inclusive, and equitable society for all.

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