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Obasanjo is Never One of Us – Ayo Adebanjo

Published

8 years ago

June 9, 2018

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

A chieftain of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is not one to be reckon with when it comes to counting real Yoruba men with genuine Yoruba cause.

Adebanjo was speaking in an interview he granted The Punch.

“Obasanjo is never one of us, don’t bring him into this. If we regarded Obasanjo as one of us, why didn’t we vote for him? We never voted for him. Even when he rigged it (presidential election), people knew he rigged it in the western region. He was also doing that to please the people of the North so that he too could continue (in office),” Adebanjo was quoted as saying while answering question on why a Yorubaman like Obasanjo could not have honoured Abiola throughout his eight years rule

Speaking further, the elder statesman questioned the viability of Obasanjo’s involvement in the struggle for actualisation of June 12.

“Was Obasanjo one of us? Was it not Obasanjo who said Abiola was not the messiah? Don’t bring him in. Don’t listen to anybody who says when your man was there, he didn’t do it. Obasanjo’s case is a different kettle of fish,” he said.

Adebanjo lambasted President Buhari for playing to the gallery, saying that he only wishes to score a cheap political point. He wondered why Buhari has not done what he did in the last three years he has been in office, adding that the Yorubas are not fools.

“Of course, it is. If he knew it was something that should be done, he had been in office for three years, why is it that it was when he realised that he was ending his first term in office and requiring votes that he remembered to do it. He thinks that we are so foolish and he can say that he did something for us. As I said, we have not got cattle brains, we have got real brains,” he said.

He also condemned the attack unleashed on former President Goodluck Jonathan for renaming the University of Lagos after Abiola, saying that his intention was good though he made an error of judgment.

“Jonathan committed an error of judgment on the subject of honouring him, but don’t confuse that with the spirit that he had.”

Headline

Defence Gulps Lion Share As Tinubu Presents N58.47trn 2026 Budget to NASS

Published

7 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has presented a budget of N58.47 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, with capital recurrent (non‑debt) expenditure standing at N15.25 trillion.

Tinubu presented the budget on Friday, pegging the capital expenditure at N26.08 trillion and putting the crude oil benchmark at US$64.85 per barrel.

He said the expected total revenue is N34.33 trillion, projected total expenditure: N58.18 trillion, including N15.52 trillion for debt servicing. The budget is N23.85 trillion, representing 4.28% of GDP.

The budget was anchored on a crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N1,400 to the US Dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.

In terms of sectoral allocation, defence and security took the lion’s share with N 5.41 trillion, followed by infrastructure at N3.56 trillion.

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Mike Adenuga, Emmanuel Macron Hold High-Powered Meeting in Paris

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Accomplished billionaire businessman and Commander of the French Légion d’Honneur, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, CdrLH, has held a private meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The two powerful citizens of the world held the meeting on Wednesday at the historic Élysée Palace in Paris.

The high-level engagement underscores the longstanding relationship between Dr. Adenuga and the French Republic, as well as his continued relevance in global business and diplomatic circles.

A respected industrialist and philanthropist, Adenuga has been widely acknowledged for his contributions to economic development, telecommunications, energy, and humanitarian causes across Africa and beyond.

The meeting adds to Dr. Adenuga’s growing profile as a bridge between African enterprise and international leadership.

Headline

Free at Last: Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Soldiers, Aircraft

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Burkina Faso has released Nigerian soldiers who were detained after their aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country earlier this month, Nigerian officials said.

The release followed a diplomatic intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who dispatched a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to meet Burkina Faso’s Military Leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday.

In a statement, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s spokesperson, said both sides resolved the matter amicably and secured the release of the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew.

The soldiers had been held for nearly two weeks after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) described the aircraft’s landing as an “unfriendly act” carried out in defiance of international law.

The Nigerian Air Force, however, said the crew encountered a technical issue that required a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest available airfield. It said the landing complied with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.