Headline

Pendulum: My Epic Journey in the Forests of a Thousand Daemons

Published

8 years ago

July 14, 2018

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, let me put it as simple as possible, with God all things are possible. Mine has been a life of miracles, too numerous to mention, or believe by doubting Thomases. The story of my foray into the world and business of journalism is as dramatic as it is surreal. My dream was always to be a teacher, marry a teacher, and live happily thereafter. But I couldn’t secure a teaching appointment and it was joblessness and desperation that drove me in a different direction. Though I bagged a first degree in Yoruba language from the then University of Ife in 1982, and completed a Master’s degree in Literature-in-English much later in 1988, it never occurred to me that I would eventually end up being a journalist, writer and publisher. This is why it is often said that “man proposes but God disposes.”

Only God could have re-navigated my route towards writing. And even when it all started, I never envisaged or anticipated that I would ever come this far. I started as a writer slowly from around 1982 and steadily from about 1986. By 1988, I had galloped to the level of a full-fledged reporter and Staff Writer at the Concord Newspapers where I soon discovered myself and distinguished my career in a jiffy. From 1988-1990, I worked with the agility of a horse and fame and fortune smiled on me in a modest way. Though I had written articles mainly in The Guardian and Sunday Tribune newspapers, it was at the Concord newspapers that my career blossomed like a flower in full bloom. From my last duty post at Weekend Concord, I was poached by May Ellen Ezekiel, later known as Mrs Mofe-Damijo, wife of the madly popular actor and journalist, Richard Mofe-Damijo, both Publisher and Director respectively of Panache Communications Limited, owners of Classique magazine.

It was while in Classique that my Pendulum column was birthed. The idea to write a weekly column arose out of necessity when my boss, who wrote the celebrated MEE column was going on leave and left me to feel the vacuum in her absence. What was meant to be a temporary affair soon turned into addiction for many readers. I got hooked on it myself and wrote copiously on varying topics which I have since published on different platforms, including Fame, Global Excellence, The Sun and now Thisday.

I first mooted the idea of publishing my first collection of articles and essays with my dear friend and colleague, Dr Reuben Abati, and he agreed that I needed to put something together before the words vanished and evaporated. Thus my first selection was selected and edited by Reuben Abati. The first collection was ready as far back as 1997 and Reuben unleashed his power of poetic prose in its introduction and left it with me. And that was it.

Procrastination is a very bad thing. For 21 odd years, the book was left to ferment inside one old rickety laptop until I had the inspiration to publish it recently, and the jinx was finally broken. God finally used a very dear Brother, Sola Ojewusi, to open my eyes to the great potentials in publishing books. We had collaborated with another young Brother of mine, Ohimai Godwin Amaize, on the biography I produced on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, which was launched with fanfare on the occasion of his 50^th birthday on December 26, 2017. That seemed to have been the impetus needed to kick-start my book projects. Aside the first Pendulum collection, I had many other books in the pipeline, simply because I had several short articles to compile into many books. Since I had been writing an average of 50 articles per year, I already have a large reservoir of essays stockpiled. There was also a book, titled Fighting Lions, written by Ohimai Godwin Amaize, my former Presidential Campaign Manager, on that amazing experience, which had also gathered dust over time.

I drew great inspiration from my dear friends, Segun Adeniyi and Bolaji Abdullahi, who published and launched their books last year. My original plan was to finish a biography of Chief Moshood Abiola, and launch it on July 7 2018, the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of Chief Abiola’s death. That also proved difficult. But God’s time is always the best. I then decided to publish two volumes of Pendulum, one a bit ancient, and the other more contemporary. I was determined to make that happen, by fire by force. I called Sola Ojewusi, and we went all out. We were grappling with that when Ohimai came up with the idea that we should include his book since it would be very relevant in this season of political electioneering. I agreed and, pronto, I told him to update the book. I also decided to do some final editing on all the books, including those earlier edited by Dr Reuben Abati and my best friend, Prince Adedamola Aderemi. It was going to be a herculean task but between Sola and Mrs Molara Wood, nothing was going to be impossible. And we made it happen.

We worked on very tight deadlines. While at it, President Muhammadu Buhari stole the thunder from our secret plans to honour Chief Abiola by dedicating the books to his memory. But that for us was a welcome development that made ours even more necessary and compulsory. We set up a powerful WhatsApp committee headed by the Yes Magazine Publisher, Azuh Arinze, and went to work. The rest is history. Sola headed to Dubai to produce some world-class books and returned triumphantly with what I’m sure would soon become bestsellers globally.

We launched the books at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 and it was just so beautiful and glorious. Special thanks to all the wonderful people who defied all odds to throng the occasion. The Abiola family was well represented and it brought tears to my eyes as they spoke one after the other. We could not have asked for a better keynote speaker than Pastor Tunde Bakare, whose eloquent address was powerfully delivered. Mr Femi Otedola also set the place on fire with his witty and salacious anecdotes about Chief Abiola. Dr Doyin Abiola displayed the true stuff of a PhD holder and was well-applauded for her presentation.

The launchers helped us to mop up the copies that we were able to bring in at such short notice. Our friends of several decades turned up in droves. I could hardly believe my eyes. Many I did not know came, but I have since discovered their presence while reviewing the pictures and videos. What a great day and event it was and I remain eternally grateful to the best friends in the world…

THE OPTIONS BEFORE KEMI ADEOSUN

I was elated when Mrs Kemi Adeosun was invited to serve the government of President Muhammadu Buhari as Minister of Finance. Many considered her too young and too inexperienced for such a big portfolio, but I didn’t see anything wrong with the appointment particularly since I have championed the cause of youths in government forever and a day! The same young people who regularly complain about the non-inclusion of young people in government were the same gang that wanted to shoot her down. I didn’t know much about her other than the fact that she had served as Commissioner for Finance under Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State. I remember writing an article supporting her and encouraging President Buhari to let our youths learn through mistakes. No soul can be perfect without going through the furnace of life.

I ran into the Minister about two or three months ago at a society wedding in Lagos and she was the first to see and recognise me. She practically jumped off her seat to greet and exchange pleasantries with me. She was full of thanks and appreciation for the brief article of support I wrote at the time of her turbulent appointment. If I had expected to meet a pompous and arrogant person, Mrs Adeosun totally disarmed me. I saw her for the second time at the Aso Rock Presidential villa a few weeks ago during the International Press Institute Summit which was hosted by President Buhari, and she took pictures with me, Mrs Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, now Managing Director of Arise News Television, and Mr Eniola Bello, the Managing Director of Thisday Newspapers. Again, I saw a simple and humble lady who’s holding a very powerful position and I was excited for her.

You can thus imagine my shock and horror reading about the explosive stories about her National Youth Service debacle and how sad at the way the whole saga is ballooning and spreading like bushfire in harmattan. As always, I have watched with incredulity how mortals have fed voraciously on her unfortunate twist of fate. Social media seems to have turned us all into saints who pontificate at the slightest opportunity. Many have said she should resign and get ready to go to jail; after-all, if this had occurred overseas, from whence she had emigrated to Nigeria, she would have done the needful by now.

Others, obviously more sympathetic to her, have argued that her mistake, or whatever you want to call it, is not as grave as being portrayed in certain quarters, and that Nigeria is not yet ripe for the kinds of standards people are advocating. In their view, we should never throw the baby away with the birth water because they ascertain that she’s been doing a good job stabilising the economy against all odds.

Yet there is still a third camp propounding the conspiracy theory that she’s being hounded and victimised by some powerful subterranean forces within the government who want to get rid of her for poking her British noses into the ugly Nigerian deals that are better left to the imagination. This is normal in a country where ordinary headache can be attributed to witches and wizards. It is in the same vein that I felt scandalised that the upright man of God, Pastor Tunde Bakare, who had only been keynote speaker at my book launch a few days ago was shamelessly dragged into the debacle by those who have no sense of propriety. Pastor Bakare had gone to the Villa to thank President Buhari for the singular honour done to him when the President had sent a high-powered Federal Government delegation to attend his mother’s funeral in Abeokuta. As fate would have it, there was a chance meeting with Mrs Adeosun in the corridors as he was about to proceed to meet with President Buhari. Pastor Bakare and the Minister exchanged pleasantries like all normal beings and no more, yet the rumour mill has been agog with the tale by moonlight that the highly esteemed and revered Pastor had gone to see the President at the behest of Mrs Adeosun to intercede on her behalf. I know, and I am assured, that nothing could be further from the truth because not only was such a request not made by Mrs Adeosun, but the principle upon which Pastor Bakare stands are so well known that it would be unproductive to expect that he would accede to such a request.

As usual the Adeosun saga has become politicised. Politics often obfuscates serious issues in Nigeria. No matter our opinion in this hocus pocus, the final decisions are always taken at the highest levels. The Attorney-General would brief his principal on the implications of the controversial expose. The Commander-in-Chief would weigh the options to see if it is within his power to sack or pardon, or cause her to resign. None of these options would be easy considering the fact that Nigeria is very close to the next general elections and government may not wish to rock the boat.

Her silence, and resilience, has infuriated many people but only God knows what advice she is getting from the top. I would have expected she would address a press conference to explain her side of the story, with her lawyer close by, if her clarification is indeed viable or tenable. There is nothing more to do than to either speak up and die or keep mute and postpone the doomsday. As for me, it is always a pity, each time a beautiful career is shot down and torn to shreds. But I also believe in probity and accountability in public life. May God help Mrs Adeosun through her ordeal as facts continue to unravel.

Headline

Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh Amendment

Published

8 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Eric

Opposition political parties have rejected the 2026 Electoral Act recently passed by the National Assembly, which President Bola Tinubu swiftly signed into law.

The parties called on the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the law.

Their position was made known at a press briefing themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday.

In a communiqué read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition leaders stated:

“We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure that the Act reflects only the will and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process in our country. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Nigerians.”

Some of the opposition leaders present in at the event include former Senate President David Mark; former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi; and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, all from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ahmed Ajuji, and other prominent members of the NNPP, notably Buba Galadima, were also in attendance.

The coalition said the amended law, signed by Bola Tinubu, contains “anti-democratic” clauses, which they argue may weaken electoral transparency and public confidence in the voting system.

At the centre of the opposition’s concerns is the amendment to Section 60(3), which allows presiding officers to rely on manual transmission of election results where there is communication failure.

According to the coalition, the provision weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results and could create loopholes for manipulation.

They argued that Nigeria’s electoral technology infrastructure is sufficient to support nationwide electronic transmission, citing previous assurances by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The parties also rejected the amendment to Section 84, which restricts political parties to direct primaries and consensus methods for candidate selection.

They described the change as an unconstitutional intrusion into the internal affairs of parties, insisting that indirect primaries remain a legitimate democratic option.

The opposition cited alleged irregularities in the recent Federal Capital Territory local government elections as evidence of what they described as a broader pattern of electoral compromise.

They characterised the polls as a “complete fraud” and said the outcome has deepened their lack of confidence in the ability of the electoral system to deliver credible elections in 2027.

The coalition also condemned reported attacks on leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Edo State, describing the incidents as a serious threat to democratic participation and political tolerance.

They warned that increasing violence against opposition figures could destabilise the political environment if not urgently addressed.

In their joint statement, the opposition parties pledged to pursue “every constitutional means” to challenge the Electoral Act 2026 and safeguard voters’ rights.

“We will not be intimidated,” the leaders said, urging civil society organisations and citizens to support efforts aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democratic system.

On February 18, 2026, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act (Amendment) 2026 into law following its passage by the National Assembly. The Act introduced several reforms, including statutory recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and revised election timelines.

However, opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have also called for further amendments, particularly over the manual transmission fallback clause, which critics say leaves room for manipulation.

The president said the law will strengthen democracy and prevent voter disenfranchisement.

Tinubu defended manual collation of results, questioned Nigeria’s readiness for full real-time electronic transmission, and warned against technical glitches and hacking.

The Electoral Act sparked intense debate in the National Assembly over how election results should be transmitted ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Civil society groups under the “Occupy NASS” campaign demanded real-time transmission to curb manipulation.

In the Senate, lawmakers clashed during consideration of Clause 60, which allows manual transmission of results if electronic transmission fails.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a formal vote to remove the proviso permitting manual transmission, arguing against weakening real-time electronic reporting.

The move led to a heated exchange on the floor, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio initially suggesting the demand had been withdrawn.

After procedural disputes and a brief confrontation among senators, a division was conducted. Fifteen opposition senators voted against retaining the manual transmission proviso, while 55 supported it, allowing the clause to stand.

Earlier proceedings had briefly stalled during clause-by-clause review, prompting consultations and a closed-door session.

In the House of Representatives, a similar disagreement came up over a motion to rescind an earlier decision that mandated compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results to IReV.

Although the “nays” were louder during a voice vote, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled in favour of rescinding the decision, triggering protests and an executive session.

Headline

AFP: How Tinubu’s Govt Paid Boko Haram ‘Huge’ Ransom, Released Two Terrorists for Kidnapped Saint Mary’s Pupils

Published

3 days ago

February 24, 2026

Eric

The Nigerian government paid Boko Haram militants a “huge” ransom of millions of dollars to free up to 230 children and staff the jihadists abducted from a Catholic school in November, an AFP investigation revealed Monday.

Two Boko Haram commanders were also freed as part of the deal, which goes against the country’s own law banning payments to kidnappers. The money was delivered by helicopter to Boko Haram’s Gwoza stronghold in northeastern Borno state on the border with Cameroon, intelligence sources told AFP.

The decision to pay the militants is likely to irritate US President Donald Trump, who ordered air strikes on jihadists in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day and has been sent military trainers to help support Nigerian forces.

Nigerian government officials deny any ransom was paid to the armed gang that snatched close to 300 schoolchildren and staff from St. Mary’s boarding school in Papiri in central Niger state on November 21. At least 50 later managed to escape their captors.

Boko Haram has not been previously linked to the kidnapping, but sources told AFP one of its most feared commanders was behind the mass abduction: the notorious jihadist known as Sadiku.

He infamously held up a train from the capital in 2022 and netted hefty ransoms for the release of government officials and other well-off passengers.

Boko Haram, which has waged a bloody insurgency since 2009, is strongest in northeast Nigeria.

But a cell in central Niger state operates under Sadiku’s leadership. The St. Mary’s pupils and staff were freed after two weeks of negotiations led by Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, with the government insisting no ransom was paid. Nigeria’s State Security Service flatly denied paying any money, saying “government agents don’t pay ransoms”.

However, four intelligence sources familiar with the talks told AFP the government paid a “huge” ransom to get the pupils back. One source put it at 40 million naira per head – around $7 million in total.

Another put the figure lower at two billion naira overall. The money was delivered by chopper to Ali Ngulde, a Boko Haram commander in the northeast, three sources told AFP.

Due to the lack of communications cover in the remote area, Ngulde had to cross into Cameroon to confirm delivery of the ransom before the first group of 100 children were released.

Nigeria has long been plagued by mass abductions, with criminals and jihadist groups sometimes working together to extort millions from hostages’ families, and authorities seemingly powerless to stop them.

Source: Africanews

Headline

Unlawful Invasion: El-Rufai Drags ICPC, IGP, Others to Court, Demands N1bn Damages

Published

3 days ago

February 23, 2026

Eric

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has slammed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for what he claimed was an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.

El-Rufai, in a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also listed the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja Magisterial District; Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as 2nd to 4th respondents respectively.

According to the suit filed through his lawyers, led by Oluwole Iyamu, El-Rufai prayed the court to declare that the search warrant issued on February 4 by the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT (2nd respondent), authorising the search and seizure at his residence as invalid, null and void.

Security operatives had stormed and searched the former Governor’s residence in the ongoing investigations against him.

However, he argued in the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, that the search was in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution, and urged the court to declare that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search.”

In the suit dated and filed February 20 by Iyamu, ex-governor, who is currently under detention, sought seven reliefs.

He prayed the court to declare that the invasion and search of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on Feb. 19 at about 2pm and executed by agents of ICPC and I-G, “under the aforesaid invalid warrant, amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Constitution.”

He urged the court to declare that “any evidence obtained pursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissible in any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.”

El-Rufai, therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, or tendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in any investigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him.

“An order directing the Ist and 3rd respondents (ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’s premises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventory thereof.

“An order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights, including trespass, unlawful seizure, and the resultant psychological trauma, humiliation, distress, infringement of privacy, and reputational harm.”

The breakdown of the ₦1 billion in damages includes “a N300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security;

“A ₦400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies and vindicate the applicant’s rights.

“A ₦300 million as aggravated damages for the malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the respondents’ actions, including the use of a patently defective warrant procured through misleading representations.”

He equally sought ₦100 million as the cost of filing the suit, including legal fees and associated expenses.

Iyamu argued that the search warrant was fundamentally defective, lacking specificity in the description of items to be seized, containing material typographical errors, ambiguous execution terms, overbroad directives, and no verifiable probable cause.

He added that the warrant violated Sections 143-148 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015; Section 36 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) Act, 2000, and constitutional protections against arbitrary intrusions and several other constitutional provisions.

“Section 146 stipulates that the warrant must be in the prescribed form, free from defects that could mislead, but the document is riddled with errors in the address, date, and district designation;

“Section 147 allows direction to specified persons, but the warrant’s indiscriminate addressing to “all officers is overbroad and unaccountable.

“Section 148 permits execution at reasonable times, but the contradictory language creates ambiguity, undermining procedural clarity,” he submitted.

Iyamu stated that the execution of the invalid warrant on Feb. 19 resulted in an unlawful invasion of his client’s premises, constituting violations of the rights to dignity (Section 34), personal liberty (Section 35), fair hearing (Section 36), and privacy (Section 37) of the Constitution.

He further argued that the search was conducted without legal justification and in a manner that inflicted humiliation and distress.

“Evidence obtained without a valid warrant is unlawful and inadmissible, as established in judicial precedents such as C.O.P. v. Omoh (1969) NCLR 137, where the court ruled that evidence procured through improper means contravenes fundamental rights and must be excluded,” he said.

In the affidavit in support of the application, Mohammed Shaba, a Principal Secretary to the former governor, averred that on Feb. 19 at about 2p.m., officers from the ICPC and Nigeria Police Force invaded the residence under a purported search warrant issued on or about Feb. 4.

According to him, the said warrant is invalid due to its lack of specificity, errors, and other defects as outlined in the grounds of this application.

He said the “search warrant did not specify the properties or items being searched for.”

Shaba stated that the officers failed to submit themselves for search as provided by the law before proceeding with the search.

“That the Magistrate did not specify the magisterial district wherein he sits.

“That during the invasion, the officers searched the applicant’s premises without lawful authority, seized personal items including documents and electronic devices, and caused the applicant undue humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.

“Now shown to me and marked as ‘EXHIBIT B’ Is the list of the items carted away.

“That no items seized have been returned, and the respondents continue to rely on the unlawful evidence.

“That the applicant suffered violations of his constitutional rights as a result, and this application is brought in good faith to enforce same,” Shaba said.

Source: Naijanews.com