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Friday Sermon: Late Alhaji Babatunde Jose: Contentment Personified

Published

6 years ago

August 3, 2018

Eric

By Ibrahim Babatunde Jose ll

Contentment is a sign of a true believer. The virtue of contentment is closely connected with the virtue of putting trust in Allah. With contentment one feels inner peace and spirituality increases. He does not compare himself with those who are in better conditions, but rather he remembers those who are in worse conditions. For example, if someone is one-handed, he should be content and remember those who do not have hands at all. “Contentment is not the fulfilment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” Contentment and patience earn one Paradise in the Hereafter. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: “Riches does not mean having a great amount of property; real wealth is self-contentment.” Sahih Bukhari (Book 81, Chapter 15)

The (material) things which ye are given are but the conveniences of this life and the glitter thereof; but that which is with Allah is better and more enduring: Will ye not then be wise?

(Quran 28:60)

The greatest cause for the lack of contentment is greed and avariciousness, covetousness and ‘long throat’. These are very objectionable traits in any human being and they are the root cause of corruption. Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said: “If a son of Adam (as) possessed two vast valleys wherein gold and silver flowed, he would still wish to search for the third one.”

One of the greatest legacy a man could bequeath to his children is a good name. Riches could be spent and wasted on the frivolous things of life and in a jiffy, the children have gone through it and are back to the state of poverty of their great grandfather. Houses are equally squandered through sales and forfeiture, having been used to borrow money. All else must pass away leaving the good name a man has built for himself. The greatest building bloc of a good name is a contented life. A life devoid of greed and avarice and covetousness. These are very apt description of late Alhaji Babatunde Jose.

Under the present clime, people like late Jose, with his first generation advantage would have amassed enough illicit wealth to last the coming generation of his offspring. He never did; yet he had all the opportunities.

He became Managing Director of the Daily Times and probably the highest paid chief executive of a publicly quoted company in Nigeria without moving to an executive official residence until nearly three years after he became Chairman of the company.

During his stay in Cooper Road, Ikoyi, the sprawling official residence, he was very conscious of the transit nature of the place. It was therefore very easy and painless for him to move back to his old residence in Apapa immediately after his retirement. Unlike the retirees of today who go away with a fleet of cars and SUVs, Alhaji Jose only went away with his old official car, a Mercedes 300S, LAA3.

He built his house in Victoria Island, courtesy of the Federal Government allocation of plots to deserving public figures at the time. Unfortunately, he never had the money to develop the plot. It would be built under contractor finance arrangement by Cappa, which rented out the place for five years in order to realize the N120,000 construction cost. He was only be able to move into the house in December 1980 in which he lived for 28 years till he died, without changing the furniture or the air-conditioning units in the house.

His life is therefore a lesson in contentment and personal satisfaction.

Even when he joined his friends, MKO Abiola, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Musa Bello and Alhaji Koko with the Pakistanis to float Habib Nigeria Bank Limited, he never for once abused the codes of corporate governance.

The Apotheosis

Jose was not only a journalist and newspaper administrator, he was a man who perfected the art of ‘walking a tightrope’ in the high tension ‘corridors of power’. He was usually consulted by heads of government and ministers on many national issues. During the first republic, he was the Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on Publicity. This gave him unfettered access to the Prime Minister; a privilege he never abused.

During Nigeria’s change over from left to right-hand drive, General Yakubu Gowon, appointed Alhaji Jose as the Chairman of the Committee. After that, he was appointed Chairman of the Nigeria Building Society which later became Federal Mortgage Bank.

He was also made a member of the Nigerian Pilgrims Board of which he eventually became the chairman. These positions of trust were never abused. Yet in modern parlance, they were ‘juicy’.

Despite the fact that the Daily Times was nationalized by the Murtala-Obasanjo Military Administration, and the eventual retirement of Jose at the young age of 50 in 1976, General Obasanjo changed his mind and asked him to return to the company but Jose politely declined the offer saying ‘where a man has said goodnight, he does not return to say good evening’. Obasanjo therefore appointed him pioneer Chairman of the Nigerian Television Authority NTA.

First civilian President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari appointed him Chairman of a commission to advice on Hajj operations. Shagari also sent him to newly Independent Zimbabwe to help advice on financial feasibility of acquiring a privately owned newspaper which the Nigerian government was bankrolling for the government of that country. He did not see it as an opportunity for self-aggrandizement.

The Buhari/Idiagbon government sent him to London on an image laundering mission for the Nigerian government. On his return, he caused a stir when he returned some unspent money out of the fund given to him for the trip. General Idiagbon was flabbergasted and took him to General Buhari to witness what he has seen, as it was unprecedented.

Also, at the request of the same government, he was asked to advise on the reorganization of the Daily Times, which he did and it led to the appointment of his godson and protégée, Olusegun Osoba as Managing Director. He was also appointed a second time as Chairman of NTA.

It was to Alhaji Jose that the Babangida administration turned when it wanted to settle the intractable problem of General Tunde Idiagbon’s continued stay in Saudi Arabia after the coup that ousted his government. Jose travelled to Saudi with General Gado Nasco, Sheikh Gumi and Professor Galadanchi to persuade and bring Idiagbon back to Nigeria. President Babangida also appointed Alhaji Jose as the Chairman of the Nigeria Pilgrims Board.

It is important to note that during the Interim National Government of Chief Ernest Shonekan, Alhaji Jose was again approached to serve as the Chairman of the Eminent Persons Committee to advice on the June 12 impasse. Fortunately, Alhaji Jose resigned immediately the committee was inaugurated after realizing that it was a charade.

Alhaji Jose would later sit on the boards of many companies, only to find himself being elected President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria MAN. That perhaps marked his apotheosis.

In all these he never lost his head neither did he forget the son of whom he was. He would always remember the home from which came from. He never for once took undue advantage of his closeness to the corridor. That to me is the hallmark of a man of honor and principle. It demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt, contentment per excellence.

As a mark of his unshaken be belief in the certainty of death, he kept his burial things in a bag in his room, to the knowledge of all.

According to Tajudeen Gbadamosi, Emeritus Professor of history and an erudite Islamic scholar, “Alhaji Jose did not claim to be a moral leader. . . But we can certainly identify in him some sterling moral values: dedication sincerity of purpose, honesty, commitment to peace, selflessness and a high sense of responsibility.”

In 1946, Editor of the Daily Times, Mr Lijadu, wrote an awe-inspiring testimonial for Alhaji Jose in which he said “This is to certify that I have known Ishmael Adisa Babatunde Jose for over five years during which period I have always found him a hardworking, obedient and aspiring Youngman. His industry and ambition have been most exemplary and inspiring and have marked him out as a young man who ought to go far in life. . . . . . .” And indeed he went very far! As former President Olusegun Obasanjo described him in Abuja in 2001, as a “national role model and an Icon of Hope”.

Yesterday was a glorious day in his remembrance. The Fidau prayer was a high mass in nature with clerics of Anwar ul Islam, led by the venerable Chief Imam A B Yoosuf and a plethora of beautiful people in attendance. It was a most befitting anniversary. It was crowned with the naming of the school hall of Jubril Martin Memorial Grammar School as ‘Alhaji Isma’il Babatunde Jose Hall: The name of a good man was immortalized.

We pray: “O Allah! Forgive him, have mercy upon him, give him peace and absolve him. Receive him with honor and make his grave spacious; wash him with water, snow and hail. Cleanse him from faults as Thou wouldst cleanse a white garment from impurity. Requite him with an abode, with a family better than his family and with a mate better than his mate. Admit him to the Garden, and protect him from the torment of the grave and the torment of the fire.” Du’a Book by Refaaz Mohamed.

Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend

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Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Prioritize Existing Unfinished Projects, Peter Obi Tells FG

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Eric

Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has advised the federal government to prioritize existing unfinished projects spread across the country instead of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.

Obi, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, stated that the project was a misplaced priority given the numerous unfinished roads throughout the country.

The former governor of Anambra State mentioned that the budget allocated to the Ministry of Works is insufficient for significant progress on the country’s various unfinished roads, much less their completion.

Obi therefore, advised that the government prioritize the existing infrastructural projects in the country before embarking on any new and colossal projects like the Lagos-Calabar super highway project.

“The Federal Ministry of Works 2024 capital budget of N892,461,262,656.00, additional funding from multilateral loan projects of N94,828,535,243.00, alongside other expected contributions from sources like the China-Exim Bank and the World Bank, will not be enough for serious work on all the critical roads, some of which I enumerated above, let alone their completion.

So, why embark on another huge project that will not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years?

“To do so will only exacerbate the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development.

“Therefore, while acknowledging the potential benefits of coastal superhighway infrastructure, I urge prioritization of our existing uncompleted projects. We must allocate resources towards repairing and completing existing infrastructure.

“In any development formula, the primary focus should be on completing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on colossal new projects that may never reach completion within the next 30 years,” Obi said.

Back in March, the Federal Government began constructing the 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, designed to extend through 9 states with two spurs leading to the Northern States.

Recall that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had earlier described the project as a fraud.

“Umahi had announced that Hitech would fully fund the project, and based on this, there was no competitive bidding. He (Umahi) then said that Hitech could only raise just 6% of the money for the pilot phase. This smacks of deceit,” Atiku said.

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2027 Presidential Race: Opposition Parties Under Attack

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

While it is still a whole three years before the next general election in 2027, The Boss has learnt that opposition parties in the countries are being muffled to pave the way for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to, and retain power.

From the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the Labour Party (LP), and down to the New Nigerian Peoples Paty (NNPP), crises have engulfed the rank and files, in what a source told this paper was the attempt and making of the ruling party, APC, to decimate, destabilize and make redundant the machineries of the opposition parties.

It is believed that by 2027, the apparatuses holding together the various opposition parties would have weakened irredeemably to the extent the country would seemingly nosedive into the inglorious one party state that every civil right advocate and democrats abhor.

It is alleged that all the crises in all the opposition parties are being engineered by the President Bola Tinubu-led ruling APC, with the hope of getting the fibres of their system weakened, thereby luring the members of the crisis-ridden parties into the APC.

Slightly one year after the last presidential election, the two major opposition platforms, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, have separately been embroiled in a crisis of confidence which has diminished their capacity to provide viable opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The crises in both opposition parties got to a head. The Labour Party led by its national chairman Julius Abure held its much-opposed national convention which was boycotted by its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi; its only governor, Alex Otti of Abia State; federal and state lawmakers elected on its platform, and the organised Labour.

In the Labour Labour, members have been embroiled in endless battle of supremacy with a faction led by Mr. Apapa steadily contesting the leadership of Julius Abure.

Consequently, the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, reverence as a leader in the fold, noting that whatever the party faces presently, that Nigeria’s problems are far bigger than the crises in his party.

The LP has been embroiled in crises — ranging from allegations of misappropriation of funds, and leadership tussle, to calls for the resignation of the party’s national chairman.

TheCable reported that “On March 27, the LP conducted a national convention in Anambra state where Julius Abure was re-elected as its national chairman.

Obi did not attend the convention, fuelling speculations that he may be mulling over ditching the LP for another platform.

Speaking during an appearance on HaveYourSay247, an interactive online session hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo over the weekend, Obi said he is confident that the crises rocking the LP will soon be resolved amicably.

“Whatever is happening in the Labour Party is so minute compared to what is happening in the country,” Obi said.

“So, for me, it is something we will resolve amicably, and it is not anything to worry about. Let us worry about the country.

“Let us worry about how the average Nigerian would be able to have a means of livelihood to be able to eat, that should be our worry.”

Obi said he has no interest in being the party’s leader but only to make sure things are done properly.

“I don’t see what I do in politics as being the leader of any place or not. My position is that just like I always say, I am not desperate to be president of Nigeria, I am desperate to see Nigeria work because I know it can work,” he added.

“We have a more desperate situation. Parties are just a means to be able to contest elections. What is important is that being a leader of a party does not reduce the price of food.

In the PDP, the shenanigans of former Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has practically kept the party in constant crisis with many observers concluding that the now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is working for the APC, and is just a mole in the PDP. Wike has denied the allegation, however,

But news filtered in last week as that the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, and Minister may have concluded plans to attend the much advertised National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), billed to hold on Thursday, in Abuja.

Impeccable source, who is in the know, told The Boss that the minister, whose membership of the PDP is yet to be revoked even as he frolicks with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and serving in the President Bola Tinubu government as a minister.

The Source told The Boss that Wike’s impending presence at the NEC meeting on Thursday was not unconnected with plans, already hatched with some governors, to weaken the opposition PDP.

“Yes, we have on good authority that FCT minister, Wike is planning to attend the NEC meeting tomorrow all in a bid to weaken the fabrics of the PDP, and pave the way for the continuation of the Tinubu administration come 2027, and by extension, relapse Nigeria to a full blown one party state.

“From every indication, Wike and his co-travellers, are bent on unleashing the same crisis ravaging the third force, Labour Party, and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s Nigerian National People’s Party (NNPP) on the PDP for the APC to remain the only political party in the country, and ensure that Tinubu has no challenger, come 2027,” the Source said.

It would be recalled that Wike has boasted over and again that there’s no opposition against Tinubu’s re-emergence in 2027, and that they have made sure of that. He has been compensated with the Ministerial job after he withdrew support for his party, and supported the APC and Tinubu to emerge as national government.

The Source further revealed that in the attempt to actualize the intended one party state, a lot of funding is ongoing to ensure that concerned stakeholders are ‘settled’ handsomely.

Wike, prior, during and after the 2023 general elections, has been floating in between the two major political parties; the APC and the PDP. While he claim to still be a member of the PDP, he is functioning as a minister in an APC government, mocking the inability of his party to discipline him.

While political stakeholders concluded that the outcome of the Thursday’s PDP NEC meeting will determine the path Nigeria’s political trajectory will take, and that it may portend the end of multi-party system and political democracy if Wike succeeds in his plan; every page of what finally transpired at the meeting pointed to the fact.

The much touted removal of the party chairman, who is believed to be a crony of the Abuja minister, Damagum, retained his seat, with his executives.

“It is very clear to everyone that a lot of money politics is being played to cajole many loyal members of the party, forcing them into frustration, and eventually it of the party. The option afterwards, will be the APC. This, will for all intent and purpose actualize the intended one party state as an APC agenda.

The Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso-led NNPP is not faring better either. The only governor under their ticket, Abba Kabir Yusuf, just had the confidence of their party on him withdrawn. He was fighting for his political life until suddenly it was announced the the APC in Kano has collapsed its structure into the NNPP.

“This is just another APC strategy to actualize their hidden intentions. Time will reveal the very sinister agenda they harboring,” an analyst said.

Much as 2027 is still three years away, but intrigues are in play to render Nigeria a one party state, and perpetuate the APC in power. The three other opposition parties are basically under attack to bring to pass this unpopular agenda.

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Akwa Ibom Government, Governor Umo Eno Receive Top Honors at the 10th Wonders of the World Expo in Lagos

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Admin

The Akwa Ibom State Government and Governor Pastor Umo Eno were recognized with Travellers Awards at the 10th Wonders of the World Expo in Lagos for their sustained enhancement of infrastructure, support for local talent, and dedication to investment in the tourism sector. The ceremony took place at the National Museum in Onikan, Lagos.

While Akwa Ibom won the Most Active Tourism State of the Year, Governor Eno was adjudged the most Tourism-Friendly Governor of the Year at the event that had Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Lola Ade John in attendance.

According to Amb. Ikechi Uko, Founder/Publisher of ATQ Magazine, the organizers of the event which is in its tenth edition, Akwa Ibom State won the top prize “in recognition of its valiant and resourceful efforts to drive and sustain domestic tourism by promoting the industry.

‘In 2023, Akwa Ibom was one of the states that hosted World Tourism Day (WTD ) events. The state also organized the famous Christmas Unplugged, which featured music, food, and cultures from all 31 LGAs as well as ensured friendly policies.”

While hoping that the Travellers Awards would spur Akwa Ibom to do more to dominate the domestic tourism industry, the organizers hoped that the state would gradually evolve into one of Nigeria’s top international tourism destinations.

That was not all, the state Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Sir Charles Udoh was also recognized as one of the Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Nigeria for demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation in the travel and tourism industry, while other Akwa Ibom indigenes and entity were also celebrated: Mrs. Ime Udo, Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor( Tourism) won Tourism Promoter of the Year, Favour Udo won Tourism Photographer of the Year, Loretta Effiong and Prince Uduak Sunday (Qua Tours) were listed among the Tourism Personalities of the Year and Ibom Air won Airline of the Year International.

In his remarks, Sir Charles Udoh, who represented the Governor at the event, thanked the organizers for the awards and noted that Akwa Ibom is certainly enjoying the golden era when it comes to tourism development. He stated that Governor Umo Eno is very keen on making Akwa Ibom a leading tourism destination with his programmes and policies.

He revealed that with the new Victor Attah International Airport nearing completion, the purchase of a ferry for the Oron-Calabar route, new developments along its coastline and the restoration work that will be done at all its major tourism sites, Akwa Ibom is well on the way to becoming the number one destination for all domestic and foreign tourists.

In her speech, Tourism Minister, Mrs. Ade John hailed the organizers for hosting the Expo, where practitioners were lectured by top experts while also rewarding those who have excelled in the past year.

She affirmed that her ministry is open to partnership with public and private sector operators, adding that tourism development can only be successful through collaborative efforts.

The event, which attracted leading and budding tourism professionals, also featured interactive and entertainment sessions.

Apart from Sir Charles Udoh and Mrs. Ime Udo, the Akwa Ibom State delegation, also included: Mr. Michael Effiong James, Senior Special Assistant (Lagos Liaison) to Governor, Mrs. Eme Bassey, Special Assistant to Governor (Lagos Liaison) and Akparawa John Offiong, Deputy Director ( Culture) Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

More photos below: