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Celebrating Prominent Nigerians Born in Independence Year

Published

5 years ago

September 25, 2020

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

As Nigeria celebrates its diamond jubilee independence, The Boss wishes to take time out to celebrate some worthy Nigerians who were born in the year of independence, and who over the period of 60 years have carved a niche for themselves.

Most of these worthy Nigerians have excelled in politics, entertainment, religion, academia, media and a host of other veritable human endeavours. Some of them are:

ABDUL SAMAD ISYAKU RABIU CON

The prominent businessman was born on August 4, 1960 in Kano to late Khalifah Isyaku Rabiu, who was one of Nigeria’s foremost industrialists in the 1970s and 1980s. Abdul Samad is the founder and chairman of BUA Group, a conglomerate with bias on manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture and producing a revenue in excess of $2.5 billion. He is also the chairman of the Bank of Industry (BOI).

Abdul Samad is the 716th on the list of global billionaire’s club, and has an estimated wealth of $3.2 billion, according to Forbes release on July 7, 2020.

Soundly educated, Abdul Samad Rabiu attended Capital University in Columbus,Ohio, and returned to Nigeria at the age of 24 to oversee the family business. He established BUA International Limited in 1988 for the sole purpose of commodity trading. The company imported rice, edible oil, flour, and iron and steel.

The company made its break when in 1990, it was contracted to supply its raw materials in exchange for finished products by Delta Steel Company. Since then, BUA has expanded further into steel, producing billets, importing iron ore, and constructing multiple rolling mills in Nigeria.

Rabiu’s BUA has contributed so much to the economic growth of Nigeria including breaking an eight-year monopoly in the Nigerian sugar industry by commissioning the second-largest sugar refinery in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2009 the company went on to acquire a controlling stake in a publicly-listed Cement Company in Northern Nigeria and began to construct a $900 million cement plant in Edo State, completing it in early 2015.

Rabiu’s corporate social responsibility to Nigerians and the Nigerian government has been tremendous, including the contribution of about N1.5 billion to fight the dreaded coronavirus in the country.

DELE MOMODU

Born Ayòbámidélé Àbáyòmí Ojútelégàn Àjàní Momodu on May 16, 1960, Chief Dele Momodu as he is known in the business circle, and Bob Dee, in the social stage, is by every standard a man who is diligent in his business. And it is no wonder that he has not only stood before kings, he had and continues to dine with kings. There is practically no influential person that Dele Momodu does not know across the length and breadth of Nigeria, Africa and on the inter-continental stage. He is that large!

Most men who had gone far in life are products of instructions well taken, and among such rare breeds is the man who has grown in leaps and bounds to become Chairman/CEO of Ovation Media Group, and creating a tripod publication namely Ovation International, a magazine that has given publicity to people from all over the world, and reflected the true of Africa; Ovation TV and The Boss Newspaper online, which he officially launched in 2015.

By every standard a rare breed, Momodu is many things in one; journalist/publisher, businessman, philanthropist, actor, politician and motivational speaker. Among all these he considers himself simply as a reporter, and even with a retinue of seasoned staff still ventures into the field to scoop exclusives. Those who have referred to him as a workaholic are not far from the truth. Even he, himself has an oft quoted line thus “those who come from poor background cannot afford to sleep too much”.

A graduate of University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) (1982), Dele Momodu holds a degree in Yoruba and a master’s degree in English Literature (1988). On 30 July 2016, Dele was awarded with an honorary doctorate degree (PhD) from the University of Professional Studies, Accra, Ghana, earning him the title “Doctor of Humane Letters”. Among his many accolades is the singular honour of being a Fellow of the Oxford University.

Momodu’s impact in affecting the young ones is legendary. He constantly hosts a yearly concert, known as Ovation Carol to discover young budding talents, and nurtures them for greatness. The philanthropist has also been involved in dishing out palliatives to selected Nigerians even as hardship occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic prevails.

BISADE OLOGUNDE (LAGBAJA)

Very few persons know the real names of this unique legendary singer as his stage name, Lagbaja for his signature use of mask, powerfully dwarfs his real name. Born in Lagos in 1960, Bisade Ologunde has waxed strong in afrobeat music, became a singer-songwriter and percussionist of not. He believes in social reform through music.

When he embarked on his career in the early 90s, Ologunde adopted the name Lágbájá (meaning ‘anonymous’ or ‘faceless one’ in Yoruba) His name was reflected in his choice of stage attire – a slitted textile and rubber mask adopted so that the artist represented the ‘common man’ in keeping with the carnival tradition of the Yoruba tribe. He formed his first small band in 1991 in Lagos after he had taught himself to play the saxophone. With a high quotient of percussion instruments including congas and talking drums Lagbaja’s album We Before Me (IndigeDisc/PDSE) released in 2000 demanded honesty from politicians and urged brotherhood and unity. He shared lyrics of his songs with a backup singer, Ego Ihenacho, and equally plays tenor saxophone. In 2006, he won the Channel O Music Video Awards for Best Male Video with the song, “Never Far Away”.

BRIGHT CHIMEZIE

The originator of the Zigima Sound, Bright Chimezie aka Okoro Jnr, was born on October 1, 1960 to a clergy father. He is a notable musician. Here was a man, who believe that he is a preacher like his father. But much as his father chose to preach from the altar, he chose to preach from the stage. At the end of the day, messages to better humanity were transferred.

His music style of music, which became known as Zigima Sound, is a genre popular in the Eastern part of Nigeria in the early 1980s. It is a mix of traditional Nigerian music and igbo highlife fused with chanted vocals. Bright Chimezie used it to revolutionize the musical structure in Nigeria with lyrics that focused on social issues of the country in a rather funny way.

His first album, which gave him the nickname, Okoro Jnr. was an instant hit, and launched him into limelight. Bright Chimezie made more hit tracks such as ‘Ube Nwanne’, ‘because of English’ , African style. His album ‘Respect Africa’ brought him to Limelight as he used these songs to ridicule problems in the society. He is also known for his dance steps. popularly known as legwork. His stylish way of mixing excellent steps and a warning chant gave him the title ‘ the duke of African music’.

Chimezie also dabbled into movie acting as well as other forms of entertainment.

OLUREMI TINUBU

Now serving her third tenure in the upper legislative chamber, Oluremi Tinubu, who originally hails from the Ishekiri tribe of Delta State, was born on September, 21 1960 as the youngest of 12 children. She was however, raised in Ogun State.

Tinubu is a holder of a Bachelors of Science degree in Education from the University of Ife, as well as a National Certificate of Education in Botany and Zoology from the Adeyemi College of Education. She is well read.

Married to arguably the most influential politician in the South West sub-region, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Oluremi has humbly carried out her duties without pomposity, reaching out to all manners people and attending to their needs with god fearing equanimity. She has not in any way allow the rising profile of her husband get into her head. She is a complete and clear picture of a dutiful wife, adoring mother and distinguished public figure.

Oluremi Tinubu became the First Lady of Lagos State when her husband, Bola Tinubu, was elected as governor in 1999 after returning from exile following the intimidating junta of late General Sani Abacha. As first lady, she expressed her milk of human kindness and brought her humanity to the fore with the establishment of the New Era Foundation. The foundation was dedicated to establishing centres for “all round development of young ones and promote public awareness on environmental health and community service.” It also established the prestigious Spelling Bee competition for secondary school children. The prize was mind blowing including the offer of becoming the governor of Lagos State for 24 hours. This singular prize created many teenage governors for the Lagos State.

She is also an ordained pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

AKINTADE OGIDAN

Also known as Tade Ogidan, this film and television screenwriter as well as producer and director, was born in July, 1960 in Lagos, Nigeria, to Akinola and Rachael Ogidan. He grew up in Surulere, a suburb of Lagos State.

Tade had his elementary school education in the mid ‘60s into the ‘70s at Government Demonstration School and Surulere Baptist School, both in Surulere, Lagos. Between 1972 and 1974, he attended secondary school at Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti, and graduated at Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos, in 1978. From 1979, Ogidan attended Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, NM, USA. He completed a short stint at the State University of New York, in Buffalo, NY, USA.

From 1982 to 1983, Tade Ogidan completed the government-mandated National Youth Service Corp program at the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, in Lagos, after which he became a full-time Producer/Director with NTA Channel 10, and a Continuity Announcer with NTA 2 – Channel 5, both in Lagos, Nigeria. Ogidan spent 8 years with the Nigerian Television Authority, (NTA 10, NTA 2 – Channel 5 and NTA National Network Service and projects).

He is reputed to have produced blockbuster productons such as PLAY OF THE WEEK drama series, TELE THEATRE drama series, LEGAL ANGLE series, THE NEW VILLAGE HEADMASTER drama series among others.

He also delved into Nollywood production at the advent of home video production in Nigeria. Tade is not only prolific, but a tested professional in the business of making people happy through motion pictures.

To be continued…

Headline

Israeli Ambassador Accuses Iran of Spreading Terror, Sponsoring Extremist Activities in Nigeria

Published

4 days ago

March 6, 2026

Eric

Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has accused Iran of sponsoring extremist activities in Nigeria and other parts of the world, alleging that Tehran supports groups aimed at destabilising countries while pursuing its hostility against Israel.

Freeman made the remarks on Friday while speaking during an interview on The Morning Show on Arise News.

The envoy claimed that Iran is the only country within the United Nations that openly expresses a desire to destroy another sovereign state, referring to repeated threats against Israel.

According to him, the Iranian government has, over several decades, supported militant groups and terror organisations around the world in pursuit of that objective.

Freeman alleged that Iran has backed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, adding that Tehran was also behind the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas against Israel.

He further claimed that Iranian activities aimed at spreading instability have been observed across several regions, including Europe, Australia, and parts of Africa.

Speaking specifically about Nigeria, the Israeli ambassador alleged that the Islamic Movement of Nigeria receives backing from the Iranian government.

According to Freeman, statements of support from Iran’s leadership, including posts by Ali Khamenei on social media, have openly indicated such ties.

He said: “The issue here is about Iran. Iran is the only country in the world, in the United Nations, who expressly desires to wipe another country off the face of the earth. Iran has stated its very policy is to destroy Israel. Is to wipe Israel off the map is to make sure they kill every single person and no regime, no country that has an express desire to destroy Israel, and it’s not only an expressed desire.

“We’ve seen over 47 years, they’ve taken all the actions they can in order for that to happen. We’ve seen them sponsor terror organizations. They were behind October the seventh massacre of Hamas. We’ve seen them sponsoring Hezbollah. We’ve seen them acting in Europe. We’ve seen them acting in Australia. We’ve seen them acting in Nigeria.

“We’ve seen these people acting all across the world in order to spread disturbance for them to try and carry out their aim of destroying Israel, and Israel will not allow another country to have nuclear weapons when they’ve expressly stated they want those weapons to destroy Israel”.

“I think that it is well documented. We know that there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic movement of Nigeria is sponsored and is backed by the Iranian regime. This is not me saying this, we’ve seen that documented by the Iranian regime.

The Supreme Leader posted on X his support and his backing there. So that’s very open. And there are other areas as well that Iran is working for, destabilizing, not only Nigeria, but all of West Africa.”

Headline

Why Nigerians Must Reject INEC’s Revised Timetable – ADC

Published

1 week ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), during the week, released a fresh elections timetable, with major amendments to accommodate the just passed and signed Electoral Act 2026 by the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu respectively.

Following the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities, the Commission has reviewed and realigned the Schedule to ensure full compliance with the new legal framework.

Accordingly, the Commission has resolved as follows:

Presidential and National Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 16th January 2027 as against the earlier stated February 20, 2027
Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 6th February 2027 as against the former date of March 6, 2027

Also in accordance with the approved Schedule of Activities, the electoral bidy noted in the revised timetable that:

Conduct of Party Primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from primaries, will commence on 23rd April 2026 and end on 30th May 2026.

Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will commence on 19th August 2026.

Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will commence on 9th September 2026.

As provided by law, campaigns shall end 24 hours before Election Day. Political parties are strongly advised to adhere strictly to these timelines. The Commission will enforce compliance with the law.

But in a swift reaction, the opposition coalition, African Democratic Congress (ADC), rejected the revised 2026–2027 general election timetable, describing it as a politically biased schedule designed to favour the re-election agenda of President Bola Tinubu, and calling on all Nigerians to speak up enmasse to reject the revised timetable.

The ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday argued that the new deadlines and compliance requirements under the Electoral Act 2026 create near-impossible hurdles for opposition parties seeking to field candidates.

On February 13, INEC initially scheduled the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were fixed for March 6, 2027.

The timetable, however, faced objections from some Muslim stakeholders who noted that the dates coincided with the 2027 Ramadan period.

Following the concerns, the National Assembly amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, reducing the required election notice period from 360 to 300 days, allowing INEC to adjust the election dates.

Subsequently, INEC released a revised schedule on Thursday, signed by its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, moving the Presidential and National Assembly elections to January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections to February 6, 2027.

Reacting, the ADC said the requirement that political parties submit a comprehensive digital membership register by April 2, 2026, effectively bars opposition parties from participating.

The party stated: “The African Democratic Congress rejects the updated 2026–2027 electoral timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission. What has been presented as a routine administrative schedule of the upcoming general elections is, in fact, a political instrument carefully structured to narrow democratic space and strengthen the incumbent administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“According to the timetable, party primaries are to be conducted between April 23 and May 30, 2026, just 55 to 92 days from today. However, more significant is that, pursuant to Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties are required to submit their digital membership registers to INEC not later than April 2, 2026.

“That is only about 34 days away. Section 77(7) further provides that any party that fails to submit its membership register within the stipulated time shall not be eligible to field a candidate. These are not routine administrative rules but are deliberately constructed barriers designed to exclude the opposition from participating in the election.”

The party further noted that Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires the digital register of members to contain name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government, ward, polling unit, National Identification Number (NIN) and photograph in both hard and soft copies, while Section 77(6) prohibits the use of any pre-existing register that does not contain the specified information. It warned that failure to meet these requirements would lead to disqualification.

The ADC questioned the fairness of the digital membership requirement, noting that the ruling All Progressives Congress began its registration process in February 2025, long before the requirement became mandatory.

“It is not a product of foresight but insider advantage. They knew what was coming. They therefore had one full year to carry out an exercise that other political parties are expected to complete in one month, during which they must collect, process, collate and transmit large volumes of digital data to INEC under the threat of exclusion. This is practically impossible.

“Democratic competition is based on a level playing field that does not give any contestant an undue advantage. A system where one party exploits incumbency to gain a one-year head start on a requirement that other parties only became aware of when it was nearly too late is a rigged system.”

The ADC said it has joined other opposition parties in rejecting the Electoral Act 2026, adding that the INEC timetable is equally rejected as it appears designed to serve what it described as a self-succession agenda.

“Let it be clear that ADC will not take any action that appears to confer legitimacy on a fraudulent system. We are reviewing our options and will make our position known in the coming days,” the party said.

The party also called on civil society organisations, democratic stakeholders and Nigerians to scrutinise the timetable and demand fairness, stressing that democracy cannot survive when electoral rules are structured to produce predetermined outcomes.

The party has consistently accused the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) of scheming to silence the opposition as the 2027 General Elections draw closer, citing his manipulation of state governors and Assembly members from jumping ship, and settling with the ruling party.

Presently, the president’s party has a total of 31 out of 36 states governors, more than majority of the national and states Houses of Assembly.

A frontline publisher and chieftain of the ADC, Chief Dele Momodu, has warned that Tinubu is gradually transforming into full-blown dictatorship, stressing that his second term in office would turn state governors into ‘total slaves’.

Headline

Second Term for Tinubu Will Turn Governors into Total Slaves, Dele Momodu Warns

Published

1 week ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

Chairman, Ovation Media Group, and former presidential aspirant, Aare Dele Momodu, has expressed strong concern over what he described as growing political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu among state governors across the country.

Speaking during an interview on News Central TV, Momodu said he was shocked by the level of backing the president is reportedly receiving, warning that Nigeria’s democracy could face serious risks if the current political trend continues.

The media entrepreneur cautioned that allowing Tinubu to secure a second term in 2027 could, in his view, lead to excessive concentration of power. He particularly criticized what he described as a growing wave of opposition figures aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress> (APC).

Momodu referenced reports of opposition governors, including Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, allegedly moving closer to the ruling party, describing the development as politically troubling.

According to him, some governors are allegedly competing to demonstrate loyalty to the president ahead of future elections.

“The governors are fighting to ensure Tinubu wins a second term, fighting to be the biggest thug for him. If a man in his first term can capture the bodies and souls of Nigerians this way, imagine what he would do with a second term. It will be a full-blown dictatorship, and the governors will regret it as they become total slaves to him,” Momodu said.

He concluded by urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and actively protect democratic institutions, warning that unchecked consolidation of political power could threaten the nation’s democracy and future stability.

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