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My Husband Died on Good Friday, Not Saturday – Joe Odumakin
By Eric Elezuo
Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, wife of late human rights activist, Yinka Odumakin, has said that her husband did not die on Saturday as widely speculated but on Good Friday, April 2, 2021.
Odumakin made this known in exclusive interview with The Boss, supported with a press statement.
In the emotional statement, which was presented in a poetic style, Odumakin eulogized her husband saying that if “If breath was the currency of life and its legal tender…then, Yinka spent his breath on causes.”
According to her, even when her medical personnel were lamenting that his oxygen level was running low, the ebullient and fearless activist was reaching out for his instrument of work to do what he knows best.
Going down memory lane, she recalled the periods of ‘chains of pains’ in former Head of State, General Sani Abacha’s gulag, which birth their romantic affair
“Who meets and marries in detention at Alagbon?” She queried, spicing the narration that they were brought together by the best, late Gani Fawehinmi.
Inspite of being a ‘man’, Yinka married both the man and woman in her, she said.
Concluding, she reiterated that it’s not goodbye, but good night, see you later on the other side of God.
Below is the detailed statement:
YINKA: BASKING IN THE SHADOW THAT YOU CAST
By Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin
If breath was the currency of life and its legal tender…then, Yinka spent his breath on causes.
The medics said his oxygen level was running low but my husband was reaching out for his tab to type out his column…
He was never frugal in spending that oxygen on his Yoruba earth – his beloved and his Nigeria – his truly beloved
My memories are rousing through chains of pains. A sea surge of a romance which sprouted in Gen. Sani Abacha’s detention.
My husband was not a criminal, neither was I. Our “crime” was standing strong for others as we always have been. We will return to the dingy detention cell in our reminiscences later!
Who meets and marries from detention at Alagbon? Only Yinka would ask! And only I would say YES!
We were introduced to each other by the most qualified, the most preeminent, and the most decorated of inmate – Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAM, SAN).
Chief said: “Yinka, she’s a man!”. Yinka married both the man & the woman in me!
It was our truest solemnization of activist matrimony by a revered High Priest of the struggle…with the trench as our altar and the good of our people as our ultimate goal.
Yinka, it cannot be goodbye, It is goodnight and see you later on the other side with God.
I will bask with reckless abandon in the shadow of your cast…
Since no one is permitted in the Critical Care Unit, we had commited you to the care of the best qualified medics at LASUTH and the hand of God hoping to see you next morning.
The medics said they could not fathom how to immediately relay the message of your passage to me directly.
Now that I am in possession of your death certificate, I can see you passed at exactly 10.40pm on Good Friday (April 2nd, 2021) and not in the morning of Saturday, April 3rd, 2021) as initially communicated.
Due to the principles of the truth and saying it as it is, which Yinka and I hold dear – and which Yinka lived all his adult life for – it is important to immediately put this very important record straight.
You came! you saw!! and you conquered!!! We will carry forward the baton in the eternal word of our leader, Nigeria will be saved, Nigeria will be changed and Nigeria will become a great nation. Nigeria will work in my lifetime and even in yours as you live on in me, our children and generation yet unborn.
Headline
Tinubu Presents N47.9trn 2025 Appropriation Bill to NASS
President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, presented the proposed 2025 federal budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.
The N47.9 trillion budget saw a whopping N3.5 trillion allocated to the education sector.
Other sectors that got higher allocations include defence and security – N4.91tn, infrastructure – N4.06tn and health – N2.4tn.
“It is with great pleasure that I lay before this distinguished joint session of the National Assembly, the 2025 Budget of the National Assembly of Nigeria titled, ‘The Restoration Budget’ security peace, building prosperity,” Tinubu said as he concluded his 30-minute presentation at 1:10pm.
This budget highlights the government’s focus on improving education, healthcare, and infrastructure, in line with its ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ aimed at boosting the economy and addressing key national priorities.
The live broadcast of the budget presentation today revealed the government’s plans for the next fiscal year. With a strong emphasis on human capital development, the president highlighted the budget’s commitment to improving the nation’s economic foundation.
Education sector receives major funding
A significant portion of the 2025 budget is dedicated to education, with N3.5 trillion allocated to the sector. President Tinubu stated that part of this funding would be directed toward infrastructure development, including support for Universal Basic Education (UBEC) and the establishment of nine new higher educational institutions.
“We have made provision for N826.90 billion for infrastructural development in the education sector,” Tinubu said.
This allocation aims to improve educational facilities and support ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s educational system.
Focus on human capital development
During the presentation, the president emphasized the importance of investing in Nigeria’s human capital. “Human capital development, our people are our greatest resource. That is why we are breaking record investment in education, healthcare, our social services,” he remarked.
Tinubu also pointed to the N34 billion already disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to assist over 300,000 students.
The budget includes continued investments in healthcare and social services as part of the broader goal of enhancing the quality of life for Nigerians.
Strengthening the economy and national security
Tinubu highlighted that the 2025 budget is designed to build a robust economy while addressing critical sectors necessary for growth and security.
“This budget reflects the huge commitment to strengthening the foundation of a robust economy, while addressing the critical sectors essential for the growth and development we envision; and secure our nation,” he said.
The budget aims to tackle key challenges and foster long-term economic stability by prioritizing infrastructure and development in key sectors.
Healthcare and social services allocations
In addition to education, Tinubu focused on the allocation for healthcare and social services. The government plans to increase investments in healthcare infrastructure and services to ensure broader access to essential healthcare for Nigerians.
These investments are part of the administration’s strategy to improve overall living conditions and enhance public health across the country.
President Tinubu’s proposed 2025 budget is said to reflect the administration’s commitment to achieving its development objectives, with a focus on economic growth, human capital development, and infrastructure improvement.
As the National Assembly reviews the budget, the president reiterated his administration’s resolve to address the nation’s most pressing needs.
Source: Nairametrics
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Ghana’s President-elect Mahama Visits Tinubu in Abuja
Ghana’s President-Elect, Dr. John Dramani Mahama, a courtesy visit to President Bola Tinubu at his residence, Presidential Villa, State House on Monday.
Mahama won 56 percent of the votes in this month’s presidential election, compared to the ruling party candidate and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who secured 41 percent.
The landslide comeback for former president Mahama ended eight years in power for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose last term was marked by Ghana’s worst economic turmoil in years, an IMF bailout and a debt default.
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I Stand by What I Said, Kemi Badenoch Replies VP Shettima
The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has lashed back at Vice President Kashim Shettima over the latter’s reaction to her comments about Nigeria.
Badenoch was born in the UK in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents.
Badenoch, who attained age 16 in Nigeria before departing the country for the UK where she was elected Conservative Party’s leader, described Nigeria as a nation brimming with thieving politicians and insecurity.
However, Shettima, while speaking at the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, December 9, 2024, accused Badenoch of “denigrating her country of origin” with her remarks.
The vice-president listed influential people whose families had migrated to other countries, commending former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a “brilliant young man who never denigrated his nation of ancestry.”
Reacting on Wednesday, Badenoch lashed back at Shettima, saying she doesn’t do “PR for Nigeria”.
Her spokesperson, as the Tory leader, according to UK Express, said: “Kemi is not interested in doing Nigeria’s PR; she is the Leader of the Opposition in the UK.
“She tells the truth; she tells it like it is; she isn’t going to couch her words. She stands by what she said.”
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