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Opinion: Celebrating The Enigmatic Guru, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. At 68

By Michael Effiong
I was rummaging through my old files earlier this week and stumbled on this card-and today, the angel of mercy who sent this simple but classy white and gold card is adding another year.
In case you have not seen the crest or the name, this was sent many years back by none other than the man we used to fondly called “The Bull” and much later “The Great Guru”, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr.
I have known Dr. Mike Adenuga long before Globacom, in fact back in the day, you only knew him by name and reputation and hardly ever saw him or his picture. He was and still is mysterious.
But later on, I have had a few personal encounters with this great son of Africa and they are fond memories. He always makes an impression any time you meet him one on one. No encounter is the same, and one thing is guaranteed, you will never leave the same way you came.
Trust me, Dr Adenuga Jnr. epitomizes the word enigma. In fact, like Chief Dele Momodu often says, he is a spirit. He is one of the few people you dream over, someone you need not see but feel. And when you feel him, it is usually not a gentle breeze, his, is often a very heavy wind, sometimes so shocking that it hits you like a tsunami.
The business titan has wowed many with his act of generosity and any one who has received one of these personalized cards or a call from his Executive Office will attest to the fact that the “Chairman of Chairmen” never calls or asks someone to call, except it is a Big Deal!
Personally, anytime we met, he often begins with the greeting “Edemfo”, that is “how are you” in Ibibio, of course, I will beam with a smile, and respond, Asong-and then we will go on to speak or he just moves along if it is a public function.
Left for Dr. MA Jnr, he would have loved to enjoy his life under the radar, but after Globacom, all that changed. It was not because of anything he did personally, but the impact that Globacom has had on the Nigerian and African economy.
With Globacom, Adenuga showed his strength of character, tenacity and his penchant for daring to tread where others dread. The whole country is aware of how he devastatingly lost the first bid for a telecoms licence through his company, Communications Investment Limited (CIL) in 2001.
During that bid, he lost a fortune ($20 million) but never lost focus nor give up hope. Thus, when he rebounded with Globacom and introduced many unique services, especially the per second billing, which the foreign-owned operators had stubbornly insisted was impossible, Adenuga and in deed his wholly-owned company, GLOwed with Pride! The company has since gone on to Rule The World.
Many years after this card, Adenuga on account of his business acumen, doggedness, determination and sheer guts has since won the highest national honours in Nigeria (Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON), Ghana (Companion of the Star of Ghana) and France (Chevalier de la Legion d Honneur)
Described as a typical Taurean, bold and bullish, Dr Adenuga is a perfectionist who is passionate and compassionate as well as someone who never settles for anything but the very best. He has zero tolerance for indolence.
Many people say he is the richest black man alive, and I cannot doubt their assessment going by his humongous investment in telecoms, oil & gas, real estate, construction, banking and more.
The joke in town is that Adenuga is so loaded that Forbes has been too scared to announce his actual worth!
God has indeed blessed this man of means immensely, maybe that is the main reason he has built a chapel in his Ikoyi, Lagos mansion to enable him thank God daily for His mercies.
Please join me today as I raise a toast to wish this great son of Nigeria and Africa’s gift to the world happy 68th birthday. May God grant him UNLIMITED grace and excellent health. Amen!
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Canada Denies CDS, Army Chiefs Visa, Ribadu Kicks

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has slammed Canadian officials for denying the visa of top Nigerian military officers, including the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Christopher Musa.
Ribadu’s remark comes after the CDS, while speaking at the maiden annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies (AANISS), held at the Shehu Yar’adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday, disclosed that he and his team were invited to Canada for an event honouring war veterans, but he and about half of the delegation were denied visas.
General Musa described the incident as “disappointing” but emphasised that it serves as a reminder for Nigeria to “stand strong as a nation” and not be taken for granted.
He said: “Every disappointment is a blessing. Yesterday, I was meant to be in Canada. There’s an event to honour our veterans, those who were injured during battles, and we were meant to be there. We were invited with our team. Half has gone and half has been denied. It’s very disappointing.”
Ribadu commended Gen. Musa for speaking out about the incident.
“Thank you for the courage to say Canada denied you visas. They can go to hell,” Ribadu said.
The NSA said that despite the disappointment, Nigeria is “peaceful and strong” and must work hard to overcome such challenges.
Ribadu praised Gen. Musa for providing “purposeful leadership” in the war against terrorism, banditry, and other security threats in the country.
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Peddle Drugs and Die: NAFDAC Goes for the Jugular

By Eric Elezuo
Drug peddlers and their sponsors are in for a harder time if recommendations and proposal of death penalty, by the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye, sails through.
The formation of NAFDAC was inspired by a 1988 World Health Assembly resolution requesting countries’ help in combating the global health threat posed by counterfeit pharmaceuticals
Speaking bitterly at a live television show on the hard-heartedness of peddlers, whose actions, direct and indirect, have caused the deaths of not a few Nigerian children, and in some cases, adults.
According to the Director-General, only stiff penalties will deter peddlers, especially when it leads to the death of children.
She noted that “Somebody bought children’s medicine for N13,000 or something like that, another person was selling about N3,000 in the same mall,” the NAFDAC chief said on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
“That raised an alarm. Guess what? There was nothing inside that medicine when we tested it in our Kaduna lab. So, I want the death penalty.
“Because you don’t need to put a gun on the head of a child before you kill that child. Just give that child bad medicine,” Adeyeye said.
The NAFDAC DG is also seeking the cooperation of the judiciary and the National Assembly to make such a move a reality. According to her, the agency is open to partnering with lawmakers and other stakeholders on the matter.
“You cannot fight substandard, falsified medicine in isolation. The agency can do as much as it can but if there is no deterrent, there’s going to be a problem,” she said.
“Somebody brought in 225mg of Tramadol that can kill anybody, fry the brain and you give a judgment of five years in prison or N250,000. Who doesn’t know that that person will go to the ATM and get N250,000?
“That is part of our problem. There are no strict measures to deter [people] from repeating the same thing. We can do as much as we can but if our law is not strong enough, or the judiciary is not strong enough to stand up, we’re going to have a problem.
“So, our judiciary system must be strong enough. But we are working with the National Assembly to make our penalties very stiff. But if you kill a child by bad medicine, you deserve to die,” she said.
While NAFDAC has a lot on its plate in stemming drug peddling, Adeyeye decried the shortage of manpower in the agency.
She believes with about 2,000 staff members nationwide and limited funding, NAFDAC is constrained in carrying out its activities.
“So, when it comes to staffing, you’re right on the point. We are short-staffed and I am hoping things will be better,” the NAFDAC DG said.
It would be recalled that in times past, and in recent times, the deaths of children from medicine intake has been rift, prompting a form of emergency in the medical sector to checkmate the activities of the saboteurs, who are bent on reaping gains at the expense of life and wellbeing.
Mrs Adeyeye has promptly toed the lines of former NAFDAC DG, the late Dora Akinyuli, who declared an all out against drug peddlers and couriers.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale, and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, and packaged water established in 1993 under the health and safety law.
The establishment of NAFDAC was to counter the production and sales of adulterated and counterfeit drugs, which has become a menace in Nigeria, and to Nigerians. It would be recalled also that in one incident in 1989, over 150 children died as a result of paracetamol syrup containing diethylene glycol, among a list of other horrifying incidents.
At a certain stage, fake drugs issue was so severe that neighbouring countries such as Ghana and Sierra Leone officially banned the sale of drugs, foods, and beverage products made in Nigeria.
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El-Rufai Lacks Capacity to Win Even Senate Seat – Presidency

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, has stated that the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the lacks the influence to “unsettle” President Bola Tinubu.
Bwala made the remarks during an interview with TVC News on Thursday, stating that former Kaduna State governor does not have the capacity to win even a senate seat.
He emphasized that President Tinubu is not troubled by El-Rufai’s ongoing criticisms of his administration.
Bwala also noted that el-Rufai only gains political prominence when aligning with a strong, revolutionary leader, adding: “Let me tell you something about my elder brother, el-Rufai, and whether we should be concerned.
“There’s a dynamic around him. El-Rufai needs a solid revolutionary figure to thrive. On his own, El-Rufa’i might not even secure a Senate seat.”
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