Headline

Why We Formed Smart Book Club- Tito Obaigbo

Published

5 years ago

May 23, 2021

Editor

By Michael Effiong

Tito Obaigbo is a doctoral student of the University of Lagos, she is the Founder/President of Smart Book Club, an innovative platform aimed at making women embrace the reading culture. In this interview, she explained why the Club was formed and more.

Q: Please tell us about your association

Smart Book Club (SBC) was founded on the 1st of April 2018 but duly registered as a club and a Non-Governmental Organisation with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 24th of June 2020. SBC as we love to call it is a book club established for women.

In SBC, we believe that readers are leaders and women who read will lead. Our primary objective is to bring together a select group of Seasoned, Mindful, Articulate, Resourceful and Tenacious (S.M.A.R.T) female avid readers to CONNECT, EMPOWER and BUILD a Network of WOMEN via Literature, Social Events, and Community Service.

Our mission is: We are women inspired to read and lead and our vision is: Building a Global Network of Women to Read, Connect, Empower, Serve and Lead. Join us by sending us a DM on Instagram @smart_book_club

Q: How did it begin?

It began 3 years ago precisely. I have always had the notion that Nigerians do not really have the knack for reading most especially Nigerian women. Taking us back to when i was a Branch Manager in one of the Commercial Banks in Nigeria over 10years ago, my boss then loved to read and would encourage all Branch Managers to read but because I loved to read too, we would talk about bestsellers and the latest books.

Also, because I loved to read, sometimes my boss would give me a book to read and I would read and do a critical review of the book for him.

When I went on vacation abroad, I would visit different book stores, I always wanted to be ahead of my boss, so I would ask for the hottest and latest book on the shelf.

I also encouraged all my team members in the branch to buy at least one book in a month and read. As a matter of fact, I got a book seller to source the books for us, so that made it easy for us to get all genre of books.

I remember the first book I recommended was “Who moved my Cheese written by Dr. Spencer Johnson” followed by “David and Goliath : The underdogs, misfits and the art of battling giants by Malcolm Gladwell”.

Of course, one of my all time favourite book is “From Third World to First ,The Singapore Story : 1965 – 2000” written by Lee Kuan Yew.

When I left the bank to pursue my own business and further my education, I then spoke to my friend, Mrs. Adaeze Kingsley-Anyanwu, who is now our Vice-President, and another friend then about reading a book every month and meeting up at nice restaurants to unwind and review the book we read. We tried a few times to meet but we just couldn’t agree to meet. The third person was just starting his export business and was always out of the country, so the arrangement just died a natural death, this was around 2013/2014.

Then 4 years later in 2018, with the advent of Social Media Platforms especially WhatsApp and Instagram, I got the vision again and this time it was clearer in terms of structure and modalities. I called my sister, Mrs. Yemi Ogunlewe who is now our Publicity Secretary and a few other friends and I set up the chatroom and started inviting friends to the chatroom. Most of us that started have remained in the club till date. Members then invited their friends too and today we have built long lasting Sisterhood connections.

Is it open to any woman? And why only women?

Oh yes! It’s open to all women. We have members who joined us from seeing our activities on social media and they reached out to us.

Well we decided to limit it to women so that members would be more comfortable. I thought about those days when our mothers would have meetings. When it was my mum’s turn to host the meeting, we would cook and cook. I used to dread those days. However, the beauty of the association or peer group meetings then was the sisterhood connections that they built. They would rally round members when celebrating birthdays, naming ceremony, burials etc. They would all wear the same attire or would wear the same colour. I think that was where the popular Aso-ebi came from. So I wanted women to be women and build the sisterhood connections instead of women tearing each other down. So far, it has been a beautiful journey supporting members and being there for one another. It’s been awesome. By the grace of God we have over 40 women in the club.

Tell us about your forth-coming event. Provide all the details?

We are excited! We will be having our anniversary through a two day event. Day 1: 28th of May 2021 at 10am, We will be having our PSL, we call it Project School Library. So on that day, we will be visiting one of the public schools in Lagos and donating books to their Library. We will also be donating other items like sanitary pads, toilet soaps, detergents writing materials, hand sanitizers, face mask, wipes etc.

Day 2 is the D-day. Our anniversary dinner to just unwind and thank God for how far He has started with us and where He is taking us too. The vision for the club is huge. That’s story for another day.😁. So we are going to be having guests appearance. That’s a big surprise for members.

Theme of the event: Changing our Reading Culture. Event will take place at the Rooftop, Turaka Restaurant Ebony Place, VI, Lagos.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

We have a whole lot lined up. Our primary objective is to read a book every month and review. We are getting our Vlog ready so everybody can view our reviews on books. We will be having our movie night, beach outing, book fair if Covid-19 protocols permit us. Let me not let the cat out if the bag.

Please tell us about yourself?

My name is Tito Obaigbo, the Founder and President of Smart Book Club (SBC). A Doctoral student of Economics from the University of Lagos, an MSc graduate of Development Economics from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, an MBA graduate from the University of Lagos and a B Agric Graduate from the University of Agriculture Abeokuta.

Started my Career as a Banker and worked in the Bank for over a decade and left to pursue my own business, passion and further my education.

Today I run Oakhill Group of Companies comprising of Oakhill Books, Oakhill Mart, Oakhill Schools, Oakhill Gardens. I also founded an NGO called Charity and Development Initiative (CDI) to empower women and youths through social and developmental initiatives. We have empowered well over 100 women and youths.

I’m a lover of plants especially Cacti and Succulents. I also hold workshops on the care for plants and how plants can purify and at the same time beautify our environment through the process of photosynthesis.

I have been to several schools teaching students how to grow their own small vegetables in their backyards. I have also been working on some short documentaries and movies. Hopefully we will get the production up to speed soon. Because I love fashion which is natural and effortless with me. Certainly got my knack for fashion from my mum. She is one of the most beautiful women on earth. Also because I’m a plus size diva, I opened a plus size shop for women in the year 2009 called Max Woman. I advocate that whilst we are healthy eating right and exercising, we should embrace our curves. It’s the only body I’ve got, so I carry my body with grace and I love every curve created by God on my body.

Fashion for me is effortless because I go for comfort and what suits my body type. I have eyes for good things too. I love jewelries too and have a weakness for fragrances. Probably have over 100 bottles of perfumes.

My favourite colour is Purple, right from Primary School days. These days, I’m just falling head over heels for the colour Yellow

Don’t really have a favourite food as I’m not a foodie, but I can say I love plantain whether fried, roasted or boiled and I love grilled Salmon. I’m from Ekiti State and I’m happily married with children.

How did you develop this love for reading?

I have always loved books. Guess I was a bookworm in school but I also loved fashion. I was the Assistant Head Girl back in Secondary School. I attended the Legendary Queens School Ibadan. I have a way of balancing book, fashion and fun. I read when I need to and have fun when I need to. Guess I have always loved reading right from my primary school days.

When I grew older, I developed this passion for research work. I always love to proffer probable solutions to problems. I have written several articles for newspapers and magazines too. I have also written articles for journal publication.

What has been the response to the idea of your association since inception?

The response has been phenomenal. Everyone says, it’s a new development. We have also gotten recognition locally and internationally. Authors and publishers write to us and donate lots of copies of their books to us just to read and review. Authors reach out to us to please pick their books for our next book pick. It’s been rewarding and encouraging.

How supportive have Corporate Organisations and governments been?

For now, we haven’t approached any corporate organisations or governments. We have strictly been running all our activities by ourselves. We will appreciate collaborations from everyone willing to support the vision, whether individuals, corporate organisations or governments.

Any additional information?

Women should continue to aspire to get more knowledge. Knowledge is power, it’s yours and no one can take it from you. Reading broadens your horizon. It gives you a bigger, clearer and broader perspective to life. The secrets of making good success in life, businesses, marriage, finance, governance etc are all embedded in books.

Have you stopped to ask yourself why all legends, past presidents, billionaires, history makers, heroines, heros etc have either written a book or people have written books about them. Trust me, they are all avid readers and that’s why they are successful. We are Smart Book Club

We are Smart Ladies We are women inspired to lead and read.

Join us on Instagram @smart_book_club or send us an email on smartbc2018@gmail.com

Headline

Why Nigerians Must Reject INEC’s Revised Timetable – ADC

Published

3 days 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

3 days 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.

Gistmania

Headline

Court Validates PDP 2025 Convention in Ibadan, Affirms Turaki-led NWC

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

Eric

The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has affirmed the validity of the 2025 Elective Convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which produced Dr. Kabiru Turaki as the substantive National Chairman of the party.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Ladiran Akintola upheld the convention in its entirety, ruling that it was conducted in full compliance with the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions governing party elections in Nigeria.

The decision marked a significant legal victory for the party’s leadership and brought clarity to the dispute surrounding the convention’s legitimacy.

The ruling followed an amended originating summons filed by Misibau Adetunmbi (SAN) on behalf of the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, in Suit No. I/1336/2025.

In a comprehensive judgment, the court granted all 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, effectively endorsing the processes and outcomes of the Ibadan convention.

Justice Akintola held that the convention, organised by the recognised leadership of the party, satisfied all laid-down legal requirements as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

The court found no breach of due process or statutory non-compliance in the conduct of the exercise.

In the same proceedings, the court dismissed the Motion on Notice seeking a stay of proceedings and suspension of the ruling, filed by Sunday Ibrahim (SAN) on behalf of Austin Nwachukwu and two others. The applications were described as lacking merit.

Earlier in the proceedings, the court had also rejected a bid by Ibrahim to have his clients joined in the suit.

Justice Akintola ruled at the time that the joinder application was unsubstantiated and consequently dismissed it.