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Anti-Drug Abuse Advocate, Irakpo, Congratulates Bishop Olumakaiye on Elevation

Published

4 years ago

September 28, 2021

Eric

A Foremost anti-drug abuse advocate, Amb. Sunny Irakpo, has felicitated with the Most Revd. (Dr.) Humphrey Bamisebi Olumakaiye, on his well deserved elevation as the Archbishop of Lagos Ecclesiastical Province of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).

A statement signed by the Director of Publicity and Social Media, Silec Initiatives, James Agbolor, quoted Irakpo, who has been relating closely with the distinguished clergyman for over three years, as describing His Grace as a very patriotic Nigerian, a man of the people, an astute intellectual, a pragmatic evangelist with laudable vision, a philanthropist, a spiritual giant, a lover of good initiatives and the youths who upon his assumption into office as the 8th Bishop of Lagos Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in 2018 took his pulpit to the streets of Lagos to lend his voice and support in the fight against drug abuse in Nigeria with our noble endeavour, Silec Initiatives.

Irakpo, who is a dedicated communicant of the Anglican Communion serves in various capacities such as Secretary, Parish Church Council (PCC) and Archdeaconry member was recent invited to deliver a paper on “The Monster of Drug Addiction: A Battle For Our Future” by the Metropolitan Archbishop and the Primate of all Nigeria (Anglican Communion), The Most Revd. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba to the Standing Committee of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) where he meticulously analysed all the havoc and damages drug abuse is doing to promising Nigerian youths.

The dogged fighter added that “Olumakaiye Charisma in the space of Episcopacy is second to none and endeared many to his personality.

He called on all who bear the name”Men of God” to emulate his many good virtues as demonstrated over the years, especially in the fight against drug abuse and addiction that is claiming the lives of many of our able bodied youths in Nigeria and across the globe.

Amb. Irakpo encourage the Archbishop-elect who is also a Patron to Silec Initiatives to continue to put the youths in top most priority, while commending him for the one million naira (#1,000,000.00) scholarship being given to first class graduates irrespective of their fields of study in the Diocese of Lagos where six(6) youths have benefited as a strong reward system to pursue their academics in any part of the world, while 70 youths were empowered with five hundred thousand (#500,000.00) each to run micro businesses of their choice, as we ask God to direct the affairs of our dear country Nigeria and use his kind the more to reposition her for greatness.

Irakpo prays that his tenor will help reduce poverty, bring youths to a place of fulfillment. And that God who has given you ,your Grace this new cap of responsibility will also decorate you with His Glory as you journey through this glorious path.

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Akume Leads Nigeria’s Delegation to Jesse Jackson’s Funeral in US

Published

5 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has approved a five-person delegation to represent Nigeria at the final burial rites of Rev. Jesse Jackson, the American civil rights leader, activist and former presidential candidate who died at age 84 on February 17, 2026, in Chicago.

Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, is the leader of the delegation, according to a press statement from the Presidency on Wednesday.

Other members are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; the Special Presidential Envoy for Global and Pan-African Affairs, Brian Browne; and the Senior Special Assistant, Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye.

The delegation will deliver President Tinubu’s message of condolences to the Jackson family.

In an earlier tribute, President Tinubu described Reverend Jackson as a great friend of Nigeria and Africa.

“He was a moral voice and a formidable resistance to apartheid in South Africa. He played a leading role in the campaign for the release from prison of Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders. He won critical support for sanctions against the then apartheid government,” President Tinubu wrote.

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Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

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Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.