Opinion

That Crude Invasion on Justice Odili’s House: A Metaphor for a Failed State

Published

4 years ago

November 9, 2021

Eric

By Chief Mike A.A. Ozekhome, SAN, OFR, FCIArb, LL.B, LL.M, Ph.D.

INTRODUCTION

Nigeria has become one huge joke. She has been so dehumanized in such a way as to generate one form of absurdity or another, on a daily basis. Nigeria has become a sickening contraption of one scandal per day.

Indeed, Nigeria, under the president Muhammadu Buhari government, does not practise democracy at all. Rather, it practises electonocracy, judocracy and executocracy. I will explain these terms I have personally coined from my personal lexical dictionary. “Electionocracy” is a system of government where elections are held as a ritual at intervals (4 years in the case of Nigeria), with the emergent elected or selected leaders, rather than giving the electors democracy dividends; merely stabilize themselves in power,and start looking forward to the next election.

“Judocray” is a genre of government practised in Nigeria, where Presidents, Governors, Legislators and LG Chairmen are thrown up in an election, enmeshed in legal callithenics, and get conceived, incubated and delivered in the hallowed precincts of our courts; rather than true the ballot box.

“Executocracy”, as practised in Nigeria, is an aberrant form of government where the executive arm of government acts in torrerem of other arms of government, browbeat, intimidate, harass and subjugate them. It is usually headed by a maximalist, autocratic, dictatorial head, who views himself as Loius XIV of France. Loius XIV was so intoxicated with the effect of liquor-inebriating power that in 1655, he proudly stood in front of parliament and declared “L’etat, C’ est moi” (I am the state). He said this to indicate his complete hold on power.

JUSTICE MARY ODILI AND AN INTIMIDATED JUDICIARY

The case of cerebral, apolitical and fecund Jurist, the honourable Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, whose judgements drip with intellectual depth and breadth,has once more thrown up the quagmire the judiciary faces as the third arm of government. As far back as the 1780s, three great American Federalists, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison, theorized on the different aspects of checks and balances between the three arms of government- the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. This doctrine of separation of powers had, in 1778, been popularized by the great French philosopher and jurist, Baron de Montesquieu.
In his federalist paper No. 78, Hamilton theorized that the Judiciary is the weakest of the three branches of government, because it has “no influence over either the sword or the purse, …… it may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment”. This was as far away as May 28, 1788.

Predicated on this, successive Nigerian governments- colonial, military and civilian- have always, to varying degrees, been intimidated, harassed, terrorized and overawed by the judiciary. The courts, like the proverbial phoenix that rises from its ashes, have refused to be obliterated. Thus, in the Military Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986)- LPELR-3600 (SC), the Supreme Court warned that the rule of law must be obeyed even under military dictatorships. See also A.G of the Federation v. Guardian Newspaper Ltd (1999)-LPELR-3162 (SC).

THE CRUDE RAID ON JUSTICE MARY ODILI’S HOUSE

In the night of Friday, 29th October, 2021, some fully armed security agents crudely invaded the serene house of Justice Odili at No. 7, Imo River Street, Maitama, Abuja. A senior counsel who had heard the breaking news alerted me. The human rights activist in me immediately snapped; and I rushed to the house, wearing only trousers and a long sleeve shirt, right on my way from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport to my home in Abuja (from Lagos). I met that the security agents had just retreated to the shadows of the trees around the area. They were either scared or ashamed of their crude and bizarre act. Indeed, the rapid emergence of human traffic from the vicinity must have forewarned the agents of darkness that October 29, 2021, was quite different from late Friday night on October 8, 2016, till the early hours of Saturday. This was when hooded DSS operatives invaded the serene houses of Justices Adeniyi Ademola, Nnamdi Dimgba; the CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen and Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, JSC.

Justices Dimgba, Ademola and Ngwuta were later exonerated from any wrong doing or malfeasance. No one in government apologized to them. Justice Onnoghen, a whole sitting CJN, was not so lucky. He was hunted down and hounded out of power through an exparte court order issued by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), an inferior tribunal of record not even recognized under section 6(6)(a) of the 1999 Constitution. As a southerner, perhaps, he was not entitled to sit on the revered seat of the CJN; the first ever since Justice Ayo Gabriel Irikefe (1985-1987). Nigeria, we hail thee.

THE FAKE AND PHONEY SEARCH WARRANT

To be sure, Justice Odili is not any ordinary Judge or Justice. She is the second most ranking Justice of the Supreme Court, next only in rank to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), the Hon. Justice Tanko Mohammed.

A search warrant dated 29th October, 2021, had been procured by one CSP Lawrence Ajodo, who claimed to be attached to the “Joint Panel Recovery Ministry of Justice”. This panel is said to be comprised of agents from the EFCC, the Nigeria Police and personnel from the Ministry of Justice.

One Aliyu Umar of “No. 9, Maigoro Street, Niger State” (never heard of any address without the name of a village, city or town; except the state), had paid #500 and deposed to an affidavit as far back as 13th October, 2021. This was 16 clear days before 29th October, 2021.

Umar’s affidavit did not even mention Odili’s name or address. He merely deposed that he had “observed some illegal activities to be going on in some Houses within Abuja and its environs”; and that “all information provided by me to the EFCC is true and correct to the best of my knowledge”.

Based on this inchoate and incoherent affidavit not worthy of the paper it was written on, one CSP Lawrence Ajodo applied for a search warrant 15 days later, on 28th October, 2021. The application addressed to the Chief Magistrate Court, Zone 6 Wuse, Abuja, was headed ‘Application for your requisite consent and to issue to me CSP Lawrence Ajodo Force AP No: 201192 attached to Joint Panel Recovery under Ministry of Justice, a search warrant to enable me carryout investigation of compliant on oath by Mr Aliyu Umar Ibrahim, about illegal activities at No. 9, Imo Street, Maitama, FCT, Abuja’.

Armed with this application, Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna, immediately approved the search warrant. When the bubble burst with public ruckus and widespread uproar, the Chief Magistrate beat a hasty retreat and annulled his order immediately, in the following words:

“upon misrepresentation to the honourable court that led to the issuance of a search warrant in favour of Joint Recovery, Ministry of Justice against House 9, Imo Street, Maitama, Abuja, dated October 28, 2021. In view of the above fact search warrant is hereby revoked”.

THE GREAT MISCHIEF

The search warrant clearly bears No 9, Imo Street, Maitama. How did that metamorphose into Justice Odili’s No 7, Imo River Street, Maitama. If it was not premeditated to deliberately embarrass Justice Odili, why did the security agents not mistakenly go to other nearby streets, such as Imo River Close, River Niger, River Benue, Nike Lake and Ekoro Oruro River Streets? What is the connection between No. 9, Imo Street and No. 7, Imo River Street? I cannot find it. Or, can you? CSP Ajodo had been directed by Chief Magistrate Iyanna to investigate the “commission (or suspected commission) of the offence of illegal activities suspected to prone to crime (sic) at No. 9, Imo Street Maitama, Abuja”. So, why did the security team go to No. 7, Imo River Street?

How did “some illegal activities going on in some houses in Abuja” which never listed Odili’s house, metamorphose into her serene home where the learned Jurist was perhaps busy poring away on legal matters?

WIDESPREAD PUBLIC CONDEMNATION

I believe this invasion was obviously targeted to once more embarrass Justice Odili, as security agents had done in February, 2020, after she presided over a panel that delivered the Bayelsa governorship election appeal at the Supreme Court. They did not care that she never read the lead judgement; and that even if she had, she could not have forced the other four Justices to agree with her position. But, this time around, the Nigerians could take none of it. They struck. As a lawyer and rights activist who was physically present, ‘korokoro eyes’, at the scene of the dastardly invasion, I immediately condemned it as being politically motivated, ruling out the possibility of a honest mistake. Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State literally breathed fire, condemning the seige and calling for immediate justice. Vibrant and courageous NBA President, Mr Olumide Akpata, rose to the occasion in a statement issued on behalf of the NBA:

“The Nigerian Bar Association (“NBA”) received with grave concern the news of the unlawful siege on the Abuja residence of a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, last night by officers of one or more of the Nigerian security agencies.

Almost 24 hours later, information concerning the basis of the siege remains hazy and the subject of speculation, apart from reports that the invasion was pursuant to a search warrant issued by a Magistrate Court in Abuja, which search warrant has now been revoked.

The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation under whose office the team that purportedly carried out the raid is allegedly domiciled has also denounced the team, which suggests the inference that the residence of the second most senior judicial officer in Nigeria was raided by rogue security agencies. The grave implications of this possibility leave a lot to be desired.

When viewed in the context of a similar raid on the premises of Supreme Court Justices in 2016, the rationale of which was never fully explained or indeed justified, the NBA interprets last night’s incident as a part of an orchestrated affront on the Judiciary, designed to intimidate and ridicule the Judiciary. The NBA will no longer allow this to continue.

In case the law enforcement agencies have not learnt their lessons, events like this do nothing but erode the independence of sacred democratic institutions like the Judiciary, undermine the rule of law in Nigeria, and set the country back in the quest to instil confidence in citizens of Nigeria, Nigerian businesses, and foreign investors that Nigeria operates a democracy with an independent Judiciary…

To be clear, last night’s event is an affront on the Judiciary and grossly undermines the democracy that we profess to practise…the aims and objectives of the NBA include the protection and defence of the independence of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law in Nigeria, we will be convening an…”.

The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), the registered umbrella body of revered silks, added its weighty, silky voice thus, after meeting with Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who flatly denied involvement of his ministry: “When judges’ lives, careers, security and safety, when their independence is threatened, then democracy is also threatened”. BOSAN, through Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, also met with the CJN, warning that “The body of SANs is very concerned about lives, security and safety of our judicial officers anywhere and everywhere”.

In a rare show of engaging the public after years of lacerating and excruciating humiliation in the hands of the Executive, the apex court of Nigeria crawled out of its self-imposed cocoon, through its Director of Information, Dr Festus Akande.It warned that “the Judiciary should not be misconstrued by anyone or institution of government as the weeping (perhaps, whipping) child among the arms of government”. He went further: “This incident appears to be in isolation but we cannot let it be swept under the carpet. The incident must be investigated and investigated thoroughly. Nigerians are interested in this matter. It should not be politicised; it’s a matter of grave, political and constitutional importance.

There are three arms of government: the executive, the legislature and judiciary. One is not supposed to be in ambush or overriding the other or threaten the other’s existence, otherwise democracy is at risk”.

Other bodies, groups, organizations have risen up to condemn this rape of the Judiciary, some with very caustic words.

THE LEGAL POSITION

To remove a judge, it must be in accordance with the Constitution; not arbitrarily, whimsically and capriciously.

Section 158 and Paragraph 21 Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution clearly empowers the National Judicial Council (NJC) with the power to handle all complaints. This position was accorded judicial imprimatur in the case of Nganjiwa Vs. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2018) 4 NWLR(Pt.1609) 301, where the Court of Appeal held that “if any judicial officer commits a professional misconduct within the scope of his duty and is investigated, arrested and subsequently prosecuted by security agents, without a formal complaint report to the NJC, it will be a usurpation of the latter’s constitutionally guaranteed powers under Section 158 and Paragraph 21 Part 1 of the Third Schedule, thereby inhibiting the NJC from carrying out its disciplinary control over erring judicial officers as clearly provided by the Constitution… it is only when the NJC has given a verdict and handed over such judicial officer (removing his toga of judicial powers) to the prosecuting authority that he may be investigated and prosecuted by the appropriate security agencies”. This decision means that the independence of the Judiciary and judicial officers is wholly guaranteed and that no security agency or prosecuting authority in Nigeria, however highly placed, has the power to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute a sitting judicial officer, without first referring the matter to the NJC, and await the outcome and directive of the said NJC.

SO, WHO DID IT?

The question remains: with the AGF, IGP, EFCC, and other security agencies denying complicity, who did it? Who wanted Justice Mary Odili dead, maimed, humiliated or disgraced out of office when she has just till May 12, 2022, to honourably retire from the Bench at 70, after serving her country meritoriously? And why? They must all be fished out promptly, tried and punished in accordance with the laws of the land. In addition, the Federal government through the relevant authorities must render a PUBLIC APOLOGY and make restitution to Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, who, during the event, was badly shaken and put in great danger of life and security, with her entire household. This case is not such as can be swept under the carpet in the usual Nigerian manner. NO!!!

Opinion

Nation Building Reimagined: Integrated Principles and Strategies for Sustainable Growth

Published

6 days ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

“True nation building is not the work of the state alone, but a harmonious convergence where empowered peoples provide the foundation, innovative corporates generate the momentum, and visionary institutions ensure direction — together forging sustainable prosperity, social cohesion, and enduring national strength for current and future generations” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

Nation building is a deliberate and continuous process of constructing cohesive, resilient, and prosperous societies capable of realising their full potential. It extends far beyond political structures or state institutions to encompass three interdependent spheres: peoples (individuals and communities), corporates (businesses and private-sector organisations), and nations (governance institutions and the state). When these spheres are strategically aligned through sound principles and practical strategies, they generate all-round exploits — inclusive economic growth, social cohesion, innovation, human flourishing, and global competitiveness.

This comprehensive framework offers actionable guidance for sustaining productive and progressive development. It is grounded in universal principles validated by international development experience, economic history, and governance studies, making it relevant for scholars, policymakers, business leaders, and development practitioners worldwide.

Foundational Principles of Effective Nation Building

Successful nation building rests on six core principles that transcend cultural, geographical, and ideological differences:

Inclusive Human Dignity and Agency — Recognising every citizen as both beneficiary and active architect of national progress through equal opportunity and rights protection.
Institutional Integrity and Rule of Law — Building transparent, accountable institutions that foster trust and predictability.
Economic Dynamism and Shared Prosperity — Promoting broad-based growth that benefits individuals, businesses, and the state simultaneously.
Social Cohesion and Cultural Resilience — Forging unity while respecting diversity to create a shared national identity and purpose.
Adaptive Leadership and Long-Term Vision — Combining strategic foresight with the flexibility to learn and adjust.
Sustainable Resource Stewardship — Balancing present needs with intergenerational equity in environmental and fiscal matters.
These principles provide a universal compass for development, as evidenced by cross-national data from the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators and the UNDP Human Development Reports.

Core Strategies Across the Three Spheres

For Peoples (Individuals and Communities): Nation building begins with empowering citizens. Key strategies include universal access to quality education and skills development, robust health and social protection systems, community-driven development programmes, and targeted initiatives for youth and women empowerment. These efforts enhance social mobility, reduce vulnerability, and foster active civic participation.

For Corporates (Businesses and Private Sector): Corporates serve as the primary engine of wealth creation and innovation. Effective strategies involve creating an enabling business environment, promoting public-private partnerships, enforcing strong corporate governance and ethical standards, and implementing talent development and local content policies. When supported appropriately, the private sector generates jobs, technological advancement, and tax revenues that fuel broader development.

For Nations (State Institutions and Governance): The state provides the overarching framework for progress. Strategies include institutional reform and capacity building, decentralisation for better responsiveness, evidence-based policy making, and strategic regional and global integration. Strong institutions ensure equitable rules, policy continuity, and effective service delivery.

Sustaining Progressive Growth in Nigeria

In Nigeria, this integrated framework offers a practical pathway to convert demographic and natural endowments into sustained prosperity. At the peoples’ level, investments in education, health, and skills development can transform the large youth population into a productive demographic dividend. For corporates, policy predictability, infrastructure development, and public-private partnerships can drive diversification beyond oil into agriculture, manufacturing, and digital services. At the national level, institutional reforms, anti-corruption measures, and evidence-based governance would reduce policy inconsistency and enhance public trust.

When these elements reinforce one another, Nigeria can achieve higher productivity, reduced poverty, greater social cohesion, and improved global competitiveness — creating a virtuous cycle of inclusive growth.

Advancing Development in West Africa

Within the ECOWAS region, the framework supports deeper integration and collective resilience. Strategies for social cohesion help address cross-border challenges such as irregular migration, climate impacts, and youth unemployment. Corporate-focused approaches encourage intra-regional trade and industrialisation through harmonised policies and stronger value chains. Institutional strategies promote policy coordination, joint humanitarian response, and shared security mechanisms.

By applying this model, West African countries can move from fragmented national efforts toward coordinated regional progress, enhancing food security, energy access, and economic competitiveness while building resilience against external shocks.

Driving Continental Transformation in Africa

Across Africa, the principles and strategies align closely with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Sustainable resource stewardship helps convert natural wealth into long-term human and infrastructure investments. The corporate strategies support regional value chains and industrialisation, while institutional reforms strengthen governance and reduce trade barriers.

When implemented continent-wide, this approach fosters inclusive industrialisation, technological advancement, and reduced external dependency — positioning Africa as a major driver of global growth in the 21st century.

Global Relevance and Contribution

On the global stage, the framework provides timely lessons for both developed and developing nations navigating technological disruption, climate change, and rising inequality. The emphasis on shared prosperity and social cohesion offers pathways to mitigate polarisation. The integration of corporates as development partners demonstrates how private-sector innovation can serve public goals. Institutional strategies of adaptive leadership and evidence-based policy making are universally applicable in managing complex transnational challenges.

Nations adopting this model contribute to global stability by reducing conflict drivers, enhancing food and energy security, and participating constructively in multilateral systems. In this way, the framework supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and helps build a more equitable and resilient world order.

Conclusion: A Practical Pathway to Enduring Progress

The principles and strategies of nation building presented here constitute a balanced, interconnected discipline capable of sustaining productive and progressive growth across multiple scales. For Nigeria, they chart a course from potential to performance. For West Africa, they strengthen regional solidarity. For Africa, they accelerate continental transformation. And for the global community, they offer practical wisdom for building fairer, more stable societies.

True nation building succeeds when peoples, corporates, and state institutions reinforce one another in a virtuous cycle. Its greatest strength lies in this holistic integration — recognising that sustainable development requires empowered citizens, innovative enterprises, and effective governance working in harmony.

In an increasingly interdependent world, embracing these principles with consistency, courage, and collective ownership is not merely beneficial but essential. Nations and regions that do so will unlock enduring prosperity, resilience, and a respected place in the global community. The framework provides both the vision and the practical tools needed to turn potential into lasting achievement for current and future generations.

Dr. Tolulope A. Adegoke, AMBP-UN is a globally recognized scholar-practitioner and thought leader at the nexus of security, governance, and strategic leadership. His mission is dedicated to advancing ethical governance, strategic human capital development, and resilient nation-building, and global peace. He can be reached via: tolulopeadegoke01@gmail.com, globalstageimpacts@gmail.com

Opinion

Dear CDS, NSA, Your Prodigal Sons, Brothers Have Killed General Braimah

Published

6 days ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Almost five months since the yet to be explained killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba, another high ranking military officer, another Brigadier General, has been unlived. He was Brigadier General Oseni Omo Braimah, Commander of 29 Task Force Brigade Operation Hadin Kai, Maiduguri Borno State.

The sadness that followed the brutal killing of the Brigade Commander, can almost be touched, dear Nigerians, with special call out to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and his counterpart, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede. These men, have at separate fora concassed for the kid gloves handling of terrorism activities, and terrorists.

Ribadu, it was, that asked that terrorists be rehabilitated as they are ‘our brothers. Oluyede echoed the stand, saying the terrorists are equated to the biblical prodigal son, and therefore should be received with open hands. This he said to justify his latest ‘Operation Safe Corridor’, designed to welcome ‘repentant’ terrorists and bandits, and have them reintegrated into the society.

It is still these same ‘brothers’, and ‘prodigal sons’ that overran a military base in Benisheikh, reportedly killing 18 soldiers including the Brigadier General. According to the Army, however, the number of deaths was overhyped, claiming that only two officers and two other soldiers were killed in the battle, where again, according to them, the military had the upper hand, and successfully repelled the assailants while maintaining their positions.

Much as the military agreed that they lost four soldiers, they have failed to produce casualties, or even speak about the number of casualties on the side of the terrorists, in the same battle they claimed they had the upper hand. It’s still hard to believe that the prodigal sons and brothers snuffed the life of a general, and according to reports, he was caught like a sitting duck.

The prodigal sons with the attendant ‘brothers’ did not stop there; they proceeded to kill a Forest Guard Commander and five others in Kwara, just as they mercilessly hacked to death eight members of the same family in Bokkos, Plateau State. The list is endless. This is the annoying story of prodigal sons and brothers. Thanks to the NSA and the CDS.

Someone once said that that the only mercy a terrorist or bandit deserve is the mercy of God. And it is the duties of the authority to send them to God for such mercy. Why is the authority refusing to perform their own duties? Why play the part of God?

Why do we keep handling merciless killers with kid gloves, and turn around to call them sons and brothers. While they, in turn, are only looking for opportunity to strike again.

These people have gone from being brothers to becoming animals; very dangerous and ugly beasts that have lost the capacity to show mercy, and so should not be shown any mercy when caught.

Dear NSA and CDS, you must understand that these people have been extremely radicalised, and can no longer fit into the society of sane beings, and therefore, should be put away permanently. We can’t continue to operate a safe corridor, which thrive at experimenting with the lives of innocent Nigerians. No bandit or terrorist is worth rehabilitating, talk less of being integrated into the military or society. Whoever does that is complicit, and should be treated as an enemy of the Nigerian state.

The NSA and the CDS should begin now to revisit everyone they have ever pardoned or reintegrated into the society for they are part of our problem. They are culpable.

General Uba died saraa, as we say in our local parlance. We should not let Braimah die saraa too. We must not allow this irresponsibility happen again. I’m not borrowing any words from the president because all his words appear empty, while Nigerians continue die in droves, even when the country is not really at war.

Time to jettison this brother, cousin, prodigal son rubbish, and deal decisively with terrorists and bandits.

Opinion

Ovation @30: A Triumph of Vision, Courage and African Excellence

Published

6 days ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

There is an African proverb that says, “However long the night, the dawn will surely break.” No story embody this truth more powerfully than that of Chief Dele Momodu and the remarkable rise of Ovation International. Founded in April, 1996 at the height of the Sani Abacha regime, Ovation was born not out of comfort, but from adversity. In forced exile in London, faced with uncertainty and hardship, Momodu chose not to surrender to circumstance but to challenge it, daring to create a global lifestyle magazine at a time when Africa’s image was largely defined by negativity.

From that improbable beginning emerged a publication that would go on to redefine how Africa is seen by the world. Ovation introduced a different narrative, one of elegance, achievement, culture, and pride, documenting African success stories with unmatched consistency. At a time when global media often overlooked the continent’s brilliance, Ovation boldly projected it, celebrating milestones, personalities, and cultures across Africa and its diaspora. It became a powerful cultural bridge, connecting cities and continents while showcasing an Africa that is vibrant, accomplished, and globally relevant.

Over the past three decades, Ovation has not merely reported stories, it has shaped destinies and elevated generations. It has provided a platform for emerging talents in entertainment, business, and public life, often spotlighting individuals long before they attained global recognition. Its influence extended beyond storytelling into economic and social impact, creating employment for thousands across journalism, photography, real estate, design, and event production, while also setting new standards in lifestyle media, enterprenership and event documentation. Long before the rise of digital platforms, Ovation was already global, distributing African excellence to audiences around the world and strengthening the connection between Africa and its diaspora.

Through changing times and technological revolutions, Ovation International has remained consistent in quality, bold in vision, and authentic in purpose. Its ability to evolve without losing its identity is a testament to its strength as not just a magazine, but an enduring institution. Today, as it marks 30 years of impact, it stands as one of Africa’s most influential media platforms, one that has significantly contributed to reshaping global perception and asserting Africa’s place in the world.

This milestone is a celebration of resilience, vision, and legacy. It is a tribute to the pride of Africa Chief Dele Momodu, whose courage transformed hardship into history, and whose dream once considered unrealistic became a continental force. It is also a celebration of the entire Ovation family, whose dedication over the years has sustained and expanded this vision. Thirty years on, Ovation is not just a witness to Africa’s story, it is one of its most powerful storytellers.

A big thank you to Chief Dele Momodu for proving long ago that Africa is not synonymous with bad news, and congratulations on three decades of excellence proof that when the dawn finally comes, it can illuminate the world.

Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com