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Dele Momodu @63: More Than Meets the Eye

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By Joshua J. Omojuwa

This is a flash piece. Even if I wrote a book about the exemplary persona that is Chief Dele Momodu, I’d still need several volumes to do justice. There are many personal and powerful stories. This is why I could not do this using an Instagram post because it’d be too long and it’d not still be enough space. It actually started out as an Instagram post, then I stopped. I needed to say more.

I met him for the first time in Lagos, 13 years ago. He had traveled into the country for an event where we were both speakers. When we met, he said, ‘Ah, Omojuwa, look at how fly you look. I was expecting to see one of this funny looking activists. You look great, keep it up’. Back then, I never missed a chance to let people I respect know I was not an activist and wasn’t interested in being one. I quickly got that off the table but I could not miss my chance to thank him for his iconic media brand, Ovation Magazine.

Every Nigerian baby boomer and millennial passed through the excellence delivered by Ovation, something it continues to do, since 1996. His touch of publishing excellence that was unknown to the entire continent at the time ended up inspiring like magazines and publications – Like, only in their attempt to be Ovation, not in their ability to hit the mark. Everyone wanted to be Ovation, everyone wanted to be in Ovation. One of my favourite ads in Ovation at the time was around the fact that, if you already did your wedding and it was not in Ovation, you had to do it again. Lol. It had its critics and its lovers, but both its critics and its lovers fed off its glitz, colours and glamour.

Those who loved it loved to love it and those who hated it hated that they loved it.

The pull was gravitational, you could not defy it. The interesting thing is, as Bob Dee evolved through the advent of technology, those who copied him at the time were late to it. A wire to wire leadership, Ovation and Bob Dee started leading them from the beginning and it continues to this day!

I remember trying to get my passport out of one of these notorious embassies several years ago. I messaged Bob Dee about wanting to go to the country and having some issues. He immediately asked me how much I needed. lol. I thought that was really cool but I needed something even fewer people had, his ability to call my passport out from a foreign embassy. He made it happen.

There are several stories with his answers in reference to me as, “I only know one person,” before he then makes the call to connect me to one of his numerous friends and allies. Often times, the fact I was always flying would be an issue, he’d then tell them, ‘ah, I don’t know who else to recommend o. I only know Omojuwa!’ Those of us who recommend people and know the risks that come with that know that it is risky enough to recommend someone, to now put an extra stamp that screams, ‘this is it! Nothing else!’ clearly goes above and beyond. I have been immensely blessed by these selfless acts.

But these acts of kindness do not compare to the one thing that separates him from the big people in his position. He has never at any time tried to get me to advance his politics. Never. I had years of struggling where some mentor would repeatedly reply my tweets privately in order to moderate my views or completely have me back down, especially when such tweets appear to touch someone they favoured. Bob Dee has never, directly or indirectly, tried to influence my politics. He has been involved in our elections across several expressions, recently managing strategic comms for the Atiku campaign. He respects your views and position and expects you to respect his. It wouldn’t matter if you were a security man or you were the president, he respects everyone.

In a world where people pretend to be saints in public but are far from it privately, he is the true expression of living one’s life and truth without a care for your feelings or expectations. On this account, everyone who deals with him knows what you see is what you get. And means a lot in a world where enemies pretend to be friends. That is, even those perceived to be his adversaries will open their doors to him immediately he is there. Africa’s most influential private individual, he is an exceptional man. Like Ovation, this conclusion does not seek your agreement, it is a fact that just is. Happy birthday to a great icon. He deserves every joy. This was meant to be a flash piece. I know. But ‘our Bob Dee’ is no flash. He has been here for a while, he will be for many more years. God willing.

© Joshua J. Omojuwa, Writer and Strategist at Alpha Reach

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Opinion

Dele Momodu: Charismatic Gentleman @65

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By Yemi Edun

Aare Dele Momodu is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable names, voices, and personalities to emerge from the world’s most populous Black nation Nigeria.

Anyone who has travelled with Bob Dee would understand the magnetic presence he carries from Atlanta Georgia, Accra to Nairobi, down to Central London. He receives nods of admiration, requests for photos, and warm pats on the back wherever he goes. A true cultural ambassador, effortlessly at ease in rich native attire, which his commanding presence makes look truly majestic, he wears native outfits like royalty.

He is a consummate storyteller, an indefatigable workhorse, and one of the most selfless and hospitable people I know. His generosity is legendary. Mention Dele Momodu at any Marriott Hotel in East Africa, and you can expect the red carpet to be rolled out.

I was stunned at Kotoka International Airport as immigration and customs officials broke into chants of “Ovation! Ovation!” while we walked through, it was surreal but perfectly fitting for a man so deeply respected.

Bob Dee is at home with the old and young, with royalty and regular folk alike. There are countless moments that reflect his goodness, but allow me to share just one:

In Summer 2023, while holidaying in Accra with my family, Aare generously assigned his Ghanaian chef to us for two full weeks serving delicious meals until we had to kindly ask him to pause! Not long after, he flew into Accra and hosted us at La Chaumiere his favourite upscale French restaurant, where his presence is evidently cherished.

As my daughter and I prepared to return to London, we discovered shockingly that her passport had expired just a day earlier. I had to remain behind to resolve the issue. By divine timing, Bob Dee called to check in, and upon hearing the situation, immediately sent his driver. We spent that night in his elegant Accra home.

The next morning, using her Nigerian passport, we flew into Lagos. On his advice, I contacted Mr. Governor, and thanks to that call and Bob Dee’s understanding of the terrain, a new British passport was issued the same day.

Happy Birthday, Aare. A charismatic gentleman, who treats all with warmth and deserved respect.

@yemiedundf

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Opinion

A Tribute of Grace to My Younger Brother, Dele Momodu, @65

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By Mama OluwaBunmi Adedayo

My Beloved Aburo,

Your heart beats with the rhythm of compassion,
Your laughter softens the storms of men,
And your pen—yes, that mighty pen—has built bridges where once stood walls.

Today, I speak not only with words,
But with the rhythm of gratitude,
The poetry of love,
And the dance of legacy.

You are more than a name—
You are Dele Momodu.
A spirit of honour.
A vessel of humility.
A generous soul.
A quiet strength wrapped in dignity and thunder.

In you, kindness flows like a river,
And generosity walks hand in hand with wisdom.

You have fed minds, lifted voices,
And sewn hope into the very fabric of Africa.

You write—oh, how you write—
With fire, with elegance, with truth.
You publish, you speak, you dream aloud.
You carry the soul of a president, even when the title passed by.

But allow me this honest moment:
As I turned through the pages of Ovation Magazine,
I searched for a picture of us—
You and I,
Captured in joy, frozen in memory.
But it was not there.

*Yes, I am jealous!*
I say it with a loving smile.
It’s alright… this time.
But when the next milestone arrives,
*When seventy comes knocking—*
*By the grace of God, we shall all be alive.*
And when that time comes,
Let my picture rise with yours,
Let our laughter live in history.
Let it not be forgotten—*again.*

So, as you are honoured today,
And as voices rise in celebration,
Know this, my dear brother:

You are deeply cherished.
You are profoundly celebrated.
And I—your sister, your friend, your family—
Walk with pride in your light.

May joy crown your 65 years,
And may heaven prepare glory for your 70th.

With all my heart and prayers,
Mama OluwaBunmi Adedayo

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Opinion

Towards a Non-Violent Local Government Election in Lagos State

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By Tola Ogunnubi

The upcoming July 12, 2025 Local Government Election in Lagos State is a litmus test for the 2027 general elections.

The election of executives at the grassroots level to run the affairs of the Local Government has always been a mixture of peace and violence between leading political parties, aspirants, indigenes and settlers in the various area councils. Local government elections is a critical element of democracy and governance which provides a vital pathway for new political participants to engage communities and impact governance from the ground up in their quest for good governance.

In Lagos State, elections have always been characterized with violence and peaceful conducts. Clashes between APC supporters and main opponents’ supporters from the PDP have been reported from various parts of the state like Surulere, Agege, Amuwo-Odofin, Ajeromi Ifelodun, Ojo, Oshodi-Isolo and Kosofe LGAs of the state.

Election violence can diminish voter turnout, influence election outcomes, and erode public trust in the electoral system raising concerns about the legitimacy of results according to Yiaga Africa. Political parties should ensure that the local elections is not a zero sum game, whereby the winners takes it all and the benefits of good governance is limited and retained to only party members and loyalists.

The violence that led to the death of Jide Badaru and one other with several people injured in August 2018 in Surulere Local Government should not be allowed to happen again. According to the cousin of the deceased Mr. Babatunde Badaru, a former Local Government Chairmanship Aspirant in his accounts of the violence that characterizes elections in Surulere LGA.

The wanton destruction of properties, continued threat to lives of opposition supporters should be a thing of the past. Since it is a grassroots election, the African communal sense of being should be displayed during the elections. Perpetrators of electoral violence and their sponsors should be arrested and should be diligently prosecuted so as to deter others who see violence as a viable pathway to electoral victory.

Tola Ogunnubi ANIPR wrote in from Abuja Abuja

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