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Opinion

Voice of Emancipation: Nigeria’s New President

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By Kayode Emola

In less than 48 hours Nigeria will welcome a new President, charged with handling its affairs for the next four years. Yet among the many challenges awaiting the new president, whether Nigeria itself can even survive another four years remains to be seen. There is no doubt that the Tinubu/Shettima presidency will need more than courage to keep Nigeria united for the full duration of their elected term.

Only time will tell whether Tinubu and Shettima will be sworn in come May 29, or whether we will instead have an interim government. However, one thing of which we are certain is that the era of Muhammad Buhari is over, never to be experienced again. Those who have survived living under Buhari’s misrule in Nigeria for the last eight years deserve an award for endurance.

We must not allow the expected swearing-in of a Yoruba man as Nigeria’s president on Monday 29 to make us complacent. Indeed, my Yoruba people, our task has just doubled.

Nigeria’s future is now looking more imperiled than ever before. The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) are already threatening to declare their own independent Biafra nation if Tinubu is sworn in come May 29. And the Biafra campaigners are not the only disgruntled people within the country. The vast majority of our Yoruba people and even the Hausa people are becoming embittered with the trajectory Nigeria has taken since independence. At this point now, the new president must decide if Nigeria will continue as it is, or ask the indigenous people to decide their future.

It is increasingly evident that Nigeria is not a sustainable venture, and that a trading post cannot become a country that can endure the test of time. The people within Nigeria never decided to unite and become a country, so trying to hold them to ransom can never succeed.

I will therefore urge the incoming president to rethink his policies if he has not thought about a peaceful way in which Nigeria’s dissolution can be established. Powering through and hoping that he can hold Nigeria together like his predecessor Buhari did will definitely not stand the test of time.

To my fellow Yoruba people who are singing hallelujah that a Yoruba man is going to be president. I want us to know that just as Buhari is leaving the Presidential seat come Monday 29, Tinubu will also not be president for life. When he leaves what will be the fate of the Yoruba people or the other nationalities that makes up Nigeria.

At this juncture in our history, it would be the time to give the indigenous peoples of Nigerians the opportunity to determine their future in a constitutional conference. Nigeria has gone past its due date and must now be prepared for decommissioning just like several countries such as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, etc has done in the past. If not, a dysfunctional disengagement may lead to utter chaos if not another civil considering the damage the country is currently doing to the lives of millions of frustrated youths. The rate of poverty is not abating with the currency being devalued on a daily basis putting more strain on the people’s finances

The handlers of Nigeria must acknowledge that the unitary system being practiced in Nigeria has utterly failed the people. The people must now be handed a lifeline in order to salvage a future for themselves and their future generations. Anything short of that may mean Nigeria may go the way other African countries such as Somalia and South Sudan etc have divided with years of bitter civil war which has resulted in the loss of millions of innocent lives.

Yoruba people should not shout ‘Uhuru’ yet because one of us is sitting in ‘Aso rock’. If history has thought us anything, whoever becomes president of Nigeria is there for themselves and not necessarily representing their constituents. That Tinubu will be president does not stop the call for an independent Yoruba nation, if anything, the call for an independent Yoruba nation should now become louder and clearer to send a strong signal to the local and international communities that the Yoruba people have finally made up their mind to leave Nigeria.

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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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