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How Tinubu Plans to Consolidate Power
Published
1 year agoon
By
EricBy Eric Elezuo
With the presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, battling to legally upturn the results of the February 25, 2023 Presidential Elections at the Tribunal, President Bola Tinubu is devising plans to ensure that his declared victory remains sacrosanct.
Tinubu has not hidden his intention to ensure his four years stewardship runs smoothly without legal interruption, considering that all the parties at the tribunal seem to have a 50/50 chance of coming out victorious.
With the camp of Peter Obi, who alone scored a ‘mandatory’ 25% victory in the Federal Capital Territory, believing that the election victory is theirs, and Atiku proving that most of his legitimate votes were allocated to Tinubu especially in the North, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tinubu have a lot of defence to put up to convince the judges that his election is legit. So far, the camps of Atiku and Peter Obi have submitted exhibits, which have been admitted by the tribunal as well as tons of paper evidences and witnesses to help them prove the election of Tinubu is as discredited as many organisations and governments have testified.
But Tinubu is not lying down or leaving matters to chance. The President has from the day of inauguration began a massive policy re-engineering, reorientation and somersault that he believes will sway public sympathy to his side in anticipation of the Tribunal’s verdict at the end of the sitting. While many applauded his inauguration ground of removal of subsidy from fuel products, a lot of Nigerians have said that the timing was both wrong and anti-people. The President is hoping the long, cumbersome, expensive and windy process of the Tribunal will provide an opportunity for him to win the hearts of majority of Nigerians, who supposedly voted against him, gain legitimacy and somehow achieve a kind of backdoor referendum instead of election.
Consequently, he is moving at the speed of light to win Nigerians over; Nigerians who may easily give up on the judicial process. For that purpose, he has turned Aso Rock an Okija of some sort for as many that are willing to share in the national privilege, and help him consolidate his position should there be a rerun or referendum, and so all manner of visitors have flooded the villa since he assumed office. He has therefore, also succeeded in installing leaders of the National Assembly across board beginning with Senator Godswill Akpabio as Senate president and Tajudeen Abass as Speaker, House of Representatives, and open the doors of the villa to all and sundry who will easilyrespond to his whims and caprice.
Among those who have visited the presidential villa in the past weeks Tinubu became president are governors elected on the platform of the APC, former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, former governors of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, service chiefs, and a host of others.
The duo of Emefiele and Bawa also visited the Villa before the hammer of sack fell on them.
Tinubu, who lost his homebase, Lagos, by a slim margin to the LP candidate, according to the results released by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) though still being contested in Lagos, fired the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, knowing it will tickle the fancy of Nigerians if the challenges of the naira redesign policy is anything to go by. It would be recalled that Emefiele’s naira redesign policy had led to scarcity of naira, plunging families into untold sufferings and leading to deaths of many. Tinubu was quick to capitalise on Emefiele’s fall to gain sympathy. It is on record that seven days, after, Emefiele is still in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), which arrested him shortly after he was removed.
Days later, Tinubu followed up with the removal of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa for alleged abuse of office. Bawa has also been arrested.
Willie Bassey, Director, Information, office of the SGF, who revealed the information to journalists noted that, Bawa’s suspension was to enable security agents conduct proper investigation into his conduct while in office.
There has been several allegations against Bawa since he assumed office as EFCC chair, including a former governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, accusing him of demanding $2 million bribe from him.
Bawa denied the allegation, asking the former governor to provide evidence to back his claim.
Tinubu, according to stakeholders, is riding on what late afrobeat king, Fela, will call Initial gra gra; IGG for short.
“What he is doing is not governance; he is only struggling to gain sympathy from Nigerians towards assuming relevance, knowing that the verdict of the presidential election tribunal can go anyway. The initial idea of this government is to try within the shortest time to gain sympathy with the tribunal,” a political stakeholder, who crave anonymity said, adding that “the only way this nation can move forward is through the rule of law, and not sympathy.”
Tinubu has followed up his ‘good gestures’ with the signing of Students Loan Bill, which has continued to get support from interested stakeholders, including the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS). The association, which has also visited the presidential villa, praised Tinubu for its signing while urging him to review the constitution of the special committee that will oversee the new Nigerian Education Loan Fund to include student representatives.
“We are here to congratulate you and to thank you for what you have been doing for the country since you assumed responsibility as the president. We want to equally thank you for the Students Loan Bill,” NANS president, Umar Barambu, who led other student leaders on a visit to Tinubu in his office, said.
The president has also promised to review worker’s salary as a way of cushioning the effect for the just removed subsidy on fuel.
Recall that Tinubu was announced winner of the election, garnering a total of 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all the candidates, thus meeting the first constitutional requirement to be declared the winner.
Atiku polled a total of 6,984,520 votes in the election while Peter Obi of the Labour Party came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP came fourth with 1,496,687 votes.
Meanwhile, the duo of Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar are at the tribunal, attempting to legally upturn the outcome of the February 25 presidential election, claiming that irregularities, harassment, violence and vote stealing marred the election.
Tinubu, according to a cross section of Nigerians, is positioning himself for a possible rerun or referendum, should the judgment of the Tribunal goes against his election.
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Who Will Rescue Nigeria from Political Bandits?
Published
5 days agoon
October 6, 2024By
EricBy Eric Elezuo
While Bala Mohammed had earlier indicated that the forum was considering the return of the national chairmanship to the North-Central, describing the current leadership arrangement in the North-East as unconstitutional, a decision that was supported by Osun state governor, Ademola Adeleke.
“My brother from the North-East is currently acting as the national chairman, which is a constitutional anomaly. According to our Constitution, any vacancy in a leadership position should be filled by the region from which it was originally created,” Bala said on Tuesday.
The Bauchi State governor explained that the North-Central region had been expecting the position and hinted that the forum was working with the chairman, the National Working Committee (NWC), and the broader party structure to return the chairmanship to the North-Central.
“We have discussed the issue and will work to ensure that the North-Central is given the opportunity to assume this responsibility,” he stated.
However, Governor Fintiri of Adamawa, in a sharp contrast to Bala’s stance, declared his strong support for Damagum’s leadership.
Fintiri noted that the North-East zone, which includes Bauchi, supports Damagum remaining as acting national chairman.
He referenced a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that restrains the NWC, Board of Trustees (BoT), National Executive Committee (NEC), PDP, INEC, and any affiliated bodies from removing, replacing, or nominating a new chairman outside of Damagum.
“The court’s ruling is clear, and we must respect it for the sake of our party and democracy,” Fintiri stated in a statement earlier issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou.
The Adamawa governor further praised Damagum’s leadership for rebuilding public confidence in the PDP following the party’s defeat in the 2023 presidential election, and he endorsed him to complete the tenure of the former chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, a situation many members of the party disagree with.
Fintiri also emphasised that the North-East, having delivered strong results for the PDP in the 2023 elections, deserves the national chairmanship more than other regions. The zone includes Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, Borno, and Yobe states, and Fintiri argued that their performance in the polls strengthens their claim to the chairmanship.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, also declared his full support for the NWC under Damagum’s leadership, underscoring the growing division within the PDP Governors’ Forum over the party’s leadership crisis.
Makinde noted that, while internal disagreements are inevitable in any political party, the focus should remain on unity as the party prepares for critical elections.
The party also agreed to support Fubara in Rivers, resolving to hand over party structure to him against Wike’s quest to hold to the structure. But in response, Wike threatened to step fire in the states of the PDP Governors, who took the decision. But while Mohammed called his bluff, Makinde pleaded to be exempted, acknowledging alleged Wike’s superiority.
The dissension that has continued led to the party’s loss of the Edo State governorship election. They claimed it was rigged by the APC.
Demagum continues to argue that the party’s rules allow for some flexibility in leadership positions and pointed out that the deputy chairman from the North could naturally assume the chairmanship if it were vacated.
The judge, Peter Lifu, cited RSIEC’s non-compliance with its 2018 law concerning the voter register as a reason for the court’s decision to halt the elections
Many lawyers and judicial stakeholders have expressed their disagreement with the court order and stressed the importance of judicial independence.
They argued that the case underscored the unconstitutionality and undemocratic nature of caretaker committees managing local governments.
A lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Okutepa, noted as follows:
“Section 1 of the 1999 Constitution makes the constitution supreme and binding on all persons and authorities, including Nigerian courts.
“Section 287(1) further stipulates that decisions of the Supreme Court must be enforced across Nigeria by all persons and courts with subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Supreme Court.
“Judgments of the Supreme Court, whether rightly or wrongly decided, cannot be questioned or ignored by any courts or individuals in Nigeria; they can only be criticised.”
Also toeing the line of political banditry in the nation is the recklessness that has been exhibited by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The body has been accused of also giving electoral victory to whomever expresses monetary and influential concern, especially the government of the day. The situation was further brought to light with the handling of the Edo State governorship election.
The situation of almost complete lawlessness that has pervaded the length and breadth of the nation’s political and economic sectors, have reduced the society to enclave enslaved by a group of individuals, who do not wish corporate existence, but selfish fulfillment of individual agenda.
In Rivers State, Governor Fubara appears to have called the bluff of the Bola Tinubu-led APC, the camp of Wike and all, who were bent on undermining his administration, but the question still stand, who will rescue Nigeria from political bandits as the situation is far from over.
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Glo Splashes Millions of Naira on Partners at Luxurious Event in Lagos
Published
6 days agoon
October 5, 2024By
EricGlobacom, Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital solutions services provider, on Thursday treated its business partners across the country to a luxurious ceremony in Lagos. The event was held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island.
At the event, Globacom honoured its top-performing partners that fulfilled all regional and national deliverable requirements with millions of naira in recognition of their outstanding work.
A total number of 71 partners were rewarded in two broad categories, with the winners receiving millions of naira in cash prizes. Category 1 comprised 22 Activation Award winners and 33 Divisional Recharge winners.
In Category 2, 16 partners were rewarded for outstanding performance at the national level. They included partners who performed excellently in Sponsored Data and Activation and those who won national awards in the Recharge category.
The event was held to “honour not just individual successes, but the collaborative spirit that drives innovation and growth”, according to a statement from Globacom. It added that each of the partners “continues to play crucial roles in Globacom’s mission to empower people and businesses, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in telecommunications”.
Globacom shared with them its current and future projections to grow the company and maintain a win-win partnership with the business partners and promised to constantly take their interest and that of other stakeholders into account in all of its plans and projections.
“We are excited about the future, of our continued partnership in serving our customers, fulfilling their needs and helping them achieve their ambitions. We count on you all to be by our side all the way”, the company reiterated to the business partners.
Globacom, which recently clocked 21st, noted that it has grown from being a telecommunications service provider to becoming a Digital and Technology Company, leading the drive into Nigeria’s digital future. It promised to continue to explore unlimited opportunities to serve the customers by investing heavily in the latest tools and technologies.
The company recently unveiled My-G which gives subscribers more data value and more freedom to explore their passions. It has also reinvigorated the Glo Cafe app to give subscribers total control and access to entertainment, gaming, data solutions and other VAS services on their mobile devices. Glo also enhanced the Berekete tariff plan to give unparalleled juicy benefits to subscribers, ensuring that every new business innovation, product and service bring Glo customers one step closer to their goals.
However, the partners had a terrific time being entertained, so the event wasn’t just about business presentations and prizes. Lilian Yeri Danceworld, an all-female dance company with a lot of versatile dance movements, was available to entertain the guests.
Celebrated musician, Flavour, also brightened up the evening with great music, adding color to bring the celebration to a close. Several guests joined him on the dance floor to enjoy his songs and flow along with his captivating performance.
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Charles Osuji: Canada Celebrates a Legal Wizard
Published
2 weeks agoon
September 30, 2024By
EricBy Eric Elezuo
From a very humble beginning in Imo State, South East Nigeria, Charles Osuji has not only found the golden fleece, but had nature give him a soft landing on posterity; the evidence of his prolific hard work.
Here’s the story of a man, who transcended boundaries and borders, challenges and huddles as well as barriers to take the legal profession by storm, hitting the highest echelon with panache in far away Calgary, Alberta in Canada. He graduated top of his class with honours from Imo State University in 2009, and called to the Nigerian bar from where he migrated to Canada. He was absorbed into the then Smith Law Office, where he had a successful articling before being admitted into the Alberta Bar in 2014. He became a partner in 2016, and moved to sole ownership in 2017.
Today, Canada celebrates a man of vision, impact, focus, determination and commitment to growth, just as Nigeria walks tall with pride at a total package of dignity, influence, affluence and candor exportable to the global world. His name is Dr. Charles Osuji, the Chief Executive Officer of one of Canada’s most thriving law firm, Osuji & Smith Lawyers. Osuji proved from day one to be a man, who knows what he wants, and it is no accident that he has achieved so much, and yet not rested on any oars. He sits comfortably as the owner of the largest black-owned law firm in Canada.
Osuji’s larger than life achievements have been encapsulated in what most authorities have said and written about him.
In a speech during the welcoming of The Boss Publisher, Chief Dele Momodu, in Calgary the week before, Barrister Juliet Omonigho, has this to say about Dr. Osuji
“Sir, let me tell you a bit about Dr. Charles Osuji; like Chief Dr. Momodu, he embarked on a journey fueled by vision and determination. Charles arrived in Canada and quickly rose through the ranks with sheer hard work, humility, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. In just a few short years, five years to be exact, he went from a young Nigerian boy in his twenties who, though graduated at the top of his class, seemed to have no prospects when he arrived in Canada, working three menial jobs to make ends meet, to finally getting an articling position after over 200 rejections! He bought the firm just three years after Articling and, in just five short years as managing partner, led it to become the largest black-owned law firm in Canada! His story is one of resilience, innovation, courage and the kind of tenacity that transforms dreams into reality.
“Osuji & Smith Lawyers, under Charles’ leadership, mirrors the journey of Ovation International. Both entities began with a vision, faced numerous challenges, achieved feats that had never been achieved before… and ultimately became symbols of success and excellence in their respective fields. Just as Chief Dr. Dele Momodu has become a beacon of pride for Africa in the global media landscape, Dr. Charles Osuji and his firm have become shining examples of what can be achieved by a young immigrant lawyer with no connections in Canada but through hard work and a commitment to uplifting others rise to national recognition in this country.
“Through the Foot in the Door Initiative, FIDI, an organization founded to empower internally trained lawyers Charles, our firm’s reach is international, giving incredible opportunities to internationally trained lawyers around the world to gain legal experience so they do not have to spend years writing hundreds of applications as he did before getting a foot in the door into a legal profession.
“As a director of the program, we get contacted by lawyers from around the world about the opportunity to be part of the initiative, and we say yes, which gives them the confidence to move to Canada to pursue their legal careers. The impact of the FIDI innovation is truly global.
“Our firm is so successful because Charles has assembled an incredible team of legal minds producing first-class work and the most dedicated and brilliant administrative staff. And collectively, we are all determined and dedicated to giving back. We are a full-service law firm with a diverse staff that speaks over 31 languages; by the way, Chief Momodu, we know you are a linguist who speaks several languages. Our ages range from twenties to seventies, and we serve a diverse Canada.
“As a result of Charles’ leadership, Nigeria is uplifting others regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality. Over 200 FIDI students from different races have passed through our doors. Osuji & Smith has won landmark cases that established precedents, especially in employment law.
“Our firm has won over 105 awards across Canada, and Charles was recognized as one of Canada’s 25 most influential lawyers at age 35.
“Chief Dr. Momodu, you have led the way, setting an incredible example for a person like Dr. Charles Osuji—to rise to remarkable heights while keeping your focus on a larger mission: showcasing excellence, rewriting narratives, and creating opportunities for others. Your story continues to impact us even in the diaspora. It reminds us that with vision, determination, and the courage to stand for something greater than ourselves, there are no limits to what we can achieve.”
For a gentleman, who moved to Canada in 2011, it is quite impressive how he has climbed the ladders of success, and settled at the very height of greatness.
OF CHARLES OSUJI AND OSUJI & SMITH LAWYERS
By the age of 30, Charles Osuji, an internationally trained lawyer from Nigeria, bought a 37-year-old firm wherein he had served as an articling student not long before. Today, Osuji & Smith is a thriving small-sized firm that offers multi-generational and multi-cultural perspectives to its client base. The firm’s diverse staff includes lawyers who are educated or trained abroad, as well as individuals who can speak English, Igbo, Mandarin, Cantonese, Bengali, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, French, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. Professionals at Osuji & Smith can bring their diverse legal, financial and lived experiences to the table, which is what sets the firm apart from others.
Charles Osuji acts as a role model for young professionals and as a mentor to the associate lawyers, articling students and legal assistants at the firm. For these reasons, Three Best Rated has consistently named Osuji & Smith, beginning in 2017, as one of the top-rated employment and business firms in Calgary.
Also on the endless list of those, who have one or two things to say about Osuji is the site LEXPERT Business of Law, who wrote in 2021 as follows:
In 2011, Charles Osuji uprooted himself — and his developing legal career — to move to Calgary from Nigeria. An internationally trained lawyer, he came to Canada knowing he’d have to become re-accredited and develop a new network of personal and professional colleagues — but Osuji wasn’t daunted by these challenges. He joined what is now Osuji & Smith Lawyers in 2013 as an articling student, was called to the Alberta Bar in 2014, became partner at the firm in 2016 and then, at the age of 31, made another bold move: he became sole owner of the firm. At an age when most lawyers are still preoccupied with learning their craft, Osuji stands at the helm of a thriving and fast rising small-sized law firm as managing partner and CEO.
Osuji was recently named one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers; was recognized in both Canada and Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 Award categoryies; won the Immigrant of Distinction — Achievement Under 35 Award from Immigrant Services Calgary; was recently recognized, and voted by his fellow lawyers across Canada, in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2022, for his outstanding professional excellence in private practice; and was a nominee for the Canadian Bar Association’s 2020 Douglas Miller Rising Star Award.
Osuji & Smith covers a number of areas of law including personal injury, immigration, civil litigation, business, wills and estate, real estate, family, and employment and labour. Clients, which represent a cross-section of Alberta businesses and individuals, benefit from the firm’s multi-generational and multi-cultural perspectives, and Osuji’s willingness to provide these different perspectives sets his firm apart in the Calgary market. He strives to bring an entrepreneurial, multi-cultural and holistic approach to the practice of law.
Osuji is dedicated to providing mentoring and leadership for his staff and is also “a volunteer extraordinaire.” He plays piano at his church, provides pro bono work such as with E-Fry and legal clinics and is a mentor for other newcomer professionals through the Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Counsel, where he participates in workshops and panel conversations as well as serves on the Board of Directors and as Secretary.
Despite his fast and furious rise in the Canadian legal community, Osuji remains humble, genuine and kind. His unique combination of high intellect, tireless work ethic and business acumen fuels this rising star, but Osuji remains grounded by his role as a model citizen for all young professionals.
A multi-award-winning lawyer across divides, Charles Osuji remains undaunted, churning out firsts after first.
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