Boss Picks
Only a Reasonable Standard of Justice will Assuage the Public – Dele Momodu
By Eric Elezuo
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Ovation Media Group, Aare Dele Momodu, was a guest on Seun Okinbaloye’s MicOn podcast, and spoke extensively on politics and state of affairs of the Nigerian nation, with emphasis on the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election, the litigation that followed and the Niger coup and aftermath.
The Boss brings you word for word all that transpired on the night…
Intro…
Governance is never one man’s job. The result of good governance is usually a product of concerted efforts and the willingness of the political class to deliver value to the governed. Welcome to the mic on podcast I’m Segun Okinbaloye, and I will be piloting this show which promises to be very engaging because of my guest tonight. This podcast focuses on issues affecting all Nigerians, but pays special and careful attention to how the issues raised affect young Nigerians wherever they are in the world. This is one way to make sure that the conversation never stops after my every weekday show, Politics Today and Sunday Politics on Channels Television. We are also weighing in on some of the issues from the 2023 elections.
Tonight, joining me is one man who does not hold back in sharing his views and also lending himself as a tool for Democratic development and progress in this country. He’s not only been on the sideline as a journalist, he’s also coming to the fray as a presidential candidate. In fact, in the last election, he helped the PDP presidential candidate to direct the Media Publicity and Strategic Affairs of the PDP and Mr Atiku Abubakar. Tonight, I’m being joined by Chief Dele Momodu – I wouldn’t call him Nigerian because he’s also very popular in some other African countries and around the world. Chief Dele Momodu is a publisher and he joins us on this podcast.
Thank you so much for joining us today
MOMODU: Thank you very much, Mr Seun Okinbaloye. Thank you for inviting me on your podcast, and I hope we have a very interesting and robust conversation tonight.
Absolutely, your experience before Nigeria returned to democracy; I know I’ve had several conversations with you about the role you played in the pro-democracy struggle. Some of the roles you played as someone who was very close to MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi. You contested to be a president sometime in this country and you have not also kept quiet in lending your voice into public affairs and the affairs of this country. So, tonight I will be engaging you in so many issues but let me begin because of your role in the 2023 election; the case is in court. However, Bola Tinubu was declared President but so far from what you have seen and Presidential Elections Tribunal. What are your views generally? The engagement of Nigerians, the comportment of the political class and the Judiciary…
Well, let me start by saying that I’m happy that we’re not in a state of war or Anarchy. I’m very happy that our leaders in opposition have comported themselves very well by making sure that they obeyed the rule of law. Those who don’t agree that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed won the election fair and square have gone to court. And that’s the right thing to do. Those of us who are their supporters wish them well in recovering their mandate.
It’s up to the Judiciary to do justice whether it’s my principal, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or former Governor Peter Obi. So, I’ll be very very willing to stay till the end of the cases. I’m sure at the Supreme Court and then we know the way forward but like I said, the most important thing is for politicians to conduct themselves properly and obey the rule of law.
I know there’s been a lot of monitoring if that is perhaps the word to use for those who are supporting either of the political parties in these but the Judiciary has also been put in a very tight situation.
Oooh! Let’s just move on, and that is why elections will continue to be rigged, and the election riggers will become more emboldened because they know that at every point and at the end of every election cycle, people are going to come up with let’s move on. There is no nation that has made it in the world that made it by just moving on casually; like we are not interested, we are not bothered, it doesn’t matter, it’s not a matter of life and death…, oh is your friend, oh is a Yoruba man, he is a Fulani man, you must support this. We were too casual in our attitude to very serious issues of states. Nigeria is in this sorry state because of that attitude of being casual about moving on, of explaining everything in terms of ethnicity or religion, or friendship. It’s not convenient for me today to drop in a job in the fray and say let me just declare myself a supporter of Asiwaju shamelessly. Forgetting that a few months ago, I was saying that Atiku was this and that.
You see, that is why Nigeria is in trouble. So, a few Patriots must rise up and abort that pettiness of friendship by putting their country above their personal comfort. Comfort cannot be everything, and the reason it is so is because a lot of our political leaders have no verifiable source or sources of income. Most politicians in Nigeria are career politicians. If you ask a man, and say what you do and he says I’m a politician then you know the best politicians even they still want to remain in power you are a governor today, you become Minister tomorrow, you become Senator a day after because the state must continue to provide for them.
So, I am hoping that the Judiciary will do justice and must be seen to have done Justice no matter what happens. Of course, everybody will not agree whatever the Judgment is but there is what is called a reasonable standard of justice; that is what Nigerians are expecting at this time.
With what we have seen in Nigeria in the past months and years, do you trust the Judiciary to do justice?
If we didn’t trust the Judiciary, we won’t go to court. We are in court because we expect the Judiciary to do their best by ensuring Justice is upheld in our country, Nigeria. If they fail, they will a spectacle. They will fail their family, they will fail themselves, they will fail their country, they will fail the continent of Africa because it means that we’ll be back to the jungle. So, in the state of Nigeria today, everybody is talking about it. As you know, I travel everywhere around the world, and nobody is pleased with the fact that we cannot conduct a simple election, especially the presidential election. On the same day you have the presidential election, you held the National Assembly election. In one, everything went smoothly. In another, in the same election, same time, same place, everything started going haywire. That for me is very unfortunate after spending a budget of about N400 billion. We wasted a budget of 400 billion after the reassurances of all the assurances from Mahmoud Yakubu. I mean, it’s just so sad, do you know how much Nigeria could have done with 400 billion? There is no point wasting all that resources if we knew we will not be serious; if we knew that we were not going to conduct a proper election. And it was a charade and we just wasted people’s time.
I will like to ask you, do you think that there is any sense of credibility or fairness in that election?
No. I don’t. For the presidential election, it was a very hopeless case. In my knowledge of Nigerian history. I’m a good student of Nigerian history. My knowledge of Nigerian history is very simple. In 1979 and 1983, we held similar elections; very very similar. Chief Obafemi Awolowo ran from the South West, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe ran from the South, and Mallam Aminu Kanu was a major force just like Rabiu Kwankanso, you cannot attempt to cross to the other side and win a few regions. So, you must lock down four regions very very well but those regions must include your own region.
In a situation where a man is not strong in the South-East is not strong in the South-South, barely managed in his own base, something is wrong. But like I said, the case is in court that is my view. So, those that go to court, know that it is very expensive, outlandishly expensive to go through a court process. Do you know how many billions will be wasted by Peter Obi, by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in court? This could have been saved up if Yakubu was ready to listen and ready to take a pause and say okay let’s wait two-three-four days. Even if you are going to pretend, pretend. In life, you cannot just tell people to go to hell, go to places, go to court, and expect that there won’t be repercussions. It is wrong.
So, you blame the INEC Chairman?
I blame him! Absolutely! He was not cautious at all. What he did was reckless by not listening to those who complained about when the election thing was on. That’s what we are against. It is not about who won or who did not win. I don’t care! I am a Democrat! I know in an election only one man can win, and I know that it was very possible for Asiwaju to have won that election but it will be sane to have won without unnecessary controversies.
Well, if you say the election wasn’t free and fair, how then would you describe…
At the University, I read a book about the Artful Dodger. I can’t remember the author now so you can Google it later. Anybody who wants to compromise an election will not be so stupid as to make it obvious that I have compromised the election. If you want to rig the election, you will get expert riggers. You will get mathematicians, statisticians, you will get all kinds of people, you will even have psychologists; who will give you the psychology of election. Apart from the anatomy of it, the work of the psychology is to give a near-perfect semblance. That is where the problem is, it has nothing to do with who won or who did not win; nobody is my enemy.
You know very well how close I am to Asiwaju despite that we are not in the same political party. If he won and even that election was just 52, 54, and 55 percent accurate, nobody will complain. But this one was a disgrace to Nigeria; an International disgrace. Everywhere you go, people are talking about it; even the coup plotters in Niger are taunting us.
Would you in a way as Dele Momodu think of being a President of Nigeria; maybe in 2027?
No! I remember telling Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal the other day, I said “Oga, I’m sorry, I can never contest again in Nigeria. Unless my party decides to adopt me”. And that’s the level of frustration in the land. It’s virtually impossible because there are too many big forces at play. Those forces are not easy. Forces of money, forces of politics, forces of religion, forces of ethnicity, all kinds. Even International people who are interested. There are international parties. You have the British, the Americans, the Russians, the Chinese, the Indians, etc.
If everything doesn’t work well now, do you think this could be Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s final try at being President?
It could be anybody’s final try even Tinubu who was declared President. I’m sure they are in the same category if you want to answer that question. But I can’t answer for them. It is their personal decision. After all, Joe Biden in America is planning to come back if his party gives him the ticket. So, he will be in his 80s, but Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is one of the largest employers of labour in Nigeria, and has a verifiable means of income. People love and respect him for that. He’s been able to build bridges across Nigeria. Don’t forget that in 1990, he moved on without causing any problems in the party. Any other person would have caused so much Mayhem, he had the capacity.
This is a man who right from the time he was a teenager, has been a businessman. He was able to build a house for his mother after his father died; even before he was 18. That is him, and he has maintained that business acumen. God has blessed him so much. His children are very well educated, so they can survive without government.
What would he say to those who believe that…
The South-East voted overwhelmingly for him, while the South-West voted overwhelmingly for Awolowo. Do you understand? But Awolowo would have been president if Awolowo was going to win the entire North; which is impossible because people vote along ethnic lines. That’s why I’m telling you that if you already lose your base, it becomes very very difficult for you to go and win elsewhere. So, you don’t win in Lagos, you don’t win in Osun State.
There is a confidence that he has gotten from some Elites; the Northern oligarchy, and some who are referred to as the owners of Nigeria that you should not worry, that it was coming to him. So, do you think that could have an effect, perhaps the confidence that he had which was now being toppled by the outcome of the election?
No! You see people will give you one million reasons you won or you failed. I am telling you a seasoned politician like Atiku never believed in someone helping him behind the scene. What Atiku 5% in FCT annexes they don’t have enough spread in two-thirds of 36 States. Tinubu did not have FCT like my principal Atiku. So, that renders the whole thing inconclusive. The Judgment should be clear on that. The other is to disqualify one of the candidates based on…I hope you understand what I am saying.
Absolutely!
I don’t want to be seen disparaging anyone. They’re all my friends; all of them. Tinubu, Atiku, Peter Obi, Kwankanso. We will be together forever. So, I don’t want to disparage anybody. But I’m giving you the legal basis upon which the judges will now have to react and give their judgment.
Atiku did not have 25 percent in FCT. So, there is a statement between those declared number one and number two there’s a stalemate and only the law court can tackle that. The only person with 25 percent is Peter Obi, and if Obi is able to prove that he won 25 in most states than both of them. Then, they will declare him the winner. It’s as simple as ABC. I am not the one that will determine that.
Peter Obi, to me, is the only one who reflected the wishes of the Constitution. The only area he now has to add to it is that he had 25 percent in 24, 25 States. If he can’t prove that, then it’s a stalemate.
He has taken some steps that I liked. He has taken some steps that I believe he needs to be very cautious. So, if I have an opportunity after the court cases to advise, I will write in Pendulum. One of the reasons I’ve not been writing Pendulum is that I don’t want to pre-judge anything. So, when the court cases are done, I have my powerful back page of ThisDay Newspaper.
If you don’t have reliable sources to give you the information, you will not be able to speak authoritatively. For any leader to stream the team that I’m seeing now, I’m sorry, it’s even worse than Buhari’s team.
What about El-Rufai? Is it not the same El-Rufai that’s there now?
That’s the original! When he was an original minister before the remaining moles in PDP. And many moles still remain in PDP. What the PDP is doing is to be very careful. Know that when a bull enters your China shop, you have to be very careful in getting the bull out of the China shop. People say “Oh, why don’t you expel this, why don’t you expel that?” They are just being careful, not that they are stupid. They are being careful; hoping that there will be a change of mind but some people can never change their mind for as long as money is flowing from one direction. And there are people funding insurrection in PDP, it’s normal. Then, there are people who are still hopeful. You know the Federal Government distributes the biggest largesse; there will be ambassadors, there will be heads of parastatals, there will be all kinds of appointments, and politicians and ministers that will be promising them “Don’t worry, just let me settle down in my Ministry”. So, they live on hope and crumbs. So, a lot of people who are in PDP today, have one leg in PDP and one leg in APC or wherever they will find comfort tomorrow. Some of them are also pretending to be playing along because they are not sure; “what if we say Atiku will not come in and Atiku comes because Atiku has a very good chance of coming in from the court cases and what they can see? I can feel that mood in the party. A lot of people believe that Atiku stands a very good chance. So, because of that, some of them who would have somersaulted into APC are keeping calm and waiting to distribute any amount to buy and call it favors and loyalty. Most people are not going to go away. People will start going when it gets to that state they realize that it’s not possible for Wike to fund everybody. So, right now, today, at any meeting of the PDP, you will find Wike’s guys comfortably sitting. What are you going to do? You’re not going to beat them off. They were friends once upon a time. These are adults.
Sometimes, I feel like that. Like how can somebody be obviously in another party and you’re still putting his name in a team that will go and talk in Bayelsa, Kogi, etc?
My final question to you, Chief Dele Momodu would be about the pains of Nigerians in the aftermath of the removal of subsidy on petrol and the policies of President Tinubu, and the palliatives, the Nationwide broadcast. Let me get your view on that decision, the reaction of the president, and the further policy decisions that have been made. How would you react to it? What’s your assessment? What is your gauge? what is your opinion about how those things have happened between May 29 when he made a statement and now?
I have already answered that question but I would attempt to answer it again.
There are things you don’t rush into just like this Niger crisis. You need experts to sit down with you, For example, when we talk about subsidies in Nigeria, people get confused. Who were the beneficiaries? It doesn’t make sense…
But before you go, because I am simultaneously on Instagram and Facebook as well I just want to respond to someone on Facebook. Please, give me that permission.
Okay. Fantastic!
The person said I was once Wike’s boy. I was never a Wike’s boy. I was a consultant to Wike. I rebranded Wike. And you would have seen our pictures dressing well. I can post many of them tonight. Dressing well, looking well, looking happy being beside me even giving me his official car to drive; removing the flag from his official car. Wike knew I have been consulting for big people long before I joined politics. From age 30, 31, I was already Consulting for Chief MKO Abiola. So, stopped coming on social media thinking that everybody is at your level. A boy will not have worked away from all those dollars.
TWITTER CUE IN:
SPEAKER 1:
Chief Dele Momodu, good afternoon sir…if you can hear.
When you say that there are some policies from the Tinubu Administration that is good, I don’t understand it because what I know about policy is that, policies are meant to better the lives of the people and not to impoverish them not to put them in more penury. I don’t still understand when everybody comes out to say these policies are good there will be good in the long term. I don’t see it as a sensible talk, what do you think about it, sir?
CHIEF MOMODU: Let me respond quickly, the policy of removing different exchange rates for different Nigerians, I’m happy that it is gone. That’s one of the policies I was referring to when I said there are policies of Tinubu that I like. Thank you. thank you so much
SPEAKER 2:
Good afternoon from here, I’m listening carefully to the submission from the very beginning and you guys have tried to speak from your own different perspective. Anyway, I wanted to also let Chief understand that Mr. Atiku lost that election when Peter Obi left. We have to just be factual about that. It is a pure reality. However, Obi also went ahead to play religious politics reason he won Lagos. People were disgruntled because of the Muslim-Muslim ticket and you know somehow Christianity is headquartered in Lagos. Somehow, Obi had pandered through that logic from that perspective not for any other reason or because of any performance or anything. We all know those facts.
However, I wanted to also ask you sir that in all honesty because if you look at the petition that Atiku and Obi put forward, I’m just taking you back to all of this I have gone through it and I’ve not seen where they have said that there was a rigging in those their petition. Their petitions were leaning towards more of defamation of Mr President Bola Ahmed’s character that he submit, he refunded something he did. They didn’t come forward with any allegations saying that he rigged the election maybe they also talked about the Abuja 25 percent and all. That’s on the other side.
Then, I also took some time to check out Atiku’s petition, he was also trying to claw back some votes from Obi in the Southeast because he felt that those are PDP strongholds he should have gotten something out of those places.
CHIEF MOMODU: The took that route to save them some time and resources. Why are you looking for the word ‘rigging’ when they said there were infractions, and that you did not transmit electoral results, you did not do this. That is enough to nullify the election. Coming to say you rigged me; you reduced 20 votes from Alimosho – you will need to search for those votes. The lawyers were smart at this time. Go and look at the calibre of lawyers in Nigeria today, I’m so proud of them; they knew all the tricks in the past. You will need to go and bring a forensic expert, and for the next six months, you are searching for one.
SPEAKER 3
Thank you very much. I’ll be very quick. I think Chief Dele Momodu did brilliantly well today. Honestly, I couldn’t agree more with most of his submissions and just to quickly say, it’s not correct that the petitioners didn’t talk about rigging. Let’s not forget that there are 18,000 blurred polling unit results that INEC could not provide their own top copies.
That said, my question actually is about a requirement for Constitutional Amendment…
Boss Picks
Massad Boulos: Inside Story of SCOA Nigeria CEO
By Eric Elezuo
Rising to the pinnacle of one’s career is not a mean feat. Becoming the chief executive officer of any organization, let alone a multinational firm, or by implication, a multi-dimensional company, is an achievement worth celebrating. It is even more legendary when the subject is internationally connected and has enduring links with notable figures, especially America’s President-elect, Donald John Trump, and is thriving without an iota scandal. Mr. Massad Boulos, the Chief Executive Officer of SCOA Nigeria, is that one person.
Born a Lebanese in 1971 to a Greek Orthodox family in Kfaraakka, Koura, Boulos has over the years, while growing, and through career trajectory, acquired three more national identities including American, French and Nigerian. These have projected to the category of international personalities, looked upon as fostering world peace and coexistence.
His name, which translates to Paul to the Apostle, in Arabic, betrays his religious inclination, but his close-knitted relationship with Arab Muslims and other Muslims of the world further cements his open minded attitude towards humanity even as he categorically and vigorously campaigned for Former President Trump, who is today the President-Elect, awaiting the coming of January 20 to become the 46th President of the United of America.
While the campaign and election lasted, Boulos prized himself as Trump’s ‘envoy’ to Arab and Muslim Americans, shuttling through the states of Michigan, Arizona and Florida to convince them that Trump is a better candidate, capable of bringing the Israeli/Hamas war to a sudden end. His efforts paid off as Trump won the election with a landslide.
“Our community in Arizona is so big and so important, we can make a difference. We can make sure we get that margin,” he was quoted as saying by Washington Post in August.
He has been a solid ally of Trump since 2018 when his son began to date Trump’s daughter, Tiffany. Both got married in 2022, and in December 2024, Trump, who described him as an ‘accomplished lawyer’, named him his Middle East advisor.
Going down memorylane, The Washington Post in September, captured the origin as follows: “The war, which began 11 months ago after Hamas-led militants carried out a stunning cross-border attack on Israel, has reduced much of Gaza to rubble. The Oct. 7 attack killed about 1,200 people and saw 250 dragged back into Gaza as hostages, according to the Israeli government.
“But months of negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have failed to deliver a cease-fire and hostage-release deal. Meanwhile, fewer than half the hostages have returned to Israel alive, while the war has given rise to starvation and disease throughout the enclave.”
A product of a political hegemony as his father and grandfather were prominent politicians, funding the Free Patriotic Front, Boulos however, chose the path of his father-in-law, Michel Zouhair Fadoul, who came into his life much later in existence, and became a truck seller; a profession he committed his very all, and rose to become the Head of its Nigeria axis. That is the SCOA Nigeria; a prolific truck manufacturing and marketing firm.
He however, had political stint as an ally of Michel Aoun’s FPM and represented it in Nigeria, where his business is domiciled.
It was reported that in 2009, the FPM shortlisted him, though by 2018, he was supporting Frangieh’s Marada. Consequently, hia appointment by Trump defines hia capacity to shuttle between both ideological prism, and bring harnessing in Middle East politics.
He said of the Israeli massacre and the subsequent and ongoing war, “Those massacres would not have happened if there was a strong president at the White House. The entire war wouldn’t have happened.
But Trump’s “clear and unequivocal position on this is that he is totally and absolutely against this war… And he’s totally and absolutely against the killing of civilians.”
The Trump Vance team captured his person as follows in a press statement by the Spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, while defending him over an avalanche of ‘fake’ information:
“The truth is Mr. Boulos is a highly respected businessman who has proudly served as the CEO of some of his family’s group of companies based in West Africa for more than 27 years and his family has employed tens of thousands of people around the globe.”
The statement further allocated the following achievements to Boulos:
• Mr. Boulos has degrees in both business and law.
• SCOA Nigeria PLC, a member of the FADOUL Group, is a well-known conglomerate that exclusively represents numerous global brands for decades.
• SCOA and the other family group companies have been very successful in the Nigerian market providing high-end products and specialized services to the largest companies in the country.
• SCOA is also part of the Fadoul Group, which is one of the largest privately-owned family businesses in West and Central Africa with a presence in 10 different countries since its founding in 1966.
• The FADOUL Group employs more than 20,000 hardworking people
• The Boulos and Fadoul family companies have developed into a family group with over $1 Billion USD in value and hundreds of millions in assets.
Soundly educated, Boulos, who moved to Texas as a teenager graduated from University of Houston-Downtown in 1993 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He moved to Nigeria to work for SCOA at the completion of his education.
Today, he is a notable shareholding authority in the conglomerate. Boulos, as a matter of principle, will say much about his Enterprises because he “made a practice of not commenting on his businesses”. He allows entities to make their own various conjectures.
A man of peace and saddled with the responsibility of keeping all and aundry qith arms length, Boulos reportedly has ‘links with Christian politicians and parties in Lebanon, including Suleiman Frangieh and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) both of which are Christian allies of Hezbollah, but maintained talks with opposition parties like the Lebanese Forces, says Wikipedia.
It was therefore, easy to portray Trump as supportive of “global peace” in the 2014 election campaigns.
As a positive identity and credential, Boulos has acted as an intermediary between the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Mahmoud Abbas and Trump.
More recently, she has been a franchisee of Creative Education International (CrEd) Lagos Island. As at 2020, she worked at La Pointe Delicatessen, in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Together they have four children. While one of their son, Michael, is married to Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump, another son, Fares, is an actor.
Though he would be holding an important position for the American government come January 2025 when the administration of Trump is inaugurated, Boulos, who has undeniable roots in Lebanon had said his time like during the electioneering will be split.between South Florida and Nigeria, where he oversees his family’s billion-dollar conglomerate, SCOA Nigeria.
Boulos is a longtime proponent of the Grand Old Party (GOP), another name for the Republican Party, His support therefore, for Trump is rooted in both politics and family, and so believes in the Trump Vance Transition Team verdict that, “President Trump wants peace and prosperity for all people.
“President Trump will once again deliver peace through strength to rebuild and expand the peace coalition he built in his first term to create long-term safety and security for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
The count begins therefore, on January 25 as Trump resumes office.
However, the management of SCOA in a statement titled “Celebrating the Legacy of Massad Boulos Leadership at SCOA Nigeria”, to further project his image, and prove fake narratives wrong, noted as follows:
Recent media criticisms questioning the breadth of experience and business acumen of Mr. Massad Boulos, the incoming Senior Adviser on Arab and Middle East Affairs to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, are not only misguided but also dismissive of the remarkable track record of both the man and the companies he has been instrumental in nurturing.
For instance, SCOA Nigeria PLC, where Mr. Boulos serves as Managing Director/CEO, is far from being just another company. It is a formidable force in Nigeria’s industrial and economic landscape. With roots spanning over four decades, it holds the distinction of being the first European automotive assembly plant in Nigeria.
In the 1970’s, SCOA Nigeria PLC made a name for itself by assembling Peugeot 404 and then 504 pickup trucks at its assembly plant at Apapa, Lagos and service center at its Lapal House facility on Lagos Island. Today, the company continues this proud legacy, assembling, distributing, and marketing M.A.N trucks and buses, power generators, tractors, agricultural equipment, industrial equipment and other heavy-duty construction and mining machinery critical to Nigeria’s key sectors.
SCOA Nigeria PLC’s clients include some of the most prominent and respected names in Nigeria’s construction industry, such as Julius Berger—widely regarded as the nation’s leading construction firm—Lafarge Africa PLC, a major cement producer, the Chagoury Group, renowned for developing the prestigious Banana Island, a premier residential enclave in Lagos, the DANGOTE Group, and many others.
Beyond trucks, SCOA Nigeria PLC is a trusted supplier of concrete, road construction and mining equipment, partnering with leading infrastructure companies to drive Nigeria’s development. For example, Julius Berger relies heavily on SCOA’s equipment for large-scale projects, including the 376km Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway and the 43.6km Lagos-Shagamu stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Abuja-Kano Highway.
Similarly, Hi-Tech Construction, currently working on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road network, depends significantly on SCOA PLC for the machinery and technology required to execute these ambitious projects, aimed at enhancing connectivity and trade across Nigeria’s southern, central, and northern regions.
Similarly,SCOA PLC has also been instrumental in the development of Eko Atlantic City, a groundbreaking urban project built on reclaimed land from the Atlantic Ocean. This visionary initiative, designed to address Lagos’s urbanization challenges and promote sustainable development, has been made possible in part by state-of-the-art machinery supplied by SCOA. Notably, Eko Atlantic City is set to host the United States Embassy, projected to be the largest of its kind globally upon completion, further underscoring the strategic importance of this landmark project.
In fact, SCOA Nigeria PLC’s impact extends beyond Nigeria’s shores. As a member of the FADOUL Group – one of the largest and most successful family-owned businesses in Africa – its influence spans across West and Central Africa. The FADOUL Group, established in 1966, operates numerous successful enterprises, employs over 20,000 people, and is valued at over $1 billion, with hundreds of millions of USD in assets. This legacy highlights the scale and scope of the operations under Mr. Boulos’s leadership.
Contrary to unfounded claims in certain media outlets, the suggestion that Mr. Boulos is not a billionaire is both baseless and misleading. As President-elect Donald Trump rightly described, Mr. Massad Boulos is a “deal-maker,” a characterization grounded in fact. His proven ability to negotiate and execute complex international transactions has facilitated significant partnerships between Nigerian, German, and French businesses, delivering substantial value and mutual benefit.
As a Non-Executive Independent Director of SCOA Nigeria PLC since 2012, I have witnessed firsthand Mr. Boulos’s instrumental role in driving the company’s success. His ability to navigate the complexities of international commerce, exemplified by the supply of a significant fleet of trucks to Lafarge Africa through a tripartite arrangement between a logistics firm, GPC and Union bank plc, has earned him widespread recognition and respect.
Mr. Boulos’s leadership has not only been vital to SCOA PLC’s achievements but also to the broader international business successes of the FADOUL Group. This is precisely the kind of experience and strategic vision he brings to his new role as Senior Adviser on Arab and Middle East Affairs to President-elect Trump.
As noted in a press release by Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition Spokeswoman, attempts to smear Mr. Boulos’s reputation are part of a broader effort by opposition elements to undermine President-elect Trump’s nominees. The truth remains that Mr. Boulos played a pivotal role in mobilizing the Arab-American and Middle Eastern-American vote, contributing significantly to the Trump-Vance victory—an achievement that underscores his political and organizational acumen.
Efforts to denigrate Mr. Boulos’s qualifications and achievements are not only futile but also a disservice to the facts. Mr. Boulos’s expertise and accomplishments are well-suited for his new role, where he will undoubtedly deliver impactful results on behalf of President-elect Trump and the United States.
Boss Picks
Celebrating a Man of Outstanding Excellence, Ademola Adeleke
By Eric Elezuo
“Since I assumed office, I have devoted myself majorly to delivering on our five-point agenda. I deploy my network locally and nationally in support of our noble projects and programmes for Osun. I am elated that our contributions are being noticed” – Governor Adeleke
In May 2024, two historical events took place to further cement the tag of ‘Performing Governor’, for which the Governor of Osun State, Asiwaju (Senator) Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, is known, and justifiably so. They include the conferment of the Asiwaju of Edeland title on him by his community, represented by the Timi of Ędę, HRH Oba Adesola Munirudeen Lawal (Laminisa 1), as well as the best governor of the year award conferred in him by the Vanguard Newspaper.
The prestigious Asiwaju title was previously held by Governor Adeleke’s elder brother, Isiaka Adeleke, who passed away on April 23, 2017.
Today, two years into his administration as the Number One Citizen of Osun State, Governor Adeleke has proved all doubting Thomases wrong, and lifted the state from comatose to prominence with verifiable, welfaristic and people-oriented projects that speak for themselves.
Recall that while stating the reasons behind his award as the Governor of the year, the General Editor, Vanguard Newspaper, Mr Jide Ajani, has said the governor’s attention to Infrastructural development of the state, has been topnotch, with special emphasis to his approval of infra upgrades of several tertiary institutions in the state.
The governor, in his humility, dedicated the award to the entire people of Osun State.
“We watched the video with the Vice Chancellor listing several approvals and even with the Governor asking the University to look into what other areas of intervention the state should act on. That video excites our curiosity and we proceeded to investigate further by leveraging on our team on ground here in Osun as well as a team from the headquarters.
“We discovered what the Vice Chancellor said in the video was a tip of the iceberg. Osun is indeed a huge construction site. You have continued to complete abandoned projects. You have completed many inherited projects from your predecessors
“We have your records on roads, bridges, water, school and health center upgrades among others. We read your multi-billion naira infrastructure plan and its ongoing implementation. You did not play politics with the development of your state.
“It is the totality of your passion for development that convinced the judges to confer the award on you. It is our hope that this recognition will spur you to an even greater push to deliver on your governance agenda”, Ajani had said.
In response, the Governor acknowledged as follows:
“Since I assumed office, I have devoted myself majorly to delivering on our five point agenda. I deploy my network locally and nationally in support of our noble projects and programmes for Osun. I am elated that our contributions are being noticed.
“I dedicate this award to the good people of Osun state. They made our positive records a reality. We have the unconditional support and love of our people in our push to take Osun to greater heights. I will personally attend the conferment in Lagos.
“Our government is forging ahead with our systematic physical and stomach infrastructure agenda. We are working on a new airport, an inland beach resort, cocoa sector revival, upgrade of the free trade zone for agro-industrialisation, robust climate change agenda and digital economy programme. We are on a mission to place Osun on the path of sustainable development”, the Governor told the visiting delegation.
THE MAN, ADEMOLA JACKSON ADELEKE
Born of the Adeleke family of Ede in Osun State on May 13, 1960, Adeleke commenced his primary education at Methodist Primary School, Surulere Lagos State before he was privileged to relocate to Old Oyo State to continue his education at Nawarudeen Primary School, Ikire.
Adeleke was born Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke to a Muslim father and Nnena Esther Adeleke, an Igbo Christian mother. Like him, Adeleke’s father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke was a Senator and the Balogun of Ede land in Osun State. His father, Raji Ayoola Adeleke was also the leader of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
On completion of his primary education, he moved on to The Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School, Ede to begin his post primary schooling. In the later years however, he attended Ede Muslim Grammar School Ede, where he completed his secondary school education and subsequently relocated to the United States of America, joining his two older brothers, who were also studying there.
In the United States, he joined Jacksonville State University, Alabama, and studied Criminal Justice, with minor in Political Science.
To prove doubting Thomases, who wiped up controversies around his educational qualification, wrong, he went back to school and got enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2021.
A businessman and administrator of no mean repute, Adeleke was the humble Group Executive Director at his brother’s company, Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016, where his credible performances shot the company to enviable heights; a height it is still enjoying till date.
It is imperative to note that before he joined Pacific Holdings Limited, Senator Adeleke worked with Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor from 1985 to 1989. His dexterity to work earned him a progression in career, and he berthed as Vice President at Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company. His meritorious stewardship lasted a period of five years, from 1990 to 1994.
Not a few has described Adeleke as the philanthropic capital of Ede, as his influence in aiding the less privileged and downtrodden remains top notch. He is a voracious believer in community development, and has not spared any expense to see that his community receives global influence.
Politically, Adeleke is a beacon of light and hard nut to crack, having remained an albatross to opposing powers and a reference point to ideal administration.
Shortly after he lost his brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who died in April 2017, he contested the Osun West 2017 Senatorial by-election after the death of his brother, emerging as the winner under the Peoples Democratic Party, where he decamped to from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Having emerged senator, Adeleke’s political influence waxed stronger, an on July 23, 2018, he emerged as the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun State after defeating Akin Ogunbiyi by seven votes. Efforts made to deprive him of the mandate was twated by the courts.
Adeleke’s lawyer in his defense claims his secondary school hasn’t come out to deny his testimonial asking the court to dismiss the Case. The court dismissed the suit stating that the plaintiff could not prove Adeleke’s forgery.
Adeleke ran for Osun state governorship election under the PDP against top contenders Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of APC and Iyiola Omisore of SDP on 22 September 2018. The election was declared inconclusive by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) while Adeleke was leading, and a rerun slated on September 27, 2018. The candidate of the APC Oyetola was declared winner after the run-off. Adeleke protested the result describing the election as a “coup”.
Much as on March 22, 2019, the tribunal sitting in Abuja declared Adeleke the winner of the election, the Supreme Court later affirmed Gboyega Oyetola as the authentic winner of the 2018 Osun State governorship election on Friday, July 5, 2019
Popularly known as the Dancing Senator because of his penchant to joyfully react to the sounds of music, Adeleke is uncle to one of Nigeria’s popular musicians, Davido.
Governor Adeleke is married to an equally successful businesswoman and a self-made boss. They are blessed with three children who are all entertainers. They are B-Red and Shina Rambo and a daughter, Nike Adeleke. He is the uncle of one Nigeria’s primus inter pares in entertainment, Davido.
As expected, Adeleke is moving Osun State to the greatest of heights as he promised, and many who know him agree that there are still very many more in the offing.
ADELEKE’S EXTRAORDINARY EASE OF DOING BUSINESS STRATEGY
The governor has shared good news on the ease of doing business in the state as follows:
In continuation of our administration’s effort to improve the state economy and encourage the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), we have completed the harmonization of multiple taxes and levies collected by different government departments, agencies, and ministries across all business sectors of the state economy including the informal sectors into a single bill. This Harmonized Bill curates all levies, which businesses are expected to pay on an annual basis as a single bill.
This initiative is to promote ease of doing business by ensuring seamless and convenient payment of levies and taxes due to individuals and businesses across the state in equal or unequal tranches and ensure the issuance of Harmonized Bill Certificate upon completion of payment of the total amount.
I hereby note to all business owners in Osun state both in formal and informal sectors that the official online payment channels for the state is pay.irs.os.gov.ng; POS machines in Tax stations across the state; commercial banks across Nigeria; and Money Transfer Services for those outside Nigeria.
In addition, we have also completed the deployment of Automation System for improved service delivery on payment of rent and lease on government properties; processing of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in 45 days; Electronic Affidavit System; Electronic State of Origin and Local Government Area of Origin portal; Mobile tax stations; Online Tax payment system etc.
ADMINSTRATION’S ACHIEVEMENTS AS SHARED ON NEW YEAR DAY
The governor declared as follows:
The good people of Osun state at home and abroad.
I greet you warmly with best wishes of a prosperous and blessed new year. I convey my intimate prayers that the new year will bring us new opportunities, progress and advancement as a state and in our individual lives.
I extend new year greetings to the elders of Osun state; to our royal fathers; to our religious leaders; to the young and the old; to professional elite, to artisans, to students and to womenfolk. Accept my sincere appreciation for your support before my election and for the last one year of my governorship of our dear state. I am humbled by your prayers and mass backing for our administration.
I remain firmly focused on the Five Point Agenda under which you, Osun people, elected us into office. We reaffirm our faith in the principles guiding the five point agenda which are transparency and accountability, open government, localisation, responsive leadership and attunement to citizens’ aspirations.
On the strength of the above, our government devised wholesale approach to governance such as:
●Dismantling bobby traps planted by our predecessor,
●Blocking leakages in public finance, ●Addressing the corruption and revenue diversion in the solid mineral sector,
● Restoring local government administration for grassroot development
● Embarking on mass water project provision
● Executing 91 kilometers of road construction
● Implementing free medical surgeries with over 50,000 beneficiaries;
● Total renovation of 31 schools
● Launching sport sector reforms
● Reviving the major commercial and industrial projects of the state
● Pushing for implementation of agric processing zone in Osun state;
● re-professionalisation of the public service;
● Strong attention to workers’ welfare;
● Tapping into tourism, entertainment and cultural potentials of the state;
● Ramping up efforts for a cargo and commercial airport for Osun state, among others.
Our administration achieved a lot by ensuring belt tightening, reducing cost of governance and denying ourselves many perquisites of office. As a Governor, my official expenditures are covered through the approval process rather than security votes, thereby assuring transparency and accountability.
As of today, our administration is struggling to purchase official vehicles for the state cabinet because the officials of the previous government bolted away with state vehicles. So our cabinet and other top officials have been using their private cars since we appointed them into office. Also, we are still working to renovate the official quarters vandalized by the officials of previous governments. Many of our top officials still operate from their private houses.
Despite the above handicap, our team is determined to continue to deliver on our electoral promises. I am glad to report with gratitude to God that we have remained responsive to the will and aspirations of our people. We get positive feedback and we are satisfied with our high approval ratings.
We are challenged to do more. We are prepared to make corrections where necessary as much as we will remain uncompromising when it comes to anti-corruption drive, transparency and accountability as well due process. As I always affirm, our tenure is married to rule of law and fear of God…
Adeleke is busy creating an Eldorado out of what remained of Osun State barely two years after he took over the driving seat.
Boss Picks
When Governor Adeleke Became Asiwaju of Edeland
By Governor’s Office
OFFICIAL PROFILE OF GOVERNOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE, THE NEW ASIWAJU OF EDELAND
Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, the Executive Governor of Osun state and the new Asiwaju of Edeland is a pan Nigerian by birth, by philosophy and by worldview. Born at Enugu as a son of independence on 13th May, 1960, the new Ede frontliner widely acknowledged as the Olosun of Osun is a tactical politician, a businessman, show business activist and a humanist within philanthropism. The ever lively, urbane scion of the Adeleke family of Ede North Local Government is an innovative entrepreneur, a grassroot political figure and a strong advocate of good governance, then as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and now as the Governor of Osun State.
From his childhood, the Asiwaju is a man of complex character, a young man with multiplicity of talents and an adult with widely praised open heart, strong will and constancy of adaptation to ideas and innovations. From his secondary education at Ede Muslim Grammar School to his sojourn to the United States and tertiary education at the Jacksonville State University, Alabama where he majored in criminal justice, the Ede frontliner demonstrated deep business interest, unconventional approach and a rare mastery of intricacies of politics, business and social life.
Despite hailing from a well to do family, the Asiwaju was in the United States and Nigeria, a man in search of opportunities for self growth and advancement. His passion for self development and business prosperity occasioned his joining the Quicksilver Courier Company in Atlanta, Georgia, US, as a service contractor between 1985–1989. He progressed to Origin International LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, US, a flavours and fragrance manufacturing company where he served as Vice President from 1990 to 1994.
A suave businessman and administrator, he served as a Director of Guiness Nigeria Limited between 1992- 1999 where he contributed immensely to the expansion of the multinational company. He was later appointed Group Executive Director of Pacific Holdings Limited from 2001 to 2016. Senator Adeleke is also an acclaimed creative Industry entrepreneur and mentor. As a talented creative figure, he mentored world rated ace musicians while his family members and children are leading stars in the global music industry.
As a man ever restless in pursuit of self growth and opportunities, the Asiwaju again opted to restart his educational sojourn which he suspended because of business and entrepreneurial preoccupations. In 2019 after he was rigged out of a governorship election he clearly won, Governor Adeleke, in a can do spirit, re-enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice in 2021.
All along and considering his family background, the frontliner was for years both a political servant and leader, learning the rope from his father (Senator Ayoola Adeleke) , a second republic progressive Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his brother, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, the First Executive Governor of Osun State. His business teeth were sharpened by his brother, the global business mogul, Dr Adedeji Adeleke while his political potency was strengthened by his sister, the Yeyeluwa of Edeland, Chief (Mrs) Dupe Adeleke- Sanni. The celebrant of today was eventually elected the President of the Adeleke dynasty, representing the sons and daughters of the great Adeleke family at home and abroad.
Having been thus fortified by his innate personality, his family background and his multifaceted experience, his political participation predated 1991 but he took the front seat in 2017 when he was elected with a landslide victory as a Senator for Osun West Senatorial District in 2017. His popularity reached a peak when he won the Osun 2018 governorship election before the open rigging and manipulation that was globally condemned.
As a man of steel character, the frontliner took the gauntlet again in 2022 and beat the incumbent to reclaim the stolen mandate of 2018. Imole as the Governor is popularly known has since been delivering on good governance, winning applause and praises from far and near.
In December 2023, he was honoured with a doctorate degree by the Valley View University, Accra, Ghana. The Vice Chancellor lauded the Governor’s multi-million naira education scholarship as a Senator, his sterling records on workers welfare as a Governor, his performance on infrastructure upgrades and his commitment to due process, rule of law and fear of God.
He has received several awards including the Governor of the Year Award by Champion newspapers in 2023, Sahel Standard Man of the Year in 2022, Vanguard Newspaper Governor of the Year on Infrastructure and a host of other recognition. The frontliner serves on several national governmental committees including being the representative of the South West on the National Minimum Wage Committee.
The new Asiwaju of Edeland is a strong family man, an avid sport lover, a man of God and a David of our time with incessant passion for praise singing and adulation of God Almighty.
Courtesy: Governor’s Office, 2024.
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