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Fani-Kayode Mocks Tinubu, Asks ‘Will Nigeria Threaten Gabon Too?’

Published

3 years ago

August 30, 2023

Eric

Hours after soldiers seized power in Gabon, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, appeared to have mocked the President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu asking if he would through the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, threaten to invade the Central African country.

Gabonese army officers on Wednesday announced they had seized power from President Ali Bongo, who was declared the winner of the Saturday election for a third term.

The coup is coming barely a month after army officers also ousted the democratically elected government in the Niger Republic, led by President Mohamed Bazoum.

In the wake of the Niger Republic coup, ECOWAS, led by Tinubu, had threatened to invade the West African country if the military junta did not give up power and reinstate Bazoum.

ECOWAS leaders issued a seven-day ultimatum to the junta to reinstate Bazoum but the sub-regional body is yet to send troops to Niger after the expiration of the demand.

The regional body through the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah had said weeks later that a ‘D-Day’ for the military intervention in Niger Republic had been agreed.

Reacting to the latest coup in a post of X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, Fani-Kayode wondered whether ECOWAS will also threaten to invade Gabon.

Fani-Kayode, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was one of the spokespersons of Tinubu’s presidential campaign. Still, he had been vocal in criticising the President’s plan to wage war against the junta in Niger.

“I wonder whether ECOWAS or the African Union will threaten to invade Gabon too?”, Fani-Kayode wrote.

Noting that he was not surprised at the coup, Fani-Kayode said there will be more cases of military takeover of government in Francophone African countries.

“Sadly another coup has taken place in Africa. This time it is in the nation of Gabon where President Ali Bongo (pictured below) has been removed from power.

“It appears that the warning I gave in my last essay, titled ‘Does Killing Nigerien Babies Bring Glory To Our Name?’, was prophetic.

“I am not surprised that this has happened and frankly we should expect more coups in the Francophone countries of West and Central Africa for the reasons I stated in that essay.”

The Whistler

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Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

Featured

Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.