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Rumble, Turbulence in The Anglican Church: The Nigerian Factor of Conspiracy in Evangelism

Published

2 years ago

January 13, 2024

Eric

By Hon Femi Kehinde

Anglicanism is a church rooted in protest. It was founded in 1534 by king Henry VIII’s Act of supremacy, which pronounced the church of England independent of the Catholic Church in Rome.

The first phase of the Anglican Reformation (1531-1547) began over a personal dispute when King Henry VIII of England was denied Papal support for the annulling of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Today, the Anglican Church consists of more than 86 million members worldwide in over 165 countries. Collectively, these national churches are known as the Anglican Communion, meaning all are in communion with and recognize the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the United States, the American church of the Anglican Communion is called the Protestant Episcopal Church, or simply the Episcopal Church. In most of the rest of the world, it is called Anglican.

Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1809 – 31st December 1891) was a clergyman, and the first African Anglican Bishop of West Africa, he also translated the English bible to Yoruba Language in 1843. He was also, a pathfinder that brought in the Anglican church and place it on a firm ground in Nigeria. He was born with the name Ajayi in Osogun, near Oyo in present day Oyo state, Nigeria. On a certain morning, his native town of Osogun was surprised and overwhelmed by slave captors. Crowther and his compatriots fled but “were seized by the enemies with a noose of rope thrown over the neck of every individual to be led in the manner of goats tied together.” In Crowther’s gripping narration, “a family was violently divided between three or four enemies who each led his preys away to see one another no more.”

On that tragic morning, the last view Crowther had of his “unhappy, comfortless father” was when he came to give his family the signal to flee.

Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the slave boy who became the first African bishop of the Anglican Church, was guided by the hand of God which turned the tragedy of violent enslavement into immeasurable blessing. In those harsh days of mindless savagery, men were displayed as merchandise in slave markets, tied and manacled, and exported to distant lands.

Crowther was an embodiment of a true Christian, a servant of God and His gospel, for even as bishop, he was constantly marked out for detraction; but he took it all in his stride.

In 1864, Crowther was ordained as the first African bishop of the Anglican Church; he was consecrated a Bishop on St. Peter’s Day in 1864, by Charles Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England. By 1857 the CMS was fully engaged in Nigeria and a diocese in 1864 with the consecration of Samuel Ajayi Crowther as the first diocesan Bishop.

Anglican faithful resident in North America took the Anglican faiths and models of practice and worship to America with the usual Nigeria rumbles and tumbles. The Church of Nigeria Anglican communion, is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion worldwide, as measured by baptized memberships, after the Church of England. As of 2016, its membership has “over 18 million”, out of a total Nigerian population of almost 200 million.

Since 2002, the Church of Nigeria has been organized into 14 Ecclesiastical Provinces. It has rapidly increased the number of its dioceses and bishops from 91 in 2002 to 161 as at January 2013; and has certainly increased exponentially from that number. The administrative headquarters is located in Abuja, Capital of Nigeria. Archbishop Henry Ndukuba became its Primate in 2020 succeeding Archbishop Nicholas Okoh.

However, the acquit rumbles and tumbles in Anglican church in America has brought in despair, disdain, anguish and bewilderment to the entire members of a fully incorporated diocese – Anglican Diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT) in North America.

Anglican diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT) that had existed for well over 10 years was dissolved by fiat and reduced to the status of a Mission by His Grace, Archbishop Henry C. Ndukuba, Archbishop, Metropolitan and primate of the church of Nigeria. The announcement of the dissolution of the Anglican Diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT) by fiat at the Church of Nigeria (CON) general Synod held in Nnewi in September 2023 after eleven years of the ADOTT diocese existence cut the entire members of Anglican Diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT) in America completely off guard and flustered.
According to the elders, Laity, Diocesan members of Anglican Diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT) in their letter of protest dated 23rd October 2023 said, “As a diocese that was duly incorporated in America, we should have been consulted by the Primate before the General Synod, even if that decision was to be taken to the general house. The General Synod of the Church of Nigeria and discussion of the issue should have been after our own deliberations, which was not what happened. Perhaps the most egregious and disturbing part of this saga was that just before the General Synod a few highly placed clerics here in North America, who were privy to this premeditated conversation, boasted openly that once the Nnewi meeting was concluded, there would be no ADOTT Diocese! True to it, the Primate announced the dissolution of ADOTT without due consultation with members of this Diocese, particularly the House of laity. These remarks before the meeting suggest that deliberation was not a part of the proceedings; a final decision had already been made unilaterally, and the announcement reflected a process that is unfair to rank and file of our membership. It is also noticeable that while the General Synod in its wisdom gave a period until February 2024 in their recommendation for this dissolution, the Primate, in a hurry, dissolved the Diocesan Board, which has paralyzed its functions, while people here in North America were still pondering what the proposed dissolution would mean for them, their faith community, and their families. It is indeed a sharp sword because the Primate waited for the commencement of the three-day women’s conference to make his announcement, a conference for which they had prepared for months but was brought to an abrupt end. This of course expectedly was followed by heart-felt sorrow of women and mothers at the conference who did not understand this shocking pronouncement, and chaos ensued.”

The elders of ADOTT further said, “As a result of the dissolution, the Primate now began to give orders from the secretariat in Abuja to individual Clergy and Rectors and instructed them to act without the consent of their Diocesan Bishop. It was very disturbing to see the wife of the bishop and convenor of the Women’s Conference was almost forbidden from entering the Cathedral because of the order from above. While we recognize that politics and faith have been inextricably linked in our society, this action is antithetical to the governance of the Anglican Church. It is an unprecedented move.”

According to the elders, “We were thriving as a Diocese and the joyous celebration of our tenth-year anniversary showed our strength and success. Our book titled Anglican Diocese of the Trinity: – Formation and Building of a Church of Nigeria Mission’ clearly illustrated our history and God’s benevolence and grace in the mission of the church.

“The last Primate, His Grace Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, who paid several visits to us, was very understanding and supportive of our status, presence, and our growth in North America so much that on his retirement, he was recognized at a big reception by all of us hosted in Harvard where he was accorded the respect and honor that are normally given to a Head of state.

“The question then is why this letter to the House of Bishops and the Nigerian Anglican faithful? First, there is no record in the history of the Anglican Church in Nigeria or any part of the world where a well instituted and thriving Diocese would be suddenly disbanded and reduced to mission stations. As if with a military fiat without recalls to all democratic norms and practices and global best practices. The motive of the white-controlled Anglican Church that has always sworn to see us kicked out of America except we come under their authority and control, is the key to this crisis. As American/Canadian citizens, this runs contrary to the law of the land that fully guarantees freedom of worship to all. Second, by our faith, we believe in the word of God that says that God himself will not allow his community to meet in error. Therefore, we know that our diocese was not created in error, as we know that God does not make mistakes. On the contrary, we believe as true Anglicans that our Diocese was created in response to genuine cry for justice and freedom.

On May 31, 2020, Prof. Jacob Olupona penned a letter to His Grace outlining the serious concerns our community has had with Archbishop Foley Beach, the prejudicial way he has treated and spoken about our community, and how he and ACNA (Anglican Church of North America) have no right under US law to influence how our internal church affairs are run. The letter further stressed the importance of our status as a diocese, so it is important that all should know we have been deeply involved in this issue for many years and have attempted as much as possible to be active participants in the process.

Since we have made it clear that our status as a diocese particularly independent of the ACNA (Anglican Church of North America) is of the utmost importance to us and that we have well-organized thoughts and experience on the matter, we are hurt and troubled by the fact that we were never consulted about this decision.
To our surprise, our clergy have been ordered to provide a statement of their Assets; assets which through our commitment, hard work and faithfulness, we contributed to the coffers of the Church without receiving or asking for any financial support from the Church of Nigeria. We give glory to God for the passion of the Late Rt. Revd. Dr. Peter Adebiyi of blessed memory, pioneer Diocesan of Lagos West (DLW), regarded as a renegade, who was determined to see the survival of our mission. Through him, DLW rendered considerable help to the pioneering Diocesan Bishop of ADOTT in the early years and partly to All Saints Anglican Church, Hyattsville during their building project in 2010.

The elders of ADOTT further noted that “It is worth mentioning that the appointment of Bishop Felix Orji as Supervising Bishop of ADOTT was a deep trauma to the diocese. This caused unimaginable divide among the suffragan bishops and clergy! We are not aware of any other diocese where a diocese is left so shattered before the election of another diocesan, in the history of our Church. Of course, the Primate’s relationship with Bishop Orji was very tight until recently when things fell apart. Bishop Orji left the Church of Nigeria completely and joined ACNA (Anglican Church of North America), where he had always wanted to drag the rest of us to.

On July 24, 2021, the Primate came to Indianapolis, which is the headquarters here, to address the Church and he made a promise and said publicly that no diocese would be dissolved. He also said publicly and stated in clear terms that our diocese would not be joined with another diocese. What has now transpired runs contrary to his promise.”

The elders of ADOTT, further bewildered by the primate action said, “As we try to call the attention of a few Anglican Church leaders in Nigeria to this crisis, one thing that was clear from our conversations was that the Primate has not listened to anyone, but we hope he listens to God’s still, small voice and counsel to allow us to continue the good work He has begun in us.”

We are hoping that the House of Bishops and those who matter in the Anglican Church will put a stop to these happenings to prevent further escalation. We, as elders in the Anglican Church, are men and women of peace who believes in the integrity and freedom to practice in our sacred faith tradition. No number of abusive notes we have been receiving from the agents of the Church of Nigeria in North America, will dissuade us from the path of truth and justice, as outlined by our faith. We also believe it is important for us to consider the issue of precedence. If the Church of Nigeria were to bow to external pressure regarding how our ecclesiastical structure is established, it does not hold well for our global missions and operations. We do not believe the House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria would want to send the message that parishioners and congregants may, at any time, be subjected to ecclesiastical authority that they do not appreciate or of which they do not approve, although this is certainly the message that we have received.

We are troubled by the precedent set of a complete lack of consideration or dialogue of any kind before sweeping measures with massive implications for the clergy and laity alike are taken. If we are not careful, such precedent may undermine our ability to function as an effective mission and draw people away from our churches. Instead, we humbly request, that a precedent be set of clear, respectful, and honest communication in which the perspectives, experiences, and concerns of all in our diocese are taken seriously to inform a decision taken in everyone’s best interest, as we have previously come to expect from a venerable institution such as the Church of Nigeria.
This letter was signed on behalf of the Anglican Diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT) North America by some of His elders – Sir Festus Obafemi – Ajayi, Dame Dorcas Imasuen, Prof. J.K. Olupona, Folashade Awoola and David Oladele.

It is apparent that the bedrock of this crisis is rooted in financial evangelism and the church of Nigeria having not been financially responsible to the operation of Anglican diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT) North America, should allow ADOTT to stand, flourish and nourish in preaching the gospel of Christ through Anglicanism and continue to play a supportive role for its mother church – The Anglican church of Nigeria without fear of undue pressure, unjustifiable crisis and intimidation.

In fondest memories of the valiant and gallant effort of Anglican Bishops, Clergymen and Pathfinders of Anglicanism in Nigeria – Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther and the 4 subsequent Bishops after him; Bishop James Johnson, Bishop Phillips, Bishop Oluwole, Bishop Tugwell (who made peace with the Delta Pastorate and reconciled them with the CMS in 1898), Archdeacon Dandeson Crowther (son of Samuel Ajayi Crowther), Rev. David Hinderer, Rev. James Johnson, Rev. Henry Townsend, Rev. Thomas Davey, Rev. T. B. Macaulay, Archbishop Vining, Archbishop Akinola, Archdeacon H. Johnson, Bishop Alexander Babatunde Akinyele, Rev. J. J. Ransome Kuti, Bishop Timothy Omotayo Olufosoye, Bishop Scot, Bishop Odutola, Archdeacon Emmanuel Alayande, Bishop Seth Runshewe Kale, Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye, Archdeacon Micheal Olupona, Bishop Awosan, Rev J. M. S. Adejumo, Canon Ogunbanjo, Canon Olunloyo and so many others would applaud in their graves, if the general synod of the Anglican Communion coming up on the 24th of February 2024 would revisit its Nnewi decision of September 2023 synod by allowing the Anglican Diocese of the Trinity (ADOTT) North America to stand with its full diocesan status in the spirit of Christ, Anglicanism and Evangelism. The general synod will certainly lose nothing by so doing.

Hon. (Barr.) Femi Kehinde is a former member, House of Representatives (1999-2003), representing Ayedire/Iwo/Olaoluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State.

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Atiku Abubakar Remains Only Person Tinubu Govt is Afraid Of – Dele Momodu (Full Interview)

Published

11 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

If there is one Nigerian, who can tell accurately the heartbeat of the nation, its direction and what the future portends for it, based on the dynamics already at play, that person is Chief Dele Momodu; a seasoned journalist, former presidential candidate, holder of high profile chieftancy titles across the country, and Chief Executive Officer, Ovation Media Group.

As a vocal politician and public speaker, whose voice echoes across the length and breadth of the nation for all the good reasons, Momodu has continued to speak against the cluelessness of the present government and the need for the government to redress its steps in terms of unpopular policies emanating from the cradle, which have rather impoverished the populace rather than do the opposite. He is credited with being the first to notice the government’s unpopular drift towards one-party system, and warned on the dangers. Today, almost all the state governors, national and state assembly members have all decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sustaining his credence as a value-adding speaker, Momodu was a guest of the fabulous, experience and adequately exposed Charles Aniagolu of Arise News(Night), where he further highlighted the challenges and remedies of the Nigerian situation.

He also spoke on the appointment of the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Chris Musa (retd) as the Minister of Defence, the withdrawal of Police eacort from very important personalities (VIPs) including the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and many other issues of national concern.

The text of the interview is presented in details even to the tiniest details below:

Momodu with former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar

Well, for more on this, I’m joined now from our studios in Lagos by the former presidential candidate and publisher of Ovation magazine, Basharu Dele Momodu. Mr. Momodu, thank you very much indeed for coming in. You look like you’re about to cry there. I mean, I know you had a bit of a tough time getting in, and I do apologize to our viewers because we’re quite a few minutes late. But you had a bit of a mishap coming in, and that delayed us a bit.

Dele Momodu: Yes. Well, we thank God that it was something minor. We had an accident on top of the bridge coming into the Arise studios, but we’re okay. Now, you asked if I am off the mark this…

Well, I’m going to get to that in a minute. Sorry to interrupt you – I want to be a bit systematic because we’ve got to gallop ahead, given that we’re, I mean, almost 12 minutes late in starting the program. Let me start by first of all getting your reaction to the confirmation of General Christopher Musa as the new Minister of Defence in the current climate of insecurity that’s gripping this country.

Dele Momodu: Well, I mean, I didn’t expect anything else. I expected that he would be screened — whether bow-and-go or not — he would be screened, and he would be ratified. And he’s been ratified, and I want to congratulate him. That’s all. I pray that we won’t hear sermons this time and that he will just go straight into action.

Yes, we all hope for that, don’t we? And we also got the news this evening that the National Economic Council has approved 100 billion naira for the renovation of training centres for the police and other security agencies across Nigeria. So that suggests that they’re serious about retraining serving police officers and training new ones. Is that the message that you’re getting from it?

Dele Momodu: Well, I would say that 100 billion is too small for the police and the security agencies. The government should do something better if it is serious about the insecurity that is terrorizing everybody in Nigeria. They would need to get serious, invest more in training, involve- I mean, invest in new personnel. The reasons they are saying they are withdrawing police from the streets are just because we don’t have enough of them. But we have enough jobless people in Nigeria, including graduates and non-graduates, who are willing to join the police force and other security agencies. So my advice is that President Tinubu should invest heavily in security. 100 billion to me, especially when you translate it into other currencies, it’s chicken feed.

Well, to be entirely fair, Bashorun, that 100 billion is for the renovation of training centers for the police. It’s not for the whole security recruitment thing. It’s purely to renovate the centres that have been left to kind of, you know, rot across the country, and he’s trying to bring them up to speed and at the same time get on with the recruitment of new police officers and move on with the training of existing ones.

Now, you spoke recently about the ban on police escorts for VIPs. You called it a targeted move against opposition figures like Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who you support, and who is constitutionally entitled to security protection. You argued that the ban is a calculated move to weaken opposition voices and fuel resentment against successful Nigerians, and that it’ll expose prominent Nigerians to danger. I wonder why you think all that, because public sentiment in Nigeria seems to be in support of President Tinubu’s decision to ban the use of police escorts by VIPs. And it looks like you are the one who is off the mark this time.

Dele Momodu: No, I’m not off the mark. I remember in October 2022, when I foretold the dictatorship that would soon visit Nigeria. I was abused that night — that I’m talking rubbish. You see, I am trained to go behind the scene to find the real stories. A lot of Nigerians get easily, easily fooled. And if you read my press release yesterday, I said it there that we have been fooled again. What they are doing is to set the poor against the rich. And whenever you do that, you will get an applause, you will get an ovation. But the truth is that most people are not thinking about the real motive behind this decision.

If you look at Lagos State, for example, when they had the problem in the House of Assembly, you will see that one of the things they used to intimidate the people was, one, they sent some forces in to disrupt the house. Then they withdrew the police security that was guarding the brother of the new speaker. They withdrew the police from Oba Elegushi. It’s nothing new. So if we start the campaign, let’s say in January — I don’t know when we are starting — tell me, who will risk his life criss-crossing Nigeria without police escort?

We should stop being fooled. You see, the sentiment is that, oh yes, all of us should suffer. There is no country in the world where you don’t have VIPs. And it’s never a crime to be successful. As a matter of fact, those who should lose their security are those politicians in Abuja and not the ordinary man, not a Dangote, not an Abdulsamad. Imagine a time when a kidnapper said he almost got Aliko, if not for his heavy security.

So you will see – I’ve said it again today – when tomorrow comes, and events begin to unfold, you will remember that only one man warned you that this is part of the plot to suffocate the opposition.

Well, I mean, I think that obviously you’re entitled to your opinion, but a lot of people will probably disagree with that because the government didn’t say that they were going to completely leave VIPs naked without protection. They talked about redrafting civil defense people to become protectors. And members of civil defense — they carry guns and very sophisticated weapons at that. And of course, it’s not just directed at the opposition; members of the government and the VIPs are also subject to the same restrictions.

But let’s move on from there because I’m concerned that we lost a lot of time at the beginning. I want to get your response to a lot of things because it’s not every day that we have you sitting there. I don’t know whether you’ve heard this, but it’s being reported tonight that the US government has introduced a new policy which allows it to impose a visa ban on people considered responsible for the attack on Nigerian Christians.

The State Department issued a statement saying the policy allows it to deny visas to those who have directed, authorized, supported, participated in, or carried out abuses targeting people based on faith. And it said that family members of affected people are also subject to the restrictions, and that the US cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria. What’s your reaction to that? Does it sound like all the attempts by the Nigerian government to convince the Americans that there isn’t genocide targeted specifically at Christians have failed?

Dele Momodu: You see, when you have bullies in power, people will also jubilate when a bigger bully comes to bully them. So what’s happening in Nigeria right now is that a lot of people feel hopeless. They feel helpless, and they are excited that there is a bigger bully. The same way you said, “Oh, people are happy that they are withdrawing security from…” is the same way America is bullying us now, and you can see us reacting.

It took us over two years to react, to what? To appoint ambassadors who will represent our country. So I think the game continues, and I can tell you that a lot of Nigerians, especially on social media, are very excited that for once, at least, our leadership is listening to someone, and that’s President Donald Trump. So if that’s what it takes for our country to get serious, maybe that’s what we needed, and that’s what we are getting.

And Mr. Momodu, as you assess the political landscape inside Nigeria using your very blunt and unapologetic assessment indicators, what do you see as we approach 2027? Is it, as some have suggested, a done deal for President Tinubu and the APC, given the many failures of the opposition? Because I see you being quoted as saying that no southern candidate — not even Goodluck Jonathan or Peter Obi — can defeat President Tinubu in 2027.

Dele Momodu: Oh, I’ve been saying that for long. It’s nothing new. nothing is a done deal for President Tinubu. About two months ago, no one expected him to suddenly sit up and respond to America. But now we are responding. So we don’t know what’s going to happen in the coming weeks that may further get them sober.

What we witnessed in the past was the giddiness — “Oh, we are the ones in charge, nothing can happen.” But suddenly we see them reacting to forces from America, which is unfortunate because to govern Nigeria is not too difficult. Nigerians — we’re the most tolerant human beings; otherwise, we wouldn’t be where we are now. We tolerate everything.

And I know that 2027 is not yet a done deal. But the opposition must get its act together. I’ve said it before on this programme that actions and reactions are always equal and opposite, according to Isaac Newton. So that’s my scientific analysis of what is going to happen.

Any southerner who goes into the race now – an average southerner will say, “After all, we already have Tinubu there, so why are we worrying ourselves?” So, the force that we need to energize the opposition, I believe it will not be there. There are three key things when it comes to presidential elections. Number one is ethnicity — where the candidate comes from. No northerner is going to come and die to come and defend a southern candidate if, let’s say, for example, he’s rigged out of the election. But when you have your own candidate, it’s more than likely that you will be more enthused to vote for that candidate.

And that is why I said, look, don’t let us waste our time. And I’ve said it — you know me, I’ve said it — I said the only person this government is afraid of is Atiku Abubakar. I will continue to say it. And since Atiku and Peter Obi ran together in 2019, I supported them then, and I was not a member of PDP. So it should be easier for them to come back together.

We have less than one year to prepare for that election. While Tinubu is already campaigning, cajoling, and, you know, coercing whoever he can, we are still busy thinking who is going to be our candidate. I think we are wasting too much time. Now is the time to do what is necessary.

And just following up on that, you recently described Peter Obi’s candidacy as independent because, according to you, he doesn’t have a party and has shown unwillingness to build and work with the ADC. But I mean, many of his supporters disagree with you and say that he is still a member of the Labour Party for now, and that the party has been making behind-the-scenes moves towards reconciliation and could well pull a rabbit out of a hat in 2027. What’s your assessment of that?

Dele Momodu: Now you have gone in the realm of magic. I am not a magician and I don’t see any magic that would awaken Labour Party or PDP and that APC will fold its arms and allow such a platform for Obi. I mean, the truth of the matter is that, you know, he’s a man I respect so much. If you look at it right now, I believe he’s party-less, like most of our opposition leaders.

He has not yet made up his mind, and he joined the ADC last week. So anybody who wants to run a year to election and you have not yet made up your mind, I think it’s proving more difficult. that’s why I said an independent candidate. But he has not said that he’s opposed to ADC, so we need to correct that. He has not said that he’s opposed. What I think he’s opposed to is maybe having to go through a convention — a primary — and ADC said everybody should come to the primary: if you win, you win, then others will support.

But I think it’s going to be difficult for any party to donate a ticket — especially any formidable party — at this stage, to donate a ticket to any candidate. I don’t even think Atiku can get an automatic ticket in ADC; he will have to fight for it. So let them — I mean, you have Roti… one of the most experienced politicians in the history of Nigeria. So they are all there; let them go and fight for it. And that is what a true democrat should do.

The only person who will get an automatic ticket, and already has, is President Tinubu. So for anybody to be shopping for a ticket at this stage, I think we need to get very serious. I’m being brutally frank.

Indeed, and that’s what we like about you – your brutal frankness. And in that regard, let’s talk a little bit about you as a prominent media personality. I mean, do you see your role as a commentator as influencing government policy or shaping public opinion?

Dele Momodu: Well, for me, I am like a prophet. I was born in an Aladura church, and I was named Joseph. I dream a lot. I see visions. And most of my predictions about Nigeria have come to pass, even after people have abused me.

They used to tell me, “Oh, you like supporting losers.” But now they can see that I support common sense. It does not matter whether you are going to win or you are not going to win. That’s the role God has chosen for me, and I have gladly accepted it.
So those who want quick fixes or quick, you know, appointments, of course, would always join the ruling party. When I supported Buhari the other time, I never went there to do anything. They invited me; I told them my piece of mind. So it tells you that I’m not desperate for anything.
For me as a person, I will continue to influence the younger ones. Everywhere I go – and I travel virtually every week – the young people come to me, even on flights, and say, “Thank you for speaking up.” A lot of people don’t speak up. That is why we believe Nigeria is populated by bad people. There are a lot of good people who are voiceless. And so they are looking for someone to just tell them where to go.
And I am happy that most things that I have said have come. I predicted that there would be a dictatorship, and that one didn’t take much. So as a prophet, I’m enjoying it.

Well, we like having you, and thank you very much indeed for taking the time to talk to us. And thank you for being there tonight. And also, I hope everything goes well because I know you had a bit of a mishap getting into the studio.
Dele Momodu — Basharun Dele Momodu — is a former presidential candidate and publisher of Ovation magazine. He was talking to me from our studios in Lagos.

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Davido Hails Uncle, Gov Adeleke on Resignation from PDP

Published

2 days ago

December 3, 2025

Eric

Nigerian Afrobeat music singer, David Adeleke aka Davido, has commented on his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, after he resigned from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), posting “Jeje…” on his X page.

Adeleke, who represented Osun West as Senator and currently serves as the governor of the State, announced his resignation in a letter dated November 4, 2025, citing the party’s national leadership crisis.

The letter titled ‘Resignation of my membership of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)’ read: “Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my Membership of the Peoples’ Democratic Party with immediate effect.”

He expressed gratitude for the opportunities afforded to him by the PDP.

“I thank the Peoples’ Democratic Party for the opportunities given to me for my elections as a Senator (Represented Osun West) and as Governor of Osun State under the Peoples’ Democratic Party,” he added.

The resignation has sparked reactions, with Davido’s post sparking speculation about the implications for the party.

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Book of Infamy: Umo Eno, Umar Bago, Egbetokun Listed Among Media Unfriendly Public Officers

Published

3 days ago

December 2, 2025

Eric

Niger and Akwa Ibom state governors, Umar Bago and Umo Eno respectively, have been listed in the “Book of Infamy” by the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria as the worst offenders of media repression in the country.

The IPI also included the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in the blacklist for continued police harassment and attacks on journalists.

This was made known on Tuesday during the IPI Annual Conference in Abuja, with Vice President Kashim Shettima and Minister of Information and National Orientation, in attendance.

At the conference, IPI President Musikilu Mojeed said the governors and the police chief have consistently prevented journalists from performing their legitimate responsibilities.

He said, “Mohammed Umar Bago, Niger Governor, Umo Eno, Governor of Akwa Ibom and the IG of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, are hereby written in the book of infamy.”

Mojeed added that Egbetokun was added for “failing to uphold his constitutional duties and allowing systematic media oppression”.

In recent years, media reports have highlighted multiple instances of repression under the two governors.

In August 2025, Governor Umar Bago was reported to have ordered the closure of Badeggi FM, a privately owned radio station in Minna, Niger State, accusing it of inciting violence.

The station was sealed by security agents, prompting condemnation from rights organisations such as Amnesty International and the Nigerian Bar Association, which described the move as unlawful and an attack on independent journalism.

Earlier in 2025, a postgraduate student at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Isah Mokwa was reportedly arrested and detained after criticising Governor Bago on social media.

In Akwa Ibom State, under Governor Umo Eno, a Channels Television reporter and cameraman were expelled from the Government House Press Centre in May 2025 after airing a video in which the governor allegedly announced plans to defect from his political party.