Featured
My Memoir: How I Survived Nigeria/South Africa Match by Eric Elezuo

If the term ‘final before final’ ever had any real meaning; this was it; the semifinal clash between the Nigeria Super Eagles and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa. It was a game that lived to its billing in terms of rivalry, tension, emotion, fate, and sadly enough, not forgetting tragedy.
There’s hardly any Nigerian, and to an extent, South African (if feelers before and after the game is anything to go by), who did not die many times before their deaths (apologies to William Shakespeare) as the game progressed and lasted. The death here has nothing to do with cowardice as in the case of Shakespeare, but of barefaced patriotism, seething pride and desire to dominate. The tension was palpable, shaking every nerve, irrespective of whether one is healthy or not.
The game went beyond the quest to qualify for the African Cup of Nations final match. Yes, while the players played to emerged winners and finalists, Nigerians cheered to retain pride and remain atop the rivalry echelon between both countries in every aspect of existence. Remember that the South African singer, Tyla, had unexpectedly beaten the combined strength of Burna Boy, Davido, Arya Star, Olamide, to cart away the Grammy just few days back. This is even as the Nigerians had led in music, entertainment and many more.
The match was therefore beyond the quest to play in the finals; it was a war front for superiority challenge where the winner takes all. Nigeria wanted to maintain their hundred percent invincibility against the South Africans in football while the South Africans seek to dismantle the monopoly.
It is worthy of note that the last time South Africa won the AFCON was in 1996 when they hosted. Nigeria was absent. In fact, Nigeria boycotted the tournament because of the rofo rofo fight between then President Nelson Mandela and General Sani Abacha (that’s a story for another day).
The stage was therefore set for the extraordinary.
Like many Nigerians, I had prepared for the 2023 AFCON with less enthusiasm following some lackluster performances the Super Eagles had exhibited in recent past, especially after the game against Equatorial Guinea, where they struggled to force their tiny neighbours to a one all draw. I knew there was nothing in store for us with ‘these crop of players’. So watching their matches was by chance, that is if NEPA, PHCN, DISCO or whatever name they are known by various individuals gives ‘light’. I had sworn that I was not going to waste the little money I have to buy fuel to watch a game that will end up disappointing me.
But all that changed as the tournament progressed with the Eagles against all odds making it to the semi-finals, and to meet South Africa, of all the nations that participated in the competition.
I decided to buy fuel. I decided to watch the match, and give it full attention. I’m sure not a few Nigerians made the same decision.
The D-day was Wednesday, February 7, 2024, and 6pm was the time. I made it home on time. I wanted to see the beginning and end of it all.
I have already comforted myself with the fact that I made a decision many years ago never to allow football outcomes affect my health. I didn’t die in 1994 after Nigeria lost to Italy in the Second Round of the World Cup in the United States, was just divine. I was distraught and my whole being was revolving 360 degrees every 10seconds. Since then, I’ve told myself that never again will I watch any game no matter the team playing, with my heart or even head. I resolved to watch with my photocopy while leaving my original well laid at the bottom of my box like a Christmas cloth. That I have managed to do for a while, even surviving Arsenal’s e remain small agenda for years.
But how wrong I was! This was different!
Football is a spirit, and when it possesses you, there’s no going back. Surely, it heals, it also destroys, depending on the side of divide one is. On this day, it possessed everybody, yours sincerely inclusive.
Finally, it was 6pm Nigerian time, and like all international games, kick off was right on time. I watched with the free mind I, a few minutes ago, cautioned my friends through whatsapp status post to do. Was it easy? The tension from that point. The South Africans were businesslike, taking the game to us, and putting our goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali to great test. Thank goodness, he lived up to expectation. Both teams were out for victory, praying to the same God, but in my own estimation, I knew that God was going to sit this one out. It was a battle of brothers; let them sort it out through their individual strengths, abilities and wisdom. God did sat out.
Then the goal via penalty through Captain William Troost-Ekong came, after Nigeria’s playmaker, Victor Osimhen, was fouled in the 18 yard box. It was hope rising, and at the same time the beginning of the artificial heart palpitation that later proved disastrous for some.
When the second half started, it was obvious that not many can match the tempo any longer. I was one of them, unfortunately.
How could it be? I asked, knowing that I made a pact long never to allow this kinda matter bother me. But the more I stayed glued to the television, the more I can feel my heart panting, especially when the South Africans get closer to our goal area, which was more frequent than rare. I tried to prove the strong man. In our palance, we say try to prove jagaban. E no work!
I re-invented the philosophy of ‘Que Sera Sera’ that had helped me in times of this sort of situation, but it failed to work. My heart was not at ease. It was there and then, I decided. I no watch again!
But what would I be doing? I decided to go and fetch water. But there was water in the house. I emptied some into the toilet, and went downstairs to fetch from the well. Nobody sent me. I was coming in from my second trip when my little daughter said, ‘daddy, they scored’. My heart missed a skip. I said, who? She answered, ‘Osimhen’. I said, thank God.
As I entered the sitting room, my older son narrated how Osimhen scored the ‘clean goal’. It was 2-0. I concluded that no matter what the South Africans want to play from that 85th minute till when the game ends, they can’t score two goals. Meanwhile, my television had disconnected. We joked about it that the owners of DStv and GOtv have suddenly become angry with our two goals, and disconnected us from watching. I checked from my phone, and Google recorded 2-0. I concluded that all was well while we strive to restore viewing. Then I checked my phone again for update. That was when I thought I was watching a scene from Harry Porter. It read 1-1. I refreshed, thinking I entered the wrong site, but 1-1 continued to stare at me like a Lonely Londoner. Then my reconnection restored, and so was the shock of my life. The goal has been disallowed, and a penalty awarded to South Africa for an infringement that happened at the other end, which led to the goal.
Damn!!!
We were already under pressure, and with another 10 minutes of added time and 30 minutes of extra time, I reasoned it will be strictly difficult for us to win the match. But patriotism will not allow me abandon the match. Everybody was shouting in my house. My daughter will scream and fall to the ground when Nigeria try to score and miss, as well as when South Africa make dangerous incursions. It was pure bedlam.
After the 90 minutes finally ended, I told myself, this is it…no more watching. I saw what the South African goalkeeper did to Cape Verde during their penalty shootout. Williams, as he is called, was much better by prematch rating.
We agreed to watch Netflix, and follow scores on the net or screams from the neighbours. Of course, persuaded my family. If they scream in excitement, I will know Nigeria has scored, but if they scream in agony, of course, Nigeria has been scored. I again reasoned that Netflix will be serious, and our minds may still be very much in the game. We changed to YouTube to watch Broda Shaggy and Brainjotter. At least, we will be laughing, no matter what the case is.
My brother, na so we no even no when the 30 minutes extra time ended and penalty kicks ensued.
By the time I switched back to the match, Kelechi Iheanacho was standing behind the ball, and I could hear the commentator saying ‘will Iheanacho win it for Nigeria?’
Waooo…the match was almost over. The scoresheet read 3-1 to Nigeria’s advantage with both teams having only one kick left.
Kelechi scored, and my heart returned from its journey to wonderland. The shout of victory was deafening, echoing both from the stadium and the immediate surroundings. I looked from my balcony, and could see a crowd of supporters surging forward and backward in ecstacy. The last time we witnessed such celebration was in 1996 when Nigeria came from 3-1 down to defeat Brazil 4-3 in the Olympics. Kanu Nwankwo had sent the entire country into a frenzy with his superlative extra time goal. It was the era of golden goal rule. Nigeria went on to win the gold medal, beating Argentina 3-2 in the final.
It was however, early the next day that news began filtering in about our countrymen, who gave up the ghost in the heat of the tension. As at the last count, five brave supporters paid the ultimate price. May their souls rest in peace.
They said that whatever doesn’t kill us, makes us strong. There’s still one more adventure, one more world to conquer according to Ulysses.
I will watch again on Sunday, as the final unfolds, this time against the host country, Cote d’Ivoire. The tension this time, I’m sure, will be turbocharged. No doubt. But I have learnt to survive just like many others, so that I can join the victory party afterwards.
Featured
Forbes Ranks Dangote As World’s 86th Wealthiest Person, 1st in Africa

Billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote has seen his wealth nearly doubled to $23.9 billion, according to Forbes, which ranks the Nigerian entrepreneur as the wealthiest person in Africa and 86th in the world. Forbes had ranked Aliko Dangote as the 144th richest person in the world in 2024 with $13.4 billion. Forbes estimates Dangote’s net worth at $23.9 billion, primarily due to his 92.3 percent stake in Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals.
At 67 years old, Dangote is once again one of the top 100 richest individuals worldwide, a position he has not held since 2018, according to the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.
This places him significantly ahead of South African Johann Rupert, who is ranked 161st in the world with an estimated wealth of $14.4 billion and far above Mike Adenuga, who is the second richest in Nigeria and 481st in the world, with a net worth of $6.8 billion.
Dangote disupted the government’s oil monopoly by building the largest Petroleum Refinery in Africa.
After 11 years, a $23 billion investment, and numerous challenges, the Dangote Refinery began operations last year.
Located on a vast 6,200-acre site in the Lekki Free Zone, the refinery, at full capacity, will process a remarkable 650,000 barrels per day (b/d), making it the seventh-largest refinery in the world and the largest in Africa.
Additionally, the refinery’s adjacent petrochemical complex has an annual production capacity of 3 million metric tons of urea, making it Africa’s largest fertiliser producer.
The Dangote Refinery is already having a significant impact on global energy markets. Imports of petroleum into Nigeria are on track to reach an eight-year low, affecting European refiners that have traditionally sold to Nigeria, according to energy intelligence firm Vortexa.
Furthermore, Nigeria has become a net exporter of jet fuel, naphtha (a solvent used in varnishes, laundry soaps, and cleaning fluids), and fuel oil, according to S&P Global.Dangote sees the refinery as part of a larger vision to transform Nigeria, one of the world’s largest crude oil producers, into a major producer of refined petroleum products.
This would enable Nigeria to compete with European refineries and supply gasoline to Nigerian consumers“I want to provide a blueprint for industrialisation across Africa,” Dangote says in an interview with Forbes.
“We have to build our nation by ourselves. We have to build our continent by ourselves, not [rely on] foreign investment.”
He believes Africa has long been “a mere dumping ground for finished products,” and his refinery represents “a pivotal step in ensuring that Africa can refine its own crude oil, thereby creating wealth and prosperity for its vast population.
”Dangote said the refinery is the biggest risk of his life and without success, it would have affected him greatly.
“It was the biggest risk of my life,” says Dangote about his decision to embark on the project. “If this didn’t work, I was dead.
Zainab Usman, director of the Africa Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, according to Forbes, said Nigerians see Dangote as a hero and a real industrialist transforming the country.
He is seen in most parts of Nigeria as a hero. He is seen as a real industrialist who builds things,” she said.
A professor of African studies at the Soka University of America, Chika Ezeanya, also corroborated this view, noting that Dangote is meeting the needs of consumers on the continent.
“I think he’s believed staunchly in the fact that Nigerians need products that he has to offer,” he said while adding: “Governments can come and go, policies can be changed, but the needs of the Nigerian consumer will only grow and expand.”
Featured
Breach of Contract: Court Rules in Favour of R&B, Dismisses CMB’s Suit As Frivolous

By Eric Elezuo
The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, and presided over by Justice A. O. Ipaye, has given judgment on the matter between R&B Nigeria Limited and CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Limited over breach of contract.
The suit, with number LD/7881GCM/2024, was decided in favour of R & B Nigeria Limited, the owner of the Pearl Nuga Park Estate, Sangotedo, Lekki, Lagos, in which CMB Building Maintenance & Investment Limited, a property developer in Lagos owned by Mr. Kelechi Mbagwu, was mandated to perform every due diligence to R&B in terms of fulfillment of all agreed contracts rhat were breached as well as payment of all apurtenances.
Describing the landmark judgement, which has dragged for an upward of 14 years, a statement by the management of R&B, and made available to The Boss, noted as follows:
“This dispute typifies the inherent challenge in property development contracts where the developer such as Mr. Kelechi Mbagwu after taking advantage of the land owner’s property, seeks to evade his obligation to transfer an agreed part of the built property back to the landowner.
“The facts of the dispute are basic. On 22 April 2011, R & B Ltd entered into a developers contract with CMB Building, whereby CMB Building agreed to build 92 houses, comprising 38 units of 4-bedroom detached houses and 54 units of 3-bedroom terrace houses on the Pearl Nuga Park Estate, within 36 months from execution of the agreement. The parties also agreed that, CMB Building would deliver 28 housing units to R & B Ltd, comprising 19 units of 3-bedroom terrace and 9 units of 4-bedroom Detached houses, plus 10 plots of vacant land on the Estate.
“Regrettably, after constructing a total of 109 houses in the Estate, CMB Building reneged on the developer’s contract and failed, till date, to deliver a single housing unit to the land owner, R & B Ltd. This prompted R & B Ltd to invoke the arbitration clause in the contract in 2019, to recover its contractual entitlement of 28 housing units plus 10 plots of vacant land at the Estate, plus damages for loss of use of the houses and interest.
“Subsequently, the arbitration tribunal made up of three eminent jurists issued a Final Award dated 17th April 2023 (corrected on May 23, 2023) in favor of R & B Ltd. The arbitral tribunal ordered CMB Building to: (1) deliver vacant possession of 19 units of 3-bedroom terraces, 9 units of 4- bedroom detached houses and 10 plots of vacant land in the Estate to R & B Ltd; (2) pay a sum of money based on accrued charges for real estate, penalty and special damages to R & B Ltd for breach of contract; (3) refund to R & B Ltd the sum of N19,019,047.05 being the unused balance of the sum of N25,000,000.00 received by CMB Building for the construction of a personal residence for the owner of R & B Nig. Ltd (4) to pay the sum of N8,500,000.00 to R&B as cost of the arbitration paid solely by R&B Nig. Ltd; and (5) pay interest at the rate of 10% on the various monies ordered to be paid above.
“Following the publication of the award, CMB Building hastily filed a law suit at the Lagos High Court to set aside the arbitration award (Suit No: LD/7149GCM/2023) based on various accusations of misconduct levelled against the arbitral tribunal, all in a bid to delay execution of the judgment while CMB continues to develop and sell the property illegally as it has been fraudulently doing. In response, R & B Ltd also filed an application (Suit LD/7881GCM/2024) seeking for the enforcement of the arbitration award as if it were a judgment of the High Court of Lagos State.
“In her judgment, Honourable Justice A.O. Ipaye dismissed CMB Building’s law suit as a frivolous venture, and ordered that R & B Ltd’s rights, as granted by the arbitral tribunal, be fully enforced.
“Any past, present of future transactions with CMB Building with respect to this real estate development is at the owners risk.
“R & B Nigeria Ltd remains the bona fide and sole owner of this parcel of land in Lagos State.”
The judgment has therefore, put to rest years of loggerheads between the two contending parties.
Featured
Boko Haram Among Terror Groups Funded by USAID, Says US Congressman, Perry

US Congressman, Scott Perry, has said that US aid agency, United States Agency for International Development, funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram.
Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, made the claim during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on Thursday.
The session, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on alleged misappropriations of taxpayer funds.
“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry said.
According to the subcommittee’s website, it will “actively work with President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste, shore up vulnerable payment systems, and fully investigate schemes to defraud taxpayers.”
Perry further cited USAID’s reported funding of $136 million for building 120 schools in Pakistan, alleging that there was “zero evidence” of the schools’ construction.
Perry added, ” If you think that the programme under Operation Enduring Sentinel entitled Women’s Scholarship Endowment, which receives $60 million annually, or the Young Women Lead, which gets about $5 million annually, is going to women who, by the way, if you read the Inspector General’s report, is telling you that the Taliban does not
allow women to speak in public, yet somehow you’re believing, and American people are supposed to believe, that this money is going for the betterment of the women in Afghanistan. It is not.
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door.
“USAID spent $840 million in the last year, the last 20 years, on Pakistan’s education-related programme. It includes $136 million to build 120 schools, of which there is zero evidence that any of them were built. Why would there be any evidence? The Inspector General can’t get in to see them.
“But you know what? We doubled down and spent $20 million from USAID to create educational television programs for children unable to attend the physical school. Yeah, they can’t attend it, because it doesn’t exist. You paid for it.
“Somebody else got the money. You are paying for terrorism. This has got to end.”
US President Donald Trump has previously called for the closure of USAID, accusing the agency of corruption in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The move is part of Trump’s–and his billionaire ally Elon Musk’s–drive to shrink the US government.
Musk, whom Trump appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, has also criticised USAID, alleging that it engages in rogue operations.
Musk has called USAID “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and has vowed to shut it down.
Among other criticisms, which Musk has claimed that USAID does “rogue CIA work” and even “funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people.”
Trump said DOGE would “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ movement. This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!”
-
News6 years ago
Nigerian Engineer Wins $500m Contract to Build Monorail Network in Iraq
-
Featured7 years ago
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Will Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Join Presidential Race?
-
Boss Picks7 years ago
World Exclusive: How Cabal, Corruption Stalled Mambilla Hydropower Project …The Abba Kyari, Fashola and Malami Connection Plus FG May Lose $2bn
-
Headline6 years ago
Rehabilitation Comment: Sanwo-Olu’s Support Group Replies Ambode (Video)
-
Headline6 years ago
Fashanu, Dolapo Awosika and Prophet Controversy: The Complete Story
-
Headline6 years ago
Pendulum: Can Atiku Abubakar Defeat Muhammadu Buhari in 2019?
-
Headline7 years ago
Pendulum: An Evening with Two Presidential Aspirants in Abuja
-
Headline6 years ago
2019: Parties’ Presidential Candidates Emerge (View Full List)