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Journey to Greece: A Memorable Adventure

 Day 1: The Journey Begins

Excitement filled the air as we left home at around 19:00, heading for London Gatwick Airport. Anticipation turned into a mix of impatience and relief when, after a slight delay, our flight finally took off at 22:04. The plane ascended smoothly into the night sky, and despite the six-hour journey covering over 1,680 miles, the peaceful flight offered some much-needed rest.

We touched down at Heraklion International Airport, Kazantzakis, feeling the warmth of the Greek air as we disembarked. A cab awaited us, ready to whisk us away to our home for the trip—Maritimo Beach Hotel in Sissi. Exhausted from the journey, the only thing on our minds was food and rest. After being shown to our rooms, we had a quiet dinner, enjoying local delicacies, before heading to bed.

At Gatwick London Airport waiting on the flight

Day 2: Exploring Sissi
The next morning, with energy restored, we set out for our first adventure. A visit to the Pleasure Beach Club Restaurant followed by lunch at Geitonia Malia-Cretan Creative Cuisine gave us a taste of the island’s culinary offerings. The views and atmosphere were serene, setting the perfect tone for the day. Later, we returned to the hotel to rest, had dinner, and chilled by the pool under the warm glow of the evening sky.
A sight of the pool at Maritimo Hotel

Dining at the Hotel

Maritimo Beach Hotel












Day 3: A Slow, Relaxing Day
After two days of travel and exploration, fatigue had set in. This day was mostly spent indoors, lounging in the comfort of our hotel, a short visit to Pleasure Beach, catching up on sleep, and basking in the tranquility of the Maritimo Beach Hotel. It was a much-needed break before another day of exploring.

Maritimo Beach Hotel










Maritimo at going down of the sun


Pleasure Beach Hotel




Still the Pleasure Beach












Day 4: Stunning Views at Sissi Harbour
Feeling recharged, we ventured to the picturesque View Harbour at Sissi. The breathtaking sight of the crystal-clear water and bustling harbor never disappoints. We spent hours watching swimmers, tourists, and locals alike enjoy the day. A quick dip in the water was the perfect way to cool down before heading back to the hotel for more relaxation.

A view of Sissi Harbour



Sissi Harbour

Still at the Sissi harbour












Sissi

Day 5: A Wild Adventure at Amazonas Park
Ready for a change of scenery, we planned a day trip to Amazonas Park in Kourones. This wildlife haven was a delight! We wandered through the park, marveling at the exotic animals—birds, monkeys, goats, deer, and even lemurs. The experience was a joy for animal lovers and nature enthusiasts alike.

From Amazonas Park, we headed to Limenas High Street for a leisurely stroll through the shops. The local craftsmanship was impressive, and the energy of the street was infectious. We ended the day at the San Antonio Boutique Hotel and Spa, where we treated ourselves to a delightful meal before making our way back to Maritimo Beach Hotel to unwind.

Sissi at Night







Maritimo Hotel at Night


Outside Amazonas Park


Inside Amazonas

Amazonas












Amazonas

Amazonas

Amazonas

Amazonas

Feeding the Lemurs at Amazonas

Amazonas



Still at the Lemurs





San Antonio Beach Hotel

Amazonas















Day 6: Preparing for Departure
The penultimate day was quiet. We stayed mostly indoors, soaking up the last bits of the hotel’s tranquility and preparing for the journey home.



Day 7: The Journey Home
With mixed emotions, we made our way back to the airport for the return flight to London. This time, the journey seemed quicker—less than six hours later, we were back in familiar territory.


Reflections
Greece, particularly in August, is a land of stunning vistas and friendly locals, but the heat is intense—sunscreen and evening outings are a must! Each day brought something new, from mesmerizing harbors to thrilling wildlife encounters. Despite the heat, the sights and experiences were unforgettable. Greece is a place that lingers in your mind, beckoning you to return.



[RECAP] Lagos LG Facility Tour

[RECAP] Lagos LG Facility Tour: Welcome on board as I take you on a journey through the most immersive transport interchange in the heart of the city of Lagos, Nigeria. After a very long wait for the facility to be commissioned, we decided to take a tour on a less-busy day to capture the intrigues of this work of art.     This me...

Nigeria: Not All Gloom and Doom

It's not all doom and gloom.

Nigerians have generally become upset with the recently published names of fellow countrymen who have either been apprehended or declared wanted for financial crimes in the United States of America.

The actions of Nigerians like Thank you Jesus, Advanced Mega Plus Ltd, Williams high school, Fanta, Ryan Giggs, He is risen happy Easter, CTA finance source, Son of God, Mansion, Zero, Mystical, GodisGod, Code, Blade, Dee Dutchman, Chima Russia, Smart, Mobility, Boss Iffy, Ifeanyi Soccer, Humble, Pastor Kc, Slim Dad No1 and a host of others including one Adegoke have severely crashed the reputation of Nigeria and Nigerians across the globe.

Unfortunately, a lot of social media reviews of this list have passed through ethnic filters and we know the reason why this is so. I'll repeat it here again, do not do ethnic or religious profiling whenever it comes to crime. You will not like it at all when it is your turn to reap what you sow.

Some Nigerians have been mocking the EFCC whenever 'yahoo boys' get paraded. They question why the cops go after harmless young men and women who are only trying to survive. I am not sure if these Nigerians have also mocked the FBI and the DOJ because of joblessness. I hope they see now that such crimes are not tolerated globally and EFCC clamping down on home-based scammers is nothing extraordinary but part of their job description.

Some have tried to downplay the severity of this type of crime by comparing it to kidnapping and terrorism. I'm not quite sure these crimes are markedly different; one can even argue that these internet scams are the precursors of some 'worse' crimes. A scammer creates a  fake persona with a name like Invictus for example and preys on vulnerable individuals to defraud them of their money. Some others are more daring and infiltrate bank accounts and corporations to siphon money. These individuals generally have flashy lifestyles and many of them have part or most of their loot in Nigeria. Other young people envy them and covet what they have. Some learn the ropes of scamming people but a few others are pushed to crime. Some of these scammers may require protection for themselves and their assets in Nigeria and can either have government agencies in their pockets or simply finance local violent men to do the job. This may be applicable to those who do drugs as well as other shady business across the globe.

One American woman who was a victim of such crimes lost almost $30,000 to a Nigerian who posed on Facebook as an American soldier in Afghanistan. Her husband shot and killed her, her father and himself in December 2018 when he found out she was still communicating with him even after some things had been exposed about the affair. Be careful before concluding that these crimes are harmless and without casualties. There are people who have committed suicide,  individuals who have been bankrupted and families that have been scattered because of these criminals.

Poverty has been blamed for pushing these men into crime but I'm sure that even poverty will deny them. I suspect greed is the major culprit. We have had cases of dismissed policemen and soldiers who either sponsored or actively participated in armed robbery; they were probably dismissed in the first place because of their greed and bad behaviour. There are not a few former bankers who defraud their employers before fleeing out of the country to enjoy their loot in saner climes; was it poverty that opened their eyes to crime? Criminals abound in government and religious organizations; I dare say that criminals who are privileged and greedy far outnumber those who are genuinely poor. These men who defrauded thousands of people in America, did they get free visas, travel documents or tickets to get to America? Many of those paraded by EFCC are students of one higher institution or the other, will we say that they all come from poor homes hence the need to commit cyber crimes?

Some want to drive vehicles, some want to impress females while some others will say they want to liberate their people. Why cybercrime when football is there if they can't wait for education to yield reward? There are truly poor people who have learned a skill or a trade and who have done well for themselves. We are a people that will sneer at a young man learning carpentry or plumbing but will celebrate those who appear from the blues with blings and wads of cash. We'll probably give them front row seats everywhere and have them in all our TV and radio stations to talk about how they made it. We know those who  churn out pangolo music but who claim to make more money than Grammy nominees and winners but we don't care and wish to make it like them. I hope those who gave Invictus their platforms to promote himself will inform young people of his crimes and ensure such never get airtime again.

The almost 80 Nigerians in this first list are definitely going to end up in the US prison system. They are fortunate that this is not Thailand or Indonesia so they can look forward to having long lives. Their investments and property in Nigeria will most likely be sold off or taken over by other opportunists so those who will return to Nigeria after their terms are not assured that they'll meet anything intact. The really smart ones among them will take advantage of the American prison system and learn a skill or earn a certification if they have none. Those who 'learn sense' may get out earlier for good behaviour while some will eventually become truly saved. I think America will correct their defects ultimately except village people corrupt the reset drive.

It appears America is very serious this time around and more lists may be published and more Nigerians caught in the net. Some say cybercrime is payback to the masters who are long dead; they probably forget that a lot of the slave business involved Africans selling Africans for gin, mirrors, gun powder, royal garb and ornaments. An eye for an eye  will only land one in jail in this day and age.

If you love that home or foreign based family member whose ways are suspect, hurry up and call an emergency family meeting to plead and pray with them. These feds are not smiling at all. They know all our aliases and fronts; they clearly have access to all the backend servers Rigobert Atiku is looking for.

Asking people to live within their means is not an endorsement of poverty, it's probably the best advice a young person can get before lust creeps near. Fellas must understand they need not deceive to impress and ladies should not fall for fellas without origin and insertion. Parents should not push their children to take up lifestyles that'd destroy them; encourage hardwork and contentment.

To the almost 80 Nigerians on list one; when there's life, there's hope.

J. Olee Akeju

Still on Obinwanne Okeke

The Invictus Obi's saga is disheartening not because another Nigeria yet again has been busted for fraud, it's disheartening because the rippling effect will be enormous.
A lot of Nigerians are going to pay for yet another scandal by a single Nigerian.

Thing is Obinwanne was not just another average Nigerian, he had a CV and portfolio that was envied on even by the international community.

He was looked upon as one of the bright spots to come out of this dark hellish place called Nigeria.

Obinwanne Okeke (Invictus) was one of the supposed few answers to the damning question of can anything good come out of Nigeria?

Featured by Forbes as one of the Forbes 30 under 30.
He's been on BBC, given a Ted Talk, Spoke at London school of Economics Africa Summit.
Has a conglomerate spanning across many African countries dealing on oil, agriculture, infrastructure, solar energy etc.
Had a lot of International awards celebrating his achievements

With this sort of portfolio and at 32yrs, he was seen as this bright spark coming out from a country that has more trends for despicable things than amiable ones.

Only to find out that beneath all this facade was a fraudster. A serial one.

An international corporate yahoo boy with suits and a great CV to match.
Estimated to have stolen $20-$22million from US companies from 2011 till date.

There was always that gaping hole in his story about his start up capital  that gave an itch of not adding up.
But then we gave benefit of the doubt as we usually do even to our own collective detriment in a bid not to come across as a hater.

He fooled a lot of people and that for a long time. Make no mistake about it, he's going to pay for his crimes. But he isn't my concern.

You can't help but feel for other innocent Nigerians that are going to pay for the crimes of Obinwanne too.

Obinwanne would be in his prison scrub for a long time serving his time.

While other Nigerian out there will be getting Visa denied even after meeting and surpassing all the requirements.

Other Nigerians would have to work twice as hard to earn a modicum of trust and respect within the international community.

International organizations are going to pull out of deals the moment they become aware a Nigerian is part of the deal.

International airports will be a lot more hostile than they already are the moment they see you with that almost worthless green passport.

More companies will start declining cards  coming from this part of the world.

Nobody wins here, not you, not me.

Imagine one of the few people who had earned the trust and admiration of the international community being busted for fraud.
What is your fate being an average John Doe or Jane Doe?

While Obinwanne is going to pay for his crimes inside the walls of a correctional facility.

You are going to pay for his crimes in embassy halls, airports, business meetings, immigration offices etc.

It will be no fault of yours, you would probably have all the requirements but still would be treated as an infidel.

When one of your supposed brightest minds has been busted as a fraud.

What are your chances?

Nobody won here.

We all lost.

~Prince Uzor Onyemaobi

Obinwanne Okeke: The Young African Billionaire Who Duped All Of Us



The first time I heard about the exploits of Obinwanne Okeke, the CEO of Invictus Conglomerate, was in 2017, through his very close friend, Mitterand Okorie. For anyone who may be unaware of whom Obinwanne Okeke is; Obinwanne is on the Forbes list of rich young African entrepreneurs. He has bagged so many national and international awards for his 'unprecedented' feats in the business world. His 'feats and accomplishments' are dazzling and astounding. A rich 32-year-old guy, who controls billions of Naira and assets.

I watched a short video clip of a programme where Professor Charles Soludo, former CBN Governor, was the anchor. Having a deep look at the countenance of the former CBN Boss, I got a glimpse of an elderly man who got stupefied and dazed by the superlative achievements of this young Nigerian billionaire called Okeke. Also, I listened to one of his interviews on the BBC; the interviewer looked so mesmerised by the astonishing exploits of Obinwanne Okeke. Imagine a guy whose father died while at 16; and all of a sudden, he made it to the top at an age below 30! Isn't that amazing!

Obinwanne Okeke has a foundation - Invictus Foundation. This same Mitterand Okorie is the PRO of the foundation. Mitterand always sings the praises of Okeke and how God has been so good to him. On many occasions, where Okeke assisted with cash gifts, people came out to celebrate the young billionaire. On Facebook, I have read a lot of emotional reverence and encomiums poured on him for his no-mean feats. A lady got so carried away and said 'Obinwanne, I want to be like you'! Another one even said 'after learning about Okeke's entrepreneurial spirit, I am finding it difficult to sleep. "Okeke, please, I want to be under your tutelage", another one exclaimed.

Unfortunately and regrettably, Obinwanne Okeke got busted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, after a bitter complaint from one of his victims. This guy is a typical Nigerian Yahoo-Yahoo guy. You are surprised? As in, ogbologbo 419. Shey you know wetin guys dey call shashe? I mean, if you want to see a don in real ise shisha, yes, Okeke is the main guy.

For the avoidance of ambiguity, let me state it clearly, Obinwanne Okeke and his friends are internet fraudsters. That's the point I'm making here. All the sweet success stories you have read above are fluke. Okeke is into big time graft, and he has been caught. The heartrending part of the whole story is how he escaped all due diligence and made it to the Forbes list of rich and influential global entrepreneurs. He scammed Forbes too. Wow!

Nevertheless, the undercover operation of the FBI, through a Special Agent, Marshall Ward, has revealed Okeke's fraudulent practices. For instance, in one fell swoop, Okeke hacked into the system of Unatrac Holding Limited, headquartered in the UK, and swindled the Company to the tune of 11 million US Dollars (about 4 billion Naira). Many fraud-related activities of Okeke were revealed in Marshall's report that was exhibited before a Virginia Court in the US.

Okeke's main email address, used for fraud, as revealed by the FBI, is iconoclast1960@gmail.com. There are other redacted (censored) email addresses tendered before the court. These redacted addresses belong to Okeke's criminal conspirators and friends. Who are his accomplices and partners in these criminal acts? It won't be funny if Mitterand Okorie is one of them.

Written by Adejare Ibrahim

Football Twitter thread : Peter Drury’s poetry

When you listen to a beauty, you can tell. What makes it even better, if it comes in form of poetry.

The best that can happen as a football enthusiast, if you have beautiful poetry as commentary to support the already scintillating show- mouth watering to say the least.

I have extracted some football commentaries by none other than Peter Drury. Read and listen and you would sure be convinced.









Adesina: Hardly moved by social media attacks

Why I Don’t Lose Sleep Over Social Media Attacks –Adesina

WHEN you watch the television, listen to radio, read newspapers and threads of discussions on social media, and people bombard you with unsavoury comments on the social media or abuse the daylight out of you, how do you sleep?

I even snore.



With all the name-calling; people hurling abuses at you; the president and other functionaries?

It is members of the vocal minority that do it. And because they are so vocal, you think they are in the majority. But the truth is they are in the minority.

Their voices, however, matter. They do matter. Even if they are just 10 people, it matters.

But then, the larger majority of Nigerians are hopeful and they are cooperative; and they know that the government is out to serve them and it will make a change in their lives. Those strident voices are in the vocal minority.



Don’t you think that is too simplistic?

Well, it happens to be the truth and the last election shows that. Before that election, we did a survey which told us that the social media will account for just between nine and 11 per cent of the electorate. The poll showed that all the noise you saw and heard on the social media; that you thought that the All Progressives Congress (APC) might lose, would account for less than 11 per cent of the electorate. And that was what happened. You know why? Despite all the noise, most people on social media did not vote. They don’t even have voter’s cards.

So, if you had used the social media as your barometer, you would say ‘Ah! APC is gone.’ But see what happened – 11 million to 14 million; and three solid millions is the gap; though that is being contested at the Election Petitions Tribunal…

Yes, it is part of the democratic rights of people who are going to court.



I don’t think it is fair for me to ask you how optimistic you are that President Mohammadu Buhari will continue after the court has decided. Is it?

Yes, a fair conscience fears nothing, because the election was not manipulated. The election was free and fair. APC lost many states. How come it is when APC won that elections were manipulated? The election was not manipulated where APC lost. And APC lost minimum of six states. So, there were no manipulations in those places. To answer your question directly, we lose no sleep over the tribunal case at all.



Can I advise that you don’t dismiss the social media with a wave of the hand because of the experience in America?

No, no. The nine to 11 per cent will matter. They will matter. But the entire nine to11 per cent did not belong to the opposition. You will also have your fair share. Out of that 11 per cent, APC had. It was not that the entire 11 per cent that belonged to the opposition.



Recently, there was this pronouncement that the government would begin to take more than passing interest in what goes on in social media. But people construed that to mean a gag of freedom of expression. Isn’t it?

There is no absolute freedom anywhere. Licentious freedom is not recommended anywhere; it will hurt that society. It will hurt that country that allows licentious freedom. There must be checks and balances. And I was happy when the Department of State Services (DSS) came out, recently, to say that it had begun to look out for those who post hate speeches on social media; and they would be taking them in. It is good. You don’t allow the fabric of your country to be destroyed.



You said you were happy when the DSS made that pronouncement…

Yes, as a media person, I will never support muzzling of free press. But then, I will also not support liberty for licence in which you can say almost anything, including treasonable comments, and you get away with it. There must be law and order in a country.

Definitely, there must be self-censorship and self-restraint. If you refuse to self-censor, censorship will come up in another form. So, it is better to have self-censorship, so that the other kinds of censorship would not come in. We find a lot of irresponsible comments everywhere now and a nation cannot afford to go on in that way.

I remember a couple of years back, we were in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate (UAE). Somebody in that country was telling me that if you post anything irresponsible on social media in that country, within five minutes you are under arrest. We know UAE is a smaller country compared to Nigeria. Nigeria’s size is another problem; and you know that social media does not even have boundaries. Somebody may stay in America and be posting fake news against Nigeria. But there must be some form of control.



You used a word that got me worried ‘censorship’. Can you explain?

Censorship; in terms of self-restraint, in terms of self-control

People are already alluding to the fact that during President Buhari’s first coming as a Military Head of State (December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985), he gagged the press. This might be the beginning of a repeat. Don’t you think so?

No, no, no. It is not gagging of the press in that sense. Since he came in 2015, have you seen any tendency towards gagging the press? What I am saying is that those who also play in the public domain must restrain themselves. That is what I meant by self-censorship.



If you were not part of this government, if you were still the Managing Director of The Sun, still writing your column, would that be your position?

Even as president of the Guild of Editors (NGE), that was my position. The media is not above the law. That is what I always said as president of the NGE. If the media break the law, they can be called to answer questions, but don’t brutalise them. Don’t beat them. Don’t lock journalists up indefinitely, and all that. That has always been my position. Part of the duties of the government is to preserve the cohesion of the country’s peace and tranquillity to ensure protection of lives and properties. If we now find out that some people will rupture the peace in the land through careless utterances, we must not, on the altar of free expression, allow that to happen. We must balance free expression to responsible expression.



If you were on the other side of the divide, would you have written that in your column?

Yes. I have told you that even while I was on the other side, that was my position.



There is also this issue of mopping up of arms. The police asked people to be surrendering their arms…

(Cuts in…) The police themselves denied that they did not give that instruction.

Then, what is this government doing about the proliferation of illegal arms?

It is not something that is just happening under this government. Remember the Olusegun Obasanjo-led government set up a committee headed by Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, who later became Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) chairman. The committee was to look into illegal arms in the country and how they could be mopped up. That tells you that it is not just a current phenomenon.

Then, there is a United Nations (UN) report which states that the number of illegal arms in Nigeria is so high because of the problem in the Sahel, particularly the fall of Muammar Ghadaffi, and the issues in Mali and Burkina Faso. There are issues all over the Sahel which make illegal arms to proliferate in that area, and they just flow into Nigeria. It is a big problem. But that does not mean government will not look into it.



Can you confidently say that the government is on top of the situation?

It is a very complex situation, but the duty of government is to protect lives and properties. And this government, particularly, will not be irresponsible in that area.

What is the big step the president or the Presidency is going to take towards taking 100 million Nigerians out of poverty?

There will be a blueprint, because it should go beyond mere mouthing it.

Definitely, there will be a blueprint that will be unfolded. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has said that in the next four years, it is going to create minimum of four million jobs. That is a big development. There will be blueprints everywhere. We have the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). All these things will cumulate towards taking people out of poverty.



And restore hope?

Definitely, because when life is better, hope is always restored. The reason I emphasised restoring of hope is because it reminds me of the late M.K.O. Abiola’s mantra in the build-up to the 1993 general election—banishing poverty.



Since the president decided to honour Abiola the way he did, why can’t he go the whole hog by studying his manifesto, ‘Farewell To Poverty,’ and draw valuable inspiration from the man’s plan for an optimistic future for Nigeria?

Nigeria does not lack blueprints. It is the implementation of such blueprints that is the issue. I am sure Abiola’s blueprint is also part of what other people would have considered. Nigeria has a surfeit of blueprints, but implementing those blueprints has been the challenge we face. This government is determined to make the difference.

Talking about making the difference, what are the things that might likely change in the next four years towards restoring hope?

It is clear. If you read the Next Level manual, they have been stated. The Next Level is going to be a level of infrastructure. It has started in the first term and it is going to be consolidated. Infrastructure will include road, power, rail and ports. You will see that all over the country. The Next Level is going to be a level of jobs. Jobs will be created in their millions and people will have opportunities. It is going to be a level in which power will be provided for Nigerians. The target is that by 2020, which is just about six months away, we will have a minimum of 10,000 megawatts. It is achievable.



And we are at 5000?

We had reached 7,000 before we dropped to 5,000.

We don’t even have the capacity to distribute what we generate…

(Cuts in…) That will be tackled. But the target is that by 2020, we will have 10,000 megawatts and, incrementally, we will build on it like that. Then, the Next Level will be time in which the education curriculum is going to lay emphasis on science and technology. The curriculum is going to be changed. It has already stated. The Next Level is a level of inclusive governance. There will be more women, and more young people in governance. Then, people at the bottom rung of the ladder will be taken care of through the establishment of what we call the People-Money Bank. The bank will be established to take care of the people at the bottom rung of the ladder.

We already have a social investment programme which is said to be the biggest in Africa. Already, millions of people have been affected by the social investment programmes. We have the N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer, and so many other projects under that social investment programme. We also have the Entrepreneurs Bank which will take care of small and medium scale enterprises. There are many things designed to ensure that people are taken out of poverty and that Nigerians are better positioned to live wholesome lives.

The Next Level is also the level of health.  It is believed that healthy populace is needed to compete with the rest of the world. Therefore, health care is also going to be a focus in the Next Level.

Permit me to take you back to the inaugural Democracy Day celebration and the president’s pronouncements at the occasion. First, on the issue of the M.K.O. Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, many Nigerians applauded the president for this, just as they did when he declared June 12 as Nigeria’s new Democracy Day. But some people said: Why not name another national monument after Abiola? Why name a stadium that appears rejected or abandoned?

There is a saying that no drummer can please the whole dancers; never. You will still find those who will complain, no matter how well you beat the drum. The fact that a stadium is disused temporarily, does it mean it will always be like that? Besides, it is the institution that Abiola was named after, not its current state. That stadium will continue to be an institution.

Beginnings and endings (1)
So, there is nothing wrong in naming that stadium after M.K.O Abiola; remembering that he was the Pillar of Sports in Africa. For me, it is a befitting legacy for him.

More importantly, he is the symbol of June 12 as our Democracy Day, which I think is far greater than any physical monument. Democracy, which has been unbroken for 20 years, was actually built on the foundation of Abiola’s blood. Abiola stood resolutely against the annulment of the election, which he won, and that was what led to the exit of the military from governance. There would have been no democracy, if Abiola hadn’t done what he did and he paid the ultimate price.

I am sure you must have read some headlines that suggested that past Nigerian heads of state abandoned the president during the June 12 celebration; that they didn’t participate; that they shunned the president. Were they invited?

I wouldn’t use the word ‘abandoned’ or ‘shunned,’ because I am not privy to why they didn’t come. But we know why one of them didn’t come because he had taken a position against this administration; and that position he took, his side lost in the election. I understand why he didn’t come.



And who would that be?

You know it.



I don’t. Could that be former President Goodluck Jonathan?

Thou sayeth. Iwo wi i. On inauguration day, former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon was around. If he couldn’t come on June 12, there ought to have been a reason. I remember few days before June 12, General Abdulsalam Abubakar met the president at the lesser hajj. I am sure he must have explained why he might not be able to come.

The ones that mattered were just presidents under democracy and we have just two of them living. One is the late former President Umaru Yar’Adua. So, we have Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan. President Buhari is the fourth under democracy.

As the president’s spokesperson, you don’t see that as a slight on your principal?

No, it was not a slight, because they must have had their reasons for not being around. I didn’t have any negative reason. They must have their reasons. Yes, we understand with one who wouldn’t show up, because he used to consider himself the landlord of Nigeria, now the keys of the house have been taken away from him. You know him. For the others, they must have their reasons. And that didn’t detract from the celebration in any way. June 12 celebration was splendid; it was successful. It was still colourful. It’s like a saying: ‘The Oyingbo market does not know anybody has not come.’



Who could this landlord you referenced be? Could it be former President Obasanjo?

If you say he is, then, he is.



Moving on to the National Assembly, the president and the APC had their way with the election of the principal officers. Their anointed candidates won. How do you feel?

Judging from the experiences of the past four years in which the leadership of the legislature was like champions of the opposition, you can’t but applaud what happened. You saw that the leadership of the legislature then got in through artifice and trickery. Eventually, they became opposition to the government; slowed everything down, and then, they defected. It was really a bad example of something to happen in a democracy. Now that the president showed his preference for some candidates, and those candidates are now in office, it is not going to be a rubber-stamp relationship. There will still be separation of power; but there will be mutual respect and collaborations.

The opposition insists that the APC members were coerced into affirming the principal officers, as it were. Weren’t they?

They are the opposition; you won’t expect them to carry a flag in your support. Because they are opposition, they will always look for negative things to say.



Do you think that the pronouncement by the APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that APC would not share any office with the opposition is democratic?

From the nature of the voting, you would have seen that it was a bi-partisan thing. The figures recorded couldn’t have been recorded without the other parties voting APC members. Democracy is give and take. It depends on the agreement they had struck.

 The party chairman is one person; he would have his opinion. But then, the final position would come from pronouncement by National Executive Committee (NEC) or the National Working Committee (NWC).