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Don’t turn Nigeria to a banana republic, Obanikoro warns protesters.
Lagos, April 2, 2023 (NAN) A former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, says those protesting and kicking against the inauguration of the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, on May 29, should not turn the country into a “banana republic”.
Obanikoro, who is also a former Ambassador of Nigeria to Ghana, made the remark while speaking with journalists on the sideline of the 9th Ramadan Lecture of Anwar-Ul Islam College, Agege, Old Students’ Association (ACAOSA), on Saturday in Lagos.
The Ramadan Lecture had in attendance various alumni of the school including Obanikoro; Alhaji Tunde Balogun, former Lagos APC Chairman; civil servants, technocrats; entrepreneurs; legal practitioners and academics.
The lecture was titled, “Islamic Perspective of a Good Governance: Any Lesson for Nigeria?”
Obanikoro said: “They are daydreaming. There is no perfect election anywhere in the world.
“For anyone that is not satisfied, what is next is to go through the judiciary. If you feel aggrieved, go to the court.
“We cannot turn Nigeria into a banana republic.
“Our system is not perfect, it is a work in progress, we have to continue to work at it until we get to a situation that all of us will be comfortable with.”
Describing as sad and unfortunate the calls by some people for Interim National Government, Obanikoro said that those calling for it showed that they did not appreciate democracy, hence not qualified to lead such government.
“It sounds crazy to me,” he added.
On the Ramadan Lecture, Obanikoro, who described good governance as teaching of God in Quran and Bible, said that governance should be about putting people first.
“The idea is to help the vulnerable among us and create a society where we will be our brother’s keepers.
“That is the essence of governance, and that is what the religion of Islam or Christianity is preaching almost on a daily basis,” he said.
Obanikoro, was presented an award by ACAOSA for his contributions to the school through the association, said it was a privilege to give back to the school that had given them so much.
“Giving back comes naturally. I commend the ACAOSA for honouring us and we shall do more.
Anytime you are recognised by your peers for doing something special, you have to appreciate it because you are not the only one, there are others too,” he said.
Commending the organisers for their tenacity, Obanikoro said that the association would continue to do more for the college.
Similarly, Alhaji Lawal Pedro (SAN), the President General, ACAOSA, also told those protesting against the May 29 inauguration of Tinubu were not democrats, saying “they are people who do not mean well for the country”.
Maintaining that the election was relatively free and fair considering the number of states each of the major contenders won, Pedro urged those who lost to plan for the next electoral cycle.
“These people should not be tolerated, in fact the necessary authorities should go after them. If they have evidence of being rigged, they should take it to the court rather can constituting nuisance,” he said.
Also, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, former Lagos APC Chairman, another recipient of ACAOSA Life Time Award, said that the college had done a lot of positive things for him in life.
“My life was shaped and given foundation by this college. I came into this school at age 14 and left when I was an adult.
“It is was a great privilege for this school to have helped me in building my character and preparing me for what I do now,” the former Senior Prefect Boy of the college said.
The Chairman of the day, Alhaji Fola Adeola, said that the school had produced so many great personalities in Nigeria.
Adeola, who was represented Mr Yinka Adeola, his brother, noted that the association was proud of the feats of the college in the area of academics, sports and others.
As the world celebrate this year’s World Environment Day today,the Ogun State Waste Management Authority OGWAMA as urged residents of the States to keep their environment clean and stop indiscriminate dumping of waste in public places and imbibe proper waste disposal.
Special Adviser to the Governor and Managing Director of the Ogun State Management Authority OGWAMA, Honorable Farouk Akintunde stated this in a statement to mark the 2026 World Environment Day.
He said indiscriminate dumping of waste in public and unauthorized places breeds untidy, unhealthy environment which are inimical to public safety and retard economic growth of the society.
Akintunde also advised them to imbibe proper waste disposal by patronizing Waste PSP assigned to their immediate community for proper waste disposal for just a token instead of them to use the cover of the night to dump them in discriminately on the median,roadsides and public places which he says deface the aesthetic beauty of the State.
“Ogun state residents are known as clean and fun-loving people.We should not allow few of us to dent our pride through their untoward attitudes and behaviors,so when we see them dumping indiscriminately in our environment we should say something”
“We will on our part continue to do our best in terms of proper waste management through sensitization and advocacy as we urge all residents to containerize their waste for easy collection by government accredited PSP”
”For industries domiciled in the state, let me remind them of the need to allow government accredited PSP assigned to them to perform their statutory duties instead of patronizing illegal PSP which will attract sanction when they are caught by our enforcement team as OGWAMA will not allow them to turn the state to dumpsites for illegal industrial waste some of which are not environmentally friendly” Akintunde added.
He did not forget to remind all residents of the State that Ogun State Waste Management Authority will step-up it enforcement activities in all nooks and crannies of the state to maintain a clean,safe and healthy environment .
June 5th, Transfermarkt updated. The new market values of Barcelona players. Three players increased and nine decreased, with Raphinha dropping by 10 million to 70 million euros.
Increase (Euros)
Joan-Garcia increased by 5 million to 45 million
Eric-Garcia increased by 5 million to 40 million
Gerard-Martin increased by 10 million to 35 million
Decrease (Euros)
Raphinha decreased by 10 million to 70 million
Kounde decreased by 5 million to 60 million
Balde decreased by 5 million to 50 million
De Jong decreased by 10 million to 35 million
Casado decreased by 2 million to 18 million
Christensen decreased by 1 million to 8 million
Cancelo decreased by 1 million to 8 million
Lewandowski decreased by 1 million to 7 million
Szczesny decreased by 100,000 to 800,000
Unchanged (Euros)
Yamal 200 million
Pedri 150 million
Fermin 100 million
Cubarsi 80 million
Olmo 60 million
Ferran Torres 50 million
Rashford 40 million
Gavi 30 million
Bernal 30 million
Araujo 20 million
Bardghji 15 million
Singer Niniola Apata has opened up about her late husband, Michael Ndika, and the central role he played in her music career and personal life.
Speaking in a video at a gathering held in his honour, Niniola recounted how their relationship shaped her growth as an artist and as a person.
Ndika, CEO of African music platform NaijaReview, died on May 19, 2026 at 44.
She said he was her strongest supporter from day one even when she considered stepping away from music, he pushed her to continue.
According to her, Ndika believed in her talent and vowed to make her a star.
Niniola described their bond as inseparable, stressing how he was part of her daily routine and her main source of emotional support. Since his death, she said, her life has changed completely.
She thanked his family for embracing her and admitted that coping with the loss has been hard.
Reflecting on their marriage, she called it a love story.
She said Ndika gave her everything and lived for her and while she was the face and voice of her brand, he was the engine behind it.
She said: “My story with Michael is a love story. Michael did everything for me. Everything was for me, he was breathing for me. He loved me, I loved him so much. And I learned so much from Michael. But Michael met me raw, and he said, I’ll make you a superstar.’ And he did. I was just the face and the voice, but Michael was the engine.
“Even when I decided to, you know, give music a break, he didn’t let it. The first person I saw in the morning was Michael. And the last person who closed my eyes at night was Michael. So now what do I do? Tell me, what do I do? Michael was the best thing, the best person that ever happened to me.”
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