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She severed her hand with a circular saw to collect €400,000 in compensation, Slovenian police say.

Bayo Adelabu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, has been abusing leaders of the party, blaming them for his loss in the election.

Adelabu has been claiming that the leaders of the party collected money from him yet failed to deliver their various political constituencies.  

Dayo Iyaniwura, one of Adelabu’s main allies who is also a Personal Assistant to outgoing Governor Abiola Ajimobi, was caught in one of his many fits of rage at Ajimobi’s Oluyole residence on Sunday.

Two sources who witnessed the episode confirmed to SaharaReporters that Adelabu had attacked the Governor’s PA during an argument, which resulted into an outbreak of fisticuffs between the two men.

One of the sources told SaharaReporters that Adelabu rained unprintable and abusive words on Tegbe, who later showed up at Ajimobi’s residence as well. He specifically accused Tegbe of not supporting him, claiming Tegbe’s team worked against him during the campaign and that was why he lost.

SaharaReporters understands that Adelabu did not reconcile with the candidates who were forced to step down for him at last year’s APC governorship primary, insisting that he had all it takes to win the election. 

Adelabu lost Saturday’s election to Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), winning only five of the 33 local governments in the state while Makinde won all the rest.

The PDP candidate won in Ibadan North West, Ibarapa East, Atiba, Kajola, Ido, Lagelu, Iwajowa, Afijio, Orelope, Ibadan North East, Ibadan South East, Ibarapa North, Atisbo, Ibarapa Central, Ogbomoso South, Ibadan North, Egbeda, Itesiwaju, Saki West, Saki East, Oyo West, Oyo East, Oluyole, Olorunsogo, Ona Ara, Akinyele, Iseyin and Ibadan South West LGAs.

Meanwhile, Adelabu won in Orire, Ogooluwa, Surulere, Ogbomoso North, and Irepo LGAs of the state.

At the end of the race, Makinde scored a total of 515,621 votes while Adelabu polled 357,982.

Olufemi Lanlehin, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), came third in the governorship poll with 12,375 votes, although he had stepped down a few days before the election in order to support Makinde.

 

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Bayo Adelabu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, has been abusing leaders of the party, blaming them for his loss in the election.

Adelabu has been claiming that the leaders of the party collected money from him yet failed to deliver their various political constituencies.  

Dayo Iyaniwura, one of Adelabu’s main allies who is also a Personal Assistant to outgoing Governor Abiola Ajimobi, was caught in one of his many fits of rage at Ajimobi’s Oluyole residence on Sunday.

Two sources who witnessed the episode confirmed to SaharaReporters that Adelabu had attacked the Governor’s PA during an argument, which resulted into an outbreak of fisticuffs between the two men.

One of the sources told SaharaReporters that Adelabu rained unprintable and abusive words on Tegbe, who later showed up at Ajimobi’s residence as well. He specifically accused Tegbe of not supporting him, claiming Tegbe’s team worked against him during the campaign and that was why he lost.

SaharaReporters understands that Adelabu did not reconcile with the candidates who were forced to step down for him at last year’s APC governorship primary, insisting that he had all it takes to win the election. 

Adelabu lost Saturday’s election to Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), winning only five of the 33 local governments in the state while Makinde won all the rest.

The PDP candidate won in Ibadan North West, Ibarapa East, Atiba, Kajola, Ido, Lagelu, Iwajowa, Afijio, Orelope, Ibadan North East, Ibadan South East, Ibarapa North, Atisbo, Ibarapa Central, Ogbomoso South, Ibadan North, Egbeda, Itesiwaju, Saki West, Saki East, Oyo West, Oyo East, Oluyole, Olorunsogo, Ona Ara, Akinyele, Iseyin and Ibadan South West LGAs.

Meanwhile, Adelabu won in Orire, Ogooluwa, Surulere, Ogbomoso North, and Irepo LGAs of the state.

At the end of the race, Makinde scored a total of 515,621 votes while Adelabu polled 357,982.

Olufemi Lanlehin, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), came third in the governorship poll with 12,375 votes, although he had stepped down a few days before the election in order to support Makinde.

 

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Bayo Adelabu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, has been abusing leaders of the party, blaming them for his loss in the election.

Adelabu has been claiming that the leaders of the party collected money from him yet failed to deliver their various political constituencies.  

Dayo Iyaniwura, one of Adelabu’s main allies who is also a Personal Assistant to outgoing Governor Abiola Ajimobi, was caught in one of his many fits of rage at Ajimobi’s Oluyole residence on Sunday.

Two sources who witnessed the episode confirmed to SaharaReporters that Adelabu had attacked the Governor’s PA during an argument, which resulted into an outbreak of fisticuffs between the two men.

One of the sources told SaharaReporters that Adelabu rained unprintable and abusive words on Tegbe, who later showed up at Ajimobi’s residence as well. He specifically accused Tegbe of not supporting him, claiming Tegbe’s team worked against him during the campaign and that was why he lost.

SaharaReporters understands that Adelabu did not reconcile with the candidates who were forced to step down for him at last year’s APC governorship primary, insisting that he had all it takes to win the election. 

Adelabu lost Saturday’s election to Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), winning only five of the 33 local governments in the state while Makinde won all the rest.

The PDP candidate won in Ibadan North West, Ibarapa East, Atiba, Kajola, Ido, Lagelu, Iwajowa, Afijio, Orelope, Ibadan North East, Ibadan South East, Ibarapa North, Atisbo, Ibarapa Central, Ogbomoso South, Ibadan North, Egbeda, Itesiwaju, Saki West, Saki East, Oyo West, Oyo East, Oluyole, Olorunsogo, Ona Ara, Akinyele, Iseyin and Ibadan South West LGAs.

Meanwhile, Adelabu won in Orire, Ogooluwa, Surulere, Ogbomoso North, and Irepo LGAs of the state.

At the end of the race, Makinde scored a total of 515,621 votes while Adelabu polled 357,982.

Olufemi Lanlehin, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), came third in the governorship poll with 12,375 votes, although he had stepped down a few days before the election in order to support Makinde.

 

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Babagana Umara-Zulum, a Professor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared winner of the Borno State governorship election.

Zulum polled 1,175, 440 votes to defeat Mohammed Imam, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second with a meagre 66,115 votes.

This is some astounding victory, as the margin between Umara-Zulum and Imam is precisely 1,109,325 votes.

Umara-Zulum is the anointed of outgoing Governor of the state, Kashim Shettima, who appointed him into his cabinet as a commissioner.

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Babagana Umara-Zulum, a Professor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared winner of the Borno State governorship election.

Zulum polled 1,175, 440 votes to defeat Mohammed Imam, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second with a meagre 66,115 votes.

This is some astounding victory, as the margin between Umara-Zulum and Imam is precisely 1,109,325 votes.

Umara-Zulum is the anointed of outgoing Governor of the state, Kashim Shettima, who appointed him into his cabinet as a commissioner.

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Babagana Umara-Zulum, a Professor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared winner of the Borno State governorship election.

Zulum polled 1,175, 440 votes to defeat Mohammed Imam, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second with a meagre 66,115 votes.

This is some astounding victory, as the margin between Umara-Zulum and Imam is precisely 1,109,325 votes.

Umara-Zulum is the anointed of outgoing Governor of the state, Kashim Shettima, who appointed him into his cabinet as a commissioner.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the governorship election in Benue State inconclusive.

The announcement was made on Monday afternoon by Professor Sebastian Maimako, the Returning Officer, at the INEC collation centre in Benue.

At the last count, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 410,576 votes against 329,022 votes secured by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Giving the reason for declaring the election inconclusive, the electoral commission said there were cancellations in some polling units, totalling 121,019 votes.

No new date has been announced for the supplementary election in the areas where elections were cancelled.

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Following the crash of Ethiopian Airline Boeing 737 aircraft enroute Nairobi, a Twitter user has revealed a warning to the airline about the security feature of its Boeing 737-MAX that was not disclosed to the pilots.

Writing via @advmtw, the Twitter claimed to have sent a mail to the airline on January 15, 2019, complaining about the new security system added to Boeing 737-MAX without adequately informing the pilots.

The complainant quoted a report on Daily Sabah, a Turkish news platform, that claimed that many pilots were not informed about the new features of the Boeing 737 airplanes.

This mail was prompted by the crash of a Boeing 737-Max in October 2018, which killed all its 189 passengers.

In the mail to the Ethiopian Airline, the complainant said: “I wanted to express my concerns regarding the alarming reports about a lion air 737 max went down on the 29th of October 2018. Indeed, event though this is still an ongoing investigation, latest reports say that the new anti stalling system (MCAS) onboard 737 max might be one of the reasons which caused the accident.

“An American Airlines spokesman even addressed the issue: 'We value our partnership with Boeing, but were unaware of some of the functionality of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) installed on Max 8'.

“I took time to write this email because this is about safety and I strongly believe that safety should be first priority of everyone in the airline industry.”

The Twitter user said a response never came from Ethiopian Airlines.

Ethiopian Airlines has not yet responded to the Twitter user's claim; however, it has issued a few terse statements, six in all, named Accident Bulletin, the latest being an announcement that "the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR) of ET302 have been Recovered".

The airline earlier confirmed that 149 passengers and eight crew members were aboard, as the plane took off from Addis Ababa at 8:38am local time (05:38 GMT) but crashed six minutes later.

Two Nigerians, Professor Pius Adesanmi and AMbassador Abiodun Bashua, were victims of the crash.

Following the crash, Ethiopian Airlines, as well as China and South Korea, has banned the use of the Boeing 737-800MAX aircraft.

 

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Following the crash of Ethiopian Airline Boeing 737 aircraft enroute Nairobi, a Twitter user has revealed a warning to the airline about the security feature of its Boeing 737-MAX that was not disclosed to the pilots.

Writing via @advmtw, the Twitter claimed to have sent a mail to the airline on January 15, 2019, complaining about the new security system added to Boeing 737-MAX without adequately informing the pilots.

The complainant quoted a report on Daily Sabah, a Turkish news platform, that claimed that many pilots were not informed about the new features of the Boeing 737 airplanes.

This mail was prompted by the crash of a Boeing 737-Max in October 2018, which killed all its 189 passengers.

In the mail to the Ethiopian Airline, the complainant said: “I wanted to express my concerns regarding the alarming reports about a lion air 737 max went down on the 29th of October 2018. Indeed, event though this is still an ongoing investigation, latest reports say that the new anti stalling system (MCAS) onboard 737 max might be one of the reasons which caused the accident.

“An American Airlines spokesman even addressed the issue: 'We value our partnership with Boeing, but were unaware of some of the functionality of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) installed on Max 8'.

“I took time to write this email because this is about safety and I strongly believe that safety should be first priority of everyone in the airline industry.”

The Twitter user said a response never came from Ethiopian Airlines.

Ethiopian Airlines has not yet responded to the Twitter user's claim; however, it has issued a few terse statements, six in all, named Accident Bulletin, the latest being an announcement that "the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder(CVR) of ET302 have been Recovered".

The airline earlier confirmed that 149 passengers and eight crew members were aboard, as the plane took off from Addis Ababa at 8:38am local time (05:38 GMT) but crashed six minutes later.

Two Nigerians, Professor Pius Adesanmi and AMbassador Abiodun Bashua, were victims of the crash.

Following the crash, Ethiopian Airlines, as well as China and South Korea, has banned the use of the Boeing 737-800MAX aircraft.

 

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Ethiopian Airlines have announced the recovery of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), better known as black box, of ET302 from it's aircraft that went down on Sunday six minutes into take-off.

The discovery will enable investigators and experts piece together the last moments of the flight, and should help explain why the new plane crashed.

Ethiopian Airlines made the announcement in its Accident Bulletin No 6. via its official Twitter handle, @flyethiopian.

In a separate Accident Bulletin No. 5 issued at 1:40PM local time, it also announced the airline's decision to ground all B-737-MAX fleet effective 10th of March until further notice for "safety precautions".

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Ethiopian Airlines have announced the recovery of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), better known as black box, of ET302 from it's aircraft that went down on Sunday six minutes into take-off.

The discovery will enable investigators and experts piece together the last moments of the flight, and should help explain why the new plane crashed.

Ethiopian Airlines made the announcement in its Accident Bulletin No 6. via its official Twitter handle, @flyethiopian.

In a separate Accident Bulletin No. 5 issued at 1:40PM local time, it also announced the airline's decision to ground all B-737-MAX fleet effective 10th of March until further notice for "safety precautions".

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The video went viral the night of February 24th…that of Governor Ajimobi talking to a handful of aides and supporters, comforting himself and sensitizing the motley crew of hangers-on to the imminent defeat he was about to be officially handed. In a rare public display of affection, his wife wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind as Ajimobi patted himself on the back for being the first to be reelected as governor of Oyo State - a feat that birthed the slogan “Koseleri” (It’s Never Happened Before). In that video, he wore an unmistakable disposition of a beaten-down man who was trying to pump whatever was left of his overblown ego; saying that at least, he delivered Oyo State to Buhari – a claim that turned out to be a lie by the time the final tallies came in. The APC had lost Oyo State to Atiku’s PDP! 

And by the time we held the gubernatorial election, that narrow presidential election loss turned out to be child’s play – a respectable loss – compared to the shellacking that Ajimobi’s protégé and anointed successor, Bayo Adelabu, received. Oyo State people clearly punished the son for the father’s sins. “Koseleri” quickly became “Koselemo” (Never Again) in Oyo State.

Ajimobi cut a pathetic picture; that of an ingrate who was accidentally elected to a second term (thanks to the Buhari bandwagon of 2015) but who confused the election with coronation. The sycophants with whom he surrounded himself made a career out of lying to him that he was popular among the people; that he was the next best thing since Ibadan discovered Amala with Abula soup; that the people loved him. And it was music to his ears. He allowed that saying, that a State’s Chief Executive is the de facto party leader, to get to his head. He became a monster.

It was his way or the highway – an astonishingly shameful character trait for a man who was a senior executive of an oil company. You wondered how he ruled…sorry, managed National Oil before getting into politics. He had no time for dissention, both in the governing EXCO and the APC machinery in the State. He had Baba Wole Oke, the State’s party Chairman, in his pocket. The now-octogenarian only asked “how high?” whenever Ajimobi asked him to jump. 

In short order, as soon as he became Governor, Ajimobi removed those who had and expressed strong opinions in his EXCO and replaced them with Yes-Men and men with little minds who just took directives…essentially errand boys. He ruled (not governed) like a king…like an emperor…like a despot. He was feared but not respected. Get any of his subordinates to one corner, away from Ajimobi’s earshot, and you will hear an earful about how much they detested him. And I always asked them: why then are you working for him? How can you work for someone for whom you have so much hatred? I never got real answers.

Ajimobi became power-drunk. You couldn’t talk to him while seated; unless he explicitly authorized you to sit. You had better risen to your feet when he entered the gathering; unless you wanted to be a victim of his caustic mouth – publicly too! And we are talking here about private citizens. Public servants, especially his political appointees, were not “born well” enough to speak with him without their hands behind their backs. If they wore Buba and Sokoto to work or when they visited him at home during the weekends, they had to wear a cap as well. If they wore an English attire, they had to wear a tie. He demanded that kind of respect. Just because he dressed in complete Agbada to work, everybody had to be formal too…in a democracy! 

And to the general public…the citizens, the voters that our party was going to need in 2019…Ajimobi was ruthless as he was downright condescending. His wife too was an Empress in her own way. There were (unconfirmed) allegations of her keeping women on their knees and men in supine positions for hours until they were sufficiently purged of their real or perceived slights on the First Lady. It was also alleged that no commissioner awarded any contract, no matter how little, without her consent. The phrase “First Lady has interest”, it was alleged, hovered over every single contract.

These little things quickly earned his government the sobriquet “Ijoba Ologun Ajimobi” (Ajimobi’s Military Government). And the government did act like a military one at a point…towing people’s vehicles for “illegally” parking in areas that did not have “No Parking” signs and making them pay N30,000-plus before retrieving their vehicles; seizing goods of hawkers and petty traders without providing alternative shops for them, telling parents of protesting pupils that their children’s school would not be re-opened until they (the parents) apologized to him for the insults rained on him and the damage done to some properties during the protest. Then he had his infamous encounter with students of LAUTECH who were peacefully protesting the year-long closure of their school, during which he declared that he was the Constituted Authority in the State…that they should have appreciated the fact that he rose from a meeting to come and listen to them. He basically berated them for not kissing his ring and feet because he was the most-powerful person in Oyo State. For a man who schooled and worked in the Unites States, it was a legendary display of lack of respect for civil rights.

Ajimobi didn’t spare the late Baba Lam Adesina either. The man almost single-handedly built the AD party structure in the State with remittances from his son, Dr. Ayo Lam-Adesina, who lived in the UK. Once Tinubu prevailed on Lam-Adesina to convince members of the ACN to make Ajimobi the flag bearer of the party in 2011, as opposed to Sen. Femi Lanlehin, Ajimobi went ahead and pulled the rug off Lam-Adesina’s feet. 

He quickly ostracized Lanlehin and Chief Michael Koleosho, the Saki multi-millionaire who called the shot in the Oke-Ogun area and those two gentlemen eventually withdrew physical and material support for the party. They took with them their foot soldiers.  Baba Lam once expressed to me directly his regret for supporting Ajimobi. I am sure he went to his grave with those regrets. If he was so candid with me – a nobody - about such important, internal party issues, he sure must have been even more candid with his foot soldiers who spanned the entire State, particularly Ibadanland and Oke-Ogun. Those foot soldiers did their best to get their pound of flesh from Ajimobi this election cycle.

Even the Olubadan was not spared! Under the bogus claim of reforming the chieftaincy system in Ibadanland, Ajimobi watered down the influence and authority of the Olubadan by crowning some of his chiefs and Baales. Everybody alleges that he went after the Olubadan because the man disagreed with him politically. Such a vengeful, small-minded man! I won’t be surprised if he sends his people to come and demolish my house in Ibadan for criticizing him here. A man who could send bulldozers to Yinka Ayefele’s radio station and pull parts of it down simply because the presenters there were critical of his government would do anything to those he considers beneath him.

I have always asked myself what gave the man the audacity to think he was better than everybody in the State. Here was a man who governed for eight years and still could not pay salaries and pensions strictly from the State’s Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs). How did he get up in the morning, look himself in the mirror and think he was superior to everybody when he could not resolve the LAUTECH issues for eight years? What is the definition of Leadership outside of one’s ability to provide purpose, direction and motivation to subordinates?

And then the greed…the palpable selfishness! He had spent four years in the Senate immediately preceding two terms of governorship. Then during the primaries last year, he flexed his power, bullied sitting Senator Soji Akanbi into submission and basically took the party’s Senatorial ticket from the poor guy. Akanbi had no fighting chance. Naturally, that sent Akanbi out of the party with his supporters. Akanbi had done more for party members as a first-time Senator than Ajimobi did for them in the eight years he was Governor. Who does that? At 70 years, who does that if not a callous and greedy person? Is that leadership? 

How many people did Ajimobi mentor to take over the mantle of leadership from him? Which House of Assembly member did he mentor to move to the House of Representatives? Which House of Representatives member did he mentor to move to the Senate? Which party member did Ajimobi hook up with a federal appointment? Which Commissioner did he mentor? It was all about him. It was about consigning party members to lives of servitude under his Imperial Majesty-ship so that they would forever depend on him for survival. If you are Governor for eight years and you did not grow anybody from among your subordinates to succeed you…and you had to conjure up one Bayo Adelabu, a political neophyte whom nobody in the party ever heard of as your successor, you are a terrible leader. You are an unmitigated disaster.  

And just a couple of miles south of Ibadan…in Lagos…where younger Governors were performing wonders and growing subordinates into positions of leadership, they were not rubbishing their traditional rulers. They were not treating students like the phlegm. They did not localize development in just one city. They had masterplans for the State. They pooled human resources and made everyone stakeholder. But in Oyo State, we had a tin god with exaggerated opinions of himself, a baseless ego; just an uncouth blowhard that made people wonder the sort of upbringing he had. We had a man to whom Pa Lam Adesina handed the machinery of a truly Progressive party but who only succeeded in shredding it.

I know nobody wants to say it publicly. But they say it privately. And I will say it publicly here: Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi and Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi alone is responsible for the humiliation that our party received this election cycle. He single-handedly destroyed our party and the political careers of many who toiled to build the party. Let nobody begin to apportion blames where blames do not belong. We are Oyo State people. We tell it as it is. Ajimobi ruined our APC.

But the party is not going to go into oblivion. We should re-group. And we are going to re-group. We must come together. And we are going to come together. But before we can even have the first reconciliation/re-organization meeting, we must first apologize to the people of Oyo State for the horrendous leadership that Ajimobi foisted on them for the past eight years. And who is better-suited for such an apology that the culprit himself?

Ajimobi needs to atone for his sins by issuing a televised address to the citizens of our State during which he should show enough candor by acknowledging his many misdeeds and asking for their forgiveness. There can’t be any rationalizing; there can’t be any buck-passing – two things alien to the psyche of Ajimobi. On this, he must show humility and contrition.

Then he must convene a meeting of key leaders from all the factions of the party and even those that left to form other parties, and hand over the leadership…the entire machinery of the party to them. I suggest he woos back Senator Lanlehin, Prof Adeolu Akande, Barrister Bayo Shittu, Dr. Ayo Lam-Adesina along with other leaders of the Lamists/Unity Forum and hand over to them; after which he should disappear forever from party politics except when called upon to provide financial support. That is the only way he can receive forgiveness and salvage whatever is left of his reputation. Baba Wole Oke too should go and rest.

Now, let the PDP in Oyo State know this; let them hear this from me: Ajimobi’s political demise began in Ibadan. Ibadan people don’t play favorites. We are always fair to whoever is fair to us. We do not surrender…ever. We fight back once you catch our ire. And we win. Ajimobi forgot that. The PDP should know that if Seyi Makinde had been an Oke-Ogun man; if he had been an Ogbomosho man, once Ibadan people resolved to cut Ajimobi to size, no amount of money was enough to change their minds. We still would have voted for Makinde. Awa o ki n se alatenuje. Therefore, the PDP will do well to know that if Makinde gets there and starts to behave remotely like Ajimobi, Ibadan people will retrieve the whip from the rafter and whip him into shape in 2023.

By Abiodun Ladepo

Ibadan, Oyo State

Oluyole2@yahoo.com

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When, on returning home from my Sunday morning football game, an exercise I’m super regular in, on 10 March 2019, I surfed through the social media to see news of a crash involving a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane in Addis Ababa, I did a Facebook post to the effect that I feared a Nigerian was in that plane. You don’t need any clairvoyant skill for that – it is hardly possible for a commercial plane carrying 149 passengers between two major African capitals not to have a Nigerian on board. Aside from the fact that one out of every six Africans is a Nigerian, Nigerians are known for traveling a lot. Yet, this was one instinct I hoped to be wrong on. 

Few minutes later, international media started releasing  the nationalities of the victims. My fear was confirmed – a Nigerian was reported to be on board. I went offline for few hours only to return online at around 6pm to see my inbox filled with messages from friends: “Jarus, please confirm that it is true that Professor Pius Adesanmi was on that ill-fated Ethiopian flight”. I raced to Google for latest news on the crash only to see what my friends had been seeing while I was offline – Professor Pius Adesanmi, a senior friend and benefactor, was involved in the crash. I suspected a Nigerian was going to be in that crash but I never for the life of me thought it would be someone I knew on a very personal level. I spent the rest of the evening in a very sad mood. 

I came across his name about more than a decade ago through Nigerian Village Square (NVS), a discussion forum we were both contributors to. Before the liberalization of smart phones and internet data pricing made Twitter and Facebook the preferred assembly ground for Nigerians to discuss everything about Nigeria, especially politics, NVS was the major user-generated medium politically conscious Nigerians used to let out their opinions on various issues (and Nigerians have opinions on every issue). With his unique writing style, usually laced with Yoruba wisecracks, Professor Adesanmi towered high as one of the most consistent contributors to that forum. Around the same time, he was also contributing to Sahara Reporters and the now defunct NEXT newspaper. 

I was in my mid-20s at the time, and, in my own way, learning the ropes in public commentary, with occasional contributions to the above outlets. I devoured anything written by Adesanmi and he soon ranked up there with my favourite Nigerian columnists. I never even knew he was also reading my own articles (probably pedestrian by his standard) until our lane crossed in late 2010 and he told me how he also read my articles. 

When I floated my own blog in 2013, and I needed a big name to interview to drive attention to the site, Professor Adesanmi was the first person that came to my mind. I contacted him and he didn’t hesitate to accept my interview request. The interview was not only a hit to my blog, it was also used by Prof for his column in Sahara Reporters and Premium Times for that week. The no-holds-barred interview, which I captioned “Somebody once advised me to try and be like Reno Omokri, so I can also ‘make it’, instead of ‘making noise’ all the time – Pius Adesanmi” traveled very far with reactions from the media office of then President Goodluck Jonathan. 

Professor Adesanmi did not stop at supporting my budding website (whose niche has now been narrowed down to career and education), he also introduced me to personalities like Segun Adeniyi, a former presidential spokesman, who also graciously accepted an interview request for my blog.  Among other big names I got to know on fairly personal level through Professor Adesanmi was Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and presidential candidate in the just concluded presidential election. 

When I later decided to expunge politics from the theme of my site and refocus it to less controversial subject (career mentoring for Nigerian youths), Professor Adesanmi even offered more support. In several speaking engagements, Prof, unsolicited, listed me and my works as part of the reasons he kept having hopes in Nigerian youths. I felt flattered. 

In 2013, he offered me a “blank cheque” to use him guest speaker in any event I or my platform, JarusHub, wanted to organize. “Just give me adequate notice…anything to support you, anything”, he wrote to me. He was spending 6 month sabbatical in a Ghanaian university around the time,  when he reminded me: "I'll be one-hour flight away from you for the next 6 months, just let me know when you want to organize your event"

He was not going to collect a kobo appearance fee from me. I was not even going to be responsible for his flight and accommodation. Yet, he kept reminding me to utilize this permanent promise he made to me in 2013 almost every year. This was someone international organizations like African Union pay thousands of dollars to talk at their events. He died going to one of such events in Nairobi. He had a road accident last year going to catch a flight for another of such events in Dakar last year. 

I thought of several ways of utilizing the "blank cheque". How about formally launching my book, The Road to Victoria Island, and inviting him as guest speaker? How about organizing "An Evening with Pius Adesanmi" for my social media followers? For 6 years, I never really decided what to do with his permanent promise to support me in any event. 

However, an idea started coming to my head in the past few months, "Jarus, you will be 40 in less than 4 years. How about writing a book, an autobiography, and launching it on your 40th birthday with Pius Adesanmi delivering a public lecture at an elaborate event in Lagos?" I had not told him (of course, too early to tell him, 3 years still far and not even sure one will get to 40 ), but I was already conceiving the topic for his lecture. I never got to cash his “cheque”!

These are just few of the ways this man had been of support to me and my works, there are others too numerous to mention. I know several other people he had assisted in one way or the other. In fact, he was like the go-to person for many Nigerian youths seeking educational sojourn in North America. He was such a selfless man. 

Professor Adesanmi graduated with first class honour from the University of Ilorin at the age of 20, and bagged his PhD at 30 in a Canadian university. He became a full professor before his 40thbirthday. Despite having such intimidating credentials, he never looked down upon on other people. 

Behind that unsparing critic of Nigerian political leadership was a man with a good heart, a man that did his best to support Nigerian youths beyond just criticizing government. I was one of the people he invited to mentor young graduates at an event his social group, Circle of Friends, organized in 2015. He always gave back to Nigerian society despite having lived in Europe and North America for over 20 years and, indeed, holding Canadian citizenship. 

Adesanmi played his part, my benefactor played his part in making Africa a better place in his 47 years sojourn on earth. That he had a young family in Canada and an aged mother in his native Isanlu, Kogi state, made this exit even more painful. May God almighty comfort the family he left behind. 

 

Suraj Jarus Oyewale 

Oyewale, a chartered accountant and blogger, lives in Lagos 

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One by one, results of the governorship elections across the country continue to trickle in.

Of the 29 states where elections held, SaharaReporters has tracked at least 18 states where results have been declared and winners named.

Notable among the governors-elect are Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and, of course, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos).

Below is a table of the 17 governors-elect so far, which will be update as more declarations are made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

S/N	State	Winning Party	Candidate	Votes	Runner-Up	Candidate	Votes
1	Abia	Peoples Democratic Party	Okezie Ikpeazu	261,127	All Progressives Congress	Uchechukwu Ogah	99,574
2	Adamawa	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	Akwa Ibom	Peoples Democratic Party	Udom Emmanuel	519,712	All Progressives Congress	Nsima Ekere	171,978
4	Bauchi	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Benue	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Borno	All Progressives Congress	Babagana Umara-Zulum	1,175,440	Mohammed Imam	Peoples Democratic Party	66,115
7	Cross River	Peoples Democratic Party	Ben Ayade	381,484	Social Democratic Party	Eyo Ekpo	4, 818
8	Delta	Peoples Democratic Party	Ifeanyi Okowa	925,274	All Progressives Congress	Great Ogboru	215,938
9	Ebonyi	Peoples Democratic Party	David Umahi	392,291	All Progressives Congress	Sonni Ogbuoji	81,234
10	Enugu	Peoples Democratic Party	Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi	449,935	All Progressives Congress	Ayogu Eze	10,423
11	Gombe	All Progressives Congress	Inuwa Yahaya	364,179	Peoples Democratic Party	Bayero Nafada	222,868
12	Imo	-	-	-	-	-	-
13	Jigawa	All Progressives Congress	Badaru Mohammed Abubakar	810,933	Peoples Democratic Party	Aminu Ibrahim	288,356
14	Kaduna	All Progressives Congress	Nasir el-Rufai	1,045,447	Peoples Democratic Party	Isa Ashiru	814,168
15	Kano	-	-	-	-	-	-
16	Katsina	All Progressives Congress	Aminu Masari	1,178,864	Peoples Democratic Party	Yakubu Lado	488,621
17	Kebbi	All Progressives Congress	Abubakar Atiku Bagudu	673,717	Peoples Democratic Party	Isa Galaudu	106,633
18	Kwara	All Progressives Congress	Abdulrahman Abdulrazak	331,546	Peoples Democratic Party	Razak Atunwa	114,754
19	Lagos	All Progressives Congress	Babajide Sanwo-Olu	739,445	Peoples Democratic Party	Jimi Agbaje	206,141
20	Nasarawa	All Progressives Congress	Abdullahi Sule	327,229	Peoples Democratic Party	David Ombugadu	184,281
21	Niger	All Progressives Congress	Abubakar  Sani Bello	526,412	Peoples Democratic Party	Umar Nasko	298,065
22	Ogun	All Progressives Congress	Dapo Abiodun	241,670	Allied Peoples Movement	Adekunle Akinlade	222,15 3
23	Oyo	Peoples Democratic Party	Seyi Makinde	515,621	All Progressives Congress	Adebayo Adelabu	357,982
24	Plateau	-	-	-	-	-	-
25	Rivers	-	-	-	-	-	-
26	Sokoto	-	-	-	-	-	-
27	Taraba	-	-	-	-	-	-
28	Yobe	All Progressives Congress	Mai Mala Buni	444,013	Peoples Democratic Party	Umar Bello Iliya	95,703
29	Zamfara	All Progressives Congress	Mukhtar Idris	534,541	Peoples Democratic Party	Bello Matawalle	189,452

 

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One by one, results of the governorship elections across the country continue to trickle in.

Of the 29 states where elections held, SaharaReporters has tracked at least 18 states where results have been declared and winners named.

Notable among the governors-elect are Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and, of course, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos).

Below is a table of the 17 governors-elect so far, which will be update as more declarations are made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

S/N	State	Winning Party	Candidate	Votes	Runner-Up	Candidate	Votes
1	Abia	Peoples Democratic Party	Okezie Ikpeazu	261,127	All Progressives Congress	Uchechukwu Ogah	99,574
2	Adamawa	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	Akwa Ibom	Peoples Democratic Party	Udom Emmanuel	519,712	All Progressives Congress	Nsima Ekere	171,978
4	Bauchi	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Benue	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Borno	All Progressives Congress	Babagana Umara-Zulum	1,175,440	Mohammed Imam	Peoples Democratic Party	66,115
7	Cross River	Peoples Democratic Party	Ben Ayade	381,484	Social Democratic Party	Eyo Ekpo	4, 818
8	Delta	Peoples Democratic Party	Ifeanyi Okowa	925,274	All Progressives Congress	Great Ogboru	215,938
9	Ebonyi	Peoples Democratic Party	David Umahi	392,291	All Progressives Congress	Sonni Ogbuoji	81,234
10	Enugu	Peoples Democratic Party	Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi	449,935	All Progressives Congress	Ayogu Eze	10,423
11	Gombe	All Progressives Congress	Inuwa Yahaya	364,179	Peoples Democratic Party	Bayero Nafada	222,868
12	Imo	-	-	-	-	-	-
13	Jigawa	All Progressives Congress	Badaru Mohammed Abubakar	810,933	Peoples Democratic Party	Aminu Ibrahim	288,356
14	Kaduna	All Progressives Congress	Nasir el-Rufai	1,045,447	Peoples Democratic Party	Isa Ashiru	814,168
15	Kano	-	-	-	-	-	-
16	Katsina	All Progressives Congress	Aminu Masari	1,178,864	Peoples Democratic Party	Yakubu Lado	488,621
17	Kebbi	All Progressives Congress	Abubakar Atiku Bagudu	673,717	Peoples Democratic Party	Isa Galaudu	106,633
18	Kwara	All Progressives Congress	Abdulrahman Abdulrazak	331,546	Peoples Democratic Party	Razak Atunwa	114,754
19	Lagos	All Progressives Congress	Babajide Sanwo-Olu	739,445	Peoples Democratic Party	Jimi Agbaje	206,141
20	Nasarawa	All Progressives Congress	Abdullahi Sule	327,229	Peoples Democratic Party	David Ombugadu	184,281
21	Niger	All Progressives Congress	Abubakar  Sani Bello	526,412	Peoples Democratic Party	Umar Nasko	298,065
22	Ogun	All Progressives Congress	Dapo Abiodun	241,670	Allied Peoples Movement	Adekunle Akinlade	222,15 3
23	Oyo	Peoples Democratic Party	Seyi Makinde	515,621	All Progressives Congress	Adebayo Adelabu	357,982
24	Plateau	-	-	-	-	-	-
25	Rivers	-	-	-	-	-	-
26	Sokoto	-	-	-	-	-	-
27	Taraba	-	-	-	-	-	-
28	Yobe	All Progressives Congress	Mai Mala Buni	444,013	Peoples Democratic Party	Umar Bello Iliya	95,703
29	Zamfara	All Progressives Congress	Mukhtar Idris	534,541	Peoples Democratic Party	Bello Matawalle	189,452

 

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One by one, results of the governorship elections across the country continue to trickle in.

Of the 29 states where elections held, SaharaReporters has tracked at least 18 states where results have been declared and winners named.

Notable among the governors-elect are Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and, of course, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos).

Below is a table of the 17 governors-elect so far, which will be update as more declarations are made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

S/N	State	Winning Party	Candidate	Votes	Runner-Up	Candidate	Votes
1	Abia	Peoples Democratic Party	Okezie Ikpeazu	261,127	All Progressives Congress	Uchechukwu Ogah	99,574
2	Adamawa	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	Akwa Ibom	Peoples Democratic Party	Udom Emmanuel	519,712	All Progressives Congress	Nsima Ekere	171,978
4	Bauchi	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Benue	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Borno	All Progressives Congress	Babagana Umara-Zulum	1,175,440	Mohammed Imam	Peoples Democratic Party	66,115
7	Cross River	Peoples Democratic Party	Ben Ayade	381,484	Social Democratic Party	Eyo Ekpo	4, 818
8	Delta	Peoples Democratic Party	Ifeanyi Okowa	925,274	All Progressives Congress	Great Ogboru	215,938
9	Ebonyi	Peoples Democratic Party	David Umahi	392,291	All Progressives Congress	Sonni Ogbuoji	81,234
10	Enugu	Peoples Democratic Party	Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi	449,935	All Progressives Congress	Ayogu Eze	10,423
11	Gombe	All Progressives Congress	Inuwa Yahaya	364,179	Peoples Democratic Party	Bayero Nafada	222,868
12	Imo	-	-	-	-	-	-
13	Jigawa	All Progressives Congress	Badaru Mohammed Abubakar	810,933	Peoples Democratic Party	Aminu Ibrahim	288,356
14	Kaduna	All Progressives Congress	Nasir el-Rufai	1,045,447	Peoples Democratic Party	Isa Ashiru	814,168
15	Kano	-	-	-	-	-	-
16	Katsina	All Progressives Congress	Aminu Masari	1,178,864	Peoples Democratic Party	Yakubu Lado	488,621
17	Kebbi	All Progressives Congress	Abubakar Atiku Bagudu	673,717	Peoples Democratic Party	Isa Galaudu	106,633
18	Kwara	All Progressives Congress	Abdulrahman Abdulrazak	331,546	Peoples Democratic Party	Razak Atunwa	114,754
19	Lagos	All Progressives Congress	Babajide Sanwo-Olu	739,445	Peoples Democratic Party	Jimi Agbaje	206,141
20	Nasarawa	All Progressives Congress	Abdullahi Sule	327,229	Peoples Democratic Party	David Ombugadu	184,281
21	Niger	All Progressives Congress	Abubakar  Sani Bello	526,412	Peoples Democratic Party	Umar Nasko	298,065
22	Ogun	All Progressives Congress	Dapo Abiodun	241,670	Allied Peoples Movement	Adekunle Akinlade	222,15 3
23	Oyo	Peoples Democratic Party	Seyi Makinde	515,621	All Progressives Congress	Adebayo Adelabu	357,982
24	Plateau	-	-	-	-	-	-
25	Rivers	-	-	-	-	-	-
26	Sokoto	-	-	-	-	-	-
27	Taraba	-	-	-	-	-	-
28	Yobe	All Progressives Congress	Mai Mala Buni	444,013	Peoples Democratic Party	Umar Bello Iliya	95,703
29	Zamfara	All Progressives Congress	Mukhtar Idris	534,541	Peoples Democratic Party	Bello Matawalle	189,452

 

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Less than 24 hours after the fatal crash involving 149 passengers and eight crew members, including two Nigerians, the African giant carrier, Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all Boeing 737-800MAX aircraft in its fleet.

The airline said that the entire fleet of the aircraft brand, which were supplied less than a year ago, would remain grounded until the conclusion of investigations on the immediate and remote causes of the crash, which occurred in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia barely six minutes after the aircraft departed from the airport en route Nairobi, Kenya.

The airline, however, said that it didn’t know the cause of the crash yet, but said it took the cautious step as a form of extra safety precaution.

The statement said: “Following the Tragic accident of ET 302/10 March B-737-8 MAX (ET-AVJ), Ethiopian Airlines has decided to ground all B-737-8 MAX fleet effective yesterday March 10, 2019 until further notice.

“Although we don’t yet know the cause of the accident, we had to decide to ground the particular fleet as extra safety precaution. Ethiopian Airlines will release further information as soon as it is available.”

Thirty-three nationalities, including two Nigerians, Professor Pius Adesanmi and Ambassador Abiodun Bashua, were among the casualties in the accident, which occurred on early Sunday morning.

Apart from Ethiopian Airlines, China’s aviation regulator and Cayman Airways have suspended their Boeing Co 737 MAX aircraft operations, following a deadly crash of one of the planes in Ethiopia.

The crash was the second of the 737 MAX, the latest version of Boeing’s workhorse narrowbody jet that first entered service in 2017.

In October, a 737 MAX 8 operated by Indonesian carrier, Lion Air crashed 13 minutes after take-off from Jakarta on a domestic flight, killing all 189 passengers and crew on board.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement it would notify airlines as to when they could resume flying the jets after contacting Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure flight safety.

“Given that two accidents both involved newly delivered Boeing 737-8 planes and happened during take-off phase, they have some degree of similarity,” the CAAC said, adding that the order was in line with its principle of zero-tolerance on safety hazards. The 737 Max 8 is sometimes referred to as the 737-8.

The cause of the Indonesian crash is still being investigated. A preliminary report issued in November, before the cockpit voice recorder was recovered, focused on airline maintenance and training and the response of a Boeing anti-stall system to a recently replaced sensor but did not give a reason for the crash.

Chinese airlines have 96 737 MAX jets in service, the state company regulator said on Weibo.

Caijing, a Chinese state-run news outlet that covers finance and economics, said many flights scheduled to use 737 MAX planes would instead use the 737-800 models. 

Western industry sources say China has been at pains in recent years to assert its independence as a safety regulator as it negotiates mutual safety standard recognition with regulators in the United States and Europe.

In 2017, it signed a mutual recognition deal with the FAA, but industry sources say it has struggled to gain approval from the FAA that would allow it to sell its C919 airliner to Western airlines.

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Less than 24 hours after the fatal crash involving 149 passengers and eight crew members, including two Nigerians, the African giant carrier, Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all Boeing 737-800MAX aircraft in its fleet.

The airline said that the entire fleet of the aircraft brand, which were supplied less than a year ago, would remain grounded until the conclusion of investigations on the immediate and remote causes of the crash, which occurred in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia barely six minutes after the aircraft departed from the airport en route Nairobi, Kenya.

The airline, however, said that it didn’t know the cause of the crash yet, but said it took the cautious step as a form of extra safety precaution.

The statement said: “Following the Tragic accident of ET 302/10 March B-737-8 MAX (ET-AVJ), Ethiopian Airlines has decided to ground all B-737-8 MAX fleet effective yesterday March 10, 2019 until further notice.

“Although we don’t yet know the cause of the accident, we had to decide to ground the particular fleet as extra safety precaution. Ethiopian Airlines will release further information as soon as it is available.”

Thirty-three nationalities, including two Nigerians, Professor Pius Adesanmi and Ambassador Abiodun Bashua, were among the casualties in the accident, which occurred on early Sunday morning.

Apart from Ethiopian Airlines, China’s aviation regulator and Cayman Airways have suspended their Boeing Co 737 MAX aircraft operations, following a deadly crash of one of the planes in Ethiopia.

The crash was the second of the 737 MAX, the latest version of Boeing’s workhorse narrowbody jet that first entered service in 2017.

In October, a 737 MAX 8 operated by Indonesian carrier, Lion Air crashed 13 minutes after take-off from Jakarta on a domestic flight, killing all 189 passengers and crew on board.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement it would notify airlines as to when they could resume flying the jets after contacting Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure flight safety.

“Given that two accidents both involved newly delivered Boeing 737-8 planes and happened during take-off phase, they have some degree of similarity,” the CAAC said, adding that the order was in line with its principle of zero-tolerance on safety hazards. The 737 Max 8 is sometimes referred to as the 737-8.

The cause of the Indonesian crash is still being investigated. A preliminary report issued in November, before the cockpit voice recorder was recovered, focused on airline maintenance and training and the response of a Boeing anti-stall system to a recently replaced sensor but did not give a reason for the crash.

Chinese airlines have 96 737 MAX jets in service, the state company regulator said on Weibo.

Caijing, a Chinese state-run news outlet that covers finance and economics, said many flights scheduled to use 737 MAX planes would instead use the 737-800 models. 

Western industry sources say China has been at pains in recent years to assert its independence as a safety regulator as it negotiates mutual safety standard recognition with regulators in the United States and Europe.

In 2017, it signed a mutual recognition deal with the FAA, but industry sources say it has struggled to gain approval from the FAA that would allow it to sell its C919 airliner to Western airlines.

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“Off to Nairobi in the morning for a week Baba. I hope you have left Nigeria. Sadly, I am not transiting through London this time” that was Pius’s last message to me on the direct message section of the social media platform, Twitter, announcing his trip to East Africa shortly before boarding his Canadian leg on a journey of no return. 

My good friend flew safely for over 13 hours from Canada to Ethiopia only to make his final destination along with his fellow passengers on a short flight from Ethiopia to Kenya. We lost our Pius Adesanmi and 156 other passengers on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes after Ethiopian. We pray for their family, friends and loved ones. 

When my friend sent the first set of his message from Canada, I was asleep, far asleep in the United Kingdom due to the time difference, that is the routine myself and Pius have adopted over the years. At the insistence of Pius, when I am travelling, I drop a line to him, when he’s travelling, he drops a line. 

One evening Pius called, he was angry and he wasn’t going to hide his angst. “Kilo man se iwo ati Sowore, ema lo si Nigeria eni sofun eyan, Olorun maje ka ri ko se dada". This was a reference to myself and Omoyele Sowore just showing up in Nigeria without letting friends and family know. Pius was of the opinion we took unnecessary risks and should at least let him know. I got the message and made it a point of duty to always inform him about my itinerary.  

Pius kept to his side of the bargain I get numerous messages from Pius “Baba I am in Accra” “Baba I just landed Johannesburg” “Baba I am in Lagos”. We would then go on to have video calls, (for some reason Pius preferred seeing you face to face to having a conversation) it could be WhatsApp video call, his favourite was the Facebook video messenger. Before penning this, I looked at the series of missed calls from Pius and a lot of video calls, I can’t believe we sometimes spent hours talking about everything but that everything connected to our Country of birth Nigeria.

Pius Adesanmi was my gossip mate, whatever gossip we had about individuals is always connected to Nigeria, he had no time for trivial conversations, Pius would want an explanation about individuals, it is the usual question “Ba wo ni ore wa se wa se beyen?” (Can you explain the behaviour of our friend?) Pius wants explanations on how individuals behave and his expectations on how Nigeria should be, be it friends in government, our activist friends or his fellow writers, Pius is always at a loss why people misbehave. 

I have never seen Pius shaken until he had a road accident in Nigeria in 2018, when he recovered, he almost gave up on Nigeria, not because he could have died but because of the consequences of the lack of emergency services on the weak in Nigeria. He went off social media to recuperate, when we spoke on phone during his recovery period I had a feeling it was over for Pius and Nigeria, I was too scared to ask him so each conversation we spoke about family and life, we ponder about returning home to live permanently in Nigeria, he was pleased I remarried and always make fun about the new opportunity for me to add weight’ “Madam a ti e ma po ata si e lenu, wa leran leti”. (Madam will feed you well so at least you will add some weight).

When Pius joined me on twitter and saw the volume of attacks I get, I assured him he can’t attract the same negative comments I get, he’s the Professor and his language is mainly sweet satire and polite. Shockingly, polite Pius got his first barrage of attacks from the Nigerian twitter space. 

Pius was on a WhatsApp call to me, “Baba ibo leti ri awon omo buruku beyen?” (Where did you get all the stubborn people on social media) he could not understand the rude, uncouth culture on the Nigerian Twitter space, with time he got used to it. Pius who was King on Facebook gathered a lot of fans on twitter, he was respected by most. Even when he jokingly says to me “your Buhareedeen people don come o” you can just get the sense of wanting the best for everyone. 

Pius fights every corner, when the trolls came after Kadaria Ahmed our mutual friend and a popular female Nigerian journalist, Pius was on phone to me in Nigeria, angry and upset, he felt friends were not doing enough to defend Kadaria, he was pretty upset. “Baba if we let these people get away with bullying Kadaria our daughters are not safe” that was Pius for you. 

Pius loved Nigeria, he loved Africa. 

When I once complained about him exposing his private home to the world, he emphasised how our love for our Country can sometimes stop us from being human, showcasing his good family was a coping mechanism for his numerous absences. Our loved ones bear the pain of our absence, Pius tried to bring his family to the world, tried to make them part of his journey, his sacrifice for our homeland, his family was accessible to his social media friends, if you are on Facebook you have to know Pius’s routine with his young daughter Tife and his wife in Canada, who does not know about his aged mother Mama Adesanmi? Pius loved his family, he cherished his relationships. He showcased them. They have lost a good father, a great husband, a loving Uncle, a pleasant brother and a loyal son. Nigeria and Africa lost a good man. He fought for good governance, justice and equality, he wanted the ideal for Nigeria.

Pius followed up his twitter message to me with a Whatsapp message 

“On my way to airport. Will call you after check in” 

“I am having trouble boarding in Toronto” 

Pius how I wish the trouble you had in Toronto made it impossible for you to board that flight. I am still waiting for that phone call. I thank you for your friendship, your laughter, your comradeship. It is a pity we will no longer have that meeting with our other friend. Your love for your Country, your community and humanity speak volume, friends are rallying round and celebrating you, the ruling elites in our country may not have recognised your efforts but the people of Nigeria recognise your love and sacrifice for Nigeria. Thank you, Baba,! Keep that laughter till we meet again.

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Emeka Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Imo State governorship election, has the lead after announcement of results from the 11 local government areas so far declared.

There are 27 local governments in the state.

According to Professor Francis Otunta, the state Returning Officer, Emedioha, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, has so far polled 128,732 votes.

His closest rival, Uche Nwosu of Action Alliance, who is the anointed of outgoing Governor Rochas Okorocha, has so far scored 66,852 votes, while Senator Ifeanyi Ararume of the All Progressives Congress Grand Alliance (APGA) has 37,107.

Senator Hope Uzodimma, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has polled 27,331 votes while the Accord Party candidate and former Governor of the state, Ihedi Ohakim, has just 2,047.

This means Emedioha is leading his closest challenger with over 70,000 votes — but there are still 16 local governments to go. 

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Emeka Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Imo State governorship election, has the lead after announcement of results from the 11 local government areas so far declared.

There are 27 local governments in the state.

According to Professor Francis Otunta, the state Returning Officer, Emedioha, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, has so far polled 128,732 votes.

His closest rival, Uche Nwosu of Action Alliance, who is the anointed of outgoing Governor Rochas Okorocha, has so far scored 66,852 votes, while Senator Ifeanyi Ararume of the All Progressives Congress Grand Alliance (APGA) has 37,107.

Senator Hope Uzodimma, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has polled 27,331 votes while the Accord Party candidate and former Governor of the state, Ihedi Ohakim, has just 2,047.

This means Emedioha is leading his closest challenger with over 70,000 votes — but there are still 16 local governments to go. 

Elections Politics News AddThis :  Featured Image :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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