Otunba Christopher Alao-Akala, a former Governor of Oyo State, is dead. Details of his death are sketchy but sources close to the politician confirmed the tragic incident to Daily Trust, on Tuesday. The politician, who had been battling terminal ailment for a while, died in his Ogbomoso country home, on Wednesday morning, according to sources. A top source in the All Progressives Congress (APC) who confirmed his death to Daily Trust on Wednesday morning, said he died in his room. “It is true that Oga is dead. He died in the early hours of Wednesday in his room in Ogbomoso. He was full of life last night. In fact, I head he was playing with his children before he went to bed. We are in a mourning mood now,” he said. Akala was the governor of the state between 2007 and 2011. Born on June 3, 1950, at Ogbomoso in the Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Alao-Akala had his elementary school at Osupa Baptist Day School, Ogbomoso before proceeding to Kamina Barracks Middle School, 5th Battalion of Infantry in Tamale, Ghana. This is the third known death of a prominent Ogbomosho native in a month. On December 12, 2021, Oba Oladunni Oyewumi, the Soun of Ogbomoso, passed on. On January 8, 2022, Prof Taibat Danmole, his daughter who was a lecturer at the Lagos State University (LASU), also died. The deceased, who was a professor of education was married to another university don, Prof. Hakeem Danmole, who is the Dean College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin.

Former Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (retd.), has denied that he joined the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, possibly to escape being investigated over his stewardship as COAS. The retired General who made the denial at a media chat in his Ovim Isuikwuato country home, explained that he rather decided to go into partisan politics to have the platform to contribute his quota towards good governance in the country. General Ihejirika who said he had no skeleton in his cupboard further explained that contrary to insinuations by blackmailers, he joined partisan politics to help move Nigeria forward politically drawing from his wealth of experience in the military. His words:” When I registered with APC I stated that two major reasons I was going into politics were: To be able to contribute my quota as former COAS in taming the tide of disunity at the national level. “I also joined politics to make myself available to serve my people in Abia”. Asked if he had governoship ambition in 2023 as being rumoured in certain quarters, the former Army Chief neither denied nor confirmed the speculation but said there were levels of interactions by political parties before presenting their candidates. He, however, listed qualities the next Abia Governor must have for the state to attain greatness. “We need governoship candidates with proven character and integrity; candidates that will be broad-minded such that they will handle Abia issues without fear or favour. “We want highly patriotic individuals that will run inclusive Government. We want individuals that will have sleepless nights because of the problems and challenges of Abia State until they profer solution to them. “We need suitably qualified candidates that will help Abia attain its past glory and surpass it. “Abia used to be the hub of industrial activities after Lagos. But we have got to a level that we all need to re – double efforts to reposition the state.” Asked if he would want the governorship slot ceded to Isuikwuato district in 2023 in line with the agitation that the district which represents the letter “I” in Abia acronym, should be given a chance, Ihejirika said he was not an agitator of zoning but merit. “Zoning is a party issue. Each party should take into consideration the quality of its candidate. There should be consideration for merit and fairness to all. Abia people must remain focused on good governance”.

Security has been beefed up around the premises of Rapture Proclaimer Evangelical Church of God (RAPEC) in Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos. The church, founded by Evang. Funmilayo Adebayo, nicknamed Mummy GO, has witnessed influx of visitors, strangers, journalists who want to catch a glimpse of her preaching and the church’s activities. In a new development, The Nation learnt that the church has stationed some church officials tagged as ‘holy police’ at different points leading to the estate, to monitor new faces and prevent ‘nosy’ strangers from gaining access into the church. The ‘holy police’ have been tasked to ensure that videos, photos are not allowed. They temporarily seized phones and deleted photos and videos of those caught in the act. – Also at the main entrance of the church, all phones are required to be turned off before gaining entry. The church explained that phones are distractions to the angels of God. The holy police have also been mandated to ensure strict compliance with the church’s regulation including covering one’s hair, prohibition of jeans and make-ups. The Nation reports Mummy GO has been making waves on social media due to her controversial sermons. But last week, she said that many videos about her sermons saying people will go to hell have been edited and manipulated. Since videos of her preaching went viral, Mummy GO has carefully stayed away from recent church activities. The cleric revealed during the interview that her messages have made her receive death threats from other pastors and people she doesn’t know. She said guns have been pointed at her and she has been pursued and spied on by people she doesn’t know, owing to her messages. The evangelist said after receiving these threats and she did not back down, these set of people came to social media to begin all the blackmail.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has urged South-East Governors and members of the public to apprehend and deal decisively with criminals enforcing sit-at-home in the region. IPOB made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, while reacting to shootings carried out by hoodlums under the guise of enforcing sit-at-home order in Enugu State. The group warned that it did not direct anyone to enforce the sit-at-home order because it has since been called off since September 2021, adding that the Enugu shooting was sponsored by some evil politicians in the state, who derive joy in spilling the blood of their fellow citizens. IPOB further called on the people and members of the public to skin alive any idiot caught inflicting sorrow on the people in the name of enforcing the non-existent Monday sit-at-home order. Powerful also vowed to deploy operatives of its militia arm, Eastern Security Network (ESN) to go after the criminals unleashing mayhem on innocent people and visitors to Biafra land. The statement reads, Quote “The attention of the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra has been drawn to the senseless shooting in Enugu State on Monday by hoodlums and cultists recruited and sponsored by some evil politicians in the state, who derive joy in spilling the blood of their fellow citizens. “We have on several occasions explained that IPOB has not authorised anybody to enforce the Monday sit-at-home, which has been suspended since September 19, 2021. Anybody unleashing sorrow on innocent citizens under the guise of enforcing the sit-at-home order is a criminal and does not deserve pity. “Despite the suspension of the Monday sit-at-home since September 19, 2021, some unscrupulous elements and criminals conniving with security agencies and our enemies have continued to inflict pain on our people. Their aim is to blackmail IPOB, but they will continue to fail. “Now, we want to inform our people to stand firm in the fight for their liberty. IPOB did not ask anybody to enforce sit-at-home of any kind. Henceforth, the ESN operatives will come from the bushes and forests and go after these criminals unleashing mayhem on innocent people and visitors to Biafra land in the name of enforcing the non-existent Monday sit-at-home order. “We also ask the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to deal decisively with any hoodlum using the Monday sit-at-home to torture innocent citizens/residents of the state. No genuine member of IPOB or ESN operative is involved in any enforcement of the Monday sit-at-home order. Anybody doing so is working against Biafra restoration. “We equally call on our people and members of the public to skin alive any idiot caught inflicting sorrow on the people in the name of enforcing the non-existent Monday sit-at-home order. Such evil soul and messenger of death does not deserve to live. “Those shooting sporadically in the market are criminals and bandits using the name of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu and the ESN to humiliate our people and demonise the movement. Their aim is to give the Federal Government an excuse to hold our leader perpetually in detention. “The ESN operatives must be ready to confront criminals creating these problems in the name of the ESN and IPOB in the region. We have suspended the Monday sit-at-home a long time ago, and we have not rescinded that decision. Biafrans must be strong to withstand our enemies and their collaborators every Monday. “IPOB was not formed to terrorise people. We remain peaceful and focused on the pursuit of Biafra freedom and independence. “Governor Ugwuanyi and other governors in the region must provide security for our people on Mondays, because the ESN is now ready to confront these criminals.”

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday approved the establishment of the Nigerian Diaspora Investment Trust Fund (NDITF), a private sector investment window for Nigerians in the Diaspora to support direct investments in the country. According to Mr. Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesperson, Buhari announced the approval at the presentation of a compendium titled ‘+600 Diaspora Icons @ 60’, published by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM). Pledging his support for the new initiative, he noted that the foreign exchange remittances by Nigerians in the Diaspora have not only helped families but enhanced the development index of Nigeria. ‘‘Rebuilding Nigeria is not the responsibility of Nigerians who live at home alone but of every Nigerian irrespective of the place of domicile,’’ the statement by Adesina quoted the President as saying. He described the 327-page compendium as a historical record of the worth of Nigerians globally, adding that the list in the publication is a reminder of what Nigerians are capable of doing to the delight of the global community. ‘‘Irrespective of the few bad eggs among us, and every nation has such bad eggs, Nigeria remains a great country, populated by great people, living at home or abroad, making us proud. ‘‘This compendium attests to that fact and the names of people and the fields they have excelled speak about their resilience and how exceptional Nigerians, both at home and abroad, have become,’’ the president said. Reminding Nigerians of their duty to celebrate fellow Nigerians who are excelling in different paths, President Buhari said: ‘‘No one else will do so for us. “Rather, other people will tend to capitalise on the few bad eggs and characterise us in their own narratives, narratives that seek to characterise us in bad light. We must not allow that to happen. ‘‘As we launch the compendium of excellent Nigerians today, we are also celebrating some of our best, nationally and globally. ‘‘I call on every Nigerian, irrespective of where they may be, to continue to be of exemplary behaviour and with determination to offer quality services that contribute to the progress of humanity.’’ He congratulated those whose names made it to this first edition, encouraging others to work more conscientiously to make the list in the subsequent editions. ‘‘Nigerians in the Diaspora are our Ambassadors-at-large by their character, comportment and daily actions. ‘‘They should be the best and excel in all their endeavours and they should ‘give back’ by contributing to the development of Nigeria,” the president added. According to Ms Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who leads the Diaspora Commission, “the compendium is birthed out of the necessity to recognise, celebrate and showcase Nigerians in the Diaspora who are doing great things in their host countries and also contributing to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.’’ She said the commission plans to publish the compendium at regular intervals, towards changing the negative stereotypes typified by the activities of a few Nigerians who do not represent the country well.