’Choi-Wan’ trough to affect Mindanao, parts of Visayas

The trough of a typhoon internationally named Choi-Wan may bring rains over Mindanao and parts of the Visayas on Sunday, October 4, state weather bureau PAGASA said.

As of 5 a.m., Choi-Wan was estimated at 2,585 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon.

The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 190 kph. It was moving north-northeastward at 15 kph.

Mindanao, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Central Visayas and Southern Leyte may experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms due to the trough of Choi-Wan.

PAGASA warned of possible flash floods or landslides in these areas due to moderate to at times heavy rains.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila and the rest of the country may experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms.

Lazy Sundays: One-pot Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

Chicken and sun-dried tomatoes go together like two peas in a pod, more so if you’re cooking them with pasta to make a complete one-dish meal.

They also make a healthy protein-and-fiber combination that you can easily whip up in a few minutes and solve a sudden hunger pang. No complicated steps. No hard-to-find ingredients. No special skills required.

If you are looking for such an easy yet healthy and fully satisfying dish, then this One-pot Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta recipe from The Maya Kitchen is for you.

One-pot Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

2 pcs. large chicken breast fillets, medium-diced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

For the sauce:

2 tbsps. olive oil

2 tbsps. butter

1 pack (200 grams) fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup sliced black olives

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups culinary cream or all-purpose cream

250 grams penne pasta

1/2 cup cream cheese

1/2 tsp. fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Dried red chili flakes (optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Season chicken breast fillets with salt, pepper, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Sauté in oil and butter until lightly golden for about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. In the same pot, add mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown. Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives. Cook until garlic is fragrant.

4. Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add dry pasta and stir so pasta is submerged in the liquid. Bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is al dente and sauce thickens.

5. Add cream cheese and stir to melt cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Stir in half of Parmesan cheese. Season with red chili flakes, if desired. Turn off heat. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and red chili flakes.

7. Serve warm.

Dar es Salaam RC gives Kariakoo traders October 24 deadline to clear roads

Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila has given traders operating on Kariakoo roads until October 24, 2026 to remove tables and goods and reopen the roads, saying the spaces must remain accessible to motorists, residents and emergency services. Mr Chalamila said in the city in Saturday, October 3, 2026, that the directive did not amount to a ban on trading, but was aimed at ensuring business activities were conducted without obstructing roads or compromising safety. ‘Remove the tables and open the roads,’ he said, stressing that fire engines and ambulances must be able to reach buildings without obstruction.

Call of the wild: First Filipino inducted into Explorers Club

For Gregg Yan, a 43-year-old communications consultant and founder of environmental nonprofit Best Alternatives, one does not need to have formal training as a scientist to be able to write academic articles about animal conservation.

His experience traveling the world and being exposed to the wonders of wildlife is what informs his writing.

‘I had written hundreds or maybe thousands of stories about wildlife and people,’ he told the Inquirer. ‘I’m really a journalist, but because I grew up seeing wildlife and my personal interest was about animals … I never let a lack of academic qualifications [stop me].’

After 20 years of working in the field where he photographed and wrote about some of the world’s most endangered animals, Yan became the first Filipino to be inducted as a fellow into the 120-year-old international society The Explorers Club.

The group, whose members include the likes of astronaut Neil Armstrong and primatologist Jane Goodall, is a ‘multidisciplinary society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation.’

Yan is also a longtime contributor to the Inquirer.

‘Being a fellow is essentially securing a seat at the table to allow more Filipinos to be part of The Explorers Club in the future, and we do not have a lack of great explorers,’ he said.

His interest in wildlife began when he was a young boy growing up on a farm in Bulacan.

‘In the 1980s, me and my brother, because we did not have any neighbors, would go exploring the farm every day after school. We had all sorts of animals, not just farm animals. We had different types of insects, snakes, frogs and birds,’ he said.

Yan and his brother later left for Manila to study, but returned to the farm after graduating from college. This time, however, Gregg noticed that the beasts and critters that fascinated him as a child had largely disappeared.

‘It was because surrounding areas started developing and farms started using pesticides. And the river beside our house was the most polluted river on planet Earth, which is the Meycauayan River,’ he said.

‘Localized extinctions’

The sad observation made him realize that ‘localized extinction can happen not just in one’s lifetime, but in the blink of an eye.’

‘I thought that, if this is what’s going on in our backyard in Bulacan, what more is happening across the planet?’ he said.

While in college, Yan worked on his communication and writing skills as a journalism student at Ateneo de Manila University and as an intern at the Inquirer. His thesis, not surprisingly, was about the wildlife that had managed to take refuge within the Ateneo campus.

‘I spent so many nights and mornings alone, looking for snakes and birds and stuff,’ he recalled.

After graduating, Yan worked with the World Wide Fund For Nature as a communication officer for 12 years, immersing himself in conservation issues.

‘One of my favorite adventures was finding the pangolin in Palawan, or studying the seabirds of the Tubbataha reefs, also in Palawan. My core expertise was about fish … I write academic journal articles about fish conservation,’ he said.

In 2015, Yan founded the nongovernmental organization Best Alternatives, which promotes environment-friendly products.

‘Let’s say, in [making] traditional Chinese medicine, they like to use endangered wildlife like tiger bones, rhinoceros horns, or dried seahorse,” he said. ‘At Best Alternatives, we do research to find out what can be the alternatives to these illegal or unethical [materials] that are being used.’

Mindoro to East Africa

Parallel to this advocacy, Yan also stays in touch with indigenous communities who play an important role in wildlife conservation. These include the Tawbuid people of Mindoro.

‘I’ve written stories about them. In many ways, they are simpler and better than so many people we see right now … and they live right beside the tamaraw up to this day. So, every time I go there, I essentially see how conservation works,’ he said.

Outside the Philippines, Yan had encounters with the Maasai tribe in Tanzania and Kenya, taking part in a tradition where his skin was ritually marked with a heated stick covered in cattle dung. Being herders, the tribe believes the animal’s waste can work as a disinfectant, he explained.

‘To remember those adventures, I only have to look at my arms … because they are seared into my flesh, literally, and into my memory.’

Yan hopes that his fellow travelers and adventurers will be mindful enough and help the places they visit stay clean or unspoiled. It can be as simple as picking up trash while mountain climbing or scuba diving.

‘We need to make sure that future generations of Pinoy and Pinay explorers will still have something to explore and protect,’ he said.

SC: Marriage void due to false claims of cohabitation

Falsifying proof of cohabitation may be a ground for the nullification of an unlicensed marriage, according to the Supreme Court.

Ruling on a case concerning a couple in Antique, the high tribunal said the couple’s marriage was void from the beginning because their affidavit of cohabitation was falsely executed.

‘As the records of this case show, there is inadequate evidence proving that (they) continuously and exclusively cohabited as husband and wife for a period of five years immediately preceding the celebration of their marriage,’ it said in a 15-page decision penned by Associate Justice Henri Inting.

The high court, which handed down the ruling on Feb. 24, but this was made public on Friday, upheld the separate rulings of the Court of Appeals in 2021 and 2022 and the regional trial court in San Jose, Antique, in 2016.

The case stemmed from a petition for the declaration of nullity the husband filed with the San Jose court in 2013, admitting that the affidavit of cohabitation he signed with his supposed wife was false as he had been working overseas for three years out of the six years they lived together.

The couple tried to contract a marriage without a license in May 2009, claiming that they had been residing in the same house since 2003, well within the minimum duration of five years required for a cohabitation to be declared a marriage.

Such a circumstance allows for marriages to be exempt from obtaining a license under Article 34 of the Family Code. The couple could instead execute an affidavit, which shall be approved by a solemnizing officer under oath to ensure that there are no legal obstacles to the marriage.

But the husband asserted that the marriage does not fall within the exemption stipulated in the law because they did not live together for straight years, including the years he was abroad for work.

Akpabio and Obono-Obla’s bala-bala

WHEN your speech appears to contain gibberish or is empty, a famous Yoruba slang gives such talk the moniker, bala-bala or in another context, pala-pala. None of the two has a formal linguistic translation or meaning but have existed long enough to gain individual notoriety.

Last week, two Nigerians, both of the APC, spat such nonsensical talks that they could jolly well qualify for the slangs above.

Last week, Senate President Godswill Akpabio mounted the gibberish podium. Give it to him:

Akpabio is a professor of gibberish. Sometimes, many wonder if Nigeria’s senate president first talks before engaging his thinking cap. At a senate plenary last week, like an illusionist or magician who Yoruba call the pidan-pidan, Akpabio stunned an unshockable Nigerian people by heaving out a bag of magical statement: He has never truly been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

«My spirit might be there, but my heart was never there,» the senator, who deserves to be garlanded ‘the most loquacious parliamentarian in Nigerian history,’ said.

That pala-pala came when a motion to beatify late former Kogi State governor, Ibrahim Idris, came at plenary. And Senator Jibrin Isah went nostalgic of a time when all of them belonged to the PDP. Akpabio then jumped into the fray and denounced the label, saying he had always rejected the label, describing himself as a ‘progressive’ who was never a true member of the party.

Now, what can pass as bala-bala more than this? Sometimes when a talk verges on the idiotic, Yoruba call it pala-pala ilu apala (as inchoate as Apala music drumming). If you ask me whether Apala music’s symphony is discordant, I will say ‘no. I however think the authors of that phrase were just having a nice time with the onomatopoeia and assonance in it.

The man who said his ‘heart was never there’ served for eight years as governor of PDP’s Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015. He was nominated by PDP governors to be their chair at the PDP Governors’ Forum. In 2015, he became senator on the PDP platform and rose to become PDP’s Senate Minority Leader, from 2015 until 2018. If a man occupied such pinnacle of a political party in over a decade, yet felt no qualms in ditching his benefactor by saying his ‘heart was never there, then President Bola Tinubu must be wary of Akpabio. I do not think Judas Iscariot did worse thing to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The spit of Akpabio’s bala-bala had hardly dried when Okoi Obono-Obla, APC founding member, mounted the saddle. He was on a national television last week. Ordinarily in Yorubaland, when you wake up early in the morning to be confronted by a messy and unpleasant scene, of the texture I found strung to Obono-Obla’s mouth that morning, the day is totally fouled up. Nothing good could come out of it.

You are advised by our forefathers to go back to bed for a remedial of a metaphysically damaged day. Upon listening to Obono-Obla, I did the needful and re-hugged my pillow.

Listen to the bala-bala: There is nothing wrong with the Rainbow Coalition being championed by FCT minister, Nyesom Wike. ‘Such is not knew in Nigeria’,

He further went on and cited a Kenyan coalition and what he said was an alliance of the ruling NPN of Shehu Shagari government of the Second Republic with the PRP. Yet another, he said: ‘Reverend Jesse Jackson formed a coalition (that) was a mixed bag of Republicans, Democrats, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, conservatives, and socialists.’

Then he veered into what seemed to vex him most. APC governors had marginalized and alienated original party members like him. He then justified Wike’s interloping role by saying ‘APC governors are responsible for the circumstances under which Minister Wike is trying to draw people into his coalition.’ Not done, when asked about the present state of the PDP, he said, ‘I don’t think the PDP is scattered.’ He justified that cant by saying Wike’s PDP had ‘candidates nominated to INEC, the PDP has candidates in almost all parts of the country, unlike the NNPP or ADC. The PDP is still there, largely thanks to the efforts of Wike. That is good for the country’s democracy.’

First, in that interview, Obono-Obla committed what is called the fallacy of false analogy. What the ruling NPN did in 1979 was to form a working legislative and political coalition with the NPP shortly after the 1979 elections. Their aim was to secure a working majority in the National Assembly. The alliance however collapsed in 1981, three years after, due to mutual political discordant tunes. The other analogies Obono-Obla gave were what they were: ‘bala-bala’ and ‘pala-pala ilu apala’!

While all the examples he gave were institutional, involving political parties in alliance, what we have with Wike’s solo romp in the APC has a flavour similar only to what Chief Bola Ige did under Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. The man of honour that the Immortal Ige was, he retraced his steps out of the bind when he found out that it was like tying one’s legs to a spot with the Yoruba rope called ‘okun agba’.

I think, between Obono-Obla and Godswill Akpabio, last week was laced with enough gibberish to last a lifetime

Owo-Akoko must sheathe their sword over Rufus Giwa university

WHEN my alma mater, the University of Ife (aka ‘Great Ife’) was renamed Obafemi Awolowo University by the military junta of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida on May 12, 1987, it was as if a dagger was driven into my heart. This was despite the fact that I had graduated from the school five years earlier. Also, the sage after whom the university was renamed richly deserved the honour, being one of the nationalists who fought the British and won Independence for Nigeria on October 1, 1960. Awolowo was also the trail-blazing first Premier of the Western Region; his government conceived the idea of the University of Ife that was eventually renamed in his honour after his death on May 9, 1987. His all-round achievements were breathtaking; more so in the field of education. His FREE EDUCATION programme gave the Western Region a head-start in post-colonial-era Nigeria.

Still, I felt as if something was wrenched out of me with the name-change. Not that Awo did not deserve the honour or any honour for that matter. Apart from fighting for Independence, and apart from his matchless contributions to the development of the Western Region, he was also the vice-chairman of the Federal Military Government of Gen. Yakubu Gowon as well as the Commissioner (today’s Minister) of Finance reputed to have helped navigate the country through the harrowing times of the Civil War (1967 – 1970) without borrowing a dime to prosecute the war. Before his death, Awo had also been the leader of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) whose political godsons won elections and governed what was then known as the LOOBO states (Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Bendel and Ondo states.)

I have gone on this historical excursion to show that my feelings or misgivings when Great Ife was renamed were not that Awo did not deserve the honour. I think it must have had to do with the sentimental attachment that students generally develop for their alma mater. Till today, I still harbour those feelings. Whenever anyone asks if I finished from the Obafemi Awolowo University, I waste no time in saying I did not, but that I finished from the University of Ife! When they retort that it means the same thing, I always insist it does not – or does it? University of Ife is University of Ife (Great Ife) and Obafemi Awolowo University is Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). I did not attend OAU; I attended the University of Ife – and that is what is boldly printed on my certificate!

When I write, you must have noticed that I never forget, whenever I mention Obafemi Awolowo University, to put in parenthesis ‘formerly the University of Ife, Ile-Ife.’ I am sure I am not alone in this feeling of nostalgia toward the University of Ife. Not a few believe that name-change destroys brands, distorts history, and creates double identities. I would have preferred that institutions, once named, retain their original names. We can always find other monuments to name after anyone. Or, if a university or any school is to be named after anyone, let it be done from the very founding of the said institution, so that whoever is going there knows where he or she is going; not that name-change catches you mid-air or a crisis of identity is created for you long after you have passed out of your alma mater.

The UNILAG name-change fiasco

The name-change at the University of Ife went rather peacefully. It was a matter that farts in one’s mouth, but immediately adds honey to it. Babangida, the Maradona and self-styled evil genius, must have primed his dubious honour done to Awo – that is how I still see it almost 40 years after – as blackmail. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was, however, not as lucky when he proposed to rename the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos after Chief MKO Abiola, after the death of the business mogul and winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, on July 7, 1998. Jonathan must have been aghast with the gale of negative reactions that attended his decision, which he announced on May 29, 2012. Ordinarily, he could have expected to be carried shoulder high for it; what with his two predecessors (Olusegun Obasanjo, himself Yoruba and Egba like MKO Abiola; and Umaru Yar’Adua) not deeming it fit to honour Abiola!

Characteristically, Jonathan backpedalled and the National Stadium, Abuja, was fittingly renamed MKO Abiola, the widely acclaimed ‘Pillar of Sports’ in Africa, by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 12, 2019. Was the protest against the renaming of the University of Lagos directed personally at MKO? No! I can still recollect that the same feelings I expressed about the name-change at Ife were those expressed by a cross-section of Nigerians – former and present Akokites inclusive. Brand destruction. Identity crisis. Psychological trauma, etc. Eventually, MKO got the national honour he richly deserved instead of being conscripted in death as a local champion. That was one reason many were also not happy with Awo being limited to the university he conceptualised in his own locality instead of the Leader of Opposition in the First Republic being honoured with something outside his own territory. What Babangida did was use Abu’s money to entertain Abu. In the real sense, he gave nothing!

Issues surrounding upgrade of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic

It is in this light that I seek to say a few words about some of the issues surrounding the upgrade of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo to the status of a university. Founded and named The Polytechnic, Owo in 1979, the school has witnessed a series of name-change, such that its alumni may find it difficult to recognise their school again or feel any joy or interest in identifying with it! It was renamed the Ondo State Polytechnic in 1990. Again in 2003 it was renamed Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in honour of Chief Rufus Giwa, a prominent Nigerian businessman-turned politician from Oke-Agbe, Akoko area of Ondo state, who died in a road accident on March 26, 2003 at the age of 60 years. Last year again, the Ondo state government approved the upgrade of the polytechnic to a specialized University of Agriculture and Agribusiness.

It would appear as if the actual name and specialization of this university in the making is not yet settled. There are those who feel it should be a full-fledged university or that more courses should be added to it. Ask JAMB how many Nigerian students indicate interest year-in, year-out in Agriculture and Education courses! Every year, the carrying capacity of Nigerian universities in those courses is left unfilled while courses such as Medicine, Nursing, Law, Engineering, Pharmacy, Accountancy, Mass Communication are unable to take more than a fraction of interested applicants. The new university, if it limits itself to Agric courses alone, may likely suffer the same fate driving it away from remaining a polytechnic. I have been a member of JAMB’s civil society and media team for many years, attending its stakeholders’ and other high-stake meetings and can volunteer that information to my state for free!

Rufus Giwa: To be or not to be?

The other controversy trailing the new university is whether it should still retain ‘Rufus Giwa’ in its name. Last Tuesday, 29th September, 2026, a public hearing on the conversion of the polytechnic to a university was held in the hallowed chambers of the State House of Assembly and I understand proceedings went very well. A major hurdle in the way of the university taking off the ground has, thus, been scaled. And, in my opinion, the minor controversy over whether the name ‘Rufus Giwa’ should or should not be retained need not detain us any further. Those for as well as those against have their points. This, then, is like the proverbial tse-tse fly that perches on a man’s scrotum – care must be taken when dealing with it.

I have expressed my personal feelings about naming public institutions after individuals. I wish other public places could be so named. I have also enumerated the deleterious effects of name-change executed mid-air. In the case of the school under discussion at Owo, name-change has been done repeatedly. This destroys brands, mutilates identities and makes alumni solidarity difficult. Tell me, under what name or names will the alumni of this school gather and organize themselves to give back to their alma mater?

When Gov. Olusegun Agagu changed the name of the Ondo State Polytechnic to Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in June 2003, many viewed it as political patronage. As an astute industrialist, an honour done Rufus Giwa in his areas of forte, just like the National Stadium renamed after MKO Abiola and not the University of Lagos – would have been fitting. I am not aware of Chief Rufus Giwa’s pedigree in the field of education in Ondo state or Nigeria at large. Awolowo earned his own honours with his contributions to the educational development of the Western Region and the many seminal books he wrote on Nigeria’s development. Besides, Rufus Giwa was not a former governor of Ondo state. We can cite the examples of former Gov. Ambrose Ali (Ekpoma State university); Technical University, Ibadan renamed after former Gov. Isiaka Ajimobi; University of Technology, Ogbomoso renamed after the second Premier of the Western Region whose government actually executed the take-off of the then University of Ife, and the Ekiti State University of Education named after former Gov. Bamidele Olumilua, among others.

It was within the prerogatives of Agagu to have immortalised a friend and supporter, especially one that was a prominent son of Ondo state who must have contributed one way or the other to the state’s development. His name should have been fixed on something more appropriate. But that having been done, I counsel that we allow sleeping dogs to lie! The task now should be how to kick-start the new university as well as ensure it does not become moribund before long. Courses that interest admission-seekers should be injected into its curriculum.

Olowo deserves commendations

Let me say, before I close, that I do not see anything wrong in the Olowo of Owo leading a strong delegation of Owo obas and elites to the public hearing on the new university. In fact, we should commend him for doing so. Few days after the hectic Igogo festival, Kabiyesi, who should be holidaying somewhere, prioritised the public hearing. I also do not see anything wrong in his aggregating the views of his people at the public hearing. Yes, he is the current chairman of the Ondo State Council of Obas and Owo and Akoko have been brothers from the time when eyes were on the knees, as they say, but, ultimately, all politics is local. Charity, they say, begins from home.

Now that the public hearing has come and gone, we should all let bygones be bygones. Let Owo and Akoko elites sheathe their sword. Those suggesting a tit-for-tat not only miss the point but are fruitlessly trying to compare sleep with death. The name of Adekunle Ajasin that the university at Akungba-Akoko answers is richly deserved. History records Ajasin as one of the brains behind the Action Group’s FREE EDUCATION policy in the old Western Region; he was also the civilian governor of old Ondo State when his administration founded the then Obafemi Awolowo University in March 1982. It was renamed the Ondo State University in 1985, relocated to Akungba-Akoko after Ekiti state was split from Ondo state in 1999 and was renamed Adekunle Ajasin University in 2004. Ajasin died on October 3, 1997.

Fubara tasks new Opobo monarch to unite kingdom, end division

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the new Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom, His Majesty King Charles Douglas Mac-Pepple Jaja, Jeki VI, to use his reign to unite the kingdom, embrace all contenders in the selection process and drive tangible development.

Fubara gave the charge on Friday at Government House, Port Harcourt, while presenting the Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office to the monarch.

The governor urged the new king to regard those who contested the stool but lost as ‘comrades’ rather than victims, stressing that their inclusion was necessary for peace and progress in the kingdom.

Fubara said the successful transition was particularly significant because the stool of the late Amanyanabo, King Douglas Dandeson Jaja, had been embroiled in a legal battle for more than 27 years.

He said his administration deliberately managed the succession process to prevent a recurrence of litigation, adding that history would remember his government for peacefully concluding the transition from the burial of the late monarch to the selection, coronation and recognition of his successor.

The governor also dismissed insinuations that his absence from the coronation was politically motivated, explaining that he was attending to a higher national assignment.

He said: ‘Our presence was not just in that process alone. Every logistics that were required, there is nobody that can say he’s the one that did it. We did it.

‘So, for those people who like using everything for politics, my absence was not an intentional thing; it was a call to service. So the fact that I was unable to make it doesn’t mean that I do not value, appreciate or support the process.’

Fubara urged the monarch to make peace, unity and inclusiveness the foundation of his reign, warning against allowing kinship or personal relationships to undermine security in the kingdom.

He described Opobo as one of the most peaceful local government areas in Rivers State and charged the new monarch to maintain zero tolerance for criminality and take decisive steps to protect the kingdom.

The governor said his administration would continue to support the monarch, even beyond his tenure in office, while urging the Alapu Council, titled citizens and other stakeholders to move beyond ceremonial activities and channel their influence into projects that would deliver visible development to the people.

He identified education, healthcare and support for small businesses as key areas requiring attention, noting that sustainable investment in these sectors could help tackle youth involvement in criminality.

Responding, the new Amanyanabo, King Jaja Jeki VI, pledged to build Opobo Kingdom around service, inclusion and vision, in honour of the legacy of the kingdom’s founder, the great King Jaja, who established the kingdom 156 years ago through trade and diplomacy.

The monarch described the Staff of Office as more than a symbol of authority, saying it represented a sacred trust from the Rivers State Government and the people to lead with justice, peace and dignity.

He expressed gratitude to God, the ancestors, Governor Fubara, the Opobo Council of Alapu, titled citizens, elders, women and youths for entrusting him with the leadership of the kingdom.

King Jeki VI assured the state government that his reign would make Opobo Kingdom a dependable partner in promoting peace, development and unity across Rivers State.

Association of Nigerian Authors spearheads online voting

For everything it does, Lagos State often wants to stand out. Standing out therefore has become a way to set the pace and usher in new ways of keeping up with modernity. Ask the Association of Nigerian Authors, (ANA), Lagos State chapter, and you will readily get a positive response. When it comes to the issues that propel the writers’ body to a point of excellence and beauty, ANA, Lagos, has always served this pivotal role, dictating the pace.

At the last weekend election of its new executive officers to run the affairs of the association for the next two years, ANA, Lagos, promptly introduced a model that was enviable, good and progressive. The online voting started two days ahead of the conclusion of the electoral process ending with the physical voting. The idea was introduced in order to encourage and also allow voters affiliated to the Lagos chapter but who are now either in Diaspora or resident beyond reach, to vote. It was just to avoid deliberately disenfranchising members who were willing to vote irrespective of their location or state of mobility.

So, the exercise brought in the idea of online. The process, apart from being an easy way out of an otherwise electoral logjam, simplified the way for the voting to be seen to be very transparent. On the last day when the final physical voting took place, it was discovered that over sixty percent of the eligible voters had exercised their rights online. This way, a clarion call is being made on the leadership of ANA in Lagos to buckle up the more to face the rigours of an accelerated leadership.

Before the final stage of the election took place at Herbert Macaulay Library, Yaba, Lagos, banters, heavy banters bordering on whether the online was proper or not, rocked the waves. Tempers were high; some members insisted that both the online and physical would have been held simultaneously. However, when tempers cooled off, sound reason took over. The processes continued and in the end, new executive council emerged. Not only that those who lost took it in good strides, sound reasoning prevailed; ANA became one once again.

Yet, it was time for the monthly reading when poets performed, some recited. Then some lyrics that are lugubrious or dilettante ruled. Some lines went on deeper to dissect the society. Dagga Tolar was there, so also was Tanko Mature. They read some lines that probed; that sent shivers into people’s spines. Writers sat with intentional and purposeful attention listening to the ideas that came off the inmost bearings of poets, deep thinkers, and great writers.

The moments ushered in ideal moments of sober reflections. Will the society suffuse under the weight of these words of forbearance orchestrated by its leadership? Or will it surmount the ordeals that proclaim themselves daily? The poets sang, they read, they performed; some even gyrated to the rhythmical nuances of an evocative, idealistic and indolent society full of confusion and idiocy.

It was quite a noble Saturday afternoon as love flowed, ideas blossomed and fermented. Authors bristled for the moments that also generated ideas that could result into more books. Concerning the lessons learnt about the online voting, some of the authors who voted online and still found time to witness the physical one responded thus. Dr. Akinwunmi said: ‘The online voting was not only interesting, it was indeed innovative, very inspiring, so to say. We need to start from somewhere which we have already done. To be candid, the online voting was transparent.

‘You needed not to cheat or be cheated. Everyone sees the votes come in and for whom they are meant. So, it makes it easier for people to vote. In other words, anywhere you are in the world you have the opportunity to vote. It was so good, so clearly done. I voted, but I have come here today to witness how what we started would come to an end. And you can see that the processes are clear and well followed.

‘This shows also how we have displayed the voters’ list and exposed the accredited members, eligible voters to cast their votes. So the general platform was not used because it may not be everyone in there is qualified to vote. So, the process is therefore transparent, credible and error free. The leadership was wise in creating a separate platform for the voting. This was a wise way to avoid rancor and cheating’.

On the whole about 67 – 69 members who were duly eligible to vote were put on this fresh platform for the purpose of voting. All the contestants were listed on it with the positions they were contesting for. ‘But then we still voted even when a candidate was unopposed. It was an ample time to show our unalloyed love for the contestants and fellow writers’, Akinwunmi said.

Another person who voted online was Joseph Yohanna Waliya who incidentally went unopposed as the PRO of the association. He said, ‘Yes, I voted online and it was good. The exercise was perfect. This is so, because in this era of digital evolution, we must follow the trend and make things easier for ourselves. We have noticed that even now that we can do many things online, on WhatsApp and so on, we will be able to hold our leaders accountable. It is so clear and transparent. No room for rigging or cheating or snatching of ballot boxes’.

Waliya, a poet and author, went on: ‘We are happy now because our votes counted. In the election that is now physical, even everyone cleared online could have as well voted online if you could not make it to this venue. So, that is one of the beauties of the experiment. This is very innovative and I really appreciate it. What the leadership did is good because even as a member in England or France or elsewhere, you can still participate and your votes count as well. Actually, any member that is of ANA Lagos anywhere outside Lagos is permitted to vote. And we did it and it gladdens the hearts of members’.

The evening closed with a brief convention and the swearing in of the new executives. Dr. Olatunbosun Taofeek retained the position of chairman, while Deborah Omoaregba became the vice chairman. The new secretary is Amarachukwu Obika-Stevens, Yohanna Waliya came in as the PRO while Ebuzhafe Ogunsanya is the legal adviser. Other vacant positions would be filled duly as the constitution stipulates. Members of the electoral committee headed by Yemi Adebiyi, Chuba Eluwa and Dr. Mary Joan Nwagwu.

The attendance was encouraging with nearly all former chairmen of ANA, Lagos, in attendance giving further credence to the age-long aphorism that Lagos is the centre of excellence.

Wole Adedoyin, the secretary-general of ANA came in to supervise the election as mandated by ANA national. His presence and wise counsel helped also to put proceedings in proper check. On behalf of ANA president, Dr. Dipo Akanbi, Adedoyin said: ‘The Lagos State chapter occupies a significant place in the history and development of the Association of Nigerian Authors. Its rich literary tradition and contributions to the growth of Nigerian literature place a special responsibility on every member to protect the unity, dignity and institutional integrity of the chapter.

‘Let us therefore remember that the strength of ANA does not rest solely on those who occupy elective positions. It rests on the collective commitment of all our members to literature, fellowship, service and the continued advancement of the Association’.

Gov Inuwa: Boko Haram weakened, not defeated

Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has declared that despite notable regional achievements over the past six years, Boko Haram insurgency remained weakened but not defeated.

The Governor, who is also Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), said this during the 13th meeting of the forum in Maiduguri on Saturday.

‘Boko Haram has been weakened but not defeated, and we still see attacks on our communities. Banditry and communal clashes are emerging as new threats,’ he said.

He noted that the lingering insecurity in the region had left many displaced citizens unable to return safely to their homes.

He pointed out that critical regional infrastructure projects, such as the Mambilla hydropower project, regional railway connections, and broadband expansion, remain unrealized, while critical health and educational deficits continue to plague the region.

Reflecting on the journey of the North East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) since its inception in Gombe in March 2020, Governor Inuwa said the coalition was born out of necessity.

‘When we first met in Gombe, we did so out of necessity. The challenges confronting our region were greater than any one state could solve alone,’ he said, emphasizing that insecurity, banditry, cross-border crime, poor infrastructure, energy deficits, and the humanitarian crisis do not respect state boundaries.

Despite the daunting hurdles, the governor acknowledged tangible progress achieved by the forum across multiple sectors, including infrastructure, power generation, the economy, human capital development, and security.

He spotlighted the Kolmani exploration project as a beacon of great promise, stressing, however, that this potential must translate into actual production, jobs, and revenue.

He also warned regarding the region’s natural wealth: ‘Our solid minerals must be mined legally and for the benefit of our people, not to fund criminality.’

Addressing the region’s human capital challenges, Governor Inuwa urged his colleagues to maintain a spirit of brutal honesty.

‘Too many of our children are still out of school, and our health indicators remain among the weakest in the country. We must be honest with ourselves and with our people. The challenges we set out to confront in 2020 have not gone away,’ he stated.

Saturday’s meeting carried profound historical significance, marking what is expected to be the final gathering of the forum ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The five of the founding governors-from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe- are set to complete their constitutional two-term tenures in the coming months; the assembly served as a crucial moment for stock-taking, reflection, and leadership transition