Category: Daily Trust

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced the former Minister of Power, Mr Saleh Mamman, to 75 years imprisonment in absentia over N33.8 billion money laundering offences.

Justice James Omotosho, who convicted Mamman in all the 12 counts preferred against him by the EFCC, ordered that the sentence shall run consecutively and not concurrently.

Justice Omotosho said that the absence of the ex-minister in court today (Thursday) and on the last adjourned date was a deliberate attempt to stop the wheel of justice.

The judge, who agreed with the EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, that though the defendant was not in court, the provisions of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, gave the court the power to proceed with the sentencing.

The judge held that Mamman cannot claim to have suffered a miscarriage of justice.

The judge consequently sentenced the convict to seven years imprisonment in Counts one, two, three, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11 and 12 without option of fine.

Justice Omotosho also sentenced him to three year-jail term in Count 4 with an option of fine of a N10 million and two years’ imprisonment in Count 5 without option of fine.

The judge, who ordered that the sentence shall run consecutively, said this shall commenced from the date of his arrest.

He, therefore, ordered all security agencies in and outside the country, including the INTERPOL, to arrest Mammn anywhere he is sighted and handed over to the Nigerian Correctional Services for his jail term.

Also based on the application by counsel for the prosecution, which was not challenged by the ex-minister’s lawyer, Mohammed Ahmed, Justice Omotosho also ordered the final forfeiture of Mamman’s two properties located in choiced areas of Abuja and monies in different currencies recovered by the anti-graft agencies.

The judge further ordered that the differential amount between the monies and assets recovered from Mamman and the sum of N22 billion the prosecution was able to establish during the trial, out of the N33. 8 billion allegedly siphoned from the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects, be refunded by the convict.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Omotosho had, on May 7, convicted Mamman in absentia over allegations of money laundering.

Although Mamman was conspicuously absent in court, Justice Omotosho, in the judgment, held that the EFCC had been able to established the 12-count amended charge against the defendant beyond reasonable.

Former Presidential spokesman and veteran journalist, Laolu Akande, has said former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will struggle to win Nigeria’s presidency unless he builds and sustains a formidable political structure rather than moving across party platforms.

Akande made the remarks during My Take segment of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television, where he delivered a pointed assessment of Obi’s political strategy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to the former presidential aide, Nigeria’s political history shows that no candidate has ever emerged president solely on personal popularity or mass appeal without a disciplined party machinery and institutional political structure.

‘No one is likely to win a presidential election [in Nigeria] the way [Peter] Obi is doing [moving from one party to another],’ Akande said.

He urged Obi to learn from the experiences of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whose multiple presidential ambitions across different political platforms have yet to produce electoral victory.

‘Just ask former vice president Atiku Abubakar who has ran for president in several different parties,’ he added.

Akande argued that Obi’s recent political movements and his inability to consolidate control within the Labour Party after the 2023 election raise serious questions about his long-term political strategy.

‘Obi’s inability to stay in the Labour Party and stick with people like [Abia State] Governor Alex Otti and co to secure and preserve the LP structure shows that he lacks political sagacity,’ Akande said.

He further disclosed that even Obi’s 2023 running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, had hoped the former governor would return and strengthen the party.

‘Even Datti Baba-Ahmed who was his running mate in 2023 had hoped that Obi could return. It was after Obi left the Labour Party that the party managed to put its house in order-certainly, with more stability currently than ADC.’

Akande maintained that anyone genuinely seeking to transform Nigeria’s political system must first understand the importance of building durable institutions rather than relying solely on personal charisma or social media-driven popularity.

‘If you want to change a system, you first have to build and hold an institution because no one by themselves without a fairly organised political party can ever-or has ever-won a national election in Nigeria,’ he said.

Drawing comparisons with former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, Akande said both leaders spent over a decade building opposition structures before eventually capturing power in 2015.

‘Former President Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu played opposition politics in the past between 2003 and 2015. They weren’t jumping all over the place like Obi.’

He noted that Buhari, like Obi, commanded an intensely loyal grassroots following but succeeded because he kept his supporters anchored within one political platform.

‘Like Obi, Buhari has a strong cult of followers. But Buhari managed to keep them tightly under one political party for the most part in those 12 years.’

Akande pointed out that Buhari remained committed to the Congress for Progressive Change, while Tinubu steadily built the Action Congress, both of which later became critical building blocks for the formation of the All Progressives Congress.

‘But only in less than four years, see how many times Obi has defected. Buhari stuck with CPC. Tinubu built AC. And they both came together to form APC.’

For Akande, the lesson is clear: political endurance, institutional loyalty, and organisational discipline-not personality-driven campaigns-remain the true currency of presidential politics in Nigeria.

‘Obi hasn’t managed to do that. He treated parties like disposable vehicles, rather than foundations,’ he said.

In one of his strongest conclusions, Akande argued that Nigeria’s democratic evolution now requires more than charismatic movements built around individuals.

‘Nigeria doesn’t need another personality cult. We need a political machine,’ he stated.

Akande’s comments come as political alignments, coalition talks, and party restructuring continue to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 presidential race, with Peter Obi widely expected to remain a major player in opposition politics.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has criticised the federal government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education from sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), warning that the policy could further erode standards in the teaching profession.

Speaking during a presentation on digital transformation in education at the 21st Century Teacher initiative which held in Abuja, the NUT President, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, said teaching should not become a profession reserved for candidates unable to secure admission into other fields.

He said nations that have achieved sustainable development invested heavily in quality teacher training and ensured that the profession attracted some of the brightest minds in society.

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‘Teaching should not be the last resort. I was shocked when the Federal Government announced the removal of UTME requirements for candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education. We must think carefully about the implications of such a policy

‘We should not turn Colleges of Education into testing grounds or alternative routes for candidates who could not gain admission into universities.

‘Instead, we should be saying that those who want to become teachers must be among the best-performing students in the country. If we truly want quality education tomorrow, then we must begin by recruiting intelligent, passionate and competent people into the teaching profession today,’ he said.

The organiser of the 21st Century Teacher initiative, Ayodeji Ogunjobi, said the programme was conceived after discovering that many teachers lacked basic digital skills needed for modern teaching.

‘We cannot expect teachers to move into the new era of education without digital competence,’ he said, adding that educators globally now teach across borders using virtual learning platforms and digital tools.

Representing the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, Mrs. Iyabo Ali described the initiative as strategic and timely, noting that the ministry supports efforts aimed at equipping teachers with 21st-century competencies.

Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Dr. (Mrs.) Ronke Soyombo, said outdated teaching methods could no longer meet modern educational demands.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, 81, has been sworn in for a seventh term, extending his 40-year tenure following a landslide victory in controversial January elections.

One of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, Museveni took the oath of office on Tuesday at an event at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, while being cheered by thousands of attendees.

The election in January took place amid a nationwide internet blackout and reports of intimidation and abductions of the opposition.

Museveni won 71.65 percent of the vote, according to Uganda’s Electoral Commission.

Opposition leader Bobi Wine, an entertainer whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, received 24.72 percent and said ‘massive’ ballot stuffing had taken place.

Since taking office in 1986, Museveni has twice changed the constitution to remove term and age limits.

The former rebel leader once said Africa’s problem was leaders who overstayed their welcome.

He is credited by Ugandans with overseeing rapid economic growth and ending a period of post-independence chaos that followed the end of British colonial rule in 1962.

Museveni first came to power as a rebel leader in 1986 but since then has won seven elections.

He is among the few African leaders in power for more than 40 years. Others include Congo-Brazzaville’s Denis Sassou Nguesso, Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang and Cameroon’s Paul Biya.

In his address, Museveni said that his government would use revenue from planned oil production to grow the economy and alleviate poverty.

African leaders who attended the ceremony included Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Félix Tshisekedi, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir and Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Uganda has one of the world’s youngest populations, with the majority of the people having known no other president.

Museveni has not indicated when he intends to retire, but analysts say this is likely to be his last term.

Two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service have been killed in a confrontation with suspected Lakurawa terrorists in Kebbi State.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, who disclosed this, said the incident happened on Wednesday morning.

The slain operatives identified as Assistant Superintendent of Customs Bamigboye and Deputy Superintendent of Customs Dom, were said to have died during a counter-offensive operation against the armed group around 3am.

Adeniyi disclosed the development in Ilorin while delivering a keynote address at the fourth biennial international conference organised by the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin.

The event was held in collaboration with the Faculty of Philology, RUDN University, Russia.

‘This morning, two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service paid the supreme sacrifice while warding off threats from Lakurawa terrorists in Kebbi,’ the customs chief said.

He described the incident as deeply painful, noting that operatives of the service have continued to play frontline roles in security operations alongside the military.

‘Apart from the military, the Nigeria Customs Service remains the last shield in several of these border communities,’ Adeniyi stated.

The Comptroller-General revealed that he had already arrived in Ilorin before receiving reports of the attack, adding that the development would have made him consider cancelling his engagement at the conference.

He, however, assured that the deaths of the officers would not weaken the resolve of the service in confronting criminal networks operating around Nigeria’s borders.

A minute silence was later observed at the conference in honour of the deceased officers.

Speaking on the conference theme, ‘Disruptive Technology: Human and Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Economy,’ Adeniyi said the deployment of Artificial Intelligence-driven risk management tools by the customs service had significantly reduced corruption and improved operational efficiency.

According to him, portraying Artificial Intelligence as a replacement for human capacity was misleading, stressing that human judgment and leadership remain critical in technological deployment.

‘Human intelligence is still required to guide Artificial Intelligence and prevent disruption within the economy,’ he said.

The customs boss also challenged Nigerian researchers and technology experts to develop affordable local innovations capable of functioning in environments with weak connectivity.

He identified poor and inaccurate data generation as a major challenge confronting digital advancement in the country.

In his goodwill message, Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, condoled with the Nigeria Customs Service over the deaths of the officers, describing them as patriots who died in active service to the nation.

Represented by his Special Adviser and Counsellor, Alhaji Saad Salahu, the governor highlighted several digital initiatives introduced by the state government, including innovation hubs, ICT centres and the KwaraLEARN programme aimed at expanding digital opportunities for young people.

He also called for stronger legal and ethical frameworks to regulate the use of Artificial Intelligence.

‘Today, whatever innovation we have should be guided by laws and ethics,’ he said.

Earlier, the Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, Prof. Saudat Salah Abdulbaqi, said the faculty was pursuing plans to transform its learning facilities into smart classrooms.

She appealed for support towards the provision of modern studios, laboratories, lecture theatres, professorial suites and transportation facilities for the faculty.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has organised a two-day free medical outreach for staff of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Agency (FCDA).

The outreach, organised by the Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES) in Abuja, provided free healthcare services to over 700 civil servants, while 500 reading glasses were distributed to beneficiaries.

Flagging off the programme, the Head of Civil Service of the FCTA, Nancy Sabanti Nathan, said the initiative reflected the administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare under the leadership of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmud.

She urged workers to prioritise regular medical check-ups and healthy living.

The Mandate Secretary of HSES, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, said the outreach was aimed at promoting awareness, prevention and early detection of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

According to her, services provided included free medical consultations, blood pressure and blood sugar tests, eye screening, X-ray services, medications and enrolment into the FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS).

The Mandate Secretary expressed concern over the growing number of people who avoid routine medical examinations until complications arise, particularly in cases of hypertension and diabetes, which she described as ‘silent killer diseases.’

She stressed the need for regular medical check-ups for early detection and proper management of such conditions.

The chairperson of the FCTA Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), Comrade Rifkatu Iyortyer, praised the initiative, saying it would improve staff welfare and productivity.

Why I left APC – Abuja Reps aspirant

By Abubakar Sadiq Isah

A former chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and aspirant for the Abuja South Federal Constituency seat in the 2027 election, Hon. Kamal Adamu Shuaibu, has said he resigned from the party due to the absence of internal democracy.

Shuaibu stated this while addressing journalists during the convention of the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Abuja.

According to him, despite years of commitment and support for the APC, neither he nor his supporters benefited meaningfully from the party’s leadership.

He said the decision to join the NDC followed consultations with stakeholders, youths and women groups across the Abuja South Federal Constituency.

He described the NDC as a party with better leadership ideals and promised to provide effective representation for the people of Abuja South if elected in 2027.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun Area I Command, says it has seized smuggled items with the cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N6,777,236,000 billon in the past five weeks at the border areas of Ogun State.

Besides, the command said it is set to deploy advanced geospatial technology to fortify international borders in Ogun State.

The Acting Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Olukayode Afeni, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the activities of the command, at the Sentry, Idiroko Border Post, on Tuesday.

Afeni explained that the deployment of the advanced geospatial technology at the borders would mark a fundamental shift from traditional patrolling to intelligence-led operations, allowing the command to monitor smuggling hotspots across its Area of Responsibility.

He added that beyond enforcement, these advancements would foster a transparent and accountable administration that remains responsive to legitimate trade and fully aligned with the World Customs Organization SAFE Framework of Standards.

On the seizures made by the command, Afeni informed journalists that operatives of the Ogun 1 Area Command intercepted 73 seizures in just five weeks through enhanced intelligence and inter-agency cooperation.

He listed the seized items to include 1,759 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 50kg each: 10,126 parcels of cannabis indica of different sizes (Ghana Loud) equivalent of 4627 kg with estimated street value of over N5b; 2,685 kegs of Oki Vegetable Oil (25 liters each); 14,550 liters of Premium Motor Spirit in jerry cans; 16 kegs of 2 liters Oki Vegetable oil and 20 cartons of Turkey Vegetable oil (3 litres).

Others are 10 cartons of 21kg Basmati rice; 216 cartons of 20kg Basmati rice; 205 packs of footwear; 26 sacks of raw cannabis sativa; 66 Bales of secondhand clothing; 11 kegs of diesel (25 liters each); 46 bags of foreign sugar (25kg each); 77 cartons of 500mg Analgin injection (without NAFDAC Reg. Number) and 7 sacks of secondhand clothing.

Afeni also added that 2 Units of used vehicles; 2 sacks of ladies’ handbags; 16 cartons of Organic honey; 50 cartons of expired Maggi star; 858 packs of macaroni; 2 sacks of Spaghetti; 6 live Pangolins, already handed over to relevant agency for necessary action, were also seized during the anti-smuggling operations.

‘Permit me to briefly highlight the adverse effect of the seized items on the wellbeing of our citizenry, especially the cannabis sativa, foreign rice and vegetable oil.

Cannabis Sativa/Indica, commonly known as marijuana or Indian hemp is a psychoactive drug that is derived from the cannabis plant. It has a devastating effect on the lives of its consumers, especially our youths. The rise in its abuses gives a great concern within the Nigerian society and a threat to our national security, due to its potential influence on criminal activities, such as armed robbery, banditry, cultism, kidnapping terrorism and other vices.

‘From January to date, we have taken 26,002 parcels of cannabis off the streets. This isn’t just a seizure; it’s a preventive measure. Without this intervention, our society would face a wave of drug-related crises that our already overstretched healthcare and rehab systems. its availability would have spiked drug-related health issues and overwhelmed our strained psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities’. He stated.

While disclosing that the cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized items is N6,777,236,000 billon naira, Afeni said that the prohibited items were intercepted at different locations within Ogun State, with the aid of intensive intelligence strategies of the command.

On revenue generation, Afeni said: ‘Alongside our successful anti-smuggling operations, the Command, from 16 March, 2026 to 12 May, 2026, generated and remitted into Federation account the sum of N125,430,757.00 in revenue through baggage assessment and the auction of seized petroleum products’.

‘We are pleased to note that cross-border trade is picking up gradually; my management team remains fully committed to resolving all the bottlenecks. Notably, we successfully facilitated the export of 95 metric tonnes with free on board (FOB) of One Billion Four Million Six Hundred and Forty-One Thousand Fifty-six Naira Nine Kobo (N1,004,641,056.09).

‘Let me use this medium to encourage our compliant traders to remain steadfast and be assured of our maximum cooperation. Our doors are widely open for consultation and required support’, the Customs Area Controller added.

Afeni, who later handed over the seized banned substances to the Commander of the Idiroko Special Command of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ekundayo Williams, lauded the concerted and collaborative efforts of other sister agencies and critical stakeholders in the command’s fight against smugglers and economic saboteurs.

The Committee of Directors of ICT of Nigerian Tertiary Institutions (ComDICT-NTI), has lamented the rise of cyberattacks on digital infrastructures in tertiary institutions.

Speaking during its 2026 annual conference, the Chairman of ComDICT-NTI, Daniel Inusa Yakmut, said universities, polytechnics and colleges of education are facing threats of theft of students data and finances.

He said the institutions should be prepared to tackle these issues before they become serious issues.

‘So this is the situation we are living in and that’s why we are thinking that we should be able to build networks that are resilient, adaptive and they can be able to sense such attacks and possibly repel them.

‘As directors of ICT we are the architects of making this reality happen on our campuses. I can assure you, you would think you don’t have anything to be attacked. Let me tell you two critical things that perpetrators look for. They go for the students’ results and the finances. They may not steal directly from your account but they will steal from the beneficiaries and users of your services like your student and so on and so forth,’ he said.

He added that the institutions also face a lot of network failure, thus the need to be adaptive in such a way that even if funding cuts occur they will be able to overcome it.

He added that their job in the educational environment is a thankless job as nobody appreciates them when the network or portal is going fine.

‘But as soon as there’s a glitch, that’s when they remember your name and rain all sorts of things on you. So let us recognize that but that should not deter us,’ he said.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arch Sonny Echono, urged the directors to build partnerships to be able to bring more productive outcomes to institutions.

He noted that the fund will spend more on ICT in schools as it is the future and urged them to bring more productive outcomes with the funding to encourage the fund to spend more on ICT.

The President of the Association of Facility Management Practitioners of Nigeria (AFMPN), Olumide Aina, has called for increased investment in professional facility management to improve the quality, safety, and sustainability of Nigeria’s built environment.

In a statement marking World FM Day 2026, celebrated globally under the theme ‘Cultivating Belonging Through Built Environments,’ Aina said buildings and public infrastructure must no longer be treated as projects that are abandoned after construction.

According to him, hospitals, schools, offices, markets, and residential estates play critical roles in the daily lives of Nigerians and must be properly maintained to ensure safety, productivity, and inclusion.

‘For too long in Nigeria, we have treated facility management as an afterthought. Buildings are built, handed over, and left to decay. Power fails, water leaks, elevators stop, and safety is compromised,’ he said.

Aina noted that the consequences of poor maintenance extend beyond financial losses, adding that failing infrastructure leads to reduced productivity, lost opportunities, and declining public confidence in institutions and systems.

He described Facility Management (FM) professionals as essential contributors to national development, stressing that their work ensures buildings remain functional, hygienic, sustainable, and accessible to users.

‘We are the professionals who ensure buildings remain safe, functional, sustainable, and inclusive. We make sure a child in a public school can learn in a clean classroom, a patient in a hospital can recover in a hygienic environment, and a worker in an office can be productive without worrying about basic amenities,’ he stated.

The AFMPN president praised FM practitioners across Nigeria for what he described as their ‘quiet but impactful’ contributions to society, saying professionals in the sector continue to raise standards and improve service delivery across states including Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Benue, Port Harcourt, and Kano.

He, however, urged stakeholders to do more to strengthen the profession by investing in training, certification, and institutional partnerships.

According to Aina, young Nigerians must begin to see facility management as a respected and strategic career path capable of directly improving lives and supporting economic growth.

‘We need more training, more certification, and stronger partnerships between government, academia, and industry,’ he said.

He also called on public and private sector leaders to engage qualified facility managers from the planning stages of projects, warning that neglecting maintenance often proves more expensive in the long run.

‘The cost of neglect is always higher than the cost of maintenance,’ Aina added.

Reaffirming AFMPN’s commitment to advancing professional standards and capacity development, he said the association would continue working to ensure Nigerians experience the dignity of safe and well-managed environments.

‘Your work often goes unseen, but it is felt every day. You are creating spaces where Nigerians feel safe, valued, and included. That is the foundation of a stronger Nigeria,’ he told FM professionals.

At just 50, Matthew Tonlagha’s life has orbited the full cycle of human accomplishments. From general welfare, education support, healthcare provision, community development, youth empowerment, job and wealth creation, and security of lives and physical infrastructure. In case, you don’t know him, Tonlagha is the Chairman of Maton Engineering and vice chairman of Tantita Security Services. He hit the golden age on February 8, this year. And it was a national celebration. A buzz full of substance and laden with significance. But the buzz was not for nothing. It was a testament to the impactful life of Tonlagha, especially in the oil and gas sector where his footprints are boldly expressed. The two enterprises he’s involved in play huge roles in oil exploration and security of oil and gas facilities especially in the difficult to navigate creeks of the oil-rich Niger Delta.

What stands him out is that he’s a home-grown entrepreneur. A made-in-Nigeria solution provider. A grassroots man devoted to the advancement of his community, his state and the nation at large. Endowed with natural brilliance and a wide knowledge bandwidth too exuberant to ignore, he has become a role model to many Nigerian youths. An exemplar of the truism that hard work has its due reward. Tonlagha is a futuristic and strategic thinker. This reflects in the manner he is handling operations at Tantita, whose chairman is the courageous Oweizdel Thomas Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo).

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To properly situate and appreciate the relevance of Tonlagha, let’s do a little inquisition into the state of the nation’s oil and gas sector. It was a sector fraught with fraud, brazen oil theft, sometimes on ship-load scales. At a time, the Niger Delta, the patch of earth that bears the oil, was a theatre of unbridled militancy, upheavals and agitations by listless youths who felt a sense of alienation from the benefits accruing from the crude oil drilled from their veins. Like the proverbial story of a woman scorned, the youths, justifiably so, raged and rallied against the Nigerian government and the oil majors that often treated them and the Niger Delta people with disdain.

This sense of injustice bred a wide range of challenges that impacted negatively on oil production. The consequences were dire for Nigeria – low revenue from oil, illegal bunkering, artisanal crude oil theft, and destruction of oil infrastructure. At a time, Nigeria’s oil production sunk to an all-time low, falling far short of OPEC quota. But all that changed in September 2022 when the Federal Government through the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, awarded oil infrastructure surveillance contract to Tantita Security Services. That was the masterstroke that pulled Nigeria from the brink of acute oil production downturn.

The impact was instant. Oil theft reduced by 79% between 2022 and 2023 with average production rising from one million barrels per day and peaking at 1.8m barrels/day by end of 2024. This was no magic. It came out of a deeper understanding of the causes of the agitations that defined militancy in the Niger Delta. Tantita quickly moved in, engaged the once restive but idle youths, collapsed the structures that divided the people from the traditional leaders and other stakeholders in the communities. Suddenly, the youths became engaged. They were employed, those who could handle small contracts were given. They committed to the ideal of Tantita and owned the entire ecosystem of protecting oil infrastructure in the region. Tantita simply democratised wealth in the Niger Delta through active stakeholder engagements especially the youths.

And peace, real peace, returned to the creeks. What was thought impossible became possible. Nigeria began to earn more money, thieving cartels and transnational syndicates of corruption in the oil sector were dismantled. For once in decades of oil exploration and exploitation, the youths became active participants in the oil production value chain. Government’s engagement of Tantita became the silver bullet that settled all the dust of crisis in the Niger Delta. Tompolo and his oil and gas business partner had been the ones driving the pulley of peace in the Niger Delta and ensuring that Nigeria ups it production in recent years.

There are copious reasons to appreciate the role of Tonlagha in the new push by the government to drive oil production to over 2 million barrels/day. First, here is a home-grown entrepreneur playing at the big stage of oil exploration, logistics and infrastructure protection. It is sure proof that Nigerians, not foreigners, are the solution to the multi-dimensional challenges bearing down on the nation. Tonlagha has proven to the world that Nigerians are capable of standing up and confronting their fears. In the oil and gas sector where foreign firms have held sway with clear command and control influence over the decades, Tonlagha has popped up to re-calibrate the dashboard and he has done so with stellar results.

The man who has ensured more earnings for Nigeria in oil and gas, is also a role model for many Nigerian youths. He is an example of men who turned adversity to advantage. After becoming a victim of wrong anti-polio medication in early life which affected his mobility and delayed his educational pursuit, he overcame all the odds to crest the curve of life. His experience would later shape his disposition to life, turning him into a philanthropist, nation-builder, community pillar and avid believer in the potency of the mercy of God.

A fervid supporter of President Bola Tinubu and believer in his vision of a prosperous Nigeria codified in Renewed Hope agenda, Tonlagha has all by himself consistently promoted Nigeria’s image in the eyes of the world. His role in sustaining discourses and liaison between Washington and Abuja through strategic consultations is undeniable. That’s the manifestation of a patriot, a man proud of his country and would never hold back to ensure its pride of place in the comity of nations.

Those who sulk and whine over their place of birth and poor ancestry should look to the story of Tonlagha for inspiration. He had his secondary education at Ugborikoko Secondary School and later in his home community of Benikrukru both in Delta State, he did not allow the rustic ruralness of his community to define him. Instead, he, in no time, drew global attention to his community.

When he turned 50, an assortment of goodwill messages from networth Nigerians graced the media space. President Tinubu, former President Goodluck Jonathan, serving and former governors, politicians, business people, lawyers’ group, civil society organisations, technocrats, socio-cultural organisations, among others, serenaded him for his philanthropy, environmental activism, wealth-creation initiatives, compassion for humanity, for being a bridge between generations, community development drive and oil infrastructure protection.

Truly, Tonlagha is not only a success, he’s a symbol of hope for the hopeless and a living evidence of how grace and mercy of God can coalesce for the sake of one person.