Category: Nigerian Tribune

ACCESS Holdings Plc onboarded 78,438 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) onto its financing platforms in 2025, as the financial services group expanded the use of digital channels to improve access to finance and other financial services across its operating markets.

The group said its MSME strategy combines banking, digital payments, app-based lending and business advisory services to address the financing and operational needs of small businesses.

Women-owned businesses accounted for N34.2 billion in financing during the year, underscoring the group’s focus on extending credit to enterprises that have traditionally faced barriers to formal financing.

Access Holdings said its MSME Toolkit and related programmes also provide training and advisory support designed to improve entrepreneurs’ business management capabilities.

The group’s approach reflects the growing role of digital finance in addressing the long-standing challenges associated with MSME lending, including limited collateral, inadequate credit histories and the high cost of serving small-ticket borrowers.

Through its various businesses, Access combines conventional banking services with digital payment and credit solutions. Access Bank provides accounts, trade services and working capital financing, while Hydrogen Payment Services supports merchants with digital payment infrastructure.

Oxygen X Finance, meanwhile, provides app-based credit to entrepreneurs, enabling the Group to reach businesses that may have limited access to traditional branch-based lending.

The integration of these services is designed to give small businesses access to finance alongside payment infrastructure and other financial tools, while creating transaction records that can potentially support future credit assessments.

The group’s MSME programmes also extend beyond lending, with training and advisory services intended to strengthen entrepreneurs’ ability to manage cash flow, plan for expansion and improve business operations.

For Access Holdings, the expansion of MSME financing represents both a financial inclusion initiative and an opportunity to diversify its loan portfolio across a large number of small businesses.

However, the longer-term commercial impact of the strategy will depend on the quality of the loans generated, repayment performance, sustained lending growth and the ability of financed businesses to improve their capacity and remain viable.

The performance of the MSME portfolio will also provide an indication of whether digital lending can deliver scale while maintaining appropriate credit-risk controls.

MSMEs remain an important segment of African economies, providing employment and supporting economic activity across sectors. Yet many small businesses continue to operate outside the formal financial system, limiting their access to credit, payment infrastructure and other financial services.

By using digital platforms, financial institutions can reduce some of the costs associated with reaching geographically dispersed businesses and processing relatively small loans.

More than 1,000 exhibitors and over 500,000 visitors, from 20 countries across the globe, are expected to participate at this year’s edition of the Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF), the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), organisers of the fair, has said.

Disclosing this to the media in Lagos, Chairman, Trade Promotion Board, LCCI, Princess Layo Bakare-Okeowo, also stated that the exhibitors had so far expressed their interest in being part of the event, expected to be flagged off in Lagos by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on November 6.

She said a major feature of the edition is the Business-to-Business and Business-to-Government Room, aimed at connecting the exhibitors with bulk buyers, building a network of business partners and signing deals.

She described the B-to-B Room as representing the gradual shaping of the face of the Fair from a consumer Fair to a merchandise Fair to mark its 40th anniversary.

Another major feature, she stated, is the Children’s Corner, for pupils and students of both primary and secondary schools across Lagos, to enable the children that come to the fair to have maximum fun.

She expressed the organisers’ gratitude to the Tolaram Group, the parent body of Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Indomie Noodles and other children-friendly brands, for sponsoring the aspect of the fair last year and signifying its intention to do same this year.

She also announced a three-year deal with Zenith Bank as the Banker of the Fair, for the next three years, starting from this year’s event, the 40th in the series.

A gentleman called Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour wants to be governor of Lagos State. But he cannot speak the language of the land. About four weeks ago, he told Arise TV that he had hired a teacher to teach him Yoruba language. Àdàgbà k? ilà, lílé ní í lé. Tribal marks made in adulthood come out as big scars; they confer no beauty; they scare away suitors.

That was what happened last week at a town hall event in Lagos when Gbadebo publicly demonstrated his Yoruba language adult education and bungled everything with a beautiful Yoruba proverb, appropriately chosen but badly rendered.

The man wants to govern a Yoruba state. In Yorubaland, realpolitik is inseparable from the politics of language. And this is not peculiar to the South-West. Can anyone who cannot speak Yoruba contest the governorship of this 4th Republic Kwara State and win? How would such a candidate address the people on the streets of Ilorin, particularly the women of ?jà Ìyá?

Can you struggle to speak Hausa and still hope to govern Kano? Can you be illiterate in Igbo and ask to be entrusted with the governorship of an Igbo state?

Gbádéb?` is a royal, beautiful name; it is the shortened form of Gbádéb?`wálé, which means ‘bring the crown home’ or ‘return home with the crown’. But how does one bring home what one cannot connect with? The son of Rhodes-Vivour’s struggle to speak Yoruba makes his ambition to govern Lagos exceedingly difficult to sell. It got worse last week.

Still, I will not step out to blame this man for the failure of his Bluetooth connection to the Yoruba language. The cutlass is not to blame for its blunt edge; neither is the hoe responsible for its missing teeth. Some persons, at a point in the past, simply made some wrong choices; they neglected sharpening the tool that may be needed today. The source of the problem is recorded twice in the Bible: ‘The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

Gbadebo’s father was Yoruba, his mum Igbo. How did he miss the language of his father? Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, like Gbadebo, had an Igbo mother, yet he speaks first-rate, mother-tongue Yoruba. I understand he also speaks Igbo fluently. His parents were his angels. If they did not make him speak Yoruba, the crankshaft of his political bulldozer would never have worked in Osun State.

There is a lesson here: proficiency in one’s mother tongue is often a certificate of (political) acceptance, particularly in this setting. But that certificate, and every qualification on the academic transcript, may soon count for little, especially now that Gbadebo’s infirmity is fast becoming an epidemic in Yorubaland. The Hausa do not have that problem; the affliction is not for the Igbo. It is a Yoruba illness. And if they do not sit up now, very soon, the political choice open to them may be between the highly educated who cannot speak Yoruba and the profoundly unlettered who speak it with cultivated fluency.

So, I plead: teach your children to speak, read and write the language of their fathers. No Yoruba child should confuse or conflate labalábá (butterfly) with làpálàpá (ringworm). I watched Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour do precisely that in the town hall video. It was ghastly. Every Yoruba should understand what they hear when someone whispers or shouts ogún (twenty); ogún (inheritance); ogun (war); Ògún (the god of iron); òjò (rain), ojo (a coward), Òjó (a personal name), and even, Ojó (a town in Osun State.

A child born of Yoruba parent(s) should be able to glide confidently through the tones and know when identical sounds yield meaning to context as with ogún (twenty) and ogún (inheritance); ó jó (it burnt); ó jó (he danced/she danced).

If you do not teach your child your language, when the day breaks tomorrow, your ?m? onílé (child of the house) will become an àlejò (a guest) and be treated as one.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has threatened to embark on a ‘total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action’ if the Federal Government fails to release funds for the full implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement within 14 days.

The union specifically demanded the immediate payment of all outstanding arrears arising from the implementation of the CONTTA salary structure, effective from 1 January 2026.

The ultimatum was issued at the end of SSANU’s 56th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, from 30 September to 1 October 2026.

The union said, although implementation of the 2026 agreement, formally signed on 29 June 2026, had commenced in some universities, the process remained incomplete and uneven across the university system due to funding and administrative challenges.

In a communique issued after the meeting and signed by SSANU’s National President, Comrade M. Haruna Ibrahim, the union said members had waited long enough for the benefits of an agreement already concluded.

‘NEC, in session, after exhaustive deliberations on the continued non-release of funds for the implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement, issued the Federal Government a fourteen (14) day ultimatum to release the required funds and ensure the full payment of all outstanding CONTTA arrears,’ the union said.

It warned that failure to meet the demand within the stipulated period would trigger industrial action without further notice.

‘Failure of the Federal Government to meet this demand within the fourteen (14) days will compel the Union to resume a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action without further notice,’ SSANU declared.

The union also raised concerns that universities which had commenced implementation of the CONTTA salary structure had done so largely through internally sourced funds, without direct cash backing from the Federal Government.

It therefore called on vice-chancellors and governing councils of universities yet to implement the financial and non-financial components of the 2026 agreement to draw lessons from institutions that had taken proactive steps to implement it.

SSANU said such action was necessary ‘in the interest of staff welfare, industrial harmony and improved organisational performance.’

The union further demanded payment of the remaining two months’ salaries withheld from affected members during the 2022 industrial action.

It also demanded immediate payment of the outstanding one-year arrears arising from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increases, describing the payments as ‘legitimate entitlements’ of affected university workers.

SSANU urged the Federal Government to settle the outstanding obligations in full, saying this would help address the financial hardship being experienced by affected members and demonstrate its commitment to the welfare of university workers.

On state-owned universities, the union expressed concern over the uneven implementation of the agreement, citing varying experiences across Ondo, Delta and Kaduna states.

It called on state governments and governing councils of state universities to ensure full and equitable implementation of the agreement and provide the necessary funding.

The union maintained that staff of state universities ‘must not be treated as lesser partners in the Nigerian University System’, warning that selective or delayed implementation could undermine industrial harmony.

Beyond the immediate salary issues, SSANU called for increased and sustainable funding of the Nigerian university system to improve teaching, research and innovation.

It urged the government to invest in critical infrastructure, including electricity, laboratories, workshops, libraries, ICT facilities, security systems and maintenance.

The union also opposed the planned adoption of online or virtual accreditation as a substitute for physical accreditation of university programmes.

It argued that direct verification of facilities, staffing, equipment and the actual learning environment remained essential to safeguarding academic standards and preserving the credibility of Nigerian university programmes.

On the wider economy, SSANU expressed concern over persistent insecurity, the rising cost of living and worsening food insecurity, saying these had combined to erode workers’ purchasing power and place enormous pressure on families.

It called on the government to strengthen intelligence gathering and protection of vulnerable communities, particularly farming communities and educational institutions, while pursuing policies that reduce the cost of living, protect workers’ incomes and improve agricultural productivity.

The union reaffirmed its ‘zero tolerance’ for the victimisation of members on account of lawful trade union activities and condemned harassment, discriminatory treatment, punitive postings, denial of negotiated benefits and deliberate obstruction of career progression.

While reaffirming its commitment to constructive engagement and industrial harmony, SSANU said it would continue to deploy ‘all lawful and constitutional means’ necessary to defend the legitimate rights and interests of its members.

PIGGYVEST, Africa’s pioneer online savings and investment platform, has partnered with Mikano Motors, a leading Nigerian automobile company, to help Nigerians save towards owning their own cars.

The partnership, announced at a press conference at Mikano Motors’ head office in Victoria Island, Lagos, recently, allows Piggyvest users to select their preferred car in the app and choose a savings plan between three months and a year.

With the new development, users can decide how often they want to save, and once they reach their goal, Mikano Motors is automatically notified and begins processing delivery to the address provided on sign-up.

According to the companies, the idea for the partnership came from a behavioural trend Piggyvest was already seeing on its platform.

Commenting, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Piggyvest, Joshua Chibueze said: ‘Some of our customers already use different Piggyvest wallets to save for cars. Quite a number of people save, and sometimes don’t eventually buy the car.’

For Chibueze, the opportunity was to make it easier for people who can afford to pay for a car over time, but may not have the money to pay upfront.

‘A lot of people in Nigeria today cannot afford to own a car outright. They don’t have the money upfront, but they want that car, and can actually afford to pay for it small-small,’ he said.

In Nigeria, the gap between wanting a car and being able to afford the upfront cost is significant.

The Piggyvest Savings Report 2025 reveals nearly three in five Nigerians earn N100,000 monthly or nothing at all. Similarly, only one in 10 Nigerian households own a car, and a decade-old car averages about N15 million.

For Mikano Motors, the partnership builds on its focus on making new vehicles more accessible to Nigerian buyers.

Also commenting, National Operations Manager at Mikano Motors, Syam Abdulkadir said: ‘One of our key slogans here at Mikano is ‘Affordable Luxury. So you don’t have to limit yourself to buying used cars or cars without after-sales service just because that’s the only thing you can afford.’

Mbonu Chijioke, Head of Sales at Mikano Motors, said the company was pleased to be part of an initiative that could make vehicle ownership more attainable for more Nigerians.

‘At Mikano, we’re happy to support initiatives that make it easier for Nigerians to afford and own a vehicle.’

Vehicles currently available through the plan start in the N20 million range and include passenger and commercial models, from sedans and executive SUVs to pickups and light-duty trucks.

Mikano Motors is also working to bring options into the N10 million range.

The companies also announced a N2 million cashback offer for Nigerians who are able to successfully save towards and take delivery of their vehicles within the next one year.

This cashback is designed to give buyers a head start on their next financial goal rather than having them start from zero after purchasing a car.

Ayo Akinola, CEO of PocketApp, said the partnership reflects Piggyvest’s broader mission of making large financial goals feel more attainable for Nigerians.

‘What I have learned over the years is that there is something powerful about watching yourself get closer to a goal. So, this partnership is bigger than just cars. It is about making financial goals feel more achievable.’ Akinola added.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has kicked against the Federal Government’s planned concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), describing the arrangement as a threat to public education and the rights of teachers.

The NUT President, Comrade Titus Amba, made the position of the union known on Monday during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Abuja.

He was represented at the event by the Deputy National President of the union, Comrade Kizito Kalu.

Amba said while the union recognised the contributions of old students and other stakeholders to the development of educational institutions, it strongly opposed the transfer of the management and operational responsibility of King’s College to a private association.

According to him, the concession represents ‘a dangerous departure from the principle of public education’ and poses a serious threat to the employment security, professional autonomy and workplace rights of teachers.

‘May I reiterate the position of the NUT that education is a fundamental human right and a core responsibility of government,’ he said.

The union president therefore called on the Federal Government to reverse the concession arrangement and commence meaningful consultations with critical stakeholders, including teachers and parents.

He urged the Federal Ministry of Education to resolve the controversy surrounding the arrangement, as well as other lingering issues affecting teachers, in the interest of industrial peace and quality education.

The NUT also raised concerns over what it described as the denial of teachers who had voluntarily applied to join the union of their choice.

The union further complained about the stagnation of teachers, particularly Education Officers, at the directorate cadre without promotion for between 13 and 15 years.

It also called for the payment of outstanding arrears relating to promotions, duty travel allowance (DTA) and other entitlements.

The NUT equally alleged that teachers under the Ministries of Defence and Police Affairs, as well as the Department of State Services (DSS), had been denied the right to unionise.

The union’s position came amid renewed controversy over the Federal Government’s decision to concession King’s College, Lagos, to KCOBA under a public-private partnership arrangement.

The Federal Government, however, had insisted that there was no going back on the planned concession, while assuring workers that no member of staff would be dismissed as a result of the arrangement.

The Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, gave the assurance after an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and other affiliated unions over the controversy.

The meeting followed the disruption of academic activities in federal unity colleges after the unions directed their members to suspend work over concerns about the proposed management arrangement for King’s College.

Alausa said the agreement with KCOBA would proceed but announced the constitution of a seven-member high-level committee to review the outstanding concerns raised by the unions and make recommendations that could be incorporated into the existing agreement.

The committee comprises two representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, including the Minister of State for Education and the Acting Permanent Secretary; one representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment; two senior-level representatives of the TUC; and two representatives of KCOBA.

The minister said the committee would have one to two weeks to complete its assignment and submit its recommendations.

He also gave a categorical assurance that no member of staff of King’s College would be dismissed because of the concession arrangement.

According to him, both academic and non-academic staff would continue to be treated in accordance with the Public Service Rules, with no infringement of the rules regarding their deployment.

‘There will be no demonisation or punishment of any member of staff arising from these issues,’ he assured.

The Federal Government has maintained that King’s College is not being sold and remains publicly owned, explaining that KCOBA is expected to finance, rehabilitate, modernise, operate and maintain the institution.

KCOBA had earlier announced a N100 billion endowment fund as part of its plans to reposition the 117-year-old institution, improve its infrastructure and enhance the learning environment.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, TUC General Secretary, Comrade Nuhu Toro, described the engagement as fruitful and robust, saying the concerns of the unions were presented and considered in good faith.

Toro announced that the TUC would suspend the industrial action earlier directed against its affiliates to allow the newly constituted committee to carry out its assignment.

He, however, said the unions reserved the right to resume the suspended action if the issues were not satisfactorily resolved.

The TUC leader welcomed the constitution of the committee, saying it would enable the unions to examine the relevant policy document, raise their concerns and make contributions before the parties reconvene.

Following the resolution, the Federal Government directed all federal unity colleges affected by the industrial action to resume academic activities immediately.

The controversy had also attracted protests by parents and other stakeholders at King’s College, with some opposing the proposed concession to KCOBA and threatening legal action.

The Federal Government has nevertheless maintained that the arrangement is part of efforts to strengthen public educational institutions, improve infrastructure and create a better learning environment.

Alausa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continued dialogue with workers and other stakeholders, saying the process would be guided by the law, mutual respect and the national interest.

Then, after the argument, you calm down and start wondering why you reacted so strongly in the first place. What happens in the brain during those few moments? The answer involves several parts of the brain, but two are particularly important, the amygdala and the frontal lobe, especially the prefrontal cortex.

While the amygdala is involved in detecting and responding to emotionally significant or threatening situations, the frontal lobe helps with judgement, decision-making and controlling impulses. The way these areas communicate can influence whether anger remains a feeling or turns into an action.

In this article, Tribune Online explores how the Amygdala and Frontal lobe control anger

The amygdala: The brain’s alarm system

The amygdala is a small structure located deep within the brain. It plays an important role in processing emotions and assessing situations that may be threatening or significant. When you perceive a threat, the amygdala can help trigger a rapid emotional response.

The threat does not necessarily have to be physical. Being insulted, humiliated, rejected, challenged or treated unfairly can also be perceived as an emotional threat.For example, if someone insults you during an argument, your brain quickly evaluates the situation. If it interprets what happened as threatening or highly provocative, the amygdala can contribute to the anger and physical arousal that follow.

The amygdala is one important part of the system that helps the brain recognise emotionally significant situations and prepare an appropriate response.

The frontal lobe: Where judgement comes in

The frontal lobe sits at the front of the brain and is involved in important functions such as planning, decision-making, judgement and behavioural control. A key area within it is the prefrontal cortex. When you are angry, the prefrontal cortex can help you assess the situation rather than simply act on your first impulse.

When someone insults you, your emotional response may be immediate. You may feel that you need to answer back. But the frontal regions of the brain can help you consider the consequences. You may think about whether responding will make the argument worse. You may decide to remain quiet or walk away.

The anger may still be there, but your behaviour can be controlled.This is one of the important roles of the frontal lobe in emotional regulation.

How the amygdala and frontal lobe work together

The amygdala and frontal lobe are not two independent systems taking turns to control your behaviour. They communicate with each other as part of a wider network involved in emotion, decision-making and behavioural regulation.

Anger is produced through interactions among several brain regions and is influenced by how a person interprets an event.

The amygdala contributes to the processing of emotional and potentially threatening information, while frontal brain regions contribute to regulation, judgement and behavioural control.

A simple way to understand the relationship is this: the amygdala can raise the alarm, while the prefrontal cortex can help determine what to do next.

If someone provokes you, your emotional response may tell you that something is wrong. Frontal brain regions can then help you ask whether you need to react, how you should respond and what the consequences could be.

The brain does not respond to every situation in exactly the same way

Two people can experience the same argument and have completely different reactions.

This is because the brain also considers a person’s interpretation of the situation, previous experiences and the circumstances surrounding the event.

One person may see a comment as an ordinary disagreement, while another may interpret the same comment as disrespect. The emotional response can therefore differ even when the situation is similar.

Other factors, including stress, sleep, past experiences and the surrounding environment, can also affect how a person responds emotionally.

The importance of the frontal lobe in controlling anger

The ability to control an angry reaction is closely linked to the brain’s ability to regulate impulses. This is where the prefrontal cortex becomes particularly important.

It helps with functions such as weighing consequences, suppressing inappropriate responses and making decisions based on longer-term goals rather than immediate emotions.

For example, you may be angry enough to send an insulting message but decide to put your phone down instead.

You may want to shout during an argument but choose to remain quiet. You may feel provoked but decide that responding aggressively will only create a bigger problem.

In each case, the emotion may still be present. What changes is how you respond to it.

The brain is not simply choosing between anger and calm. Rather, different brain systems work together to generate emotional responses and regulate how those emotions are expressed.

Two persons have been confirmed dead following a tanker inferno opposite the Odukpani Local Government Secretariat in Odukpani, Cross River State, on Sunday.

The incident, according to the Cross River State Police Command, involved two tanker trucks conveying petroleum products that were involved in a road traffic accident, resulting in an outbreak of fire.

The fire, which started after the accident, spread to nearby shops, buildings and vehicles, causing extensive damage to property in the area.

In a preliminary incident update issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, the command said the driver of one of the tankers was initially rescued from the inferno and taken to a hospital for medical attention.

However, a subsequent update from the command confirmed that the driver had died while receiving treatment.

The police also confirmed that the conductor of the tanker died at the scene of the accident.

The identities of the two deceased persons had not been established as of the time of filing this report.

The police command initially reported that one person had died while another sustained serious injuries and was receiving medical attention before confirming the deaths of both the driver and conductor.

The command said officers from the Odukpani Police Division were deployed to the scene to maintain law and order, secure the area and prevent further casualties.

It added that the Fire Service had been alerted and deployed to the scene to contain and extinguish the inferno.

The police said several shops and vehicles were affected by the fire, although the extent of the damage was yet to be fully ascertained.

The command urged residents and motorists to keep away from the immediate vicinity of the incident and allow emergency responders unhindered access to the scene.

It also assured members of the public that further information would be released as soon as more facts were verified.

The incident has raised fresh concerns over the dangers posed by petroleum tanker accidents, particularly in populated areas where an overturned tanker can quickly trigger widespread fire and destruction.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has dismissed allegations that its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, is secretly working with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to undermine the opposition party.

The party described the allegations as wicked, vexatious and mendacious, insisting that Dickson has no secret or open arrangement with the APC or any of its key figures.

The NDC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said it would ordinarily have ignored the claims but decided to respond because repeated falsehoods, if left unchallenged, could be mistaken for truth.

The party maintained that Dickson’s record in public service did not support the allegations, arguing that his political conduct demonstrated his commitment to the NDC and its presidential ticket.

According to the statement, ‘Anyone who knows Senator Dickson’s public service record, and is in his right senses, will not associate him with any under-the-table arrangement to sabotage his own party and its Presidential Candidate and running mate, Mr. Peter Obi and Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.’

The opposition party said Dickson could have opted to join the APC but instead chose what it described as the ‘hard, honourable path’ of helping to build the NDC alongside like-minded Nigerians.

It further cited his more than seven years in the Senate, saying his positions on national issues demonstrated ‘strength of character and unwavering solidarity with suffering Nigerians.’

The NDC argued that the allegations were being promoted by political opponents allegedly unsettled by what it described as the growing popularity and acceptance of the party across the country.

‘We are fully aware that these unfounded and baseless allegations are emanating from the ranks of our political opponents, who are envious of the growing popularity, acceptability and organic spread of the NDC across the length and breadth of Nigeria,’ the statement said.

The party urged its members, supporters and well-wishers to remain focused on its political objectives and to work for the victory of Obi and Kwankwaso, as well as other candidates contesting under the NDC platform.

The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaja Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, has honoured retired Deputy Superintendent of Traffic (DST), Anifat Bello, popularly known as Aunty Anifat, for her professionalism, discipline, resilience and dedication to traffic management during her years of service with the Ogun State Police Command.

Sowunmi-Kolapo gave the commendation at a reception held in Bello’s honour in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The PDP deputy governorship candidate said the recognition was a modest appreciation of Bello’s years of dedicated service, urging security personnel and workers in other sectors to emulate her commitment and professionalism.

Presenting Bello with a cheque of N500,000, Sowunmi-Kolapo described the retired traffic officer as a role model for younger Nigerians and said the gesture was a token of appreciation for her dedication to duty.

‘You are a role model for younger Nigerians. I want to commend you for your professionalism. Gold or silver, I do not have. But please accept this as a token of appreciation for your infectious commitment to duty. It is the beginning of greater things to come for you,’ she said.

She assured workers in Ogun State of rewarding welfare packages once the government of Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, the PDP governorship candidate, comes on board next year, declaring that ‘hard work will pay.’

‘I want to assure our people in Ogun State that hard work will pay and our civil servants will always smile at home. When we come on board, the suffering they have put us through in Ogun for the past eight years will be a thing of the past,’ she promised.

Other dignitaries at the reception ceremony, including the wife of the Ogun governorship candidate, Yeye Adenike Adebutu; Ogun PDP Chairman, Dr Abayomi Tella; leaders of the party at various levels, and religious leaders in Egbaland, among others, paid glowing tributes in appreciation of Mrs Bello’s diligent service.

Adebutu’s wife, while showering more encomiums on the retired officer, announced another N500,000 cash support for her, saying she would be part of the Adebutu administration once he is voted into power in 2027.

‘I want to congratulate you. I see you all the time while performing your traffic duty, ever smiling. One day, I was passing, and I asked myself, how does this woman manage to smile always? You will be part of Adebutu’s government.

‘I want to thank our deputy governor (Sowunmi-Kolapo) for putting this reception ceremony together. Many people know you, and they see what you do. God will continue to honour you. I thank you for your selfless service to Ogun,’ Mrs Adebutu said.

Also speaking, Ogun PDP Chairman, Abayomi Tella, said Mrs Bello’s selflessness and passion for other people were commendable and should be emulated by all.

‘Mama Bello has proven to all of us that there is nothing you do that won’t be appreciated. You are now in the news positively because of your good work,’ he stated, thanking Sowunmi-Kolapo for celebrating the retired officer.

‘I want to thank our deputy governor (Kolapo) because this is extraordinary. Because of who you are, you have decided to honour this woman. God’s blessings will never cease in your home,’ Tella prayed.

For the Ogun PDP Secretary, Alhaji Semiu Sodipo, Bello’s cheerful disposition and diligence distinguished her throughout her years of service, particularly her refusal to accept bribes, which he said was an example other public servants should emulate.

‘What is very unique about her is that she is always happy, saluting and greeting people; not frowning or transferring aggression to road users. Madam, you are very fantastic. Madam Anifat won’t take bribes from anyone. People like you are very rare.’

Bello and her family members who graced the occasion could not hide their joy as they appreciated Sowunmi-Kolapo’s thoughtfulness and generosity.

They equally commended Mrs Adenike Adebutu for her kind gesture and thanked others for celebrating and supporting hard work, dedication and service.

While praising the retired officer’s life of passionate service, her younger brother, Nunasu Jacob, said, ‘Aunty Anifat is accommodating and caring. She is generous to a fault, very nice and jovial.’

In her vote of thanks on behalf of the family, Dorcas Olusegun, one of Mrs Bello’s daughters, commended Hajia Sowunmi-Kolapo for organising the reception ceremony, thanking her and others who supported and honoured her mother.

Turning to Adebutu’s running mate, she said, ‘We really thank you, ma, for giving us a wonderful occasion to celebrate our mother. Your thoughtfulness and generosity made this possible. Your gesture means so much to our family, and it will be indelible.’

Apparently overjoyed, Mrs Bello danced in appreciation for the honour and support accorded her by the PDP leaders in Ogun State.

‘I am really happy, and I want to thank our mummy, Hajia Sowunmi-Kolapo, Mrs Adebutu and others who have celebrated me. I ask God to bless them and grant them their good hearts’ desires,’ she prayed.

Mrs Bello seized the opportunity to advocate for diligence among all categories of workers, saying, ‘Everyone should do their job well. Our youths, especially, must know that hard work pays.’

Recall that a video clip had shown Mrs Bello on her last day in uniform being celebrated by Abeokuta residents.

Members of the public who attested to her discipline, humility, and no-bribes principle refused to let her go quietly, showering her with cash gifts.