Category: Nigerian Tribune

The candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has debunked insinuations that the party was covertly working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said he was not aware of any such arrangement, stressing that the SDP was currently strategising ahead of the 2027 elections.

He, however, admitted that some party members could have their loyalties elsewhere but noted that this was one of the challenges the party leadership was working to address.

‘We don’t know the rumours and talk, but what I know is what the party is doing. I only participate in what the SDP is doing officially.

‘But what I find out is that people who are in political parties tend to have loyalty outside their political parties. I think it’s part of the problems we try to solve by bringing in more ethical leaders.

‘But all my politics – 100 per cent of my own politics – is done inside the SDP. And in this day and time, there is no way you could have relationships with people without evidence of it. Either they will see you with them, you will take a photo with them, they will trace their money to you, or they will trace the activity to you.

‘So, if you really want to know where somebody belongs, other than just passing rumours or propaganda, you will know.

‘So, there may be elements of people in the SDP who have sympathies for other parties as well, but what we intend to do is, when we catch them, we relegate or expel them,’ he said.

On Nigeria’s 65 years of independence, Adebayo lamented that leaders had failed to live up to the dreams of the country’s founding fathers.

He decried the fact that corruption and the rule of law had remained recurring campaign issues 65 years after independence – a development he described as unfortunate.

He noted that everyone knew corruption was bad and unacceptable and should not exist in the system, but lamented that instead of treating it as something that should not arise in the first place, successive administrations had used it as a campaign thrust.

He also stated that Nigeria’s perennial problems were traceable to its history.

According to him, the history of Nigeria is rooted in trade, one driven by external necessity.

‘Nigeria started merely as a trade zone, just like you have free trade zones or export processing zones nowadays.

‘So it’s a zone. It’s like the arbitrariness with which they created areas for discos – Lagos disco, Ibadan disco, Benin disco, Yola disco, different discos, you know. That’s how Nigeria was to the Royal Niger Company. It was just a trade zone. And those trade zones were different kingdoms and communities and all of that,’ he said.

Afrobeats singer, Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, popularly known as Seyi Shay, has revealed that she was once part of the popular secret society, Illuminati.

The Right Now singer made the disclosure during an appearance on the OffAir podcast with Gbemi and Toolz.

A clip from the interview surfaced online on Thursday.

Seyi Shay, known for songs like Yolo Yolo, said her involvement with the Illuminati marked a stage in her career. She also noted that people within the entertainment industry are aware of those with such links.

According to her, while the public may not know much, insiders often recognise those who have had such connections.

She said, ‘That’s when I was in the Illuminati. That’s when I joined the Illuminati. That’s when it was official. Do you understand? I was an Illuminati member.

‘People know who they are because, and maybe if they watch this, they probably won’t remember, you know, because people that do messed up stuff always forget. It’s not the fans, guys. It’s the people in the industry. It is not the fans. It is the people that work with me, work with her, work with this one, work with that one.’

Kabushi Local Governmentn Zambia, has heard how a married man changed after buying a BMW vehicle as it gave him confidence to go after other women.

In this case, Veronica Chiluya 30, , sued Sammy Shapi, 40, for divorce due to marital disputes.

Veronica told the court that the two got married in 2014 after Sammy paid K400 as dowry and together they have two children.

According to Zambia Daily Mail, she said all was well until 2021 when her husband bought a car after he went to do some work outside the country.

‘He started coming back home late and sometimes he would come the next day around 14:00 hours.

‘He used to be a good husband, but the moment he bought a car, things changed in the house as he now started seeing other women.’

Although I enjoy smoking, I have been informed that it is a bad habit. Kindly advise me.

– Peter (by SMS)

Smoking is definitely injurious to the health. Apart from the fact that it exposes you to a variety of chest diseases including lung cancers, it even predisposes you to a variety of fatal conditions like heart attack and stroke. In view of this, it would be advisable if you can kick the habit as soon as possible.

The Kebbi State Government, in its determination to eradicate banditry across the state’s rural areas, has on Friday donated patrol vehicles to the Nigerian Army stations in the state to fight banditry and strengthen their operational capacity.

Six Hilux vans and 30 rugged motorcycles to traverse difficult terrain were handed over to the Army by Governor Nasir Idris at the Government House, Birnin Kebbi.

It is worth recalling that previously, the government donated 100 Hilux vehicles to security agencies and 1,000 motorcycles to Vigilante members to sharpen the fight against banditry and other forms of criminality in the state.

At the ceremony, Governor Idris expressed delight about the successes recorded by the security services in restoring normalcy and security to places facing the challenges of insecurity.

‘Kebbi State Government is thankful to the Army and the Air Force for prompt response to emergencies anywhere in Kebbi State.’

‘Kebbi is also grateful to the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff for deploying armoured vehicles to the state.

‘We are similarly appreciative of the Chief of Naval Staff for establishing a Naval Base in Yauri.

‘Issues of security must have input from State Governments nationwide, because the Federal Government cannot do it without collective action,’ he said.

In his speech, the Commander, 8 Division Tactical Command, Birnin Kebbi, Colonel Hussaini Rabi’u Toro, who received the keys to the vehicles, thanked the Governor for placing a premium on security matters in the state.

‘Sir, the Army appreciates this generous donation from you to support our combat services, aimed at enhancing operational capacity and response to any threat to the lives and property of law-abiding citizens,’ he said.

Nigerian singer, Deborah Oluwaseyi, professionally known as Seyi Shay, has opened up about the real cause of her long-standing feud with fellow music star Tiwa Savage, revealing that a betrayal by her former personal assistant was at the root of their fallout.

Speaking on the Offair Show, the Yolo Yolo crooner disclosed that her ex-personal assistant was secretly having an affair with Tiwa Savage’s estranged husband, Tunji Balogun, popularly known as TBillz.

According to Seyi Shay, the revelation came years later when she ran into her former assistant in London. The ex-staff member admitted to the affair and apologised for being the reason behind the tension between the two singers.

‘She told me she was having a relationship with my girl’s [Tiwa Savage’s] husband, and I didn’t even know. It must have been true; I don’t think she would say all of that as a joke,’ Seyi Shay said.

The singer added that she understood why Tiwa Savage might have assumed she was aware of the affair and believed she condoned it.

‘When she told me this, I was disgusted because we were rolling together and doing things together, meanwhile Tiwa probably thought I knew about it. You can just imagine the anger. It’s so painful. If that was me, I would have done worse,’ she added.

Nollywood actress Laide Bakare has retraced her steps, denying introducing her teenage daughter, Simisola, to alcohol, following backlash over her earlier statement about taking the 17-year-old to a nightclub.

The actress, who recently celebrated her daughter’s birthday, clarified in a new Instagram post that she only took her daughter to the club for the first time to give her ‘a bit of exposure’ and not to drink alcohol.

‘No pls, I didn’t do Alcohol with @simlineboss, only club, and it’s just to give her a bit of exposure towards the future. I’m not as bad as you think. Don’t forget she is still a minor. A teenager with robust figure,’ she wrote.

Reiterating her position in another post, Laide Bakare stated:

‘Let me mention clearly here that I never said I introduced my daughter, @simlineboss, to Alcohol. I only stated that she entered club with me for the very first time in her life at her birthday after-party. How is that bad naw?’

Earlier, Tribune Online reported that Laide Bakare, in a viral video, had claimed she gave her daughter her first clubbing and alcohol experience at the age of 17 years.

You graduated in the top three per cent and received the Icon Female Law Student Award from the University of Nigeria Law Faculty and another First Class from the Nigerian Law School. Have you always been this brilliant from primary through secondary school? Which secondary school experience would you share with us that demonstrated your intelligence and brilliance?

No. I do not think I have always been this brilliant. Smart, maybe. I like to think that brilliance is often very theoretical, lacking in practical knowledge, and tied to academic achievements. I am a very practical person, and I have never had the patience for the deep and theoretical thinking that brilliance requires. I developed the patience for theoretical intelligence in junior secondary school – that is my earliest memory of being brilliant and exceptional. Before then, I was simply a smart kid, the one who could explain what the teacher had taught and apply it well, but may fail at writing it exactly the same way the teacher wanted it (or taught it) in an exam.

My father, God bless his soul, got tired of my average grades in junior secondary school and spoke some sense into me. He believed I could do more.

I think there are quite a few, but mostly winning some of the most competitive secondary school debate competitions was a top-notch experience for me. I could almost always tell that if I was on the team representing my school in a debate competition, we would be in the top three. I think of all the possible loopholes to my arguments ahead and fill the loopholes so I always see my opponent’s rebuttal coming. I also like to think that reading lots of novels demonstrated my intelligence and brilliance. I read a lot in secondary school and had a penchant for being able to weave out the theme of the story and the deeper message the author was trying to pass along. Those were fun times.

You are now a master’s student of law at Harvard Law School, United States. What is the Harvard experience like? Which area of law are you majoring in at Harvard, and why?

Exciting. Stressful. Exhilarating. It is like being stressed from having too much fun and mental activity. It is also like travelling around the world while being stuck in a place. Harvard brings in students from all over the world. So, I am learning interesting things about countries I have never been to.

I am majoring in corporate finance and international finance. The master’s program at Harvard is general, so students get to pick courses across their focus areas. So, the majority of my courses are tied to these two areas. First, because I love corporate and debt finance, particularly when development finance institutions such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank play a role in it. The structures you see play out are fun. It gets you thinking about structures to protect lenders’ interest in a financing – why lending institutions think and operate the way they do, and why companies would prioritise debt over equity financing. I find it interesting, and it makes me think. I love stuffs that make me think. Also, because these areas are tied to investments, which is an area I love.

You mentioned that apart from the Harvard admission, you got admission offers from Columbia Law School and New York University (NYU). Why did you settle for Harvard instead of Columbia or NYU? How are you covering your Harvard tuition and living costs in the United States?

I do think that the answer to this question is obvious. Okay. Please, do not mind me. I understand that both Harvard and Columbia are Ivy Leagues, while NYU is a new ivy school, but I settled for Harvard because it is arguably the best school in the world, and also because Harvard gives you a community for the rest of your life. It is like being in this beautiful world where the school stands as a shield for you – protecting, guiding, and fighting for you, even long after you have become an alumnus. The system propels you and supports you to become the best of everything you want to be. Secondly, I got the most funding from Harvard, compared to the other two schools.

My tuition and living costs are being covered by funding from Harvard.

In your bio, you mentioned that you bagged the award for the best graduating female student in civil litigation from the Nigerian Law School. Why did you not focus on civil law, for which you earned an award, for your master’s degree? In your opinion, how does a civil lawyer differ from a finance lawyer?

I do not like civil litigation as much as I like corporate law. My uncles think that I would have made a great trial attorney and maybe become the Chief Justice of Nigeria one day. I do not think so. The trial system is fixed. There is a standard way to file motions, systems to argue your case before a judge, precedents to make your argument, and a solution-like system to every problem one might have or think to have in the future – you simply need to ‘research’ and you would find a case, binding or persuasive, to support your argument. The chase is in the manner you decide to write your argument and how well you can convince the judge.

Corporate law is malleable. Parties can get on a debt financing transaction and propose a ‘never-before-seen’ structure to the financing to protect a party’s interest. That, to me, is fun and interesting. I like it here. At least, for now.

Civil lawyers handle disputes between people, businesses, and/or organisations, and it does not involve crimes. Finance lawyers focus on financial transactions, banking, investments, mergers, and corporate funding.

In one of your recent LinkedIn posts, you stated that when you informed your mother that you were applying to some of the most difficult and competitive Master of Laws (LLM) programmes in the world, she said that she believes that there is nothing you cannot achieve, saying, ‘Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get in. You always get these things.’ How did this statement make you feel? Would you attribute it to your getting into Harvard? Do you see her believe in you, motivating you to be the best in your Harvard Law class?

I think it made me less anxious through the application process. I was at ease during my application and even during the waiting period leading up to the receipt of the admission letters. It is not the first time she has told me point-blank that I would get something, and I end up getting it.

Yes, I attribute it to getting into Harvard. My mum is one of my biggest cheerleaders. I would say that I am fortunate to have lots of people who believe in me. I did not want to let her or these other people down. Yes, if she is not on my WhatsApp daily, asking me how everything is going, she is telling me not to worry, that everything will pan out well.

For your thesis, project, or long essay, what would you like to research or work on? How do you think the thesis or essay would impact society or the financial sector?

I intend to focus on the financing structures of development finance institutions (DFIs), with a particular interest in how the structures shape access to funding. I believe the research could provide valuable insights into strengthening Nigeria’s and other developing countries’ ability to attract DFI financing, which in turn could enhance funding for critical infrastructure.

You studied in Nigerian Law School and are now studying in a prestigious US law school. What four lessons can the Nigerian law faculties or Law School learn from the Harvard Law School?

First, teachings should be more practical and less about theories. Second, students’ welfare, physical and mental, should be made as central as learning is. Third, opportunities should be put in place to help students put into practice what they have learnt – fellowships, competitions, summer associateships, etc. Lastly, a less-rigid examination system should be adopted, one that tests students’ understanding of what has been taught and not their ability to memorise and regurgitate what was taught.

From the knowledge and skills you have gained studying financial law, what major financial law problems would you like to address if given the opportunity to address them?

I have only practised finance law, and Harvard is my first ‘major’ contact with finance law in an educational setting. I would like to address the dearth in climate finance.

A section of your bio reads ‘Susan is constantly contributing her quota towards solving climate change issues, educating indigent children, and fighting against gender-based discrimination.’ What inspired your interest in indigent children and gender-based issues? With your busy schedule at Harvard, how do you engage in these endeavours?

I like to think that no nation can thrive if its children are uneducated and if gender inequality persists. Children, to me, are like a wonder, malleable, and can be everything beautiful. I also often think about how disastrous my life might have turned out if I were not educated.

I have not started any volunteering activity at Harvard. I do have a volunteering activity next month, though, related to children’s health.

With all the scholarships, fellowships, grants, and support you have received from US organisations for your law school master’s programme, what is expected of you from Harvard or the US during and after the programme? And where do you see yourself in five years?

Read, meet as many people as I can, be the best I can, and probably become the next Minister of Finance for Nigeria. What Harvard expects of me is not cast in stone. I just need to be the best I can be.

In five years? Maybe at a DFI or law firm. Let us see what the future holds.

What is your advice to Nigerians hoping to study at Harvard Law School on scholarship? What did you do to get into Harvard that they can do better?

Read as many sample Harvard application documents as you can find. You might find that there is no central link to all applications, but it is a good place to start. Be yourself and tell your own story. Be exceptional. You should be able to look back and say, ‘I couldn’t have done it any better’.

I did all these. I was disciplined enough to put in the work, and I prayed.

I am currently in my 70s. Kindly let me know how to keep my legs strong.

– Femi (by SMS)

To keep your legs strong in old age, you don’t need to join a gym or spa, and you don’t need to use weights. You can strengthen your leg muscles and keep them in shape right from home. So keep it simple-exercise on your own time, in the comfort of your home, where you’re more likely to actually do it.

It’s simple, it works, doesn’t take a lot of time, and it makes you as active as ever. Some of the exercises include three sets of squats daily, doing as many as you can comfortably per set. This will strengthen your thigh muscles, work your knee joints, and tighten up the butt muscles.

Keep your feet flat on the floor, back straight, hands on your hips, and squat until you reach what will feel like a natural stopping point. Walking is also very important. Nothing will strengthen your overall leg muscles like walking. Walking works every muscle in your legs, feet, and ankles, and tightens the butt muscles.

The beauty of walking is that you can adapt it to your individual stride, pace, distance, and endurance, and walk wherever you like to walk. At least once each day, stretch out the calf muscles in each leg by extending one leg back as far as it will go while still being able to keep that foot flat on the floor. You will reach a point where the calf muscle starts to ‘burn,’ and that’s where you stop for a count of ten or more. Over time, you will be able to stretch it more and for a longer period of time. You can use a wall or other stationary object to support your balance while you stretch out each leg.

Nigeria at 65, how would you assess the performance of the nation’s economy in the last six and a half decades?

My assessment of the state of our economy is this: in 65 years, we’ve not made much progress as a people. It’s disturbing that the GDP per capita is less than $1,000, and the unemployment rate is in double digits. Inflation is also in double digits, over 30 percent, regardless of the numbers being reeled out by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In 2025, 65 years after independence, it is sad that government is still operating three budgets concurrently. In the 2025 budget, expected revenue is N41.91 trillion, while the budget size is N54.99 trillion, leaving a deficit of N13.08 trillion or 1.52 percent of GDP, despite being an oil-producing country. It’s quite disturbing. I don’t think we’ve made much progress, because the indices with which we measure development, especially when compared to countries that gained independence around the same time as Nigeria, are not encouraging.

The picture you’ve painted of the nation’s economy is no doubt scary. Does it mean the reforms, especially the floating of the naira and fuel subsidy withdrawal introduced by the present administration in 2023, are not working? Or, put differently, how do you see these reforms and where have they left businesses in Nigeria?

Well, in 2023 when President Tinubu came into office, Nigeria was technically bankrupt. Former President Buhari left the economy in a very sorry state. We had debt of over $20 billion and couldn’t meet our balance of payment obligations. There were about $7 million FX backlogs and the CBN was technically insolvent. Airlines could not retrieve their funds, which was one of the reasons Emirates pulled out of Nigerian routes. The airline had over $100 million it could not access. Government also could not pay petrol subsidy, forcing it to swap federation crude oil for petrol guarantees. The decision President Tinubu made to remove petrol subsidy was therefore timely. Yes, it raised the price of petroleum products. Yes, the exchange rate hit the naira and caused serious inflation. But those two decisions were important because they prevented Nigeria from plunging into the abyss. They saved Nigeria.

However, government has not shown the desire to fight corruption. If you are asking Nigerians to tighten their belts while leaders remain profligate, fiscally reckless and wasteful, then you will not be taken seriously. In reforms, there is always a timeline between macro reforms and nano reforms. Macro reforms are the broad, system-wide changes, while nano reforms are those that impact ordinary people directly. The trickle-down timeline may take four to five years, but the question is: will Nigerians wait that long? The answer is no, because they don’t trust their leaders. The consequence of this is mutual distrust, which negatively impacts the economy. For businesses, the result is higher operational costs, with lending rates above 30 percent. How many businesses can survive that? To worsen matters, banks are not supportive of businesses, which is why the real sector is not growing; no capital, no funds. It’s a tough environment for enterprises.

What is your opinion on the latest Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) decision to reduce the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 50 basis points, from 27.5 to 27 percent, and also cut the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of commercial banks by 500 basis points from 50 percent to 45 percent? Do we begin to expect relief for Nigerian businesses, whose major complaint is the inability to borrow for expansion due to high interest rates?

Unfortunately, I have always said that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) cannot justify, empirically, the basis on which it rebased the CPI, using 2019 as reference. It cannot justify moving the food basket from 60 percent, as a weighted composite contribution to the index, to 51.8 percent, while grouping water, housing, electricity, gas and fuel into one basket weighted at 16.7 percent. This is strange, because that was what significantly brought down the inflation rate. Even the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee does not believe the NBS figures. If they did, they would have cut the interest rate to about 18.5 percent or 19 percent. But the CBN couldn’t, because it knows the figures are faulty.

The danger is that, in government’s attempt to look good too quickly, it risks providing the CBN with the wrong framework for decision-making, something that could be counterproductive. My advice is that they should allow the cycle to run its natural course.

What you are saying in essence is that the numbers are not actually real?

I do not believe the numbers. Like I said, the metrics with which the CPI was rebased were faulty.

Recently, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) took on the management of Dangote Refinery over its decision to sack 800 workers, allegedly for being actively involved in unionism. How do you see this? How justified is Dangote Refinery in carrying it out?

The decision of the company to sack 800 workers was a management decision. It’s not uncommon, not strange. It happens all over the world. Companies reorganise. Not too long ago, Bayo Ojulari of the NNPC let go of 200 people. Can PENGASSAN claim it was because those workers were union members? No, they cannot. It was management’s decision, and such things happen everywhere.

Look, the Trade Union Act and the Trade Dispute Act are very clear. There is a process unions are expected to follow if they are aggrieved, before picketing or taking industrial action. The process involves meeting the Minister within seven days. If unresolved, it goes to a coordinator, then to the Industrial Arbitration Panel and other authorities. Only after all these avenues are exhausted can the union give a seven-day warning notice. For critical assets like energy security, the law even requires 14 days’ notice before a strike.

So what PENGASSAN, TUC, NUPENG and others did was completely illegal. I think it is time for government to take decisive action concerning these unions. They have outlived their usefulness and should be proscribed. Remember, the same unions threatened Ojulari when he tried to restructure NNPC. I believe this fight is by proxy; the unions are being used. The real battle is coming from marketers. Sadly, the regulator, Farouk Ahmed, is missing in action. He is not living up to his responsibilities under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Dangote Refinery is the answer to the challenges we’ve faced in that sector for decades. Nigeria has been importing low-quality petrol since 1975. Dangote came and solved that. It’s because of Dangote that petrol prices have not gone up to N1,500, even though 98 percent of the crude used is bought in US dollars. The marketers know the game is up. Their profitable model of importing substandard fuel has ended. Their resistance is just blackmail and the Federal Government must handle it properly. The way this matter is resolved will serve as a signal to international investors about whether Nigeria is safe for business.

Since 2007, the government has spent about $33 billion on turn-around maintenance of refineries, and this money remains largely unaccounted for. We cannot continue this way.

But why Dangote, when other oil companies, including the multinationals, seem to enjoy cordial working relationships with these unions?

The answer is clear: it is Dangote because the refinery challenges the status quo. Its success means the traditional business model of importing low-quality fuel is gone.