NewStats: 3,263,698 , 8,181,058 topics. Date: Saturday, 07 June 2025 at 11:23 AM 6b361j

By Bayo Adeyinka

2019 may very well be the last opportunity for Nigeria to turn things around and salvage what remains of this nation. That’s the thought that has haunted me for the past one year. And since I know everything rises and falls on leadership, I have more than a ing interest in the aspirants and candidates for political leadership in our nation.

Without mincing words, Buhari has failed and predictably so. One can point to several indicators of his monumental failure but one positive outcome of his glaring failure is the fact that for the first time in our nation’s history, several individuals have suddenly realized that they can actually run this country better than he did. Buhari’s inefficiencies, inactions and inadequacies have so much belittled the Office of the President to such an extent that we shall witness a record number of contestants for that Office in 2019. At the last count, the following people have indicated their interest in the number one office in the country:

Omoyele Sowore
Fela Durotoye
Daniel Akinlami
Nicolas Felix
Donald Ike Igwegbu
Victor Ani-Laju
Mathias Baba Tsado
Clement Jimbo
Ahmed Buhari
Adams Garba
Jaye Gaskia
Thomas Wilson Ikubese
Erastus Anslem
Enyinnaya Nwosu
Abubakar Alkali
Ibrahim Abubakar Lajada
Emiola Ojajuni
Miss Godstime Iroabuchi Sidney
Kingsley Moghalu
Atiku Abubakar
Ayo Fayose
Chris Emejuru
Omike Chikeluba Lewis
Abubakar Saraki
Donald Duke
Ibrahim Dankwambo
Sule Lamido
Rabiu Kwankasso

These are the names that have either declared their ambition or are suspected to be interested in running for the exalted seat. However, two of the aspirants seem to have given their ambitions a head start. Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters and Fela Durotoye, a business strategist and motivational expert have been doing the rounds. Both of them were in Ibadan on Friday, April 6 to engage the public.

I was present at the University of Ibadan Conference Centre where Sowore’s ‘Take It Back’ engagement took place. The venue was flooded with several campaign memorabilia and people- mostly students and activists- wearing branded T-Shirts of Omoyele Sowore. Participants were required to and some campaign collaterals were handed out. Fela’s music blared from the speakers in the hall. The event started 45 minutes behind schedule as the students were asked to go out of the hall to welcome Sowore. I felt that was unnecessary- especially for someone who came late. If we aspire to bring a true change, punctuality must be a trait we have to imbibe.

Edmund Obilo moderated the event. Obilo was simply outstanding in the way he anchored the session. It is to Obilo’s credit that the event held with few hitches as he navigated a few disruptions smoothly. There were a few speakers before Sowore came to the podium. Kemi Olunloyo spoke eloquently about her experience at Port Harcourt Prison. When Sowore took the floor, he spoke about his interventions to save Nigeria and how Sahara Reporters was revolutionary journalism. He said he has disrupted the media space and he wants to disrupt the political space. Here are a few more things Omoyele Sowore said at the event:

1. I will love to give you manifestos but we have acres and acres of manifestos that were never implemented by men without character.
2. Now is the time to disrupt the system and take it down. It is up to them to choose where they want to be spanked. It is up to them to choose to leave peacefully.
3. I didn’t have shoes but I had self esteem, I had integrity and I had dignity.
4. I wanted to leave a legacy at the University of Lagos that I could sacrifice my life to protect others who needed a future.
5. It is too late now. I have been to the mountaintop and I have seen the promised land. What matters to me now is how you get your dignity back.
6. It has taken them 18 years to renovate Lagos-Ibadan expressway. We don’t have electricity. It is by design. This is the only country where we pay for darkness-$16b was spent to improve the darkness in Nigeria under the man in Ota who is organizing a third force. Whether there is a first force, second force or third force, all of the forces will be on the run in 2019.
7. I will put security first. After that is power.
8. Kola Aluko stole $3b. It didn’t cause inflation. When Mrs Jonathan started opening all manners of s, it didn’t cause inflation. But when you say that money should be given to our workers so they can send their children to school or get them medicine, we say it will cause inflation.
9. I am not making promises based on fictional figures. What we have calculated is that it will cost Nigeria just $1.3b more to pay workers N100,000 minimum wage.
10. I will pay workers N100,000 minimum wage and those of you who are youth corpers will be paid N50,000 and we will be heading very quickly to N100,000 because youth corpers should be able to earn minimum wage as well. If you’re a youth corper and anything happens to you during your youth service, your family gets paid a sum of N10m or you’re disabled.
11. We will invest the sum of N50,000 on behalf of each Nigerian student so that when you can’t pay your school fees, you’re not denied your final results.
12. I’m not in a hurry to put up my plans because you know the other side, they are thieves, content thieves, they will steal our ideas and claim it to be their own.
13. I don’t want to compare Nigeria to the UK or US but I want to compare Nigeria to Ghana.
14. I am not into labels. Nigeria is sick and needs a doctor. Whatever ideology we call that is what I am. By the time we are done with Nigeria, our own ideology will emerge and will be adopted all around the world.
15. When people were given 505 in those days, I rejected it. Why will I compromise now?

So what were my observations about Sowore’s Take It Back campaign? His campaign has a serious verve to it. The energy was evident in the room. He also has the gift of the garb apart from appearing rugged. He is an excellent communicator and has the ability to work up the crowd. However, the crowd I saw around him were mostly students and activists. Maybe that can be justified because of the venue of the event. Nevertheless, he needs to be able to widen the scope of his outreach. While not taking away anything from the presence of ers like Kemi Olunloyo and Femi Aborisade, he needs to go beyond the human rights/activists community who seemed to dominate the meet yesterday. He also needs to break down his high-fallutin ideas. How exactly will he pay the proposed N100,000 minimum wage to workers and N50,000 to youth corpers? Under a federal system, how will states be able to cope? He waived away the issue of inflation but is this indeed practicable economics? Specifically, how will he deal with corruption and corrupt people? There were a few concerns raised by people who sat around me- is Sowore actually in this for the whole hog? How quickly can he build structures in the 36 states and the FCT? He has the advantage of owning a known media brand with extensive reach which he can leverage on for publicity and propaganda. He seems to have a slight issue with believability and perception may be because of his background as an activist.

I left the event when there was a break for the Muslims to observe their afternoon prayer and Sowore took a step that indeed appeared to be one that may resonate well with the Muslim community by ing them in prayers. He certainly understands the art of communication.

Later in the evening, I attended Fela Durotoye’s event at NuStreams Centre, Alalubosa GRA. The event was tagged ‘Running for a new Nigeria’. The event which started promptly was underway by the time I got there. I couldn’t even get a space to park my car. Fela has a way with words. If I have described Omoyele Sowore as an excellent communicator, then Fela Durotoye is a master communicator. Just like Sowore, Durotoye also spoke extemporaneously. The difference was just in the style adopted. Fela spoke like he was addressing a business class or he was handling a consulting session. You can’t be in Fela’s session and not take down a few notes so here are a few things he said:

1. It’s impossible for comionless leaders to deliver a great society.
2. Leaders must have 3 qualities to deliver a great society: cthey must be competent, credible and have comion.
3. Easy has no value.
4. 2019 is not going to be an election- it will be a choice.
5. The people together are together richer than the rich people.
6. I want to have the largest cabal in Nigeria- a cabal of 190m people.
7. Fela can only be known by those who don’t know him when those who know him speak to those who don’t know him.
8. This is not a candidate campaign- it’s an ideological campaign.
9. Focus creates blindness
10. We all want to be led and not ruled.
11. We are not trying to get power. We are trying to get opportunity to serve the people.
12. People do not doubt what they desire when they see it’s possible.
13. Those who violate your values who are closest to you- how do you treat them?
14. The day I take a kobo of Nigeria’s money by way of inflating a contract, may I never wake up the next day. Anyone that gives me a kobo has only paid for my coffin. The day I steal one kobo, you guys will read my obituary the next day.

Fela showed two videos at the event- one about the visit of the late Prime Minister of Nigeria, Tafawa Balewa to the United States in 1961 and another one about a little boy who attempted to move away a tree that fell in the middle of the road under heavy rain. When others saw his efforts, one by one they ed him until so many people carried the tree so cars can have easy age. It was truly an emotional clip that captures what a critical mass can do. Fela appears to be more believable than Sowore maybe because of some solemn invocations he made as he spoke. I think it’s a testament to his believability that someone donated the sum of One Million Naira to his campaign during that event. He pledged not to take a salary as the President and wants every Nigerian child to learn to speak Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba in schools before they learn French.

So what were my observations about Fela Durotoye’s campaign? The energy level wasn’t as high as that of Sowore’s. He is not as rugged as Sowore. The contest will not be a walk over so it demands someone who can speak the language of the street. The people around Durotoye appeared to be more sophisticated and elitist- though both Sowore and Durotoye share the same demographics and appeal to similar audience. In local parlance, I would say Fela’s audience was ‘ajebutter’ while Sowore’s audience was ‘ajepaki’. Fela communicated very effectively but as I sat in the audience, I wondered if an ‘agbero’ or market woman would understand or appreciate all he said. A significant part of his speech was done in ‘Christianese’- church language. Most sounded as if he was preaching. He needs to tone it down out of respect for the religious complexity of our nation. If I was a Muslim or belonged to another faith, I would have felt out of place at the event as it later took on the colouration of a religious event. I looked around at his team- how much of diversity did he consciously embrace as I recognized quite a few people who are pastors among them? He certainly needs to review this aspect by adopting a more global outlook. He also believes in increasing the salary of civil servants though he didn’t indicate by how much. His retort that the increase in salary will be paid from money that is no longer stolen is neither here nor there.

Fela however has a very sound structure which he shared with the audience. One can see that he leveraged on his consulting experience to draw up a strategy document upon which his campaign can be based. I nodded as he spoke about electoral intelligence, voters sensitization, hip growth and recruitment, budget and planning, research and statistics, city mapping and area grouping among others. He appeared to be more scientific in his approach than Sowore.

Unfortunately, both Fela and Sowore seem to suffer from the same Achilles heels. When a lady asked the audience at Fela’s event to raise their hands if they have their PVCs, less than 20% of the of the audience raised their hands. A friend walked up to one of those who adorned the branded Fela’s T-shirts and was obviously one of his volunteers and to our surprise, he didn’t even have his PVC. Yet, he was very vociferous during the event. I wonder how many of those LASU or UNILORIN students who attended Sowore’s event have their PVCs. Secondly, the demographics they appeal to are too elitist. They both need to dilute their messages without losing its core essence and reach out to the real people who vote during elections. Otherwise, they must do a yeoman’s job in getting a massive electoral turnout especially from first time voters.

If I had my way, I will marry the street credibility, energy and fluidity of Sowore with the strategy and stoicism of Durotoye. Apart, it is doubtful if any of them can win but together, they can take this country by storm. One thing is certain nevertheless- both of them will run this country better than Buhari.

source: http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2018/04/between-omoyele-sowore-and-fela-durotoye-an-eyewitness-report/

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OP, thanks for bringing this wonderful piece here for our consumption.

To all those in situations like this, when life doesn't seem to be panning out as planned, it is very important that you STAY POSITIVE.

That is the only way you can wake up each morning looking forward to the day.

bigt2:
it needs to be replaced. Nothing else but the button.

Thanks sir.

bigt2:
the problem must be with your power button. Does it click when you press it?

Yes it clicks. When it doesn't work. I press it repeatedly with varying degrees of pressure.

Hello guys, lately my dell inspiron laptop does not always come on when I press the power button. Nothing happens at all when I press the power button. It usually comes back to normal after I remove the battery for some time (sometimes up to 24 hours) and then put it back.
This problem doesn't affect any software or files so it functions normally WHEN it comes on.

Has anyone encountered this problem before? What could be the real problem? I once took it to a repairer but before the guy could touch it, I pressed the power button and it came on.
Please it frustrates me a lot because I can't even trust that my laptop will come on when I need it, so I borrow my friend's laptop when I need to do something important.

Bridget001:
Please who has free scholarship past questions and answers?

PM me your email address.

@paranorman, my Dell laptop had the same problem sometime ago.
Take it to a trusted technician who will open and clean it.
That should help.

HFOG:
Thanking God for a brand new day!
I nominate Uceee

Thanks for the tag @HFOG. You've got a nice thing going here.
I am grateful to God who gives me the drive to conquer daily.
I nominate shakaz.

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This is just the media insulting both schools by making it seem like they are fighting for who is "ranked" the best.

Every school is definitely striving to be the best, but these 2 schools are just advertising themselves by quoting rankings from 2 different sources that favour them.

The real competition to be the best is in what they do/are willing to do to make themselves stand out.

As far as am concerned, OAU can be rated the worst university in Nigeria. I won't care as far as I am getting the expected quality of education I went there to obtain.

These international ranking bodies do not know anything about Nigerian Universities. They just sit in their offices and compile some lists based on some vague criteria known only to them while some people here actually argue over those rankings.

The NUC which is responsible for accrediting Nigerian universities should rank them department by department, faculty by faculty. That will be a much better and more relevant ranking.

Thank God there are still dedicated doctors in Nigeria. May her soul rest in peace!!!


I hope her family is given some compensation. A posthumous award will also go a long way to show our appreciation and encourage excellence & selflessness in medical professionals in Nigeria.


All medical personnel MUST take all necessary precautions while treating Ebola patients.


Finally, diaris God oh!

Lomba: Pls what are some of the courses for year 1 if u are doing petroleum engineering?I am an aspirant.you can email me at [email protected] or add me on 2go polymaths02

Normally, you should offer physics, chemistry and mathematics. You may also offer an introductory engineering course where you learn what Engineering in Nigeria entails.

NgeneUkwenu:

People like Omisore can only govern backward states like Abia, Kogi and Ebonyi States!

The ignorant ones are usually the loudest.

seanswitch: To the amazement of everyone, the Judge upheld a “No Case” submission by the defence on 5 November 2002. The three accused persons were released and they subsequently disappeared…

This is why people resort to jungle justice.

emmydan9: pls i cant find the thread of oau aspirant 2013/2014 where can i find it

You still dey aspire?

No one, absolutely no one could have predicted this. All predictions have gone up in flames. Brazil should call 911 they are being ra.ped.

Aluta Continua, Victoria sits at home.

Good topic.
Most times, cross gender friendships are skewed in the girls' favour cos the guys wanna be heroes who can take care of things. It takes a really mature, nice girl to curb the guy's heroic tendencies a bit and actually contribute to the friendship, else she will just sit back and enjoy until the guy who has been performing the role of a boyfriend wants to legitimise the relationship. Some girls just feel that even allowing you to call them is a favour.
If you don't want your guy-friend to ask you out soon, don't allow him slip into the role of a boyfriend. Gently discourage it.

I always thought Dell laptops were the most reliable until I read this topic and saw all those people recommending Toshiba. So I did a little googling and came up with this:

This is extreme social networking oh. Where is the page sef?

OP thank you for this thread. I honed my driving skills his year. Next year I'll learn how to swim, and how to speak yoruba too.

I have been challenged by the comments here.

Hmm....Where is Fynestboi? This is the real Nairaland educational debate!

Punch line: Whether you study in the the lion's den, great ife, the school of 1st choice, the school better by far, the premier university or the school naturally ahead, the name or fame of your school will not save you from hunger or rotting in the naija labour market. If you turn out well, your alma mata will recognise you and brag about you, if not you are on your own.

Better work hard and maximise your time in whichever university you find yourself!!!

ontarian: Thank you mr writer. Everyone is commenting and praising Madiba for his candid opinion on naija, as if we needed him to tell us before we can realize the truth.

Nigerians should not blame their leaders. We should blame ourselves. We vote them in. We play the devil's drum, while they dance in mischief.

The leaders , are simply the product of our society. They didn't fall from the sky. They are our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, aunts and uncles. In some cases, our grannies.

Take nairaland for example; what's with this tribal bashing and religious intolerance? A nigerian commits a crime, all people look for is the tribe and religion. We are first and foremost, Nigerians. There should be patriotism among us. There should be no state of origin. In the western world, it doesn't matter where you are born as long as you are born in that country. Place of birth is secondary to the place of residence. Place of birth is just for immigrants. In the case of citizens, place of birth is just for record and genealogical purposes.

Unfortunately, in Nigeria you come from where your dad comes from. Not where you are born or live. Until every nigerian is seen as a nigerian and is free to live in any part of the country, unmolested and peacefully, we are never gonna make head way.

If a stray dog is found on the street, the cops or animal home outfits are ed immediately. Such animals are taken in and cared for, until a foster home is found. That's western practice.

I cried for weeks when I read here on nairaland some of the comments supposedly made by some people who think that Lagos state belongs to them. People were calling fellow Nigerians destitute and telling them to go back to their land. Which land? Same people are here, hailing Madiba. Did Madiba ask the white s Africans to leave? Did he claim to own South Africa? No. He didn't.

We can change Nigeria starting from nairaland. Let's discuss constructively, with open minds and love for one another. Let's eschew pride and regional sentiments. Madiba didn't say anything new. Anyone who didn't know that before now, is simply a child. We are the hope of the black world. Without Nigeria, Africa cannot move forward. The rest of Africa is waiting for us to take our place in the League of Nations.

Let's forget our leaders. Past and present. Nairaland can serve as a starting point. Every tribal comment or religious bigotry, should be banned and the poster proscribed. Let's heal this forum. Then we can take it from here to the larger society. Thanks.

Sorry, Nairaland is even worse than the real life Nigeria. It can't be helped that people will say all the silly things they would never be bold enough to say in real life here. Anyone going by the tribal e-wars here would think that once Igbos meet Yorubas, they fight to the death. People can any government action they like and never back down, lest they be seen to be "weak".

The mods whom you would expect to regulate these things are happy to even encourage them. After all tribal wars generate more traffic. If you doubt me, open this topic: "Ikenna Okoro & Maduabuchi caught for kidnapping" Or "Yemi & Kehinde arrested for 419". They will quickly hit front page and may reach 10 pages or more of tribal bashing.

A normal person could come here and develop into a tribal bigot in no time.

Chartey:
Ucee, i understand you, but part of what i wanted show is the so much above average(not perfect) maintenance culture in ABU. These buildings are just as they are in the pics. In fact, my faculty looks much better in real life. There are new buildings built and being built within the last two years in every faculty and the pics of those are not even included.
If you can get internet pictures of any university in this country as good as these, please bring them. At least, there can't be pictures of structures that don't exist.

OK man. I hope to visit one day in the near future. You've got a really beautiful school if I haven't said it already.

Chartey:
Honestly ABU is that neat. When i first got here during harmattan, i joked i could just take pics of myself in a cardigan and send them to my friends lying that i was in Ukraine and they would believe. There are beautiful trees and flowers all around and there are hordes of cleaners and gardeners in every nook and cranny of the school keeping it clean every day. Just come and see for yourself dear.

I am not saying that your school is not beautiful. It is obviously a very well planned, beautiful school. But most of these pic you posted seem to have been taken immediately after the structures were built. Some even look like 3D plans. Its not realistic that a Nigerian university, managed and used by Nigerians is this neat (notice that I used the word neat, not beautiful) Pics that show those places in use will show a fairer picture.
Also, Structures, roads and flowers alone don't make a good school. Where are the learning equipment?
No beefing, I'd like all Nigerian units to be truly beautiful.

Internet pictures cannot tell the story. Next time, someone on ground should take pictures. There is no way a Nigerian school is this neat. I could be still be convinced by pics from a student on ground who will not hide the not-so-nice places.

Why this Naija Vs Ghana now? We are supposed to be brothers oh.
Ghana have got a very tough draw, but that may work in their favour. They will prepare very hard for the tournament, knowing that there will be no dulling from the very begining. Also the tough nature of the group means that the other teams will all drop points when they play each other thereby making it easier for Ghana to qualify. As little as 4 points may just be enough for them.
As for Nigeria, I fear we may get complacent and overconfident till we lose to Iran in our 1st match. We will then find ourselves in a situation where we have to get a result against Argentina to qualify. I would have prefered to play Argentina 1st. Argentina will dominate the group. If they finish with 9 points which is very probable, we have to finish with 6 points to ensure our qualification. There will be no room for error against Bosnia & Iran.

The groups in full

Group H

Belgium
Algeria
Russia
Korea Republic

Group G


Portugal
Ghana
United States

Group F

Argentina
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Iran
Nigeria

Group E

Switzerland
Ecuador

Honduras

Group D

Uruguay
Costa Rica
England
Italy

Group C

Colombia
Greece
Ivory Coast
Japan


Group B

Spain
Netherlands
Chile
Australia

Group A

Brazil
Croatia
Mexico
Cameroon

The world cup draw has officially been Held and here are the teams I think will qualify from their groups:

Group A
Brazil
Mexico

Group B
Netherlands
Spain

Group C
Colombia
Ivory Coast

Group D
Uruguay
England

Group E

Switzerland

Group F
Argentina
Nigeria

Group G

Portugal

Group H
Belgium
Russia

What do you think? how many upsets can there be?

OP you have written a really good narrative. But I fear yorubas, muslims and anti-GEJ people will refuse to read objectively and attack you because they feel indicted.