An erstwhile president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has urged the Yoruba nation to begin immediate and deliberate preparations for political and economic relevance beyond President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure.

The eminent lawyer warned that the region cannot afford complacency while power remains at the centre.

He said the presidency would not remain in the Southwest indefinitely, stressing the need for strategic planning, unity, and purposeful leadership to safeguard the future of Yoruba land.

Olanipekun spoke yesterday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, at a public lecture, titled: “Ondo State: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” at the International Culture and Events Centre (The Dome), as part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of Ondo State.

The former NBA president noted that although President Tinubu may serve until 2031, the Southwest must start preparing for political happenings in the region afterwards.

“I’m not just asking us to prepare for post-2031 because President Tinubu will not be there forever. He will be there till 2031. So, we should be prepared for post-2031,” he said.

Olanipekun warned that internal division could weaken the Southwest’s influence in national politics, calling for stronger cohesion among political leaders, traditional rulers and stakeholders.

“We must hold ourselves together; stay united. There should be cohesion, unity, love, respect and thoughtfulness. Otherwise, the way I see it, we may be lost,” he added.

Olanipekun described development in the region as a collective responsibility that requires courage, strategic thinking and sustained engagement beyond partisan interests.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said his administration was focused on strengthening existing institutions and laying foundations for long-term growth rather than creating new structures.

The governor emphasised reforms in key sectors, including health, education, and security.

He promised that the state security outfit, Amotekun Corps, would be further equipped and repositioned ahead of the proposed state policing framework.

“Amotekun has come to stay. We will make it work better, recruit more personnel and equip them. With state policing in view, it will be able to handle sophisticated weapons against bandits and marauders,” he said.

Aiyedatiwa also highlighted his administration’s plans to drive industrialisation, agriculture and the blue economy.

The governor noted that value addition to cocoa production through processing plants would boost the state’s revenue and job creation.

According to him, ongoing projects, such as the coastal highway and a proposed refinery, would transform the state’s economy, improve connectivity with Lagos and attract investments.

“The coastal highway is a game changer. It will drive industry and movement of people. Tourism, hospitality, health and education will naturally grow as development spreads,” the governor said.

He added that the state had adopted five-year and 10-year rolling development plans centred on human capital development, while youths had been engaged through an essay competition to envision Ondo’s future over the next 70 years.

“I won’t be here in 50 years anyway, but we are projecting to the future for the state as the one or the saddle at this time during this 50th year anniversary of the creation of the state. We have seen what the past leaders have done, their contributions, landmark projects, programmes and policies that have been driving the state before I became governor.

“We have to continue to strengthen that because that is a structure that we cannot change but to improve on that, which we call continuous service improvement, which I believe strongly in.

“We continue to strengthen our institutions, for example, you are not starting a new ministry of health, but you can make that one work better. You can’t create a new ministry of education; it’s been there, it’s a structure we can make more functional, to deliver better.”

SOURCE

The National Industrial Court in Abuja has issued an interim order restraining the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) from proceeding with a mass protest scheduled for Tuesday, February 3.

The order was granted on Monday by Justice Emmanuel Subilim, following an ex parte application filed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The suit lists the NLC, TUC, and senior union officials — including Benson Upah, Nuhu Toro and Stephen Knabayi — as defendants, alongside the inspector-general of police, the FCT commissioner of police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

In the application, Wike and the FCTA asked the court to restrain the unions from organising any protest or industrial action against the FCTA, citing concerns over public safety, disruption of services and the potential breakdown of law and order in the capital.

According to the filing, the claimants argued that the planned protest would obstruct traffic, violate the rights of residents and visitors, and cripple government operations in Abuja. They also accused the unions of preparing to defy an existing court order by mobilising workers for demonstrations.

The court was urged to intervene to preserve industrial peace and ensure the continued delivery of essential services pending the hearing of the substantive motion.

Ogwu Onoja, counsel to the FCT minister, told the court that the planned protest violated an earlier directive of the court restraining industrial action.

Despite the pending litigation, the NLC and TUC had, on Sunday, called on members to prepare for a “solidarity rally” to the office of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in support of the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC).

Background to the dispute

The dispute follows an indefinite strike launched by FCTA workers on January 19 over unresolved labour and welfare issues. The action shut down activities across FCTA and FCDA departments and agencies, prompting the minister to seek legal redress.

On January 27, the national industrial court ordered workers to suspend the strike, ruling that while the matter constituted a trade dispute, the right to industrial action was not absolute once a case had been brought before the court.

The judge held that any ongoing strike must cease pending the determination of the suit. Following the ruling, the office of the head of civil service in the FCTA directed workers to resume duty immediately.

The NLC, however, rejected the directive and asked its members to continue the strike, setting the stage for the latest court intervention.

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah, has expressed concern over the daily bloodshed in Nigeria, describing the situation as unparalleled globally.

Speaking in Yola, Adamawa State, at the launch of a book on Governor Ahmadu Fintiri titled ‘The Man They Could Not Stop’, authored by his former Director General of Media and Communication, Solomon Kumangar, Kukah said the country is divided along religious lines, a situation he said is exacerbated by Western media narratives.

“What is happening in Nigeria cannot happen in Sudan, Cameroon, Niger, Ghana, or any other country in the world,” Kukah said. “There is no other country in the world that 10 people are killed on Monday, 50 on Tuesday, 100 on Wednesday, and the killings go on every week. How can such a country move forward?”

He added, “Only in Nigeria do people die as Christians and Muslims. The Western media is fuelling the killings along religious lines — 20 Christians killed, 30 Muslims killed.”

Kukah called on political and religious leaders to build institutions that unite Nigerians for peace and the country’s development.

He also commended former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for intervening in the 2023 governorship crisis in Adamawa State.

At the event, former Senate President and ex-Kwara State governor, Bukola Saraki, urged Nigerians to prioritise leaders with strong leadership qualities over political affiliations.

“The country can only move forward when the right people are given the chance to pilot its affairs,” he said, adding that Fintiri’s infrastructural footprint shows he is prepared for leadership.

Nassarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who chaired the ceremony, encouraged Fintiri to join the All Progressives Congress, saying the party’s expansion had reached Adamawa State.

“If I come with the APC cap and flag, I would hand it to you today as our new member,” he said.

Governor Fintiri described himself as a “man of destiny,” reflecting on the 2023 elections.

“There were numerous futile shots at stopping me. The 2023 election was just the height of them, and an embarrassing one, not only to the state but to the nation and to democracy globally. In 2023, we saw treachery; we saw assault; we saw the moral compromise of a bankrupt elite masked as patriots. But most importantly, we saw support and resilience of the true Adamawa people and friendships that go beyond the state.”

He continued, “If 2023 had not happened, I wouldn’t have known some people for who they are: pretentious, greedy, opportunistic, and desperate, yet crying the victim and still claiming democratic credentials they are distant from. The sad news is that this clique of pretenders and political puppeteers are still around, shuttling between Yola and Abuja, shamelessly and dangerously hovering around our democracy. We must, as we did in 2023, resist them with our votes and unmask them to the world.”

The book launch was attended by governors of Bauchi, Bala Mohammed; Nassarawa, Abdullahi Sule,, the deputy governor of Oyo, and representatives from Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Taraba, and Plateau states.

Deputy National Vice Chairman (North-East) of APC, Mustapha Salihu, unveiled the book and urged Adamawa residents to continue supporting Fintiri’s developmental projects.

SOURCE