#BRINGBACKOURGIRLS protest at the Nigeria House London today

 At the Nigeria house protest in London this morning. it started at 10am- 1pm.

Breaking news- Explosion hits Nigeria's capital

An explosion has hit the Nigerian capital, Abuja, near the scene of a deadly bomb attack last month.

The blast happened in Nyanya, close to the bus station where at least 70 people died in an attack on 14 April.

Initial reports say a number of people have been killed and many more have been injured.

It is not clear what caused the explosion. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has previously staged attacks in Abuja.

Uche Iwuji's Hubby Juwon Lawal Announces Their Split And Says She Will Always Be His Friend.

 
His press release announcing his divorce states.

''This should serve as the official statement confirming the end to the marriage formalized on Friday, November 16^th 2012 between the CEO of ABD Fuels Plc, Mr. Juwon Rasak Lawal and actress Uche Iwuji. 

Already, the court processes are on to give a legal seal to the separation.

Mr. Lawal was in Europe on a business tour when the story first broke through the media.  This was the reason why he could not react appropriately to it, plus the fact that he felt the event could be redeemed.

Although, he would not want to talk about the reasons for the separation, Mr. Lawal is not married anymore to Miss Iwuji. And he will like to treat his estranged wife’s case as “once a friend, always a friend”. Status & Living Media - Publicist''

South Africa's Nelson Mandela dies,

South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela has died, South Africa's president says.

Mr Mandela, 95, led South Africa's transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, after 27 years in prison.

He had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital.

In a statement on South African national TV, Mr Zuma said Mr Mandela had "departed" and was at peace.

Continue reading the main story

"Our nation has lost its greatest son," Mr Zuma said.

Deji Falae laid to rest

Deji Falae laid to rest amid tears, Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Deji was one of the 15 people that died in the tragic Associated Airline air crash on October 3rd was buried yesterday at St David's Anglican Cathedral, Ijomu, in Akure. Attendees were Deji's family (wife pictured below) friends, business associates, Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, his wife, and the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Dare Emiola. See more pictures below.....
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                                               Deji's wife and daughter
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MEN AND LIES....A MUST READ

Hello,

I Am one of your readers and i need you and your readers advice on what to do.

 Am in a terrible situation even as i write to you.  

 Am in a relationship with this lovely, gently, and caring man. we met earlier this year and we have become so inseparable. We are so compatible that we have never had a cause to quarrel since we met. we no longer see each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, even his friends cherish our relationship.

recently, we discussed about settling down next year and sometime last week, he called me that he wants to take me out to discuss some issues which was yesterday. and that i should think of where i wanted to go.

We got to the restaurant and i was so impatient to hear what he's got to say but he said that i had to wait for the meal is served before we could discuss.

First he told me that he wanted to apologies for lying to me about his age which i had earlier suspected that he lied about. Initially he told me that he was 3 years older than me but confessed yesterday that he's 9 years my senior 

 Secondly, he told me when we met that he's been married before with a child and that the wedding crumbled due to his wife's attitude but confessed yesterday that he's got three children from the same woman.

Although the third one wasn't planned, she conceived during reconciliation period.

The opening up of his inner secret has left me completely heartbroken and confused. 

According to him the white lady woke up one morning and packed her bags that she was no longer in love with him which was true. He got married 6 years ago and been separated for two years already. All effort to reconcile them back together proved abortive.

Immediately he told me about the second child i just could not handle it, i started crying and we had to leave the restaurant. While in the car he told me about the third child. 

 We didn't sleep all night.  W both have good jobs but this whole problem has affected our work as we could not concentrate at work today.

He apologies that we should consider our love and turn a deaf hear to what family and friends will say. 

We are very much in love and compatible, we don't see our selves as boyfriend and girlfrienD in anyway.  

considering the fact that have set some standards for myself and the kind of family i come from i don't think  he deserves me.

He said i should accept him and we can get marry as soon as possible, SHOULD I CONSIDER LOVE OR LET HIM GO?

Am really in a dilemma and i need advice , please help me.  

******This is serious but i think he really loves you and want to put things right. If you think you are strong enough to cope with all the challenges that may arise later in that marriage, go ahead and marry him*****

Commit everything into God's hands and it shall be well with you. 

My bible has made me believe that love conquers all. 

"Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins."

1 Peter 4:8

all thanks to Stelladimokokorkus

last interview, Death is the only constant thing – Olatunji, late son of MIC boss

,

Olatunji Okusanya, in his recent interview just before his demise with Punch , Tunji, who died along with his father, in plane crash on Thursday tells KEMI LAWAL, why he chose funeral business

Can you tell us about yourself?

My name is Olatunji Okunsanya and I work for MIC.  I also run LPS, a funeral consultancy service provider. It is a personal role I have decided to take up and a summary of being an ambassador for the dead.  I have a father and a mother who are hardworking. I am the second child of the family and I have an elder sister who is a celebrated makeup artist.

What does it mean to be an ambassador for the dead?

In every institution that we have , everything is properly taken care of but nobody talks about the dead and they  have issues ranging from the laws governing them, burial spaces  and so much more. What we do is we speak with people and we have been able to build a relationship with the federal and state governments plus private institutions to take good care of the dead. A dead person has a right to be visited by its family 50 years after if the burial space is intact. A dead person has a right to a decent burial. So, we liaise and give practical solutions.

You read banking and finance, what are you doing with funeral services?

The fact remains that I was born into this business. My grandfather started MIC in 1946 and my father at some point created something out of it. He was able to take the business to greater heights. Therefore, it has been a thorough foundation for me. It is just what I have done from primary school through secondary school and then to the university.  When I was much younger, my friends used to say I used to open the newspapers from the back to read about obituaries.

So even at a very young age, you were not scared of caskets?

I cannot be scared because this is what I have seen all my life. I was literally born in the midst of caskets and my nuclear family has not done anything apart from caskets. What does not talk does not have control over you.

Why did you not study to be a mortician instead of getting a finance degree?

I have a diploma in psychology, a degree in banking and finance and I have so many international affiliations with funeral consultancy services. That background was necessary to have a vast idea of what is going on and not just you being limited. I did that to learn a little more outside the jurisdiction of what I do.

In the process of doing your job, do you betray emotions?

Yes. Primarily the funeral director is a human being. The bible talks about the fact that it is good to go to where they mourn. When you go to places like that, you are reminded about the fact that life ends one day. It helps you to move closer to God. For the funeral director, everyday of his life is about people mourning and that is tougher. You get emotional but you do not betray emotions.

Are there times you feel like opting out of the business?

At no point in time can I opt out. It is all about a personal advancement and revolutionising the industry. My job is not a funny or strange one because someone has to do the job.

Have you had any queer experience in the course of doing your job?

First, I am a Christian. I have my faith in God and it is unshaken. He has given us power to tread paths that people fear. So, such superstitions do not come to play in my life. My faith tells me that what cannot talk has no control over me so if someone dies and you wrap up the person, I did not kill the person. I was only contracted to give the person a befitting burial so there is nothing to fear.

Do you get funny reactions when you tell people what you do?

I offered to meet up with you(the reporter) somewhere else because I was worried you might not be comfortable talking to me in the midst of caskets. I hear all sorts: ‘If you were the only man left, you will not marry my daughter.’ Some do not even want to give you a handshake because they believe you have ulterior motives. If they think deeply, they would realise that we actually run an institution that should be celebrated. Death is the only constant thing. The only constant thing they would put after everybody’s name learned or not is RIP. Therefore, if someone has taken the bold step to take care of the only constant thing in life, we should be given some credit.

When marriage comes eventually, I do not think my prospective in-laws should worry about what I do, what they should worry about is if I can take care of their daughter. How I make my money should not be an issue.

Did your father insist you toe this line?

At no point did he insist and until tomorrow, he does not.  That will also help me with my children because I will give them the best of everything and they will have the opportunity to decide what they want to be in life. It is not compulsory they take after me or their grandfather or great grandfather.

 Are there any highpoints in this profession?

Yes, there are because you would realise that  a lot of people look forward to meeting you. I have had opportunities of meeting people because I have provided this essential services for them. We do not have to knock their doors to get their audience.

You are wearing black now; does it have anything to do with your job?

Not exactly. Maybe it is because I am used to it or we deal with many people that mourn. If I wear a yellow shirt or tie to where people are mourning, I will look out of place. I am not always in black; I wear white, grey and other colours. I feel very comfortable in my native attire and I wear loads of them.

How do you relax when you are not working?

Because I have a lot doing as an ambassador of the dead, I do not have time to relax. I am always in the middle of a new challenge.

Are you under pressure to outdo your father?

You cannot outdo a man that is still on his feet, energetic, fit, a pacesetter and enjoys what he does. The pressure instead is to be a success story. He has been able to transform an industry from something to everything. I cannot even step into my father’s shoes because they are too wide. When your hobby is your work, nobody can come close to you.

I have been to morgues and there are no escorts or sirens there, there is no posing in the morgue, there are no celebrities there. You put people under six feet and you realise that the cars and the houses do not fit in. I have come to understand that when people die, nobody has jumped into the vault and said bury me along. So, it makes me see things differently. At the end of the day, when they say everything is vanity, I am in a better position to talk about it because I have seen it all.

Nike Oshinowo welcomes twins via surrogacy

Am not sure how true this info is but just saw this post on lindaikeji's blog

The former beauty queen welcomed a set of twins - a boy and a girl, via surrogacy a few months ago in the US. Nike and the twins returned to Nigeria on Monday September 30th. The twins are Nike's biological children but was carried and birthed by another woman - something like what Giuliana and Bill Rancic did. The identity of the children's father is currently unknown but there are indications that Nike bought sperm from a sperm bank in the US. The 47 year old who has over the years battled endometriosis already has two adopted children. Congrats to her.


Culled from LindaIkeji

The UK broker ICAP has been fined $87m (£54m) for its part in the long-running Libor rate fixing scandal.

According to BBC report, three of its traders were charged with wire fraud in a federal New York court.

They each face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count if convicted.

The Libor rate is used to set trillions of dollars of financial contracts, including many car loans and mortgages, as well as complex financial transactions around the world.

Regulators have been investigating Libor manipulation since 2012 in the wake of Barclays' £290m ($454m) fine by US and UK authorities. A string of international banks have been implicated in the affair, and several criminal charges have been brought against traders.

In a statement, Michael Spencer, group chief executive officer at ICAP said: "We deeply regret and strongly condemn the inexcusable actions of the brokers who sought to assist certain bank traders in their efforts to manipulate YEN Libor. Their conduct contravenes all that ICAP stands for."

Mr Spencer added that none of the three individuals remain with the firm, and others who may have been involved are no longer at the company.

Late Prophet Ajanaku Was A Liar, Cheat, Swindler & Adulterer - Says Close Aide

Another shocking revelation has surfaced on the late Prophet Ireti Ajanaku. One of his close aides who worked for him for five years, Emmanuel Olasemeji who is a furniture maker, opened up to Encomium Weekly on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, on the late Prophet he knew…

How did you become one of late Prophet Ajanaku’s aides?

The first day I saw him, I was not attracted to him because of his physical look. He bleached. However, when my boss who was one of his church members introduced me to him, he prayed for me. My decision to visit his church was based on curiosity. That was in 2007. Sincerely, there is no way you won’t marvel at his preaching. He preached with persuasive and authoritative words.


I was wowed. And that was when he was about completing his multi-million naira mansion. And most of the church members volunteered to assist the builders. He asked me to work for God in his house and do the furniture. I can’t lie to you, when Prophet Ajanaku spoke you would think it was God. His church members saw him as god. He often told us that he wines and dines with God and that if he wants anybody to die tomorrow, it would happen. We all respected and feared him. You dare not say no to his request.

He said he had the power to save someone from ultimate death. My decision to open up was not to malign his character but be factual. Even before his death, I confessed this feat openly to him. I can’t doubt his power but not as a Christian. For instance, someone came to see him. He said some people predicted he was going to die at a certain date. Thus, he was warned not to go out. Prophet Ajanaku closed his eyes for a minute and the next moment said the man should go out that day that nothing would happen to him. And nothing happened to him indeed.

I can say that though he was very powerful but his lifestyle and character were questionable.

How many months did you work in his house?

I stayed inside his house for nine months to complete the whole job. The reason was that most of the job was done at night. He won’t allow you to work on the upper parts of the house during day time until he gave you the nod. And mostly at night. If you complained that it would disturb people staying with him, he would say as the owner, all I needed was his approval.

How would you describe him?

Although he wielded spiritual power but he was not a man of God. The bubble burst some years back when one of his personal aides, Mr. Adefeso traveled with him to South Africa on a missionary assignment. The aide is quite educated. He is an elderly person. That was in November 2010. And there is one thing about prophet, whenever he is angry with anybody, he would tell the church members that God is angry with such person and that anybody that relates with such a person would incur the wrath of God.

Thus, once you incur his wrath, the whole church would stop greeting you. Before they travelled to South Africa, there was an issue on ground. He was renovating the church. He engaged the services of one of his church members who sold woods and planks to supply the church.

I supervised the project and it was N750,000. He was to pay after the project. After the project, he refused to pay. And the member knew it wrecked his small business. It became an issue and it was his personal aide, Mr. Adefeso who waded in and said prophet would pay. That was when they travelled to South Africa. When they got back, we discovered they had an issue.

The aide claimed he discovered some of his secrets while on the trip but till date refused to disclose them. However, when prophet came back, he quickly started telling us the man was evil, that we should excommunicate him. I know him well, once he knew you had discovered some of his negative acts, he would blackmail you with lies. That was the same thing he did for Tope Alabi.

What are the things you discovered about him?

First, he is a chronic liar. Do you know that the money he owed he never paid back? The matter was taken to the police at Panti and he denied owing the man. He said he has paid him. I was shocked. They called me as a witness. Though I was scared but I stood for the truth. He spent over N500,000 to settle the case. And at the end we even became the victim. He specialized in turning the tide against people who speak the truth.

He would fabricate lies against such person. And the medium he used most was a soft-sell magazine. Second, I can tell you authoritatively that he sleeps with his female aides who stay in his house. He has agents who recruit ladies in the church who are not employed.

They used their situation to entice them to work and live with the prophet. And some only live with him for like three months before he would fabricate lies against them and send them parking. But none of them could disclose their ordeal because he was a god.

But what about his wife?

His wife, Joy, was staying in the upper room. She only comes down during church services. That’s why most people don’t really know anything about her. She dares not come down unless he gave approval.

We only discovered the truth when one of the ladies who was also the wife’s aide known as Becky confessed to a pastor at Abuja that he was sleeping with her. She was dating a friend of mine who was also staying in his house. The house is so big and many of us lived with him. My friend and Becky travelled to Abuja and he introduced her to a pastor in Abuja. That one now said Becky has a secret and unless she revealed it, it would affect their relationship. It took her four days to open up that she has been sleeping with late Ajanaku. She was scared she would die after the confession but with prayer in Abuja, nothing happened to her. Although we were suspicious but she gave us instances which we were aware of and revealed how other girls too were his sex slaves.

Also, most of his members go to the church with their wealth but left poor. He was very rich. He swindled them of their wealth and virtues.

Though we have never seen him with charm before but he often told us he knows about all incantations because he had been into all sorts of occultism before he started his ministry.

He said they are all powerless compared to God’s power. He is a pretender. Once he was about to discard his enemies, he would say negative things about them and since we were not privileged to see or hear from God, we believed him. That’s what he used on those girls too. He bleached and encouraged the girls too to use the cream. I had to leave in 2011. I spent five years with him.

Is it true that he once had a wife?

Yes. It’s no secret that he had a wife and two kids who died before he started the ministry. Aside that, he had a baby out of wedlock, but he rejected the mother.

What’s the woman’s name?

I don’t know because he was even the one who revealed it to us when the mother came to collect the boy’s allowance of N20,000. Only few aides knew. I was so close to him because I worked for him.

He had four rooms in that house which are exclusively his own. He had a particular room that if he was there for three months you won’t know.

On Friday, September 20, 2013, we contacted the ministry’s spokesperson, Tosin, over some of these allegations but he declined to make any comment. “Please, I have nothing to say.”


Thanks to Jane

President Goodluck Jonathan meet President Obama in New York

President Barack Obama meets with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in New York, Monday, Sept. 23, 2013. Obama is in New York and is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly tomorrow.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2013/09/23/3803840/obama-nigerian-president-agree.html#storylink=cpy

Latest update on Goodluck Jonathan Administration - Nigerian President

Today, I had the honour of ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange after I had heralded to global captains of industry Nigeria’s efforts in recent times that has made our nation a prime destination for foreign investment and one that ensures some of the highest Return on Investments (RoI) in the world. This is just the beginning of greater things to come for our country and our continent. The foundation of planning which we laid at the inception of our administration is being strengthened for greater service delivery for our people. My attention has just been drawn to some modest but positive steps in the education sector.

 In 2010, the pass rates for our National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examinations was 15.84%. To address the abysmal failure and general decay in education we convened an emergency education summit in 2010 to deliberate on why we had fallen so far back and how best can we move up? We took the report from that conference and began implementing some of the recommendations. The education sector had the highest sectoral allocation in the budget the following year and has remained among the topmost in allocation since then. On Friday the 20th of September 2013, the results of our efforts began to manifest. This year, 69.57% of Nigerian students passed the 2013 Senior School Certificate Examinations. We cannot relent. While we continue to negotiate with ASUU so that never again will strikes be an impediment to the realization of our children's educational aspiration, it is important that we keep our eyes on the ball: a holistic turn around in our education. As we make progress in every sector of our economy:

As far as i am concerned this is still failure if after passing O'level, u ended up spending a whole semester at home.....Continue reading pls...

 Transportation, Aviation, Agriculture, Power, Finance, Energy Security and all others it is not celebration time until all our citizens can feel the progress in our communities and our constituencies. We must pay greater attention to education. As I said on this page on April 10, 2012 when I commissioned the first of 400 Almajirinci Model Schools in Gagi, Sokoto state “a nation does not become wealthy by what it has under the ground rather the wealth of nations are today measured by what is between the ears of her citizens”. To the world I say, we have the most industrious humans on earth and we are ready for business. To fellow Nigerians, our collective work for change is not done. Lets us not be discouraged by the attempt to drag us into partisan politics when the urgent issue of the moment is governance. GEJ

I was extremely angry when that pastor said I should go and sin no more – Bode George

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party  – South and convicted chairman of Nigeria Port Authority, tells Punch(Gbenro) why he will keep on fighting until he shakes off the ex-convict tag

Are you a thief?

 I can refer you to the judgment because it’s already in the public view. At least, the judge was honest enough to say ‘no kobo was missing’. It was the greatest convoluted conspiracy that I have ever seen in my life. But you know, as a Christian, if you have belief in God and your faith is very strong, you don’t get shaken.

First of all, if we split contract, it would be for whose benefit? I’m not a contractor; the company did not belong to anybody on the board, so in whose interest? Two, nobody brought a contractor, whether they executed the job, whether they were paid the money, we just finished and the rest was left to the management. Whether they even awarded the contract, I didn’t know. I’ve been keeping quiet but the public must know this and those that have been writing ex-convict think they are abusing me, but they are raining curses on themselves and their families and it will happen. In the name Jesus, all who are convolutedly involved, it will happen to them.

People think that Bode George stole money; whoever is putting it down is raining curses on himself, anytime he writes that. Let him go and find out exactly what happened.

The debt portfolio of Lagos is unimaginable. God will not forgive these people. While Lagos is getting broke, Bola Tinubu is getting richer. I went to his village in Iragbiji where he hailed from, he said he went to Children’s Home School and Government College Ibadan, I asked my junior friends who went to GCI, Ibadan, none of them knew him. What’s his real name? Is his name Bola? What is his family name? The chief of staff to (Rauf) Aregbesola is his blood brother. He also has an older brother who retired from the Federal Ministry of Foreign affairs.

When his real mother died, he didn’t go to Osun. I went to the Oba of Iragbiji, I said we were going to ship him back home. That was at the peak of the campaign. They told me the primary school he attended, no secondary school, no-nothing. Suddenly he came back and said he had a CPA, that’s the equivalent of ACCA. He didn’t even have an APC, he’s a jiver.

Is your state pardon justifiable?

I haven’t been given any pardon, we served the term and we’re still in court. I’m still an ex-convict, but we will fight it. My family has decided we will fight it. Justice Salami was involved when we thought we would get justice. We went to the Court of Appeal in Lagos, they presented the case. During the course of discussion, Keyamo was saying we should have raised the issue of fiat before and they gave a ruling during that trial that you can raise the fiat  issue even at the Supreme court. But when it got to the final judgment, they reversed themselves.

 How do you feel when people refer to you as an ex-convict?

 Laughable, when God gives somebody talents and you exhibit that talent with humility in the belief that you’re doing His work- not your work- no matter all the firing from sidewalks, it won’t affect you.

 Why are you still in politics despite the stain on your reputation in the public eye?

 There is no law that forbids me from exercising my voice and my rights, and vox populi, vox dei- the voice of the people is the voice of God. Throughout the 18 months I was in Kirikiri (prison), the whole place turned into a Mecca because the people knew that it was a convoluted conspiracy. Everywhere I went in the South West, people would say, ‘oga come and do this, come and do that.’ Should I fold my hands? I believe in the awesomeness of the Almighty God, He never told us that we would not have problems and failures but when you crumble and don’t stand up, then you have failed. Any man who has achieved greatness in life and says that his way was a freeway all the way, is a liar.

I was reading the latest book of Mandela- ‘Conversations with Myself.’ The opening paragraph states that the prison cell is the best place for you to discover yourself, because there, no distractions. You will see yourself in true perspective, what you have done, what you haven’t done, where you have been fair, where you were not, where you have deceived yourself, you will see yourself in totality, and then the choice is yours. Even if you committed an offence and beg for forgiveness, he’s always there.

And the day I left, that can never be wiped away from my memory. The night before, all the security agencies in Lagos- Director of SSS, Commissioner of Police came and said they wanted me. Mustapha was there and he said ‘oga, don’t follow them, remember this was how they bundled me one night here’, because the whole place was dark.

They came to my room and said I could go home, I said ‘in this night, so that they would say Bode was escaping and I would be shot in the back.’ It was around 9 in the night; I said ‘no’, I would wait till tomorrow morning. And at the cathedral, the provost had to stop the service for some time because people kept coming in. We thought it would be a one hour service but it went on for about four hours.

 Who arranged for the church service?

 I asked for it from the prison, I was going straight to the church.

 Why was that?

 If you remember those who served prison terms that were political, many of them didn’t come out. I never went for any medical treatment throughout the period; I never went outside that gate. The day they let me out was the first day I set my foot outside the prison gate since I got in. You say I shouldn’t be thankful to God. My wife was shot. They shot at her car while I was in the prison. She didn’t do anything throughout that period. Every blessed day, including Saturday and Sunday, she was there. And my friends, they were there everyday, the bullet went through the door and got stuck because the person was on a motorcycle, so he couldn’t aim well. The car is still there.

For you to survive the place, having been at the level which you came and survived, where else would you go, to go and socialise? What are you socialising? My church was coming to give me communion in the prison. You must have God on your side to survive it, because before you know it, the devil will swing your mind and you would set yourself into depression. As a general, you just work out your programme quickly and adapt.

 How did you feel when the pastor said ‘go and sin no more’?

 That young boy that said it, he had leanings with the opposition. He was in Form Four when I was Governor of Ondo State. I was livid but I was in church. This young man would not derail my thanksgiving to God Almighty; the crowd was unprecedented. Sin against who? I went the following morning to challenge the provost; they said ‘no, that’s not what he meant.’ I said ‘you don’t know this boy, he is an apologist to Bola Tinubu and co.’ another bishop came to church and said he was shocked when he watched it. He said that man should go on the altar and ask for forgiveness from God because he does not know who Bode George was. When I came, they invited me into the vestry, and asked ‘why did you decide to come to church?’ I said where else do you think I would go? Go to Okija shrine? I was healthy, even those who saw me thought I didn’t go to prison.’ So when this young man was talking garbage there, you know, you can’t respond there. I went to the provost; this was an anomaly, a misnomer, absolute rubbish, I didn’t come here for this boy, of course, nemesis caught up with him too. They’ve taken him out to a smaller church, that’s where he deserves and the bishop that came said he watched the programme on the TV and was very angry.

 Was he transferred because of what he said or for something else he did?

 I don’t know but it must not be unconnected. Aje ke lana, omo ku leni  tani o mo pe aje to ke lana lo pa omo to ku leni? (The witch cried yesterday and the child dies today, who does not know that the witch that cried yesterday killed the child today). Let me just stop it there. It wasn’t our archbishop but another that came and said you don’t know who Chief Bode George is, for you to say what you said.

 Did you have a hand in his demotion?

 No, one thing I don’t do is get involved in church politics. The one we do outside is already there. Why would I be? Everybody saw it live when he was talking the garbage.

Do you think that the fanfare that greeted your release from prison was worth it?

 It was spontaneous. Who could have asked those people to come, who could have organised it? I was shell-shocked myself. From 5am, people came from all over this country. Even deputy governors were struggling with the people outside there. If I had organised all that from inside prison, then I must be so popular. I remember when former President Olusegun Obasanjo himself came; he couldn’t even get to the church with his car. He got out of his car and trekked to the church.   My aged mother came because my sister said I was going to come back. From where? She didn’t know.

You said you were not guilty, so how did you take the comment by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when he described the fanfare as a celebration of criminality?

That’s true, Baba (Obasanjo) said that we were celebrating criminality and I was shocked. I was really very shocked. How could I have organised rally from prison to the church, to gain what? I was the director-general of the national campaign that brought late President Yar’Adua and Jonathan on board,  would  I now say that I wanted to test my popularity? The popularity started from the very day we were convicted. From the first day, people were trooping in there. So on that final day, people came to rejoice, to say thank God, you’re alive, you haven’t lost your memory, you haven’t had a stroke.

Some people said you bought the aso ebi  that your supporters wore to court during proceedings?

 One, they brought Bode George to the enemy’s court, it’s like grabbing an Arab and taking him to an Israeli court – he’s dead on arrival. That was what they did but they forgot that this is my state. They created the political scenario. My wife too is a politician and there are some other women who would come. They had their natural dresses. If they claimed people wore ankara, so what? I would now go and organise it?

When the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo appeared in court, on the day of judgment, as young people, we trooped there. We wanted to see our Baba. It has been and it would always be. Didn’t you see Mandela trial? Would they ever be watching a political trial and believe that everybody would just stay home? So what was their headache? If the women were wearing ankara, did the ankara disturb the court proceedings? Is solidarity support now an offence? I don’t see the relationship.

Did you enjoy special privileges in prison?

 What privileges? There are different blocks and I still feel sorry for those boys, the overcrowding. Those who are awaiting trial are more than the inmates. If they are able to hasten all these court processes, that will help all the boys. I commend the current Chief Judge of Lagos , the first thing she did when she was appointed was to decongest the prison because it’s inhuman. Where you should not have more than 30 persons, you have about 500. So, what are the privileges? Of course, the food there is very bad, they allow your family to bring food for you, but whoever brings the food will taste it. So what privileges?

 What about prison uniform, did you wear one?

 Prison uniform? Who wears them these days? At least there was code of ethics; you are not going to wear your Sunday dress there.

 They have to clear all those cases awaiting trial; they are more- like 70 per cent. The prisons are filled with persons awaiting trial. Why? What is the gain? There is capacity for everything. If you’re overcrowded, there is problem, you start living like rats.  Rather than a deliberate punishment, they can reform them. That is what prisons are supposed to be.

How did you explain your troubles to your family while it lasted?

My fear first of all was my mum and my sister did a marvellous job. Thank God my father is late; I don’t know how he would have taken it. But my mother is pretty old, about 90 years. I was always travelling so they told her that I had travelled, until the day before I was released, when they told her that I was coming back. Until she got to church and saw me;  that was when my sister now told her. And you see, it’s not new in the family, she came from the Herbert Macaulay stock, and Papa Macaulay went to jail several times fighting for Nigeria. So she knew that once you’re in politics, these were the fallouts and so she understood. Then, she heard on the radio one day and the people were now quoting Baba (Obasanjo) to say we were celebrating criminality. And you know, when they translate that in Yoruba, it could be weightier. She called me and asked, is it true he said you’re a criminal? But I said no, Mummy, it’s not true. I asked her, am I a criminal? I heard that one journalist asked Baba about the fallout between me and him, they said Baba just lost his anger on him.

Whatever it is, I am here and I am home. And I pray that God will give me more good health and I’m going to put all my thoughts in my memoirs. This is for one major reason, that the up and coming Nigerians would read them and learn from the experience of the old people. I’m going to be 70 in another one and a half years. My mission now, having had this experience, having seen our people, is to mould them together, to forget about personal ambition. Let our nation be united for the cause of our people.

All this pettiness, in-fighting are absolutely unnecessary. If there had been no struggle or fight between Baba Awolowo and (Ladoke) Akintola, the South West would have gone far ahead today economically. That fight tore us to the ground. The petty fighting is gradually raging now in the South West PDP. The general one is not a problem.

 Are you friends with Obasanjo now?

 How can you say I and somebody older than me are friends? Baba will always be my Baba. Of course, I was angry and I’d tell you.  I worked with him like a soldier should work with his boss; your loyalty should be more than 100 in minimum. I never asked for anything, never. That is the soldier in me, let it come from your boss,Baba is still alive, you can ask him. Just do your work.

And on the day when the zoning thing had been concluded and that it was going to the South East, we thought the zoning for the chairmanship of the party would come to the South West.  When Baba said Bode was not going, that the chairmanship of the party was going to the South East, so be it, I said ‘as your lord pleases sir.’ I still went ahead and fought for Baba, defended him when people were going against him. When we were having the Board of Trustees Chairmanship thing, I was still the deputy national chairman, I stood my ground there that day, I said ‘no’, so what was it? But rumours, but I didn’t believe any rumours. Yes, we disagreed on certain things but it was not a fundamental thing.  I knew Baba because Stella (his late wife) and I grew up together in Lagos , we were age group. My first wife, Feyi, at that time, we were very friendly with Baba. It was a reporter that came and said that Baba said this. We were planning to have a thank-you visit with 20 local government chairmen from Oni of Ife’s palace, greeting people and ending up in Baba’s house. When I heard it, I said, no, it’s not true. The reporter said he was waiting for my reaction. He brought a press statement. It hit me like a bullet. I turned my chair around, but I said you know, I don’t believe that Baba said it and if he said it, I’ve left him to God and his conscience. That was all I said. It wasn’t a fundamental thing, it was like, from my experience and age, I was abandoned. That’s how I felt, because I did not commit any crime.

So how is your relationship with Obasanjo now?

No problem. Like I said, in the interest of this nation, in the larger interest of the Yoruba people and in the interest of our party, I have swallowed my anger and my pride. Who am I? Yes you can be annoyed but no matter the annoyance, it must not last more than 24 hours. So I thought what was I angry for? Here I am; they pulled me up in spite of the efforts of those who wanted to sink me. The more gold spends time in the heat, the better the experience. All I know is, I will not steal government money because no matter how long, nemesis will catch up. If it doesn’t catch up now, it will catch up with your children. God will revisit it. I’m not a poor man and I’m not a rich man. I’m not a contractor and I don’t have the patience to go and sit in front of someone’s office waiting for contract. Amassing wealth, building mansions, go round Ikoyi here, all those tall buildings, nobody is inside. If they had set up businesses to employ or give scholarships to people to encourage them, those generations will continue to bless them.

How do you hope to rebuild your reputation?

I don’t believe I lost anything. The convoluted conspirators played their role but they didn’t hit me one second. From my background and my family background, it didn’t make a damn difference to me, I must tell you that. If you fall, get up and go and God said you will have obstacles. These jokers cannot pull me down.

I told you, when I came out, what they wanted to do was bury me alive. But the people said ‘no.’ They say ex-convict, fine, they say that. Anywhere you will invite men to come and talk, I will say my own and that they can’t take away from me. Even that is an added value because as a person who has gone to prison and come back, out there, you are on a higher pedestal. I see life better. The one who has seen the top of the mountain and been to the bottom of the valley is wiser. People seek you for support because they see you as a leader.

Would you compare Obasanjo’s government with that of President Jonathan?

Well, I didn’t serve in government, I was in the party and I can talk on both. At the time Baba came, the international community was getting tired of military administration, so Baba was a midwife to see this country is back on democratic tenets. We should be able to do this and achieve that and he was able to do that. They wrote for the forgiveness of our debt, that’s why we had enough money to do so many things. Nobody, no individual can finish every job. No nation finishes the job. The roads were bad, education, health, everywhere was bad, etc, where were we? Obasanjo came up and said look, we have to get back. By the end of 2002 to 2003 for the second term, this same crisis started. Because Baba said he would face the management of the polity and the international communities to bring it up because of his international connection and that Atiku should face the politicians, then 22 governors came up and looked Baba in the eye and said, baba you’re not marketable. I’m not joking, I was there. I looked at them and thought, what,this is an insult. That was the beginning of the crisis. That was worse than this. Time that should have been spent to make the system work was spent on the struggle.

He tried his best, particularly in telecommunications. He did all he could. Of course, eight years was more than enough by law, he should go and he left. We tried to stabilise the PDP. Then,  Umaru Yar’Adua came, very intelligent and committed. I worked closely with him but because he wasn’t feeling too good, some hawks went into him and took charge and almost derailed all the things he wanted to do. President Goodluck Jonathan came, a selfless man. His humility is beyond my comprehension and people are taking that for granted. His government has done so much. For the first time, the Federal Government bond is being listed on the New York Stock Exchange and we say we are not moving. I’m not saying we are there but it’s a positive beginning.

An average man on the street still complains of suffering everyday?

When will people never suffer? It’s not Jonathan who is responsible; this is the crux of the matter. I am ready for this debate with anybody from any other party. Every 30 days, the Federal Government distributes money from the treasury for state and local government allocation, and no local government gets less than N100m a month. Now, what’s their input? The closest government to the people is the local government but what are they doing? What have they brought to the people? It’s a three-tier government, what is the local government man doing? They have their role by constitution.

Did PDP have a hand in Bola Ige’s death?

PDP? Why would PDP want to kill Bola Ige? He was working for us in our government. He thought that the Afenifere people would automatically give him a ticket as presidential candidate for AD, he was disappointed. Baba pulled him back and said ‘come and work for this country’, and he accepted.  He wasn’t a threat to PDP. I was the vice chairman of the South West then, they had the Yoruba Council of Elders and I related with them. I went to his house for advice many times in Ibadan . And the Osun crisis, I wasn’t part of any Osun thing. I was there the day we went to Oni’s palace, I was there live.

We were there, some boys just came and the security fired some rounds to scare the boys away and one of them had grabbed Chief Bola Ige’s cap. We looked for him, but first of all, what we did was to secure him and get him inside. Then one fellow was killed thereafter in Ife . I called Baba up and he said he was coming by the weekend. By the time he came, they had killed Bola Ige. It was more of an Osun crisis. The same thing happened here, Funsho Williams was murdered.  The police bungled the investigation. They even arrested the boy who had Funsho’s cell phone, but what happened? But his blood is still raging. I saw his body in his house, why? They think it’s over, why? What did he do to them?

What do you think about the PDP crisis?

For the umpteenth time, big man, big problem in the local parlance.

PDP is the only party from the swampy forest of the south to the savannah region in the north.  I’ve campaigned snaking through this country and there is no hamlet you don’t find PDP. When it was established, conservatives, liberals came together as individuals and not as tribes. It was Chief Bola Ige who wrote our constitution and also designed our flag. He sat and worked with Ekwueme, Ciroma and others at the time, progressives working together that established PDP.

I see Nigeria in our meetings, we will have this kind of crisis, they are not fundamental crises, because it is when they become fundamental that they are irretrievable.  Politics is the management of the resources of a nation for the betterment of the people. Politricks is the management of the resources for the individual pockets. It’s normal and natural to be ambitious but the corporate interest of Nigeria is more important than anyone.

How do you feel losing election intermittently in your ward since 1999?

I don’t know where you got that from but I wasn’t the one campaigning, I don’t live there. Only on election, I just go back to help the people who are campaigning. Even if they win or lose,that is not a measure of your political worth. The kind of politics I have played, I’m not the one actually contesting. If I was the one contesting, it would have been a different thing.