News
2023: Obi beckons as supporters lambast Soludo’s hatchet job
• Yes, History Beckons – Onwuasoanya
By Chuks Collins, Awka
A notable supporter of the Labour Party’s Presidential flagbearer and former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has reacted to what he described as Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s treatise of illogicality and a bad attempt at journalistic warfare with, unfortunately himself.
According to the visibly ardent supporter, Mr Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, “Mr Peter Obi and his official communication team are not interested in joining issues with him, nor any other person or group who is or are on a mercenary mission to distract the team from their focus of rescuing Nigeria from the shackles of bad governance brought about by years of incompetence, insensibility and corruption, which characters like Soludo, who has strove all these years to portray himself as an intellectual or even a technocrat, contributed more than a lot to.
“Many of us, especially, those of my age who were undergraduate activists at the onset of the Fourth Republic, when his likes were packaged as saints and geniuses and given a lot more credit than they deserve, have a Comrade, who was apparently taken over by the media creation of a sterling, brilliant image of the now better unveiled invidious Isuofia local chief. ..”
According to Mr Onwuasoanya, “We have all since seen the real Stars of that Obasanjo era move on to higher callings in the international community, with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is actually the star of that administration now holding sway at the World Trade Organisation after many other notable international appointments. But, in what should be the clearest evidence of his intellectual inefficiency, Soludo has rather been shuttling from Aso Rock to Agu Awka, with bowl in hand seeking anointing to be governor or to be settled with one appointment or the other by the federal government.
“For a man who would want us to recognise and probably prostrate before him as an economic egghead, yet, his advice and recommendations are partly responsible for the economic disaster we are confronted with in the current Buhari administration, as he is one of the few men appointed into the Buhari Economic Advisory Board. How can a man who advised Nigeria into an unprecedented crash in the value of the Naira, lowest ever GDP in recent history, highest ever inflation since 1999, worse cost of living crisis in the history of Nigeria and of course, the most negative economic outlook in recent Nigerian history, consider himself qualified to pontificate on the right economic practices?
” Apparently When Soludo took up his tablet or any device he wrote with, he probably thought very lowly of Nigerians, if he thought anyone would take him seriously, giving his self-glorifying panegyric. Let me try to interrogate paragraph by paragraph, Soludo’s ignominious drivel into historical infamy.
“It is obvious from the first paragraph of the long-winded venom, that our Isuofia brother was out for a dirty paid job. Not for himself, nor for his Party, but for his employers; the Abuja cabal and the bat. If an executive governor could sit down and personally author a piece of humorless comedy in response to what he aptly described as social media trolling of his by individuals he couldn’t identify by name or their official positions, then there is no better way to describe such a governor, but as an insecure miscast in power. If Soludo was not a miscast in Agu Awka, he should have known that he would only need to respond to statements made from official quarters or those that come directly from his “peers”.
“Unfortunately, like every intellectual error, like a village cat who would always shout to roar his tigritude. “Soludo only wanted to remind people that he is a Professor and that he can write. Expectedly, he wrote gibberish.
“I do not agree with him that he reads “The Man in the Arena” regularly, because if he did, he wouldn’t have gone ahead in a later paragraph to categorically dismiss the chances of the real man in the arena as long as the 2023 election is concerned. He would have taken to heart a stanza in that epigram which reads;
“…who at the best knows the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
“If Soludo got his training right, he would have known that there is nowhere in Igbo custom or belief system where it is assumed or affirmed that saying the truth is suicidal or dangerous. We say in Igbo that “Eziokwu bu ndu” and we are always encouraged to say the truth always. Mischievous elders are the ones who consider saying the truth a dangerous act, hence, speak equivocally and tell us it is being diplomatic. Like it is obvious in his long and misdirected recrimination, Chief Soludo has nothing to say but to pour out his bitterness and deliver on a dirty job for which he was deployed by his Abuja bosses. So, it is nonsensical for him to say he would refrain from saying certain things. That was a subtle appeal for ceasefire from the Obidients. He wants us to become afraid that he might spill the beans, hence, leave him alone. That’s an overused blackmailing strategy which doesn’t work on people like us.
“No matter how stringently he tries to deny it, Soludo is clearly envious of Peter Obi, and I will give you five reasons why he is; 1. Peter Obi is a multibillionaire with clear evidences of how he made his every Kobo, and who, even though has never been indicted by any anti-graft agency in this country. If Soludo claims that he is a billionaire today, we will subject him to thorough investigation because he has been a salary earner all his life, and with what we know about his legitimate earnings, he would be a thief to be a billionaire. 2. Peter Obi is the most popular and masses-oriented Nigerian politician alive. Soludo would be ready to sacrifice everything he has to enjoy 10% of the love Peter Obi enjoys from Nigerians. 3. Peter Obi has kept a clean record throughout his stay in public office. Had Soludo not been desperately romancing with every government in power, he would probably had been in jail now for the multibillion Naira scam he is being investigated for by the EFCC. 4. Peter Obi’s first political outing was on his own terms, when he won the governorship of Anambra State, Soludo may be one obscure and probably frustrated lecturer in some not too Ivy League University somewhere, if Obasanjo hadn’t been sold a dummy that he was hiring a firebrand economist, who turned out to be the shlockiest appointee in Obasanjo’s economic team and who would have wrecked our economy had Obasanjo not had an Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the helm of the economic team. 5. Peter Obi governed Anambra for eight years without using the power of a governor or the resources of Ndi Anambra to fund his children’s career. In less than one year as Anambra governor, Chief Soludo has used Anambra’s resources and his powers as governor to organise a fashion show for his daughter and to launch an album for his son. It is clear enough that without him becoming Anambra governor, these children of his might have as well not got any mention in the industry they are trying to play in.
“You do not say that someone is your friend, you show that you are someone’s friend. Yours is certainly not the kind of friendship anyone would want to keep, because you are a dangerous friend. No true friend takes to the public to sing about purported private discussions he had with a friend.
“Assuming you actually offered Peter Obi the option of joining APGA to run for presidency, it is because Peter Obi has seen through your treachery and knows that APGA would not provide the platform for him to run an effective and successful presidential campaign, that he turned down that poisoned chalice of a gift. And you cannot claim to be a true democrat in one breath and in another boast about how you planned to impose someone as your Party’s candidate without following the laid down democratic principles of election. Peter Obi joined Labour Party because no single individual would decide what happens to him and what doesn’t. The APGA ticket was a setup to extinguish the fire of his campaign. And, would he have been joining the Victor Oye illegal executive or the authentic executive led by Edozie Njoku?”
…Dame Madueke: Mbah’s investments in Education, Healthcare, Infrastructure transforming Oji River
Women of Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State have pledged their support for Governor Peter Mbah and the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The women made their position known on Sunday at a gathering organised by the Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, at her country home in Inyi, Oji River LGA, as part of activities to celebrate womanhood and highlight the achievements of the Governor Peter Mbah administration in the council area.
Madueke said the event was organised to bring together women from Oji River irrespective of their political, religious or community affiliations, while also providing an opportunity to showcase projects and programmes executed by the state government in the area.
She said the Mbah administration had established 20 Smart Green Schools and 20 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres in Oji River, while work was progressing on the Umabi-Ehuhe Achi and Enugu-Aku-Inyi roads.
The commissioner also commended Governor Mbah for appointing indigenes of Oji River to various positions in his administration, as well as supporting women through different empowerment initiatives, including monthly financial assistance facilitated by the wife of the governor, Mrs Nkechinyere Mbah.
“Today, we are giving out a lot of wrappers, rice, food and empowerment for the women. We also have a medical team that will check their vitals and everything,” she said.
Madueke disclosed that the gathering was also used to assess Permanent Voter Card (PVC) ownership among participants, noting that only women with PVCs were welcomed into the venue.
While noting that more than 3,000 women attended the gathering, she attributed the large turnout to sustained sensitisation efforts by the Executive Chairman of Oji River Local Government Area, Mr Greg Anyaegbudike.
The commissioner said the women had resolved to support Governor Mbah and APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
“We promise him that come 2027, Oji River will deliver votes for APC from top to bottom,” she declared.
Dame Madueke said the gathering was also a demonstration of the important role women play in community development and political participation, adding that the initiative was aimed at strengthening unity among women in Oji River and creating a platform for them to engage with government programmes and development initiatives.
She said the administration’s investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure and human capital development had created tangible benefits for communities across the state, including Oji River.
Speaking, the wife of the council chairman, Mrs Uche Anyaegbudike, said women across Oji River had benefited from various empowerment and welfare programmes.
She said the initiatives had provided uniforms and wrappers to women, while petty traders, church groups and other beneficiaries had received financial assistance.
According to her, about 150 women received N100,000 each during the previous August meeting, while 20 women currently receive N100,000 monthly under an empowerment scheme.
She said the interventions had enabled beneficiaries to expand their businesses and improve their livelihoods.
Also speaking, the council chairman, Mr Greg Anyaegbudike, described the large turnout as evidence of the women’s support for Governor Mbah and the APC.
He said the women were not compelled to make any political declaration, stressing that their support was based on the impact of the administration in the council area.
“What you see here is that the crowd is organic. You can see old women coming out in their various uniforms and various groups coming here to say it is Peter Mbah.
“This is about the Smart Green Schools, the hospitals, human capital development and scholarships,” he said.
Anyaegbudike further disclosed that more than 123 indigenes of Oji River were currently benefiting from the state government’s scholarship programme for students in higher institutions.
The Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Ngozi Enih, urged the women to sustain their support for Governor Mbah and the APC.
Enih said the governor had demonstrated commitment to improving infrastructure, human capital development and the welfare of residents across Enugu State.
She also commended Madueke for bringing the women together and creating a platform for them to celebrate womanhood, highlight government interventions and discuss further development in Oji River.
The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Barr. Victor Udeh, was among other dignitaries who attended the event.
The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) has expressed sadness over the death of its former President, Dotun Oladipo, publisher of The Eagle Online.
Oladipo died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the age of 56.
He was President of GOCOP from 2017 to 2021 and was one of the publishers who helped shape the Guild in its early years.
His death is a loss to GOCOP and the wider Nigerian media community.
Oladipo came into online publishing with years of experience in the traditional media. He had worked as a journalist and editor before moving into digital publishing and bringing that experience to The Eagle Online.
At a time when online news publishing was still developing in Nigeria, he was among those who saw the need for publishers to come together, share ideas and build a stronger professional community.
That was also the period when GOCOP was growing from an association of online publishers into an organisation with a clear identity and a growing presence in the Nigerian media industry.
As President between 2017 and 2021, Oladipo devoted considerable time to the affairs of the Guild. He represented GOCOP at different engagements and worked with members as the organisation dealt with the opportunities and challenges that came with the rapid growth of online publishing.
GOCOP President, Danlami Nmodu, said Oladipo’s death was painful for the Guild.
“Dotun played an important role in the development of GOCOP. He led the Guild for four years at a time when there was still a lot of work to be done to establish online publishers as an important part of the media. His contribution will always be remembered,” Nmodu said.
He said Oladipo brought his experience as a journalist and publisher to the leadership of the Guild.
“Dotun understood journalism and he understood the business of publishing. He was passionate about the place of online media in Nigeria and he gave his time to the growth of the Guild. We are saddened by his passing,” Nmodu said.
Oladipo’s involvement in journalism began long before the emergence of online publishing as a major source of news in Nigeria. His career in the mainstream media gave him a grounding in reporting, editing and newsroom management.
He later became publisher of The Eagle Online, joining a group of journalists and publishers who moved into the digital space as the internet changed the way Nigerians received and shared news.
His years in GOCOP coincided with a period of rapid growth in online publishing. More news platforms were emerging, social media was changing the way stories reached readers, and online publishers were becoming increasingly important to the Nigerian media industry.
GOCOP said Oladipo’s contribution should be seen against this background.
The Guild also remembered him as a colleague who maintained relationships with publishers across the country and took an active interest in the affairs of the organisation even after leaving office.
GOCOP extended its condolences to Oladipo’s family, the management and staff of The Eagle Online, and his friends and colleagues in the media industry.
The Guild said it would work with his family and associates on plans to honour his memory.
Signed
Kemi Yesufu
Publicity Secretary
Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP)
Unidentified gunmen have abducted a Senior driver with Dangote Cement Company, Ibese, Usman Umar, popularly called ‘Baba Olowo’, at Ajibawo Village near Ijako-Orile, Yewa North Local Council of Ogun State.
The Guardian learnt that Umar was abducted at midnight on Wednesday while he was returning home from work and was allegedly attacked in front of his residence.
Sources said that on getting to his residence, three men attacked him as soon as he alighted from his motorcycle.
It was said that the kidnappers forcefully dragged him into a nearby bush, shooting sporadically into the air to frighten residents and deter them from attempting to intervene.
The abductors, it was gathered, did not come with a vehicle but whisked away the victim on foot along the bush path.
Security operatives have reportedly launched a rescue operation to locate the victim and bring the perpetrators to Justice.
As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of Umar remained unknown, while details of possible ransom demands or communication from the abductors were not immediately available.
Efforts to reach the Spokesperson of the Police in Ogun State, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, proved abortive as he was not picking up his WhatsApp calls or messages. (The Guardian)
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