General News
How Tinubu Could Shape GMB’s Government
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu picked the gauntlet and battled the challenges of his rather traumatic and difficult youth with courage only attributable to the lion-hearted.
Today, his relevance in Nigeria is a subject of mixed feelings depending on where you are coming from.
But one thing is certain, he is a hurricane and an important factor in the country’s equation according to this expose by Reuters.
Reuters began by quoting Tinubu as saying that “I am a talent hunter. I put talents in office, I help them,”
The former Lagos state governor and opposition alliance leaders according to Reuters is being quite open about his role as one of Nigeria’s most powerful political godfathers.
“I use the best hand, the best brain, the best experience for the job,” he told Reuters after voting this month in a governorship election in Nigeria’s economic capital which, as expected, his handpicked candidate Akinwunmi Ambode won.
But it isn’t only in his traditional fiefdom in the ethnic Yoruba southwest that Tinubu has sought to be a kingmaker. His support for former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari was seen as a key factor in the latter’s win against President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28 presidential election in Africa’s biggest economy and oil producer.
The pro-Buhari alliance that Tinubu headed, the All Progressives Congress (APC), rallied elites around Buhari in the southwest, Nigeria’s wealthiest region. That enabled Buhari to tackle a perception that his support lies only in the dust-blown, largely Muslim north. The religiously mixed southwest had voted overwhelmingly for Jonathan in the 2011 race.
So ‘The Jagaban’, an honorific title beloved of Tinubu’s supporters, could have much say in what reform policies the new government will focus on, and who fills which cabinet posts.
“The party he led is half of the APC. He can … lay claim to that power,” said Clement Nwankwo of the Situation Room civil society group. “Buhari will feel (an) … obligation to him.”
To supporters Tinubu, a Yoruba Muslim, is a wily political operator with a passion for getting the job done and a knack for picking bright, committed technocrats to do it. To critics he is a ruthless godfather who doles out lucrative contracts to his friends’ firms, insists on installing his man in office and is capable of sending in street thugs if he fails to get his way.
The APC, which came to power on anger over corruption and growing insecurity, has declined to speak publicly about policies.
THE JAGABAN
The Nigerian practice of political godfathering has long been criticized by rights campaigners as impeding democracy by enabling powerful oligarchs to capture state institutions.
But few deny that in Lagos, at least, the former governor managed to fix things no one thought fixable.
Under his tenure at the turn of the millennium and that of his successor Babatunde Fashola, a technocrat hand picked by Tinubu, the city scrubbed up dramatically. Trash got collected, crime fell, trees were planted and traffic was better managed.
“There were refuse mountains around, tax collection was very low,” recalls Folarin Gbadebo-Smith, a former council leader under Tinubu. “But very quickly he seemed to sort things out.”
Gbadebo-Smith noticed an advantage Tinubu has over other Nigerian “big men” is that you could disagree with him and he listened, changing his mind when faced with a good argument.
He also sets high standards, says Lagos waste management head Ola Oresanya, to whom Tinubu gave three months to make a noticeable difference or be fired.
“He likes to say ‘I promised I would do this, and I have.'”
But like other powerful political figures in Nigeria, Tinubu’s power resides largely in the huge patronage he wields, which has given him influence over, for instance, the ‘area boys’ — Lagos street toughs who run rackets and guard cars. Ingeniously, he gave some of them uniforms and turned them into traffic cops.
After he voted on April 11, a group of area boys mobbed The Jagaban, and he lectured them on their disorderly behavior.
“If you want me to do something for you, line up in an orderly manner. Then I can share my peanuts,” he told them, adding: “some of you have not even voted.”
A day later, when celebrations erupted outside his home, two groups of area boys got into a fight over money that had been distributed and they began hitting each other with planks of wood, a Reuters reporter saw. But interviewed later, many of them said they loved Tinubu since “he’s a man of the common people.”
A businessman close to him says although Tinubu runs a formidable business empire, he is often short of cash because he gives so much away to oil the wheels of patronage.
Yet Tinubu may have less influence over Buhari than he had hoped, argues Kayode Akindele, CEO of consultancy 46 Parallels.
“He didn’t really deliver in the southwest. It was only a slight lead,” he said, compared to the absolute thumping Jonathan received from voters in the largely Muslim north.
“The APC, post-elections, is now very northern,” he added. That could limit any influence The Jagaban has — and replicate the north-south rivalry that divided Jonathan’s outgoing party.
National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Kwara has cautioned the public on fake N1000 notes circulating in the state.
Alhaji Abdulganiyu Dare, state director of NOA, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ilorin.
Dare emphasised the need for vigilance among residents and business owners in the state.
According to him, there is confirmed intelligence reports of syndicates flooding the area with counterfeit currency with batch numbers 364232 and 898248.
Dare said the counterfeit notes can be identified by their blurred portraits, watermarks, and irregular security features.
He urged the public to be cautious when handling large sums of money.
“The syndicates behind this crime exploit peak commercial hours in major local markets to carry out transactions with counterfeit notes.
“They target unsuspecting POS operators and merchants by defrauding them of their hard-earned money.
“NOA Kwara Directorate is committed to sensitising the public on the dangers of fake currency and the importance of verifying the authenticity of banknotes.
“The agency is working tirelessly to ensure that residents of Kwara are protected from financial scams,” he said.
While describing the crime as unpatriotic and capable of distorting the Nigerian economy, Dare said NOA would work closely with security agencies to bring the culprits to book.
The director advised residents to report any suspicious transactions or individuals to the authorities immediately.
“Together, we can build a safer and more secure financial environment for all residents of Kwara.
“By working together, the NOA and the public can prevent the circulation of fake currency and protect the financial interests of Kwara residents,” he said.
General News
NCC, IHS Towers Lead Others To NITRA-ALTON CNII & Telecom Sustainability Conference 2025
Telecom industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other industry operators, including IHS Towers, Digital Realty and 9mobile Nigeria, have joined the line of partners that will chart the way forward as stakeholders gather for the Maiden Edition of the CNII & Telecom Sustainability Conference 2025 being organized as a collaboration between media body, the Nigeria Information Technology Association (NITRA) and Industry advocacy group, the Association of Licenced Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).
Scheduled for August 7, 2025 in Lagos, the event, which is expected to host the Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, will also bring stakeholders from Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Peace Corps Nigeria, to discuss the security of infrastructure, stakeholders’ roles, and the practical implementation of the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Presidential Order.
Headlining the event, with its theme as “Telecoms Industry Sustainability and the CNII Act – Way Forward”, IHS Towers will throw light on the state of infrastructure in the country, while the Panel Session will discuss the “Role expectations of stakeholders in the implementation of the CNII Act”
Keynote speeches will come from the NCC EVC, Dr. Aminu Maida and the President of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).
The Nigerian Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order, 2024, aims to safeguard critical infrastructure like telecommunications networks, financial systems, and power grids by designating them as CNII and outlining measures for their protection. This order, signed in June 2024, is an extension of the Cybercrimes Act of 2015 and seeks to reduce disruptions to these vital systems.
Some of the questions stakeholders will give answers to at the Panel Discussion include:
- How do we ensure that this Order is implemented to the letter?
- What are the roles of each stakeholder in the industry – Federal, States, Operators, Consumers, and other actors?
- Are telecom companies keying into the CNII provisions, and how?
- Are there areas worth looking into once more, or is the Order perfect as it is?
- What is the role of regulators in ensuring public compliance to the Bill?
- How do we ensure security?
- What is the place of collaboration?
- Publicity: how much of the CNII provisions are the public aware of?
- How can we sustain the growth and development of telecommunications in Nigeria?
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, this industry collaborative event will afford stakeholders in the public and private sectors the opportunity to sit back together and review how well the CNII Order has thus far been implemented, and to re-strategise, if need be, on the way forward.
“This event is key because it will bring Stakeholders to the CNII plan to a roundtable to re-evaluate the decision, make amends and continue the journey. This has to be a periodic gathering to make the goals of this order achievable,” he said.
ALTON is the official private sector industry body for all providers of telecommunications and subsidiary services in Nigeria.
The Chairman of ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo and the Chairman of NITRA, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi will be on hand to welcome industry stakeholders.
Fearless Freedom, a bold new global advocacy initiative focused on ending economic inequality and expanding economic opportunity, officially launches today, 2nd August, 2025.
Backed by the founder of Fearless Fund, the first venture capital fund in the U.S. built by women of color for women of color, this new chapter builds on a legacy of breaking barriers and driving inclusive progress.
The launch of Fearless Freedom comes nearly one year after the dismissal of a federal lawsuit that challenged the organization’s efforts to empower underrepresented communities. The case, which drew national attention, was filed on August 2, 2023, and dismissed permanently on September 11, 2024.
Fearless Freedom is not just an advocacy; it is a global movement for visibility, justice, and financial equity. Through storytelling, policy conversations, and creative programming, Fearless Freedom is reclaiming space, spotlighting the real challenges, and championing the people building powerful solutions.
“Fearless Freedom is our global declaration, a refusal to be silenced, erased, or sidelined,“ said HM Queen Wa Arian Simone, CEO of Fearless Fund. “We’re not just funding change anymore, we’re amplifying the voices that have always driven it. This initiative is about power, presence, and rewriting the rules of who gets seen, supported, and heard.”
“August 2nd was once about legal resistance. From now on, it marks something else: a day of fearless expression and global visibility,” she added.
As a global advocacy initiative, Fearless Freedom will spark meaningful dialogue around economic inclusion, inviting communities to reflect, learn, and speak out against financial inequality, all through creative expression and powerful storytelling.
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