Millions of Dollars Waiting to be Made

From the 2021 report of Grand View Research, Inc.,the global coconut bye-product market size is expected to reach 95.64 billion dollars by 2025. If farmers, investors and government deepen coconut production and value chain, Nigeria stands



to make about 20 billion Naira yearly through exports.
In 2019, Indonesia was the largest exporter of coconuts in the world, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. The three countries held about 23 per cent share of total exports, while Cote d’Ivoire, Malaysia, the Netherlands,

DO NOT RELENT

By championing the idea of Judicial Commissions of Enquiry to look into the atrocities of SARS, government plans to imprison the people. Government intend to trap the people, then unleash the chain, and lock the door, and throw away the key.
Do not fall for it. The reform of the police is a function of the structural redefinition of the state. It cannot be resolved by a Commission of Enquiry or the National Assembly - SARS. The Assembly has been consumed by greed. It cannot do good.

Bad governance is not defeated without daring those behind it.
Stand firm

#EndSARS Protest, Ibadan
From Trans-Wonderland, near University of Ibadan through Bodija to Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi.
13 Oct 2020

#RedemptionTime Do not relent
A people of great courage build great countries

#EndSARS

#ENDSARS: A SENATE PRESIDENT IN DIRE NEED OF EDUCATION

From the reaction of the leadership of the Senate, the ongoing agitation for a new Nigeria loses its essence following the acceptance and implementation of the “demands” of End-SARS-Movement. I arrived at this interpretation after reflecting on the Thursday 15 October 2020 call by the President of the Senate, Mohammed Lawal for protesters to stop the movement to redemption having gained the confidence of government to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

NATIONAL REBIRTH

Members of the political leadership class in Nigeria are not selfish for pursuing their own good but because of their hatred of the common good. They are dead to the people because they live only for themselves. This is the reason Nigerians must watch carefully the ongoing process to reform the police. Such a leadership cannot effect reforms in the general interest. They will engage in fireworks to show they are responsive.

DID THE NORTH PLAN TO BREAK AWAY FROM NIGERIA?

Britain handed over the command of the Nigerian army to indigenous soldiers in 1965. The outgoing General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major General Welby Everald had preferred Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe to succeed him, but his recommendation was rejected leading to General Aguiyi Ironsi, the most senior officer taking charge of the army.
When another opportunity came for Ogundipe after the bloody July 1966 coup, he was overlooked again because it was felt he will not be able to control

STATE AFFAIRS 19 SEPTEMBER 2020
@SplashFM1055
8-11am

Everywhere you go, Nigerians are sparkling like diamonds in the pack, whether in academia, business, innovation, music, movie, entertainment, fashion and culture... All these properties make us unarguably the most prosperous black nation in the world and Africa’s largest economy.

— Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday 16 September 2020

Edo Election:

Election would be conducted in the 2,627 polling units in 192 wards in the 18 LGAs of the state. INEC put the number of registered voters at 2,210,534.

THE TRAGEDY OF VICTORY
(On-the-spot Account of the Nigeria-Biafra War in the Atlantic Theatre)

The book is a chronological narrative of the war that lasted from July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970.
With about 500 photographs and maps, the book dwarfs all other previous publications on this subject matter in terms of depth of facts, coverage and accuracy.
The author brings to the fore the well-organised and efficient Third Marine Commandos, earlier commanded by Col. Benjamin Adekunle (with Lt. Col. G. Alabi-Isama, as the Chief of Staff) that

LAYING THE FOUNDATION OF NIGERIAN FEDERALISM

Nigeria’s federalism was consolidated in the Lyttleton Constitution of 1954. The constitution recognized Western, Northern and Eastern regions as the federating units. The powers of the central and regional governments were defined in the exclusive, concurrent and residual lists.
Following the Lancaster House London constitutional conferences of 1957 and 1958 and the Willink’s Commission of Enquiry, the constitution was amended to be the Independence Constitution of 1960.

THE TROUBLE WITH NIGERIA

The problems of Nigeria’s federalism was exacerbated by the incursion of the military into politics in January 1966 following the overthrow of the democratic government led by Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa. Balewa, the Premiers of Northern and Western Regions, top politicians and military officers were killed in the coup carried out by mostly Igbo officers.
The conflict threw up the head of the army, General Aguiyi Ironsi, an Igbo, as Nigeria’s first military Head of State. He promulgated Unification Decree 34 - unitary

AKINKUGBE: THE EMINENT SCHOLAR

Prof Oladipo Akinkugbe died on 15 June 2020 at age 86. He was Emeritus Professor in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of the Clinical Sciences, University of Ibadan. He became a Professor of Medicine in 1968 at the age of 35 and served as the Dean of Medicine, UI from 1970-1974.

He was a visiting Professor at Harvard University, 1974-1975 before becoming the Foundation Principal and later Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, 1975-1978. He was the VC of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), 1978-1980.

HIS LIGHT REMAINS BRIGHT

He is Akiniyi Raphael Akinbowale.
He has embarked on a journey to the serene side.
He didn’t have to say goodbye.
Yet, we mourn.
How can we not understand?
He left his mark in the annals of time.
He was one of the stars of the city.

Oh, He was born on 2 August 1992.
When he joined the other side on 4 September 2020, tears flowed uncontrollably.

He made a lasting impression on me the first time I met him at close range in 2018 at the Ibadan Social Media Festival. He was one of the organizers.

STATE AFFAIRS 12 SEPTEMBER 2020

In January 2018, the Federal Government through the Minister of Defense, Mansur Dan-Ali, blamed anti-open grazing laws in some states as the cause of the killings by herdsmen.
Briefing journalists, Dan-Ali argued that the remote causes of farmers-herders crisis is the take over of cattle routes by communities, thus denying the herders resources and space.
“If those routes are blocked, what happens,” he asked?
In September 2020, Buhari reechoes the view.
What should we do?
What is cattle route?

HE WAS THE SCOURGE OF THE CONGO

Mobutu Sese Seko (1930-1997) was the Scourge of the Congo. He was a military officer who connived with the West to murder Congo’s first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba in 1961. He became a darling of the West following his role in the killing. In a second coup in 1965, he overthrew the government of Congo and ruled the country until he was forced out in 1997. He governed with brutal arbitrariness as he changed the name of Congo to Zaire. He killed those who opposed him without blinking - a cold eye murderer.

In times of hardship and complex problems as being witnessed at the moment, it is necessary to listen attentively to understand why things are the way they are. Listening leads to comprehension of the thoughts, biases and movements of people and events. Listening also means quiet reflection - examining and researching one's thoughts. It about the humility to learn and impact community positively. It is about developing the philosophy for holding the state together in peace and abundance.

STATE AFFAIRS 5 SEPTEMBER 2020

Any person with sound financial knowledge will tell you that the only way to get out of this cycle of poverty is through massive investment in infrastructure. As I have always said, the problem with loans is not in taking them, but in the way, loans are utilised. Oyo State cannot get out of its infrastructural deficit without taking loans targeted at developing key infrastructure.

— Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State, 29 July 2020

STATE AFFAIRS 29 AUGUST 2020

It is the search for the final solution.
The governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde is the man to solve the dilemma of the moment.
If he falters, the valley takes more lives.
What has Seyi got to say?
It’s about Aleshinloye Junction - valley of death. M.Y Akbar an Indian Muslim scholar states that the West’s next confrontation is definitely going to come from the Muslim world. “It is in the sweep of the Islamic nations from Maghreb to Pakistan that the struggle for a new world order will begin.”
How?
Why?

STATE AFFAIRS 22 AUGUST 2020

Richard Gbadebo, a 300-level student of the Department of European Studies, University of Ibadan (UI) died in July 2020 in Ibadan while working at a factory owned by Henkel Nigeria Limited. He was crushed by the machine he operated. How did he come to operating the machine?
How come his colleagues at work did not notice what happened to him until they saw blood gushing out from another end of the machine?
Was he alone when he was dragged by the machine?
Are there CCTV cameras at the location?
He was 21.

STATE AFFAIRS 15 AUGUST 2020

Assessing the state of security in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari posits:

“Nigerians know that we have done our best. However, what is coming out of the North West and the North Central is very disturbing.” They told us that one of the northern governors is the commander of Boko Haram in Nigeria. Boko Haram and the bandits are one and the same. They have a sophisticated network. During this lockdown their planes were moving up and down as if there was no lockdown. They were moving

RICHARD GBADEBO: DEATH IN A FACTORY

Listen here:

Richard Gbadebo, a 300-level student of the Department of European Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan (UI) died in July 2020 in Ibadan while working at a factory owned by Henkel Nigeria Ltd. They are manufacturers of WAW detergent and bar soap. He was crushed to death by the machine he was said to be operating.
Why did he take up a holiday job?
How did he find himself operating the machine?

WASTEFUL LEADERSHIP

Africa is replete with wasteful leaders. The late Omar Bongo (1935-2009) of Gabon was one of them. As of 2008, Gabon, a country with an estimated population of 2 million had a debt of 2.4 billion dollars courtesy Bongo. He lived an ostentatious life. In the midst of grueling poverty, he had 66 bank accounts, 183 cars, and 39 luxury properties in France. In 1999 it was discovered that he starched more than 130 million dollars in the private banking unit of New York Citibank.