The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 639 (December 25 2024 - January 7 2025)
Ghana's President John Mahama makes a comeback
Ghana's President John Mahama makes a comeback
Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!
Leverage SEO-optimized Flipbooks, powerful backlinks, and multimedia content to professionally showcase your products and significantly increase your reach.
TheTrumpet
Africans now have a voice... Founded in 1995
V O L 30 N O 639 D E C E M B E R 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
President-elect John Mahama
Ghana’s
President
John Mahama
makes a
comeback –
what lies
ahead
By Lloyd G. Adu Amoah
University of Ghana
Continued on Page 3>
Ofokutu
and Ajimoko-
Haastrup
dynasties
clash over
Owa Obokun
stool
By Abiodun Komolafe
An appeal has gone to the Agba Ijesa
of Ijesaland to ensure that the
principles of equity, fairness and
tradition come into play in the selection
process of the next Owa Obokun Adimula of
Ijesaland.
This is contained in an appeal letter
drafted by the Ofokutu Royal Family of the
Bilaro Oluodo Ruling House to the Agba
Ijesa of Ijesaland.
They posited that, in fairness to the other
Royal Families in the Bilaro Oludo Ruling
House, and in the interest of the entire
Ijesaland, the Ajimoko-Haastrup Royal
Family that has dominated the throne for
more than 125 years should not participate
in the present selection process, and if they
refuse to do the right thing, they should not
be considered by the Afobajes (Kingmakers).
The appeal letter, signed by its Secretary,
Prince Adetoyese Adegbohungbe, reads in
part: “We wish to bring the following points
to your kind attention: You will recall that the
last two Owa Obokun of Ijesaland to have
emerged from the Bilaro Oluodo Ruling
House were both from the Ajimoko-Haastrup
Royal Family. Fredrick Kumokun Adedeji
Haastrup took the throne name of Owa
Ajimoko I, and reigned from April 1896 to
September 1901.
“At the next opportunity for Bilaro
Oluodo Ruling House to produce the Owa
Obokun, after the demise of Kabiyesi Owa
Oduyomade Aromolaran I (who reigned
from June 1920 - July 31, 1942), the
Haastrup Royal Family once again seized
the opportunity, with Adejumola Alexander
Haastrup ascending and taking the throne
name Owa Ajimoko II “Fidipote”. He
subsequently reigned from 10 September
1942 to 18 October 1956”.
They averred that the Bilaro Oludo
Ruling House has held consistent monthly
meetings for over 40 years, attended
exclusively by members of the Ofokutu and
Ajimoko-Haastrup Royal Families, until
recently.
They stressed that, despite appeals to the
Ajimoko-Haastrup Royal Family to allow
equity and fairness within the 3 Ruling
Houses by refraining from presenting any
candidate for the throne, it still wants to go
ahead.
The Ofokutu Royal Family therefore
appealed to the Agba-ljesa not to consider or
nominate a candidate from the Ajimoko-
Haastrup Dynasty as the next Owa Obokun,
explaining that such a decision would
effectively obliterate the Ofokutu Royal
Family which comprises numerous families,
including Adeyemi, Adebusuyi,
Adegbohungbe, Obembe, and Osundaunsi-
Adeyokunnu, among others.
Page2 TheTrumpet DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
TheTrump et
Africans now have a voice... Founded in 1995
SUBSCRIBE to the authentic newspaper
focusing on Africa and Friends of Africa.
The Trumpet Newspaper which was
established in 1995 has over the years grown
to be the Newspaper of choice and voice for
Diaspora Africans.
It also has a readership among Africans on
the Continent who want to connect and
keep up with Diaspora Africans; and Friends
of Africa who want to connect and keep up
with Africa.
We are pleased to offer more choices to read
Trumpet Newspaper via Subscription to our
Digital edition or Print edition (or both).
As a paid Subscriber, you will enjoy:
• Priority and Direct delivery of every
fortnightly issue to you (Digital - via email
and Print via Post).
• Occasional exclusive offers and event
invitations (subject to availability).
Our Subscription Rates vary according to
where you are in the world: UK, Europe
or Rest of the World.
You can Subscribe online at:
TrumpetMediaGroup.com/Shop
or complete the form below.
I / We wish to subscribe to
Trumpet Newspaper until further notice:
Name:
Rates and options ( Tick ✔)
Address:
Email:
Tel No:
I/We made a payment of £ on (date) into
your Bank Account: Account Name: Target Today Ltd.
Sort Code: 20 32 00
Account No: 03946231
I am / We are enclosing cheque for £
Target Today Ltd.
made payable to
Signature:
I / We have sent a payment of £
targettoday@the-trumpet.com
via Paypal to
Date:
Please send me a Stripe Payment Link
Return Subscription Form by Email: info@the-trumpet.com
or Post: Trumpet Media, 3rd Floor, 86 - 90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE
GAB Awards
DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
President-elect John Mahama
TheTrumpet
Page3
Continued from Page 1<
John Dramani Mahama, Ghana’s
incoming President, has won a chance
to rewrite his legacy. He was voted out
of office in 2016 by what was then the
highest margin in the post-independence
history of the West African nation amid
corruption scandals and an energy crisis
that had crippled the country.
But he has made a comeback, winning
56.55% of the total valid votes cast
according to the country’s Electoral
Commission. It is the largest margin of
victory in a Ghanaian election since 1996.
Voter turnout was 60.9%.
Mahama had already been accepted as
the winner after a concession speech from
his opponent in the election, sitting Vice-
President Mahamudu Bawumia before the
Electoral Commission officially declared
the results.
The concession was possible because
both parties agreed, on the basis of their
own counts, that Mahama had taken an
insurmountable lead. Ghana runs a first
past the post system in conducting its
elections. That means a candidate must
garner 50% + 1 votes to be declared a
winner by the country’s Electoral
Commission.
From my perspective as a scholar who
researches Ghana’s politics, Mahama’s
2024 victory gives him a chance to repair
his legacy as the only President to have
been voted out after one term. His victory
reflects the general sentiment that a change
in government and governance was
needed.
The independent research network
Afrobarometer’s most recent research
indicates that 82% of those surveyed said
the country was on the wrong track.
Mahama’s campaign message was to run a
lean government and stimulate Ghana’s
economy.
Ghanaians headed to the polls amid
rising poverty and a high cost of living.
The country is currently receiving US$3
billion in support from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF). Inflation,
allegations of corruption, the high cost of
living and rampant illegal mining all led to
protests over the past two years.
If Mahama seemed aloof and indeed
disconnected from the hardships and
strains of his fellow compatriots in his first
term, he needs a far more hands-on,
engaged problem-solving approach this
time around to even fancy any success.
A career in politics
Mahama is described by close watchers
of Ghana’s politics as a convincing orator
with brilliant people skills. He is also
respected for serving in every branch of
Ghana’s domestic politics. He was a Local
Assembly Representative, a Member of
Pparliament and a Cabinet Minister before
being elevated to Vice-President and
President.
Born in 1956, he is the son of a
prominent politician. His father,
Emmanuel Adama Mahama, served as a
Member of Parliament in the government
of Ghana’s first President, Kwame
Nkrumah.
John Mahama holds a Bachelor’s
degree in History from the University of
Ghana. He also completed Postgraduate
studies in Communication in 1986 from the
same university. Mahama taught High-
School History for a few years before
pursuing a Postgraduate degree in Social
Psychology from the Institute of Social
Sciences in Moscow.
His early career included a stint at the
Embassy of Japan in Ghana until 1995, and
at the office of Plan International, a
humanitarian and development
organisation.
Mahama is also a former Chairperson
of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS). He has written
for several newspapers and authored a
number of publications, including a book
titled: My First Coup D’État and Other
True Stories from the Lost Decades of
Africa.
His liberal education equips him with
the sensitivity to history and the awareness
critical for managing and positioning a
country of diverse and often competing
groups. His formal communication
training and his experience at both low and
high policy levels in the Executive and
Legislature should help him handle the
challenges of initiating and implementing
policies and programmes contemporary
Ghana yearns for.
For inexplicable reasons all this
training and experience was not evident in
his first term. He struggled to fill the shoes
of his immediate boss, John Atta Mills
whom he replaced as President upon his
death in 2012. He also seemed to cower
and in the full glare and shadow of the then
most influential personality in his party,
former Ppresident Jerry John Rawlings.
What is new in his agenda?
Mahama’s vision, outlined in his
manifesto ahead of the election, is both
pragmatic and expansive.
The manifesto outlines policies aimed
at addressing the nation’s pressing
challenges, including worrying youth
unemployment and unlocking its economic
potential.
A major highlight is his proposed 24-
hour economy. This policy seeks to boost
economic activity by supporting
businesses to operate continuously over 24
hours in key economic hubs. Mahama
hopes it will create jobs and make Ghana a
true contender in the global economy.
In addition, he’s promised to create job
opportunities in emerging fields such as
agri-business, digital technology and
renewable energy.
The 24-hour economy also
encapsulates Mahama’s youth employment
and training agenda.
Then there is the Agriculture for
Economic Transformation Agenda. This
focuses on building a modern agricultural
sector powered by technology and
innovation.
However, the question is how his
agenda will be funded, considering the
country’s well documented dire financial
situation.
A chance to rewrite history
Mahama inherits an economy
hamstrung by debt and low investment.
The post COVID global economic climate
is investment shy and the population is
impatient for a high standard and low cost
of living.
Mahama may be able to meet these
challenges if he is able to put together a
focused, competent team. This team can be
drawn from his party and the wider
Ghanaian society. He must also rein in
political apparatchiks who may want to
exploit the return to power for their selfish
material ends. In essence he must avoid
many if not all the slippages of his first
term. These included incidents over the
purchase of aircraft and a bus branding
contract.
If this second shot at the Presidency is
also squandered, Mahama will surely have
no one to blame but himself.
* Lloyd G. Adu Amoah is a Scholar of
Political Science at University of Ghana.
* This article is republished from The
Conversation under a Creative Commons
license. Read the original article at:
https://theconversation.com/ghanaspresident-john-mahama-makes-acomeback-what-lies-ahead-245548.
Page4
TheTrumpet
TheTrumpet Group
DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
GAB Awards
Meet the GAB Awards
Recipients
Field: 07956 385 604
E-mail:
info@the-trumpet.com
TheTrumpetTeam
RUTH AGBOLADE
Photography
PROF. WILLIAMS
AZUMA IJOMA
Responsible Migration
MS OLUYEMISI
IRANLOYE
Agro Allied Processing
PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
’Femi Okutubo
CONTRIBUTORS:
Moji Idowu, Ayo Odumade,
Steve Mulindwa
SPECIAL PROJECTS:
Odafe Atogun
John-Brown Adegunsoye (Abuja)
DESIGN:
Xandydesigns@gmail.com
ATLANTA BUREAU CHIEF:
Uko-Bendi Udo
3695 F Cascade Road #2140 Atlanta,
GA 30331 USA
Tel: +1 404 889 3613
E-mail: uudo1@hotmail.com
BOARD OF CONSULTANTS
CHAIRMAN:
Pastor Kolade Adebayo-Oke
MEMBERS:
Tunde Ajasa-Alashe
Allison Shoyombo, Peter Osuhon
TheTrumpet (ISSN: 1477-3392)
is published in London fortnightly
THINKING
OF
WRITING
A BUSINESS
PLAN?
We can help you develop a
professional business plan
from only £250.
For more information, contact us
at 07402792146 or email us at:
tolu.oyewole@consultant.com
Ruth Agbolade is a multi-disciplinary
visionary artist whose work
embodies a deep connection to
spirituality, biblical narratives, and the
transformative power of faith. With an
artistic style that blends vibrant, mosaiclike
patterns and abstract forms, she
creates compelling pieces that are rich in
symbolism and storytelling. Her work
often draws from biblical themes,
reimagining well-known stories with a
modern, abstract twist. Her use of bold
colors and intricate designs conveys a
sense of hope, redemption, and divine
purpose.
She recently won the Startup of the
Year Awards at the Yorkshire Black
Business Awards 2024, and is the
Director of RAPSTUDIOS LTD - a
personal branding photography company
that specialises in creating fine art images
for small and medium-sized business
owners, with a focus on personal
branding.
She also owns a social enterprise
called Upcycle Art CIC where she creates
and teaches individuals, asylum seekers
and refugees on how to create art pieces
and sculptures from discarded materials.
The 30-year old who holds a Master’s
degree in Marketing runs her own
business full time because she is deeply
passionate about entrepreneurship
and believes it’s her true calling.
In addition to her painting, Ruth
integrates sustainability into her creative
practice by transforming discarded
materials into thought-provoking
sculptures. These works reflect her
commitment to reimagining waste and
celebrating redemption, both materially
and spiritually.
Prof. Williams Azuma Ijoma is a
Nigerian that has lived outside his
country for three decades.
He is the Publisher of Naijainfo News
and the founding President/CEO of
Global Migration Research Institute,
USA.
In 2010, as a passionate Pan
Africanist, he sponsored and organised a
3-day Caravan for Peace and Non-
Violence in Mauritania that ended a civil
war that was about to break out.
The ill-treatment he saw people go
through in different countries compelled
him to start migration advocacy in 2006.
He was one of the eminent Africans
who bagged the ‘2022 Migration
Advocacy Legendary Award’ in New
York.
He’s also the President of
l’Oganisation Pour l’Integration
Africaine, Togo, an organisation that
seeks to promote peace, unity and African
integration.
Prof. Ijoma was appointed by Yahweh
Hills University in 2021 as the Director
of their online courses.
In 2020, the Journalist International
Forum For Migration ‘JIFORM’
appointed Prof. Williams
Azuma Ijoma as their Global
Francophone Director.
Since his return to Nigeria in
2021, he has organised 18 self sponsored
seminars and workshops both at the
national and state levels with the aim of
seeking collective efforts in tackling
irregular migration.
He was appointed as the African
Chairman of the United Nations
Economic and Social Council in 2021.
She obtained her undergraduate degree
in Food Biochemistry from the
Federal University of Technology Minna
in 1997 and later completed her
postgraduate studies in biochemistry and
nutrition at the University of Ibadan in
2000. Afterwards, she ventured into
entrepreneurship, developing food
products for diabetic individuals using
wheat and creating natural beverages.
In 2001, she started working at Ekha
Agro-Processing Ltd in Lagos, a
company that specializes in using cassava
to manufacture glucose syrup. During her
time at Ekha, she took on various projects
that allowed her to gain valuable
experience working with cassava and
discovering the untapped potentials of
this crop. She played a leading role in this
project and developed a strong affinity
for the crop.
While working at Ekha, she managed
to acquire her own plot of land where she
eventually built her own farm and
factory. Following a decade of service
with Ekha Agro, she made the decision to
move from Lagos to the farm in Ado-
Awaye, in Oyo State in 2015. There, she
constructed a modest dwelling farmland
and resided therein with a team of
approximately six employees. Together,
they diligently cultivated the land and
collaborated with local smallholder
farmers. Their objective was to
encourage a shift in mindset, encouraging
farmers to diversify from solely growing
cassava for fufu or garri, and instead
focus on cultivating for industrial
purposes. This was the genesis of Psaltry
International Limited.
The company produces food-grade
starch and high-quality cassava flour,
purchasing from local smallholder
farmers. Her company prioritises
delivering high-quality products,
Continued on Page 6<
DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025 TheTrumpet
Page5
Page6 TheTrumpet DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
GAB
Awards
Continued from Page 4<
attracting customers like Nestle,
Unilever, and Nigerian Breweries among
others.
Recently, they have opened the first
cassava-based sorbitol factory in Nigeria,
attracting the distinguished presence of
the Oyo State Governor - Seyi Makinde.
This sorbitol factory is also produces
healthier sweeteners.
She did not underestimate the
difficulties involved in starting an agroprocessing
company in a rural location.
Despite the lack of electricity in the area,
she managed to establish and operate her
factory using generators. She also chose
Ado-Awaye for its ample land and
friendly community. Although there was
a scarcity of water, this problem was
solved by constructing boreholes for both
the local community and the factory.
Despite the unfavourable road conditions,
the factory managed to overcome
transportation obstacles and effectively
hire employees.
She is the Chairman of Psaltry
International UK Limited and the CEO of
Psaltry International Limited (Nigeria).
VIN CLUB
Philanthropy
Meet the GAB Awards Recipients
over £100,000 for UK-based charities
which has enabled these charities to
embark on various projects and poverty
alleviation programmes.
In 2017, the club raised £8,800 for
Sickle Cell Society.
In 2018, £8,722 was raised for Autism
Initiatives UK.
In 2019, £15,500 was raised for
RACET, a UK registered charity that
sponsors and supports children’s
education in rural Nigeria.
In 2021, over £27,000 was raised for
Heritage Outreach, a UK based charity,
with an orphanage in Nigeria.
In 2022, £28,000 was raised for
Precious Sight Foundation, a charity that
supports the visually impaired and blind
in Africa.
In 2023, over £23,000 was raised for
Damilola Taytor Trust.
VIN Club has also sponsored two
children up to university level.
Although VIN Club is not a charity
organisation, they have placed charity at
the core of their club, changing lives in
the process
MS RUGIATU KANU
Women Empowerment
in Adult Health Nursing; and the
University of East London where she
bagged a Bachelors degree in
Pharmacology in 2016 and a Masters
degree in Public Health in 2017.
She is the Chair of United Kingdom
registered charity organisation - “Women
4 Women Empowerment.”
Women 4 Women Empowerment
advocates against hygiene poverty in
London – affirming that access to
fundamental hygiene products is a basic
human right, not a luxury. The
organisation believes that no one should
be isolated because of poor hygiene. The
organisation also distributes free
toiletries, cosmetics and female hygiene
products to women who live in
Southwark. They focus on women who
are struggling to maintain good hygiene.
Ms Rugiatu Kanu is also a
motivational speaker, and uses her social
media platform called “Women Empower
Women” to empower women from time
to time.
MR. JULIUS IMABEH
Philanthropy
40-bed supported accommodation unit
for males and females aged 16 – 21.
Every Christmas season, he not only
puts smiles on the faces of the young
adults with gift packages personally
handed to these recipients; but he also
visits them with other youths who have
made it out of The Salvation Army shelter
and gone on to excel in their different
endeavours and career paths - as a way of
encouraging and challenging them to
believe in their future.
At his first stint as President of
Buckingham Aviary Club, in 2014, the
club adopted Prostate Cancer UK as a
beneficiary of its charitable giving. The
club has over the last ten years, continued
to raise funds and awareness for Prostate
Cancer UK.
His entrepreneurial endeavours span
Real Estate, Beverages, Media and
Entertainment.
AMB. JOSEPH
EHIGIAMUSOE
Culture
Vires In Numeris (VIN) Club is a
social club formed by 11 likeminded
individuals. The club is
renowned for its outstanding charitable
activities. They set aside every year to
adopt and raise money for charity
organisations.
In the last 7 years, the club has raised
Ms Rugiatu Kanu attended the
University of Surrey where she
bagged a Diploma of Higher Education
He is an entrepreneur, humanitarian
and a philanthropist who for several
years, has dedicated himself and his
resources to encouraging, transforming,
and making dreams of so many people
come true - especially young ones who
have had diverse challenges in their lives
to points of almost giving up.
He is an active supporter of the
Salvation Army Springfield Lodge – a
STALLIONS AIR
Ipanema Travel Ltd
AFRICA FLIGHTS
SPECIALISTS
LAGOS fr £477
(2 Bags)
020 7580 5999
07979 861 455
Call AMIT / ALEX
73 WELLS ST, W1T 3QG
All Fares Seasonal
ATOL 9179
He wears many hats as a Cultural &
Peace Ambassador, Media Czar,
Consultant, a Veteran Radio and
Television Broadcaster, Content
Developer, Entrepreneur, Entertainer,
Event Host & Master of Ceremonies
Extraordinaire. He’s also a Motivational
Speaker, Social Commentator, Political
Analyst, Brand Ambassador, Influencer,
Actor, On-Air-Personality, Humanitarian
and a Philanthropist.
The humble Edo man from Benin
City, was appointed Edo State Cultural
Ambassador to the UK in 2017.
An alumnus of University of East
London, he is the convener of Diaspora
Edo State Indigenes UK.
He co-founded Diaspora Africa
Konnect DAK - a body working with the
African Union to create soft landing
investment opportunities and ease of
doing business devoid of ambiguity.
The certified UK Security & Anti
Terrorism Officer is the CEO of J4ward
Global Ltd; Founder of Edoworld online
TV; and a Joint Partner @J2konsults &
Entertainment.
DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025 TheTrumpet
Page7
Page8 TheTrumpet DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
Opinion
Tinubu’s Tax Reform bills
and other stories
“Bros, I dey hail oh”
“I dey greet. What’s up?”
“We couldn’t finish our gist last
week. But since then, so much has
happened. That is why I am calling.
Just to pick your brains, bro.”
“You will have to let me finish
this bowl of hot piping amala and
orisirisi before it gets cold, and then
we can talk.”
“You and food. Apparently, there
is no food inflation on your side.
With the serious food inflation in the
country and the cancer of hunger
messing up many families under
Tinubu, you still get a chance to
swallow dollops and draw soup.”
“It is God. Even though I walk in
the valley of the shadow of
death…Psalm 23 is sufficient for
every child of God. In the midst of
darkness, and enemies, the good
Lord provides for His own. Let me
enjoy my amala and ewedu soup.
When I worship my stomach, I am
also invariably worshipping God
and preparing for heaven. Not to
deceive you, this amala is going to
the very right parts of my stomach”
“Glutton. Wackie and quench”
“Hmm. Ha..Uh. Hu. Ech hen.
Hen Hen. Who did you say killed
the mother of Jesus Christ? Ha. Ha
aaa”
“Food will not kill you one day.
You better drink some water.”
“Hen. Hen Jesus is Lord.”
“I am actually trying to tell you
that the Lord has done it. Port
Harcourt Refinery is now working
at 70 to 90 percent. The Old refinery
is back on stream. The new refinery
will join shortly and Warri refinery
too. We should be joyous. The
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has
been put to shame. And it is a bigger
shame that they have not deemed it
necessary to congratulate President
Tinubu and NNPC Limited who
have both fulfilled an important
pledge.”
“The Labour Congress is not a
chorus group. Not an alleluia group
like the National Assembly. They
are a pressure group, an advocacy
movement. You are asking for too
much”
“When government does
something that is good, we should
be able to say so. It is not every time
that we condemn and dismiss. We
should be fair.”
“There is nothing to be fair
about. There are questions that have
not been answered. What exactly
have they completed? The old
refinery or the new. A refinery or a
blending plant, relying on Crack 5
from Eleme Petrochemicals now
known as Indorama? Who has lifted
what? I hear marketers are not yet
loading trucks”
“I hear trucks are being loaded”
“Has anybody talked to the
elders and youths for whom petrol
production is the mainstay of their
community?”
“Which community? This is not
about community youths and elders
looking for hand-outs or royalties or
whatever they call it. Oil refining is
a sophisticated business. It has no
room for street urchins, claiming
Nigeria’s oil belongs to their
forefathers. This is technical
business, not a project for village
thugs”
“Be careful. In everything you
must carry the people along.”
“Look. Look, the people are
oftentimes the problem. Everything
that government tries to do for the
common good, some people just
think it is their lifetime ambition to
sabotage everything.”
“More like some people in
government suffering from
executive arrogance, and we see it
all the time. If the people ask
questions, you explain to them. Is
the refinery already loading
products or not? Simple answer.”
“We live in a country where
some people don’t want to see
anything good in government.
Negative people. I listened to one
Mr. Tony Ogbuigwe on Arise News
discussing this same subject. He is
President, Society of Chemical
Engineers. He explained everything.
He was formerly in charge of the
Port Harcourt Refinery. He spoke
like an expert, but Nigerians refused
to listen. Some people still came on
the same TV station the following
day to just talk.”
“Mr. Engr. Ogbuigwe spoke for
himself. I am not duty-bound to
accept his thoughts.”
“You are an Obidient, what else
do I expect from you? Is that not the
same attitude you people have
brought to the issue of tax reform?
Four brilliant bills sent to the
National Assembly by the Federal
Government to reform the tax
BY REUBEN ABATI
regime in the country, look at all the
confusion you naysayers have
generated. Senators from the North
are kicking. Northern Governors
Forum and the National Governors
Forum think the bills are against
them. Even Northern Youths are
fighting any Northern Leader like
the Deputy Senate President, Barau
Jibrin who asks for tax reform.”
“Are the Northern youths also
Obidients?”
“They are behaving like that.
People are all speaking out of
mischief and ignorance. I suspect
foul play over a subject that should
not generate any problem. Mr.
Taiwo Oyedele, Chair of the
Presidential Committee on Tax and
Fiscal Policy and FIRS Chairman,
Dr. Zacch Adedeji and others went
to the National Assembly to make a
presentation on the four bills,
Senator Ali Ndume, Senator Abdul
Ningi and others staged a walk-out
claiming that the presentation was
not on the Order Paper for the day.”
“Yes. They were right.
Government must learn to do things
the proper way.”
“So why did they come back?”
“Because they are more
interested in the common good.”
“Leave that matter. Ningi and
Ndume have an axe to grind. Ningi
was suspended from the Senate for a
while. Ndume was removed as
Chief Whip. You think they will be
happy? The one that surprised me is
Professor Baba Gana Zulum going
on television to protest. A Professor.
Somebody that we all like.”
“Because you all like him, he
should not have an opinion?”
“I expected that someone like
him would have read the Bills. How
would he say openly that if the bills
are passed, there would be
consequences for the people?
Oyedele and Adedeji in their
presentations have made it clear that
the four tax bills will promote
Continued on Page 10<
DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025 TheTrumpet
Page9
Page10 TheTrumpet DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
Opinion
Tinubu’s Tax Reform bills and
other stories
Continued from Page 8<
inclusion, equity, fairness and
justice. It will defend the interest of
the poor. It will task the rich to pay
more. It will promote Small and
Medium Scale Enterprises. It will
change the formula for tax
administration. Every State will get
50%, the Federal Government 10%,
local councils 35%. Distribution to
the States and local governments
will be on the basis of derivation.
And every State will collect what its
people consume through sales tax.
No State will collect taxes on
imports and exports and
international services. Fair enough. I
believe the tax reform will
encourage competition. Why should
Sokoto State or Zamfara collect
VAT on beer that is consumed in
Lagos, when people in Sokoto and
Zamfara are not allowed to drink
beer?”
“Very good. Executive arrogance
minus political intelligence. This is
what we are dealing with here. Not
so?”
“There will be public hearings.
The Bills have not been passed into
law yet. Did you see Oyedele on TV
yesterday? He gave brilliant
explanations.”
“We have seen kangaroo public
hearings in this country. The Federal
Government should have carried
stakeholders along. Organize a
robust debate. The Oyedele
committee should also have spoken
to the public.”
“It did”
“To APC members?”
“There was consultation with
Governors”
“We know about such
consultations. But the Governors are
saying not all of them were
consulted and they needed more
time to understand the bills.
Professor Zulum asked the right
question: why the rush? Let nobody
give the impression that once
Tinubu decides, then it is done. This
is a democracy. We, the people,
have the right to ask questions.
Nobody should blackmail us into
anything.”
“Nobody is blackmailing
anybody. Lazy Nigerian Governors
must learn to be productive.
President Tinubu wants to teach
them to compete and be productive
in their States.”
“Okay. The headmaster knows it
all. He should just be careful,
especially now that members of his
own party are beginning to criticize
him openly. He has not spent two
years in office, his party members
are questioning his judgement.”
“Who are those ones?”
“Jesutega Onokpasa for
example”
“Who is he to criticize Tinubu?”
“He is Chairman of the Tinubu
Media Support Group”
“Who knows him? Let him go
and sit down”
“This is the arrogance that I am
talking about. By the way, is the
President back from France? They
told us he would be away for two
days on a State visit. I hope he has
not gone missing again for a few
more days after a fashion?”
“Are you alright? Show some
respect please.”
“I asked a simple question. If he
is back, yes. If he is not back, No.”
“Google it. He is in South Africa
for a bilateral meeting”
“From France straight to South
Africa. I know he is the country’s
Chief Foreign Policy Officer. I
know that economic diplomacy is
important. But he cannot travel
every market day looking for
investors. He must stay at the
market and man the stall too. Over
30 trips in less than two years.
Haba.”
“Investments and diplomacy are
critical parts of his assignment.”
“Accountability is also part of his
responsibility. And how would the
four tax bills help to attract foreign
investments too?”
“Stop beating yourself over
nothing. Presidential powers can
make anything happen. Look at
President Joe Biden of the United
States. He has just pardoned his son,
Hunter Biden and he hopes all
Americans will understand where he
is coming from. The fellow was
convicted in two cases of federal
felony: a gun charge in Delaware
and tax convictions in California.
His sentencing was scheduled for
December 12 and 16. Ahead of that,
his father has granted him full and
unconditional pardon, not just for
the two criminal offences, but also
for any offence that he may have
committed, or may be suspected to
have committed between January 1,
2014 through December 1, 2024.”
“The man simply transferred his
immunity to his own son, and saved
him from going to jail. This is the
same man who in June categorically
ruled out a pardon or a commutation
for his son. He said he would abide
by the jury’s decision”
“That is what it means to be a
President. And Biden is not the first
American President to use
presidential powers to protect a
relative. In 2001, President Bill
Clinton pardoned his half-brother,
Roger Clinton who was in jail for a
cocaine-related offence.”
“I stand with Donald Trump in
this matter. It is an abuse of
Presidential powers. It is a
miscarriage of justice.”
“Which Donald Trump? Kettle
calling pot black. In 2020, Trump as
President pardoned Charles
Kushner, the father-in-law of his
daughter Ivanka. He has just named
Continued on Page 11<
Opinion
DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
Tinubu’s Tax Reform bills and
other stories
TheTrumpet
Page11
Continued from Page 10<
the same Charles Kushner as his
Ambassador-designate to France. If
you were President Joe Biden, you
will open your eyes and allow a
judge to send your son to jail
because you want to be seen to be
upright? If you were in his shoes,
you will leave office and allow your
son to be in jail under a President
Trump? He was very clear. He said
his son was singled out and that
there had been a miscarriage of
justice”
“Pardoning his son casts a pall
over his legacy.”
“So be it. When you become
President, don’t use the powers God
has given you. Allow your
opponents to ride roughshod over
you. The problem with governance
is actually the people, particularly
journalists who will not mind their
business.”
“Journalists are not supposed to
mind their business. Any journalist
that minds his or her business is not
a journalist.”
“And that is why journalists get
knocked on the head. I am a
journalist. I am a journalist. That
was how Fisayo Soyombo found
himself in army detention in Port
Harcourt. He was lucky the social
media cried out. He could have
disappeared for a whole year before
anybody will trace his
whereabouts.”
“Soyombo, founder of the
Foundation for Investigative
Journalism (FIJ) is not just a
journalist. He is one of the finest in
the trade. He is a courageous
investigative journalist who exposes
the underbelly of corruption in our
society. A man of courage who has
exposed the criminal practices in
prisons, the mistreatment of soldiers
at the warfront, vehicle smuggling
across the border and the
inefficiency of the police. He was on
duty in Port Harcourt to investigate
the menace of illegal oil bunkering
and crude oil theft. Rather than
arrest the oil bunkerers, Nigerian
soldiers arrested him and allowed
the oil thieves to go scot-free. Is that
what you recommend?”
“If you make yourself a suspect,
you can be arrested and
interrogated. What is wrong in
that?”
“What is wrong is that in this
country the good guys get punished,
the bad guys get a pat on the back.
The army interrogated Soyombo
and before they released him, they
had reported everything he said to
the oil thieves, thus placing him in
harm’s way.”
“You have no proof. There is
always another side to any story.”
“He was very specific. He
mentioned names.”
“Who?”
“You should know. I think you
always hear and see things.”
“I hear President Biden is
visiting Angola, keeping his
promise to visit sub-Saharan Africa
before he leaves office. I am
surprised he is not visiting Nigeria
on his first visit to Africa.”
“What does it matter? He is
leaving anyway. He has less than
two months in office before he
leaves the White House. And you
can be sure when that visit is over,
he will go straight back home…
Maybe Trump will visit Nigeria.”
“He will come and visit you at
home”
“Yes. Why not? He is after all,
our in-law”
“I also hear the Federal Inland
Revenue Service (FIRS) has
directed the money deposit banks
and the Fintech firms to start
charging Electronic Money Transfer
Levy of N50 on any electronic
inflow of N10,000 and above.”
“For what? Why?”
“To generate revenue for
government distribution”
“No. To further tax the people
and punish them and to create
another avenue for corruption.
Distribute our money to which
government? What do they ever do
with all the taxes? I am willing to
pay tax but I want to be sure that
what is taken from me is used to
build roads, fund education and
healthcare and promote the common
good, not the greed of government
officials.”
“Nobody has ever liked the tax
man. This is the real issue.”
“The real issue is President
Tinubu saying Nigerians lived a
fake life before he became
President. He has forgotten he was
part of that fake world too.”
Page12 TheTrumpet DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
Opinion
DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
TheTrumpet
Page13
Osun 2026: Crossroads and
consequences (1)
Continued from Page 16<
chaotic primary election. If not managed
carefully, this could lead to severe
electoral consequences. With the PDP
likely to present a unified front,
leveraging incumbency power, APC will
be at a disadvantage. For his own good,
the candidate must be a unifier and must
be experienced. This time, the party must
also be expansive and avoid premature
triumphalism. After all, it’s precisely the
absence of expansiveness and the
shedding of the spirit of accommodation
that led to PDP’s victory in 2022.
Tajudeen Lawal is the State APC
chairman. He is optimistic about the
party‘s chances in the 2026 election. He
believes the current administration’s poor
performance has created an opportunity
for APC to succeed. The prince from Ile-
Ife, Osun State, is confident that Osun
APC, on his watch, is resilient and wellequipped
to withstand any antidemocratic
forces that may try to
undermine it, just as it did during the
2022 governorship election.
According to Bola Oyebamiji, former
Osun State Commissioner for Finance
and current Managing Director of the
Federal Inland Waterways Authority
(NIWA), Osun APC must “deploy
strategies and synergize” to win the 2026
election. He advises the party to “conduct
a SWOT analysis of its strengths and
weaknesses in the 2018 and 2022
elections.”
Oyebamiji expresses confidence in
the party’s solidity and leadership, stating
that, if the party continues to improve, it
will win in 2026. He also assures that
APC is ready to contest and win the
forthcoming local government elections,
despite the State’s election umpire being
perceived as biased towards the
government.
Babajide Omoworare, a former
Senator, believes that APC should be
more of “ko ara re s’ihin”, not “ko ara re
s’ohun” - that, “beyond punishing errant
party members, it must oil its mediatory
and conciliatory machinery and work as a
team.” He also notes that the party’s
current reward system, which is flawed
and unfair, must be reviewed to
accommodate clarity, transparency and
justice. “Monkeys should not be working
while baboons are eating.” Omoworare
emphasizes that politics and
electioneering require strategic planning
and attention to detail. He also urges the
party “to decide whether to focus on
zoning positions or winning elections.”
Dotun Babayemi is confident that
Osun APC is on the right track, citing the
party’s current unity of purpose and
concerted effort as a significant strength.
He cites the outcomes of the recently
concluded governorship elections in Edo
and Ondo States as evidence of the
party’s influence and leadership efforts at
all levels. He notes that the party is
strongly represented in all local
governments across the State, and areas
of concern are being addressed. With the
2026 election on the horizon, Babayemi
is confident that APC will emerge
victorious.
Olalekan Badmus, the former Osun
State Commissioner for Regional
Integration and Special Duties, and
current Executive Director, Marine and
Operations at the Nigerian Ports
Authority (NPA), is confident about the
party‘s chances in 2026. According to
him, APC is actively working to return to
power, with regular weekly meetings
across wards, local governments and the
State Executive Committee. Badmus
notes that the party’s Apex Leader’s
mentees are giving back to society and
benefiting party members. “The party is
also consulting widely to regain its
winning momentum, and attracting
political heavyweights to boost its
chances, and the Elders’ Council is ready
to intervene when needed.
Great party, good promises! However,
it’s worth noting that winning elections
demands a profound understanding of the
complexities of power, the nuances of
human nature and the unpredictable
dynamics of the political landscape. In
the game of politics, promises are merely
the currency of persuasion, but it’s the
ability to deliver, to adapt, and to evolve
that ultimately determines success.
In the spirit of unvarnished candor,
which is the oxygen that sustains the
flame of true democracy, it’s time for
Osun APC to strip away the politics and
confront the realities! It’s time to tap into
new opportunities, refresh its vision, reenergize
its grassroots connections, and
regain its relevance among the electorate.
By doing so, the party will turn its current
challenges into opportunities for growth,
emerging stronger, more united, and
more focused.
To be concluded.
Komolafe wrote from Ijebu-Jesa,
Osun State, Nigeria
(ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)
Page14 TheTrumpet DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
Opinion
Ghana: John Mahama’s return
By Reuben Abati
There seems to be an emerging
pattern in some of the major
elections conducted in Africa
so far, hinting at an emergent
character of democracy in the
continent, and this would seem to be
the people’s seeming determination to
change incumbent ruling parties or
whittle down their influence or
remove them altogether, and at the
base of this is a certain streak of
nostalgia for the past. In May, South
Africa held its general elections and
for the first time since the end of
apartheid in 1994, the ruling African
National Congress (ANC) lost its
parliamentary majority, receiving less
than 50% of the votes. It therefore
found itself in the uncomfortable
situation of having to negotiate with
the centrist Democratic Alliance, the
Jacob Zuma-led uMkhonto Sizwe
(MK), the Inkatha Freedom Party and
the Patriotic Alliance (PA) to be able
to form a national unity government.
Former President Jacob Zuma said he
and the MK would not be part of any
alliance. Zuma was indeed the
nemesis of the ANC.
He is the overlord of politics in
KwaZulu Natal, having left the ANC
in December 2023. Ramaphosa
survived the anti-ANC onslaught but
it remains to be seen for how long the
government of national unity would
last, a similar arrangement having
failed in the past. There was yet
another upheaval in Botswana in
October 2024 when the Botswana
Democratic Party (BDP) which had
ruled the country since independence
in 1966, lost woefully to the Umbrella
for Democratic Change Coalition,
producing Duma Boko (54) as
President, with a majority 36 seats in
the 61-seat parliament. The BDP was
reduced to four seats! Former
President Ian Khama (2008 – 2018)
was, as in South Africa with Zuma, a
major factor in the Botswana election.
He had appointed Mokgweetsi Masisi
as Vice President in 2014, and when
his tenure expired in 2018, Khama
supported Matsisi to succeed him.
When Matsisi assumed office,
however, he simply went after Ian
Khama, and ended up reversing his
policies, and drove him into exile in
2021. In October 2024, Khama
returned with a determination to
unseat Matsisi. It was not his
candidate that won in the end, but he
achieved his aim all the same and the
Umbrella for Democratic Change was
not unknown to him, having worked
with that same party in 2019 to secure
John Mahama (Photo - United Nations, Cia Pak)
victory for Matsisi. And now in
Ghana, over the weekend, former
President John Dramani Mahama has
been overwhelmingly re-elected as
President for another term of four
years. The people of Ghana looked
back and looked into the future and
concluded that Mahama is best suited
to take them into the future.
Beyond the conflict of political
interest and power blocs in the three
countries isolated for illustration is the
resolve of the people to defend their
votes and make a choice, by trying
possible alternatives. In Botswana, the
economy was in the doldrums, the
government’s treasury was almost
empty. Government hospitals had run
out of funds and facilities. Corruption
was on stilts, institutions were
prostrate. In other words, the state of
the economy was a major issue in
Botswana as it was also in South
Africa. Over 80% of the registered
voters in Botswana turned up on
polling day. In June, in South Africa,
voter’s behaviour was dictated not
strictly by the in-fighting within the
original ANC but by a number of
complex and related factors, top of
which is the fact that the people’s
expectations had not really been met
by the ruling ANC. The people
wanted jobs and a better life. The
ANC had offered them a high
unemployment rate with many of the
youths jobless. Trust in the ruling
party is also important to the
electorate, and the people were no
longer as trustful of Ramaphosa and
the ANC to create jobs, get them the
social grants that they need and
address corruption in official
corridors. On election day, voter
turnout was 58.6%, the lowest ever in
30 years, a reflection of the people’s
discontent. The ANC got 40.18% of
the votes, and Ramaphosa returned
but the people had made a statement
about their discontent. Last Saturday
in Ghana, voter turn-out was
estimated at 61%, and that is
considered the lowest in that country
in the last three elections. Outgoing
President Nana Akuffo-Addo
presided over such a bad economy in
a generation with high inflation,
unemployment and huge, almost
unpayable debts that the people
angrily voted out his party, the New
Patriotic Party (NPP).
The only exceptions to the pattern
described so far would seem to be the
general elections in Mozambique on
October 9, 2024, and in Namibia, 27
– 30 November 2024. Turn out in
Mozambique was put at 43%, with
many outrightly boycotting the
election in the North and in Namibia,
turnout was 76.48%. In Mozambique,
FRELIMO retained its 58 years of
authoritarian hold on the country, and
in Namibia, SWAPO remained
immovable even if it produced its first
female President, incumbent Vice
President, SWAPO veteran, Netumbo
Nandi-Ndaitwah. Analysts have noted
that the elections in both countries
cannot be considered free and fair, but
where the voters were allowed to
choose and defend their votes, the
people spoke loudly through the
Continued on Page 15>
Opinion
DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025 TheTrumpet
Ghana: John Mahama’s return
Page15
Continued from Page 14<
ballot to the key point that the people
are the mainstay of the democratic
process. The challenge for African
leaders is to provide an enabling
environment for democracy to thrive,
for good governance, and for building
trust with the people. And when it is
election time, to allow the people to
make their choice.
There have been many comments
on the just concluded elections in
neighbouring Ghana, focusing on the
lessons that Nigerians can possibly
learn from Ghana. I think there are
lessons both ways, starting with the
Nigerian example. It is refreshing to
see that even long before the Electoral
Commission of Ghana announced the
final results and declared the winner,
the candidate of the ruling party, NPP,
and incumbent Vice President,
Mahamudu Bawumia conceded
defeat and congratulated President
John Mahama, his main opponent of
the National Democratic Congress
(NDC). “The people have voted for
change”, Bawumia said. This display
of sportsmanship reminds us of the
example of President Goodluck
Jonathan in the 2015 general elections
in Nigeria. President Jonathan not
only congratulated General
Muhammadu Buhari of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), he also
said famously that his political
ambition was not worth the shedding
of anyone’s blood. In 2016, a year
later, when President John Mahama
lost Ghana’s Presidential election of
that year, he also quietly relinquished
power and handed over to President
Nana Akufo-Addo. Between the two
countries, there seems to be an
emerging realization that the people’s
will, whatever may be the
circumstances, must be respected.
President Jonathan has since gone
ahead to build a stronger reputation as
a democrat and elder statesman in the
West African sub-region and beyond.
In an election cycle when we have
seen a former President, Donald
Trump returning to power in the
United States, and President Mahama
in Ghana, it is not impossible that
there would be some Nigerians out
there saying that President Jonathan is
entitled to an out-standing possible
second term and should also make a
bid to return to office as Nigeria’s
President. This would however
depend on an interplay of factors. The
onus is on President Tinubu and the
APC not to unwittingly invoke a
nostalgia for either President Jonathan
and/or the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) among Nigerians.
The second lesson that Ghana had
supposedly learnt from Nigeria was
pointed out by the Chairman of
Nigeria’s Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC),
Professor Mahmood Yakubu who was
in Ghana as a guest and observer. In a
widely circulated video, he said
Ghana has learnt from Nigeria how to
manage constituency election results.
Results are announced in the
constituencies. Only Presidential
election results are sent to Accra for
announcement. This comment has
drawn a backlash, with many of
Professor Yakubu’s critics telling him
that on the contrary, he is the one who
needs to learn lessons from Ghana’s
management of the electoral process.
For example, voting materials arrived
early and the voting process was
smooth. In Nigeria, voting is always
a tug of war. In Ghana, even if there
were scuffles in some constituencies,
this was nothing compared to the
Nigerian situation where persons
resort to raw violence. Election in
Nigeria is often a security operation,
heavily militarized. In Ghana, the
people drove soldiers away from
polling stations. They insisted that an
election should be a civilian
operation. In places where the soldiers
were confronted and scuffles ensued,
we saw the Ghanaian soldiers not
shooting anyone, even when they
carried weapons. If any Nigerian
voter displayed such boldness to
challenge Nigerian soldiers at a
polling unit, there would have been
bloodshed! The Electoral
Commission of Ghana also deployed
technology, but this did not become
an excuse for abuse as has been the
case repeatedly in Nigeria. Those
voters whose names were missing in
the register on polling day, were still
accredited through a back-end
database, and allowed to vote. In
Nigeria, it is either the notorious
BVAS would fail or the INEC server
would malfunction due to “technical
glitches”. There have been no
deafening reports of vote buying
indicating that the Ghanaian voter is
far more sophisticated, and that
democracy in Ghana is more stable. A
total of 18. 6 million registered voters,
13 candidates representing nine
political parties, 4 independent
candidates, with the NPP and NDC
emerging as the dominant two parties
– the option of independent candidacy
is an area in which Nigeria can learn
from Ghana to make our political
process more inclusive.
Despite the push-back that
Professor Mahmood Yakubu may
have received, he identified a lesson
for Nigeria that seems noteworthy:
which is his comment that politicians
in Ghana are faithful to their political
parties. They do not move from one
political party to the other every
election season. The reverse is the
case in Nigeria because here, our
political parties are Special Purpose
Vehicles, organized to win by any
means. Nigerian politics is not
ideology-based. Politicians would
rather use any political platform that
would get them into power. Nigeria’s
political parties are united by this
singular aim, and that is why after
every general election, it doesn’t take
long before our politicians migrate
into the ruling party. In Ghana there is
a more enduring tradition of political
identity. Prof. Yakubu obviously
knows what he is talking about in this
regard: names are constantly moving
around on the INEC register.
President John Mahama lost election
in 2016 on the platform of the NDC,
he lost again in 2020 on the platform
of the same party, and now in 2024, at
third attempt, he has emerged
victorious. If he were a Nigerian
politician, he would have been all
over the political space, gambling for
opportunity. But he stayed within the
NDC, and helped to build it into a
winning machinery.
We join others in congratulating
him. His victory has resulted in much
singing and dancing across Ghana.
There are no politicians threatening to
contest the outcome in the courts. The
people of Ghana, however, should be
cautiously optimistic. When President
Mahama lost his bid for a second term
in the 2016 general election, the key
reason was the poor state of the
Ghanaian economy, high
unemployment rate and the failure of
the country’s electricity system. Those
problems have not disappeared, they
only became worse under President
Nana Akuffo-Addo who got so
distracted he even commissioned a
statue in his own honour in Sekondi
in the Western Region. That statue
must fall. It must be pulled down, to
purge Akuffo-Addo of his own
delusions. President Mahama also has
to manage the people’s expectations.
Ghanaians are looking for a miracleworking
President who will offer
them a better life. But there are no
miracles anywhere. It is a good thing
that Mahama has significant
experience on the job having been
President (2012 - 2017), Vice
President (2009 – 2012), Minister for
Communications (1998 -2001),
Deputy Minister for Communications
(1997 – 1998), and Member of
Parliament for Bole (1997 - 2009). He
knows the system. He knows Ghana.
He has proven ability. Still, he must
act carefully. He must resist the
temptation to over-promise and seek
to over-impress. He must take his
time to study the same system that he
is familiar with all over again. He
knows Nigeria, being a High Chief of
Offa Kingdom in Kwara State -Aare
Atolase of Offa - and given his close
relationships with the country, for a
start, he should reflect on the
experience so far of President Bola
Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu was in so
much of a hurry, he started
introducing reforms from his very
first day in office, reforms which have
now thrown the people into the deep
end. The best reform that a leader can
embark upon is in the minds of the
people: to build trust and deliver the
fruits of good governance. President
Mahama should run an inclusive
government, and accommodate the
finest shades of opinions.
Students of Ghana’s politics and
history would be better placed to give
a more definitive history of President
Nana Akufo-Addo’s legacy, a verdict
which should be kinder in good time
- his commitment to democracy, his
Pan-Africanism, his Ghana beyond
aid rhetoric, his management of the
COVID-19 challenge, his
establishment of six additional
regions and his robust presence in
international affairs. With Mahama, as
President, Nigerians can have their
own expectations too: better relations
with a country with which we share
so much in common. Our brother
from Offa, has won 6.3 million polls,
a historic 56.55% of the votes, an
emphatic victory. President Mahama
has been given an opportunity to
rewrite his own legacy: at home and
abroad. He should not squander it.
Page16 TheTrumpet DECEMBER 25 2024 - JANUARY 7 2025
Opinion
Osun 2026: Crossroads
and consequences (1)
My experience as a Branch
Internal Auditor in a nowconsolidated
commercial bank
during the 2000s taught me the
importance of accountability and
oversight in institutions. In this role, I
identified exceptions, assessed their
impact, and recommended corrective
actions. This skillset has since informed
my understanding of the need for
transparency and accountability in
governance and political institutions.
Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal -
Osun State APC Chairman
Akinwumi Olojo, my former Line
Boss and the bank’s Chief Internal
Auditor, would often remind us that a
Governor paying salaries is merely
fulfilling his contractual obligation to the
electorate. “Thanking him for doing his
job,” he’d say, “is akin to praising a
student for attending school.”
At a time like this, Olojo’s aphorism,
“Delayed or defaulted salaries are
symptoms of institutional distress”,
readily comes to mind. This adage
underscores the critical role Internal
Auditors play in ensuring organizational
accountability, efficiency and good
governance. In the context of democratic
governance, this principle is equally
applicable – and perhaps even more
crucial. Well, I will come back to that
later!
That said, it is no longer news that,
after a clutch of off-cycle gubernatorial
elections, the 2026 contest in Osun State
looms large. Anambra State, of course,
BY ABIODUN
KOMOLAFE
looms in-between. The issues in Osun,
coming so close to the 2027 general
elections, will test the waters as to the
wind and the political current on the road
to the presidential election a year later.
Obviously, Osun is currently in a state
of political flux! It is at the moment with
no defining or dominant political
headwind and all eyes can see it! The All
Progressives Congress (APC), the main
opposition party, is still reeling from its
unexpected loss in the governorship
election two years ago. Indeed, it is
difficult to define the party since it is
hardly portraying itself as a cohesive,
effective opposition. It’s a classic case of
‘when the going gets tough, the tough get
going’ - but in this case, Osun APC seems
to be stuck in neutral. It’s also a case of
‘better the devil you know’ – but in this
case, the devil is reveling in the trappings
of power and further tightening its grip
on the State.
Unless Osun APC can offer a
compelling alternative to the current
arrangement that has become
conveniently mired in the miasma of
‘Owambe’, the State’s anomie will likely
worsen. This could lead to a low voter
turnout in 2026, which might not be
surprising because, even Ondo State with
heightened political activities had a voter
turnout of an unacceptable 27%. This
scenario goes against the grain of the
typical Yoruba values of enlightened selfinterest
and the use of politics as an
avenue to push the progressive agenda
associated with the quest to make ‘life
more abundant.’
The trouble with July 16, 2022 was
that those who were gifted with testing
the temperature of the turmoil and the
tumult of the issues plaguing the then
ruling party chose not to wake up from
their slumber while those who claimed to
have been surrounded by the vibrant
green of nature and the singing of birds
simply went back to sleep. Somewhere,
somehow, Osun APC lost the plot and it
was as if the gods were angry!
With 2026 fast approaching, Osun
APC needs to decide on zoning for its
2026 governorship candidate to avoid a
Continued on Page 13>
TheTrumpet is published in London fortnightly by Trumpet
Field: 07956 385 604 E-mail: info@the-trumpet.com (ISSN: 1477-3392)