Personality in Focus
Akporiaye Takes Over As NANTA President, Assures Continuity
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By Eric Elezuo
In line with the constitution and guidelines governing the affairs of National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mrs. Susan Akporiaye has officially taken over the affairs of the association. She took over from the immediate past president, Mr. Bankole Bernard, who steered the group for two consecutive terms.
In her acknowledgement speech to the teaming members of the association, Akporiaye assures continuity while at the same time details a new beginning.
Pledging to achieve more together with everyone on board, she called for effective strategies’ to address local challenges in the travel and tourism world as well as the damage the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic has caused.
Below is her detailed statement:
CONTINUITY AND THE BIRTH OF A NEW BEGINNING:
Dear members of NANTA, our principals, elders and the media.
This morning, our president, who is now the immediate past president, my brother and friend, Bankole Bernard wrote to hand over the affairs of the association to me in line with consultation with our Board of Trustees and the executive members.
Yesterday, the Chairman, Board of Trustees, most able gentleman and leader, Mr Steve Isokariare also sent a message to put me on notice to steer the wheel of our progressive association for the next two years.
While the uncertainty that becloud our dear nation, industry and the world persisted due to Covid-19, many expressed anxiety about the possibility of the change in baton at this uncertain times….which is human.
While this line of thought gained ground, particularly with the desirable need to postpone our Kano AGM which could have afforded us the opportunity for me to present my manifesto to you as your incoming President but also to formally adopt our established physical handover protocols.
Nonetheless we all have to deal with the realities of the “Force Majeure” situation that Corona Virus have brought upon us. By God’s grace we shall overcome it.
So we have digitally taken over and all the legal protocols for hand over have taken place overseen by our very capable Board of Trustees.
On one hand you are assured of continuity because I was one of the outgoing executives of the last administration.
On the other hand this is the birth of a new beginning as the incoming exco takes over under my leadership as the 44th President of NANTA.
We must admit that while we have global challenges brought on by COVID-19. We also do have some pertinent local challenges facing our members and their businesses which we must confront and come up with effective strategies to address.
In due course the incoming executives shall engage and consult with all of you as stakeholders in order to establish and validate our priorities.
I will then be articulating these priorities with strategies on how to move us forward.
I know there is a huge challenge to re-access our reach and physical engagement process in view of covid 19 and the impact on global Travel.
We are conscious of the pressure to rebound and gain immediate foothold yet determined to guide our members to follow established federal and states governments protocols on covid 19 and practice safety and social distancing as recommended by health officials globally.
This statement is to assure you all including our Friends and Principals that NANTA is united and in safe hands under my watch.
The Watchword under my Watch will be TEAMWORK .
As stakeholders you all have ideas not just the excos. As President i will ensure you all have the right platform to provide inputs for continuous engagements whether physical or digital.
But I reassure you as President my priorities will be YOUR priorities.
Therefore, the new exco and I will in due course address you all on the course we wish to chart, praying for assistance, suggestions and presence in all we shall endeavor to do on your behalf.
Once again, let me express my profound gratitude to Mr Bankole Bernard, the board of trustees, elders, my fellow partners in leadership, all zonal leadership and members, not excluding our very supportive friends in the travel and tourism and the media.
Having accepted to stand and hold forth as the 44th NANTA president, I ask God Amighty to grant me wisdom and knowledge to lead this great body and make it greater than ever before.
Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM NANTA)
Thank you all so much and may God bless Nigeria and may God bless our beloved NANTA.
Susan Akporiaye
National President NANTA
Personality in Focus
Aare Adetola Emmanuelking Celebrates Damola Aiyeola @60
The National President of the Remo Secondary School Old Students Association (RSSOSA), Aare Adetola Emmanuelking, has celebrated the National Vice President of the Association’s UK Branch, Mr. Damola Aiyeola, on the occasion of his 60th birthday, describing him as a God-fearing family man, committed leader and an exemplary Old Student whose years of service have continued to make a meaningful difference in the lives of students and the development of Remo Secondary School and beyond.
In a special birthday message marking the significant milestone, Aare Adetola Emmanuelking described Aiyeola’s 60 years as a life of purpose, faith, family, leadership and service, noting that his contributions to RSSOSA demonstrate a deep understanding of the responsibility that comes with belonging to an association of Old Students.
The RSSOSA National President praised Aiyeola’s leadership as the National Vice President of the Association’s UK Branch, noting that his contribution goes beyond occupying an executive position to actively using his platform to advance the welfare of students and contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the alma mater.
Aare Adetola Emmanuelking particularly highlighted the various initiatives undertaken by the RSSOSA UK Branch under Aiyeola’s watch, describing them as tangible expressions of the responsibility that Old Students owe to the institution that shaped them.
Some of the notable interventions include the renovation of the UK-adopted classrooms at Remo Secondary School; the donation of learning materials to exceptional students across the Senior and Junior sections of the school; and the support and funding of holiday tutorials for SS3 students. The tutorial programme was further complemented by the donation of textbooks and sanitary pads to the students, addressing both their educational and personal welfare needs.
Commending these initiatives, the RSSOSA National President described Mr. Damola Aiyeola as a leader whose influence is evident in the positive impact being recorded by the UK Branch.
According to him, Aiyeola’s leadership reflects the importance of having people who understand that alumni leadership is ultimately about service, responsibility and giving back. He noted that the story of the RSSOSA UK Branch under Aiyeola’s watch is one of Old Students turning their affection for their alma mater into measurable interventions that improve the lives of present-day students.
As Mr. Damola Aiyeola marks his diamond jubilee, the RSSOSA National President prayed that God would continue to strengthen him, preserve his life and grant him the wisdom and grace required for greater responsibilities.
He prayed for divine health, protection, prosperity, renewed strength and continued fulfilment, asking God to bless and preserve his family and reward the celebrant for his commitment to service.
He further prayed that the years ahead would be even more fruitful and impactful, with greater opportunities to contribute to the advancement of RSSOSA, the UK Branch and Remo Secondary School.
Personality in Focus
World’s Oldest Person, Ethel Caterham, Celebrates 117th Birthday
Ethel Caterham, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living person, has turned 117.
Caterham celebrated her birthday on Friday, August 21, 2026, at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater, Surrey, where she lives.
“Thank you for all of the kind birthday wishes. Even at 117, I’ve had many firsts this year, from stroking a llama to holding hands with the King!” Caterham said in a birthday message shared through her care home.
“I’ve had a lovely day celebrating with my family and friends, and I look forward to seeing what next year brings!”
Born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, Caterham is the last known surviving person born during the reign of King Edward VII.
She became the world’s oldest living person in April 2025 after the death of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas at the age of 116. Guinness World Records also recognises her as the oldest living woman.
Caterham travelled alone to India at 18, where she worked as a nanny for a British family.
She later met British Army officer Norman Caterham at a dinner party in 1931. They married in 1933 and lived in several countries, including Hong Kong, where Caterham set up a kindergarten.
The couple later returned to Britain and raised two daughters. Norman died in 1976. Caterham has since outlived both daughters and is now a grandmother of three and great-grandmother of five.
Her long life has spanned two World Wars, the sinking of the Titanic and the COVID-19 pandemic. She also survived COVID-19 at the age of 110.
Caterham has previously said she believes avoiding arguments has helped her live a long life.
“Never arguing with anyone, I listen and I do what I like,” she said.
One of the highlights of Caterham’s past year was meeting King Charles III in September 2025.
During their meeting, she recalled watching his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969, when he was 21.
“All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you,” she told the King.
Caterham later described meeting Charles and holding his hand as two of the memorable “firsts” she experienced during her 116th year.
The world’s oldest living man, Brazil’s João Marinho Neto, also sent birthday wishes to Caterham, according to Guinness World Records.
Despite reaching 117, Caterham remains five years short of the verified record for the oldest person ever. That record belongs to Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122 years and 164 days.
For now, Caterham continues to celebrate life with her family and friends while looking ahead to another milestone year.
Personality in Focus
NAOSNP Celebrates IGP Disu, Wife on 30th Wedding Anniversary
The National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) has extended warm congratulations to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, on the occasion of his 30th wedding anniversary with his beautiful wife, Mrs. Mutiat Olufunmilola Disu, describing the milestone as a reflection of the stability and discipline the IGP has brought to both his home and his office.
Mrs. Disu, who doubles as National President of the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA), the umbrella body for wives and spouses of police officers nationwide, has been a steady presence alongside her husband through a career that has spanned more than three decades of policing, culminating in his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the nation’s 23rd indigenous Inspector-General in February 2026.
In a statement signed by NAOSNP National President, Mayor Oki O. Samson, the Association described the union as “a partnership that has clearly shaped a man now trusted with the safety of over 200 million Nigerians,” adding that “thirty years of marriage is no small feat, and we join well-wishers across the country in celebrating the IGP and his amiable wife on this golden occasion.”
The Association noted that Mrs. Disu’s leadership of POWA has itself been an extension of her husband’s community-first approach to policing, with the association playing a quiet but consistent role in supporting the welfare of officers’ families across the Force. This is a mission that mirrors IGP Disu’s own emphasis on troop and personnel welfare since assumption of office.
Beyond the celebration, NAOSNP used the opportunity to reflect on what it described as the sterling contributions IGP Disu has made to President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing security architecture reforms in his first six months in office. The Association recalled that the IGP’s appointment came at a pivotal moment in the country’s history, as the Presidency pursued the most far-reaching restructuring of Nigeria’s security institutions since the Civil War. The reforms include the State Police bill now passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to twelve divisions, and the rollout of the Forest Guard corps.
“IGP Disu has actively complimented the reform agenda of Mr. President Tinubu,” Mayor Oki said. “From his welfare-driven leadership of the rank and file to his insistence on intelligence-led and community-rooted policing which were the same approach that made him a celebrated name at the Lagos RRS, he has shown that the Force under his watch is a willing and capable partner in Mr President’s vision for a secure Nigeria.”
NAOSNP also heaped praises on the IGP for the Force’s professional conduct during the just-concluded Osun State governorship election held on August 15, 2026. The Association noted that IGP Disu personally directed a massive security deployment led by DIG Ishyaku Mohammed to the State. The Police deployment included Police mobile units across all 30 local government areas, air and drone surveillance. The Police also engaged with civil society groups such as Yiaga Africa ahead of the poll to strengthen public trust in the process.
Despite isolated incidents, the election was widely adjudged as peaceful and credible, with candidates across party lines, INEC officials, media and residents commended the professionalism of Police officers on ground. Incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party was declared winner, defeating APC’s Bola Oyebamiji by over 66,000 votes, in a contest that many observers say passed a key credibility test ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Osun has once again proven that when the Police lead with professionalism and neutrality, Nigerians reward that conduct with confidence in the process,” Mayor Oki Samson stated.
NAOSNP concluded its statement by wishing IGP Disu and his wife many more years of marital bliss, and expressing confidence that the same discipline, patience and grace that has sustained their union will continue to guide his stewardship of the Nigeria Police Force in the months ahead.







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