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First Ladies, Women of Substance, Others Celebrate Legacy of Building Women
By Eric Elezuo
The intimidating crowd that surged into the convention center of the Eko Hotel and Suites Tuesday to celebrate the 2019 edition of Handmaidens Women in Leadership Series with the theme, Leading Women Building Legacies, was a testimony of the aggressive nature women have so far launched into the world of business, grabbing with both hands what were hitherto reserved for men.
Coordinating the avalanche of events on the day, Mrs Morin Desalu, gave due respect to as many special dignitaries that covered the length and breadth of the hall, with special reference to the Chief host, Pastor Siju Iluyomade.
Pastor Siju Iluyomade and Keynote speaker, Dr Olufunmilayo Olapade
Kicking off with splendid praise and worship session, which was supervised by the Voices of Zion, it event nosedived into the recitation of the two stanzas of the national anthem. The rendition was a beauty to behold as almost every soul in the centre participated, singing with fresh and renewed patriotism. It reestablished the blind faith with which women are known to approach any issue.
It was time for the special guests of honour’ to give their addresses, and the First Lady of Edo State, Mrs Betsy Obaseki, set the ball rolling.
In her speech, she encouraged Nigerians, especially women, to put in their best in developing Nigeria, prophesying that “soon, foreigners will be rushing to Nigeria the same way Nigerians are rushing to other countries”, adding that ‘it will happen in our time’.
Cross section of dignitaries
In her contribution, the First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun encouraged the women on the need to be self reliant and striving to academically and otherwise develop and invest in themselves through reading among other things.
She said: “I learnt everything I know, especially during childbirth and afterwards from reading books.”
She told women to make reading a habit, and endeavour to be a total mother.
In her short speech, the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Salamatu Gbajabiamila highlighted that “women and anything about women is my passion”.
First Ladies of Ogun, Lagos and wife of Speaker of House of Reps
At this stage, the hall was enlivened with the sonorous voice of Enitan Adaba, who led all through a session of high worship. The session gave way to the inspirational speech of Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the First Lady of Lagos State.
Sanwo-Olu, who brought glad tidings from the state governor on his 54th birthday, highlighted that Lagos is committed to the welfare of the citizens, especially women.
With the representative of the first families of represented states done with their speeches, Pastor Iluyomade heartily delivered a welcome message where she cautioned that “greed can bring your legacy down” drawing inference from Proverbs 31 in the same she preached gender equality.
The highlight of the event was the keynote address delivered by a seasoned Chicago based Oncologist, Mrs (Dr) Olufunmilayo Olapade.
Olapade, among many of her admonitions, lashed out at the government of Nigeria for not providing the required amenities or enabling environment for doctors to perform optimally.
She also charged the First Ladies to take up the banner of ensuring that drugs are made available in various hospitals to make it easy for patients to get at affordable price.
Pastor Iluyomade
The address was followed with the presentation of Born to Aspire awards to three deserving women, and they are veteran actress, Joke Sylva, Osayi Alile and Morin Desalu. The chief host, Pastor Iluyomade was also presented with the Original Born to Aspire award.
The event was rounded off with a panel discussion. The panel comprising 10 successful professionals and anchored by Osayi Alile, CEO, Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation, deliberated on How to Build to Last.
Other members of the panel we’re Bolanle Austen-Peters, TY Bello, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Prof. Sade Ogunsola, Prof. Enase Okonedo, Funke Bucknor Obruthe, Cecilia Akintomide, Kofo Akinkugbe, Dorathy Atoke, and Achenyo Idachaba-Obaro.
Other dignitaries that attended the event included Mrs Bolaji Momodu, Mrs Quincy Akindele and a host of others.
Nigeria on Wednesday made a high-level presentation to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in London, United Kingdom, as part of efforts to advance its bid to host the 2030 centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games.
The Nigerian delegation, led by Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, and Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, emphasised that the bid is an opportunity to foster a shared legacy that epitomises the Commonwealth spirit.
Nigeria presented an all-inclusive bid, with focus areas such as sports excellence, arts, international cultural exchange, tapping into a budding creative economy, building a new shared commonwealth legacy and shaping the future of the African youth.
The bid reflects the core values of Commonwealth Sport: More in Common, Equality, Humanity, and Destiny. The Abuja 2030 Games are designed to bring people together through the power of sport, reaching across gender, disability, culture, ethnicity, age, and background. They will celebrate what binds the Commonwealth together, fostering solidarity while opening pathways for more people to succeed in sport.
The bid also represents equality by offering Africa, for the first time in 100 years, the chance to host the Games. It reflects humanity by promising to transform lives and turn one million dreams into one million skills.
Also, it embodies destiny by positioning the Centennial Games in Nigeria as a defining moment that will shape the next century of the Commonwealth through youth, skills, and inclusive growth.
The delegation included the Bid Coordinator, Mallam Mainasara Ilo; the President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee, Engr. Habu Gumel, Minister of Arts and Culture, Hannatu Musawa, Presidential Spokesperson, Hon. Sunday Dare, former Olympian and 2-time Commonwealth gold medalist, Mary Onyali, and current world number one para-badminton player, Eniola Bolaji.
Nigeria’s Abuja 2030 bid is presented as an opportunity to shape the next century of the Commonwealth through humanity, equality, and shared destiny, ensuring that Africa’s youth are an important part of the future.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday conferred national honours of the Commander of the Order of the Niger posthumously on four late Ogoni leaders.
They are Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage, popularly remembered as the Ogoni Four.
Tinubu announced the conferment when he received the report of the Ogoni Consultations Committee at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.
He urged the people of Ogoniland to embrace reconciliation and unity after decades of division.
“May their memories continue to inspire unity, courage and purpose among us.
“I urge the Ogoni people across classes, communities and generations to close ranks, put this dark chapter behind us and move forward as a united community with one voice,” Tinubu said.
Wednesday’s meeting comes 16 months after the President, in May 2024, promised to “pursue diligently and honourably” the Ogoni cleanup and increase the number of its indigenes benefitting from its empowerment programmes.
Tinubu also pledged his commitment to unlocking the human and natural resource potential of Ogoniland while ensuring the environmental and economic security of Nigerian communities.
At the meeting, the President assured stakeholders that his administration would support the journey of Ogoniland towards peace, environmental remediation, and economic revival, while also facilitating the return of oil exploration to the area.
He stated, “I am encouraged by the overwhelming consensus of the Ogoni communities to welcome the resumption of oil production.
“The government will deploy every resource to support your people in this march towards shared prosperity.”
Tinubu cited developments in 2022 when the Buhari administration transferred the operations of the Ogoni oil field to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its joint venture partners.
He argued that his government would honour and build on Buhari’s decision.
In his closing remarks, Tinubu called on the people to seize the moment, saying, “Let us together turn pain into purpose, conflict into cooperation, and transform the wealth beneath Ogoni soil into a blessing for the people and for Nigeria.”
Consequently, he directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to commence engagement between the Ogoni people, NNPCL, its partners, and all relevant stakeholders to finalise modalities for restarting operations.
“A dead asset is not valuable to the community, the country or the people.
“The longer we procrastinate, the worse it is for everyone,” the President said.
He also directed the Minister of Environment to integrate pollution remediation and environmental recovery into the broader framework of dialogue with the people.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who presented the report, said the consultations included all four Ogoni zones, with input from local communities, traditional leaders, and the diaspora.
Ribadu said, “In all aspects of our national life, Ogoni is one, thirty-something years of very unfortunate history rewrite the wrong now,
“To us was instruction, then we carry out this dialogue, community engagement, talking with the people and getting to understand how to move forward. It has succeeded like what you have seen today.
“He gave directives to all government agencies and institutions and also directly to our office that we must implement everything that have been agreed and we have taken it.”
Ribadu affirmed that his office, alongside all relevant agencies, is committed to restoring peace in Ogoniland.
“We will make sure that we follow his own directives and his instructions.
“We are going to make sure that peace is restored already, it is, and hopefully you will see the benefit of it not just in Ogoni land but the entire Niger Delta and by extension Nigeria,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Dialogue Committee, Prof. Don Baridam, noted that the committee ensured all stakeholders were carried along in the process, noting that the report reflects the collective will of the Ogoni people.
Baridam said the report captured the people’s demands for structured participation in oil production, renewed environmental cleanup, and a framework for sustainable development.
Oil was first commercially discovered in Oloibiri, Ogoniland, in 1958. However, exploration stopped in 1993 following sustained protests against environmental degradation and injustice.
The Ogoni Four refers to four traditional chiefs from the Ogoni community in Rivers State who were murdered on May 21, 1994, in the village of Giokoo.
The killings took place against the backdrop of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People campaign, led by writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, which had been mobilising the Ogoni against oil companies, particularly Shell, and the Nigerian state.
The subsequent struggles of Ogoni leaders to protect their environment from harmful oil exploration were met with severe repression, culminating in the hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa and nine other leaders by the Abacha regime in 1995.
The Punch
Headlines
Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting with Rivers Ex-administrator Ibas, EFCC Chair, Fin Minister
President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday evening, summoned the immediate past Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Ibas, who arrived at the State House at about 5:50 pm dressed in brown native attire, was accompanied to the meeting by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede.
Earlier, Edun had been sighted entering the villa briefly before leaving, only to return later carrying a file, underscoring the gravity of the engagement with the President.
Vice Admiral Ibas ceased to function as administrator of the oil-rich State on September 17, following the termination of the six-month emergency rule imposed in March.
President Tinubu had directed the reinstatement of the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the previous Thursday.
During its first sitting after the end of emergency rule, the Rivers State House of Assembly, presided over by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, resolved to investigate the management of State funds under Ibas’ tenure.
Lawmakers specifically resolved “to explore the process of knowing what transpired during the emergency rule about spending from the consolidated revenue fund for the award of contracts and other expenditures.”
Ibas, however, has publicly rejected the decision to probe the State’s expenditure during his six months in office.
Official records show that Rivers State received at least N254.37 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between March and August 2025, covering the period Ibas served as sole administrator.
Details of the closed-door meeting were yet to be made public as of press time.
