Personality in Focus
Women Group Celebrates Tinubu, Daughter, Assures Nigerians of Renewed Hope
By Oki Samson
As part of the celebration of the Presidential Inauguration, a women’s political advocacy group, Evolving Women In Politics (EWIP) yesterday eulogized the President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima for their resilience and commitment to championing democratic ideals in the country.
The women’s group also used the opportunity to honour their Grand Matron, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojo who played immense role in strengthening the advocacy organization for more than four years. It is important to stress that the Evolving Women In Politics (EWIP) was one of the few organizations which encouraged and lobbied Nigeria’s 16th President to race for the coveted seat since early 2019.
The event which took place in Abuja had the gathering of Nigeria’s top women politicians, business women. These include Iyaloja-General of Nigeria/Daughter of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Mrs FolashadeTinubu-Ojo, member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara; Abuja-based business tycoon, Mrs. Omolola Ademosu; the Vice President of Ikorodu LGA, Aarebirin Hon. Princess Folashade Olabanji-Oba; former Chairman of Coker-Aguda LCDA, Hon. Omobolanle Akinyemi-Obe, Special Adviser to Kogi State Governor on Women Affairs, Hon Asman Gogo Kabir, CEO Madel Apartments and Homes Ltd, Kamolu Olumayowa, CEO Rephilus Energy Ltd, Rebecca Theophilus, Billy Umar-Garba, CEO Choice Construction and Fabrication, Hajia Halima Apollo, Founder of Nuit de Paris, Maryam Nomvar, Amb. Tosin Sanusi, Barr. Rabiyat Aliyu Ohindase, Dr. Lee Akin Badeji, MD of Parmass Oil and Gas, Aisha Imam, and several other top women. The former Manager of NIGCOMSAT, Engr. Rufai also attended the event.
In her welcome address at the event, the National President of EWIP, Hajia Fatima Bello remarked: ‘we are here to appreciate our journey so far and to celebrate our father, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his inauguration. EWIP is a group of women supporting women to bring the best out of us.’
On the President, she noted: ‘Our principal talked about 35% women inclusion, we have visited about 200-300 Obas in 4 years and they said yes to us. His leadership is second to none. He is talk and do. Only God is 100% but we trust that he wll be able to do all that he promised. We called him to come and contest. We know he can fix Nigeria. We trust that he will appoint more women in his government. We are proud of him.’
The honouree of the ceremony and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria who personally attended the event, Chief Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo shared: ‘I want to appreciate Nigerian women. This is our turn, our hope is renewed. I must appreciate the commitment of this group, EWIP, for what we have done, the love is overwhelming.’
‘All that you have committed to this cause, may God return it to you in a million fold. What you have done for someone else, may your children enjoy it while you are alive. Thank you for being patriotic, you spent your money, time, and resources towards this cause. Thank you for your patriotism’, she prayed for EWIP.
Member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara who gave a speech at the celebration said: ‘EWIP has been my baby, I have known EWIP before SWAGA happened. EWIP is very strategic and important if we want women participation in politics to increase. These women are already interested and passionate to go into politics. I want to charge us to tell more women to join EWIP.’
‘Politics is very interesting but you have to be resolute. If anybody tells you that there is shortcut in politics, don’t agree with them. Believe in merit, believe in what God has called you to do, you mwe are ust be hardworking, you must be prayerful and spiritually strong, and start from the grassroots. Look at where you are popular, is it your husband’s state or your own state of origin. For me, I am from Ogun state but my husband is from Lagos. let us be determined and resolute.’
Ogbara advised Nigerian women, ‘Finally, as women, let us be our sister’s keeper. Don’t allow men use you against your sister. What she will get can’t stop what you will get. When we are united, there is nothing that we cannot get.’
The former Manager at NIGCOMSAT, Engr. Rufai also present at the event hinted that women are better managers and should be allowed to drive the wheel of the Nigerian nation. His words, ‘According to Napoleon, give me a good woman and I will give you a good nation. It is because of this that United Nations says 35% affirmative action. When you subject your decision making process to women around you, you are likely to mitigate all the risks in it. They are better managers, that management is inherent in them. It is natural to them. I strongly advise that we should get even more than 35% when it comes to assigning responsibilities in this nation.’
Also speaking at the event were other executives of the advocacy group. The Vice President, Hajia Raliat Abdulsalam informed that this meeting is not just for celebration, ‘it is also for our sisters to mentor us, to talk to us on their journey and how they are doing it so that we can also learn’.
The Natonal Treasurer, Olori Aderonke Erinle on her part said: ‘we are here to jubilate. We are here to celebrate our new President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our father and father of our grand matron, Iyaloja-General Folashade Tinubu-Ojo. We expect so much from him and we trust that he will deliever. We all need to support him, pray for him, and build a right team for his administration. Women in politics are few, we need a good number in the cabinet because we can multitask and we have done well wherever they put us. We want more women to join us in EWIP.’
The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, has congratulated the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, on the occasion of his birthday, commending his visionary leadership and reform-driven approach to policing in Nigeria.
In his birthday remarks, Dr. Ogunsan described the IGP as a “distinguished officer whose career has consistently reflected professionalism, courage, and a deep commitment to public safety.”
He noted that since assuming office as the 23rd Inspector-General of Police early this Year 2026, Disu has demonstrated a clear resolve to reposition the Nigeria Police Force towards greater efficiency and public trust.
Dr. Ogunsan particularly praised the IGP’s emphasis on intelligence-led policing, a strategy aimed at enhancing proactive crime detection and prevention, as well as his push for the integration of digital tools and forensic capabilities into police operations. These reforms, he said, signal a shift towards modern, accountable, and citizen-focused policing.
He further highlighted Disu’s decisive steps to strengthen the state policing agenda and officers’ welfare. He praised him for the effective policing model through the restructuring and reduction of tactical units, a move designed to address concerns over excesses while redeploying personnel to police divisions for improved community-level security.
The LSSTF boss also acknowledged the IGP’s consistent advocacy for discipline, integrity, and professionalism within the Force, noting that such values are critical to restoring public confidence and enhancing institutional credibility.
Reflecting on his track record, Dr. Ogunsan recalled Disu’s impactful leadership roles across key commands, including the Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory Commands, where he contributed significantly to crime control and intelligence-driven operations.
His tenure as the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos is a testament to his operational excellence and urban crime management.
Ogunsan wished the IGP good health, wisdom, and continued success in his efforts to build a more secure Nigeria. “On this special occasion, we celebrate not only a remarkable leader but a reformer whose vision continues to inspire confidence in the security architecture of our nation,” Ogunsan said.
Terrorists in northeast Nigeria killed a brigadier general in an assault on a military base, a local government chairman told AFP on Thursday, the second killing of a high-ranking officer in five months.
Africa’s most populous country has been fighting a terrorist insurgency for 17 years, since Boko Haram’s 2009 uprising, which has seen the emergence of powerful splinter groups, including Islamic State West Africa Province.
In an overnight attack, unidentified terrorists killed at least 18 soldiers and torched vehicles at a base in Benisheikh, about 75 kilometres from Borno state capital Maiduguri, an intelligence source told AFP.
“Unfortunately, the brigade commander, Brigadier General O.O. Braimah, lost his life,” Kaga Local Government Chairman Zannah Lawan Ajimi told AFP in a phone interview.
Two intelligence sources confirmed Braimah’s death to AFP.
His death follows the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba by ISWAP in November. He was the highest-ranking military official to die in the long-running conflict since 2021.
“They overran the brigade,” one of the intelligence sources said, giving the death toll as “at least” 18.
The second intelligence source said that “the terrorists killed several troops” and “burnt vehicles and buildings before they withdrew,” without giving a toll.
The army and Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
– Rising terrorist violence –
Researchers have warned of an uptick of violence since 2025.
Borno capital Maiduguri has seen two suicide bombings since December — the type of bloody, urban attacks reminiscent of the insurgency’s peak a decade ago.
On Wednesday, the US State Department said in a notice it was authorising “non-emergency US government employees” to leave Abuja “due to the deteriorating security situation”.
While the insurgency is concentrated in the northeastern countryside, terrorists from Nigeria and the neighbouring Sahel have made inroads western Nigeria, where organised crime gangs known as “bandits” have been raiding villages and extorting farmers and artisanal miners for years.
Gunmen killed at least 90 people across several remote villages in northwest Nigeria this week, according to an AFP tally of tolls given by local and humanitarian sources.
Among the attacks was an assault in Kebbi state that police blamed a local terrorist group known as Mahmuda, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
Kebbi sits on Nigeria’s border with Benin and Niger and since 2025 has been targeted by a rising number of terrorist attacks.
Conflict monitor ACLED says there has been a surge in violence in the area carried out by militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
In nearby Kwara state, in October, fighters from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM claimed an attack after years of researchers warning that the terrorist conflict ravaging the Sahel risked spreading south towards coastal West African states.
In December, the United States, with Nigerian assistance, bombed northwest Sokoto state, targeting Islamic State Sahel Province fighters usually found in neighbouring Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso.
AFP
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has argued that President Bola Tinubu has no pathway to re-election in 2027.
Rhodes-Vivour, who appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, said data from credible polls indicate that Tinubu will not win next year’s presidential election.
“I have looked at data, we have polling that is going on now, credible polling — there is no pathway for the president to emerge victorious, that is why we are seeing all these shenanigans,” he said.
He added: “There is no pathway for him. When you look at the North that gave him 62 per cent of his votes, you see the tsunami that is happening in the North. You have a president that created a government system that is just for the city boys. It is a city boys’ government. It’s not even a proper South-West government; it’s his cronies that are just in charge.”
The Lagos politician blamed the president for the crisis affecting opposition parties, including the ADC.
According to him, having assessed that the odds are against him ahead of the 2027 polls, the president is resorting to instigating crises within opposition ranks as a strategy to retain power.
“So, the best pathway is to create an environment where he is the only candidate on the ballot for the presidency. That is what he is trying to achieve, but he is not going to succeed,” he said.
Last week, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) removed the names of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as chairman and secretary of the ADC from its portal, citing a court order to maintain the status quo.
The party has faulted INEC’s decision, alleging that the electoral body misinterpreted the court order. Since then, the ADC leadership has held a world press conference to reject the move.
Earlier on Tuesday, prominent members of the party staged a “Save Nigeria Democracy” protest at INEC headquarters in Abuja. Among those present were Peter Obi; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi; former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; former President of the Senate, David Mark; former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; and former Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, among others.
Hundreds of supporters, including members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, also participated in the protest.
