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Loutish Fouad and the dangerous descent of an unbeliever – Nurudeen ‘Mayor’ Dawodu

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There is a sense of desperation in how Fouad Oki wants to draw attention to himself; and perhaps, in a more subtle way, to his godfathers and apparent financiers.
Until last Saturday’s consensus-driven successful congress of the All Progressives Party in Lagos State removed him from relevance, he was one of the three gadflys superintending over the affairs of the party in the three senatorial districts of the state as a deputy chairman.
But his actual romance with power started with the opportunity to have served as the Director General of the campaign organisation that prosecuted the governorship elections in the last four polls since 2003.
For one whose previous sojourn abroad was less than enviable, having the opportunity to have ‘installed ‘ three governors is an accomplishment, but if allowed to get into his head could be misconstrued as personal wizardry and therefore subject him to delusion of grandeur.
But there’s yet another claim to fame that is perculiar to Ogbeni Oki. His idol worship; Godlessness; his atheistic disbelief in anything God or Godliness and the penchant to attribute personal success and collective achievements to ritualistic submissiveness to dark powers.
It must thus be his fetish belief in powers of dark forces that probably galvanized this self-confessed chief wizard to begin to fancy himself as an enfant terrible who can be a torn in the flesh of our party.
No!
Ebora Oki is only getting high on the smoke of his burnt offerings to small gods that Lagosians have rejected.
If he has been a good student of political history, he ought to know that you can’t assume ownership of a home that you were never part of its foundation, especially when the owners and builders are still alive and kicking.
He should be reminded how his so-called broom revolution failed woefully last year, when he attempted to create a crack on the wall of the party where he and his faceless sponsors have fed fat for nearly two decades.
Watch him carefully and you will see a worse variant of the same type of excesses that he and his cohorts now appear displeased with. There was nothing wrong with the party when they were the favourite beneficiaries. But once new kids on the bloc appear with better management of men and resources, they start to throw tantrums and shout imposition.
His infantile attempt to hold a parallel congress last Saturday was simply what it was: an ‘orita-meta’ ritual dance that was hidden, odious and of no consequence.
And what sort of democracy was at play where Fouad as the sole convener and proxy-financier purportedly emerged as the Party Chairman of an illegal congress?
This joke is no longer funny. It is dark humour that must be consigned to purgatory. It has no place in a smart Lagos.
Thankfully, the national party has rejected any puerile attempt to create undue spasm within the party. No parallel congress will be recognised. Don’t bother to come to Abuja for the national convention of the party if you are a splinter group like Fouad’s.
And like the Constituted Authority said from the city of seven hills, only the genuinely repentant ones should be reabsorbed into the fold of the faithful.
The gods have rejected the soiled offerings of Fouad and his like in the holy month of Ramadan. He probably would require a rebirth through seven astaghfirulla for him to be cleansed of the occultic yoke weighing him down.
Now that his intention is clear by seeking to pronounce himself the chairman of an imaginary faction, Fouad and his paymasters need not reinvent the wheel. They should brave the odds and allow this unholy alliance of their unbelieving few matamorphose into a party and then test their popularity among the God-fearing majority in Lagos who see the hand of the Almighty in how the affairs of government is currently being run in the state.
Maybe the foul reality of losing his constituency at the 2015 poll will now once again confront him with a stench far more debilitating in its intensity.
Ultimately, Lagosians will have to decide for themselves whether they want an idol worshipper as their new “revolutionary” or not.
For us in Surulere who believe in party supremacy and the unchangeable will of Almighty Allah, we can’t wait for the game to begin so as to finally separate the boys from the real men once and for all.

* Dawodu is a Surulere, Lagos-based politician and analyst

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IBEDC records 1,459 energy theft cases in January, February

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The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company said it has recorded 1,459 cases of energy theft by its subscribers between January and February 2024.

This was disclosed in a press statement signed by the firm’s Chief Key Accounts Officer, Mr. Johnson Tinuoye, on Tuesday.

IBEDC added that it is actively pursuing investigations and legal actions against individuals and businesses involved in the theft in collaboration with the Federal Government Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences.

Identifying the cases, IBEDC said they included various offences such as meter bypass and illegal meter tampering, which resulted in significant financial losses amounting to hundreds of millions of naira for the company.

The statement read, “We want to send a clear message to our customers that energy theft will not be tolerated. Our collaboration with the Federal Government Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences underscores our commitment to ensuring a fair and just electricity distribution system.

“Energy theft not only undermines the integrity of our operations but also deprives IBEDC of the revenue necessary to provide quality services to our customers.”

Tinuoye emphasised that under the Electricity Act, energy theft is now recognised as a criminal offense, carrying severe penalties including imprisonment stressing, “In the Osun region, two individuals were apprehended for stealing energy through meter bypass and illegal connections. Their cases have been formally charged in court for prosecution.”

IBEDC further urged customers to refrain from engaging in any form of energy theft, emphasising that the consequences can be severe, as there is no room for negotiation with the SIPTEO Task Force team, which is actively patrolling and investigating instances of energy theft for prosecution.

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Copyright Breach: NCC Drags MTN, Others To Court Over Musician’s Works

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The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has filed criminal charges against MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd. and four others over alleged copyright infringement.

The charge with number FHC/ABJ/CR/111/2024 filed in the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court was obtained by journalists on Monday.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the four other defendants in the case include the chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola; Nkeakam Abhulimen, Fun Mobile Ltd.; and Yahaya Maibe.

In the three-count charge, NCC alleged that the defendants, between 2010 and 2017, “offered for sale, sold and traded for business’’, infringed the musical works of an artiste, Maleke Idowu Moye, without his consent and authorisation.

The commission alleged that the defendants used musical works and sound recordings of Mr Maleke with subsisting copyright as caller ringback tunes without the authorisation of the artiste.

The musician’s musical works and sound recordings allegedly infringed upon included 911, Minimini-wanawana, Stop Racism, Ewole, 911 instrumental, Radio, Low Waist, and No Bother.

The defendants were also alleged to have distributed the musical works to their subscribers without authorisation, thereby infringing on the rights of the artiste.

In the third count, the defendants were alleged to have in their possession, other than for their private or domestic use, the artiste’s musical works and sound recordings.

According to NCC, the alleged offences are contrary to and punishable under section 20 (2) (a) (b) and (c) of the Copyright Act, Cap. C28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The case has yet to be assigned to any judge, and no date has been fixed for the mention.

Meanwhile, no official statement has been released by any of the defendants as at the time of filing this report, while all efforts to get reactions from MTN by New Telegraph proved abortive.

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LASG, LCC ANNOUNCE REOPENING OF LEKKI CONSERVATION CENTRE AFTER REPAIRS

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Following the completion of extensive routine maintenance works on the Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC), the Lagos State Government and the Management of the Centre have announced that the Walkway will be reopened for public use with effect from Friday, 29th March 2024.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Idris Aregbe confirmed this on Friday during a visit to the Centre in Lekki alongside some officials of the Ministry.

Aregbe said that he was happy to see that all repairs and renovations on the facility, including the Walkway, have been completed and would be accessible for tourism during the Easter celebration.

The Special Adviser appreciated Lagosians and tourists across the world for their patience during the thorough maintenance works carried out at the Centre in Lekki.

The Director-General of the Centre, Prof Mathew Onoja also appreciated the State Government for its intervention following the viral video, which first circulated in December as well as the swift response and efforts towards making the repairs and renovations seamless.

He noted that the Centre being a major tourism asset in Lagos State has played host to tourists from all over the world as it offers a serene environment for nature tourism and also boasts of the longest canopy walkway in Africa.

Recall that the facility has been undergoing routine maintenance since January following apprehensions arising from the damaged section of the Canopy Walkway, which had been repaired before the viral video was posted on social media platforms.

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