The Elites, Author at The Elites Nigeria

Oluremi Tinubu: Primus Inter Pares First Lady at 65

Posted on September 21, 2025September 21, 2025 by The Elites

By Mobolaji Sanusi

“There are two great days in a person’s life—the day we are born, and the day we discover why.” — William Barclay

The celebration of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s 65th birthday today is uniquely an issue because of two things: The esteemed position she occupies, and secondly because of her admirable assertive but simplistic humility despite her privileged position of power and influence over the years.

However, not many people know that she shares her assertive humility with the very first woman to carry the First Lady tag in recorded history. We all proclaim the First Lady title but a negligible number of us, especially in our African continent, bother to unravel how the title of First Lady came to being in the early days of an independent United States political history.

The title was ab initio deployed to describe the spouse of America’s pioneer president. Martha Washington, wife of George Washington, United States first president, was the first spouse in global history to be referred to as “First Lady” in an 1838 article authored by one Mrs Sigourney in the St. Johnsbury Caledonian newspaper.

Mrs. Sigourney in the article, highlighted how Martha Washington never got intoxicated by power, even after her husband, George became president. She wrote: “The First Lady of the nation still preserved the habits of early life. Indulging in no indolence, she left the pillow at dawn, and after breakfast, retired to her chamber for an hour for the study of the scriptures and devotion.”

Precisely how Mrs Sigourney described Martha Washington as a piously religious and humble woman of substance aptly captures the virtuous attributes of our current First Lady. However, Remi Tinubu, CFR, is much more to humanity than Martha was.

We may unknowingly assume she’s just the usual First Lady. Expectedly so because hitherto, previous First Ladies who occupied Nigeria’s Presidential Villa largely played the role of hostess to dignitaries who visited Nigeria’s seat of power. But our own Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CFR, wife of incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, plays more than that simplistic role euphemistically described as that of the “other room”—apologies to late former president, Muhammadu Buhari.

With the glimmer so far displayed at the Aso-Rock Villa and how she served in Lagos House in the same role, it won’t be out of tune to describe her as being indeed, the primus inter pares amongst the wives of presidents that have lived in the federal seat of power.

And this is not hyperbolic. Our First Lady possesses an inspiring credentials quite uncommon within the club of wives of former presidents in this country. She has so many firsts attached by providence to her name. Not many people would easily realize that she’s the first Nigerian woman imbued with the privilege of serving as a senator before becoming First Lady to her president husband.

She has also made history by not just being a senator but the first woman in the annals of the nation’s political history to have served an unbroken three-term tenure as a senator. She’s also the only First Lady, by virtue of her versatile legislative experience that’s nuanced in proper workings of government. Like Senator Hillary Clinton remarked during the 1992 Presidential campaign in the USA that voters would get her and her husband working for the country if Bill Clinton was elected President, Nigerians “got two for the price of one” with the election of President Tinubu in 2023.

At 65, Remi Tinubu was providentially prepared for the role she played and still playing in the nation’s public life. Having been properly schooled at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu Ode, Ogun state where she sat for her West African School Certificate in 1979, her subsequent education at Adeyemi College of Education for her National Certificate in Education and later at the University of Ife where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Education prepared her for her current role as the mother of the nation.

She combines this with very deep spiritual rigour that saw her becoming a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God after obtaining a postgraduate diploma in theology from the church’s Bible school in 2010. All these, coupled with a strong parental grounding led her to becoming a woman of indisputable sense of admirable ethos, spirituality and humility.

Remi Tinubu’s husband’s incursion into politics threw her into public eye. Ever since, she has evolved into carving her own niche without breaching the space provided for her to operate within by her husband. Since founding the New Era Foundation in 2000 with several laudably impactful programmes to showcase decades after, Remi Tinubu has never looked back. Her New Era Foundation was built on empathy, with a strong focus on supporting underprivileged groups—especially children, women, and young people.
Drawing on her background in education, she championed initiatives that inspired learning and excellence.

Among the most notable was the state’s first-ever Spelling Bee competition for secondary school students. Designed to foster academic achievement, the programme also carried a powerful message: regardless of socio-economic background, hard work, dedication, and academic excellence can propel any child to the highest levels of success. To reinforce this belief, the Foundation created the “One-Day Governor” initiative, giving the Spelling Bee winner the opportunity to serve as the state’s governor for an entire day—complete with media attention, a seat at the governor’s desk, and participation in a state council meeting.

In the Senate, she became a strong advocate for state police to enhance security in our communities, and for reforms of the postal system. It is no surprise that education reform, state police, and postal reforms remain priorities for the President today.
Senator Remi Tinubu has distinguished herself as First Lady of Lagos State, as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and now as the First Lady of the nation. She has also excelled as a devoted wife and mother, offering unwavering support to the President in his service to the country.

Her humility and grassroots orientation drew people’s exaltation. With her husband’s assumption of office as Nigeria’s 16th President, she also becomes the 16th First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, assuming a newly-elevated role from her Lagos position, within Nigeria’s national narrative.

As Nigeria’s First Lady, she has pursued her pet project – Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) – committedly. With her selfless dedication to uplifting the hoi poloi in the country, RHI has continued to live in the consciousness of the people through benevolent initiatives, sponsored not from the government till, but through partnerships with successful private entities like the African Initiatives of Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Tony Elumelu Foundation and other anonymous wealthy entities of this world.

Very many Nigerians who have been privileged to encounter the First Lady, including yours sincerely, will stoutly vouch for her intolerance for inanities in all imaginable endeavours. This is why the many that had thought that her RHI initiative would become another showpiece project designed for photo Ops have been greatly been disappointed. RHI, through its anchored five thematic pillars of agriculture, education, health, economic empowerment and social investment have been widely recognized as a big success in alleviating and palliating the toil of our vulnerable class, with special attention to women, children, elderly and the youth.

About two months ago, Remi Tinubu’s RHI empathetically donated one billion naira (N1billion) towards helping victims of recent Plateau state violence. Till date, her several food outreaches, health interventions, monetary donations, most times amounting to half a million naira per person, doled out as grants to farmers, market women, widows, business owners, school children, physically challenged people and the elderly and the sick, have percolated through the thirty-six states and Abuja with beneficiaries volunteering to publicly attest to having received the First Lady’s humanitarian largesse.

Commendably so heartwarming to equally know that in just barely two years, Remi Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative has reportedly benefited over 40 million Nigerians. She fed the hungry, clothed the needy, fortified the healthcare worker, equipped the farmer, provided grants for the traders, rescued the elderly from untimely deaths and restored hope of thousands of girls. What other things could be more rewarding than to use one’s position to benefit humanity.

Even today at 65, she has come out to publicly tell her well-wishers not to embark on celebratory jamborees but rather deploy money kept for that to sponsor a laudable national library project initiative. True to her selflessly humanist nature, she called on her admirers to, on this occasion of her 65th birthday, contribute money to a designated account with the federal ministry of education to be used for the completion of the abandoned national library project. That is Remi Tinubu for you – always thinking of how to make indelible imprints on the sand of time. Others in her shoes or even higher shoes could possibly have called for donations to build personalized presidential library known more for hospitality business than any meaningful intellectual pursuits.

Our ravishing First Lady is imbued with the lovingly assertive character of a mother, the panoramic scrutiny of a genuinely focused legislator; a tenderly affectionate heart of a humanist and above all, she has been a sincerely obedient wife to, as your sincerely writes this, the patriarch of progressive politics in the country, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our dear president.

There’s a popular aphorism which goes thus: “Don’t just count your years, make your years count”. In all ramifications, Remi Tinubu, through her steadfast contributions to mankind, has in deeds, words and actions affirmed her not only counting her years but equally making those years count.

At sixty-five, our darling Yeye-Asíwájú of the universe is obviously redefining and making productive, the covetous office of the First Lady — from its being hitherto a position of ceremonial glamour to making it become a throne of substantial impact with enduring substance.

Happy 65th Birthday Yeye-Asíwájú’.

•Sanusi, former MD/CEO of LASAA is a managerial psychologist and current managing partner at AMS RELIABLE SOLICITORS

Ekiti: Stubborn or Principled?, By Babafemi Ojudu

Posted on September 19, 2025September 19, 2025 by The Elites

“Very stubborn”—that is a phrase I have often heard used to describe me. Not only me, but also the people of Ekiti, the proud stock of the Yoruba race from which I come. Over the years, few have bothered to challenge or correct this characterization. Yet Nigerians are quick to use words carelessly, without considering their precise meaning or the weight they carry.

Say no to corruption—you are called stubborn. Resist oppression—you are stubborn. Stand against an unjust law or confront an unjust leader—again, you are stubborn. Write or protest against wrongdoing, and suddenly you are branded a “petition writer.” Elsewhere, this is called whistleblowing, an act of courage performed by people of honor and deep integrity. But here, it is often dismissed, usually by weaklings—those who stand for nothing and sway like leaves in the wind of indignities.

Not long ago, the wife of a former governor, at a public ceremony, accused me and Ekiti people of being “stubborn” simply because I engaged her husband in an intellectual discussion. To her, a governor was beyond reproach and not to be challenged. Too bitter to swallow, yet I kept my cool.

For as long as I can remember, Ekiti people have carried this label of stubbornness. But I have always disagreed. What is often described as stubbornness is, in truth, being principled.

The Difference Between Stubbornness and Principle

Stubbornness suggests obstinacy—an unreasonable refusal to yield even in the face of sound reason. Being principled is different. It is standing firm on values, defending what is just, and refusing compromise when compromise would mean betraying truth.

Yoruba wisdom captures this well: “Eni ti o duro lori otito, kì í ṣubu”—he who stands on the side of truth cannot fall. The principled person may be mocked as stubborn in the moment, but history vindicates them.

Ekiti’s reputation, then, should not be that of a people unwilling to bend, but of a people unwilling to bow when conscience demands they stand. Across generations—whether in resisting tyranny, questioning authority, or insisting on fairness—Ekiti people have chosen the harder path of principle over the easier path of silence.

Examples of Principle in Action

I recall my grandfather, Sanni Owolabi Ojudu, who resisted the Akintola/Fani-Kayode tendency when crisis engulfed the Southwest in the mid-1960s. For his stand, he was arrested and imprisoned for a year until the military took over. As a child, I would follow my grandmother daily to Okitiorigbo, where the prison in Ado Ekiti was then located, to deliver his meal of pounded yam.

Or take Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, the military governor of Western State. When Head of State Major General Aguiyi Ironsi visited him during the counter-coup of July 1966, Fajuyi chose to die alongside his guest rather than betray him. That act was not stubbornness—it was principle, loyalty, and honor.

Consider also Chief S.B. Falegan, who as Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank in the early 1980s resisted pressure from his board to tamper with public funds. When the pressure became unbearable, he resigned rather than compromise, issuing a blistering public statement that shook the nation. Think of Prof. Sam Aluko, G.B. Akinyede, Prof. Akin Oyebode, Comrade Ola Oni, Femi Falana, Dele Ajaja, Dr. Bunmi Borisade, and many others cut from the same cloth.

My father, too, was shaped by this ethic. As a member of the radical Zikist Movement, he traveled the country campaigning against colonialism. Later, in Ado Ekiti, he resisted the imposition of wrong candidates as kings, chiefs, Iyaloja, or chief imam. He stood firm until his last breath. My grandmother’s life, too, was one of courage, resistance, and contentment—deserving of a book of its own.

Carrying the Inheritance

I have carried this inheritance into my own journey. In 2018, when I sought to be governor of Ekiti, some leaders of my party dismissed me as “too stubborn, too unyielding, too independent, even too smart to be swayed.” Not because I lacked competence, but because of that wrongly applied word—stubborn.

Yet in rejection, defeat, and persecution, we remain resolute—like the rock Orole in Ikere: unconquerable, smooth, and shining. That is who we are. Yes, cultures mix and times change, but the Ekiti essence endures. That is why today I worry when I see children of Ekiti, raised outside our land, behaving in ways contrary to our values.

In a morally challenged Nigeria, when you need someone trustworthy to hold your money, manage your affairs, or be your assistant, an Ekiti person remains your best choice. In Ekiti, we still remind ourselves: “Orúkọ rere sàn ju wúrà àti fàdákà lọ”—a good name is better than silver or gold. We send our children into the world with the instruction: “Rántí ọmọ ènì tí ìwọ ń ṣe”—remember the child of whom you are. That is our brand. It is why we are known as : Ilé Ìyì, Ilé Ẹ̀yẹ -the land of honor and dignity.

As another Yoruba saying reminds us: “Otítọ́ kì í ṣeré pẹ̀lú ẹni tí kì í ṣe olóòótọ́”—truth never plays along with falsehood. To be principled is to stay aligned with truth, even when it isolates you, even when it costs you comfort.

So, when next you hear Ekiti people described as stubborn, correct the record: we are not stubborn, we are principled. And in that distinction lies our beauty, our dignity, and our power.

We are the rock.

September 18, 1999: How The Most Foolish Move In Church Growth History Became One of The Wisest

Posted on September 19, 2025September 19, 2025 by The Elites

“At the base of this ministry, there will be a ‘tent’ that will sit 50,000”!

Prophecy of 10th April 1982 as declared by Brother David Oyedepo and written by Brother Joseph Ebhohimen

*Remembering the Exodus to Canaanland

By Daniel Breakforth

In ‘3 Easy Ways To Grow Your Church’ by Lena Kelly, ‘Accessibility to worshippers’ was named as a most strategic factor. Also, according to the Church of England in her journal, ‘Shaping Strategies for mission and growth in rural multi-church groups’ “The geographical location of the church parish has a significant impact on growth or decline…”

The Iyana Ipaja road was bursting to the seams during 5 morning services every Sunday and 2 evening services each on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The junction leading to Ipaja through Gowon Estate up to ‘Winners’ bus stop’ and down to Olorun Adaba bus stop all the way to Egbeda was worst hit. This is coupled with the fact that Lagos, Nigeria is already unique for heavy traffic. The Church which bought over a few brothels along Raji Oba road had grown strong over the few years since it was established in Lagos with 300 people in July 1989 and was slowly becoming a public nuisance. This was despite the building of a 3,000 capacity auditorium as well as a L Shaped structure and special canopies from South Africa that could take up 7,000 more people at once. The brothels had disappeared, however, new businesses of all kinds had filled the area, Bible sellers, other Christian literature and tapes as well as refreshments of all kinds. A notable popcorn vendor and university graduate had testified in the church how his popcorn business had thrived during services until he bought a new car. During services, gutters and rooftop of adjoining houses were filled with worshippers. In the event of an emergency or any incident that would require immediate evacuation, the consequences would be catastrophic. A move out of this area by Winners’ Chapel had become of utmost necessity.

Shortly before the dedication of the new Winners’ facility on 30th December 1995 by Archbishop Benson Idahosa, the Presiding Bishop, Dr David Oyedepo revealed that God had spoken to him on the 12th of the same month “I will yet relocate you to your Rehoboth (Place of enlargement and flourishing).

No sooner had the Church facility been dedicated than she sent pastors to begin to search for a new place. By the end of 1997, a possible new location was discovered. As Bishop David Oyedepo got on the ride from Iyana Ipaja in a long convoy, he soon discovered after about 20km and one hour on the decrepit road that they had crossed the old Ota Toll gate and were now bound for the Idi Iroko border of Nigeria and Benin Republic. He got upset. “Where are you taking us to” he fumed and scolded. “Are we joking here? What were you thinking” he asked his pastors who had no response as the mood was not right for one. But for the confusion that would be caused by turning around in the middle of the trip, he almost stopped the trip. However, he decided to continue and see the location as a matter of courtesy and then to show gratitude to those who had been in search for a while. The convoy soon arrived the area and after a very brief survey, Bishop Oyedepo called everybody to just give God thanks for the effort so far. At that moment, he heard clearly from God in his heart ‘THIS IS THE PLACE’.

Shortly before that and in another instance, he had received a separate instruction to ‘Pastor this one church and I will make the whole world your branches’ thus, a church located in the suburbs of a little town in Ota, Ogun State and 40 km from the centre of Lagos became the Lagos Church. It was clearly a move in the wrong direction and negated all wise principles of church growth.

On 29 August 1998, we thronged the venue of the foundation laying event at the new camp. It was a bit easy to relate to the concept as the Enoch Adeboye led Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) had set the pace with the ‘Redemption Camp’ back in 1983. The energetic 44 year old Bishop Oyedepo and his wife resplendent in their red matching suits with Mummy Faith spotting white sneakers led the throng. Sunny Okosun was present to minister while a number of people especially some non members who had come to see for themselves kept asking-will it be as big as RCCG Camp?
David Oyedepo eventually came up to minister and his first words rang loud ‘We are NOT in a competition, we are in a Commission (The great commission). He went on to reveal the project’s 12 year plan. The Y shaped church building would be-Shiloh or ‘Faith Tabernacle’, the secondary school would be ‘Moriah’, pastors’ accommodation would be ‘Ramoth’ (Remember the biblical Ramoth-Gilead, home of Prophet Samuel) Hebron -birthplace of Kings and Queens would be the proposed university grounds (the Nigerian military Government had just announced new laws for the establishment of private universities). A skyscraper would also serve as the church secretariat. The whole 530 acreage was to be known as ‘CANAANLAND’. I imagined how all these would happen by 2010.

My Dad and I decided to visit a village nearby after the foundation laying to see our cousins. In his conversation with them, he announced something big was coming to their environment. They looked knowingly but disappointingly and nodded in the direction of the proposed Federal Government project. No, my Dad declared with a tone of finality. It’s a big church project. My cousins worshipped in a white garment church. It obviously did not make sense that a church would handle a project bigger than the federal government.

A little over 12 months later, the Faith Tabernacle built at the cost of about N900 million ($9 million) was announced on the world stage. Global statisticians rated her as the 13th largest in the world with 50,000 worshippers in terms of Sunday worship attendance thus launching her into global prominence.

All over the world, churches strive to gain access to the strategic City Centre to become more visible and consequently grow. This little church was doing the exact opposite.A concerned pastor approached Bishop Oyedepo and asked, what happens to those who cannot relocate to Ota from Iyana Ipaja? ‘They will find another church’, responded the Bishop, the cloud has moved to Canaanland. A family friend muttered to my hearing ‘Winners are going to lose many members’. His statement was very logical; why should a relatively young church move from the Centre of the city to the bush near the border? Who will follow them? A few days later, a 35 km trip from Canaanland by 6pm ended at Ikosi -Ketu at exactly 12 midnight. This was a most fatal mistake that would have severe consequences on the Church.

Coincidentally, the August 1998 foundation laying had happened a few months after the departure of Archbishop Idahosa and before the RCCG’s estimated 7 million gathering at Lekki 98. It was the same year Deeper Life and Mountain of Fire began moving to their present Conference Centre and Prayer City. Canaanland’s initial 530 acres was procured at N200 million ($2.7 million as at then). These moves beginning with the Ota exodus had consequences for the growth of the gospel in Nigeria.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE MOVE TO OTA

Evangelism
The move to Canaanland necessitated the need for Evangelism on a much larger scale than the Church ever experienced. Street Evangelism has taken a new dimension since the relocation.

Signs and Wonders
Yoruba land is known among other things for the presence of the supernatural such as witches and wizards. Ota however is referred to as the headquarters of witches in yorubaland thus the common adage ‘o buru ju aje Ota’ which implies someone ‘More dangerous than the witches of Ota’. During construction, dead animals with human faces were discovered in Canaanland.,Today, rather than being the Headquarters of witches, it has become the Headquarters of one of the world’s largest churches with miracles happening weekly to the glory of God.

Crime Reduction
Reduction in crime has happened over time. The place has become an urban center of sorts and no more a spot for criminals to attack travellers on the lonely road.

Real Estate
The move to Ota has turned a forest into a city. The initial 530 acres has now grown to over 17,000 acres. Meanwhile the facilities are world standard with a system working better than that experienced outside the walls. Lack of water or even ‘Power outage’, a nemesis currently being battled within Nigeria is unknown within Canaanland. The camp now hosts one of the ten best universities in Africa, 2 secondary schools, primary school, a growing housing estate and hosts the largest attendance globally for a church worshipping in a single place on Sundays. Properties have increased in value. A property of N20,000 in 1999 is now worth N2 million. A Church member who acquired a property at N3 million in 2003 rejected an offer of N30 million for same property in 2013 for being too small.

Growth
The One Church now has 500 Covenant Hour of Prayer (CHOP) locations, 710 Believers Foundation Class locations, 2000+ Zones for midweek worship and 20,000 Winners’ Satellite Fellowship centers.

Economy
The Ota economy received a significant boost. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, about 1 million dollars is spent weekly by commuters or worshippers to and from Canaanland especially within Ota.

Corporate Social Responsibility
The Church has brought succour to Ota and environs. Roads have been fixed, water provided, a cleaner environment has resulted and businesses have been set up with many of the members of the community exposed to education through scholarships.

Global Recognition
The move to Ota kept the Church away from the public view while she increased. The BBC had refused to accept that it was the largest church as at 1999. Despite church historian, C.P Wagner’s announcement in 2004, it took the release of the Guinness World Records in 2008 for the world to appreciate the magnitude of what had happened in 1998. The West was catching up slower than ever before.

Bishop Oyedepo has not failed to remind worshippers that ‘Home is never far’. The Ota Church has grown from 1 service in 1999 to 4 services today. The 50,000 capacity Faith Tabernacle now has an additional 52,000 capacity overflow facility.

While heeding to the one church commandment however, flexibility has necessitated the opening of zonal centers for weekly services which has led to the growth in attendance from 5,000 traveling to Ota on thursdays to over 120,000 at various zones after the change. Up to 400,000 have been counted while the Church held 5 services with
25,000 cars driving in on a single Sunday. This would definitely not have happened at Raji Oba.

CHURCH INFLUENCE AND FUTURE PLANS

While the habit of of fixing roads would continue for now, it is necessary to have a train system running effectively to move the masses to and from Canaanland. The Church had come into an agreement with the government in 1999 for a train system but the Government later reneged.
Many members and non members have been inspired to go into real estate and have become wealthier. Many churches and other institutions have also been inspired to start private universities since a young church could run one successfully.

Covenant University pioneered the trend of awarding first class degrees to deserving students contrary to the old order in public universities where some grades were reserved for ‘God’. Universities in Nigeria now give first class degrees to those deserving.

Some of Bishop Oyedepo’s spiritual sons have also been inspired to build large auditoria for the convenience of worshippers. Of note is David Ibiyeomie’s 120,000 capacity ‘Hand of God’ being built by Salvation Ministries and Dr Paul Enenche’s 100,000 capacity Glory Dome of Dunamis International Gospel Centre dedicated on 24th November 2018.

Going Forward-Kenneth Copeland has prophesied on the 100,000 capacity auditorium and adjoining facilities for states, countries and continents which would be the Church growth 9th wonder of the world. Watch out for latest developments on this very soon.

Canaanland has proven that the ‘Foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men’. Abraham was told to journey 3 days to a place he did not know to make a sacrifice which changed his story and our faith forever. This among other reasons makes it difficult to question the move to Canaanland till date.
Today, while the country could be forced to refer to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Estate on Bonny Island as a proof that things could work in Nigeria, the bigger miracle is that under our very noses, God has laid an example with many Cities of God in Nigeria including Canaanland, Ota, Africa.

1 Corinthians 1:25
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Acts 13:44
And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

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Gilbert Chagoury, The Lebanese Who Found Home In Nigeria

Posted on September 19, 2025September 19, 2025 by The Elites

Simbo Olorunfemi and Ade Adefeko

Miziara, with a population of 6,000 people, is a beautiful Lebanese village perched on the Hills of the North Governorate of the country, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. While Lebanon is widely known as a country of diaspora, with more of its people outside the country than within its borders, nowhere is that as pronounced as it is in Miziara, an archetype of the relationship that has existed between the Lebanese and Nigeria, dating back to the late 19th century, starting with migration from Ottoman Syria to the protectorates that later came together as Nigeria. There are fourth-generation Lebanese-Nigerians who know nowhere other than Nigeria, which they gladly call home.

The main street in Miziara is named “Boulevard Gilbert Chagoury” in honour of its most illustrious son and benefactor, Gilbert Chagoury, who some fondly refer to as “Miziara’s child prodigy”. Speaking to “Middle East Eye’’ years back, the Deputy Mayor of Miziara, Pierre Daaboul, said of Chagoury, “He is like a godfather to us. He can do whatever he wants at the municipality; no need to be elected.” That is for a reason. Chagoury has played a major role in the development of Miziara, with substantial investment in infrastructure and philanthropic support for education in the community. He and his family are highly revered, with the town centre named “Ramez Chagoury Square” in honour of his father.

Perhaps his most significant contribution might be the enduring link he has established between the people of the town and Nigeria, which has become their second home. Indeed, Miziara has benefited immensely from the relationship with Nigeria. Just as generations of Lebanese have made a huge impact on the Nigerian economy, so has the payback been felt back home in Lebanon. Reflecting on this, Pierre Daaboul says, “Everything was built with money from Nigeria; our entire economy relies on emigration to Western Africa. Today, about 80 per cent of the village works there because they make much more money there than here.”

Indeed, while Gilbert Ramez Chagoury’s roots go back to Miziara in the North of Lebanon, it can be said that Nigeria, where he was born in 1946 to Ramez and Alice Chagoury and has lived for most of his life, is his home. But for the time he spent in Lebanon, where he was sent to study at the College des Freres Chretiens, it is in Nigeria, a country he is quoted to have said that he has “come to love passionately”, where he has raised his family and begun the business that has made him one of the richest men around. It is in Nigeria that he found fame and fortune.

His return to Nigeria after his studies in Lebanon, he says, was fired by his instinct for entrepreneurship and belief that there were opportunities in Nigeria waiting to be tapped. His return coincided with the immediate post-independence period, when Nigeria faced the task of developing infrastructure from scratch, and he was quick to get involved. His biography states: “He started selling shoes but soon worked his way up to selling a slightly more complex mode of transportation in automobiles. His enthusiasm and leadership caught the eye of his employers to the point that they promoted him to be the youngest regional and then national sales manager in the company”.

He founded “The Chagoury Group” in 1971 and was joined in 1974 by his brother, Ronald, upon his graduation from Long Beach University in the US, where he earned a degree in Business Studies. Over the years, The Chagoury Group has grown to become one of Nigeria’s leading conglomerates with interests in construction, real estate, property development, agribusiness, flour mills, water bottling, glass, aluminium, furniture, and hospitality, among others. Some of its notable interests include: Hitech Construction, Nigerian Eagle Flour Mills, Eko Hotels, established in 1977, Tin Can Island Grains Terminal, which was built in 1981, and Eko Atlantic City, a new coastal city built on reclaimed land from the Atlantic Ocean, as a solution to the environmental hazard of coastal erosion and perennial flooding of the Bar Beach area. An 8.5-kilometre-long, elevated sea wall, called the Great Wall of Lagos, was built as a shield from ocean surges. Eko Atlantic City now sits as one of the most prized real estate assets in Africa. The United States is building a new $537 million consulate general, set to be the largest one in the world, in Eko Atlantic City.

At various points in Nigeria’s history, when the country has embarked on landmark infrastructure projects, the Chagoury group has played a significant role. Eko Hotels, then known as Eko Holiday Inn, was established to house some categories of international guests who came for FESTAC ’77. The Chagoury group stepped up with a solution to the issue of flooding and coastal erosion that had swept off a larger part of Bar Beach, leading to what it described as “one of the most ambitious land-reclamation projects ever attempted” and the creation of the Eko Atlantic City. The 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, currently being built by Hitech, one of the Chagoury companies, is another historic project that has been entrusted to the company to deliver for Nigeria. While some have expressed concerns about the circumstances under which the award of some of the contracts was made on the grounds of a lack of competitive bidding, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, argued that the decision on restrictive bidding for Section 1 of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, in favour of the company’s specialisation in concrete infrastructure, scale of equipment, engineering capability, and operational infrastructure as reasons for which it was deemed uniquely qualified for such a large and technically demanding project.

It is gratifying to see project making steady progress, with some of the initial sceptics and critics beginning to change their minds. We look forward to the project being delivered within the timeframe, so that the projected benefits for the corridor and the Nigerian economy can kick in

However, the connection between Gilbert Chagoury and Nigeria has not always been smooth. His relationship with Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who died in office in 1998, was controversial, with allegations that he engaged in money laundering on his behalf of Abacha coming to the fore after his death. Chagoury, however, denied knowledge that the funds were stolen. He paid a fine of one million Swiss francs and returned $65 million to Nigeria. The conviction by the Swiss court was said to have been later expunged.

Over time, Gilbert Chagoury’s multi-faceted business conglomerate have grown in stature, deepening its investment portfolio in Nigeria and other parts of the world. His devotion as a Catholic and philanthropist earned him recognition from Pope John Paul II, who honoured him with the Order of Saint Gregory the Great. Following that, the government of St. Lucia appointed him Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of St. Lucia to UNESCO and the UN in Geneva in 1995. He was later appointed as the Ambassador of St. Lucia to the Holy See. His philanthropic activities in different parts of the world include significant support in Lebanon, Nigeria, and the US. The contribution by the Chagoury group of companies in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with its donation of One Billion Naira to the Lagos State Government was a landmark.

An amateur Artist, Chagoury’s love for the Arts has found expression in different forms, including the donation to the Louvre Museum in Paris of a famous 16th-century six-part tapestry, which he had purchased to ensure the national treasure did not leave France. The museum in 2020 dedicated the “Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury Gallery” to display the six-part tapestry and other works of art donated by the Chagourys. In May 2010, Gilbert Chagoury was honoured by the French Government with the distinction of Commander at the “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” in recognition of his contributions to the arts and literature.

There is no doubt that Gilbert Chagoury has indeed found a home in Nigeria, having invested massively in the country over the last five decades, making a huge impact across various sectors of the economy. The most outstanding achievement has to be the extraction from the jaws of the sea a new city at the bank of the Atlantic Ocean, consisting of 10 million square meters of reclaimed ocean land. The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway might eventually turn out as another significant one. Home, for Gilbert Ramez Chagoury, might have originally been Miziara, on the hills of Lebanon, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, but there is no doubt that he has found a new home, thousands of kilometres away, in Nigeria.

Simbo Olorunfemi is a Communications Consultant and Managing Editor of Africa Enterprise, while Ade Adefeko is Director Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Olam Agri, ex-Officio NACCIMA, and Honorary Consul of Botswana in Lagos.

BREAKING: Tinubu Suspends Emergency Rule In Rivers, Asks Fubara To Resume Tomorrow

Posted on September 17, 2025 by The Elites

President Bola Tinubu has announced the end of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, declaring that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly will return to office from Wednesday, September 18, 2025.

Tinubu in a statement released on Wednesday by the Presidency, said the state of emergency, first proclaimed on March 18, 2025, was necessary to arrest the “total paralysis of governance” that had gripped Rivers at the time.

He recalled that a bitter conflict between the governor and 27 lawmakers loyal to the House Speaker had left the state without a functioning government, with the Supreme Court even affirming in one of its rulings that “there was no government in Rivers State.”

“It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today. The Governor, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, the deputy governor, Her Excellency Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the speaker, Martins Amaewhule, will resume work in their offices from 18 September 2025,” he said.

STATEHOUSE STATEMENT

STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY, BOLA AHMED TINUBU, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, ON THE CESSATION OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RIVERS STATE

My Fellow countrymen and, in particular, the good people of Rivers State.

I am happy to address you today on the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State. You will recall that on 18th March, 2025, I proclaimed a state of emergency in the state. In my proclamation address, I highlighted the reasons for the declaration. The summary of it for context is that there was a total paralysis of governance in Rivers State, which had led to the Governor of Rivers State and the House of Assembly being unable to work together. Critical economic assets of the State, including oil pipelines, were being vandalised. The State House of Assembly was crisis-ridden, such that members of the House were divided into two groups. Four members worked with the Governor, while 27 members opposed the Governor. The latter group supported the Speaker. As a result, the Governor could not present any Appropriation Bill to the House, to enable him to access funds to run Rivers State’s affairs. That serious constitutional impasse brought governance in the State to a standstill. Even the Supreme Court, in one of its judgments in a series of cases filed by the Executive and the Legislative arms of Rivers State against each other, held that there was no government in Rivers State. My intervention and that of other well-meaning Nigerians to resolve the conflict proved abortive as both sides stuck rigidly to their positions to the detriment of peace and development of the State.

It therefore became painfully inevitable that to arrest the drift towards anarchy in Rivers State, I was obligated to invoke the powers conferred on me by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to proclaim the state of emergency. The Offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor, and elected members of the State House of Assembly were suspended for six months in the first instance. The six months expire today, September 17th, 2025.

I thank the National Assembly, which, after critically evaluating the justification for the proclamation, took steps immediately, as required by the Constitution, to approve the declaration in the interest of peace and order in Rivers State. I also thank our traditional rulers and the good people of Rivers State for their support from the date of the declaration of the state of emergency until now.

I am not unaware that there were a few voices of dissent against the proclamation, which led to their instituting over 40 cases in the courts in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa, to invalidate the declaration. That is the way it should be in a democratic setting. Some cases are still pending in the courts as of today. But what needs to be said is that the power to declare a state of emergency is an inbuilt constitutional tool to address situations of actual or threatened breakdown of public order and public safety, which require extraordinary measures to return the State to peace, order and security. Considered objectively, we had reached that situation of total breakdown of public order and public safety in Rivers State, as shown in the judgment of the Supreme Court on the disputes between the Executive and the Legislative arm of Rivers State. It would have been a colossal failure on my part as President not to have made that proclamation.

As a stakeholder in democratic governance, I believe that the need for a harmonious existence and relationship between the executive and the legislature is key to a successful government, whether at the state or national level. The people who voted us into power expect to reap the fruits of democracy. However, that expectation will remain unrealizable in an atmosphere of violence, anarchy, and insecurity borne by misguided political activism and Machiavellian manipulations among the stakeholders.

I am happy today that, from the intelligence available to me, there is a groundswell of a new spirit of understanding, a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm on the part of all the stakeholders in Rivers State for an immediate return to democratic governance. This is undoubtedly a welcome development for me and a remarkable achievement for us. I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than the six months I had pronounced at the beginning of it.

It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from midnight today. The Governor, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, the deputy governor, Her Excellency Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the speaker, Martins Amaewhule, will resume work in their offices from 18 September 2025.

I take this opportunity to remind the Governors and the Houses of Assembly of all the States of our country to continue to appreciate that it is only in an atmosphere of peace, order, and good government that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. I implore all of you to let this realisation drive your actions at all times.

I thank you all.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Lagos Journalist Azuka Ogujiuba Accuses Police of Harassment, Assault

Posted on September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 by The Elites

The publisher of Media Room Hub and former ThisDay reporter, Azuka Ogujiuba, has accused the Nigeria Police Force of harassment, assault, and unlawful detention over allegations of cyberbullying and defamation.

Ogujiuba’s alleged harassment and assault add to growing concerns about the increasingly hostile treatment of journalists in Nigeria, particularly by the police and other armed forces.

Speaking at a world press conference in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, Ogujiuba said her health had deteriorated since she was detained in a cell in Abuja for three days without food.

She noted that her ordeal began after publishing a court injunction relating to a land dispute, a story she described as part of her professional duties as a journalist.

She narrated, “The Nigeria Police Force forced me to write an apology letter. They forced me to write that what I published was not true.

“They were telling me what to write. One of the officers made me do an undertaking that the letter was not done under duress. I had no options when I saw a gun facing me while under their custody.”

Ogujiuba explained that she honoured a police invitation in Abuja on August 6, despite living and working in Lagos, only to be confronted with a petition accusing her of cyberbullying and defamation.

She said, “My ordeal started after receiving an invitation from the Inspector General of Police. I began to wonder what my offence was, and I couldn’t think of any.

“It was then that I was shown a petition claiming cyberbullying and defamation.

I was surprised because the court injunction I posted had been published by several other media outlets. I told them it was a public document and not intended to bully or defame anyone.”

She noted that she was initially granted bail and asked to return after two weeks, but was later ambushed in Abuja by some policemen in a gangster manner while attending a paid event.

“I was at a scheduled interview when I started receiving calls from the officer, insisting that the petitioner wanted to see me. I reminded him that I had bail and promised to come after work.

“But while leaving the office, we suddenly heard commotion outside, and since they were not in uniform, we thought they were kidnappers. They targeted my phone, pounced on me, and manhandled me,” she narrated.

Ogujiuba alleged that she was taken back to the police office, where she was humiliated and intimidated by some police officers.

“If you saw the way I was being followed around the office with a gun, you would think I was a terrorist.

“They were unnecessarily hostile. I asked to see their boss, but they refused. When I tried to call my lawyer and family, they came aggressively at me and snatched my phone.”

She said she was eventually locked up in a cell that was “smelling” and left there for three days without food.

“I still do not know how I survived,” Ogujiuba said emotionally. “I still do not understand how publishing a court document amounts to cyberbullying and defamation.”

As of press time on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, had not responded to our correspondent’s inquiry on the incident.

Her arrest and detention have drawn sharp criticism from the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute.

The IPI cautioned that Ogujiuba’s treatment undermines press freedom, weakens public confidence in the rule of law, and breaches Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

PUNCH Metro reports that Ogujiuba’s case is not an isolated incident, as journalists in Nigeria have repeatedly faced similar ordeals.

On May 27, 2024, operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police in Lagos arrested journalist and publisher of News Platform, Precious Eze, in what colleagues alleged was an arrest instigated by a businessman.

Earlier, the editor of FirstNews, Segun Olatunji, was also detained for several days by officers of the Defence Intelligence Agency.