Innocent Ojefia Blog

  Five years ago, when Social Media Week launched in Lagos, it was the first event of its kind in Africa on that scale. At the time, social media seemed mostly a fun and useful marketing communications platform. Looking back, that was only partly right. Social media is undoubtedly a lot of fun and many a brand, including personal brands, have established themselves with social media. But five years ago, it would have difficult to anticipate the importance of social media in Africa as a key communications tool with tools like WhatsApp, Viber and more recently WeChat. For some Africans, the newsgroups within WhatsApp alone have become a primary source of news and entertainment. Like elsewhere, Facebook and Twitter have also been important for sharing news and local information. But in countries where the press has been weakened or compromised, having outlets to share news has been more important than ever. Local newspapers do great work across the continent, but they ...

In a sermon in Rome, Pope Francis said, Christians who exploit people, lead a double life and get involved in “dirty business,” scandalize the church, In fact, it might be better just to be an atheist, and so many Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others, but to be a Christian like that, it’s better to be an atheist. It is that, scandal. You destroy. You beat down, he said. According to Vatican Radio, examples of such scandals abound, the Pope said, adding that they destroy the church and the guilty Christian from within. He imagines a wealthy Christian knocking at the gates of heaven and saying, “Here I am, Lord! I went to Church, I was close to you, I belong to this association, I did this. Don’t you remember all the offerings I made?” To which Jesus may reply, according to the Pope: “Yes, I remember. The offerings, I remember them: All dirty. All stolen from the poor. I don’t know you.’ That will be Jesus’ response to these scandalous people who li...

The Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has urged members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to respect and support the party structure. The governor who made the call today in Asaba during an enlarged stakeholders meeting of the PDP, specifically, called on all political office holders to support and sustain the party in their localities. “I want to charge all party members to respect leaders of the party at all levels; party members, especially political office holders should support the party at the wards and local government areas, give recognition to the fact that the position that you occupy somewhere means that you must give back to the party and the people,” he said, adding, “always help your constituents support the party to move forward.”  He emphasised, “we need to help our members and we should not use our positions to destroy the party others have built; by May 29 this year when the administration has clocked two years, every political appoi...

The Delta State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party today held a very successful stakeholders meeting, which was attended by prominent members of the party from across the State. attended as the Chief Host, while State Chairman of party, Barrister Kingsley Esiso presided over the meeting, which had the State leader of the party and Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa in attendance. Others at the meeting were the principal State officers of the party, party leaders and chieftains, including and members of the National Assembly, the Speaker of DTHA, Rt. Hon Monday Igbuya and other honourable members of the State House of Assembly.   The caliber of politicians at today's meeting confirmed the dominance of the party in the State. The meeting raised the political momentum and reinforced the supremacy of PDP in the State. 

The Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has expressed hope that the Supreme Court will upturn the judgment of the Court of Appeal proclaiming Alhaji Ali Modu Sherif as the Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), asking party faithful not to waver in their belief in the party. Addressing members of the Delta Central PDP in Ughelli, Ughelli North local government area of Delta State on Friday, Governor   Okowa stated that all the congresses from the ward to zonal levels were not in dispute, except the national convention of the party which took place in Port Harcourt in 2016.  "Because, we are committed to the PDP, we will not get it wrong, all the elections from the Ward to the Zonal levels are accepted, the problem we have in PDP is the convention we had in Port Harcourt which some people are challenging, but, it is our hope that we will get fair hearing at the Supreme Court because, they will be setting precedence," Governor Okowa said. He c...

- A Second Republic lawmaker Junaid Mohammed had raised alarm over some cabal allegedly surrounding President Muhammadu Buhari - Mohammed said the cabal around the president is intent on destroying Nigeria as a country - He also said the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is clear on the inability of the president to perform his duty A Second Republic lawmaker Junaid Mohammed had raised alarm over some cabal allegedly surrounding President Muhammadu Buhari. Mohammed said the cabal around the president is intent on destroying Nigeria as a country. He said if Nigerians are not careful the incident will continue until the country is destroyed. The former republican lawmaker also condemned the manner at which the presidency was handling issues of President Buhari's health. He said:   “What is happening right now is very unfortunate because evidence has since shown that the President’s handlers are not telling us the truth." "They are playing on the intelligence...

Symbolism matters in leadership. Many members of the Nigerian ruling class do not realize this. In three weeks of being acting president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has not done anything substantively different from what President Buhari has been doing for almost two years. He has not healed a broken economy, tamed inflation, stemmed the collapse of the naira, improved power, or engineered a miraculous infrastructural renaissance. Nor has he dealt a final, decisive blow on Boko Haram. In other words, he has not changed the governing paradigm of the APC/Buhari administration and has thus not fundamentally altered how the administration is perceived and evaluated. It is still a calamitous administration on several fronts.  What the Acting President has done however is to introduce a new temperament into governance, a new civility, a new ability to clearly articulate the trajectory and anticipated outcomes of governing decisions. Whether you agree or disagree with the decisions, t...

The Secretary to the Delta State government, Hon. Festus Ovie Agas, has called on political appointees from Delta central senatorial district to be good ambassadors of the SMART agenda of the State government in their various wards and local government. Hon. Festua Agas, made the call today at an interactive meeting with all the political appointees from Delta central senatorial district, at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba. The SSG noted that the State government under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has done and is still doing so much across the State in terms of infrastructure development and empowerment, despite the lean revenue. Barrister Agas emphasized that the present administration came into office at a time of dire economic crisis and recession and subsequent fall in the statutory revenue from the federation accounts. He pointed out that the fall in revenue was worsened by the resurgence of militancy and the vandalism of pipelines in the State. Pointing out that it is onl...

Professor Yemi Osinbajo's performance as Acting President is winning him new friends. But Osinbajo's perceived stellar outing in an acting capacity, is giving some members of the cabal within the Presidency, the creeps,  Pulse  reported. President Muhammadu Buhari  handed over the reins of leadership as constitutionally required, to Vice President Osinbajo, before embarking on a 10-day vacation on January 19, 2017. Buhari was due back on his work desk on February 6.However, a day before his resumption, Buhari forwarded a letter to parliament seeking an extension of his leave. He had cited a delay in retrieving medical test results from his Doctors, as reason for the indefinite extension. In his absence, Osinbajo has been calling the shots and very well so, a few political pundits have suggested.Sources at the Presidency have said that Buhari is being forced to cut short his vacation by the cabal. The cabal is headed by the President's cousin , Ma...

The fact, today, is that Urhobo folks and indeed all Deltans are celebrating the return of Chief James Ibori, in their home land. The reasons for the celebrations are not farfetched. Between the creation of Delta State and when Chief Ibori came into office, there was little or no infrastructure development across the State. The celebration was therefore a response to the huge infrastructural development and period of positive socio-economic impact and empowerment of ordinary citizens, which still remain an impeccable justification and plank for which Ibori, will perennially remain dear to the Urhobo and Deltans. Chief Ibori’s legacy will outlive him, because to his name stands eternal edifices in infrastructure. These include the imposing navigational bridge over River Raymos in Bomadi, the Omadino bridge; the Ase bridge – all laid out in marshy terrains thought impossible to build on; the three polytechnics at Oghara, Ogwashi-Uku and Ozoro; the College of Physical Education a...

The Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has called on public spirited individuals and politicians to consolidate on government's developmental efforts in their communities. Governor Okowa spoke at the weekend at a grand reception organised for him as part of the 2017 Agbon Day Celebration, held at the Palace of the Ovie of Agbon Kingdom, Ogurime' rime, Ukori, in Isiokolo, Ethiope East Local Government Area, and a ttended by Chief James Ibori, Former Governor of Delta State, top government officials , traditional rulers and prominent deltans from all walks of life. Governor Okowa said that the State Government would continue to bring development to all parts of the state despite biting economic recession and urged deltans to join government in empowering communities. "We are trying to empower our youths so that they can create jobs for themselves and others. We will continue to engage our people from Agbon kingdom as their relationship with the governme...

A shocking revelation has unearthed names of former Peoples Democratic Party chieftains who oversaw the 'destruction' of the country for 16 years under the PDP now all repented converts of the APC.  Nigerians have been told many times that the Peoples Democratic Party ruled and ruined the country for 16 years, looting and plundering the nations' commonwealth. The assertion is not true and according to findings, it is still members of the All Progressives Party who are shouting that PDP ruined the country that are the same people who are still ruling the country. According to a  compilation by The Summary , most of the key politicians in the ruling APC were core members of the PDP who ruled during the 16 years of the party's control of Nigeria before defecting to the APC. In fact, there is no major difference between the APC and the PDP as the ruling party has not made any significant progress since coming into power. The reason for this, many say is the f...

A 37-year-old lady identified as Mitchel Harrold was weekend arrested for allegedly drugging and robbing a friend she met on popular dating site, Badoo. The Delta state indigene robbed her victim, a medical doctor in a hotel in the Ojodu area of Lagos, carting away his car, laptop and mobile phone during a short visit. The unnamed doctor, according to the Punch, was said to have reported the matter at the Lagos State Police Command after the lady absconded and operatives reportedly traced the suspect to her base in Delta. Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, traced her through a car dealer in Lagos, whom she had engaged to help perfect import papers for her victim’s stolen Volkswagen Passat Wagon, 2001 model. The victim, in his statement to the police, narrated his ordeal, saying “I met the lady on Badoo and we agreed to meet so she travelled to Lagos from Delta. “On January 19 at about 5:30 p.m. we checked into a popular hotel in the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos wit...