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Gbajabiamila: In The Face Of The Campaign Of Calumny And Lies | By Seun Oloketuyi

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Sixty-one-year-old Olufemi Hakeem Gbajabiamila CFR is one man whose political and life story makes a long-lasting – if not a lifelong – impression. SRK

Truth be told, Gbajabiamila’s trajectory in life and politics can be intimidating but should not be enough for many of his peers in politics, and even technocrats, to covertly abhor his person, office, success and consistently seek his downfall.

Though his antecedents and emergence in the world of politics, and governance may seem like only a lofty idea to many of his peers, who are yet to phantom the secret to his continued rise, a good number of Nigerian youths look up to him as a role model, one in whom a new Nigeria can lay her foundation.

Sadly, in the realm of public discourse, politics, and sometimes governance, the lines between truth and deception can be blurry, hence, giving rise to ‘false positives,’ ‘false negatives,’ and ‘false analyses.’

Since he was appointed the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June 2023, tons of baseless allegations and claims have been made against the person and office of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives.

For a man of stature, who has traversed the corridors of power as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives of Nigeria in the 7th Assembly, House Leader of the House of Representatives of Nigeria in the 8th Assembly, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria in the 9th Assembly, and yet remains unblemished, one begins to wonder why the campaign of calumny and lies?

From the accusations of transgressions with an air of certitude to claims of monetary inducements to shielding select individuals and altering the fate of others, the campaign of calumny and lies keeps rearing an ugly head like that of Medusa, the most famous of the monster figures in Greek mythology.

At some point in 2023, it was alleged that Gbajabiamila formed and headed a cabal in Aso Rock, at other times, individuals seeking board appointments allegedly bribed him to have their way, and recently, he’s alleged to be interfering in the job of the Special Investigator appointed by his principal, so much so that he allegedly diverted a whopping sum of $30billion refund of loot and largesse to his private coffers.

Yet, these allegations stand unsupported by the pillars of evidence since his appointment over seven months ago.

The claims and allegations have been, categorically, found to be nothing more than malevolent fabrications orchestrated with the intent of tarnishing the reputation of a steadfast public servant.

A quick look into Gbajabiamila’s emergence and 16-year service in the House of Representatives shows no record of blemished or corrupt practices. In the house, he held the position of Minority Leader in the 7th assembly between June 2007 and June 2015, and House Leader in the 8th assembly, Gbajabiamila was not for once found wanting neither was he accused nor indicted for fraud or corruption practices.

Even as a Speaker of the House of Representatives, where he reigned for four years and controlled over 800 agencies, not for once was he found culpable of any corrupt or fraudulent practices.

Then, one begins to wonder why the campaign of calumny and lies against Gbajabiamila for accepting to continue to serve Nigeria alongside his godfather and principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Despite being instrumental to the emergence of the current speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, he has neither instigated the administrative arm of the government against the judiciary nor vice versa. Aside from meditating on issues of national interest as directed by his principal, Gbajabiamila has stayed clear of turfs that are not within his jurisdiction. Hence, many begin to wonder, who is after Gbajabiamila so desperately that flawed claims and allegations keep rearing their heads and consistently meeting a brick wall of fact and proof.

The road to Gbajabiamila’s emergence, as Chief of Staff to the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has been filled with dignity, integrity, steadfastness, and unblemished records yet some corrupt individuals with ulterior motives to cause unrest and discomfort in the relationship that exists between Tinubu and Gbajabiamila to evade justice or their fate keeps throwing a spanner in the cogwheels of progress and patriotism.

On the recent claim and allegation of diversion of a whopping $30 billion, again, it is a figment of the imagination of individuals filled with bile against Gbajabiamila just as the Chief of Staff to the President has proven over time that he will neither interfere nor get involved in the process of any investigation, either instituted by his principal or security agencies.

With nothing in his cupboard to hide other than his good-looking attires, it is so obvious that many people are trying to come in between Gbajabiamila and Tinubu because he enjoys the audience of his boss and is publicly known to have the eyes and ears of the president.

BIG STORY

Court Jails Gospel Singer Moses Otitoju, Eight Others For Cybercrime

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The Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced Moses Otitoju, a self-proclaimed gospel singer, and eight others to prison for crimes linked to cybercrime, conspiracy, and misuse of funds.

Otitoju was sentenced along with Ayodele Joseph, Adeoye Joseph, and Abubakar Abdulmalik, all charged with similar offences by the anti-corruption agency.

The charges were filed by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

According to a statement issued Friday by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity at the EFCC, the 31-year-old gospel singer from Iyamoye in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State was sentenced to six months in prison by Justice Abimbola Awogboro without the option to pay a fine.

Otitoju was convicted for keeping over N8.4 million in his bank account, which was traced to illegal activities.

One of the charges read, “That you, Otitoju Moses Sesan, sometime between October 2024 and December 2025, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did retain control of the gross sum of N8,404,339 in your account, being proceeds of criminal conduct, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 17(a) and (b) of the EFCC Act, 2004.”

Ayodele, who had N243,750 in his account, received an eight-month jail sentence without an option of fine.

His Tecno 19 phone was confiscated by order of the court and handed over to the Federal Government.

Adeoye, a native of Okene LGA in Kogi State, was also sentenced to eight months without the option of a fine.

He forfeited $220, an iPhone 13, and a Tecno Pop 9 phone to the Federal Government.

Abubakar was handed a six-month prison term. His iPhone 16 and Samsung S10 were also ordered forfeited to the Federal Government.

EFCC prosecutors Aliyu Adebayo, Sesan Ola, Rashidat Alao, and Mustapha Kaigama led the cases, presenting statements, exhibits, and recovered funds as evidence, all of which were admitted in court.

In another case, Justices Haleema Saleeman and Sulaiman Akanbi of the Kwara State High Court found Emeka Achi, Isaac Oluwafemi, Afolabi Olatoye, Zubeiru Zubeiru Junior, and Abdulkadir Taofeek guilty of cybercrime and diversion of funds.

Justice Akanbi sentenced Abdulkadir to three years in prison with an option to pay a N500,000 fine, and ordered that N800,000, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and a Samsung phone be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

Justice Saleeman sentenced Emeka, Isaac, and Afolabi to six months in jail each, with the option to pay N100,000 as a fine.

In addition, Emeka was ordered to repay N3.35 million within three months and report to the EFCC every two weeks alongside his parents until full payment is made.

Tunde Oyekola

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BIG STORY

Kogi University Lecturer Dies During Sex Romp In Hotel Room With 200-Level Student

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A senior lecturer at Kogi State University, Anyigba, named Dr. Olabode Abimbola Ibikunle, reportedly died in a hotel room following a sexual encounter with a 22-year-old student in her second year.

It was reported that the event happened on Tuesday, July 15, and the police at Anyigba were alerted shortly after. The student involved was taken into custody for questioning.

The lecturer, known across the university for his strict approach, was allegedly infamous for taking advantage of female students in return for academic favours.

Sources claim Dr. Ibikunle, who was married with children, had booked a room in a hotel alongside the student, who is studying Social Studies Education.

According to those familiar with the situation, the lecturer consumed several energy drinks prior to the incident, presumably in anticipation of vigorous activity.

Unfortunately, the lecturer collapsed and passed away during the act.

The Kogi State Police Command verified the incident to SaharaReporters on Friday, labeling it as unfortunate.

In a statement to SaharaReporters, the Command’s spokesperson, SP William Ovye Aya, stated that the student had been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for deeper inquiry and potential charges.

Aya explained: “The report was received on July 16, but the unfortunate incident happened on July 15, 2025. It was the manager of the hotel (name not disclosed), who came to the police station at Anyigba and reported about his guest, the lecturer who had lodged in their facility with a 22-year-old 200-level student, 22 years old, named Gloria Samuel.

“According to the manager, the girl on that fateful day rushed to the reception and complained that the lecturer took her to the hotel, and after they had sex, the man slumped.

“So the manager rushed and informed the DPO, and the DPO rushed to the scene, and they moved the man to the hospital. On arrival, a doctor on duty confirmed the lecturer’s death.

“So the girl in question has been transferred from Anyigba Police Division to the State CID for further investigation and prosecution. An autopsy has been conducted, but right now I don’t know whether the result of the autopsy is out because I haven’t spoken with the SCID.”

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BIG STORY

FULL LIST: Tinubu Appoints IBB’s Son, Muhammad Babangida Chairman Bank Of Agriculture, Others As Heads Of Govt Agencies

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Muhammad Babangida, the son of the former military President, as chairman of the revamped Bank of Agriculture.

President Tinubu approved the appointment today, along with seven others. Some of them will serve as chairmen or directors-general of Federal agencies.

Muhammad Babangida, 53, is an alumnus of the European University in Montreux, Switzerland, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Business Communication. He later attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Program on Corporate Governance in 2002.

Others appointed by the President are:

Lydia Kalat Musa (Kaduna State) Chairman, Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA).

Jamilu Wada Aliyu (Kano State) Chairman, National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).

The Hon. Yahuza Ado Inuwa (Kano State) is the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) chairman.

Sanusi Musa (SAN, Kano State) is the Chairman of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution(IPCR).

Prof. Al-Mustapha Alhaji Aliyu (Sokoto State) is the Director-General of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA).

Sanusi Garba Rikiji (Zamfara State) is the Director-General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN).

Mrs Tomi Somefun (Oyo State) is the Managing Director of the National Hydro-Electric Power Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).

Dr Abdulmumini Mohammed Aminu-Zaria (Kaduna State) has been appointed Executive Director of the Nigerian Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC).

 

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

July 18, 2025

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