Envy, A Virus More 'Deadly' Than COVID-19 -By Chief Tola Adeniyi

An envious person is never at peace with himself. He wishes every other person is at the same level of low self esteem as he is. At home with siblings, in neighborhood with fellow residents, at school with colleagues, at work with colleagues and superiors and on the world stage generally an envious person wishes he is the one occupying the position of the envied.”

Envy is a malady more corrosive than Coronavirus. It is as heavy in its poisonous path as the name sounds. It is dangerous and deadly and consumes its owner without mercy.

Banking Scandal: Prez Akuffo-Addo Is Dragging Ghana Back To Bad Years That Kuffour Govt Made Better - Oscar Doe

In continuation of his celebration of former President John Kuffour, which the Chairman of Doscar Group Holdings, Oscar Yao Doe has dedicated his whole week to, the businessman, in a new post this morning expressed his sadness about how the Akuffo-Addo administration is dragging Ghana back to bad days, where Ghanaians have lost confidence in themselves; a situation he said the Kuffour-led government had already taken care of.

He lamented how Ghana is going back to the days whereby individuals are now harrassed or intimidated by State Security agencies to explain their wealth, businesses and transaction in manners that suggest witchunting.

While praising former president Kuffour for his wisdom that led Ghana to the best era of business flourishing, he bemoaned the ruling government for causing Ghanaians to lose confidence needed to push for prosperity.

Read the post below..

We Celebrate (Efie Nyansewura) H.E President John Agyekum Kuffour, The Man Whise Wisdom Led Ghana To The Best 'Business Flouris' Era From 2001-2008. 

His (Tenure) Was Very Unique And (Brought) Economic Prosperity For Ghana In The 21st Century. His Policies Helped Create An Atmosphere That Brought The Emergence Of Local Banks, Nigerian Banks, And (Caused) Many Other Financial Institutions To Expand And Succeed Beautifully In Ghana. Everyone (Still) Talks About It Till Today. 1000% Truth.

President J.J Rawlings Cemented Ghana's Democracy And Fine-tuned Our Security During His Time). That's Why Ghana's Security Institutions Still Remain One Of The Best In Africa. Rawlings Created A Classic Security System For The Future.

President Kuffour (When He Came In) Took It Through A Different Angle; The  Business And Entrepreneurship Dimension. He Created Multiple Multi-millionaires In Dollars In Ghana With His Signature Masterpiece Policy Called "The Golden Age Of Business", Private Property-Owning Democracy Where Every Ghanaian Can Own Many Businesses, Or Own Assets, Properties As Much As They Can Through Hardwork.

Prez Kuffour Deliberately Created An Atmosphere (That Ensured) That No Individual Was Harassed, Or Intimidated By Any State Security Agencies To Explain Their Wealth, Businesses And Transactions To Police, With "Witch Hunt" (being The Purpose). He Dismantled That State Suppression Mindset, Which Was Holding Ghana Back.

Unfortunately, Prez Akuffo-Addo's Government (That) Is Rather Filled With Learned People Has Taken Ghana Back To An Atmosphere Of Less Confidence By The People. Some Faceless People Are Now Using State Security To Intimidate PRIVATEy Individuals To Give Explanation Of Their Transactions. This Is A Failed Approach And Very Sad. It Will Not Stand The Test Of Time ( A Typical Example Is When Ato Essien Explained His Side Of The Story, Then, All Of A Sudden, He Is Now Being Prosecuted For Money Laundering, 2 Years After His Own Bank Was Taken Down) Weird! People Forget That Whatever They Do To Others Can Easily Be Done To Them. A Society (With) Short-Memories.

We Celebrate The Legendary Wise Master, Political Tactician, President J.A Kuffour. May Your Legacy Live On. AYEKOO Prez Kuffour. We Miss You! 

Opinion: The Agony Of Monogamy

-By High Chief Tola Adeniyi

It was at the church service for the 90th birthday of the legendary matriarch of the Awo dynasty Chief Dr Hannah Dideolu Awolowo in Ikenne that the thoughts that prompted this article began. Some well known highly placed gentlemen and their wives were called upon to partake in the wine sipping, bread breaking ritual called Holy Communion. As soon as these respectable ladies and gentlemen, all of them past age 70, and amongst whom were renowned professors, high court judges, legal luminaries and business moguls, finished their spiritual blessing and were returning to their seats, they caught a pitiable sight in their over-flowing garb of hypocrisy.

They wore forlorn mien plastered with furrowed frowned faces like some one afflicted with putrid smell of heavy dose of fart. They looked as if they were mourning a three-year-old boy mistakenly killed by his own father, or the passing of a poor woman who has just succumbed to excruciatingly painful cancer.

They clung to their wives as if they were newly wedded. I temporarily forgot that I was in a holy church, the spiritual enclave of Christians. I almost laughed my head off because I knew each of the ‘holy’ ‘monogamous’ men intimately and by Jove, I knew of their second, third or fourth wives/liaisons/mistresses with whom they had sired several children. To the whole world they were champions of monogamy, but to their hearts and conscience they were celebrated polygamists, or at best, serial monogamists. Pshaw!

I saw pain written all over them, the agony of living a lie, the unease of hypocrisy, and the shame of going through life pretending to be what you are not.

This is the sort of agony a lot of the so-called monogamists go through all their lives. The series of lies they sell to their wives, and the double life they present to their pastors and church leaders, most of whom are actually equally guilty of hypocrisy and double life living.

This piece is not set out to condemn or criticise monogamy. Monogamy is perfect for those who believe in its concept and can genuinely keep to it. I too have been married to one lovely woman for almost 45 years and it has been like a marriage made in heaven. I happen also to be the promoter along with some friends the 35-year-old Family Club of Nigeria which is dedicated to the upliftment and celebration of marriage and family values.

The article is designed to expose the hypocrisy and pain associated with embracing false notions which are really not observed by any culture in the world, and to advise those who erroneously sentence themselves to a life of sadness and emptiness because they were deceived to believe that there is some utopia somewhere called monogamy.

I am very much aware that this article will generate a lot of controversy most especially from those who live holier-than-thou life and have continued to deceive the world that they are upholders of a doctrine that is not supported by true and enlightened interpretation of any religious doctrine.

The White Men, I am yet to see any human being whose skin colour is white like that of chalk, came and told the unfortunate lands they invaded that the cherished cultures, traditions and religions of such lands were rubbish, and instead indoctrinated them with values which they themselves never believed in or truly practiced. We know of King Henry Vlll, and several major historical figures in ‘Christian’ Europe who had more than one wife in addition of a string of wives who their ‘laws’ forbade them to address as wives but who nonetheless perform all the functions of wife minus name.

God bless President Mitterrand who openly confessed to having two women in his life, with the one in the other house with whom he fathered an 18-year-old daughter at the time he passed on.

I have schooled, worked and lived virtually in all the continents of the world and I make bold to say with all emphasis at my disposal that no culture on planet earth truly practices monogamy. My Greek, Italian, Russian, British, American and other Caucasians routinely visit their other wives [called by other names] with whom they have children. But back in the homes shared with the one carrying the ring, they are monogamists!

If God had wanted humanity to be monogamous, He or She would not have made the pigeon the only monogamous creature.

The cultures that practice polygamy had always known that at any given time, the number of available marriageable women far out number available men plus the fact that an 80-year-old man, if he has money, is still very much in the market whereas a 60-year-old woman may not be that lucky. The biological limitation to a woman’s productive age is also a factor. Why should a woman therefore remain on the shelf till age 45 when she could jolly well get married as second wife to a man who can afford to share life’s responsibilities with her? Why should a woman leave a man with whom she is No 1, simply because took a second wife and end up being numberless in the hands of several men with whom she naturally shares bed just because of some doctrine she hardly understands?

All the women who should go and marry but are saying they do not want to share their man with another woman in a polygamous setting, are sharing current boyfriends with several other women. Where is the logic?

The argument that children in a polygamous house are always at each other’s throat does not hold water. Many siblings of monogamous families are known to have had worse and irresolvable, irreconcilable squabble, with dirty bitterness over inheritance than children from different mothers.

The agony suffered by both men and women in the hand of unnatural laws and doctrines is too stifling for comfort. In 2002, 502 Reverend mothers were reported to have died while procuring abortion in Rome. Nigerian Tribune wrote an editorial on the unfortunate incident. And stories of Reverend fathers having children and sodomising young men in their care are legion! Why the hypocrisy?

Why should the world continue to live the life of Ostrich?

A well known Nigerian journalist hid his other wives from his wife because his religion would not permit of it and his wife, living in monogamy should not hear of it. At his funeral service, other wives surfaced and the woman parading the ring collapsed. It was the grace of God that prevented double interment that day!

The Western world which had not learnt the art of living amicably with more than one partner under the same roof has indulged in multiple serial marriages, divorcing innocent wives under flimsy excuses so that another woman can move in should not be measure of standard for the world. Thank God Hillary Clinton in the US and Mrs Cook in England were very much wiser. They refused to allow “some indiscretion” on the part of their husbands to ruin their marriages.

There was a well known American actor who passed on about a decade ago and all his 11 ex-wives with their numerous children attended his funeral. To ridicule the lie of their hypocritical existence, all the women were recognised and addressed as wives. As far as records show, the man had 11 wives!

Society, especially we Nigerians just like Kenyans and others have done, must start to rethink this issue of pretentious monogamy vis-à-vis polygamy so that in the not-too-distant future we do not end up with millions of unmarried women whose life style would be worse than prostitutes’ and millions of children whose fathers would be nowhere to be found.

HRH Oscar Yao Doe: Is Ghana Letting Down One Of Her Brightest Stars?

By Tope Aileru

"A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” - Holy Bible; Mark 6:4,New King James Version (NKJV).

Over the past few weeks, in the most unusual manner, I have read several public statements/post published by (or in the name of) HRH Oscar Yao Doe, popular philantropist, and multi-millionaire businessman; lamenting the terrible experience he has been passing through since 2009-2012 and since mid 2018 over his businesses and financial dealings (in his country Ghana), which had left him fuming at the present handlers of the country, and even crying out that Ghana is in trouble! 

For about a decade now, Oscar Doe has been one of the brightest stars to have shined out of Ghana; with his names on the lips of many for the right reasons. He has always been seen as a pillar of support to a lot of Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians alike. He has not only supported emerging shining stars, he had given succour to the less-blessed.In the area of support for education, the creative industry and other key sectors, Oscar towers high above many rich Ghanaians. He has been an outstanding philantropist. So what could have gone wrong? How did 'the colourful King Oscar' become a troubled man suddenly?

Repeatedly, HRH Oscar, who brought luxury into the Ghana business landscape with his Eurostar Global Limousines (W.A), a couple of years ago, had called out names of some notable Ghanaians who are using the power of the state to hit some Ghanaian-owned businesses, particularly in the financial sector.

He has called out the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, the Minister of Finance and a Principal Partner of KPMG Ghana, Nii Amanor Doodo, alleging them of complicity in the liquidation of Unibank, which has led to the continued holding of his funds (via some of his companies) since mid 2018. He has consistently challenged the decision of the BoG to appoint Nii Amanor Doodo, whose company, KPMG Ghana Limited audited the books of the liquidated bank, as Receiver for same bank. Posts after posts, Oscar has been challenging the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo to investigate the process that led to the collapse of Unibank and other Ghanaian-owned banks and businesses. HRH Oscar Yao Doe, who apart from his transactional reconciliation with the Receiver, also has almost 40 million USD stake in a blind trust with the Duffuor family in Unibank, is cork sure there were a lot of foul plays and has consistently insisted (publicly) that the future does not look bright for Ghana should the President not act now and bring the persons to justice if found culpable.

One thing is clear, this colourful businessman with his investments spreading across countries in Africa has told his own side of the story (with physical evidences). Of course, there is no need to go over those claims again in this piece. They are there for all to see. 

It is however mind-boggling to see that the President has not acted swiftly on this matter. That those indicted by Oscar in his statements have not been brought to questioning till now is also worrisome. Given Oscar Doe's relationship with the president and his family, one wonders why it had to take the business tycoon going public over the matter in the first place. But it shows how deeply-hurt the Doscar Group Holdings Chairman is. He told of how his correspondences over the reconciliation of his companies obligations to the troubled financial institutions suffered long delays before they were given lame responses, among many other ill-treatments (unwarranted of a man of his status) that he was subjected to over this matter.

This piece is apparently not to make a case for Oscar Doe here. Rather, it is to underscore the grave danger that actions like this portends for justice and the general prosperity of Ghana. At this crucial period, where developing countries of the world are protecting the few millionaires they have left (since the global financial meltdown a couple of years back), Ghana seems to be striking down one of her own. 

Having repeatedly stated his side in the matter, I expect that not only should he be given a fast, fair hearing, the people behind his troubles should also be brought to book. 

Causing any damage to Oscar's investments in Ghana at this crucial moment can never portend any good for the country; not even at a point where many neighboring countries (Nigeria in particular) are scrambling for him. Ghana cannot afford to let a bright shining star like Oscar Doe fall from its skies.

Recently, Oscar has revealed that the new headquarters of his luxury Limousine company is about to be completed in Lagos, Nigeria. Isn't this a red signal for Ghana? 

It will be an evil thought for anyone in Ghana to wish for the downfall of a man like Oscar Yao Doe; an icon in the field of philantropy, support for education, the creative arts industry. The ever-smiling, ever-bubbly KingOscar, who always expresses his life ambition of puting smiles on the face of humans deserves to be kept happy always too. 

While not absolving him of wrongdoings in the ongoing matter, I believe Oscar Doe deserves the very best of treatment from Ghana. His invitation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) over a purpoted threat-to-life allegation leveled against him by the Receiver for Unibank Ghana Limited, Nii Amanor Dodoo over the ongoing matter recently was a typical example of how not to treat a man who has done so much good for his land.

Let me round up this piece by going back to the Biblical quote I borrowed in the first paragraph. Is Oscar that 'Prophet' who is is not without honor except in his own country? 

-Aileru is a Senior Editor at Blue Synergy Media 

As We Are About To Vote, The Sad Memories Are Back Again..

-By Tope Aileru

These coming elections are bringing me bad memories and real fears. Unfortunately, all I can do is pray and wish everything plays out well across the country. It saddens me how we have quickly moved from that averagely peaceful election we had in 2015 to where we have found ourselves (in near war situation) in the country today, just within a period of 4 years. I have never experienced a terrible election period in the country since I started  witnessing elections in Nigeria in 1992/93. Everywhere is hot in Nigeria at the moment and deaths are now recorded at rallies in towns and communities where no single death had been recorded since I have been involved in politics in that area in1999. Being an agent of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) during the 1999 LG elections at Ward One, Ibarapa East LG was my first active (albeit indirect) involvement in politics. I have always been that young guy, who is passionate about seeing my people do well, in a reasonably fine society called Nigeria. I have been following politics since that time, in different ways. Things however, have never been this worse, in my view.

A particular instance here, is the bloodshed last Friday in Igboora, Ibarapa Central LG, in Oyo State where 6 people lost their lives, (police confirmed 2) with several others severely injured during the rallies for APC guber candidate (Bayo Adelabu) and Governor Abiola Ajimobi who is the senatorial candidate for Oyo South. I cannot recall any case of recorded deaths in any area in that region since I have been voting there since1999, not even during the Adedibu days when politics was so hot in Oyo State. The dimension things have taken this time is such a shocking one.

However, I hope many Nigerians know that this terrible situation did not just start today. It is one of the evils that have found its way into our country since after 2015. Every election has become a war in  Nigeria since after the results of the 2015 elections were announced and President Goodluck Jonathan did what was expected of him. 

The sad memory that has kept playing in my head as the election days draw close is that terrible experience I went through in October 2017 when I knew what it takes to go through the trauma of kidnapping, in the name of politics. My immediate younger brother, Moshood Abiola Aileru was kidnapped in Abeokuta by armed men who I am strongly-convinced, were working for the Government of the state. I have never shared this story publicly until now, but I have shared with some close friends, while some people in Abeokuta who were there can bear me witness.

It was a terrible time for me because it was just 11 months after our mum's death. My brother was kidnapped for 4 days, just because he was contesting to become the councilor for Ward 11, Abeokuta North in the LG election organized by the state's electoral commission, OGSIEC. It's the same ward where the governor comes from. The Aileru family is a popular one in Totoro, Owu, Abeokuta. Biola is well loved in that community and when I visited to show support, I was personally shocked with how far he had gone and the fine campaign he had put up. I never expected something close to that. With a relatively unknown party, Mega Progressives Peoples Party (MPPP), he was almost evidently certain to win the election in that ward.

His rallies and campaigns outclassed that of any other candidate. He did more than a councilor candidate campaign, in my own opinion and I was amazed at the endorsement he got from people.

On Friday, October 7 2017, a day to the election, he was waylaid by a gang of 4 men in a black, unmarked SUV, Toyota Landcruiser Prado around Ita Oshin area in Abeokuta around noon. He was the only one in his car and was pursued till he was blocked on the rough road around Oke Ata. His car was taken from him and he was taken in the SUV, blindfolded and according to him, they drove away about 2 hours off Abeokuta.

My last contact with him was on Thursday evening. October 6, 2018. He had paid me a visit in Lagos a day before and we both drove from Lagos to Abeokuta, where I proceeded to Ibadan that evening. I only dropped him a message to ask how far things went because he was to hold his last rally that day and was making arrangements while we were together. But he was receiving calls that he had to stop the rally that afternoon and that some known elders in the LG would like to have a meeting him because they allegedly heard that his campaign team was planing to make troubles. 

I didn't get a response all through the evening of Friday and when I started calling in the morning of election day, his phones has been switched off. Throughout the day, I was trying to reach him and couldn't get through. Everyone, including his wife have been looking for him too. I heard that every attention was fixed on his whereabouts rather than the results of the election on that day. A female candidate of the APC won that election. Most of the results were declared on Sunday, October 9. 2017. As at midnight on the election day, my worries have worsened. I have tried to reach some people I felt have influence to help me. Most of them were unreachable at that material time. By early Sunday, I was in Abeokuta. Perplexed and scared of the unknown. I reached out to the then Commissioner of Police in Ogun state (via sms). He was magnanimous enough to call me and instructed that I should file a report at the Area Command. With my senior colleague and Egbon, Tokunbo Akinremi, we officially reported the case at the office located around Iwe Iroyin.

I spoke about the development to some prominent personalities including Omoba Segun Adewale (OSA) who I incidentally met that evening too at Richton Hotel, inside Ibara GRA. They all did one or 2 things to help and agreed that he must have been kidnapped for the reason of the election holding that weekend.

On Monday morning, I was thinking of posting it on social media and other platforms to declare him missing when I tried his number and it went through. He told me had just been dropped off  somewhere around Awaye (close to Iseyin) after being released by some men who had held him captive for 4 days in an unknown building (like a hotel) around that area. He said when they abducted him, they told him to cooperate, demobilize the security on his car and that he should keep his calm, and they would do him no harm. He cooperated with them and one of the 4 men drove his car behind their SUV.  He told me they were dressed like SARS officers, and at every point where there was checkpoints on their way they signaled that the car behind was with them and they were not stopped.

He was kept in that location throughout the weekend and they returned his phone to him after they dropped him off and gave him his car keys to return to where they parked his car to go pick it. I met him along the way and saw the damage done to his car, when they blocked him down, while he was trying to escape on the day they kidnapped him.

Later that day, people advised that we lay low and not rush to make noise around, that we should not put my brother in further jeopardy since the men didn't hurt him because he cooperated with them. But I kept it in my mind and was hoping there would be a day like this to share it. I also hoped my brother would not be contesting an election (under this present condition) but he has thrown his hat into the ring once again. This time, he is contesting for Abeokuta North state assembly seat under another unpopular party, Peoples Party of Nigerian (PPN). 

So, the fear has come once again. And it's basically because things have degenerated from what it was in 2017. These coming elections has been made to look like a do or die affair. 

Like I said in the opening of this piece, I can only hope things go fine as we go to the polls in few days. I am however, boldened in this hope by what one of the leading political players in Nigeria  today (since 1999) whose opinions I respect so much told us about 2 years ago. He said Nigeria's situation has always appeared like the world will come to the end before the following morning. But when you find yourself waking up after your sleep, you found out that it is morning already and life is back to normal. He believes that Nigeria has survived worst experiences in the past, and that the country shall survive this one too. I believe him! This negative tide shall blow off in Nigeria and a fresh breath of air will blow across the country. Let's hope Nigerians will help themselves and the security agencies can be averagly up to the task as we go through the coming days. 

We need Nigeria to be free and easy for us all to thrive and that's why we have to change the present status quo. A country can only thrive when things are reasonably calm and Easy.