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Renowned business executive and entrepreneur, Lawal Garba, has returned to his alma mater, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, with a message to students that integrity, excellence and resilience remain critical ingredients for lasting success.

Garba, Chairman/CEO of Trobell International Nigeria Ltd, spoke at the weekend during the second edition of ABU’s “Lunch with the Vice-Chancellor” programme at the Yusufu Bala Usman Hall, Main Campus, Samaru.

The programme was introduced last year to provide a relaxed platform for interaction between the Vice-Chancellor, students and accomplished personalities who can share experiences capable of shaping their academic and professional development.

Delivering the keynote lecture, “The Lawal Garba Way: Building Enterprises, Creating Opportunities, Transforming Lives,” Garba told students that his journey from Quantity Surveying graduate to successful entrepreneur was built not on privilege, but persistence, discipline, hard work and faith.

Garba, FNIQS, MFR, who distinguished himself professionally as a Quantity Surveyor, became the first graduate of the discipline to establish a property cost-control function in Nigeria’s banking sector.

He said success did not come overnight, recalling missed opportunities, setbacks and difficult decisions, including walking away from short-term gains that conflicted with his long-term values.

According to him, Trobell Nigeria Ltd began modestly, building its reputation through competence and trust.

“In one early project, we were selected not because we were the biggest firm, but the client believed in our commitment to deliver,” he said, adding that the experience reinforced his conviction that credibility often matters more than size.

Garba outlined five major lessons for the students: integrity, excellence, continuous learning, relationships and resilience.

“Integrity is everything,” he declared, noting that he had witnessed multimillion-naira contracts awarded largely on the strength of trust built over many years.

He also urged students to pursue excellence in seemingly insignificant details and continuously update their knowledge.

“The day you stop learning is the day you start becoming irrelevant,” Garba said, recalling how professionals who failed to embrace digital tools and modern project-management systems gradually lost relevance.

He similarly emphasised networking, saying some of his biggest opportunities came through relationships rather than formal applications.

“Treat everyone with dignity. Maintain relationships. One conversation can change your life forever,” he advised.

On resilience, Garba told the students that failure should be regarded as part of the journey to success rather than its opposite.

He described Nigeria as one of the world’s most promising countries, pointing to opportunities in agriculture, technology, mining, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, the digital economy and creative industries.

Garba urged students to acquire marketable skills and read beyond their academic disciplines, recalling how he complemented his Quantity Surveying education with knowledge of business and management.

He also challenged them to embrace leadership as service, stressing that the greatest satisfaction from success comes from creating opportunities for others and improving communities.

Expressing gratitude to ABU for the opportunity to return and share his experience, Garba urged the university to continue producing leaders, innovators and nation-builders capable of transforming Nigeria and Africa.q

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A family in Ondo State is demanding a full investigation after three siblings were found dead near a stream inside the 32 Artillery Brigade Army Barracks in Akure.

The deceased are 11-year-old twins, Joshua and Jacob Jonah, and their 5-year-old sister, Blessing. Their father, Samuel Jonah, who works as a farmer and security personnel within the barracks, said he doubts the children drowned and believes there may have been foul play. Jonah told reporters the children went with him and their mother to their farm on Friday, September 4. He said he left around noon to collect his salary and later returned with his wife. They told the children to keep playing and come home by 6 p.m. “When we got home at 6 p.m. and did not see them, I started to worry. By 8 p.m. there was still no sign of them, so I took my motorcycle back to the farm,” Jonah said. He reported the matter to the Military Police and joined a search that lasted into Saturday morning. The family also checked their church. The breakthrough came during prayers on Saturday when a soldier called him back to the barracks. Jonah said soldiers led him to a small stream near his farm. Their bodies had been covered with leaves. “I removed the leaves myself. I was devastated. Those were my only children,” he said. But it was what he saw next that raised his suspicion. “When I uncovered them, I saw blood coming from their ears.

There was also blood on my youngest daughter’s body. They were not very wet, and there was no water in their stomachs. I have never seen someone who drowned bleed like that,” he alleged. “I asked how all three could die in water at the same time. I suspect bandits or other people may have been involved,” he added. Jonah said he has no direct proof but wants authorities to investigate thoroughly. The children’s uncle, Mazi Hassan, described the incident as shocking and called for justice. “Three children from one family cannot just die like that.

Government should investigate and bring those responsible to book,” he said.

Hassan also claimed a similar incident had occurred in the barracks before. Confirming the incident, Ondo Police spokesperson DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said the children had gone to the farm with their father before being reported missing. “A search was conducted and their bodies were found on September 5 near a small river within the farm. “We are documenting the circumstances and investigation is ongoing,” Abayomi stated. The bodies have since been released to the family for burial. Speaking on the ugly incident, the Spokesperson for the 32 Artillery Brigade Army Barracks in Akure, Omale Innocent, said he learned of the case on social media and confirmed that police have taken over investigations. As of press time, the cause of death has not been officially determined. The family insists they will not rest until they get answers.

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Igho ‘Tiny’ Ubiribo, the British-Nigerian influencer and close associate of Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, who died following complications from a penis enlargement procedure in Thailand, had previously been declared wanted in Nigeria over alleged drug trafficking.

Ubiribo, who died in Bangkok on March 6, 2026, had been declared wanted alongside his wife, Danielle Simba Allen, an Anglo-Zimbabwean fashion entrepreneur, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in connection with an alleged international drug trafficking syndicate.

The couple was among individuals the anti-narcotics agency listed in 2023 as “celebrity couple wanted over seized illicit drugs.”

According to the NDLEA, Ubiribo, also known as Tiny, and Allen, known as Dani, were allegedly involved in recruiting teenage girls into the illicit drug trade while operating as alleged leaders of an international syndicate said to have links to Los Angeles, United States.

The agency had also declared Port Harcourt-based prophetess and founder of Christ Power Adoration Ministries, Faith Ugochi, wanted over the alleged activities.

The NDLEA said investigations linked Ubiribo and his wife to the alleged drug trafficking operation and that repeated attempts to secure their appearance for questioning had failed.

The agency alleged that two teenage girls, identified as Favour and Shalom, were recruited as sales representatives in the illicit drug trade by Ugochi, who allegedly used her church platform to recruit teenagers brought to her for assistance.

The girls were allegedly recruited on behalf of Ubiribo and Allen, whom the agency described as the owners of the operation.

The NDLEA further identified Edward Omatseye, also known as Montana, as the alleged coordinator of the syndicate’s activities in Nigeria, while Nnochiri Chidinma Promise was identified as a representative of Ben Cargo Ltd, which the agency said was responsible for shipping illicit consignments into Nigeria.

“Several attempts to get Prophetess Faith Ugochi, Igho Ubiribo and Danielle Simba Allen to submit themselves for questioning have proved abortive,” the agency said at the time.

Ubiribo and his wife remained at large for about three years, with the drug trafficking investigation unresolved.

His death was announced in London on March 6, prompting an outpouring of tributes from friends and associates, including Davido.

In an emotional tribute, Davido described Ubiribo as a man of “light, energy, courage, resilience” and a trusted ally, saying he could not bring himself to speak about him in the past tense.

However, details surrounding Ubiribo’s death emerged months later during a UK coroner’s inquest.

On September 5, coroner Jean Harkin ruled that the 43-year-old died from a pulmonary embolism caused by complications from a penis enlargement procedure he underwent while on holiday in Thailand.

Evidence presented at the inquest showed that Ubiribo had been injected with about 40 millilitres of hyaluronic acid and lidocaine at a Thai clinic in March.

UK pathologist John du Parcq said in his report that cellular material found in Ubiribo’s lungs matched the hyaluronic acid used in the penis filler injection.

According to the pathologist, the finding was consistent with a pulmonary embolism and also matched the results of the Thai autopsy.

Ubiribo’s death has therefore brought renewed attention to a man whose public profile was marked not only by his close association with one of Africa’s biggest music stars but also by an unresolved drug trafficking investigation in Nigeria.

At the time of his death, there was no indication that the NDLEA case against him had been concluded.