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David Mark @ 76: A further reappraisal of my perspectives…, By Sufuyan Ojeifo

Published

2 years ago

April 8, 2024

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The news headline projected the infrequent, the unexpected. The totality of it appeared from the blue. Read it: “Mark in Delta State for burial of Paul Mumeh’s mum…offers scholarship to nine-year-old boy… says CPS Mumeh most loyal person.” Mark in Delta State!? Yes, he was there, as people are wont to say in our part of the world, “live and direct.” Against expectations, Mark had hauled himself and his beautiful wife, Helen, from Abuja to Igbogili, Abavo in Ika South Local Government of Delta State for the burial ceremony of the mother of his Chief Pess Secretary, Paul Mumeh. Mark could have given some excuses to be absent at the event. In fact, there are a thousand and one excuses he could have given. He might even have, as well, told Paul that he would not be able to make it and that would be it.

But an appreciative Mark took the opportunity of the occasion to show fidelity to unwavering followership and loyalty, which Paul aggregates and exemplifies. From 2007 to 2015 when Mark stepped in the saddle as Senate President through 2019 as Benue South Senator until now, Paul has tended to the media needs of the Idoma-born politician, discharging the responsibility with commitment and sharp focus. Paul could have moved on to other things after the tour of duty in the Senate, but for reasons best known to him, he chose to stand with Mark. Today, beyond the master-servant relationship, Paul has become an integral part of Mark’s family, yes, a “son” in whom Mark is well pleased. So, the appearance by Mark and wife, Helen, at the burial ceremony of Paul’s mother was, exempli gratia, a demonstration of a kindred spirit anchored on a consummated “family” relationship.

For those who had always harboured a parochial view of Mark, that should provide a departure of sorts from the mundane, routine and jaded prisms through which he is mischievously appreciated or viewed. David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark, retired brigadier general, former military administrator, former minister, and former senate president -the trajectory is quite phenomenal- who turns 76 years old today, is a great leader and defender of the interests of those he leads as long as they are nested in and in pari materia with his overarching interests. This is a component of his corporeal personality that through a further review of my perspectives of him I have chosen to celebrate as family members and associates identify with him on this occasion.

Ordinarily, there should be pomp and circumstance, but one is not sure Mark will go that route. But one thing I am sure he would do is to have a special morning mass at his residence in Apo Legislative Quarters to thank the Almighty God for His faithfulness and mercies upon him over the years. Other considerations can kick in thereafter.

But, as I wrote in my tributes to him on his birthday in 2022 and 2023, and it bears repeating, “David Mark significantly presents avant-garde perspectives to writers who indulge in the enterprise of questioning and contextualizing the essence(s) or quintessence(s) of grandees.”

The assertion supra and those infra are, in this celebratory piece, subjected to further reappraisal, of sorts, to explore the labyrinth of existential perceptions and perspectives of his identity or individuality, and the subsequent obligatory validations. I will give a verdict of sorts at the end of this tribute.

But as I posited in my two previous tributes (I have been involved in this enterprise since 2009), “For writers, it is an enterprise in which the subject matter becomes a captive of their imagination, and they are at liberty to either build or dismantle primordial prejudices; or to somewhat deconstruct or even reconstruct the persona of the subject through editorial interrogation.”

In my previous outings, I had made a silhouette, something close to Mr Lely’s portraiture of Oliver Cromwell, a politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. It is, therefore, my essential perception, add to it perspectives, that I have reappraised today within the context of his Igbogili-Abavo visitation in October last year in celebration of Mark at 76. It is important to state this now to provide a background understanding of this enterprise, lest many think the enterprise amounts to mere regurgitation of views once expressed about the celebrator.

Perceptions have always assumed free reins in the appreciation of personalities, and that is the tragedy, so to speak, of grandees. They are subjected to the whims of characterizations that most times encapsulate both the sublime and the outlandish; the profound and the jejune; the profane and the sacred, just anything and everything as long as it provides new and experimental contexts.

Read my summation as asserted last year: “Inevitably, Mark is on the occasion of his natal day a captive of this obligatory enterprise, which many crave and which many others loathe. There is always the existential fear about the possible boomerang effects or unintended consequences of media exposures. The fear is real and grisly. Yet, it could be salutary, somewhat, for introspective self-assessment of how well one has fared whether rightly or wrongly in the eyes of the community and in the realm of public perception, especially for those in public offices and those who have taken their places in the pantheon of all-time greats, who must, in any case, be taken through the critical appraisal indices. It is in this context that the essential David Mark cannot escape essential consideration.”

Mark means different things to different people. To some, he remains a gentleman officer even in retirement; to others, he is an astute politician and strategist with a rare legerdemain; some more see him as a benefactor with capacity for cornucopian eleemosynary acts while some relate to his persona as a passionate golfer. Those are not all to the varied perspectives. To boot, some see him as a great aficionado of the Catholic faith, while others see the part of him that warmly embraces tradition. They validate this with his acceptance of the traditional title of Okpokpowulu K’Idoma (transliterated as the leader of war or the bulldozer of Idoma) from the Och’Idoma IV of Idomaland, in 2009 or thereabout, in recognition of his numerous contributions to the development of Idoma land.

Read what I penned last year on his 75th birthday: “Permit me to, at this intersection, reflect a simple event and/or an encounter that continues to define my perspective of this influential politician, a man whose entirety evokes, at once, multiple perspectives by admirers and traducers alike. I could have adapted the summative one-liner of the French philosopher, Rene Descartes’ ‘cogito ergo sum’ meaning ‘I think therefore I am’ when he was asked who man is, to answer the question as to who David Mark is.

“I am consensus ad idem with the adumbrated characterizations supra as much as I am on all fours with those elucidated infra. I could settle for one of the perspectives in a quick riposte. But on the occasion of his 75th birthday, there is nothing more to hold back excepting if one decides to do just that.

“Therefore, to answer the question, I would say that Mark is a fitting exemplifier or embodiment of all the perspectives here and elsewhere, which makes his exemplar quite remarkable. Given my significant encounter with him, he is simply quintessential! I take the opportunity of his birthday, just as I had done in the past, to celebrate a man who chose, at a critical intersection in my coverage of the Senate as THISDAY politics editor in Abuja, to bring me close to him by force of appreciation of my “intellectual capital”.

“My reportage of the politicking for the race for the senate presidency in 2007 had been misconstrued as opposition to Mark’s senate presidency and that disposition had preponderated ‘reportorial interactions’ with his media office until 2009 when Mark turned 61. The then Deputy Editor of THISDAY on Sunday, Mr Collins Edomaruse, had asked me to do a tribute on him (Mark) about the close of production on Friday night, which I did under 40 minutes.

“I did not even take time to proofread the piece for errors. I pressed the ‘send’ key on my computer. It was after the piece entitled: “Pomp, as Mark Turns 61 in the Saddle” was published in The Gavel-to-Gavel page that I read through and felt I had done a pretty good job. I later realised I had done a magnum opus on Mark when the then deputy minority leader, Senator Mohammed Mana from Adamawa state, called to commend me for what he called “a beautiful and brilliant piece.”

“I had to go back to read through myself. By Thursday of that week, I got a message through an AIT cameraman that the senate president said he would like to see me. I went to see him in the office in company with his Chief of Staff and his Special Adviser Media. Mark said to me that he read through my piece and decided to call to commend me for it.

“It was a particularly fulfilling encounter for me. His words were soothing. If I remember vividly, he said: ‘You are a brilliant writer. You are not like some journalists who write sentences without verbs. I read you always in THISDAY and I agree with many of the issues you have interrogated except for one or two, which we will discuss later.’ We never got to discuss them, though.

“That was how we struck a relationship that has endured so far. When I was redeployed by THISDAY from Senate to assume a new position as State House Bureau Chief, I had the privilege of being hosted to a dinner at the Apo Mansion, the official residence of the senate president. Since then, he has not broken the line of communication between us. Given my kind of person, who does not like causing irritations to my influential friends (and, so in trying to keep fidelity to that attitude, I maintain minimal, dignifying contacts with them). Therefore, any time I decide to get in touch, he always jokingly charges me with having ‘abandoned’ him.

“That, for me, is the essence of the intercourse between greatness and humility. Mark is a great man. He is also a humble man, regardless of his visage and poise, contoured by his disciplined military background, which tend to be misconstrued for meanness and arrogance. Regardless, Mark remains one of the most influential politicians around. He has earned that badge for which history will not forget him, and posterity will judge him positively. This remains my verdict. It is a message of reappraisal of my perceptions and perspectives of who he is in his life and times…. The verdict is constant, consistent with the previous acts.

As I did last year, I round off with Edward J. Stieglitz, an author and doctor, who once rationalized thus: “And in the end, it is not the years in your life that count; it is the life in your years.” As a medical doctor, Stieglitz understands what he was talking about-having a bubbly life. But as I wish the quintessential David A.B. Mark, a great golfer, many happy returns in long life and good health, I sincerely pray that the Almighty God will continue to bless both the years in his life and the life in his years. Happy birthday, Sir!

● Mr Ojeifo is publisher of THE CONCLAVE. {ojwonderngr@yahoo.com}

News

FCTA Threatens Sanctions Against Hotels, Event Centres Hosting Illegal Groups

Published

12 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Gloria Ikibah

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By Gloria Ikibah

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned owners of hotels, event centres and other public facilities in Abuja against allowing their premises to be used by unlawful organisations, declaring that violators risk losing their land titles.

The warning was contained in a statement issued on Friday by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

According to the administration, land allocations within the FCT are meant strictly for lawful activities, stressing that authorities would no longer tolerate the use of public facilities for gatherings linked to illegal groups.

The statement read: “In view of the need to further ensure the security of lives and properties in the FCT and sustain the efforts of security agencies in this regard, usage of Event Centres, Hotels and other public buildings will now be closely monitored.

“This is aimed at ensuring that they are not used by illegal organizations for gatherings capable of disrupting the peace of the nation’s capital.”

The FCTA also directed owners and operators of such facilities to properly verify the identities and legitimacy of organisations seeking to rent their venues before approving bookings.

“Owners of these facilities are therefore urged to take cognizance of the legality of organizations seeking to use their facilities and the purpose before letting them out,” the statement added.

The administration further warned that political activities in the build-up to elections must only involve recognised party leadership approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“For instance, in this political season, owners of Event Centres and Hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept.

“Failure to comply with this directive will result to revocation of the title documents such properties,” the statement further read.

The FCTA maintained that failure to comply with the directive will attract severe consequences.

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Ebola Alert! FG flags 21 states on lockdown watch, Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Borno, others in high risk zones

Published

13 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Gloria Ikibah

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has placed several states on high Ebola preparedness alert after a fresh risk assessment classified Nigeria’s chances of importing the deadly disease as high amid regional outbreaks.

Dr Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC said this in a Thursday statement, stressing that Nigeria had not yet recorded any confirmed Ebola Virus Disease case linked to the outbreak.

He explained that the World Health Organization’s Public Health Emergency of International Concern declaration and increasing Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda required intensified surveillance and preparedness activities across Nigeria immediately.

Idris stated that the NCDC conducted a dynamic risk assessment to guide anticipatory and response measures, concluding that Nigeria faced a high Ebola importation risk because of international travel and regional population movement.

He added that uncertainty surrounding the outbreak’s magnitude and the possibility of delayed recognition were heightened because Ebola symptoms closely resembled common endemic diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever in Nigeria.

According to him, all states and the Federal Capital Territory must maintain Ebola preparedness, although readiness efforts should reflect varying importation and transmission risks identified through the NCDC’s recently developed preparedness classification system.

The agency categorised Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa as high-risk states because of international airports, porous borders, and active trade or travel routes.

Idris also identified Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia, and Bayelsa as moderate-risk states requiring sustained preparedness efforts against possible Ebola importation and transmission threats.

He said that the WHO declaration underscored the seriousness of the regional threat and highlighted the urgent need for Nigeria to strengthen preparedness measures before detecting any suspected Ebola case domestically.

The NCDC boss explained that national preparedness efforts aimed to ensure every state and the FCT could quickly detect, contain, and respond to suspected Ebola cases while protecting health workers and sustaining healthcare services.

Idris reiterated that Nigeria currently had no confirmed Ebola case linked to the outbreak but warned that increasing regional transmission significantly elevated the country’s importation risk because of population movement and extensive travel networks.

He explained that airports, seaports, porous land borders, informal crossings, trade routes, and overlapping Ebola symptoms with malaria and Lassa fever increased the likelihood of delayed recognition and possible disease spread nationally.

According to him, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda had reported 1,077 suspected Ebola cases and 247 deaths, while people aged between 14 and 45 years remained most affected.

He said the outbreak’s case fatality rate stood at 24.6 percent, while both regional and national Ebola risks remained high because of continuing transmission and the absence of approved vaccines for the outbreak sstrain.l

Idris stressed that no approved vaccines or specific treatments currently existed for Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease, making rapid public health interventions critical for containing infections and preventing widespread transmission across vulnerable communities.

He explained that outbreak control depended largely on early detection, prompt isolation of suspected and confirmed cases, strict infection prevention measures, effective contact tracing, safe burials, community engagement, and strong surveillance systems nationwide.

The NCDC Director-General disclosed that suspected Ebola cases had also been reported in India, while Canada suspended travel applications from residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan because of the outbreak situation.

He added that Uganda recently announced border closure measures, while Nigeria faced significant implications because the current Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak lacked licensed vaccines or approved targeted therapeutics for treatment and prevention.

According to him, existing Ebola vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatments primarily targeted the Zaire ebolavirus strain and should not be relied upon as effective countermeasures against the current Bundibugyo outbreak affecting neighbouring ccountries.l

Idris clarified that Ebola Virus Disease was not airborne, explaining that transmission occurred through direct contact with blood, body fluids, contaminated materials, or infected animals associated with symptomatic or deceased infected persons.

He said the Ebola incubation period ranged from two to 21 days, making recent travel and exposure history within the preceding three weeks essential when assessing any suspected infection or potential outbreak case.

According to him, early Ebola symptoms often appeared non-specific and included fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rash, hiccups, unexplained bleeding, bruising, and signs of shock.

Idris warned health workers against waiting for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in patients presenting compatible symptoms alongside relevant travel or exposure histories connected to affected countries experiencing active transmission of the vvirus.l

He added that the absence of strain-specific vaccines and approved therapeutics for Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease made early, aggressive, and optimised supportive care especially important in improving patient survival and treatment outcomes significantly.

The NCDC boss explained that clinical management should include rapid assessment, fluid and electrolyte management, glucose monitoring, treatment of malaria or bacterial co-infections, symptom control, shock management, and humane care in isolation facilities.

He disclosed that the NCDC had activated its national Emergency Operations Centre, currently operating in alert mode while coordinating preparedness activities with relevant federal and state institutions across the country to strengthen response capacity.

According to him, state governments and Commissioners for Health must ensure immediate operational readiness across public and private health systems to effectively manage any suspected Ebola case and prevent possible widespread community transmission.

Idris emphasised that preparedness measures should prioritise early detection, immediate isolation, supportive care, infection prevention and control, safe sample handling, contact tracing readiness, referral systems, workforce protection, and adequate medical countermeasures nationwide.

He urged commissioners to provide leadership for coordinated Ebola readiness efforts across their respective states and the Federal Capital Territory, assuring them of continued technical guidance and national coordination support from the NCDC.

The Director-General also requested commissioners to activate state public health coordination structures for Ebola preparedness and conduct rapid risk assessments focusing on population movement, high-density settings, and facilities receiving suspected cases.

He further advised states to engage public and private healthcare providers to ensure early suspicion, safe separation of suspected cases, immediate reporting through approved channels, and identification of functional isolation or holding facilities.

Idris stressed the importance of strengthening facility readiness for screening, infection prevention, ambulance transfers, safe sample movement, decontamination, and waste management while ensuring frontline workers received adequate protection and psychosocial support during operations.

He also urged intensified traveller monitoring and surveillance in states with airports, seaports, transport hubs, land borders, and migrant corridors while encouraging calm public communication to discourage stigma and promote verified information sharing.

The NCDC boss directed states to maintain essential health services without disruption and submit readiness updates within seventy-two hours while immediately reporting suspected cases, high-risk exposures, unusual febrile clusters, or major preparedness gaps.

(Credit: NAN)

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JUST IN: Trouble looming as North Central APC Group Wants Nat’l Chairman,Yilwada to Resign

Published

13 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Gloria Ikibah

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Trouble seems to be looming as the North-Central Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to resign within two weeks over allegations of irregularities and monetization of the party’s recently concluded primary elections.

The group accused the Yilwatda-led National Working Committee (NWC) of mishandling the State Assembly, National Assembly, governorship and presidential primaries, claiming that the process was manipulated in favour of preferred aspirants.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Forum’s National Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the group alleged that results were altered to favour candidates loyal to party officials, while some aspirants who appeared likely to win were screened out of the contests.

According to the Forum, concerns had earlier been raised during the primaries over what it described as the “commercialization” of the exercise. It added that more than half of APC members were dissatisfied with the conduct of the elections.

The group insisted that members of the NWC should be held accountable for allegedly violating the party’s constitution and guidelines.

“We are issuing a two-week ultimatum to the national chairman to resign because of incompetence, violation of the party’s constitution, monetization of the just concluded party primaries and changing the results when it favoured those perceived as not in his camp,” the statement said.

The Forum further alleged that party officials manipulated outcomes of the primaries across the country using their positions within the party structure.

As part of its claims, the group pointed to controversies surrounding the APC presidential primary election results announced by the Chairman of the Presidential Primary Election Committee, former Senate President Pius Anyim.

Anyim had declared President Bola Tinubu winner of the presidential primary with 10,999,162 votes, while his challenger, Stanley Osifo, secured 16,503 votes.

However, the figures have since generated public debate following allegations that the numbers were inflated.

The North-Central APC Forum argued that the results did not correspond with the party’s official membership data.

“The party has eight million registered voters but when they released the result of Mr President in the presidential primary they wrote more than 10 million votes,” the statement said.

“The guidelines stated that only those that are registered are going to vote. So this means that, all over the country, what they did was selection of candidates, not election.”

The Forum also lamented that the controversies surrounding the primaries had weakened the ruling party, leading to defections by aggrieved members.

It cited the resignation of former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege from the APC after losing the Delta Central senatorial primary. Omo-Agege has since joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where he was reportedly granted a waiver to contest the election.

The group also referenced the defection of Mustapha Bala Dawaki, a former Chief of Staff to the APC national chairman, who left the party after losing the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Constituency return ticket in Kano State.

According to the Forum, Dawaki’s resignation further highlighted growing dissatisfaction within the party ranks.

The Forum warned that it would institute legal action against Yilwatda if he failed to resign before June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

“It is because of these infractions that we are asking the national chairman to resign before two weeks, or we will sue him to court,” the statement added.

The group also faulted the party leadership for allegedly deploying inexperienced officials to supervise the primaries in several states, which it said contributed to the crisis currently rocking the APC.