Candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in the 2023  governorship election in Kogi State, Otunba Olayinka Braimoh, has said that the precarious economic situation which has resulted in the exodus of economically viable youths outside the country can only be reversed by visionary leadership. 

Citing the specific case of Kogi State, in an interview in Abuja, Braimoh noted that “We look at Kogi as one of the poorest states because the assets it has that are not converted to wealth, which is why people are dying of poverty. 

“So, changing the narrative requires having a visionary leader at the helm of affairs” He added.

He said it is the absence of visionary leadership to tap the vast resources that has pushed many to embrace the “japa” syndrome to which millions of human resources have been lost.

“Today, what are we battling with? We are battling with “japa” and so many parents today are crying deep inside of them because their children are lost forever, disconnected from their roots. They don’t want to come home and they will never come home.

Why because there’s no home to come back to because of lack of visionary leadership”
The governorship aspirant said a key embarrassing situation was the movement of Nigerian leaders to Kigali (Rwanda) for meeting.

According to him, if it’s resources are well harnessed, Kogi can run independent of Nigeria without having to depend on federal allocations. 

“So in terms of our resources, Kogi can run independently of Nigeria. I mean Kogi is bigger than Rwanda in terms of land area. Our resources are more than the resources Rwanda has. So what are we talking about? The resources we have in Kogi State is way more than the resources Rwanda has. 

“Look, Rwanda has a population of about 12.5million people. Right? Kogi has a population of about 4.5million people. So what does that suggest to you? When we’re talking about per capita, does that not mean that an average person in Kogi should be richer than an average person in Rwanda? We’re talking about visionary leadership” Braimoh noted.

He lamented that “Nigerians are going to Rwanda. Our governors went to do meeting in Kigali for God’s sake. We have Agbaja Plateau in Kogi. We have Mount Plati. All of these places not developed due to lack of visionary leadership.Now, imagine if we’re able to develop all of these things, you will have the conference right there.

We have Oni Dam, we have Oraha, we have Obangogo and several other tourist locations that can host World-class conferences because we can have conference facilities to host any events, a whole lot of these things”.

Accordingly to him, “In terms of urban development, the kind of designs that we do, the kind of layouts that we do, visionary leadership is the only thing that is required because without visionary leadership, all of these things will keep eluding us. They’ve been eluding us for long”

Hon Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum, a veteran journalist, very vibrant lawmaker in both the 8th and 9th Assembly of the HoR left no one in doubt after dissecting how corruption has roped in the good, the bad and ugly Nigerians.

Using the recent case of  a retired police officer and his wife as a point of analysis, Rima as he is fondly called by close associates opened a can of worms.

Going down memory lane using the US and other countries where corruption played very destructive roles in their political developments.

Brief intro:
A former Nigerian Policeman was denied Asylum in Canada because of the corruption associated with the Police.

Its becoming clear to all that Nigeria’s corruption isn’t just a local problem; it’s a global challenge for Nigerians; those striving for better lives,  face endless hurdles such as visa denials, job rejections, racial profiling, comparatively harsh bank scrutiny of  transactions, and lost business opportunities.

Meanwhile, honest Nigerians struggle to prove they are different from the corrupt system they left behind. In this episode of The Other Side, we expose how corruption back home is shaping the world’s perception of Nigerians—and the price we all pay.

WATCH:

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken Jude Okoye, the elder brother and former manager of the defunct music duo P-Square, to court over alleged money laundering involving ₦1.38 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.59.

Jude Okoye, along with his company Northside Music Ltd, was arraigned before Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday, facing a seven-count charge related to financial crimes.

One of the charges states: “That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd, sometime in 2022 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did directly acquire a landed property known as No 5, Tony Eromosele Street, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos worth ₦850,000,000.00 (Eight hundred and fifty million naira) only, which money you knew or reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful acts, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 18 (2)(d) and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”

Another charge alleges that Jude Okoye and his company used a Bureau de Change operator to convert $1,019,762.87 (One million nineteen thousand, seven hundred and sixty-two dollars, eighty-seven cents) domiciled in Access Bank Plc into naira and remitted the funds into various accounts with the intent to conceal the source of the money, in violation of the Money Laundering Act.

Jude Okoye pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.

Following his plea, EFCC counsel Larry Peters Aso applied for a trial date and requested that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility pending trial.

However, defence counsel Inibehe Effiong informed the court of a pending bail application and urged the court to keep Okoye in EFCC custody until the application is heard.

The prosecution opposed the request, citing congestion in EFCC facilities and urging the court to remand him to a correctional centre instead.

Justice Owoeye subsequently adjourned the case to February 28 for a bail hearing and fixed April 14 for trial commencement.

The judge also ordered that Jude Okoye be remanded at the Ikoyi correctional facility pending the determination of his bail application.