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2023: Kano Group raises alarm over clandestine Media attacks on Inuwa Waya
Precious ADELOLA
ABUJA-THE Kano Youth Support Group, a non-partisan assembly of young Nigerians in the commercial City, has raised the alarm over what it described as clandestine social media attacks on Mr. Inuwa Waya, a prominent indigene of the state and Managing Director of NNPC Shipping, by some people apparently threatened by his rising profile ahead of the 2023 state governorship election.
Mr. Balarebe Yakub Jeje, Chairman of KYSG in a statement made available to journalists, explained that though Waya has not indicated his interest to join the race to succeed incumbent Kano State Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, come 2023, findings indicate that some politicians riled by the bourgeoning popularity and personal goodwill of Waya among locals and elites in Kano, are taking surreptitious steps to eliminate perceived threat to their ambition via sponsorship of phantom stories in social media.
He noted that the grand plan is to intimidate, harass and totally browbeat the NNPC chieftain out of contention or reckoning as the race to 2023 draws closer.
‘’They know that Waya is a good material, they know that he has what it takes to perform based on verifiable track record in public service but they don’t want him to come close to making such contemplation to run,’’ Jeje stated.
While calling on Kano indigenes and residents to discountenance the trending phony media reports, the KYSG chairman implored politicians to desist from character assassination noting that participation in politics is a constitutionally guaranteed right which is not limited to career politicians alone or certain class of individuals.
“People must understand that the laws of defamation and character assassination put a heavy legal burden on individuals making frivolous and false accusations. The cardinal principle of law is that he who alleges must prove. Punitive and exemplary damages are remedies in court in cases of defamation,’’ the KYSG chairman stated.
An indigene of Yakasai village in Kano Municipal Local Government Area of Kano State, Waya holds an LLB from the Ahmadu Bello University, an LLM (Petroleum Law, Policy and Economics) from the University of Dundee and a Post Graduate Diploma (Management of the International Energy Industry) from the College of Petroleum Studies, Oxford, England.
Waya began his glorious public service exploits at home, working as a Legal Officer in the Kano State Ministry of Justice before joining NNPC in August 1991 as a Legal Officer, after which he worked in different capacities in the corporation and rose through the ranks by dint of hardworking. Such capacities include: Legal Officer;Law Research Unit of the Legal Department, Legal Officer: Litigation and Property Law Department, Senior Legal Officer: Corporate Law Department, Technical Assistant to the Group General Manager; Legal Division, Company Secretary/Legal Adviser; HYSON Nigeria Limited (NNPC/VITOL Joint Venture Company), Acting Executive Director; Services (HYSON), Vice President (Services); CALSON Bermuda Limited, Non-Executive Director (HYSON) – NNPC Representative in the Board of Directors of HYSON/CALSON, Technical Assistant to the Group Managing Director NNPC (He served as Technical Assistant to three Group Managing Directors of NNPC), General Manager; Tenders, Contracts Administration & Petroleum Upstream Department (TCAPUD), Acting Secretary to the Corporation/Legal Adviser and Managing Director; HYSON Nigeria Limited and President CALSON Bermuda Limited.His major areas of experience at the NNPC are: The LPG Butanazation Project, Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) Agreement of domestic refineries, Atlas Cove Optimization Project, West African Gas Pipeline Project, Agreement for the construction of NNPC Head Office and Housing Complex in Abuja, NNPC Assets Valuation Committee and NNPC Corporate Assets Boarding and Disposal Works.
While serving as Managing Director of Duke Oil Nigeria Limited (NNPC Trading Limited), Waya superintended over the transformation of the operations of NNPC products and crude oil trading Company- he ensured that these activities were done simultaneously with the consolidation of NNPC Joint Venture trading companies into one single formidable trading company doing business under the name of Duke Oil Incorporated
In order to capture the emerging market in Asia and Middle East and in line with mandate given to it by NNPC, Duke Oil under his was watch opened an office in Dubai – United Arab Emirate (UAE).
Records obtained from the published 2018 Audited Financial Statements of NNPC subsidiaries indicated that he Company is up to date in terms of payments of taxes. The turnover has considerably increased over the years and Dividends are paid to the shareholders (NNPC), as and when due. There are strong indications of better results in the yet-to-be published 2019 AFS of the company.
Currently, Inuwa Waya, is coordinating the NNPC Shipping optimization programme, that will give birth to new NNPC Shipping entity in accordance with the International Best practice. He has a number of other concurrent assignments, such holding Directorship in the following entities;
NNPC Retail Limited, Nigerian Pipeline Security Company, NIDAS Shipping Entities, NIKORMA Gas Transport Company and many other too numerous to mention. As one Energy Industry Expert puts it, ” Mr. Waya is just a genius in his own right. A reformer if you like, especially, when you looked at his remarkable achievements in the Oil and Gas industry. He is a rare breed, we have very few of them and we are delighted to have him in our midst”.
Embattled Nigerian pastor and founder of SPAC Nation, Tobi Adegboyega, has defended his opulent lifestyle, claiming it serves to inspire young people rather than flaunt wealth.
This statement comes amid a UK Immigration Upper Tribunal ruling ordering his deportation over visa violations.
Adegboyega, 44, faced accusations of overstaying his visitor visa, which expired after he arrived in the UK in 2005.
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He had applied to remain in the country on human rights grounds. The tribunal, however, ruled against him, citing his failure to regularize his status.
The pastor’s luxurious lifestyle, including designer clothing and expensive cars, was a focal point of the case.
Addressing the tribunal, Adegboyega stated that his lifestyle is fully funded by his wife, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 annually at AON.
He said, “I live with my partner, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 per year working for AON. I spend my time working for the church, for which I am unpaid. I am entirely supported by Mary. I have a first-class law degree from Nigeria, but I have ‘sacrificed’ my legal career to help those who cannot help themselves.”
Defending his appearance, Adegboyega emphasized the importance of projecting success to his young congregation.
The court noted, “For instance, people have pointed to the fact that he wears designer clothing and drives expensive cars. He was adamant that all of his personal possessions had been paid for by Mary.
“He believes it is important for him to dress the way that he does because he needs to inspire these young people – they need to understand that there are legitimate ways of making money, for instance through entrepreneurship.”
Despite the ruling, Adegboyega dismissed the deportation concerns as insignificant.
“I’m right here at home, no cause for alarm. Naturally, I will dismiss things that have to do with retrogression; every Nigerian should be proud of me. Living in the UK, a city that is well known for pulling people down, I have survived all sorts, so the matter that they are propagating is the smallest matter,” he said.
He further expressed confidence in his resilience. “No panic, I love London city, it is my city, and nobody can do anything. Of all the people of colour you know here – pastors and leaders – I have survived everything. I’m here, I am at home, nobody should panic for me.
“I succeeded well in this country despite all challenges, and I’m in the league of people you look up to. I have survived that well; nothing has changed, nothing will change,” he added.
Amid the growing controversy surrounding the detention of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi, renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Aare Afe Babalola has publicly addressed the defamation allegations leveled against Farotimi.
The legal action stems from claims made in Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, which Babalola asserts contains false and defamatory statements about him and his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co.
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In a petition dated November 19 and submitted to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, Babalola accused Farotimi of making “criminally defamatory” statements about him, his law firm, and two senior lawyers at his firm, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro.
The defamatory remarks are tied to the Supreme Court case Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
Babalola revealed that the allegations came to light when one of his lawyers purchased Farotimi’s book while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport.
After reading the book, the lawyer immediately brought its contents to Babalola’s attention.
Other members of his firm reportedly did the same, prompting the senior lawyer to take legal action.
In his petition, Babalola pointed to specific passages in Farotimi’s book that accused him of corruption and unethical conduct. The petition reads:
“I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co., and my lawyers, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro, by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, published by Dele Farotimi Publishers, in respect of Suit No. SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
“Sometime on 2/11/2024, one of our lawyers, while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport, bought a book by Dele Farotimi titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’. He read the book and immediately brought it to my attention. Many of my lawyers also bought the book and read it.”
“The defamatory statements are as follows:
- That Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgment in the service of his client.
- That Aare Afe Babalola, Olu Daramola, Olu Faro, and the law offices of Afe Babalola & Co. (Emmanuel Chambers) compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had, when they went back to the Supreme Court and got the Court to swim in the sewer of corruption and shameful self-abnegation.”
Babalola strongly denies the allegations, claiming that they are false and damaging to both his personal reputation and the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary.
Nigerian author and activist Dele Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, has surged to bestseller status on Amazon amid a legal battle with prominent lawyer and businessman, Afe Babalola.
The controversy surrounding the book has captivated public attention, driving both online and offline demand.
The book, which critiques systemic corruption in Nigeria’s judiciary and highlights alleged misconduct by key legal figures, saw modest sales following its release in July 2024.
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However, Farotimi’s arrest on Tuesday, following a petition filed by the 93-year-old Babalola, triggered a wave of public curiosity.
By Thursday evening, it had climbed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller rankings, according to checks by Vanguard. Bookstores across Nigeria also reported a significant uptick in demand.
Biztellers reports that Farotimi was detained in Lagos by armed police officers and transported to Ado Ekiti, about 300 kilometers northeast of the city, where Babalola is based.
The senior lawyer alleged that the book accused him of compromising Nigeria’s judiciary—a claim that has sparked heated debates about freedom of speech and accountability in the legal profession.
On Wednesday, Farotimi was arraigned in an Ekiti court, where the judge ordered his remand pending a bail hearing scheduled for December 10.
Farotimi’s legal team has vowed to contest the charges, framing the case as an attack on intellectual freedom.
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