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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”.
Quincy Jones, the legendary music producer, composer, and cultural icon whose career spanned over seven decades, has passed away at the age of 91.
Jones died peacefully on Sunday night at his Bel Air home, surrounded by family, according to his publicist, Arnold Robinson.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” his family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”
Renowned for his unmatched versatility, Jones collaborated with some of the greatest musical talents of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Will Smith. He played an integral role in producing Jackson’s groundbreaking albums Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad, which catapulted the pop star to global superstardom and earned Jones worldwide acclaim.
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Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones’ journey into music began early. His childhood introduction came from a neighbor’s piano playing and his mother’s singing. After moving to Washington state following his parents’ divorce, he honed his skills in his high school band and began playing with a young Ray Charles in Seattle’s vibrant club scene.
Jones’ career took off in New York, where he played trumpet in Elvis Presley’s early TV performances and worked with bebop legends like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. By 1958, he was working with Frank Sinatra, arranging for the singer’s band at the request of Princess Grace Kelly. Their partnership flourished, spanning several projects including Sinatra’s final album LA Is My Lady in 1984.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Jones’ talents extended into film and television scores, composing music for films such as The Italian Job, In the Heat of the Night, and the acclaimed The Color Purple, for which he earned three Oscar nominations. He also scored hit TV shows including The Bill Cosby Show and Roots.
In 1985, Jones produced and co-conducted the charity anthem “We Are the World” alongside Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, raising millions for Ethiopian famine relief. Despite personal and professional challenges—including surviving a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 1974—Jones’s career continued to thrive.
Jones’ influence wasn’t limited to music. In 1990, he founded Quincy Jones Entertainment, the company behind the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith. His media ventures also included the creation of Qwest TV, an on-demand music streaming service, and the magazine Vibe, which celebrated Black music and culture.
Over his career, Jones earned 80 Grammy nominations, winning 28—making him one of the most decorated artists in the award’s history. Tributes poured in following news of his death. Actor Michael Caine, who shared Jones’ birthdate, called him “a wonderful and unique human being.” Music artists such as LL Cool J expressed gratitude, saying, “You were a father and example at a time when I truly needed one. Music would not be music without you.”
Jones is survived by his seven children, leaving behind an indelible legacy that will resonate through generations to come. His life’s work transformed music, television, and culture, proving that there truly was no limit to what Quincy Jones could accomplish.
Singer and rapper Jesse Jagz has called on Nigerians to rethink their approach to religion.
Jagz suggested that African traditional religious gods have become ineffective, attributing this to the excessive alcohol given to them during rituals, which, according to him, has made them obese, diabetic, and unable to aid their worshipers.
Speaking on the ‘Big Talk’ podcast, the rapper also criticized followers of foreign religions for relying solely on prayer and expecting miracles without putting in the necessary effort. He stressed that prayers alone cannot provide essential social services or infrastructure.
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“When you go to a shrine and you see the priest pouring gin on the gods, Google how much a bottle of gin was in slavery. 40 slaves.
“Our gods are drunk on alcohol and meat. They are obese and diabetic.
“They can’t help us do anything. Prayers do not build roads or buy books for children. We have forgotten humanity,” he said.
Renowned Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, known by his stage name Davido, has stated that he receives special treatment globally due to his celebrity status.
The Afrobeats sensation mentioned that he is frequently invited to presidential dinners in nearly every country he visits, with the exception of the United States and the United Kingdom.
In a recent interview with Kiss Fresh London, Davido confidently shared that his fanbase includes influential figures such as the World Bank president, presidents of powerful nations, and other notable personalities.
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“Every country we go to, the President invites us for dinner except London [United Kingdom] and the United States of America.
“It’s beautiful to see. I mean, leaving my country, Nigeria, and people welcoming me like the president in other countries, shows how well Nigeria is doing around the world in terms of music and cultural impacts,” he said.
Davido has expressed that he feels most respected in Africa, which is why he cherishes his African tours more than those in Europe and America, even though the latter bring him greater financial rewards.
He shared that his Jamaican collaborator, YG Marley, was astonished by the immense admiration from fans when he visited Nigeria for the video shoot of their joint hit, ‘Awuke.’
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