News
Iwuanyanwu: I’m ‘Balogun Babaguwan’ *My daughter is married to Yoruba *I’ve four Yoruba grandchildren
Elder statesman, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, on Monday flaunted his title of Balogun Babaguwan of Ibadan, other numerous titles, the marriage of one of his daughters and four grandchildren, as well as numerous business links, as proof of his robust affinity to the Yoruba people of the South West.
He did as a way of putting a lie to the twist given to the comment he made in Awka, on Saturday, where his reference to those who perpetrated the March 18 governorship election as Yoruba rascals, is being interpreted to mean that he was dragging the entire race, adding that nothing could be farther than the truth.
In a statement he personally signed, Iwuanyanwu, who spoke as the Chairman of the Elders Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Igbo socio-cultural association, explained that all he had tried to do was to calm Ndigbo, who were directly affected by the mayhem that their ordeals were not sanctioned by the Yoruba people as a group and to continue to go about their business.
The statement, read in full: “My attention has been drawn to a fake news circulating on social media completely misrepresenting the statement I made at Awka Anambra State in connection to the killings, destruction of properties and harassment of Igbo in Lagos during the recent elections. My statement was covered live by Arise Television, Channels and many other electronic and print media houses. All Nigerians of goodwill who care should get the true transcript of my statement from any of these media houses.
“I want to make it abundantly clear that at no time did I make the statement credited to me by blackmail circulating on the social media that the Yoruba are political rascals as this was fraudulently manipulated. I want to warn all perpetrators of this fake news that it is a criminal offence to circulate fake news against a peace-loving Nigerian. For the avoidance of doubt, I am a senior citizen who has meritoriously served Nigeria. “Nigeria in appreciation has also honoured me with three National Honours namely: MEMBER FEDERAL REPUBLIC (MFR), OFFICER FEDERAL REPUBLIC (OFR), and COMANDER FEDERAL REPUBLIC (CFR). In my State Imo, I have been honoured with GRAND COMMANDER STATE of IMO (GCSI). By this my name is in the hall of fame in Imo State. The Seven Igbo Speaking States namely: Rivers, Delta, Imo, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States have also honoured me with the Traditional Title of AHAEJIAGAMBA NDIGBO. I am indeed the first Igbo man to be so honoured. As a professional Engineer, I have been honoured with numerous merit Awards including institution of an annual lecture series in my name by my Colleagues in appreciation of my contributions to Engineering, Science Society and Humanity. I am the Grand Patron of many youth organisations in the Country.
“Most of my close friends who have influenced my business and professional life are from Northern and Western parts of Nigeria.
For instance, I am the Balogun Babaguwan of Ibadan land. I have also been honoured with Chieftaincy titles by numerous Yoruba Obas. I am no doubt an honorary citizen of Yoruba land. I have many personal friends and staff of my various companies including directors who are Yorubas.
“Most of them played major roles in shaping my economic destiny. I therefore do not have any reason whatsoever to insult Yoruba tribe whom I regard with great respect. What I did at the ceremony was to admonish Igbo who felt threatened by various attacks in Lagos that they have no cause to worry because there are no problems between Igbo and Yorubas. I therefore told them to stay in Lagos and go about their normal businesses. I did however mention to them that the attackers are political rascals and their action does not reflect the good relationship between Yoruba and Igbo.
“Having said this, on a personal note, I must comment as follows: I felt very sad that a Nigerian should be denied his democratic right to vote any candidate of his choice because of his tribe. What happened to the Igbo in Lagos was in the press and the Igbo are very grateful to those distinguished and well meaning Yoruba who rose up to speak against the killings, injuries and destruction of properties of Igbo in Lagos only because they voted the candidates of their choice.
“Ironically, some of the Igbo who lost their properties and who were wounded were not only members of Labour Party but that of some other political parties. This is because I am aware that most Igbo in Lagos voted for the incumbent Governor who in their opinion said the Governor did well in the past four years and deserves to be given another opportunity. Ohanaeze Ndigbo does not own any political party and we do not control any political party where our members belong.
“In effect people are free to choose, work for, and vote for any political party of their choice and that’s why Igbo are virtually in all the political parties in the Country. I don’t have any doubt in my mind that the peddlers of this fake news are part of the syndicates that brought misery and sadness to the Igbo resident in Lagos. I am appealing to the Yoruba to fish them out and know that they are portraying the Yoruba in a bad light.
“On Personal basis, one of my best daughters is married to a prominent Yoruba family in Ibadan, Oyo State. My son in Law and his wife have lived together for over 20 years. This Union has produced four adorable children. I am very proud of my son-in-law. The children of this marriage are Yoruba and not Igbo by our culture and tradition. I will not be happy if at any time any group of people discriminate against them in Yoruba land because their mother is Igbo. Over the years many Yoruba and Igbo families have intermarried. It is therefore very important to all men of goodwill to arrest the present situation which if not arrested may cause social unrest.”
“They apologised to me privately. I said they should put it on social media. They said they will not put it on social media, it will affect their credibility, because it’s not just them, but their other programmers at the Al Jazeera network too.”
These were the words of Daniel Bwala, while giving further insight into what has transpired along the line since his controversial interview with Mehdi Hasan of Al Jazeera, a global television network in March 2026, stating that the station privately apologised to him.
Bwala, who appeared on The Morayo Show, a private talk-show programme, hosted by Morayo Afolabi-Brown, a popular television presenter, however said because both Mehdi and Al Jazeera, refused to make the apology public, he was prompted him to instruct his lawyers in England to sue for defamation.
Clips on the controversial outing in which Bwala, spokesman for the campaign of Atiku Abubakar during his presidential bid in 2023, were in the public domain for several weeks after where a groundswell of commentators believed his performance was not only underwhelming, but he was outrightly disgraced.
He added: “The substance of the apology was that they should have told me that part of what they discussed with me was a talking point, that they were also going to interrogate me on my credibility for supporting the person I had attacked before.
“By their own ethics, they ought to have told me that, but they said they were sorry they didn’t. If you’re bold, if you call yourself a journalist, a fact-checker, you run your programme live and let people judge live.
“If you’re thinking straight, that’s what you’d do. You took creative control of the programme. You made a recorded programme. Ethics demanded you publish it exactly as it was recorded.”
Informing that the programme ran for one hour and 30 minutes but Al Jazeera published only 49 minutes, he accused the network of skewing the footage in Hasan’s favour, adding: “The deeper point is that they cut out the parts where I was fact-checking him and the crowd was clapping for me, and instead kept the parts where he was speaking and people were clapping for him. He’d ask me a question, I’d deny it, then he’d play the old clip. We call that ‘cut and joined’ in media. After doing that, which amounts to a smear campaign, he didn’t give me the chance to react to it.
“Instead, he let it appear that I was simply asked a question, denied it, was shown the clip, denied it again, was shown another clip, and denied it again. He removed that part, because if he’d left it in, anyone watching would understand that I had already answered the question upfront, and that my later denials were a response to his repeated bringing it up. That’s where the unethical conduct of a professional issue arose.
“When they apologised, I said no, put it on social media. They refused. So, I instructed my lawyers in England to go to court. The case is currently in court. Because my advisers in England said it’s defamation of character.”
More successes are being recorded by Nigerian forces trying to rout out terrorist in parts of the country, with emerging reports indicating that the perpetrators are currently running scared from the hot onslaughts they are getting from the operatives.
Channels Television, is quoting military authorities at the Operation Hadin kai (OPHK) conducting military blitzkrieg against the terrorists in the North East as saying that the troops received six Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), one of the major terrorist groups operating in the area, who surrendered alongside their families, at the 192 Battalion (Main) Sector 1 of the body.
Quoting a statement on Wednesday by Mohammed Goni, spokesman of the military operation, with headquarters in Maiduguri, Borno State, the report, said that among the items recovered from the terrorists and their families included a cumulative sum of more than N1.5 million, two Tecno mobile phones, and other items.
Th statement, added that troops of 115 Task Force Battalion, while conducting ongoing search and rescue operations in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, on July 7, rescued two additional abductees from a terrorist hideout, where they also recovered cash of N1.2 million suspected to be proceeds of criminal activities, food items, and other logistics believed to have supported terrorist operations.
The rescued victims have since been evacuated to a secure location where they are receiving appropriate medical care and psychosocial support, the report said, adding that during the same period, the troops noted that it contained a coordinated attack by ISWAP terrorists in Borno, and one of the soldiers was killed.
“Although the insurgents briefly exploited a section of the base’s defensive perimeter during the intense firefight, the troops rapidly regrouped, mounted a determined counter-offensive and decisively expelled the attackers, inflicting significant casualties and forcing the surviving terrorists to flee with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.
“Regrettably, one gallant soldier paid the supreme price, while two gun-trucks and some combat enablers sustained damage during the engagement. The situation at FOB Logomani remains firmly under the control of Operation HADIN KAI troops, with reinforcements deployed, exploitation operations ongoing and additional measures being implemented to further strengthen the defensive resilience of the location.”
Detailing how troops of 232 Battalion apprehended a notorious criminal in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State, the statement, said: “Follow-up exploitation of the arrest led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle, two magazines, and twenty-eight rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
“The suspect and recovered items are currently in military custody, while further investigations are underway to identify and apprehend other members of the criminal network.”
Similarly, the statement said troops of the 149 Battalion arrested two suspected terrorist logistics suppliers in the Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.
The recovered items include cash sums, a Volkswagen Golf vehicle, construction materials, household items, and other supplies suspected to have been destined for terrorist elements.
The suspects are currently undergoing interrogation, while the recovered items remain in military custody as investigations continue.
As part of ongoing offensive operations, troops of 24 Task Force Brigade, in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, conducted a clearance operation on known terrorist enclaves around Wulgo.
During the operation, the troops said they exploited the terrorists’ hasty withdrawal and recovered a sack containing assorted illicit drugs abandoned by the fleeing insurgents.
“The recovery further underscores the sustained pressure being mounted on terrorist elements, denying them freedom of movement and disrupting their operational capabilities.”
Relatedly, the troops apprehended a suspected BHT/ISWAP logistics supplier at the Molai checkpoint in possession of large quantities of medical supplies without due clearance. The suspect and items recovered are in custody for further interrogation.
Again, in Sector 2 Area of Responsibility, Troops of 233 Tank Battalion, in conjunction with local hunters, intercepted and arrested a suspected BHT/ISWAP terrorist logistics supplier from Ngirya village of Tarmuwa LGA with five motorcycle tires. The suspect and items are in military custody for investigation.
“These latest operational gains underscore the effectiveness of sustained offensive operations, actionable intelligence and the seamless collaboration among security agencies and auxiliary forces in dismantling terrorist logistics networks, disrupting criminal activities and protecting vulnerable communities across the North East”, the statement added.
Headquarters Operation HADIN KAI assured the public that ongoing search and rescue operations will continue with unwavering resolve until every abducted person is accounted for and safely reunited with their families.
“The Theatre Command also issues a stern warning to individuals involved in supplying food, fuel, construction materials, transportation or any other form of logistics to terrorist groups to immediately desist. Anyone found aiding, abetting or collaborating with terrorist elements, directly or indirectly, will be identified, apprehended and prosecuted in accordance with the law.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), in the 2027 presidential election, is insistent President Bola Tinubu has so battered the Nigerian economy that Nigerians with thriving businesses are now selling kulikuli – a local groundnut cake snack.
Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, who contested the same election in 2023, where Tinubu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told Chude Jideonwo, a popular social media programme host, while appearing in his #WithChude podcast, that the way things were going today, the President had nothing more to offer Nigeria than more misery.
Citing a situation in which Tinubu had taken Nigeria from the 87 million poor people to the current figure of 140 million in his three years of governance, Obi, said the idea of Renewed Hope the President sold the country through his All Progressives Congress (APC), indicated a total collapse of the economy and a complete mess of the system that must result in him throwing in the towel and going home to take his rest.
Hear him: “Those who jumped into Tinubu’s experimental things that this man did this or did that and is going to create a future, have seen that the whole thing has become a mess. Renewed Hope has now become Renewed Hopelessness.
“When President Tinubu came into power, 87million Nigerians were living in poverty, today it is 140million. We were number five below where we are today in hunger-list. Today, it has increased. Everything has gotten worse. We are no longer talking about ghost workers now, you can see where we’ve gotten.
“So, everything – insecurity – everything is getting worse. Which hope are they going to renew again? You can’t renew failure. So, the only thing to do now is to plead with them – there is a way you fail in school and they’ll ask you to leave the school.
“Tinubu’s supporters have joined my supporters. They have, because they’ve seen it themselves. Nobody can tell you that things are moving well. What are you going to do now? Those who had businesses – people who had businesses before he came into power – they’re now the people who’re selling kulikuli.”
-
News3 weeks agoBREAKING: Troops rescue wife of kidnapped General! *Terrorists flee scene
-
News2 weeks agoBREAKING: Court sentences Nigerien, two others to death over terrorism
-
News3 weeks agoBREAKING: Count me out, Okonkwo tells Atiku *Amaechi VP’s choice an insult to Ndigbo
-
News4 weeks agoDickson: Obi, a big asset to NDC, we’re working together … but!
-
News4 weeks agoOvia, ex-Zenith Bank boss swings into luxury apartments *Flats hit $2.8million price tag
-
News6 days agoBREAKING: EX-SSG mowed down by gunmen! *He resisted being kidnapped – driver
-
News2 weeks agoAbductors of Oyo teachers panicking, freedom coming for victims soon!
-
News3 weeks agoTwo hours after Igboho’s ‘red-eyes’ to ‘Fulani’ leaders, gunmen free kidnap victims!