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Kogi is an evil forest, I’m the messiah that will cleanse it – Dino
How could a government wake up and sack 120 professors in one day? But this was what we saw. Yahaya Bello, the current Kogi State government myopically and porously sacked 120 professors and lecturers at the Kogi State University. These are people who became professors in Nigerian first-generation universities.
This was one of the issues raised by Dino Malaye, Senator formerly representing Kogi West at the National Assembly, now governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 11 governorship election in the state, with which he painted what he described as the sordid picture unleashed in the state in the last seven years, by the government of Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress.
Dino, who described the state as an evil forest, vowed to begin its cleansing rites immediately he takes over next year as the new governor, vowing not only to restore it to its old glory, but surpass the dreams of the founding father, by tapping into the huge potentials in human and material resources.
Vowing to chase away the evil that had been plaguing the state over the years of the APC, the Senator, himself a founding member of the ruling party, both in the state and at the national level, while stressing that outside Ekiti, Kogi was next in the concentration of the highest number of academic professors in the country, stated that he would tap their knowledge in the development of the state.
A guest on Prime Time, an evening current affairs programme on Arise News, Dino, said: “Kogi State is like an evil forest that needs instantaneous redevelopment and needs a messiah. I’ll be instrumental in ameliorating the pains of those living in the state. Things have never been this bad in the history of Kogi. The state is now more divided than at any other time in the state’s history. I have never heard of the Igala, Okun, or Ebira agenda. All these, I am assuring you, will come to an end.
“Since the All Progressives Congress came into power in the state, they have completely polarised and divided the people, and there is serious disunity. Part of the PDP’s agenda is to first reunite the state. That is why our campaign slogan isOne Kogi, One Destiny. The satanic manifestation of the APC in Kogi State is legendary. A few days ago, the governor announced the upgrade of 300 traditional rulers. This is a manifestation of panic.”
Though he claimed he would never involve himself or the party in any form of violence or thuggry, which he said, had become the hallmark of the APC, he however assured the people of Kogi that the type of violence witnessed in the state in the 2019 election that gave Bello a second tenure would never repeat.
“This time, no matter what the APC is trying to do, the PDP will defend its vote, stand by our people, and defend our people. We will not allow what happened in 2019 to repeat itself. In 2019, a woman was burned alive. My nephew was shot dead within the perimeters of my compound. Eleven people were murdered on the day of my election, and a helicopter was spraying bullets from the sky on innocent people.
“The PDP is a peaceful party, and I am a peaceful man. I don’t believe in thuggery or violence, but we will defend ourselves. Tension has been part of the lives of the Kogi people since the APC came into power seven years ago. I have survived four assassination attempts; I have had 12 court cases of FG vs Dino Melaye, and I have been attacked severally. It is not new, as it is in the DNA of the APC to be violent.”
Regarding the interest that kept pushing him into the search for political offices despite these said ordeals, he said it had to do with the desire to serve the people, but maintained that because he had the protection of God, he believed no man could harm him and therefore not perturbed.
His words: “I keep coming back not because of a political ambition but because I have a big God who is always there for me. There is nothing man can do to me. Kogi is the only state where a level 16 officer is paid N16–20,000 and we cannot allow that to happen. We have to come out and defend the people. We are trying to rebuild what the APC has ruined.
I plan to bring change to the Kogi people because today we have a government without governance. The people are living in fear, and we need to restore their confidence in governance. We will do that by treating every Kogite like a customer, and as we know, the customer is always right and treated with respect, dignity, and decorum. We’ll fight insecurity and tame those who are responsible for violence in the state.
“There are no functioning primary schools in Kogi State. There are no teachers. Local government workers have not been paid, and those that are paid are paid 25 per cent of their salaries. “We launched a website just days ago, www.senatordinomelaye.org, where you will see ‘JUSTICE FOR KOGI WORKERS’, and we have requested that every worker that has been sacked visit the website and fill out the form.”
“In just a few days, over 300 people have visited the website and lodged complaints. I hope to reabsorb them back into their places of work, as they were vindictively dismissed in the first instance. The PDP will improve the IGR of Kogi State without taxing poverty. We have over two dozen mineral resources of commercial quality in Kogi, and only limestone has been tapped. We will make sure there is exploration of those mineral resources to the advantage of the state.
“I want to assure you that Dino Melaye is a global citizen. I have the contacts to make sure that we develop the facilities that will promote the marine movement. We have more than enough to drive tourism to our state.”
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Why Prominent Individuals Pay Premium for Online Credibility in the Digital Age – Ayobami Eruobami
As the global economy becomes increasingly digital, Eruobami Ayobami, Chairman of Erumedia Group & Charity Trust who also doubled as the founder of Pressford , has shared a bold perspective on the rising demand for online credibility and why individuals are now investing significantly to build it.
In a world dominated by platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, first impressions are no longer made in rooms but on screens.
“Credibility today is no longer something people wait to discover about you. It is something they search for instantly,” Ayobami stated. “If your digital presence does not validate your value, you are already at a disadvantage.”
This shift has transformed credibility into a high value digital asset one that professionals, founders, and public figures are now actively building through media exposure, strategic storytelling, and search visibility.
Erumedia Group: Building the Narrative Behind Credibility
As a Public Relations, communications and media company, www.erumediagroup.com focuses on shaping the foundation of credibility helping individuals and organizations define, structure, and communicate their stories with clarity and authority.
“Before visibility comes narrative. Many people struggle not because they lack value, but because they lack structured positioning,” Ayobami explained. “At Erumedia Group, we help clients refine their voice, their message, and the way they are perceived before they ever go public.”
Through brand development, storytelling strategy, and reputation positioning, the company ensures that credibility is not just visible but meaningful and consistent.
Pressford: Distributing Credibility at Scale
While narrative builds the core, Pressford plays a different role amplification.
As a press release distribution and digital PR platform, Pressford enables individuals and organizations to translate their credibility into verifiable public presence across media channels.
“Pressford exists because credibility must not only be built it must be seen, indexed, and validated publicly,” Ayobami said. “It gives individuals the infrastructure to show up in search results, in news mentions, and in conversations that matter.”
By making media visibility more accessible, Pressford addresses one of the biggest gaps in the digital credibility cycle: discoverability.
The Business of Being Seen
Ayobami notes that the increasing willingness to pay for credibility is not driven by vanity, but by necessity.
“Opportunities today are often given to those who appear prepared, visible, and validated. The market responds to perception before it investigates performance,” he stated.
However, he also warns against mistaking visibility for substance.
“If credibility is only built on aesthetics without real value behind it, it will fail. The goal is not to look credible it is to be credible and ensure that credibility is visible.”
A Shift That Cannot Be Ignored
As digital ecosystems continue to shape human interaction and business decisions, Ayobami believes the importance of intentional credibility building will only grow stronger.
“The future belongs to individuals who understand that credibility is not accidental. It is designed, positioned, and distributed,” he concluded.
Eruobami Ayobami is a Professional Public Relations Executive, Media Entrepreneur, Personal Brandinf Expert and communications strategist.
He Chairs Erumedia Group and Charity Trust and Founded Pressford. His work focuses on helping individuals and organizations build, structure, and amplify their digital credibility.
From Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former President, came a mild rebuke to Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, who in assessing the quality of his six-year tenure as Nigerian leader, all but dismissed him as “inexperienced.”
Atiku, a guest of Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, last week, told his host that Jonathan was inexperienced, saying his tenure was marked by notable missteps.
“I know Goodluck Jonathan very well. He is a decent young man, but also inexperienced, and I believe that contributed to his inability to manage the affairs of the country, particularly when he was faced with challenges,” Atiku, currently chasing the number one job the former President exited in 2015 for the seventh time, said.
But in a measured riposte at the 2025 Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria awards ceremony in Abuja on Monday, Jonathan, while acknowledging that he must have made some mistakes, argued that errors were inevitably with human beings as only God could be perfect,
Reacting to Atiku’s remarks, he told his audience: “So not too long ago, a very senior politician said, ‘Oh, Jonathan was too young and probably that’s why he made mistakes.’
“If I made mistakes, yes, nobody who becomes a governor or a president will say you did not make mistakes. Even when you promote yourself to the level of a god, you become a deity.
“All human beings must make mistakes. I became president in 2010 at the age of 53. I left in 2015 at the age of 58, and they say I was too young. Must it have been 100 years before I ran the affairs of the state?
“I’m talking to diplomats, so I can say that during my period, I knew what I did for us to appear in the UN Security Council two times… If I were so naive, I don’t think I would have been able to navigate through that process.”
Jonathan also spoke on regional affairs, warning that political instability remains a major obstacle to economic growth across West Africa. He stressed that without stable governance systems, meaningful development in the sub-region would remain elusive.
“We cannot progress economically if we are very unstable societies politically,” he said.
Jonathan noted that while the founders of ECOWAS envisioned strong economic cooperation, persistent political crises have hindered progress, particularly in enforcing democratic standards among member states.
“That means that ECOWAS must interfere with the internal affairs of the states, and the issue of sovereignty becomes a problem,” he said.
Jonathan urged leaders in the region to work collectively towards stability, saying, “The heads of states of ECOWAS must continue to work together and agree on concrete terms and make sure that the sub-region is politically stable.”
He added that economic integration efforts would falter without solid democratic institutions and called on Nigerian diplomats to properly document foreign policy experiences for future leaders.
Paying tribute to ECOWAS founders, including former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, Jonathan described the creation of the bloc in 1975 as a bold and necessary step toward regional unity and economic integration.
Gowon, who was also honoured at the event, recounted the origins of ECOWAS, linking its formation to post-war diplomatic engagements across West Africa.
According to him, “It was as a result of the various efforts of all Nigerians when we went through a very difficult period, and I had to go to the various countries to say thank you.”
He said discussions with regional leaders at the time led to a shared vision for broader cooperation.
“Why don’t we also think about having something that we can at least have in agreement for all of us when we are working together?” he said.
Gowon emphasised that ECOWAS was the product of collective effort rather than individual ambition, crediting government institutions and civil servants for its success.
“This would not have been possible without the support of all the staff of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development,” he stated.
He added that the recognition bestowed on him should be shared widely.
“The honour that is being done to me today should really go back to all the staff that worked so hard to make sure that this became a reality,” he said.
Also speaking, the President of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria, Joe Keshi, highlighted the importance of honouring excellence in diplomacy, noting that the awards celebrate dedication and service to Nigeria and the continent.
“Diplomacy is one profession where success is often invisible, reflected not by news coverage, but by maintained stability, prevented conflicts, cultivated partnerships,” he said.
Keshi noted that the event coincides with the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS, describing the organisation as “a bold experiment in regionalism,” and urged diplomats to adapt to evolving global challenges.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Waheed Shaibu, also praised Gowon, describing him as a symbol of national unity and visionary leadership.
He said the recognition offers a chance to reflect on a legacy “defined by visionary leadership, courage, and unwavering commitment to the unity, stability, peace, and progress” of Nigeria.
Shaibu added that Gowon’s leadership reflected “patriotism, resilience, and a profound sense of duty,” while commending ARCAN for its continued contribution to diplomatic discourse and Nigeria’s global engagement.
After months of official hiatus, the Federal Government, on Tuesday finally got on the way with the trial of those fingered in the alleged plot to oust President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through a coup, including Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum.
The move, which apart from the former Governor of Bayelsa State, came with the filing of a 13-count charge before the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the alleged plotters including Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired General in the Nigerian Army, Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired Naval Captain, Ahmed Ibrahim, a serving police inspector, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.
Sylva, whose name surfaced as one of the plotters when the news first broke and believed to be the major financier of what would have led to another military government in Nigeria after the last ended in 1999, was listed as being at large – on the run.
The charge, filed on Monday by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), accuses the defendants of offences ranging from alleged treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
The Federal Government further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others, but failed to alert authorities.
Furthermore, the defendants were also accused, according to the charge, of, while “knowing that a treasonable act was intended to be committed, did not give information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President… or a peace officer.”
They were also accused of failing to take preventive steps and “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence”.
Beyond treason, the defendants are facing terrorism-related charges of conspiracy under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as they “conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were specifically accused of attending meetings linked to the alleged plot “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The charge also accused the defendants of providing support for terrorism, alleging that they “knowingly and indirectly rendered support” to facilitate acts of terror.
The prosecution alleged deliberate suppression of intelligence, stating that the defendants “had information which would be of material assistance in preventing the commission of the act of terrorism but failed to disclose the information to the relevant agency as soon as practicable”.
Financially, several defendants were accused of handling funds linked to terrorism financing, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Bukar Kashim Goni allegedly “indirectly retained the aggregate sum of N50,000,000, which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing”, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2m from a similar source.
According to the charge, Zekeri Umoru “without going through a financial institution accepted a cash payment of the sum of N10,000,000″ and also retained an additional N8.8m suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was also accused of taking possession of “the sum of N1,000,000, being part of proceeds of terrorism financing”.
Alleged Coup Plot, Protests
After the Federal Government cancelled the parade to mark Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary on October 1, 2025, reports had claimed that the move was linked to an alleged coup attempt.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) dismissed the claims, however, saying the parade cancellation had nothing to do with the alleged coup attempt.
In January 2026, the DHQ confirmed that there was an attempt to overthrow President Tinubu.
The DHQ Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, said investigations showed some military personnel were involved in the alleged coup plot.
According to Uba, the officers have been detained and would be arraigned before military judicial panels.
Last month, families of the military officers detained over the alleged coup plot appealed to Tinubu to allow the suspects to be tried in an open court.
Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore protested alongside the detained officers’ families. They also asked for access to the alleged coup plotters.
Why Prominent Individuals Pay Premium for Online Credibility in the Digital Age – Ayobami Eruobami
Jonathan to Atiku: I don’t play God *I still achieved, though imperfect
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