By Sunny Igboanugo

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King

On the evening of Thursday, October 2, 2025, I was one of the scores of faces at the Lagos Continental (LC) arguably one of the most prestigious hotels in Nigeria today – an imposing sightful structure somewhere on Kofo Abayomi Street in Victoria Island in the nation’s commercial city. By the way, it is advetrtised as the tallest hotel in the whole of Africa.

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I nearly cursed my ill-luck for being in Lagos at the time, because outside Lagos, I would have had a more cogent and verifiable reason not to attend the event. When my boss forwarded the invite to me on WhatsApp, I had paid little heed to it, knowing it was not a place for me.

But then, my boss informed me later that I was going to accompany him. That was when, as the Americans would say – the nickel dropped! All attempts to hedge and dodge on the matter, were conveniently dismissed. I had hoped the – strictly black-tie event, also inscribed on the card, which sounded more like a warning than information – was going to be a convenient excuse. But it wasn’t.

“Then go get them. They’re in the market.” That was my boss, when I complained that I wore suits and ties last some 20 years ago and that my wardrobe had warned me that they were now an anathema and no longer welcome within its bowel.

I had actually read an interview, where the late Prof. Chukwuemeka Ike, famous academic and later monarch of Ndikelionwu community in Anambra had once warned that even at death someone put a tie on him, he would wake up and strangulate the person with it.

I shared the sentiments behind his position, but thank God, mine wasn’t that extreme. So, I did get one and attended the event. In the end, I was glad I did, because had the bolts and nuts, bits and pieces, odds and ends of my sentiments stopped me, I would have missed one of the greatest events I ever witnessed in my over three decades stretch in my career as a journalist.

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Yes, only a “one kain” journalist – to use the Nigerian parlance would have spent such a long period on the job and still be too fascinated about dinners, banquets, luncheons. For me, they hold no special place, especially those involving crossing seven wildernesses and seven seas to attend, such as driving in the drudgery and tortuous Lagos traffic to do so, more especially late at night.

Not only have I attended tonnes of them – at the instances of government houses, political organisations, global institutions, corporate bodies, foreign embassies – and gained therefrom experiences that would last me a lifetime, but my palate has become so saturated from the diverse cousins and dishes, at each point, some tasteful, others banal that my taste bud itself is now confused. In other words, I have other ideas of killing my time.

So, trust me in giving my honest review on this one when I say it is one of the grandest I have ever experienced, if not the grandest. I can’t possibly recall a grander one. This became evident from the first step I took into the foyer of the third floor of the imposing structure, leading into the array of immaculately-attired men and women sharing drinks and having hearty conversations – of course – virtually all in black ties or something resembling it.

I would have mistaken that Thursday’s breathtaking experience for the grandeur of the ambience were it my first time here. But apart from attending several other functions within, LC was one of the preferred choices of residency for my former Minister boss, whenever we travelled to Lagos from Abuja, especially if the function had to do within Lagos Island. So, I was somewhat on a familiar ground.

This is the creation of human mind and construction of human hand, I said to myself, as I eventually sat in my corner inside the dinner hall from the cocktail arena, where I was ushered to by one of the delicate-looking but professionally nuanced ladies aiding the guests.

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Having quickly switched on to my professional garb, I began to watch the scenery continue to unfold, thenceforth, pretending to mind my business, while actually minding other people’s businesses, which is actually my business and the business of every journalist.

At The Guardian in those days, the primary injunction to reporters, was to look out for something unique – something that must have missed the eyes of other people – it was one of the elements that made it the flagship of Nigerian journalism at that time.

I took in every detail of the sequence – strung together like the delicate knitting of a weaverbird. Like the fine brushstrokes of Michelangelo’s The Sistine Chapel or Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the choreography was a complete work of art – complete in its forms and ideas. It was a kaleidoscope of concepts and colours.

I took in the assemblage of the guests. It was not only a full rollcall of Nigeria’s high and mighty but a clear statement on the country itself in terms of how the sharp differences in its diversity could melt away and like a good seasoning, enhance the taste of the food rather than destroy it.

Even the menu presented its own allure. The literature on each food and drink, was delivered to the minutest details in specific language couched in elegant prose that presented in itself a mastery of its own art forms.

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Finding ukwa – cooked breadfruit seeds, mashed in African red cooking oil with a sprinkling of chili-pepper sauce and served with a choice of dried fish sauced in native spices – my own words since I couldn’t remember how it was captured – among this list, was heavenly. I could give a finger for this unique Igbo delicacy.

Then came the entry of Benedith Orama, the man of the moment. It was decked in its own unique fanfare obviously directed at interpreting his persona. The well-choreographed theatre, bespoke of not only originality, but itself a study in pure creative skill. With all eyes turning to the entrance, at the sounding of the opi, the picturesque characterisation showcased a man who despite conquering at the global environment, had not lost touch with home.

Opi, an Igbo trumpet accompanies only great men – not only titled men, but great achievers. In tow were the masquerades – the Atumma – elegance and beauty, the Okwomma or Mgbadike for energy and valour and of course the old, fearsome one for wisdom and authority – depicting Orama’s diverse but complete identity as a man of many parts.

Put together by Fidelity Bank, Plc, the event, titled: Celebration of a Titan, was a way of honouring the erudite scholar, author and Professor of International Trade and Finance, as he bows out as President and Chairman of Board of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), where he had served since 2015.

Summing up the entire package, left me with little imagination on why the bank maintains a prime position at the top level of Nigeria’s financial industry over the years despite all odds. I was not the more surprised that the person that curated the scenic choreography is the same Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, whose transformational identity has attracted immense celebration locally and international.

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Such flawless, pin-drop efficiency, as was on display on Thursday, could only be achieved by someone not only with eyes for the minutest details but with the ability, capacity and authority to employ such attributes to create things beyond the average.

As she mounted the podium to speak, I quickly ran a further check to update my knowledge about her stint in the bank and discovered that virtually everything about her were in superlatives. Lawyer, administrator with PhD honoris causa in Business Administration from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) – The Banker of the Year 2022 –-Best Banking CEO Nigeria 2023 – Top 25 CEOs in Nigeria, etc., it was quite a mouthful.

But beyond this tall profile on paper I could decipher the more distinct and compelling attributes that only well-trained eyes for details could fathom. Even hidden behind the glittering allure – beauty, elegance, ornamental wardrobe – that accentuated her femineity as she stood there on the podium to welcome her guests, they still stood out – intelligence, power and authority – elements that when nailed together with education and long-term experiences are bound to create the strong platform for the erection of the formidable edifice that Fidelity Bank has become under her watch.

That the institution was among the first to meet the new capitalisation threshold – just few months after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced the new policy, might just as well be attributed to the visible display of grit, passion, focus and competence.

Quietly taking everything in from my vintage position at my table and gobbling down every aspect of the event including the classical choral performances, poetry renditions, and sizzling displays by the legendary Theresa Onuora of Egedege Dance Group and Flavour, Nigeria’s celebrated singer and performer, I began to surf through the history of powerful women across the globe to ascertain in which genre the top banker could fit in perfectly.

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Margret Thatcher of Britain, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the Myanmar politician and leader, Angela Merkel, former German Chancellor, our own Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia. Though great women of history none fitted into the character I was looking for.

Then it hit me! Madelein Albright – first United States female Secretary of States. Sweeping through the assemblage with my eyes, many of the characterisation in “Madam Secretary” – where the iconic US top diplomat told her own story in that highly-acclaimed autobiography came to the fore and began to play out before me like a reel from the cinema tape.

Only the mental acuity, rare intelligence, power of influence and the ability to harness and manage both human and material resources, with which Albright held together the Bill Clinton administration, making it one of the most memorable in recent US history, could gather the quality of individuals, create the ambience to capture and sustain their interests far into the night and ultimately lead to such loud applause at curtain-fall on that Thursday.

Now, as I sat, capturing all the moments, a thought also flickered through my mind. I began to imagine this iconic banker and achiever in the garb of a governor – particularly that of my state – Anambra,. Certainly, her type is the best advertisement anyone could make for women in power. Hers could achieve more results than just wordy advocacy and even legislation.

I won’t be surprised to hear that one United Nations agency or global institution has head-hunted and taken her away from our clime to a place where her talent would not only blossom, but where it would be best appreciated.

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But before that happens, it would be my remit to use every opportunity to inform her that whenever her stint ends on this her present job, some of us will be waiting with a greater assignment back home, to her birth place.

Don’t be surprised. The next time you see yours truly, it might be in the streets protesting and mobilising in lieu of this project. For such a project, I could swim across the River Niger without life jacket to make it happen.

Leg crossed, sipping my drinks contentedly and waiting to call the party sometime in future, it will be more appropriate to say: Take a bow, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, our own Madelein Albright – not the US Madam Secretary – but Nigerian Madam Banker! Take a bow, Achalugo, Ugobeze, Nwa-afo amuchara amucha. Take a bow, Adadioramma!

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By Sunny Igboanugo

She writhed and riggled as she struggled to change her position. The pain was obvious in that effort. She tried to speak, but no words came out. She could only gesticulate, pointing to her mouth, which appeared to have been worked on. A kind of surgery must have been performed probably by some maxillo-facial surgeons from visible evidence.

Then, her minders rushed to her attention in attempts to interpret her action. They must done this a thousand times and more in the tons of similar cases they must have handled given their actions. In this case, they must have done so many other times. “She cannot speak for now,” the lead consultant in charge, intervened. His own pains were equally obvious, even with the mesh of professionalism covering his entire conduct.

This was the scene at the Trauma Centre of the Nnewi Teaching Hospital, one of the centres of excellence for medical cases in the South East. Date was Thursday, September 11, 2025. Helen Anoyochukwu Nwoye, was one of the victims of the mid-day shooting at the Emeka Offo Plaza, a bustling market mostly for telecommunication components and accessories, located at Bright Street, inside the popular Onitsha Main Market.

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Two days earlier, on Tuesday September 9, men of the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, otherwise known as Ocha Brigade, had stormed the market where they unleashed mayhem, leaving in their gory escapades sorrow, tears and blood. At the end of the deadly operation, five people were reportedly mowed down in a hail of bullets. The eerie incident was said to have resulted from an altercations between the operatives and the traders over the display of their wares.

Nwoye, was among the “lucky” victims of the shooting, given that she still has her life with her, though her health was obviously badly affected. There was no way for ascertaining from her the details of her own account given the state of her condition except for what is already in the public domain, but it was clear that she might never be the same again from the impact of that deadly episode.

Beside her also lay Chionye Okwukwechi, a middle-aged man, another of the victims. Like Nwoye, he was also clearly in pain. Again, there was also no way of determining his own details, particularly what he was doing at the point when calamity struck and how he was able to cheat death, as he struggled to sleep, apparently to mitigate his own ordeal.

For John Chuma Nwosu, governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who came calling, it was a day to be with the victims, physically, psychologically, spiritually and emotionally, sharing their pains and sorrow. Beyond the financial succour he advanced to the victims and other patients at the hospital, he made a solemn vow – this will never happen in a state under my care!

Consoling the families of the victims, he expressed confidence that their wards would recover fully to the glory of God, adding that as a staunch Catholic, he had absolute trust that with the intercession of Mother Mary they would get the healing which they had come to seek in the hospital.

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“I can assure you that nothing will happen to them. You have already put your confidence in God. All of us that are here, we’re going to put you in our prayers. We say, ndo nu! Take heart, for all will be well. My name is John Chuma Nwosu. The meaning of Chuma is God Knows Everything. God knows we’re going to be here today,” Nwosu, who also doled out financial largesse to another victim – a spinal cord injury patient after praying for his recovery.

From every evidence, it was clear that Nwosu was so hit with the impact of what he saw in the hospital that it formed the core of his message throughout the day’s activities, which took him to the Abba Market in Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state and during his visit to Igwe Robert Eze (Okofia v1) of Ukpo in the same local government, where he strengthened his vow that his government would do things differently.

At the palace of the Anambra foremost monarch, where he apologised for coming late, he had explained the reason for doing so as occasioned by his decision to visit the hospital first to commiserate with the victims of the shooting, which he said was a clear evidence of the bad governance in the state.

“I’m a man known for keeping time and never be late to scheduled occasions. But I had to rush to see our people, who were shot at Bright Street, Onitsha two days ago. Please accept my apologies. I’ve heard your admonitions in your prayers, where you told us to emulate the records of Nnamdi Azikiwe and M.I. Okpara. I hereby promise that we’re not only going to do that, we’ll even attempt to do more.

“This is what are contained in our seven-point agenda captured as SHEEEMS – where S stands for Security, H stands for Health, first E stands for Education, second E stands for Economy, and third E stands for Environments, while M stands for Markets and S stands for Social Welfare. Igwe regarding our social welfare – you know that science tells us that once a man gets to 50 years, he should go and check himself for such conditions like prostrate problems or anything. But you’ll be surprised that in the entire Anambra, there is nowhere you have a cancer diagnostic centre. None.

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“That of UNTH has packed up. So, what happens is that people now resort to going to Lagos for diagnosis. Either you go to the Duchess Hospital in Ikeja or Luth. But in Anambra State, in fact, the entire Eastern Region, there is no single cancer diagnostic centre.

“In that of Security, our governor has stayed for three years with Anambra suffering the worst form of insecurity for that period. In January this year, he went and brought people who cover their faces that nobody could identify or know where they came from. They cover their faces because they’re not from here. Igwe, I know you’re widely-travelled. I know there’s nowhere else in Nigeria that you see men carrying gun and covering their faces in the name of security.

“A visiting white man that sees that will be traumatised and will never come back. Even in Enugu State, you don’t have such a thing. But our strategy will be different. we’re going to use the conventional security, that is the police. We’re going to provide them with further enhanced training, particularly on how to engage with civilian community. we’re going to upgrade their salaries and allowances, pay them well in addition from what they get from the Federal Government.

“We’ll provide them with life-insurance benefits, so that they will throw everything in the job, knowing that if anything happens to them, their families would be provided for. These are the incentives they will need to work optimally. We will equip them with optimally also and provide them with functional equipment including brand new vehicles as opposed to the Tokumbo, which those the state government is providing now.

“Where in this world does a government buy used vehicles. How do you determine the cost of such vehicles. Government buys new vehicles not only for optimal functionality, but also accountability. You have to evaluate the value of those vehicles. When Peter Obi was in office, he was the one that gave Innocent Chukwuma, our son and brother the money to expand the INNOSON Motors factory by giving him one single order of N3billion and asking him to supply to security operatives, hospitals.

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“That’s how the companies you hear their names in Asia and other parts of the world took off. An individual doesn’t have the money to invest in such large capital-intensive concerns. You must be supported by your government. Ogun State has today opened an international cargo airport. Our brothers in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria and the world must be supported with incentives. They must be supported with such government interventions as tax incentives – five or 10 years tax-free incentives for their businesses.

“Today, since our governor came in, our people have virtually left the state – scattered all over the country. Many of those who used to do business in Onitsha have all relocated to Asaba. All these could be traced to poor or absence of insecurity that has ravaged the state. But we’re going to do things differently when we come in.

“As I told you, my name in John Chukwuma Nwosu from Odida Nnewi. I’m an ex-seminarian. I was a student of All Hallows Seminary, Onitsha. I left seminary school in 1981 after being Assistant Secretary to Cardinal Francis Arinze when he was the Archbishop of Onitsha and later Secretary to the Catholic Women Organisation. From there I went to read Computer Science at IMT and later Economics at University of Lagos.

“I own the company known as Jetlinks Limited, an ICT company of over 31 years, with offices in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Enugu, Nnewi, Ghana and Liberia. With my experience in ICT, we’ll use Artificial Intelligence-powered CCTV cameras, installed at strategic centres including our borders, back it with a strong control centre at the state capital.

“We’ll have them in the exit location around Ihiala, Onitsha Head Bridge, down to Amansea, Uga and scattered around other major cities around Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi. Thereafter, we shall advice our people to register and get their National Identity Number – NIN – I was managing the NIN database of NIMC (National Identity Management Commission) until recently. Once that is done, if you commit any crime, once the camera captures your face your identity is known immediately.

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“Igwe, what I’m saying is not political talks. It is already happening in Enugu State. Fashola achieved that in Lagos. Whoever lives in Lagos will tell you that you no longer hear shootings anyhow because people are being watched and the Operation Rapid Response is there. That is why Lagos is calm. But we’re going to even bring a stronger, more efficient and more effective model that is so airtight that nothing will escape.

“That is the way our economy must return. We must revitalise Anambra economy. If go to Asaba at the weekend, particularly Sunday night, what you see is like a carnival and like Dubai, because our governor, left security has deteriorated so much.” Igwe, this is our story. This is our promise. This is our mandate for the people.”

No doubt, to many ears, especially people from Anambra, Nwosu’s message is now like preaching to the converted. Last Sunday in Lagos, where he met with the creme of Anambra indigenes resident in the state, the question of insecurity took the centre of discussion.

Coincidentally, in another hall at the Colonades Hotel, Alfred Rewane Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, venue of the parley, House of Integrity Social Club, whose membership traverses not only was having their own gathering. It was the yearly New Yam Festival, otherwise known as Iri Ji. The implication of such a traditional ceremony being marked in Lagos, instead of the South East, adumbrated the sad picture of the Igbo story today.

In August 2024, the nation was seized with the sad news of how a group of gunmen abducted Patrick Agha Mba, Commissioner for Youth Development in Anambra State after killing his wife Chizoba. The Mbas were on their way to Abuja, the nation’s capital when they were attacked by the gunmen. Their mission was to attend the wedding of Adaora, daughter of Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State.

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The implications of that development, both in the optics and the relevance are as obvious as they are compelling. If the first family of a state by virtue of the the governor could not be comfortable enough to hold the marriage rites of their daughter – the first daughter of the state in Anambra due to insecurity, who else would?

Indeed, many had in past cried out at what considered a taboo when cultural activities, such as burials, marriages, chieftaincy rites, iri ji, amongst others were shifted to safer grounds of Lagos, Abuja and other towns. The practice was ended when the governor of Peter Obi, unleashed its arsenal against the hoodlums behind the crime and chased them out of town for the state to be declared as the safest in the country. Today the phenomenon has returned with greater intensity, with the selfsame Soludo, showing no evidence of possessing the clue to end the orgy.

Instead of finding the solution, the governor and his government, have worsened the situation by his own model of unleashing his henchmen, whose modus operandi, includes turning the guns they are supposed to use in protecting the society on the same people they were charged to protect, of which the Onitsha massacre has now become a demonstrable example. Tragedy!

Igboanugo, Director, Media and Publicity, John Chuma Nwosu Governorship Campaign Council of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

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Nigeria’s mining industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by targeted local content policies from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). These policies, showcased at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja, are now being hailed as a blueprint for industrial growth across Africa.

At the heart of the reforms is the Board’s strategic intervention in the barite value chain — a mineral critical to oil and gas drilling. Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, outlined how the agency has spent more than a decade building domestic capacity, from certifying reserves in six states to mandating exclusive procurement from local processors through the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC).

“Today, barite importation for drilling is prohibited in Nigeria,” Ogbe said. “That didn’t happen by accident. It was made possible by deliberate policy instruments, stakeholder partnerships, and enforcement frameworks.”

Represented by NCDMB’s Director of Corporate Services, Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, Ogbe said the interventions have boosted value retention, created jobs, and positioned Nigeria as a continental model for mineral-based industrialisation. Similar policies are being rolled out in the steel and pipe manufacturing sectors, including a 2022 directive requiring in-country sourcing of bare line pipes and oil tubular goods.

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The reforms are reinforced by broader industrial support programmes such as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industrial Parks (NOGAPS) and a $350 million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund managed in partnership with the Bank of Industry to scale up local manufacturing.

The clearest evidence of these reforms is visible in Nigeria’s expanding lithium and battery value chain, highlighted by the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Dele Alake. He revealed that over $800 million in mining investments were secured in 2024 alone, following a major policy shift requiring all mining licences to include local processing plans.

The Nasarawa lithium battery plant, valued at $100 million, is already up and running,” Alake said. “A $600 million lithium refinery near the Kaduna–Niger border is on the way. These facilities are anchored on one thing: local content.”

He added that government revenue from mining surged from ₦6 billion in 2023 to ₦38 billion in 2024 — a six-fold increase credited to tighter licensing, enforcement of value-addition rules, and new industrial investments.

This impact is not lost on Nigeria’s neighbours. Liberia’s Petroleum Regulatory Authority Chairman, Jake Kabakole, described Nigeria’s local content regime as a “continental model,” urging African nations to adapt its legal and institutional frameworks to unlock similar outcomes.

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The shift is not just regulatory but economic. Indigenous Nigerian firms now contribute 15% of oil production and 60% of domestic gas supply. Engineering and fabrication companies such as Dormanlong, Saipem, and Aveon Offshore are executing complex projects previously handled by foreign multinationals.

Beyond minerals and manufacturing, the NCDMB has also enforced local employment regulations through its partnership with COREN, ensuring that only certified Nigerian engineers are deployed on projects. In tandem, a customs alert system now prevents the importation of goods — such as cables, paints, and valves — that are produced locally.

“Local content is not a constraint; it is an enabler,” Ogbe said. “When deployed intentionally, it becomes a lever for self-sufficiency, industrial growth, and economic sovereignty.”

As African leaders at the summit discussed regional energy integration and industrialisation, Nigeria’s example stood out. Delegates praised the country for turning policy into measurable outcomes — from factory construction to formalised artisanal mining cooperatives and electric vehicle assembly plans.

“We are no longer exporters of raw potential,” Alake said. “We are builders of real value.”

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Also speaking at the summit, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, emphasised that local content must be measurable. He highlighted reforms under the Electricity Act 2023, which decentralised electricity governance and enabled 11 states to begin managing their own power markets. He said the government is aligning its electrification drive with local manufacturing — including clean energy projects, meter assembly, and solar component production.

“The real value of local content lies in supply chains, technical jobs, and local ownership,” Adelabu said.

From East Africa, Kenya’s Minister of Mining and Blue Economy, Hassan Ali Jobbo, offered a cautionary note. He urged African nations to define their own priorities in the minerals sector rather than simply adopting classifications imposed by others.

“Africa has talked too long about potential without decisive action,” he said. “We must decide for ourselves which minerals are critical to our future — not wait for outsiders to tell us.”

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