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The unbreakable Akpabio: Strength in the face of falsehood

Published

9 months ago

October 21, 2025

Whirlwindnews

By Eseme Eyiboh

In the grand theatre of Nigerian public life, where noise often masquerades as news and envy parades as activism, one truth remains constant: the measure of a leader’s vision is often revealed by the weight of the storms they must weather. The recent deeply personal attacks aimed at the President of the Senate, His Excellency Senator Godswill Akpabio,GCON merely affirm his impact. They are the inevitable rumblings that follow the footsteps of those who build, for greatness has always attracted turbulence. It is the familiar rhythm of leadership in a country where change unsettles those too comfortable with decay.

Every student of history understands this pattern. From Nigeria’s founding fathers to the reformers who shaped later decades, the same principle applies: the hands that build will always invite the stones of envy, even from within their own families. Senator Akpabio stands in that lineage of nation builders who have chosen the difficult path of service over applause. The attempt to malign his reputation through fabricated allegations has only refined his public image, revealing the steel beneath the smile. What was meant to be a wound has strengthened him. What was designed to divide has instead united both his family and a wider circle of admirers who see through the fog of falsehood.

To understand the hollowness of the attacks, one must return to the beginning. His character was not forged in the vanity of politics but moulded in the discipline of a God-fearing home. The Greater Akpabio Family of Ukana Ikot Ntuen, Essien Udim, nurtured in him from childhood the virtues of kindness, respect, and a strong aversion to violence. These are not borrowed principles but the moral roots of his existence. The family’s recent statement reaffirmed what the nation already knows: that Akpabio’s life has been guided by faith, integrity, and a sense of service to humanity. From son and student to Commissioner, governor, minister, and now Senate President, the same quiet strength runs through his story. His life is a continuous narrative of purpose and compassion. The caricature painted by detractors collapses under the weight of that reality.

In their carefully worded declaration, the Greater Akpabio Family condemned the actions of those spreading falsehood and reaffirmed their unity and discipline as a family bound by respect and honour. They reminded Nigerians that this was not a matter for vengeance but one of principle. The family’s message was clear and unshaken: “Any attack on Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON is an attack on us.” That single line, calm and deliberate, turned a personal smear campaign into a collective stand for truth. The family spoke not merely for kinship but for values, faith, order, and unity, that define their legacy and, by extension, the character of their most prominent son.

To be clear, the Akpabio journey is not an accident but of deliberate ascent. As Governor of Akwa Ibom State, he transformed what was once a sleepy corner of the Niger Delta into a beacon of infrastructure renewal and civic pride. As Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, he confronted decades of frustration and corruption with focus and will. As Senate President, he has brought calm, order, and renewed discipline to the National Assembly, guiding it in partnership with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards a season of national stability and reform. His leadership, measured and firm, speaks of a man who values results over rhetoric. His record is written not in slogans but in roads, hospitals, schools, and laws that continue to shape lives.

This moment, therefore, offers a mirror to Nigeria itself. On one side stands a man engaged in the difficult, often thankless business of governance. On the other, a chorus of distraction, disgruntled voices that echo not from conviction but from envy. The choice for the public is simple: to chase the noise or to stand by the substance. The family’s vote of confidence in him reflects the choice many Nigerians have already made, to side with the builders, not the breakers; the doers, not the destroyers.

In every generation, there arises a leader whose trials become their teacher. For Senator Akpabio, adversity has always been a forge, not a fetter. From his earliest days in public life, his philosophy has been constant: that strength is born of struggle and that faith, when tested, yields endurance. His calm demeanour in the face of provocation reveals a leader who understands that true authority is not loud but steady, not reactive but grounded. Without an iota of doubt, when he chooses silence over outrage, it is not a weakness. It is wisdom, the wisdom of one who knows that truth does not need to shout.

His family’s declaration carried a profound message that transcends the moment: that greatness must be protected not with bitterness but with dignity. They reminded Nigerians that their son’s patriotism and discipline have been consistent hallmarks of his life. They reaffirmed his aversion to violence, his faith in God, and his unwavering service to family, state, and nation. This statement, emerging from the heart of Ukana Ikot Ntuen, is a national affirmation of character. It symbolises what every Nigerian family should aspire to: unity, discipline, and the courage to stand for what is right even when malice roams free.

The question is never whether a leader will face adversity. It is always a question of when. Adversity, for the true leader, is a refining fire. It purifies, clarifies, and dignifies. Senator Akpabio’s life embodies this truth. He has faced storms before, political intrigues, false accusations, and bitter envy, and each time, he has emerged stronger. The same grace that carried him through those trials sustains him now. Like fine steel shaped by fire, his spirit grows only more resolute.

As Nigeria navigates its own complex season of renewal under President Tinubu, leaders like Akpabio stand as pillars of steadiness. His focus on legislative order, national cohesion, and collaboration between the arms of government reflects his understanding that progress is built, not decreed. He represents the quiet strength of leadership that seeks to heal rather than divide, to build rather than destroy.

So let the noise rage, as it surely will. In the end, it will recede like waves retreating from a rock they could not erode. What will remain is the enduring image of a man who met adversity with calm, who answered malice with composure, and who transformed personal attack into public inspiration. His faith in God, his loyalty to family, and his belief in Nigeria’s promise remain unbroken.

There is no doubt whatsoever that history will not remember the noise. It will remember the work. It will recall the man who stood firm when others faltered, who faced fire, and emerged refined. In that enduring record of service and courage, Senator Godswill Akpabio will stand not as a man untested, but as one proven by the very trials that sought to break him. His leadership endures because it is rooted in conviction, tempered by faith, and guided by an unshakeable belief in the better angels of our nation’s destiny.

• Rt Hon Eseme Eyiboh

Special Adviser, Media/Publicity and Official Spokesperson to the President of the Senate

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‎BREAKING: Terrorists strikes another school! *Kidnap principal, students, NECO official!

Published

17 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Whirlwindnews

The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.

Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.

‎Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.

Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.

Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

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Trump shelves 20 per cent fee for ships on Strait of Hormuz

Published

17 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.

Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.

Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.

In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”

Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”

The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.

Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.

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Fake office: How police pulled out Adeyemi, PFIPC boss from hiding!

Published

17 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.

However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).

His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.

The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”

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