THEWILL NEWSPAPER

Dayo Benjamins-Laniyi Eyes Senate

- Jonathan

chose to stand by him (Jonathan) while he and his wife were eviscerate­d on all fronts. To this end, Lamido strongly believes that Jonathan will incur God’s wrath if he still goes ahead to defect to the same party that made his tenure as president, hell. While the remaining three have not exactly voiced out their opinion like Lamido, the mere fact that they openly did everything within their power to prevent Jonathan from emerging president in 2010, speaks volumes today. At the height of late President Musa Yar’adua’s administra­tion, during the period of his prolonged absence due to ill health, a strong movement emerged to prevent him (Jonathan) from taking over as president in line with the constituti­on. The movement was spearheade­d by Saraki when he was the governor of Kwara State and the leader of the Governors’ Forum.

Saraki’s current presidenti­al ambition actually began in 2008/2009, when he nursed the idea to rule the country in the event of Yar’adua’s demise. Joined by Ibori who positioned himself as a powerful political player in the Yar’adua administra­tion and possibly Saraki's would-be vice, they both recruited Oshiomhole who was promised the presidency in 2014 after Saraki must have completed his tenure as president. The ambitious group grew with Saraki convenient­ly and coyly showing enormous solidarity with the Yar’adua family as a staunch loyalist. Unfortunat­ely, Hajia Turai, the then former first lady could see through Saraki and knew that he wasn’t only dishonest but his phantom loyalty was for his own selfish interest.

The intensity of the lobbying assumed such a frightenin­g dimension that it forced the National Assembly to agree to allow the ailing president to remain in Saudi Arabia or any foreign country of his choice for as long as he wishes, while nursing his health, without losing his job. Undeterred, Saraki went on a wild goose chase to Saudi Arabia in search of Yar’Adua to further his cause, while Ibori remained in Nigeria to hold forte by coordinati­ng with a few politician­s to mount resistance against Jonathan’s ‘plot’ to take over power. But as they say, man proposes, God disposes. Their plans never came to fruition. Jonathan became president against their wish. 13 years later, Saraki is still trying to be president. Oshiomhole not only has the appellatio­n of ousted chairman of APC, he now wants to be president. A tall ambition you might say. Ibori on his part spent time in jail for appropriat­ing the wealth of Delta State to himself, returned to

Nigeria and is currently fighting to retain political relevance in Delta State. Will Jonathan damn the consequenc­es, defect to the APC and run again for president? We all wait with bated breath.

Compere extra ordinaire, Dayo Benjamins-Laniyi, has declared her interest to represent the members of the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate come 2023. The 57-year-old preacher who likes to refer to herself as a ‘Voice’ has already picked the nomination/ expression of interest form and is hoping to fulfill her ambition on the platform of the ruling All Progressiv­es Congress. Dayo who said she is in

The lotteries and gaming business seems to be the ‘new oil’ in Lagos at least, as most businessme­n have found it to be a profitable venture and are now investing heavily into it. About two weeks ago, Bamidele Onalaja of the Senate race to win, disclosed that her major reason for nursing her Senate ambition is to include the actualisat­ion of the national motto: Unity, Justice, Peace and Progress, as represente­d by the multidimen­sional classifica­tion of the FCT, insisting that she would not only be representi­ng the FCT in the 10th Senate, but the entire country. Among other things, she promised to meet the sociopolit­ical needs of the FCT, to redefine the indigene/non-indigene dichotomy and to foster unity among all the different segments making up the Nigerian nation. Dayo who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of the Doxa Digital Communicat­ions and Events Management outfit, is a serial entreprene­ur with vast experience in interventi­onal advocacy through her media outreaches and community mobilisati­on.

Revolution Plus Properties Limited added it to his long line of business concerns and even attended the ICE London for some networking alongside officials of Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority led by Funmilola Olotu, the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Lotteries and Gaming. ICE London is a global network of gaming profession­als looking to source products or service solutions in the gaming industry.

The latest entrant to this ‘new oil’ is Sijibomi Ogundele, the acclaimed king of luxury real estate entreprene­ur and promoter of the Sujimoto brand. Via his recently launched HomeWin, Sujimoto claims he wants to alleviate the deep-rooted poverty in the country where with just N500, anybody can play their way into fortune and win over a hundred million naira in 100 days, as well as a house worth over 50 million naira. Hopefully, his aspiration­s for his new business venture are met in the same manner as his hopes and high expectatio­ns for his Lucrezia de Medici, a 14-floor luxury building he has been erecting for the past three years.

 ?? ?? Ogundele
Ogundele
 ?? ?? Benjamins-Laniyi
Benjamins-Laniyi

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