CHIEF M.K.O ABIOLA

Early life

Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State.His name, Kashimawo, means "Let us wait and see". Moshood Abiola was his father's twenty-third child but the first of his father's children to survive infancy, hence the name 'Kashimawo'. It was not until he was 15 years old that he was properly named Moshood, by his parents.

MKO soon became entrepreneurial at a very young age, at the tender age of nine he started his first business selling firewood. He would wake up at dawn to go to the forest and gather firewood, which he would then cart back to town and sell before going to school, in order to support his old father and his siblings. He later founded a band at age fifteen where he would perform at various ceremonies in exchange of food. He eventually became famous enough to start demanding payment for his performances and used the money to support his family and his secondary education at the Baptist Boys High School Abeokuta, where he excelled. He was the editor of the school magazine The Trumpeter, Olusegun Obasanjo was deputy editor. At the age of 19 he joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons ostensibly because of its pan-Africanist agenda, preferring it to the Obafemi Awolowo-led Action Group's focus on economic and educational development for the Western Region of Nigeria, where the Yoruba were in the majority.

Career

In 1956 Moshood Abiola started his professional life as bank clerk with Barclays Bank plc in Ibadan, South-West Nigeria. After two years he joined the Western Region Finance Corporation as an executive accounts officer before leaving to Glasgow, Scotland to pursue his higher education. In Glasgow he received 1st class in political economy, commercial law and management accountancy. He also received a distinction from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. On his returm to Nigeria he worked as a senior accountant at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, then went onto Pfizer, before joining the ITT Corporation, where he later rose to the position of Vice President, Africa and Middle-East of the entire corporation which was head-quartered in the United States. As a result Moshood Abiola spend much of his time and made most of his money in the United States, whilst retaining the post of chairman of the corporation's Nigerian subsidiary. In addition to his duty's throughout the Middle-East and Africa, Moshood Abiola invested heavily in Nigeria and West Africa. He set up Abiola Farms, Abiola bookshops, Radio Communications Nigeria, Wonder bakeries, Concord Press, Concord Airlines, Summit oil international ltd, Africa Ocean lines, Habib Bank, Decca W.A. ltd, and Abiola football club. In addition to this he also magaged to perform his duties as Chairman of the G15 business council, President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Patron of the Kwame Nkrumah Foundation, Patron of the WEB Du Bois foundation, trustee of the Martin Luther King foundation and director of the International Press Institute.

Philanthropy


Moshood Abiola sprang to national and international prominence as a result of his philanthropic activities. The Congressional Black Caucus of the United States of America issued the following tribute to Moshood Abiola:

"Because of this man, there is both cause for hope and certainty that the agony and protests of those who suffer injustice shall give way to peace and human dignity. The children of the world shall know the great work of this extraordinary leader and his fervent mission to right wrong, to do justice, and to serve mankind. The enemies which imperil the future of generations to come: poverty, ignorance, disease, hunger, and racism have each seen effects of the valiant work of Chief Abiola. Through him and others like him, never again will freedom rest in the domain of the few. We, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus salute him this day as a hero in the global pursuit to preserve the history and the legacy of the African diaspora"

From 1972 until his death Moshood Abiola had been conferred with 197 traditional titles by 68 different communities in Nigeria, in response to the fact that his financial assistance resulted in the construction of 63 secondary schools, 121 mosques and churches, 41 libraries, 21 water projects in 24 states of Nigeria, and was grand patron to 149 societies or associations in Nigeria. In this way Abiola reached out and won admiration across the multifarious ethnic and religious divides in Nigeria. In addition to his work in Nigeria, Moshood Abiola was a dedicated supporter of the Southern African Liberation movements from the 1970's and he sponsored the campaign to win reparations for slavery and colonialism in Africa and the diaspora. Chief Abiola, personally rallied every African head of state, and every head of state in the black diaspora to ensure that Africans would speak with one voice on the issues.

Criticsms of M.K.O. Abiola

The most widely known critic of Chief Abiola, was Fela. In his twenty-five minute song "ITT" (International Thief Thief), although the song was not about Moshood Abiola, he mentioned the name of both Olusegun Obasanjo and Moshood Abiola at the very end. It is far less widely known that Fela had been signed to Moshood Abiola's record label, Decca W.A. and had a dispute over royalties with him. When Abiola asked Fela to take him to court if he felt that he had been treated unfairly, he instead opted to destroy the studio's of Decca. This may have been because Abiola's influence and Fela's unpopularity with the establishment would have made it unlikely that he received a fair trial.

Moshood Abiola is also criticised for his close relationship and support of some of Nigeria's military regimes. He is known to have supported two of the many coup d'etats in the country. He received two oil blocks from the Federal Military Government, however he did not manage to begin extracting oil from them before he died, and therefore they were never a source of his wealth. The oil blocks were revoked by General Abacha, but have since been returned to the Abiola family who are only now developing them. Some people have accused Chief Abiola of looting Nigeria, however none of them are able to explain how and when he did this, especially given the fact that he made much of his money outside of Nigeria and from his private businesses that were independent of the government.The truth is probably more subtle and may likely surround Abiola's decision to at times favor practicality over principle in his dealings with Nigeria's military governments prior to the annulment of his election.

The most serious criticsm of Moshood Abiola concerns his private life. He was a polygamist (which is not at all unusual in Nigeria)and since his death there has been much strife within his family about the distribution of his assets.

Awards and honors

Moshood Abiola was twice voted international businessman of the year, and received numerous honorary doctorates from universities all over the world. In 1987 he was bestowed with the golden key to the city of Washington D.C., and he was bestowed with awards from the NAACP and the King center in the USA, as well as the International Committee on Education for Teaching in Paris, amongst many others. In Nigeria, Abiola was made the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland. It is the highest chieftancy title in Yorubaland, and has only been conferred 14 times in the history of the Yoruba. This in effect rendered Abiola the Field Marshall of all Yorubas. According to Yoruba folklore the Aare Ona Kakanfo is expected to die a warrior, in the defense of his people.

Involvement in Politics

Abiola's involvement in politics started early on in life when he joined the NCNC at age 19. In the 1980s, he was elected as the chairman of the ruling National Party of Nigeria. However,In 1983, a military coup d'état ended civilian rule. After a decade of military rule, General Ibrahim Babanginda came under pressure to return democratic rule to Nigeria. After an aborted initial primary, Abiola stood for the presidential nomination of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and beat Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to secure the presidential nomination of the SDP ahead of the June 12th 1993 presidential elections. Abiola had managed to work his way out of poverty through hard work and symbolised the aspirations of many disenfranchised Nigerians. His commitment to the plight of ordinary Nigerians included establishing Abiola bookshops to provide affordable, locally produced textbooks in the 1980s when imported textbooks became out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians as the naira was devalued. He also made available daily necessities such as rice and soap at affordable prices in the market.

Presidential elections

Moshood Abiola's Hope '93 political manifesto

For the June 12th, 1993 presidential elections of June 12, Abiola's running mate was Baba Gana Kingibe). He overwhelmingly defeated his rival, Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention. The election was declared Nigeria's freest and fairest presidential election by national and international observers, with Abiola even winning in his Northern opponents home state. Abiola won on the national capital, Abuja, the military polling stations, and over two-third's of Nigerian states. The reason why the election was so historic, was due to the fact that men of Northern descent had largely dominated Nigeria's political landscape since independence. The fact that Moshood Abiola (a Southern Muslim) was able to secure a national mandate freely and fairly remains unprecedented in Nigeria's history. However, the election was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida, a political crisis that ensued which led to General Sani Abacha seizing power later that year.

Imprisonment

Moshood Abiola leaving a Black Maria van under heavy armed guard

In 1994 President-Elect Moshood Abiola declared himself the lawful president of Nigeria in the Epetedo area of Lagos island, an area mainly populated by impoverished Nigerians. He had recently returned from a trip to win the support of the international community for his mandate. After declaring himself president he was declared wanted and was accused of treason and arrested on the orders of military President General Sani Abacha, who sent 200 police vehicles to bring him into custody. MKO Abiola has been referred to as Nigeria's greatest statesman

Moshood Abiola was detained for four years, largely in solitary confinement with a Bible, Qu'ran, and fourteen guards as companions. During that time, Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and human rights activists from all over the world lobbied the Nigerian government for his release. The sole condition attached to the release of Chief Abiola was that he renounce his mandate, something that he refused to do, although the military government offered to compensate him and refund his extensive election expenses. For this reason Chief Abiola became extremely troubled when Kofi Annan and Emeka Anyoku reported to the world that he had agreed to renounce his mandate after they met with him to tell him that the world would not recognize a five year old election.

Death

President-Elect Abiola's wife, Kudirat, was murdered in her car in a drive-by shooting in retaliation for her dogged pursuit of the restoration of her husband's electoral mandate. After her husband was arrested she began an intimidating campaign against Abacha's government and organised the masses in support of Chief Abiola's mandate. After her brutal murder, the New York City government named a street in Manhattan (close to the Nigerian consulate) after her. Abiola's daughter, Hafsat Abiola, also became a democracy activist and founded the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy.

President-Elect Abiola died under extremely suspicious circumstances shortly after the death of General Abacha. The officer charged with his security--Assistant Superintendent for Police Theodore Bethel Zadok--testified during the Oputa Panel (Nigeria's version of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission) about the events leading to the death of Chief Abiola. At 1300 hrs he brought Abiola to Aguda House where he was to meet with a delegation from the United States, headed by Thomas Pickering and Susan Rice. Zadok was under strict orders to taste anything that Chief Abiola ate or drank before giving it to him. According to Zadok, Chief Abiola who suffered from high blood pressure and heart problems, was healthy and in high spirits before the meeting. Before the meeting Zadok was ordered away from Abiola and was unable to taste the tea provided to him by the U.S. delegation. According to Thomas Pickering, Abiola collapsed suddenly during the meeting and was pronounced dead later in the State house clinic. Testimony by Brigadier-General Ibrahim Sabo suggests that Abiola, choked, jerked and foamed before dying, in the exact same manner as General Abacha. Moshood Abiola died on the day that he was due to be released, on July 7th, 1998. Though there is little evidence to support it, some analysts allege that his death (and possibly Abacha's) was masterminded by the American CIA.[citation needed]. There is an alternate version of the events surrounding Abiola's death. Abacha's Chief Security Officer, al-Mustapha has alleged that Moshood Abiola was in fact beaten to death. al-Mustapha, who is still being detained by the Nigerian government, claims to have video and audiotapes showing how Abiola was beaten to death. The final autopsy report, which was produced by an a group of international coroners has never been publicly released. Irrespective of the exact circumstances of his death, it is clear that Chief Abiola received insufficient medical attention for his existing health conditions.

BLessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi

September 1903: A baby boy is born to Tabansi (name meaning "continue to bear evil patiently") of Igboezunu-Aguleri and his wife Ejikwevi of Nteje. This child was given the name Iwene (in full, Iwemmaduegbunam, meaning "let human malice not kill me"). He has three brothers: Ifekwunigwe ("there is strength in numbers"), Obadiegwu (later baptised as Vincent), Ekemezie (Stephen); and a sister: Obianma.
1909: Small Iwene is sent by his parents to the "Christian village" of Aguleri to live in the house of his maternal aunt and uncle (Robert Orekie).
7 January, 1912: Iwene is baptised and given the name Michael.
1913: Michael is taken to Onitsha to begin his primary education at Holy Trinity School.
1919: He obtains First School Leaving Certificate at St. Joseph's School, Aguleri. This certificate makes him eligible to teach.
1920: He begins to teach at Holy Trinity School, Onitsha.
1924: He returns to Aguleri to become the headmaster of St. Joseph's School.
1925: He enters St. Paul's Seminary, Igbariam.
1932: He becomes Procurator at the Training College.
1933-1934: Period of probation at Umulumgbe (Eke).
19 December 1937: He is ordained a Priest by Bishop Charles Heerey in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Onitsha. His two other companions are: William Obelagu and Joseph Nwanegbo.
1937 - 1939: Father Michael Tansi is assigned to Nnewi as Assistant Priest to Father (later Bishop) John Cross Anyogu.
1939 - 1945: He becomes the pioneer Parish Priest of Dunukofia. He founds pre-matrimonial women centres of St. Anna (those already married in traditional way) and St. Mary (those not yet married).
1945 - 1949: He is transferred to Akpu/Ajalli as Parish Priest.
1949 - 1950: He is assigned to his hometown as Parish Priest.
1950: He begins his monastic journey with a pilgrimage to Rome.
2 July 1950: Accompanied by Archbishop Heerey, he arrives at Leicester, in the Cistercian Monastery of Mount St. Bernard, England.
1950 - 1952: Oblate of the Monastery
1952: Novice
8 July 1953: He takes the simple vows, becoming Brother Cyprian
8 July 1956: He takes the solemn vows.
20 January 1964: He dies at the Royal Infirmary of Leicester.
22 January 1964: Requiem Mass and burial of Brother Cyprian in the cemetery of the Monastery.
20 January 1974: Commemoration of the 10 anniversary of his death. Mass at Holy Trinity Cathedral. Archbishop Francis Arinze begins the spade work on the the possibility of promoting the cause of Tansi's beatification.
20 January 1986: Inauguration of the Onitsha Archdiocesan Tribunal for the Cause of Fr. Tansi by Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya. Request is made for his remains to be brought back to Nigeria.
12 September 1986: His remains are exhumed.
19 September 1986: His remains are flown to Nigeria.
17 October 1986: After a solemn concelebrated Mass, his remains are reinterred at the Priests' cemetery beside Holy Trinity Cathedral Onitsha. First major miracle obtained through Fr. Tansi. A girl with advanced stage of cancer is instantly cured.
5 May 1990: Final public session of the Onitsha Archdiocesan Tribunal for the Cause of Fr. Tansi after a concelebrated Mass at the Holy Trinity Field, Onitsha.
21 May 1990: Archbishop Ezeanya submits the Acts of the Archdiocesan Tribunal for the Cause of Fr. Tansi to the Congregation for the Cause of Saints in Rome. This marks the beginning of the beatification process.
22 March 1998: Pope John Paul II travels to Onitsha to beatify Fr. Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi.

HIS MESSAGE TO HIS FLOCK
His daily life was his most eloquent sermon

Nevertheless, it is possible to compile some of his actual teachings. At Mount St. Bernard the odd sermon and the text of a retreat survive. A few of his letters are still extant, though, sadly, most were lost in the civil war and many of his sayings are remembered verbatim by those many Nigerians who are best described as his disciples. They have been remembered partly because of their aphoristic form (often more evident in the original Igbo than in translation) but there is more to it than that. While collecting this type of material, I occasionally asked myself what could remember of the many sermons I heard at Oxford in the 1960s. I heard holy preachers, learned preachers, famous preachers — and cannot now remember anything that any of them said. I was puzzled at the discrepancy between my own experience and that of these Nigerian Christians.

The answer was provided by, of all things, an American television programme a partly nut not wholly spurious Oriental Sage was telling a child the treasures of wisdom which guided his own existence. (I have forgotten what these were!) The child asked how he could preserve them in his memory. He was told, not by remembering them, but by living them…

On the Beauty of God’s creation

He taught us that if you take any flower with joy and praise the beautyness you are praising God. (Monica Egwim of Ogbunike)

On Abandonment to God’s Will

(This seems to have been the central attrait of his life)

Yourself and your wife should keep always before your eyes that fact that you are creatures, God’s own creation. As a man’s handiwork belongs to him, so do we all belong to God, and should accordingly have no other will but His. He is a Father, a very kind Father indeed. All his plans are for the good of His children. We may not often see how they are. That does not matter. Leave yourselves in His hands, not for a year, nor for two years, but as long as you have to live on earth. If you confide in Him fully and sincerely He will take special care of you. (Tansi’s letter to his houseboy, Augustine Chendo, dated Trinity Sunday 1959)

This surrender is the essential condition of the fullness of life to which we, as religious, are called. Resistance to this appeal gives rise to anxiety, uneasiness, discomfort and pain. When the resistance ceases and when the surrender is made, peace invades the soul…(Retreat notes)

Anyone who asks if he complained, never knew Father Tansi. If you complained, he would be quite against it, and advise accordingly. I can give you an example. Someone was sent on transfer to another town. I won’t name the town, but before he went there he went to a football match there, and when he had seen it, he said: "How can anybody live there?" He complained in the hearing of Father Tansi. Father Tansi said: "My friend a hundred years is not eternity. Even if you stay a hundred years, a hundred years is not eternity. If you, a teacher, refuse to go there, who is going to go there? Will they send a pig or a cow instead, or will it be another human being, just like you?" (Gabriel Okafor)

He taught us to say: "O my God, I am a piece of cloth bought for your clothes. You are the tailor and the weaver. Make the clothes therefore in the style and fashion to suit you." He often quoted St. Dominic Savio: "Da mihi animas, cetera tolle…" He told us that the greatest murder on earth is to kill time… (Augustine Chendo)

On the Difficulty of Perseverance

Onye afuro na enuigwe, si aguyi na
(Count no one saved, until he is found in heaven). (Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya)

On the Transitory Nature of this World’s Satisfactions

Do not be imitating the whites in everything, strive hard to gain the Kingdom of God. The whites are already in heaven in this world, but you are suffering every want. Are you going to suffer also in the next world? Life on earth could be compared to the journey of a young student who received a slip for a registered parcel, and he had to go to Lagos to claim this parcel. On the way he passed through many beautiful towns, towns with very attractive things in the shops. He started going from one shop to another, stretching his hands to the beautiful things he saw. He stopped so often in these big towns that he almost forgot what he was travelling for. It was after a long time that he ultimately reached Lagos, and when he went to claim the parcel he was told that the parcel had lain in the past so long without him arriving to claim it that they had finally decided to send it back to the sender. (Sr. Eucharia Anyaegbunam recalling a sermon preached by Tansi during a visit to Kaduna in 1946)

Chakulu chakulu cha-anu felu akpele, ogaa
(A few bites — when the meat leaves the throat, it vanishes.) (Mons. Peter Meze)

He told me that I must realise that if a man is earning a salary of £30, he will ask for an increment, to £50. If he is on £50, he will ask for £100. If a man wants to build a house, he will try to get a plan from somewhere else; the plan of the best house he has seen so far. But as soon as the house is finished, he sees another one, better than his own and wants on like that. He told me that experience has taught him that the only thing that can really satisfy a man is to see God and that this was the only thing he himself would pursue. (Stephen Eme of Ufuma).

On God’s Rewards to His Servants

You have embarked upon a paying concern. We cannot be more generous than God. (To Mrs Gabriel Ilming, Austrian organiser of "Zwei hundert fur zwei", 1963)

God will give you double what you give him. (Stephen Eme of Ufuma)

On Hope

Dear children in Christ, Hope opens a Kingdom. We begin to desire it; to seek it; to take the first steps towards it. First steps are most tragic things."
(Mount S. Bernard, Retreat notes)

The first steps of a small child are full of hope. They are often a rush towards Mother’s arms. The little one has a sense of awful loneliness and suddenly thinks it will move, hoping that Mother’s arms will catch it; then a dance, a dart, a tumble, what a study in Hope…
(Mount S. Bernard, Retreat notes)

On Prayer

Prayer is the best weapon for obtaining favours from God. Pray, pray often, pray with all your heart, pray to God, pray to our Blessed Mother. Mass is the most powerful of all prayers. (Letter to Augustine Chendo, 1959)

One thing he said has always remained perpetually with me — that the reason why we don’t get things from God lies in the way we ask. If you give God conditions, He will never give it to you. For example, you want a child, and you have it in mind you want it within a year. If it does not come, you lose hope, and say there is no God. You must ask God to give you something if he sees it is not detrimental to your interests, and you must continue asking without getting tired. You cannot impose time limits on God. If you have a time in mind, God will let the time elapse, and say: "Now do your worst". (Francis Nwafor)

On wholeheartedness in God’s service

If you want to eat vultures, you may as well eat seven of them, so that when people call you "vulture eater" you really deserve the name. If you want to become a Catholic, live as a faithful Catholic, so that when people see you, they know that you are a Catholic. If you are going to be a Christian at all, you might as well live entirely for God. (Simon Oraegbuna)

On Looking for the Kingdom

One thing he said I remember very clearly — that on the day of your baptism and confirmation, whatever you ask, God gives you. He advised us to ask for the Kingdom of Heaven… (Francis Nwafor)

On Attitudes to One’s Own Achievements

In every success we are right, I think, to take a modest share of joy and satisfaction while leaving the glory to God who is the Principal Author of our good work, we being just the instruments. Like the apostles we learn to rejoice not because the devils fall down at our preaching nor because of marvellous achievements, obtained, but because our names are written in heaven, in the book of life, because God is to be glorified by our efforts. (Letter to Hyacinth Okoli of Ufuma, 21 October, 1952).

On Faith

We simply cannot live the spiritual life without faith. Our lives as Christians and much more as religious simply will be impossible if we have no faith… Faith is the foundation of the whole spiritual life. The strength of the edifice will be proportioned to the strength of the foundation…. To a lively faith the Saviour refuses nothing. (Retreat Notes).

On Joy

One of the sure signs of fervour and progress in the religious life is joy and contentment. When we are satisfied with God and with His way of dealing with us, it reflects on the countenance. The face is aglow with joy. (Retreat Notes)

On Taking Decisions, and on How to Work

We do very little good when we embark on our own. We do much good when we allow God to direct us and direct our enterprises…. We must learn to avoid worrying ourselves about anything; to leave ourselves, our concerns in the hands of God; learn to do away with the anxieties of all sorts. And what then are we to do? There are things to do done? Some men of the world say "Much haste less work". Anyway it is certainly true that much haste less good. We should learn to consult God in all things; to pray about things we are going to do; to go to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, place our plans before him, ask his advice, see whether He would like us to do one thing or another, if any doubt consult our Spiritual Director; never to undertake anything unless we are sure that God wants it done and done in the way we are planning…. And whilst doing whatever we have to do, we should do it at a pace and a speed that will allow us time continually to turn to God for guidance…our conversation with God should be continual. This is not a height to be attained in a day….(Retreat Notes).

A Programme for the Average Layman

We should not be ashamed of our religion, nor be afraid of confessing ourselves Catholics, alone or in public…. We should hold on to the various practices of the Catholic religion; Mass on Sundays as of obligation, Mass on week days when one is free as an act of devotion. We should say the rosary every day especially in family circles as the best way of honouring the Queen of Heaven. We should learn to make the Stations of the Cross as a wonderful way of keeping alive in us a memory of the suffering and death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let us help the various works of God as far as we are able. Let us alms-deeds be a solace and support to the poor and needy. (Sermon on Mat. 5,20).

On the Attitude of Husbands and Wives to Each Other

On one occasion I visited him in company of Mr. Fred Okafor. As Fred was talking about his wife he referred to her as Onye bem ("Somebody in my house", Igbo expression for wife). Oh, Father Tansi lost patience and cut in: "She is not ‘Onye bem’ but your wife, your better half, part of your own body. ‘Onye’ means a stranger which your wife is not. You must recognise the worth and position of your wife and treat her as your partner and your equal. Unless you do that, she is not a wife to you but a servant, and that is not what God wants a wife to be to the husband". Fred humbly apologised and promised never to use the expression Onye bem again. (Sr. Eucharia Anyaegbunam).

To Priests and Religious

It is not for want of words of language that the Church uses the words ‘Father’, ‘Mother,’ ‘Sister,’ ‘Brother’ for people who have dedicated their lives to the service of God in his creatures. The Church means that a Rev. Father should be a real father, even more, to every creature in his parish…. Your sympathy, charity, patience, should be without bounds. (Sr. Eucharia Anyaegbunam)

PERSONAL CONFESSIONS BY THOSE WHO KNEW HIM DURING PRIESTHOOD

At Nnewi Parish (1938 - 1939)

No Rev. Father was as good as Fr. Tansi and Nnewians so loved him that when his transfer was hinted to them they rose in unison to object to it… Neither the Catholics nor anyone else spoke ill of him.
- Philip Anajemba

Fr. Michael was the most hard-working of all priests who ever lived at Nnewi and he hardly ate because time spent at table could be utilised in doing some work. He was regarded as a living saint. He never distanced himself from the people. He worked even with the women scrubbing church floors… He was sympathetic beyond compare to the destitutes. He rendered financial aids to them from his meagre tithes. He fed those brought to the mission, especially the sick…. Repaired thatched churches with men, scrubbed the floor with women. He had no leisure hours.
- Pius Unachukwu

Nnewians abhorred lepers more than anything. But Fr. Michael sent prepared food to them through me. those who received his food were Matthew and Ayagbakwuonye, lepers. He built homes for the destitutes from the proceedings of his tithes and Mass sayings.
- Anthony Uchendu

I used to prepare foodstuffs given by Fr. Tansi for Matthew Orueh, a leper. Nnewians dreaded lepers more than any dreadful disease…yet Fr. Tansi inspired such unflinching faith in me that I agreed to give prepared food to Matthew. I did not contract leprosy, despite my long contact with Matthew. Fr. Tansi also gave Matthew medicines. Fr. Tansi ministered to him at his death.
- Emily Anajemba

To promote the trade of the poor, he bought the worst articles from them…he put on the worst footwears.
- David Asoh

Fr. Tansi waived A.M.C. for the poor and their children received baptism free.
- Helen Esotu

There was one very cherished letter, which saved my vocation. It was when the seminary moved to Okpuala in 1946. A change of scene is always unsettling, and many seminarians were leaving. Someone said to me. "If you leave you can still be a good Christian…" I decided to write to Fr. Tansi. I decided that if I didn’t hear from him on a certain day, I would go and tell the Rector I had decided to leave. His letter didn’t come; usually he didn’t waster time answering letters. On the last day I had allowed, the letters were distributed, and there was his letter. "Dear Stephen, How do you know that this inclination is not from the Devil? If you think you have no vocation, pray for one." All my difficulties vanished, and never returned.
- Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya

Rev. Fr. Tansi, as an Igbo man, had an advantage over all the white missionaries. He explained religious doctrines better than any Rev. Fr. Had ever done.
- Augustine Onwugbenu



At Dunukofia Parish (1940 - 1945)

It was a bad bush, where people threw those who died bad deaths, such as lepers. If you went past it at night, you used to see mysterious lights there. When the Bishop wanted land for a mission site, they gave him the bad bush. They thought anyone who went there would die. The first thing Father Tansi did was to gather the Christians. He tucked up his soutane, and went through sprinkling the whole place with holy water. When they saw that he came out again, they entered the bush and cut it down.
- Cyril Onwuachu, in Dunukofia

When I got there, I saw a few dilapidated mat (i.e. thatched) houses, not a single good house. Those wretched houses left a very poor impression on me. he was living a wretched hut — it would not be good enough for my chickens today — one mile from the main school where I was to teach. When I had reported, I asked for accommodation: "Where am I going to live?" He looked at me and quoted the Bible: "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." He said: "Why are you worrying about where you are going to live? You have been located here and God will provide a place when you come.
- P. N. Okeke

He could get anybody to work for him. Anytime he went to work, he simply came out on the road and called anybody he saw, pagan or Christian, man or woman. They shouted: "Father, I will work for you…". He pulled off his shoes and came to work himself. He would take the mud himself and make mud blocks. He didn’t want to stay still, he would do everything. He would start, and people would say: "Come and look at this type of Father" and be ready to join in. He helped in cutting the bush.
- Cyril Onwuachu

He got the whole town united…. He got each village at work on a building. Even pagans and elders came along. The elders and titled men would come and supervise the work, as a sign of respect and love…".
- Bishop Godfrey Okoye

He planned and built houses, he would turn his hand to anything. He taught us seminarians how to paint. He taught us how to polish a table, really polish it, and make it shine.
- Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya

Father Tansi wanted everything to be the best possible for God. He wanted the best school, even the best flowers.
- P.N. Okeke

He gathered the orphans and started feeding them and took care of them and sent them to school. He didn’t want them to stop schooling. If there was no money, he would still take a person to school. Some of our children later became teachers. It was his handiwork.
- Christiana Odenigbo of Umudioka

He gave me the special privilege of eating with him at table which was usually not possible in those days. He didn’t want to do like the others who kept aloof from those they considered not "high-ups". When were eating, he said to me:
"Goffrey."
"Yes Father."
"Will you make me a promise to do whatever I ask?"
"Of course, whatever you ask…."

(When the time came to fulfil the promise, Godfrey found that he was supposed to occupy the outstation’s only bed.)

I shrank at the idea and said: "Never, Father, never." In those days such a thing was unthinkable. He looked at me and said: "Did you not promise to do whatever I asked you?"
- Bishop Godfrey Okoye

One day I was fighting in our village with one boy and the next morning he warned me about that fighting which he was not present at the spot…. Very small time pagan will…ask, do you reach or can (you) see like Fr. Tansi? That no other Father will do or be like Tansi. That he died but his doings have not died…in their mind.
- Gabriel Udegbu of Umunnachi

I take him as a prophet for all things he prophesied are happening now.
- Cecilia Okafor

He was always so full of joy, his smile welcomed everyone he met.
- Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya

One day he had a transfer. He had just prepared Dunukofia, built the church, then the transfer came. He said: "This change, the cross of life (afufu uwa)…" The merit is not in not feeling pain but in accepting it.
- Brother Michael Okoye



At Akpu/Ajalli Parish (1945 - 1949)

He used to get up at about 3 a.m. and move as quietly as a cat.
- Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya

There was no way of knowing what time he woke from sleep. He was always the one to tell you to ring the bell. He was always ready already…. Others would go for a siesta. Father Tansi would rest for a short time, but you wouldn’t know when he sneaked into the chapel.
- Gabriel Okafor

I never saw him have any leisure, such as going for a walk…. He never went away for a weekend to visit another Father, or went to a house simply for a chat.
- Gabriel Okafor

I suffered a lot with him in the bush. We would stay where wild animals stay, without a house. He would preach, and people would beat ekwe to announce his presence. He told them to build a resthouse and a kitchen. We would start to form a church. At Okpeze, there was very thick bush. We opened it. There was no house, nothing. I suffered a lot with the Father. I didn’t sleep; I watched our loads. Ozuofia, Okpeze, Akpugo; they had no churches, he established them. He would go there, and they would make an improvised shelter, right in the thick of the bust, from palm nuts…. The mosquitoes were terrible. He didn’t mind. He was stronger than any man.
- Lawrence Ibe, of Ugwu Umuagu, Ufuma

With mud, he built different houses and dormitories for young girls…while others were boarders going to school. There was a model house built of mud, and with a zinc roof. The floor was designed (according to him) like a draught-board and was always mud polished in red and black. Young girls were meant to plan their houses to look as beautiful. This was something extraordinary; to have simple village houses look very attractive….

These wonderful houses, training centres, that Father built up do not exist any more. They collapsed only a few years after his transfer to his home town, Aguleri. These homes, schools etc. were mostly of mud block and so disappeared. It is now like a fairy story. But since I, like the others, lived in those houses, worked there, I know that they did exist during his time. Now they are farm land unfortunately, dead and lifeless, where life and activity used to reign supreme.
- Sr. Mary Aloysius (nee Virginia) Adimonye, of Nawfia

He was a man who doesn’t look money in the face. He hasn’t got it, but he can get it. At Akpu/Ajalli he would start a house with a single strip of zinc for the roof, and then start a collection. Everything you see at Akpu/Ajalli is the result of his work in his few years there. He would go and carry the stones himself, and then the others would go and help. If there was clay to be shifted, he would say: "This is my area, and you do the rest." He made sure he did his own area.
- Mons. William Obelagu

At times he looked like a living skeleton. When Umunze school was under construction, he took some oranges up to the carpenters and he was so frail that he was almost blown off by the wind.
- Gabriel Okafor

He used to break his fast, particularly during Lent, with roasted yam. His boys used to take turns in roasting yams for his breakfast. Once he called on me to roast a piece of yam that neither too big nor too small. I chopped off a piece of yam, placed it in the fire, and went about other duties. When I came back to turn the yam, the whole piece had been badly charred by fire. It was already time for his breakfast. I knew not what to do. After thinking for a while, I put the charred piece on a plate and put a cake of solid palm oil on another plate, (for he ate his meal only with crude and solid palm oil) and placed the plates on the dining table. I stood by so as to explain why the yam was burnt. But instead of calling for an explanation why the yam was burnt, he ate up the whole piece. The next day he again instructed me to roast yam for him. Again the piece was burnt. From this time on, I was in charge of roasting his breakfast.
- J. U. Jiendu

At any time of the day or night, if a sick call came, he was ready to go regardless of any sickness at all, and never stopped to ask, as some people do, what the sickness was. He would be here, and hear a cry, and suspect that someone was dying, and be off at once. Once we were in Enugu Abor from Ufuma, and we were going back at night — he was on a bicycle — and we hear a cry, and he told me: "You continue on home, but I must go and see if I can help.
- Gabriel Okafor

When people came, he gave them the rice, yams, etc. which he had been given when on tour. Sometimes he bought cloth and kept it to give to the old women who couldn’t provide it for themselves. He gave them rice, yams and so on, too. If he saw someone who was dirty, he gave him soap. Sometimes I cooked a chicken. He took a small piece from the wing, and gave the rest to poor people. He knew which ones had no meat. They would come and greet him to see if had anything for them. He would give them what he had.
- Lawrence Ibe

In all Orumba, no one will have anything bad to say about Father Tansi; he never committed any sin. If prayers make people go to heaven, the prayers of Orumba people, and especially Ufesiodo parish, since his death, will send him to heaven.
- Rosaline Nwokike

He practised obedience to authority in the highest degree you can think of. Not one word of criticism ever passed his lips, no matter how he was mortified. If he was told to change stations, he would immediately get his box and begin packing that very minute. He would go immediately and secretly, not letting the people know he was going. When he left for Ajalli, he packed his things and stole away quietly so that there could be no send-off. If anyone came and said: "What is the reason behind this transfer", he would immediately begin to defend authority.
- Bishop Godfrey Okoye

He went uninvited to pagan families, and exchanged views with them…. Half-Catholics, pagans and polygamists seemed to be his best friends because he was after the "lost sheep".
- Adolphus Ifejiofo



At Aguleri Parish (1949 - 1950)

"If I were left to do my will I would have done all in my power to prevent my transfer to Aguleri. If your will was wrought, you would have left no stone unturned to prevent my transfer to Aguleri. Now that the will of God is clear, that I must work in Aguleri whether I like it or not, let us bear with one another."

He told me that coming nearer home, and hearing complaints from his two brothers and their wives — they had no issue — the problem kept coming up and these things were distracting him. He felt that he shouldn’t ask his Lordship to send him to another place. Since his Lordship had thought it out that he should go to Aguleri, it would be a bad thing to ask why.
- Daniel Ilozo

He denounced syncretism and backsliding with fearless intransigence. A court clerk told him: "Son of our people, take it quietly." (Nwa di beanyi, weli nwaayo). Michael answered: "All that is buried must be unearthed" (Ife enile na ani aga aboghesi ya oghe.)
- Mons. Peter Meze
At Ufesiodo, he would go to say Mass, and would go for very long periods of time without food. I remember one occasion after Mass, he told me to do the same. I was supposed to be going around getting flowers for the church. I was so dizzy that I had to clime a tree to look for palm nuts. After a while I had to come back quietly to the kitchen and have my meal.
- Gabriel Okafor of Uru Ogidi

He was very abstemious. He ate very little himself, but did not force us to fast. In fact he would insist we should eat well: "You are young men; your stomachs can digest stones. You need to eat well. As for me, I’ve been eating for forty years. I only need to conserve what I’ve acquired.
- Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya

During Lent, Father Tansi collected stones and pebbles. Very hard pebbles, unknown to people. Only myself knew that, because I often travelled with him and went round in his home. He left the pebbles on the ground, and at night he slept on the pebbles.
- Gabriel Anwulora of Umunnachi

He laid great emphasis on cleanliness and neatness. His soutanes would be patched, but spotless.
- Archbishop Stephen Ezeanya

He loved poverty and simplicity. Even when his soutane had patches, nevertheless it was clean and neat. The soap he used was the ordinary one within the reach of any poor person.
- Fr. Mark Ulogu, Tansi’s curate who later joined him as a Cistercian Monk in England

In the virtue of poverty, as well as in many other virtues, Father Tansi copied his favourite saint, the Curé of Ars, almost to the letter. The poorest material in the market was good enough for his soutanes, which were usually short and tight fitting, to avoid any waste of cloth. His helmet, the time it was in vogue, was of the poorest quality. A friend of his had to constrain him to burn one very old and tattered helmet he continued to use for years. His towels were native made, ota, woven from raw cotton wool.
- Mons. Peter Meze

ADAMS OSHIOMOLE

Born on April 4,1953 of a father who was into peasant farming and a petty trader mother, Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, had his elementary school education in his home village, Iyamoh, a relatively unknown village sandwiched between Okpella and Auchi in the Northern part of Edo state. He later left Iyamoh for Kaduna with the desire to study architecture which never materialised owing to lack of funds. Oshiomhole eventually opted for a factory work and joined Arewa textile mill. It was at the factory that destiny smiled on him and by 1970, he was elected shop steward. This marked the beginning of Oshiomhole’s fulfilling career in trade unionism.
He was at various times the General Secretary of the National Union of Textile and Garment Workers Union and was elected the Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in 1988 Oshio-mhole was eventually elected the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in January 1999. He studied labour, economics and industrial relations at Ruskin College in Oxford in the UK and later attended Nigeria’s prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru.
Oshiomhole’s profile rose rapidly as the nation’s number one labour activist when he consistently fought the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to a standstill over the government’s policy on arbitrary removal of oil subsidies and imposing high cost of petroleum products on the people.
He was arrested and detained several times by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo for ordering workers to down tools in protest over the high cost of fuel.
His other achievements as a labour leader included the strengthening of the labour movement and uniting the unions that had previously worked at cross-purposes. He whipped up public opinion against the government’s mismanagement of the country’s oil reserves, insisting that the only benefit that the masses could enjoy is to make fuel available at affordable price.
Also, Oshiomhole negotiated a public sector wage increase of 25 per cent, a feat which earned him re-election for a second term of office in 2002.
After the expiration of his term, he joined politics in 2006 and contested for the governorship of Edo state in 2007 under the umbrella of the Action Congress (AC).
He told his supporters that he decided to go into partisan politics because it was the only way to effect real change in the society. According to him, he decided to team up with the Progressives, as there is the need for a clean break from the sordid past. “We need a complete break from the past; we are out to set Edo people free and so, we need a completely new machinery to actualise that dream,” he said.
As a dogged unionist, Oshiomhole claimed it would not be nice to be seen hobnobbing with the dark forces that worked against the country’s development. Initially he decided to actualise his ambition via the Labour party but he later changed his mind and joined the AC.
On the suggestion that he should have taken a shot at the presidency, Oshiomhole dec-lared that he preferred to start from somewhere and gather valuable experience before contesting for the nation’s number one position.
He urged members of the civil society to be involved in politics as “it is the best way they can put to practice what they preach. When honest men shy away from politics, it is the greedy ones who participate that will end up ruling them.”
However, his opponent and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof Oserheimen Osunbor, was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) winner of the governorship poll. This was greeted with violent protests across Edo state.
Oshiomhole while reacting to the result of the election had said: “Obasanjo ought to know that Edo State is not a wristwatch either to be given to Chief Anthony Anenih as a long service award for his retirement in politics nor to be used as a bride price to settle his in -laws; that will be insulting the good people of Edo State. He’s done his worst if you ask me to use Federal executive powers to do what they have done. It is bad for you to steal into somebody’s home and steal a property that does not belong to you, but it is worse when you try to undermine the will of a whole people, and yet, they are the very people you want to govern.
“I think for me, I am the happiest of them all because I am walking freely on the street, I go everywhere, people are praying for me; men and women of God, old and young; so I have no problem but I know the other camp has a lot of problem, that is the burden now, so they rather than me have the burden of coping.
“The people have paid a huge price but they are not deterred .I am quite happy that we are doing everything we can to ensure that the thief never has peace of mind and I know they will never have it because they murdered sleep.”
In the wake of the post-election crisis that rocked the state after the declaration of the gubernatorial election result, Oshiomhole was arrested on April 16, 2007 and flown to Abuja. He was later released after which he protested the outcome of the said election result by filing a petition before the State Election Petitions Tribunal. Oshiomhole assembled a team of lawyers who were able to argue their client’s case during the sittings of the Tribunal. On March 20 2008, the Tribunal headed by Justice Peter Umeadi in its judgment declared Oshiomhole as the duly elected governor of Edo state and ordered INEC to issue him certificate of return. But this popular verdict was rejected by Professor Oserh-eimen Osunbor who immediately appealed the tribunal’s decision. Oshiomhole’s victory was however re-affirmed on the 12th of November,2008 in Benin city by the Court of Appeal which is the court of final jurisdiction over governorship election matter.
With this victory, Oshiomhole became the first labour leader to become a governor and the second candidate to unseat a sitting governor via judicial pronouncement in the "after Obasanjo" dispensation. The first was Hon. Rotimi Amaechi who was sworn in on the orders of a Supreme Court judgment in place of Celestine Omehia as Governor of Rivers state in October, 2007.

JAY JAY OKOCHA

Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha (born 14 August 1973 in Enugu) is a Nigerian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is known for his stepovers, skill and technique
Early years
Okocha first began playing football on the street just like many other football stars, usually with a makeshift ball. In an interview with BBC Sport he said "as far as I can remember, we used to play with anything, with any round thing we could find, and whenever we managed to get hold of a ball, that was a bonus! I mean it was amazing!"

In 1990 he joined his hometown club, Nigerian powerhouse Enugu Rangers. In his time at the club he produced many spectacular displays including one where he rounded off and scored a goal, against experienced Nigerian goalkeeper Williams Opara in a match against BCC Lions. Later he travelled to Germany to meet a friend, where he was asked to train with his team after impressing in training, and landed a deal with German Third Division side Borussia Neunkirchen.


Eintracht Frankfurt (1992-1996)
Okocha joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 1992,where he linked up with many well-known players including Ghanaian international striker Tony Yeboah, German keeper Thomas Ernst and later Thomas Doll. He continued to shine for the German side, one highlight being a goal he scored against Karlsruhe, dribbling in the penalty box and slotting the ball past Oliver Kahn even going past some players twice[1]. The goal was voted Goal of the Season by many soccer magazines. In 1995 Okocha, Yeboah and Maurizio Gaudino were all involved in a feud with manager Jupp Heynckes, which led to their departure from the club.

Yeboah and Gaudino later left for England, while Okocha stayed until the end of the season when Frankfurt were relegated to the Second division, before signing for Istanbul club Fenerbaçhe.


Fenerbahçe SK (1996-1998)
Okocha joined Turkish giants Fenerbahçe following Eintracht Frankfurt's relegation to Bundesliga 2. In his two seasons with the team he amassed thirty goals in sixty appearances, many of them coming from direct freekicks which had become something of a trademark for him at the club. He was also part of the side that historically defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in the 1997-98 UEFA Champions League group stage. While at Fenerbahçe he became a Turkish citizen as "Muhammet Yavuz".


Paris St-Germain (1998-2002)
In 1998 French side PSG splashed around $24 million on Okocha, making him the most expensive African player at the time.


Bolton Wanderers (2002-2006)
Okocha joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer after leaving PSG in the summer of 2002 after the FIFA World Cup. His debut season, despite being hampered by injury, made him a favourite with the Bolton fans, with the team printing shirts with the inscription "Jay-Jay - so good they named him twice". He steered the team away from relegation with seven goals, including the team Goal of the Season in the vital league win against West Ham.[2] This was voted Bolton's best Premier League goal in a fans vote in 2008.[3] The next season saw Okocha receive more responsibility as he was given the captains armband following Guðni Bergsson's retirement. As captain he led Bolton to their first cup final in nine years where they finished runners-up in the 2004 Football League Cup.

In 2006 he was stripped of the captaincy - something he said he had seen coming, as there had been a change in attitude from some staff members. This had probably been due to his proposed move to the Middle East, which had been growing in speculation. At the end of the season, he refused a one-year extension in order to move to Qatar.





Hull City AFC (2007-2008)
After just one season in Qatar, Football League Championship side Hull City signed Okocha on a free transfer in 2007, after the player had been linked to Real Salt Lake and Sydney FC. It was a move he made saying that "God had told him to do so". He however was not able to contribute greatly to Hull's promotion campaign due to fitness and constant injury problems, playing only 18 games and scoring no goals. Hull still succeeded in grabbing promotion to the Premier League, for the first time in their 104-year history. At the end of the season, after changing his mind on a proposed retirement due to Hull's promotion, he was released by the club, which sent him into retirement.


International career
Okocha made his official debut for Nigeria in their 2-1 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier away loss against Ivory Coast in May 1993.It was not until his second cap and home debut that he became a favourite with the Nigerian supporters. With Nigeria trailing 1-0 against Algeria, in a match they needed to win, he scored from a direct freekick to equalise, before helping the team to a 4-1 win, eventually securing qualification to their first World Cup. In 1994 he was a member of both the victorious 1994 Africa Cup of Nations squad and the World Cup squad who made it to the second round before they lost in a dramatic match against eventual runners-up Italy.

In 1996 Okocha became a member of an arguably more successful Nigerian side, their Olympic gold winning side at the Atlanta Games, later nicknamed Dream Team by the Nigerian press after the USA 1992 Olympic gold winning basketball team. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup hosted by France, Okocha played for a disappointing Super Eagles side who failed to live up to expectations again reaching the round of 16, albeit with less impressive performances save for their 3-2 opening win against Spain. This did not destroy interest in Okocha, who had entertained fans with his trademark skills and dribbles and went on to be named in the squad of the tournament.

Okocha again joined the Super Eagles as they claimed the silver medal in the 2000 African Cup of Nations co-hosted with Ghana. He had a fairly good tournament scoring three goals, two in the opening game against Tunisia and the third in the final against Cameroon, also converting his penalty in the shootout.

After a disappointing Nations Cup in 2002 where Nigeria ended up finishing third, Okocha was named Nigeria captain after Sunday Oliseh and Finidi George were axed from the side. His first tournament as captain came that summer in the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Korea and Japan. Playing in Group E, the ‘group of the death’ alongside Argentina, Sweden and England, Nigeria failed to make it to the next round gaining only one point in their final game, a goalless draw against England.

Okocha later led the Nigerian team to a third place finish at the 2004 African Nations Cup in Tunisia, with some breathtaking displays, scoring four goals which include a spectacular free kick against Cameroun in the quarter finals and most notably the 1000th goal in Nations Cup history against South Africa, and winning the Player of the tournament and joint Golden boot winner.

After failing to help Nigeria qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Okocha announced that he would retire from international scene after the Cup of Nations in Egypt. Injury prevented Okocha from featuring in any of Nigeria's opening fixtures and he did not regain fitness until the semi final loss against Ivory Coast. He then played in his final international appearance in a 2-1 victory in a third place playoff against Senegal, he was then given a standing ovation by the nearly 60,000 attendance when he left the field.

He made a return to the Super Eagles in his testimonial against an African select side in Warri. The game featured former players Daniel Amokachi, Alloysius Agu and John Fashanu, as well as current players Benjani and Sulley Muntari. Nigeria won the game 2-1 with Okocha scoring the winning goal after appearing for the side in the second half. There are reports that the Super Eagles may invite him back to camp in preparation of the World Cup qualifying matches in 2009.


Individual Honours
Okocha never won the African Player of Year award, becoming arguably the best player never to win the award despite coming second twice in 1998 & 2004. He did however win the inaugural BBC African Footballer of the Year and the successive one, becoming the only player to retain the award and win it more than once. In 2004 he was listed in football legend Pelé's FIFA 100 (a list of the greatest 125 living players of all time). In 2007 he was voted number 12 on the greatest African footballers of the past 50 years list, on a poll conducted by CAF to coincide with their 50th anniversary.


Personal life
Okocha met his wife Nkechi in 1994 and they have two children Danielle and A-Jay. His older brother Emmanuel was also a former international for the Nigerian team. Okocha is a cousin of Prof. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's former Minister of Finance, Foreign Affairs Minister and World Bank Managing Director. Okocha is also a member of the Igbo (or Ibo) ethnic group.
Sponsorships and other ventures
Okocha has appeared in commercials for Pepsi, Samsung, V-Mobile and B-29 (Nigerian washing soap powder). He released a DVD in 2004 titled Superskills with Jay-Jay, where he taught difficult tricks to children. He also briefly promoted his own brand of water named Jay-Jay during the late 90s. He also owns a bar in Victoria Island, Lagos named Number 10 (his jersey number).

KANU NWANKWO

KANU THE GREAT
Nwankwo Kanu (born 1 August 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria), usually known simply as Kanu and nicknamed Papilo, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Nigerian national team and for English club Portsmouth. He is a member of the Igbo ethnic group, his name, Nwankwo, meaning "Babyboy born on Nkwo market day" in the Igbo language.He is the most highly-decorated African footballer in footballing history, having won a UEFA Champions League medal, a UEFA Cup medal, three FA Cup Winners Medals and two African Player of the Year awards amongst others. He is the only current Premier League player to have won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Premier League, FA Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal.[4] He is also a UNICEF ambassador.
His younger brother, Christopher Kanu, is also a professional footballer.

Early career
Kanu began his career, aged fifteen, at First Division club Federation Works before moving to Iwuanyanwu Nationale in 1992. After a notable performance at the U-17 World Championships he was signed by Ajax Amsterdam in 1993 for €207,047. He made his Ajax debut in 1994 and went on to play 54 times for the Dutch side, scoring 25 goals; Kanu came on as a sub in Ajax's 1995 Champions League final win over AC Milan. In 1996, Ajax sold him to Serie A side Internazionale for around $4.7 million; that summer he captained the Nigerian team that won gold at the Olympics, famously scoring two late goals in the semi-finals against powerhouses Brazil to overturn a 2-3 scoreline into a 4-3 win in extra time. Kanu was also named African Footballer of the Year for that year.

However, soon after returning from the Olympics, Kanu underwent a medical examination at Inter, which revealed a serious heart defect; he underwent surgery in November 1996 to replace an aortic valve and did not return to his club until April 1997. In interviews, Kanu frequently cites his faith as a Christian,and has often mentioned this trying time of his career as an occasion when he prayed to God. Kanu's experience also led to his founding the Kanu Heart Foundation, an organisation that helps predominantly young African children who suffer heart defects. Kanu is known throughout Africa for his philanthropic work.


Arsenal
In February 1999, after just twelve games and one goal for Inter, Kanu was signed by Arsenal for approximately £4.15 million. His debut for Arsenal, against Sheffield United in the FA Cup, was a highly unusual match. With the score 1-1 and ten minutes to go, the United goalkeeper, Alan Kelly, kicked the ball out of touch so that treatment could be given to an injured player. When the ball was thrown back into play by Ray Parlour, although it was intended for Kelly, Kanu was unaware of the circumstances. Thinking it to be an attacking move, he chased the throw-in down the right wing unchallenged, and centred the ball for Marc Overmars, who promptly scored to make the match 2-1. Immediately after the match Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger offered to right the error and replay the match; in the end, Arsenal won that match 2-1 as well.

Despite the events overshadowing his debut, Kanu's career was quickly revived at Arsenal, especially after the departure of Nicolas Anelka in the summer of 1999. This prompted a new chant amongst Arsenal supporters: "Chim chiminy, chim chiminy, chim-chim chiroo, who needs Anelka when we've got Kanu?" (to the tune of the song from Mary Poppins). Kanu became known for scoring extravagant goals; against Tottenham Hotspur, with his back to goal he lobbed the ball over Luke Young's head, before turning the young defender and scoring. Other memorable goals included a hat-trick against Chelsea to win a derby match 3-2 after being 2-0 down after 75 minutes. Following his amazing performance the headline pun after the game was "Kanu believe it". He was named African Footballer of the Year for the second time in 1999, and in 1999-00 he scored 17 times in 50 matches for the Gunners. He became very popular among the fans for his 2 fingered salute, which started in 2000 against Middlesbrough. The fans often chanted 'Kanuuuuuuuu' (extending the syllable 'nu') whenever he scored or announced during matches; some mistook that he was being 'booed' rather than being cheered.

However, Kanu's appearances for Arsenal gradually became less frequent, particularly after the emergence of Thierry Henry as Arsenal's first choice striker, when Kanu was mainly used as a substitute. Despite this, Kanu won the Double with Arsenal in 2002, an FA Cup in 2003 (as an unused sub) and the Premier League title in 2004. In all he played 197 games for Arsenal (nearly half of them as a substitute), scoring 44 goals. In the summer of 2004, after his contract with Arsenal ended, he moved to West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer.

In 2008 Kanu was voted 13th in the "Gunners' Greatest 50 Players" poll.

West Bromwich Albion
West Brom had just been promoted to the FA Premier League for the second time in the space of two years. Kanu started as a regular for the club, making his debut in a 1-1 draw away at Blackburn Rovers on 14 August 2004. He scored his first goal for Albion on 18 September, 2004, an 88th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 home draw against Fulham. In a match against Middlesbrough on 14 November 2004, Kanu was guilty of an incredible miss in injury time, with Albion 2-1 down. Kanu had sent a low cross over the bar from a yard away from the goal line. Manager Bryan Robson was seen in TV footage mouthing the words "How did he miss that?", and Kanu's howler was crowned 'Miss of the Season' by many television stations in the end-of-season reviews. Nevertheless, the 2004-05 season was ultimately a memorable one for West Brom, as they became the first club to avoid relegation from the Premier League after being bottom of the table at Christmas.

One of the most memorable games of the 2005-06 season for Kanu came with the visit of his former club Arsenal to The Hawthorns on 15 October 2005. Philippe Senderos put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute, but Kanu equalised shortly before half time. West Brom went on to win the match 2-1 with a spectacular strike from Darren Carter. It was their first home win over Arsenal since 1973,[9] and the first time that they had come from behind to win a Premier League game.[10] But such highlights were rare for Albion that season, and the club was relegated at the end of 2005-06. Kanu's contract had expired, and he chose not to renew it. In his two years at The Hawthorns he made a total of 58 appearances - 16 of them as a substitute - and scored nine goals.

In the summer of 2006, Kanu played as a guest for Arsenal in Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial game, the first match to be played in Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium. The game was tied 1-1 when Kanu scored the winning goal, making him the third person to score in the stadium. At the end of the match, Kanu joined the rest of the Arsenal side in hoisting the retired Dutchman on their shoulders as fans gave him a standing ovation.


Portsmouth

Nwankwo Kanu playing for Portsmouth at Fulham in March 2007Kanu was a free agent following his departure from West Brom, and he signed for Portsmouth F.C. on a one-year deal shortly before the start of the 2006-07 season.[11] Pompey had undergone a revival in the second half of the previous campaign, following the return of Harry Redknapp as manager, avoiding relegation by four points after being in serious danger at the turn of the year. At the start of the 2006-07 season, they were undefeated in their first five games, during which they did not concede a single goal.

Kanu made his debut for Portsmouth as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers on 19 August 2006, the opening day of the 2006-07 Premier League season. He scored twice and missed a penalty. Though Kanu led the top scorers chart early in the season, he had a goal drought for the rest of the season, but still finished as the top goalscorer for Portsmouth, with 12 goals.

In his second season at Portsmouth, Kanu scored in both the FA Cup 1-0 semi-final win against West Bromwich Albion and the 1-0 win in the final against Cardiff City, earning him a third FA Cup winner's medal.


International career
Kanu has been a member of the Nigerian national team since 1994, making his debut against Sweden in a friendly. He (as of March 2008) has 68 caps and has scored 13 goals for his country. As well as winning the Olympics gold in the football event at Atlanta (1996), Kanu participated in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. Earlier on at the start of his career, Kanu was instrumental in Nigeria's overall success at the FIFA U-17 tournament in Japan (1993) and in their subsequent 2-1 victory over Ghana in the final.

He is the current captain of the Nigerian national team.

Honours
Country
FIFA U-17 World Cup
1993 Winner (Gold Medal)
FIFA World Cup
Appearances: 1998 (Second Round), 2002 (First Round)
African Cup of Nations
Appearances: 2000 (Silver Medal), 2002 (Bronze Medal), 2004 (Bronze Medal), 2006 (Bronze Medal), 2008 (Quarter Finalist)
Olympic Games
1996 Olympic Games (Gold Medal)

Club
Nigerian Premier League: 1
1992-93, Iwuanyanwu Nationale
Eredivisie: 3
1993-94, selected stars of Mgboushimini in Agip]]
1994-95, Ajax
1995-96, Ajax
UEFA Champions League: 1
1994-95, Ajax
UEFA Super Cup: 1
1995, Ajax
Intercontinental Cup: 1
1995, Ajax
UEFA Cup: 1
1997-98, Internazionale
English Premier League: 2
2001-02, Arsenal
2003-04, Arsenal
FA Cup: 3
2001-02, Arsenal
2002-03, Arsenal
2007-08, Portsmouth
FA Community Shield: 1
1999, Arsenal
Barclays Asia Trophy: 1
2007, Portsmouth

Awards
1996, African Footballer of the Year
1999, African Footballer of the Year

PROF.GABRIEL OYIBO

Professor Oyibo found
the Unified Field Theory, the Holy Grail of Physics and
Mathematics. His theorem, GOD ALMIGHTY'S GRAND
UNIFIED THEOREM (GAGUT):

New York, NY -- Einstein would have been proud to
learn that Nobel Prize officials have nominated for a
third time Professor Gabriel Oyibo in physics for proving
Einstein’s most famous theory (E = MC2). Professor
Oyibo, a Nigerian mathematician and physicist living
on Long Island, New York, has discovered the Grand
Unified Field Theory or the Theory of Everything (TOE).
In essence, he has taken the work of Einstein to the next
level proving the theory with sound mathematical equation.
The work provides solution to the unified force field extending
the work of Newton, Einstein and others, revising all of
science from the elementary to university school level.

Of all the scientists in the world, Professor Oyibo has
uniquely pulled together physic theories involving
gravitational, electromagnetic, strong and weak forces
as well as other forces that are currently unknown. No
one has ever been able to unequivocally solve the theory
until the present day work of Professor Oyibo. Recognizing
the significance of this work, Professor Oyibo was initially
nominated for the Nobel Prize in 2002 and 2003 and did
not win. Known worldwide in his field and the recipient of
countless awards, Professor Oyibo has been once again
nominated this year for his work.

Crowning an incredible career which has included problem
solving for NASA--where their experts at MIT and other
elite universities had deemed “impossible to solve”
--Professor Oyibo initially entered his professional career by
obtaining his PhD in Aeronautics and Mathematics from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. There he
worked for four years on NASA/AFOSR sponsored research
and made several contributions in aircraft design,
aerodynamics, aeroelasticity and mathematics. He taught
several courses as well. Professor Oyibo’s fascinating and
most acclaimed career is highlighted with countless
achievements including:

< Introduced the concept of Affine Transformations
into the field of aeroelasticity, aeronautics, which is
used by prominent researchers and aircraft companies
around the world.

< Professor Oyibo has solved the toughest problems in
at least three disciplines, Navier-Stokes Equations
(Mathematics); Turbulence ( Aeronautics); The
Theory of Everything or the Unified Field Theory
(Mathematical Physics.) Gij, j = 0

Discovered that hydrogen is the only building block
of the entire universe , there is ONLY ONE ELEMENT
as opposed to the current, general belief that there are
118 ELEMENTS that form the basis of science

Ø Briefed United States Senate on Unified Field Theory o
n January 27, 2000 in Washington, D.C.

< Has been nominated for the Presidential Medal of Science
and the Nobel Prize awards. These nominations have been
supported by distinguished professors from prestigious
universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT). The Cambridge International Biographical Centre
(IBC-England) has conferred the following honors on
Professor Oyibo the International Personalty of the Year
2000-2001; 2000 Outstanding Scientist for the 21st Century;
and among one of the One Hundred Most Outstanding Citizen
s of the World. Referenced in: Who's Who in America ;Who's
Who in Science and Engineering; Who's Who in the World

< Received the Key to Miami Dade County and honored by
the Miami Dade School Board, October 2002; Honored by
the New York City Council, and the Huntington, N Y, Town
Council, for his work and discoveries .Holds the AAA Journal
worldwide publication record for 1983.

< Selected by NATO/AGAR as a contributor to their unsteady
transonic aerodynamic research.

< Consultant to half a dozen aerospace companies around the
world, the United States and the United Nations.

< Recipient of several professional and scientific awards
including the Associate Fellow Award from the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AAA).

< Found a new holograph technique for determining
nonlinear two-dimensional unsteady and three dimensional flow,
resulting in a new analytical and wing design tool.


< Developed new group theory methods in mathematics.
The methods from the new group theory were first used to
solve the full Navier Stokes equations as well as Reynolds
Averaged equations for turbulence.

< Using the newly developed group theory methods he
generalized and proved Einstein=s theorem (theory) in an
article entitled GENERALIZED Mathematical Proof of
Einstein's Theory Using A New Group Theory which was
published in a Russian and an American journal. This proof
of Einstein's theory has been recognized by the American
Mathematical Society(AMS) in its Mathematical Reviews
(ME) journal, MR 98e83007. .

C He has discovered the Unified Field Theory or the
Theory of Everything, the theory Albert Einstein searched
for unsuccessfully most of his life, which he has published
in the book entitled, Grand Unified Theorem@ which has
been recognized by the American Mathematical Society
(AMS) and the European Mathematical Society(EMS).
In 2002 published Highlights of the Grand Unified
Theorem: Formulation of the Unified Field Theory or
the Theory of Everything.Gij, j = 0. These monographs
are found in prestigious university and other research
libraries such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), Princeton, ETH, (where
Einstein obtained Ph.D.) UC Berkeley, Cornell University,
McGill University (Canada), Columbia University, Los
Alamos, Bell Labs.

Professor Oyibo has lectured widely on his discoveries
and been interviewed on radio, television and print media.
Editorial Board member "Nova Journal of Mathematics,
Game Theory and Algebra"

Professor Oyibo has been involved in research and
teaching at Polytechnic University beginning in 1986
serving as an Associate Professor of Aeronautics. He is
currently a Professor of Mathematics and Mathematical
Sciences at the OFAPPIT Institute of Technology and the
University of Bridgeport.

As historically known, Einstein summarized his theory
down to the acclaimed

E = MC2 .
Professor Oyibo, in solving the theory, provides his solution
in one equation where all logistics are keenly summarized
and understoodby the science world as:
Gij, j = 0.
The characteristic device for the representations of all
mathematical solutions- e.g. of Newton, Maxwell,
Einstein, et.al.

So that where is called the proper time or space.

He also Discovered among many things that hydrogen
is the only building block of the entire universe., it has
been discovered through GAGUT that the Periodic
Table of Elements has ONLY ONE ELEMENT as opposed
to the current, general belief that there are 118
ELEMENTS that form the basis of science. GAGUT,
therefore, changes all science as we know it.

Distinguished professors, such as Cambridge trained
physicist Professor Joshua C. Anyiwo praise Professor
Oyibo’s work as the “cleanest, most carefully articulated,
most comprehensive and authentic presentation of a
unifying theory of physics that I have ever encountered;
and I have encountered quite a few of such works.”

Professor George Handelman, former head of the
Mathematics Department at Brown University and the
Amos Eaton Professor of Mathematics ranks Professor
Oyibo “among those who have made significant
contributions to the field, such as Lord Rayleigh, Werner
Heisenberg, Sir Geoffery Taylor and Theodore von Karman.”

Additionally, Professor Edith Luchins, mathematics
professor and an aide to Albert Einstein wrote, “The
most exciting contribution to me, personally, is Professor
Oyibo’s formulation of Einstein’s Unified Field Theory...
I am thrilled that Gabriel Oyibo was the first to complete
the task that intrigued and challenged Einstein and many
other luminaries in science. Moreover he did so in a
mathematically elegant manner. Professor Oyibo’s
contributions are extremely important, both theoretically
and practically. They place him in the ranks of world class
scientists. He is eminently qualified for the Nobel Prize in
Physics.”

The GAGUT discovery has been published in a reputable
mathematics journal that has readership in the most
prestigious universities. The GAGUT discovery is
recognized by the American and European Mathematical
Societies as well as the American Institute of Physics.
The GAGUT discovery has also been recognized by
over 2,000 students, staff and professors from the
following schools: Harvard University (120); 2. Columbia
University (300); 3. MIT( 296); 4. SUNY Stony Brook
(1, 070 ); 5. RPI ( 300); 6. NYU ( 300). “We the students
and faculty, wish to express our desire to have Professor
G.A. Oyibo, Professor of Mathematics and Nobel Prize
nominee, give a lecture at our campus about the discovery
of the Theory of Everything ( GAGUT- for which he has
been nominated for the Nobel Prize.) We feel that a lecture
and discussion about the scientific and social implications of
this theory would be beneficial to our school by broadening
our academic and social awareness.”

PHILLIP EMEAGWALI

Philip Emeagwali (born 1954) is a Nigerian-born
computer scientist who was one of two winners of
the 1989 Gordon Bell prize, a prize from the IEEE,
for his use of the Connection Machine supercomputer
to help analyze petroleum fields.

Philip Emeagwali came from a poor family in Nigeria,
and was largely self-taught, earning his first diploma
from the University of London in 1973.
When he was 8, growing up in western Nigeria,
Emeagwali was drilled daily by his father to solve
100 math problems in one hour. There was no time
to write solutions on paper -- he had 36 seconds per
problem. So Emeagwali did them in his head.

During the 1970s and '80s, he furthered his education
in the U.S. studying mathematics and environmental
engineering.

Emeagwali's discovery started making front page
headlines and cover stories in 1989, a feat that is a
rarity in science. A measure of his impact is that he
was rewarded with the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize
(supercomputing's Nobel Prize) for his contributions
which, in part, inspired the petroleum industry to
purchase one in ten supercomputers.

Emeagwali's Discoveries Helped "REINVENT
THE SUPERCOMPUTER"

The word "computer" was coined 700 years ago.
If history repeats itself, the supercomputer of today
will become the computer of tomorrow.

In 1988, Emeagwali's discovery of a formula that enables
supercomputers powered by 65,000 electronic brains
called "processors" to perform the world’s fastest
calculations inspired the reinvention of supercomputers
- from the size and shape of a loveseat to a thousand-fold
faster machine that occupies the space of four tennis courts,
costs 400 million dollars a piece, powered by 65,000
processors and that can perform a billion billion
calculations per second.


Emeagwali solved the most difficult problem in
supercomputing by reformulating
Newton’s Second Law of Motion as 18 equations
and algorithms; then as 24 million algebraic
equations; and finally he programmed 65,000
processors to solve those 24 million equations at a
speed of 3.1 billion calculations per second.

Emeagwali's 65,000 processors 24 million equations
and 3.1 billion calculations were three world records
that garnered international headlines, made
mathematicianns rejoice, and caused his fellow
Africans to beam with pride. Supercomputers range
in price from $30 million to $100 million, and computer
companies had reservations about building them for
fear few agencies would make such pricey purchases.

"At that time, the argument was, 'We shouldn't build
computers that way because who can program them?'
" said Emeagwali, who is also a civil engineer. "I answered
that question by successfully programming them."

Future applications for Emeagwali's breakthroughs with
the use of data generated by massively parallel computers
include weather forecasting and the study of global warming

Since that time he has been called "a father of the Internet".
This was first proclaimed by CNN.


When Emeagwali won the 1989 Gordon Bell prize,
the “Nobel Prize of Supercomputing,” then-president
Bill Clinton called him “one of the great minds of the
Information Age.”

The New African magazine readers ranked him as
history's greatest scientist of African descent.

Emeagwali is the Most Searched-For Scientist

Emeagwali is the World's Top Scientist Internet poll of
300 million daily searches proves it.

Clinton Calls Emeagwali a "Great Mind" Excerpt from
his White House televised speech:

"One of the great minds of the Information Age is a
Nigerian American named Philip Emeagwali.

He had to leave school because his parents couldn't pay
the fees. He lived in a refugee camp during your civil war.
He won a scholarship to university and went on to invent a
formula that lets computers make 3.1 billion calculations
per second. (Applause.)

Some people call him the Bill Gates of Africa.
(Laughter and applause.)

But what I want to say to you is there is another Philip
Emeagwali -- or hundreds of them -- or thousands of
them -- growing up in Nigeria today.

I thought about it when I was driving in from the airport
and then driving around to my appointments, looking into
the face of children. You never know what potential is in
their mind and in their heart; what imagination they have;
what they have already thought of and dreamed of that
may be locked in because they don't have the means to
take it out.

That's really what education is. It's our responsibility to
make sure all your children have the chance to live their
dreams so that you don't miss the benefit of their
contributions and neither does the rest of the world."

Check Philip out .

Eventhough he's a globally acclaimed genius, he still
has time for some soccer! Now that's a real genius

GOVERNOR RAJI FASHOLA

Babatunde Raji Fashola, was born in Lagos at the Island Maternity Hospital on June 28, 1963. A fifth generation Lagosian and a direct descendant of the patriach of the Fashola family in Isalegangan. He is also a descendant of the Shomade family of Isale Eko through his paternal grandmother as well as a descendant of the Bashua and suenu families of Lagos.

He attended Igbobi College and He studied at the University of Benin from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, LL.B.(Hon), degree in 1987.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in November 1988 after completing the professional training programme at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos which he undertook between 1987 and 1988.

His legal career of over one and a half decades, commenced in the law Firm of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe an d Belgore, where he cut his legal teeth as a litigator over such wide-ranging areas of specialization as, intellectual property (registration of trade marks), commercial law, covering general contracts, company activities, mergers, acquisitions, right issues, ownership of shares and equity of corporations, as well as land disputes, criminal law and chieftaincy matters, in all of which he has come to acquire appreciable expertise and vast experienc
Political career
Babatunde Fashola commenced a four-year tenure as the Executive Governor of Lagos State in Nigeria on May 29, 2007; this was after a successful four-year tenure as the Chief of Staff to his predecessor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Fashola had during his tenure as Chief of Staff also dubbed as the Honourable Commissioner to the Governor's office. He was the first person to hold both offices simultaneously.

Before and during his appointment he had had the privilege to serve the State in various capacities, including:

- Secretary of the Lands Sub-Committee of the Transitional Work Groups. 1999.

- Member of the panel of Enquiry into allocation of houses on the Mobolaji Johnson Housing Scheme at Lekki, 2000.

- Member of the State Tenders Board- 2002- 2006.

- Member of Lagos State Executive Council-2002-2006.

- Member of the State Security Council-2002-2006

- Member of the State Treasury Board-2002-2006

- Chairman Ad-Hoc Committee on the Review of Asset distribution among Local Government.

Fashola, a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, has been variously honoured with awards and certificates of merit including the Distinguished Alumnus Award conferred on him by the University of Benin Alumni Association in recognition of contributions to the Alumnus association and humanity.

He is also a recipient of Lagos State public service club Platinum Award for outstanding contribution towards development. As well as Alliance for Democracy " Igbogbo Bayeku Local Government Award" in recognition of activities towards the success of the party.

Babatunde Fashola is also a Patron of the Law Students Association of the University of Benin and he is the second law graduate from the University of Benin and the first member of the Nigerian Law School graduating class of 1988 to be conferred with the Rank of Senior Advocate. He is also the First ever Chief of Staff to be so honoured.

Notably amongst his professional affiliations are his membership of the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.


Family and lineageHe is married to Mrs. Abimbola Emmanuela Fashola and they have children.

Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) is a descendant of the patriarch of the Fashola family, Alfa Bello Fashola of Princess Street in Isale Gangan, Lagos.

On the Fashola family tree, he is the great grandson of Bello Fashola, a philanthropist and a very close friend of Esugbayi Eleko, who contributed morally and financially to the struggle to return Esugbayi Eleko to Lagos after the Oba's banishment from his kingdom by the then colonial government.

Bello Fashola had 137 children with Tiamiyu Bashorun Fashola as the eldest child.

The direct linkage is as follows: Bello Fashola begat Tiamiyu Fashola, who begat Raji Olayinka Fashola, who begat Ademola Fashola who begat Babatunde Raji Fashola.

He is also linked to Isale Eko through his paternal grandmother who is a direct descendant of the Shomade/Bashua family of Obun Eko and Suenu chieftancy family house.

His paternal great, great grandmother was Jarinatu Okunnu from Isale Eko Onilegbe family whilst his maternal great grandmother is from Idumagbo Isale Eko of the Suenu Chieftancy family.

His historical antecedent spans over five generations.


News on Fashola
Fashola, quite unlike most politicians in Nigeria goes by the simple prefix of "Mr" and can be seen in traffic just like any other motorist devoid of that familiar Nigerian trapping of power, wailing siren