TheNewsGuru

Tag: Omoyele Sowore

  • ‘It Is slave wage’ – Sowore reacts to ₦70,000 new minimum wage approved by Tinubu

    ‘It Is slave wage’ – Sowore reacts to ₦70,000 new minimum wage approved by Tinubu

    Former African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has criticized the N70,000 new minimum wage approved by President Bola Tinubu.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Tinubu on Thursday announced the new minimum wage during a meeting held with leaders of the Trade Union Congress, TUC and the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC in Abuja.

    According to the statement via the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the new minimum wage will be reviewed every three years.

    The statement read, “President approves N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers with promise to review the national minimum wage law every three years.

    “President Tinubu also promised to find ways to assist the private sector and the sub-nationals to pay the minimum wage.

    “President Tinubu announced the decisions at the meeting held with leaders of TUC and NLC on Thursday in Abuja, the second time the parties met in 7 days.

    “The Labour leaders applauded President Tinubu for the fatherly gesture as the President also promised to use his discretionary powers meet the demands of university unions demanding unpaid 4 months salaries.”

    Reacting, Sowore, via a post on his account on the X platform, described the new minimum wage as slave wages and rejected it.

    He wrote: “Tinubu approves N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers.WE REJECT SLAVE WAGES ON BEHALF OF NIGERIAN WORKERS!”

  • Sowore shares photo of $100million Presidential jet FG bought for Tinubu

    Sowore shares photo of $100million Presidential jet FG bought for Tinubu

    Former African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu-led administration has already acquired a $100 million presidential jet.

    TheNewsGuru.com(TNG)  recalls that the House of Representatives recently recommended the purchase of a new presidential jet for President Tinubu and the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, noting that the aircraft in the Presidential Fleet are dysfunctional.

    However, the proposal sparked outrage on social media and was widely rejected by many Nigerians.

    Speaking on the development, the presidential candidate in a post via his X handle on Monday evening claimed Tinubu had already purchased the jet, and it is ready for delivery.

    Sowore who berated Tinubu, criticised the FG for spending $1oo million for a private jet but unable to pay minimum wage to workers.

    He said via X, “While they are telling you to ‘exercise patience’ @officialABAT already bought a $100m Presidential Jet and configured or reconfigured it with some $50million and it is ready for delivery! The jet is an A330-200 initially christened VP-CAC is now registered as 5N-FGA.

    “This was not in the annual budget, they can’t pay minimum wage for workers but could afford $150m for a private jet, students have to obtain loans to go to college but they could afford to approve billions for hajj even as the money/ies ended up being stolen. Fight we MUST!”

    See photo below;

  • 17-year-old wins 2023 Lagos Mangrove Marathon Race

    17-year-old wins 2023 Lagos Mangrove Marathon Race

    A 17-year-old Francis James, from Plateau State, has won the second edition of the Mangrove Marathon Race 2023 held on Saturday in Lekki, Lagos.

    James won one million naira in the 10km eco-friendly race to beat other contestants including a former presidential candidate in the 2023 General Elections and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Mr Omoyele Sowore.

    James who expressed delight in coming out first among the males that took part in the competition said it took him six months to prepare for the race.

    He urged his fellow contestants to work harder next time.

    A staff of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), David Abiye-Joyce, came first among the females in the competition.

    Abiye-Joyce expressed gratitude to God for making it possible for her to come tops.

    She said that she had been winning athletic competitions for the NSCDC.

    Earlier in his Welcome address, the Lekki LCDA Chairman. Hon. Rasak Kasali, expressed gratitude to organisers and participants of the Mangrove Marathon Race for identifying with the LCDA.

    Kasali said that there was no denying the fact that mangroves were extremely important to the ecosystem.

    According to him, mangroves serve as a buffer between marine and terrestrial communities and protect shorelines from damaging winds, waves, and floods.

    Kasali said mangrove thickets improve water quality by filtering pollutants and trapping sediments from the land.

    He, however, said that in spite of the wide ranging benefits, they were being destroyed. Kasali added that mangroves suffer from land based pollution.

    The chairman noted that the benefits of mangroves were fast being eroded.

    “We as a government have continued to play our part. I call on captains of industries working within the Lekki LCDA to be environmentally responsive,” Kasali said.

    Mrs Tolulope Adeyo, Director, Ecology & Conservation, Ministry of Environment & Water Resources, said mangroves were very important to the Lagos State Government.

    Adeyo said that Lekki has the longest stretch of mangroves in the state.

    According to her, mangroves are assets to the community serving as protection for fauna and floral in the ecosystem.

    “We should keep our mangroves intact bearing in mind that they are assets,” Adeyo said.

    She enjoined the local community to help in preserving the mangrove because of its ecosystem services.

    The Director-General, Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), in his remarks said Nigeria has the largest mangroves in Africa.

    Onoja noted that Nigeria has one-third of the entire mangrove in Africa and the third most extensive mangrove ecosystems in the world after India and Indonesia.

    He said that mangroves, spanning 60 per cent of the fishing area in West Africa, act as carbon sink.

    “Mangroves determine the livelihood of the coastal dwellers, and covers 40 per cent of the remaining forest in Nigeria, that is 10,500 kilometres square.

    “Mangroves provide natural infrastructure to help protect nearby populated areas by reducing erosion and absorbing high tides impacts.

    “Their dense roots help bind and build soils. The complex mangrove root systems filter nitrates, phosphates, and other pollutants from the water, improving the water quality.

    “Mangrove forests capture massive amounts of carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and then trap and store them in their carbon-rich flooded soils for millennia.

    “This is an important ecosystem service as we face climate change,” Onoja said.

    He, however, said that mangrove degradation was being caused by oil pollution, fuel wood cutting, over exploitation, sand filling, and unsustainable urban development, among other anthropogenic factors.

    Onoja said the NCF was pleased to associate itself with this initiative; Mangrove Marathon, a platform for the promotion of the awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystem and thereby promoting their restoration and conservation.

    “Prior to this time, NCF and other environmental NGOs have embarked on mangrove restoration projects to restore Nigeria’s mangroves in some degraded areas.

    “There is a dire need for urgent rehabilitation for the mangrove to continue to render nature-laden services to the ecosystem.

    “Series of mangrove restoration projects have been implemented by the NCF and partners in Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, and Delta states.

    “There are ongoing mangrove restoration projects across the coastal areas of Nigeria and new ones are being initiated.

    “We are keen on this because of the importance of mangrove to ecosystem and biodiversity conservation,” Onoja said.

    The director-general said mangrove restoration aligns with one of the key goals of the NCF’s Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) programme.

    He said that the GRN programme aims to increase the forest cover in Nigeria to at least 25 per cent of the total land mass through management and expansion of protected areas as well as forest landscape restoration.

    He said the GRN initiative is a 30-year forest restoration programme of the NCF, borne out of the growing concerns about the plight of Nigeria’s forests and the drastic consequences of continuing degradation and loss.

    He added that the GRN which started in 2017 and seeks to restore the Nigeria’s forest cover to at least 25 per cent by 2047.

    The Convener of the Mangrove Marathon Race, Mr Jerry Chidi, described the race was a huge success.

    Chidi said the youth of Ibeju-Lekki LCDA were excited to take part in the race, not just for the fun, but to create awareness for the conservation of mangrove.

    According to him, the Local Organising Committee of the Marathon Race plans to make it bigger in the coming years; 21km in 2024 and 42 Km in 2025.

    The traditional ruler of Ise Land, Oba Ganiu Adebowale Adegbesan (Onise of Ise Land), pledged the support of the palace in the preservation and restoration of mangroves.

    Highlights of the event were the presentation of prizes to various categories of contesters and planting of mangroves at the Ecopark Mangrove Sanctuary and Research Centre, Akodo Ise, by the dignitaries.

    The Ecopark Sanctuary and Research Centre is managed by Eco Restoration Foundation.

    The Executive Director of the foundation, Prince David Omaghomi, said the park would be opened to the public by 2024 during the next race.

  • “Challenge outcome of 2023 presidential election, not INEC’s electoral process” -Sowore knocks Peter Obi

    “Challenge outcome of 2023 presidential election, not INEC’s electoral process” -Sowore knocks Peter Obi

    The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has lambasted the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for challenging the electoral process of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and not the outcome of the February 25th, 2023 presidential election.

    Sowore, on Twitter, accused Obi of still loving the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “Their Uncle @officialABAT carried out an election heist of the worst order, @peterobi however still loves him as a fatherly figure, so in a rigmarole, he does not believe in challenging the outcome but just wanna challenge the process.

    “This is like saying someone robbed your house and took everything but you’re only gonna challenge the getaway car maker! Because the robber is a beloved uncle! #RevolutionNow,” Sowore posted.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) earlier reported that Obi had revealed his spotlight on a petition at the Presidential Elections Tribunal (PET).

    According to Obi, he wants to challenge both the electoral process of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the president-elect.

    “Following my response to a question while appearing on Arise TV earlier today, I want to state categorically that at the Presidential Elections Tribunal (PET), I am challenging the INEC electoral process that led to the declaration of Tinubu as president-elect as well as the Declaration itself,” Obi’s tweet read.

    Former Lagos State governor, Tinubu, was declared the winner by INEC in the hotly contested election that saw the Labour Party candidate coming second behind Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    According to INEC, 70-year-old Tinubu, scored the highest number of votes — 8,794,726 after coming out tops in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states. Atiku, 76, scored got 6,984,520 votes equally winning 12 states to place second, while 61-year-old Obi scored 6,101,533, winning in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory to come third.

    However, both Obi and Atiku have since rejected the declaration of INEC and have gone to court to challenge the outcome of the election.

  • 2023 elections: How experts rate campaigns by political parties

    2023 elections: How experts rate campaigns by political parties

    As the 2023 general election draws near and political tensity in the country leaves the electorates and politicians in an anticipatory mood, Stakeholders in Communications have cautioned politicians of the hazard of using offensive language and public figure attacks in the course of a campaign.

    The stakeholders, who expressed dissatisfaction over attacks and killing of personalities by political thugs, urged all contestants in the forthcoming election to focus on critical issues affecting Nigeria and how they would tackle them if elected into office.

    Sowore vs Obi- who is better?

    Speaking on Saturday, during a webinar anchored on the theme: “Assessing the 2023 Presidential Election Campaigns”, Comrade Ina Okopi-Aqu, National Secretary of the African Action Congress (AAC) averred that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, is not alternative Nigeria needs.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Comrade Okopi-Aqu stated Obi was not different from the old political stock, coming from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), adding that the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), Comrade Omoyele Sowore, is a better option.

    In his words: “The alternative we seek in Nigeria, if it is the PDP or Labour Party, then we do not have an alternative yet. Nigeria needs an alternative that is different from the PDP, the Labour Party and the All Progressives Congress (APC). So, we want Nigerians to look again at what is the alternative,” the AAC National Secretary said.

    However, Diran Onifade, Head of Obi-Datti Media Office, who was present at the event held virtually via Zoom, countered the AAC Scribe, stressing that the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate appeals to Nigerians in terms of expectation.

    2023 Election Campaigns: How experts brainstormed on character assassination, attacks among politicians

    Onifade argued that the Labour Party is a special purpose vehicle for the kind of leadership Nigerians have been yearning for, adding that the ideas of Mr Peter Obi and his record of service resonate with the people of Nigeria.

    He said: “Nigerians have constituted themselves as the structure for the Labour Party because the ideas of our presidential candidate and his records of service resonate with Nigerians. At the beginning, it didn’t look like that. The 2023 presidential election was looking like another contest between the two big parties. That was the kind of mindset we entered the election with.

    “We did not take into consideration the fact that right there among the populace there was something that was building up that politicians were not ready for. They knew about the third force. When the process of the election started, the real third force emerged from the streets of Nigeria. That is the wave we are riding on”.

    Record of campaign communication in addressing core issues

    President and Chairman, of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo, on his part, pointed out that the communication aspect of campaigns by political parties has recorded an “absolute zero” in terms of addressing core issues.

    According to Sirajo, This is because political parties and campaign managers do not attach importance to communication in what they are doing as it ought to.

    He opined that such happens because political parties and electoral candidates do not appoint professionals as spokespersons or communication officers because they wrongly believe that communication is an all-comers affair.

    Sirajo noted that Communication is a very serious business that demands that one gets it right by being able to use it appropriately in engaging the people, especially during the political season when those seeking elective offices are constantly reaching out.

    “The component of the campaigns of virtually all the political parties have in my opinion been absolutely zero. That is because the political parties and their campaign managers believe that communication is not worth giving attention as it ought to be. That is why you see political parties appointing anybody they like as their spokesperson, believing that communication is an all-comers affair,” he stated.

    Presidential candidates journey to Chatham House

    The NIPR President said campaign spokespersons have instead of engaging Nigerians in robust discussions about what their principals intend to do when elected, have been busy attacking the personalities of perceived political opponents.

    He faulted the idea of presidential candidates going to Chatham House, London to speak about their policy plans if elected, and wondered whether their validation ought to come from Britain or the Nigerian electorate.

    Speaking further, Sirajo advised electoral candidates to address the issue of how they communicate with the people.

    The workshop, which was anchored by a team of communications, academics and media professionals led by Ambassador Aminu Wisdom and Professor Charles Okigbo, was hosted on the platform of Prime Business Africa, a news organisation focusing on coverage of socio-economic issues in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

    Jackson Centre for Innovative Journalism and Media Development (JCIJMD), TheNewsGuru and the New Nigeria Network also supported the project.

    Nigeria has the potential to be a great economy

    Aminu, in his opening remarks, said the session was to provide a better understanding of what the political parties are doing in their use of communication for the upcoming elections.

    He noted that expert indicators have shown that Nigeria has the potential to be a great economy if the resources are properly deployed and managed by competent leadership.

    Aminu stressed that the 2023 elections present a unique opportunity for the Nigerian people to make the right choices of managers of the country’s resources to fulfil those potentials.

    2023 Election Campaigns: How experts brainstormed on character assassination, attacks among politicians

    Drawing a nexus between free and fair elections and communications around political campaigns and the electoral process, the popular diplomat said: “Free and fair elections are prefaced on strategic communication election campaigns. We are here today to get a better understanding of what our political parties are doing in their use of communication for the upcoming elections.”

    The programme also had representatives of political parties and candidates hint at how they have fared with the pattern of communication strategies in the ongoing campaigns.

    Some communication scholars who attended the colloquium identified shortcomings in the pattern of communications adopted by various political parties and candidates and how much impact the delivery of their messages to Nigerians.

    They include Prof. Rotimi Olatunji, Department of Public Relations and Advertising, Lagos State University; Prof. Nuhu Gapsiso, Mass Communication Department, University of Maiduguri; and Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

    Responding, Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari, Garba Shehu, who also participated in the colloquium, urged the forum of communication professionals to enlighten those working for the politicians in the communications sphere about how to effectively market political parties and candidates, especially in this era of online media.

  • 2023 elections: Peter Obi not alternative Nigeria needs – AAC Chieftain

    2023 elections: Peter Obi not alternative Nigeria needs – AAC Chieftain

    Comrade Ina Okopi-Aqu, National Secretary of the African Action Congress (AAC) has averred that the candidate of the Labour Party for the forthcoming presidential election, Mr Peter Obi is not the alternative Nigeria needs.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Comrade Okopi-Aqu stated this on Saturday at a colloquium organised to assess the 2023 presidential election campaigns.

    According to Okopi-Aqu, Mr Obi was not different from the old political stock, coming from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), adding that the AAC presidential candidate, Comrade Omoyele Sowore is a better option.

    “The alternative we seek in Nigeria, if it is the PDP or Labour Party, then we do not have an alternative yet. Nigeria needs an alternative that is different from the PDP, the Labour Party and the All Progressives Congress (APC). So, we want Nigerians to look again at what is the alternative,” the AAC National Secretary said.

    However, Diran Onifade, Head of Obi-Datti Media Office, who was present at the event held virtually via Zoom, countered the AAC Scribe, stressing that the Labour Party presidential candidate appeals to Nigerians in terms of expectation.

    Onifade argued that the Labour Party is a special purpose vehicle for the kind of leadership Nigerians have been yearning for, adding that the ideas of Mr Peter Obi and his record of service resonate with the people of Nigeria.

    “Nigerians have constituted themselves as the structure for the Labour Party because the ideas of our presidential candidate and his records of service resonate with Nigerians.

    “At the beginning, it didn’t look like that. The 2023 presidential election was looking like another contest between the two big parties. That was the kind of mindset we entered the election with.

    “We did not take into consideration the fact that right there among the populace there was something that was building up that politicians were not ready for.

    “They knew about the third force. When the process of the election started, the real third force emerged from the streets of Nigeria. That is the wave we are riding on,” Onifade said.

  • 2023: Sowore confronts Shettima over Tinubu’s absence as presidential candidates sign peace accord

    2023: Sowore confronts Shettima over Tinubu’s absence as presidential candidates sign peace accord

    Presidential candidates for the 2023 elections on Thursday signed a national peace accord instituted by a group led by General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), former Nigerian military Head of State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the peace accord is meant to compel presidential and governorship candidates of the various political parties in the country to maintain the peace and keep the process violent-free during elections.

    However, it was observed that Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was conspicuously absent at the signing of the peace accord.

    Tinubu is believed to be in London at the moment attending to his health and was, therefore, the only presidential candidate out of the prominent candidates who was not present.

    However, he was represented by his running mate, Kashim Shettima, who was confronted by the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.

    Meanwhile, Abubakar had disclosed that the peace accords would be signed by the candidates and their spokespersons twice ahead of the 2023 general polls to commit them to issue-based campaigns and ensure a peaceful electoral process.

    “The first accord signing is intended to commit political parties, candidates and their spokespersons to conduct their campaigns (both online and offline) in a peaceful manner, devoid of ethnic, religious and hateful rhetoric that will incite violence and further aggravate the growing tension and insecurity in the nation.

    “These interventions are to complement ongoing peace initiatives aimed at promoting a violence-free and inclusive electioneering process before, during and after the declaration of the final election results,” he stated.

    TNG reports that Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) are among the prominent presidential candidates present at the signing of the peace accord.

    Buhari urges political actors to place Nigeria first, ahead of 2023 poll

    Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has urged political actors in the 2023 poll to place Nigeria first above regional or sectional interests, ahead of the 2023 general election.

    Buhari made the call in a goodwill message at the signing of the National Peace Accord by Presidential Candidates of political parties for the 2023 general election in Abuja on Thursday.

    He also urged the media to shun fake news and show commitment to issue-based campaigns to ensure free, fair and credible election.

    “The 2023 general election is more than an election, it is an opportunity to serve Nigeria, to defend Nigeria and to uphold her unity and progress.

    “Therefore, I call on all Nigerians, political parties, politicians, security agencies, the election management body, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and all stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria is placed first above regional and sectional claims.

    “I call on the contestants, especially their publicity agents and media advisers to shun personal attacks, avoid insults and incitement, reject the spread of fake news, and commit to issue-based campaigns and political rallies,’’ Buhari said.

    He said that as the president, he has always reiterated his commitment to a peaceful, credible and transparent election.

    Buhari commended the National Peace Committee (NPC) led by retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, for its commitment to supporting peaceful elections in Nigeria.

    He said what the committee has been doing over the years, aligned with his belief that Nigeria needed peace to achieve credible elections.

    “However, the rise of fake news and misinformation continue to pose a significant threat to the pattern of democracy in Nigeria.

    “It has shifted focus away from issue-based campaigns to amplifying the potential for personal attacks, insults, and incitement. It has also significantly diminished the civility and decency in public discourse and debate.

    “The initiatives undertaken by the National Peace Committee to commit all political actors to issue-based campaign devoid of incitement, personal insults and attacks is a welcome development,’’ he said.

    Buhari said that everything must be done to support NPC in its efforts to ensure peace elections in Nigeria.

  • 2023 Election: Obi is not new to the rotten system – Sowore

    2023 Election: Obi is not new to the rotten system – Sowore

    Politician and activist, Omoyele Sowore the flagbearer of the African Action Congress (AAC), has explained that his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi has also been part of the old and rotten system.

    Sowore made this statement while featuring on Channels Television Political  programme, Politics today which was  monitored by TheNewsGuru.com (TNG)

    The activist noted that he has always fought against the system which Obi has been part of.

    Asked to comment on the candidacy of Obi, he said , “Peter Obi is part of the old system that I’ve always fought against. I understand where he is coming from.

    “This is 1999 repeating itself – Nigerians want change, some young people are genuinely interested in change to a different direction, and then they are presented with somebody who worked for the establishment; somebody who has been in the Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, came back to the PDP, and now in the Labour Party. We can be emotional about it but that’s the truth.

    “He’s not new to the rotten system. Somebody who was Anambra’s governor for eight years. He didn’t build any schools, he didn’t build any industry, he didn’t build a power station. He’s not my kind of progressive.”

  • Sowore wins AAC presidential candidate ticket

    Popular critic of the Buhari-led administration, Omoyele Sowore, has emerged as African Action Congress (AAC) consensus presidential candidate.

     

    He was unanimously elected without opposition by members of the party as the AAC presidential flagbearer in respect of the 2023 general elections.

    Sowore
    Omoyele Sowore

     

    The news was shared by the AAC, through its official Twitter handle.

     

    Similarly, an elated Sowore announced his triumph via his verified Twitter handle: “I have been validly elected by affirmation as the Presidential Candidate of the @aacparty # wecantcontinuelikethis.”

     

    Sowore contested for presidency during the 2019 general elections, but had a poor performance.

     

    He has always criticized successive Nigerian governments, accusing them of corruption and incompetence.

     

    The Media entrepreneur and social activist, Omoyele Sowore, on Thursday, June 09, 2022, announced that he is stepping down as National Chairman of the AAC.

     

    Sowore made this known during the National Convention of the party in Abuja, shortly after he was announced the consensus candidate.

     

    A new Chairman is expected to be elected soon.

     

    Sowore is a Nigerian human rights activist, pro-democracy campaigner, and founder of an online news agency, Sahara Reporters.

     

    He contested in the 2019 presidential election.

     

    On 3 August 2019 Sowore was arrested by the Nigerian State Security Service (SSS) for alleged treason after calling for a protest tagged RevolutionNow.

     

    He was arrested again and beaten during a protest in Abuja on January 1, 2021.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that Sowore was injured by a police officer during a protest in Abuja on May 31, 2021.

     

    The activist is from Ese-Odo, Ondo State in South West Nigeria. Sowore was born in the Niger Delta region of the country (comprising six states in South-South region, Ondo, Abia and Imo States) where he was also raised in a polygamous home with sixteen children.

     

    He studied Geography and Planning at the University of Lagos from 1989 to 1995 with his academic program extended by two extra years after being expelled twice for political reasons and student activism.

     

    Sowore was the President of the University of Lagos Student Union Government between 1992 and 1994 where he was involved in anti-cultism and anti-corruption advocacy.

     

    He holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbia University.

  • Sowore’s loses 100yrs grandmother

    Sowore’s loses 100yrs grandmother

    Presidential aspirant, Omoyele Sowore, has announced the death of his grandmother Moyinoluwa Olawoye nee Befo.

     

    The publisher of Sahara Reporters said she passed on early Wednesday at the age of 100, describing her in a touching tribute as his digital grandmother.

     

    “Early this morning my legendary grandmother, Moyinoluwa Comfort Olawoye nee Befo passed on at the age 100!” he wrote across social media platforms.

     

    Sowore noted that him and his grandmother became close later in life because schooling took him away from home early.

     

    “However, recently she started to show signs that she will be departing this world soon. She kept asking to speak with me and I had thought it was because she did not believe anything anyone in the family told her that I had been released from detention since 2019,” he wrote.

     

    Sowore recently secured an Appeal Court order nullifying a lower court order which restricted him to Abuja in his face-off with the Federal Government.

     

    He said his last visit to his grandmother before her passing was on May 5 during a campaign stop in his hometown.

     

    “She said she needed to embark on a journey but was just waiting to see me before that very important trip, but because my grandma was often talking about ‘departing this world’ at least for the last 20 years, I told her she’s not gonna die yet, at least not until I bring her with me to Abuja as President of Nigeria, I teased. It turned out this would be our final meeting,” he noted.

     

    Sowore, whose younger brother was shot dead last year, revealed that his grandmother had tattoos on her arms, legs and back.

     

    “She ate little, she never drank or partied. She was born and made for heaven!” He added.