After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs and dairy products to Nigerians, it rented the facility out to a poultry farmer, who has also shut down business. Peace Oladipo reports
Excitement swept through Omu-Aran upon the establishment of a milk-processing factory in what is the third-largest town in Kwara State. In a town filled with low-paying teaching jobs, the factory raised hopes of diverse employment opportunities and development.
But the optimism was only short-lived. After years of neglect, the milk factory, situated along a row of administrative offices, has become a derelict chicken shop, weather-beaten and overgrown with weeds.
Bade Segun, a car wash attendant who has lived in the town for a decade, remembers how the project held so much promise in the beginning, pointing at the construction signpost of the building.
The plant’s signpost
“People were very happy, and a relative of mine even wanted to apply for a job. After completion, we learned that the community would need to take over the purchase of equipment for the process, but nothing has happened for the past 5 years,” Segun recalled.
Oyekanmi Grace, who works at the Ministry of Works, a few metres away from the abandoned milk factory, reminisced that “the project started in 2019 when the king visited the area to look for land for the facility. After obtaining the land, people from Abuja arrived and rushed the project. Within a month, the building was ready. However, since then, the project hasn’t been commissioned.”
During the construction, Grace’s office served as residence for many of the site’s engineers and workers. “I was, like many residents of the town, thrilled when the project commenced. Of course, it implied availability of more milk-related products,” she said.
The Milk Processing Plant
Findings on Govspend.NG, an analytical website tracking the Nigerian government’s daily spending, confirmed that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development first initiated the project in 2018.
The abandoned Milk Processing plant
Photo: Peace Oladipo
After the contract for establishing the milk-processing plant was awarded to Degan Construction, a construction company based in Abuja, a sum of twenty-seven million, one hundred thirteen thousand, and four hundred ninety-seven naira (₦27,113,497) was disbursed to the contractors. The project began in 2019 and was soon completed within a month, residents say.
However, when this reporter visited the location of the milk processing factory in January 2024, she found an abandoned poultry in its stead. The once-promising infrastructure intended for dairy production now lays idle, its machinery left to neglect and rot.
The conversion into a poultry outlet
Dare Sunday, a worker at the Nigeria Fire Service, made more shocking revelations about the facility: The Federal Ministry in charge did not commission or hand over the project to the Omu-Aran community, like many government projects initiated during the same season in the state. “However, the milk processing factory is one of the few that have not been vandalized by hoodlums,” Segun remarked.
A year after the building was completed and equipped with a Mikano generator, officials from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Ilorin visited the site, calling on individuals interested in leasing the milk factory’s building.
“Before it was rented out, through the neighborhood’s bush burning, a nearby palm tree caught fire that spread to the facility, causing a part of the building to burn. The intervention of the fire service saved the whole building that particular day,” Sunday told this reporter.
The reported fire incident prompted the intervention of the ministry’s officials in the state capital to get the factory working, three years after completion.
In a telephone conversation, Oye Olaide, the manager of the poultry processing business, corroborated Sunday’s claims about the fire incident, noting that because of concerns about the factory’s neglect, the federal ministry called on people interested in the property.
Following the announcement to lease the facility to agro-businesses, Olaide applied, “since poultry is related to milk,” which aligned with the government’s agricultural plans for the structure.
“In 2022 when we arrived, there was no equipment inside. We deal with poultry processing and have built our cold room outside the space. We bring live birds, blast them, and sell the processed products for more than a year.
“However, high inflation forced us to shut down the business towards the end of 2023,” Olaide added.
Owing to rampant inflation, more than 50 per cent of poultry farms including Olaide’s business across Nigeria shut down in 2023, causing the sector to lose over N3 trillion, according to the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN).
No comment from the Royalty
This reporter visited the Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Abdulraheem Oladele Adeoti, to inquire about actions being taken to revive the factory.
The King’s Palace
“I was in my palace when the staff from the federal ministry involved came to meet me, and with delight, the town provided a location for the project to be erected on,” he said, waving his hand with an air of finality.
He, however, declined to comment on the matter of the abandoned facility, repeatedly saying, “A kìí gbó búburú lénu aborè,” a Yoruba phrase that roughly translates as “no one hears bad/evil from the chief priest of a grove.” This remark means that the head priest of a sacred place should not be questioned or accused of wrongdoing, as they are held in high regard.
Contractors Keep Mute
A review on Manpower Nigeria, and NG Check, platforms used to discover businesses, revealed no contact information of Degan Constructions, the contracted company. Similar searches on the Corporate Affairs Commission portal indicated that the company is currently inactive and hasn’t submitted updated annual returns as required by law.
A screenshot of the company on the CAC portal
Upon visiting the displayed address of the company online, No. 42, Durban Street, Off Ademola Adetokunbo, Wuse II, Abuja, on March 12, 2024, the officials refused to confirm the existence of the company in the building. The official, who declined to divulge his name and position, reiterated, “So many people usually ask for the company here, but it is here and not here too.” He insisted on not releasing any information about the company. A mail with a request for information about the project was sent to the provided official’s email address. Regardless, the mail was left unanswered despite being read minutes after it was sent.
Degan Construction’s Office in Abuja
Ministry Violates Freedom of Information Act
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on March 5, 2024, seeking details about the project, including the money spent, the level of the project completion, and reasons for its conversion into a poultry shop.
At the time of filing this report, the ministry had yet to respond to the request, weeks after its submission. This contravenes the FOI Act 2011, which mandates a seven-day response period for FOI requests. Repeated calls to an official at the ministry in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara, weren’t answered.
A downtrend in the nation’s food production
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, the national president of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, (MACBAN) Baba Ngelzarma, maintained that the country spends around $1.7 billion yearly on importing milk into the country.
These indices suggest a significant demand for dairy products that the factory could manufacture, highlighting the existing gap in food processing in Nigeria, which contributes to food scarcity and poverty.
“Agriculture needs to be driven through industrialization,” Aderagbemi Fasakin, the founder of Advic Farms, opined. “That dairy factory can help produce locally made milk and even end up exporting some. The abandonment has a significant effect on the economy of the community and even the nation at large.”
Speaking further about the country’s manufacturing and processing, he added, “How unfortunate we are in a country where we produce what we don’t consume and we consume what we don’t produce.”
He charged the government to establish factories and implement machinery to process food, thereby encouraging the exportation of finished products.
Nigerians, according to him, have developed a preference for purchasing foreign foods and goods, perpetuating the cycle of dependence on imported products and hindering the growth of domestic industries. He compared the abandoned dairy factory to Nigeria’s cocoa export and chocolate importation, stating, “When functioning, the dairy factory could serve as an extension of agricultural industrialization, potentially giving rise to local industries and employment opportunities.”
This report is produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), under the CMEDIA Project
Hope is defined as the expectation of achieving a future good. Patients with cancer, whether it is curable or not, prioritize cure as their highest hope.
Patients with incurable cancer wish to be informed about their disease and its treatment, but also need to maintain hope. This inner conflict can impact how they process information about their prognosis.
Prognostic awareness
Physicians are ethically obligated to inform patients about their prognosis so that patients can make cancer treatment decisions that are consistent with their values. When oncologists talk to patients about prognosis, they tend to talk about the extent of the disease (localized or metastatic), the goal of the treatment (curative or palliative) and the estimated survival (short months or many years).
Communication about prognosis can be challenging due to physician factors such as skill in discussing bad news, and patient factors such as denial. Some patients with incurable cancer, who are aware of their prognosis but haven’t accepted it, will say the treatment goal is cure.
Hope is a recognized coping strategy in patients with cancer.(Shutterstock)
Previous research indicates that less than half of patients with incurable cancer are aware of their prognosis. This is often attributed to a failure of communication.
But are patients truly unaware, or are they aware and not accepting of their prognosis? If inaccurate prognostic awareness is due to denial in spite of adequate communication from the oncologist, then interventions to improve communication may be ineffective, misguided or even harmful.
Patients with incurable cancer are more likely to receive end-of-life care concordant with their preferences when they have accurate prognostic awareness. Inaccurate prognostic awareness can lead to conflicting treatment decision-making between patients and oncologists, delayed referral to palliative care and more aggressive care at the end of life.
In a study of patients with advanced lung cancer, those who received early palliative care and had accurate prognostic awareness were more likely not to choose intravenous chemotherapy in the last two months of life, which would have been futile and worsened the quality of their end-of-life care.
How prognostic awareness is measured
Measuring prognostic awareness in patients is challenging because their responses may reflect their hopes rather than their true beliefs. In a recent publication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, our research team synthesized data from 52 studies measuring prognostic awareness in patients with advanced cancer.
In the majority of studies, prognostic awareness was conceptualized as a binary entity: patients were asked if their cancer was curable, and their responses were coded as either accurate prognostic awareness (patients knew their cancer was incurable and responded that it was incurable) or inaccurate prognostic awareness (they thought it was curable and responded that it was curable).
A few studies included in our review improved upon the binary conceptualization by incorporating hope in the assessment of prognostic awareness.
These studies asked patients about their belief and their doctor’s belief about prognosis and found that about a third of patients will hold onto hope for a cure (responding that they believe their cancer is curable), even when acknowledging that their doctors were treating them with palliative intent. This discordance was attributed to poor coping.
The role of hope
Not all cancer treatments are intended to cure the disease.(Shutterstock)
Hope is a recognized coping strategy in patients with cancer. However, “false” hope may have detrimental effects. Patients may refuse to believe their prognosis and demand aggressive treatments that may cause more harm than benefit.
In the context of advanced cancer, the relationship between hope and hopelessness is balanced by acceptance, which can re-direct hope to new goals beyond cure, such as hope for connection with others and enjoyment of daily pleasures.
Nurturing hope among patients with cancer and their caregivers is possible and includes coping strategies focusing on what can be done (such as control of symptoms) and exploring realistic goals such as dignity and intimacy. Family and spirituality play an important role in supporting patient hope.
Incorporating patient hope into prognostic awareness
We improved upon the binary conceptualization of measuring prognostic awareness by incorporating patient hope, creating a trinary concept: patients who are aware and accepting of their prognosis; aware and not accepting; or truly unaware.
We propose that patients who are aware and accepting should be offered psychological supports to address any negative effects on mood; those who are aware and not accepting should be offered adaptive coping strategies to support their evolving prognostic awareness; and those who are truly unaware will benefit from interventions such as decision-aids and communication training. Early palliative care consultation may be beneficial at each stage of prognostic awareness.
This trinary conceptualization may guide future research to improve our understanding of the impact of hope in the setting of serious illness and help patients receive the right supports in their cancer journey.
Hope is defined as the expectation of achieving a future good. Patients with cancer, whether it is curable or not, prioritize cure as their highest hope.
Patients with incurable cancer wish to be informed about their disease and its treatment, but also need to maintain hope. This inner conflict can impact how they process information about their prognosis.
Prognostic awareness
Physicians are ethically obligated to inform patients about their prognosis so that patients can make cancer treatment decisions that are consistent with their values. When oncologists talk to patients about prognosis, they tend to talk about the extent of the disease (localized or metastatic), the goal of the treatment (curative or palliative) and the estimated survival (short months or many years).
Communication about prognosis can be challenging due to physician factors such as skill in discussing bad news, and patient factors such as denial. Some patients with incurable cancer, who are aware of their prognosis but haven’t accepted it, will say the treatment goal is cure.
Hope is a recognized coping strategy in patients with cancer.(Shutterstock)
Previous research indicates that less than half of patients with incurable cancer are aware of their prognosis. This is often attributed to a failure of communication.
But are patients truly unaware, or are they aware and not accepting of their prognosis? If inaccurate prognostic awareness is due to denial in spite of adequate communication from the oncologist, then interventions to improve communication may be ineffective, misguided or even harmful.
Patients with incurable cancer are more likely to receive end-of-life care concordant with their preferences when they have accurate prognostic awareness. Inaccurate prognostic awareness can lead to conflicting treatment decision-making between patients and oncologists, delayed referral to palliative care and more aggressive care at the end of life.
In a study of patients with advanced lung cancer, those who received early palliative care and had accurate prognostic awareness were more likely not to choose intravenous chemotherapy in the last two months of life, which would have been futile and worsened the quality of their end-of-life care.
How prognostic awareness is measured
Measuring prognostic awareness in patients is challenging because their responses may reflect their hopes rather than their true beliefs. In a recent publication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, our research team synthesized data from 52 studies measuring prognostic awareness in patients with advanced cancer.
In the majority of studies, prognostic awareness was conceptualized as a binary entity: patients were asked if their cancer was curable, and their responses were coded as either accurate prognostic awareness (patients knew their cancer was incurable and responded that it was incurable) or inaccurate prognostic awareness (they thought it was curable and responded that it was curable).
A few studies included in our review improved upon the binary conceptualization by incorporating hope in the assessment of prognostic awareness.
These studies asked patients about their belief and their doctor’s belief about prognosis and found that about a third of patients will hold onto hope for a cure (responding that they believe their cancer is curable), even when acknowledging that their doctors were treating them with palliative intent. This discordance was attributed to poor coping.
The role of hope
Not all cancer treatments are intended to cure the disease.(Shutterstock)
Hope is a recognized coping strategy in patients with cancer. However, “false” hope may have detrimental effects. Patients may refuse to believe their prognosis and demand aggressive treatments that may cause more harm than benefit.
In the context of advanced cancer, the relationship between hope and hopelessness is balanced by acceptance, which can re-direct hope to new goals beyond cure, such as hope for connection with others and enjoyment of daily pleasures.
Nurturing hope among patients with cancer and their caregivers is possible and includes coping strategies focusing on what can be done (such as control of symptoms) and exploring realistic goals such as dignity and intimacy. Family and spirituality play an important role in supporting patient hope.
Incorporating patient hope into prognostic awareness
We improved upon the binary conceptualization of measuring prognostic awareness by incorporating patient hope, creating a trinary concept: patients who are aware and accepting of their prognosis; aware and not accepting; or truly unaware.
We propose that patients who are aware and accepting should be offered psychological supports to address any negative effects on mood; those who are aware and not accepting should be offered adaptive coping strategies to support their evolving prognostic awareness; and those who are truly unaware will benefit from interventions such as decision-aids and communication training. Early palliative care consultation may be beneficial at each stage of prognostic awareness.
This trinary conceptualization may guide future research to improve our understanding of the impact of hope in the setting of serious illness and help patients receive the right supports in their cancer journey.
A majority of the world’s population has experienced a decline in press freedom in recent years, according to a UN report. In east Africa, the results are mixed and debatable.
In Rwanda, both international press freedom rankings and journalists on the ground say press freedom has increased over the past 10 years. In neighbouring Uganda, both international rankings and local journalists say media freedom has declined. In Kenya, rankings reflect declining freedom over the past decade, but reporters acknowledge they have more freedom than their counterparts in Uganda and Rwanda.
In our roles as associate professors in journalism and mass communication, we interviewed and surveyed more than 500 journalists in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. We learned that the evolution and current state of press freedom in the region is complex. In our book, Press Freedom and the (Crooked) Path Toward Democracy: Lessons from Journalists in East Africa, we provide an updated state of press freedom in these three countries.
We argue that much of the academic research that classifies global media systems has overlooked the world’s most developing nations, and those that have included developing nations have failed to consider their historical contexts. They have worked from a misguided premise that nations develop in a linear fashion – from non-democracy to democracy – and from a restricted press to a free press. In reality, press freedom and democracy ebb and flow.
We examine the impact of social, political, legal and economic factors on media in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya to help with understanding media systems outside the western world.
We chose to study these three countries because they represent varying stages of development and democracy building. Rwanda, which experienced a genocide in 1994, is in relatively early (though fast paced) stages of reconstruction. Uganda, which experienced a civil war in the 1980s and unrest in the 1990s but arguably not to the extent of Rwanda’s genocide, can be considered in a middle stage of development. Kenya, which has remained largely peaceful, can be understood as being in a more advanced stage of development.
Rwanda
In Rwanda, despite 30 years of economic, social and media progress and development, lingering impacts from the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi permeate the country’s media. Multiple laws limit free expression in the name of genocide prevention, and international press freedom rankings indicate the nation is not free.
Yet, we found that many Rwandan journalists believe that they have a great deal of freedom and that outsiders don’t consider the country’s history when evaluating the media. Outsiders, for example, hear that Rwandan journalists cannot criticise the president or high-ranking government officials and immediately think there is no press freedom. But local journalists say they don’t feel oppressed. They feel relatively free to choose their story topics. They don’t want to publish critical stories because they want to foster peace.
Journalists believe their role is to act as unifiers and right the wrongs of their predecessors who exacerbated the genocide. Public trust in the media remains high, according to focus groups conducted with members of the general public. In Rwanda, there appears to be a relationship between press freedom and distance from conflict. That is, the more time that passes since the country experienced war, the more press freedom it has.
Prioritising social good over media rights has helped the country unify and develop, but over the long term we see signs that Rwanda’s linear path towards increasing democracy and press freedom may not continue. Rather, prioritising peace at the cost of press freedom could limit development and reinforce existing authoritarian power structures.
Uganda
In Uganda, the relationship between press freedom and distance from conflict has been less linear. Some media restrictions have lessened and others have worsened.
Despite a sustained period of peace after conflict with the Lord’s Resistance Army in the northern part of the country that began in the 1980s, press freedom is not increasing as time passes. Overall, journalists in the country largely agree with the international perception that they’re restricted and that the situation is worsening the longer President Yoweri Museveni remains in power. Journalists in Uganda perceive their press freedom to be lower than journalists in neighbouring countries. They also have a more pessimistic outlook.
Government interference, some of which stems from the conflict and some that’s new, remains pervasive. Worn down by government intimidation and repressive laws, coupled with low pay and lack of necessary equipment, some journalists told us they had turned to unethical behaviour, such as acting as spies in the newsroom.
Kenya
Kenya is home to the freest media environment. It’s also the only one in our study that has seen changes in presidential leadership in recent years. But just because a nation regularly holds elections doesn’t mean the path to democratisation and media freedom is smooth.
External measures indicate that Kenya has more press freedom than Uganda and Rwanda, and journalists in the country perceive this to be true. However, data show ups and downs of media freedom that have mirrored varying political administrations and events, including spurts of post-election violence. These ebbs and flows are largely due to politicians or powerful members of society who share ideological goals or have financial interests like owning major media houses and influencing coverage.
Despite the challenges, journalists attribute Kenya’s state of press freedom to the vast international connections the country and its leaders have. An empowered civil society – which stems from both a space for dissent given by public officials, and the culture and spirit of Kenyans – has promoted the growth of human rights, including media freedoms.
Why it matters
After a nuanced examination of the factors that affect the media in each of these countries, our book lists a set of factors that affect press freedom and democracy building.
Specifically, we believe each country’s distance from conflict, political benchmarks, international linkages and civil society strength are central to understanding its degree of press freedom, development and democratisation.
While these factors are not the only elements that influence media landscapes, they are a starting point for better understanding and theorising about press freedom environments.
A free and independent press allows the public to hold leaders accountable, make informed decisions and access a diversity of opinions. This makes it important to accurately understand how free varying media landscapes are, and why.
Mohbad’s father, Mr. Joseph Aloba had insisted that the singer would not be reburied until the DNA test was conducted.
Nigerian actor Yomi Fabiyi has explained to Wunmi, late wife of singer Mohbad why she has to allow her son undergo a DNA test.
Recall that Wunmi had vowed not to allow anyone conduct DNA test on her son Liam.
Mohbad’s father, Mr. Joseph Aloba had severally insisted that the singer would not be reburied until the DNA test was conducted.
In response to the ongoing controversy, Yomi Fabiyi took to his Instagram page to explain to Wunmi why she might consider the DNA test.
He emphasised that since Liam might inherit his father’s estate, she would need to agree to the test to become a custodian of the estate before Liam comes of age.
“Dear Wunmi, A DNA CAN BE REQUESTED BY MOHBAD’S FAMILY.
“I share in your family’s pain in the loss of Mohbad. May God forgive his sins. I am writing to you based on the prolonged arguments on the issue of DNA concerning Mohbad’s son and ongoing investigation into the actual cause of his death.
“The following reasons are why you can be compelled for a DNA TEST by Mohbad’s family:
i) From the look of things, Mohbad’s death is tilting towards “HOMICIDE” owing to events that happened in the last 48 hours before the singer died. The coroner inquest is an investigation and needs closure before charges.
ii) In a saner cline, those around the deceased, those who tampered with the active crime scenes, are SUSPECTS and should have been taken in for questioning, which include you.
iii) If there is evidence/accusation of infidelity around the time of conception against you or reoccurring domestic violence (and no clear reasons for conflicts), chances are the cause is due to paternity. Only a DNA test can vindicate you, dear. It’s to your advantage.
iv) if Liam will inherit the late singer’s estate and the likely cause of his murder is within the house, the family as a legally interested party can ask you honourably or through the court to conduct a DNA before you can be allowed custodian of their son’s properties on behalf of LIAM, etc. Moreso, the DNA will help investigators narrow their drag nets. NO ONE SHOULD OBSTRUCT POLICE or CORONER’S INVESTIGATION.
v) Mohbad, in an unverified audio released, equally accused you of wanting to kill him. No one knows if it is the normal couples’ fight or if it was due to any other sensitive issue.
vi) Anything that will bring clarity, absolve you of any wrongdoing, erase suspicion around you, get justice for Mohbad should interest you,including a DNA TEST.
vii) Your continued back and forth is an attempt to infuriate members of the public and pitch irritates youths against the Police and government. No sooner, people will conclude that someone powerful is shielding you. And that person can’t be more powerful than a determined masses.
The government made 15 new synthetic opioids illegal on Wednesday, and they would now be classified as class A drugs.
It meant that anyone found with the drugs could face up to seven years in jail, an unlimited fine, or both, while dealers could be handed a life sentence or a fine.
The move followed advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and would see five other drugs, including three stimulants, also banned.
The UK Home Office said the drugs being banned had similar effects to heroin and fentanyl.
The drugs were highly addictive and incredibly dangerous and posed a higher risk of accidental overdose, which has become a widespread problem in other countries.
Announcing the plans in November, the department said while there was “no current evidence’’ to show that the substances were prevalent in the UK, there have been some deaths linked to the drugs.
UK Home Secretary James Cleverly said, “We are highly alert to the threat from synthetic drugs and have been taking a range of preventative action. This is learning from experiences around the globe to keep these vile drugs off our streets.
“Our plan is working the overall quantities of synthetic opioids reaching the UK remain lower than other countries, but we are not complacent. Placing these toxic drugs under the strictest controls sends a clear message that the consequences for peddling them will be severe.’’
The synthetic opioids to be added to Class A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 areMetonitazene,, protonitazene, isotonitazene, butonitazene, flunitazene, metodesnitazene (metazene) and Etodesnitazene (etazene).
Others are N-Pyrrolidino-etonitazene (Etonitazepyne); N-Piperidinyl-etonitazene (Etonitazepipne); N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene; Ethyleneoxynitazene; N-Desethyl protonitazene; N-Desethylisotonitazene; N-Desethyl-etonitazene and Brorphine.
Five other drugs have also been banned, including cumyl-PeGaClone, a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist, which can cause complications such as seizures and liver failure.
Three stimulants that have similar effects to ketamine piperidine, phenetidine and methoxphenidine would be made class B drugs.
A benzodiazepine drug named remimazolam would be classified as a class C drug.
Its legitimate medical uses will be allowed through changes to drug rules.
It is amazing what sweeping delusions triggered the wiles of Adaobi Jennifer Alagwu.
If one lie has the power to tarnish a thousand truths, imagine what a thousand lies could do. Imagine the magnitude of taint they would cast if contrived by a delusive mastermind.
It is amazing what sweeping delusions triggered the wiles of Adaobi Jennifer Alagwu. For the 32-year-old, fair skin, fierce lust, and crafty femininity were all she needed to command the love, good name, and fortune of billionaire magnate Tunde Ayeni (at least so she believed).
In her desperation to get hooked on the billionaire magnate and former bank chief, Alagwu fabricated a plot to get pregnant by him and, so doing, implant herself and her child as beneficiaries of his estate.
Alagwu, a trained attorney, was misled by the belief that she had the upper hand on Ayeni. She thought she had him by the balls. Like all frantic liars, she thought she had gained a victory over Ayeni simply by claiming that she was pregnant for him and her baby girl belonged to him (but she was mistaken).
Ayeni has since refuted her claims and continues to do so. He also proclaims that he will continue to disgrace her and let the world know how terribly skewed her lies have been, however unpopular it is in Nigeria for a man to out a woman.
Long before now, Ayeni had lost interest in her and, even so, was just being a typical Nigerian man who was just having fun with an available girl of cheap standing. His understanding of the relationship’s definition was far different from Adaobi’s.
He thought it was casual, underestimating how lowly Adaobi, her sister, and her mother were and how big he was to them. Without him, she had no identity, and while he didn’t count it as anything, she made sure to paint a picture of them being very much together.
Alagwu has probably not learnt her lesson that a lie is an act of self-abdication because one surrenders one’s reality to the person to whom one lies, making that person one’s master, condemning oneself from then on to faking the sort of reality that person’s view requires to be faked.
Her lies had no limit. She’s renowned in Abuja social circles for sleeping around for cars and bags and letting everyone believe he bought them for her. She lives in a rented house in Jabi but claims he gifted her.
Unknown to Alagwu, a woman who lies to the world becomes a slave to the world and her lies from then on. As she gets outed in a lie, she digs deeper into the sludge of infamy in her desperate bid to fabricate a more believable lie.
According to Ayeni, the necessity to set the records straight and, thus, protect his estate and legacy spurred him to conduct a DNA test to establish whether he was the father of Alagwu’s daughter.
In the wake of the disclosure of the DNA result, which established Alagwu’s paternity fraud, let’s dive deep into a detailed expose of the genesis and intrigues of Alagwu’s convoluted plot to get hitched to the billionaire magnate and profit from his massive estate.
Once upon a time, in 2017, Ayeni met a young, unambitious Alagwu. Alagwu was all over him. Being a man in his early 50s, he felt flattered and revelled in the attention, and they became an item in consonance with Alagwu’s plot.
Two years later, Ayeni discovered that Alagwu was 27 years old; by that time, it was established that she was more of a liability to him, as he had to shoulder all of her financial responsibilities, including those of her mother, family, and sister, who is based in the United States.
To Ayeni’s chagrin, Alagwu’s demands were outrageous and unending. Furthermore, he discovered that she had previously dated his very close friend, who is also a billionaire and energy magnate. Angered by the discovery, Ayeni broke off the relationship.
In 2021, Ayeni went to a party, and Alagwu was waiting for him there. One thing led to another, and they both ended up at his house that night. This time around, though, Alagwu came prepared to stay hitched to him. She had become desperate, having lived for too long in the wilderness of want and without the security she had been used to as his girlfriend.
She persuaded him to help set up her legal chamber, promising to be of good behaviour; she vowed that she would never go back to her philandering ways anymore.
Ayeni reluctantly agreed (at this point, he had already lost interest in her and her antics) and set her up in one of his office properties, located at 36 Birao Street, Abuja. Unknown to him. However, Alagwu was always in the habit of flaunting her bags, wristwatches, and cars and presenting them as gifts from Ayeni.
The latter’s absence on social media prevented him from discovering Alagwu’s plot. Thus, she persisted in her quest, taunting Ayeni’s daughter and wife to no end. She made sure to let everyone in Abuja and Lagos know that she and Ayeni were an item, not minding how badly this affected his reputation and relationship with his wife for many years.
(Photo Of Adaobi At The Police Station)
By the end of 2021, Alagwu, realising Ayeni no longer seemed interested in her, moved up her plans to entrap him as she told Ayeni that she was late with her period. Ayeni took the news lightly at first, thinking it wasn’t an issue to lose sleep over. According to him, she had collected money to handle such incidents in the past.
Eventually, they agreed that she would terminate the pregnancy. She, however, suggested her preferred doctor was in London, United Kingdom (UK), and that she would like to go have it there and even take on a course. Ayeni gave her exactly USD 25,000 plus ticket fare, and on November 22, 2021, she departed for London.
She was supposed to be gone for a few weeks, but she stayed longer, thus inciting Ayeni’s worry. Four months later, Alagwu’s mother called Ayeni and told him that her daughter was still very much pregnant and that she would not do anything to jeopardize her health.
She threatened should he refuse to take responsibility for the pregnancy; they would take him to the streets. Ayeni reminded the mother that he was very much married and had no plans to father a child outside of wedlock. He also said that he would not want to jeopardize Alagwu’s future with an unwanted pregnancy, but the mother remained adamant, stating that her daughter would not abort the pregnancy.
This infuriated Ayeni, and he shut them out of his life. Two months later, Ayeni started hearing rumours on the street and in social circles that he had married a second wife and even had a child with her.
Fearful for his reputation and his marriage, he reached out to the family to manage the situation, but the covetous mother and daughter, believing they had a big man wrapped around their fingers, started making frivolous and unending demands purportedly to keep him quiet.
Ayeni played along and did all of their bidding. They even blackmailed him to visit the United States when Alagwu was put to bed, and he went. The week she returned to Nigeria, however, was when all hell broke loose, as Alagwu made sure that everyone in Abuja knew that she had a love child with Ayeni. Anytime she was asked about the child’s name, she would respond with “Baby Ayeni.”
Ayeni’s wife and children got wind of the news, and all hell broke loose. Yet that wasn’t even the sad part, Ayeni suddenly got a call from a not-so-close friend of his that they should meet. On getting to the man’s house, thinking it was about business, the man took him to his study and proceeded to let him know he had been asked by Alagwu, his girlfriend, to speak to him.
Ayeni was shocked because, before that time, he had no clue that Alagwu and his friend had a relationship. The friend then proceeded to call her, and they chatted; all through their conversation, he didn’t tell her that Ayeni was there.
Ayeni, still in shock and having heard with his ears that Alagwu was the one spreading the news of goings-on between them, thanked his friend and got up to leave.
But while his host walked him out of the door, he noticed a striking resemblance of the man’s neck to that of Alagwu’s child. Then it dawned on him that his host and Alagwu had set him up to be the father of their lovechild.
He was livid, but he felt liberated at the same time. He drove straight home to his wife, apologized to her, and put a call to the Alagwu family, telling them he wanted a DNA test carried out. He also told them that since his fear of being found out was already defeated by how they had abused his peace, he was no longer interested in being part of their lives. Alagwu refused vehemently to subject her child to a DNA examination; this further fuelled Ayeni’s fears that he had been blackmailed.
Curiously, it was then that he understood why she had made it her duty to let everyone know that they were in a relationship, painting a picture that he was obsessed with her and they were more serious than they were.
Just to manage the situation, he had previously endured the humiliation of Alagwu coming unannounced to his house several times, even when he was in meetings, to show off.
She shouted at all the staff members and intruded on his meetings. Recalling all her antics, he became very angry with himself repeatedly for failing to see through her plot on time.
Finally, he barred her from coming to his house and office. He also blocked her on his phone lines and started telling anyone who cared to listen that he was not in a relationship with her. He then got the child’s sample and did a DNA test which turned out negative. Thus came his freedom. The test result showed that he wasn’t the father of Alagwu’s daughter. Armed with this new information, he waited patiently for Alagwu’s next step.
When the latter and her mother realized that Ayeni was truly keeping to his words and was no longer associating with them, they reached out to say that they were ready for the test.
They agreed on an Indian-owned facility and did the test there. However, four days later, the test result was yet to be released. The Ayenis then wrote to the centre asking why there was such a long delay. Two days later, they got a notification on Yahoo email address that the mailbox was being accessed – the kind of notification you get when your email is being hacked.
That was how Alagwu claimed she had a DNA result that indicated Ayeni was her daughter’s father. Unknown to her, Ayeni already had a copy of the test result in her possession, which revealed that he wasn’t the father of her child.
Notwithstanding, Ayeni condoned her lies, more out of amusement and patience. He then requested that they go for another DNA in a reputable centre in London, and she and her family flatly refused. Of course, Ayeni stood his ground and made it clear that he no longer wanted anything to do with her and her family.
At this juncture, he had established that Alagwu was a walking cesspit of lies and deception. He had already denounced most of her lies; contrary to her claims, he didn’t buy her the car she was driving, he didn’t buy her any property, and he had already booted her out of the office space he gave her.
Even the office she was booted from disgracefully, she had initially opined he gifted her and transferred deeds to her. She got so desperate as to lie he paid her bride price, not minding how this looked on the fact he was legally and traditionally married. She will spend all her time then between his office and his house. She was so lowly.
To leave no one in doubt, he engaged very reputable news outlets, Premium Times, This Day, and Punch to mention a few, to state his side of the story in black and white.
Further findings also revealed that Alagwu, to hide her shame at forcing a man’s name on her child – which is against the Igbo tradition that says a child can only bear the actual father’s name if the mother’s bride price had been paid – had to lie that Ayeni had paid her bride price. Ayeni again vehemently refuted this lie.
Not a few people have acknowledged Ayeni’s courage in tackling Alagwu and quashing her plot in an era when women like her have been known to utterly ruin their male victims or bully them into complete acquiescence.
Adaobi’s acknowledged copy. A copy was also sent to the NIS
By decisively neutering Alagwu’s plots, Ayeni has become a poster icon of sorts to many Nigerian men who are currently suffering in silence as they experience a raw deal from desperate concubines.
Ayeni painstakingly made Alagwu understand that there was no way she could replace his wife and that he would never accept an illegitimate child from her. Realizing this, Alagwu went for broke and resorted to more desperate antics, part of which was her invasion of Ayeni’s premises and breaking into the office from which he had evicted her months ago.
In an unwise display of braggado, Alagwu broke the padlock on the gate and forced her entry into the office, claiming she did so to retrieve her air conditioner.
Irked by this, Ayeni petitioned the police and was arrested and detained. There is no gainsaying the billionaire magnate is no longer willing to take chances with Alagwu or feed the flimsiest delusion that they are still together. The fact that Alagwu kept referring to her daughter as his child whilst she was being interrogated at the police station informed his decision to issue a “Cease” legal notice to her.
As Alagwu recoils to lick her wounds, several questions persist in public space and the saner court of public opinion concerning her overall conduct throughout the imbroglio.
These questions reference the veracity of her claims while also casting scrutiny on her reputation.
They are as follows:
First, if the office address from which she had been evicted more than six months ago is still what she has on her website, does it not mean that she has not been working or professionally engaged?
Where are her parents? Why are they so comfortable watching their daughter mortgage her future for the material satisfaction of today? Why wouldn’t they encourage her to focus her attention on younger men of her age group who have prospects?
If, at 32, she can be so shameless as to go back to the same office from where she was kicked out disgracefully, does it not speak to her lack of self-worth? What if the man’s wife was there?
Why would Adaobi’s mother encourage her daughter and even join in gleefully leeching on to a man they know is very married? Almost twice her age and try to force an illegitimate child on him? The only answer is greed and money!
Ayeni, even before now, had made his wife a go-between between Adaobi and himself and Adaobi’s mother. In fact, it was in the presence of Mrs Ayeni that all initial conversations and DNA test was carried out, and it appears the importance of this denigration of AdaObi and her family by Ayeni was lost on her. Because by so doing he was telling her he had lost all interest in her and whatever they might have shared. Even now Ayeni insists he must carry his wife along in everything he’s doing. Immediately after her arrest, he had the officer’s space redecorated and given to his wife. Talk about the ultimate rejection.
A former associate of Alagwu, who simply described herself as Becky, stated that it would have been wiser of her to pawn her ‘designer’ bags and buy air-conditioning units with the proceeds instead of subjecting herself to the ridicule of going to the same property from which she was chased away in disgraceful circumstances. “It was very wrong and desperate of her to break into someone’s premises just to retrieve two AC units. My friend can certainly do better. She needn’t be so desperate,” said Becky.
According to Becky, Alagwu has become very broke, and breaking into Ayeni’s property was simply one of her frantic attempts to get his attention. She said, “Adaobi thought going to the property would get him to talk to her, but her plan failed. Why would a 32-year-old beautiful lady like her continue to subject herself to such embarrassment? Is it simply because she needs to keep up appearances that she’s a baby mama to a billionaire?”
And why would a 32-year-old continue to put herself up for such embarrassment simply because she needs to keep up appearances that she’s “baby mama” to a billionaire?
Ayeni has publicly dissociated himself from her more than five times, yet she desperately seeks to force his name on her child and covet his attention. Does she not care about the dignity of acceptance and love from the man, if not for herself, for her child? As it is the vehemence with which Ayeni denies the child or a need for association leaves nothing to be salvaged in the relationship, this still seems lost on Adaobi, and her clique as all they continue to insist on is that the child is his even at the mercy of his rejection.
Ayeni, on his part, vows to continue to discredit and disgrace Adaobi and her family if they continue on their trajectory of lies, tarnishing his image and attempting to force an illegitimate child on him.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), FCT Command, have arrested a dismissed soldier, Gabriel David Elihu, of Apo Mechanic Village, and Alex Iorjaa of Gboko L.G.A of Benue State, for armed robbery and kidnapping in Abuja.
FCT Police Commissioner, CP Ben Igweh, made this known during a media briefing on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
According to the CP, the suspects were arrested on March 17, after receiving a distress call at about 02:30pm, through the Mabushi Division from two victims; Blessing Mafulul Damia and Haliru Zakari, that some men in an unregistered Toyota Hilux trailed them while on their way home from a medical store in Gwarimpa to Gishiri village, robbed them of their valuables and attempted to kidnap them.
“Upon receipt of the information, Police operatives of the Division swung into action, trailed the vehicle and arrested the two suspects Elihu and Iorjaa. A black coloured Toyota Hilux with Reg No. NBB 03 AH (Nasarawa), a jackknife, and some military accoutrements were recovered from them. Suspects will be charged to court soon,” the CP stated.
The Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Igboho, has urged traditional rulers in the Southwest to support him in flushing out criminality and banditry from the region.
Igboho said he would collaborate with traditional rulers to put a permanent end to insecurity in the Southwest.
In a statement he signed, he lamented that insecurity was responsible for death and farmer-herder crisis in the region.
“I welcome the idea, and assure them that I will do my best to checkmate incidence of insecurity provided I receive the backing of the relevant security agencies, Yoruba monarchs and other stakeholders.
“Insecurity and threats precipitated by banditry, herders/farmers clashes, leading to deaths and massive destruction of farmlands have driven away farmers and agric entrepreneurs from farm settlements in Yorubaland.
“We need to flush out criminal elements, who have occupied our forests using the place as launch pads to jeopardize the peace in our communities, towns, villages and amulets. I am ready to lend my support in this regard,” he said.
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