By Tunde Ayanda
Abdur-Raheem Adebayo
Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, (born 23 March 1953), 70 years old, was a former Minister of Communications of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is from Oyo State, Nigeria, His tenure as Minister ended in 2019. Before becoming minister, he had earlier served as a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, becoming the youngest Honourable member at age 26, to take the office.
Adebayo Shittu gained admission into the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun South West, Nigeria in the year 1974. At the end of 1978, he had obtained his first degree in Law from the same university. He ventured into politics at the age of 26 years. In 1979, he became a member of old Oyo House of Assembly.
In 1983, Shittu was elected as a member of the Oyo State, House Assembly in the second republic.
In 1983, the military government took over from the civilian government and he retired into legal practice and writing profession. He became a Member of National Political conference in 2005. In 2011, he Contested for the Gubernatorial ticket under the platform of CPC and lost out to senator Abiola Ajimobi.
Cecilia Ibru
Cecilia Ibru, 77 years old, (born 22 March 1946) is the former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Oceanic Bank Ibru began her work at the Ibru Organisation. She lost her husband, Michael Ibru in September 2016.
Born to Edward and Victoria Sido Yes, Ibru attended Saint Margaret’s Grammar School in Ilesa from 1960 to 1965 along with her twin, Lucy and studied at University Tutorial College in London from 1967 to 1968.
She graduated from the University of London in 1971 with a BS in sociology. Ibru pursued her graduate studies at the university and received a Masters of Philosophy from the School of Oriental and African Studies in 1977.
In 1978, Ibru joined the Ibru Organisation as project director. After two years in this role, Ibru went on to serve as international finance coordinator, a position she held until 1990.
Ibru began working with Oceanic Bank in 1990 as general manager.
Uche Secondus
Prince Uche Secondus, 68 years old, (born 22 March 1955), is a Nigerian businessman, politician, and elder statesman, who was the Chairman of the PDP National Working Committee from 2017 and was suspended by the party in 2021. Secondus was acting chairman of the committee from 2015 to 2016. He was the second chairman of the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party, a position he held for two terms.
Secondus was born and raised in Andoni. He completed his elementary and secondary education in Rivers State. He further attended the London Chambers of Commerce Institute where he obtained a certificate in Commerce.
Secondus’ desire to improve the lives of Riverians led to his entering politics during the Second Republic in 1978. He served as Rivers State Youth Leader of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the National Republican Convention (NRC) (1993 – 1998) and a two-term Chairman of the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party.
Chris Olukolade
Chris Olukolade, 64 years old, (born March 18, 1959), is a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army and former Director of Defence Information. He succeeded Brig General Mohammed Yerima on March 19, 2013 and was succeeded by Colonel Rabe Abubakar. Prior to his retirement on July 30, 2015, he was the Chairman of Forum of Spokespersons on Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA) in Nigeria.
Major General Chris Olukolade was born on March 18, 1959, in Zaria, Kaduna State, but his parents were from Idoani, a town in Ondo State. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife in 1983 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as Second Lieutenant in 1982 based on the academic report of his third year in the University as a Nigerian soldier and student.
Babafemi Ojudu
Babafemi Ojudu, 62 years old, (born 27 March 1961), is a Nigerian journalist, who was elected Senator for the Ekiti Central constituency of Ekiti State, Nigeria, in the April 2011 national elections. He ran on the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) platform.
Babafemi Ojudu was born in Ado-Ekiti. He attended Ado Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti, (1973–77). In 1976, he won a scholarship jointly sponsored by activist lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi and Jùjú musician, King Sunny Adé for indigent students of the state, the start of a long-term friendship with Fawehinmi.
In 1980, Ojudu was admitted to the University of Ife, Ile-Ife to study English. He took an interest in Journalism while at the university, joining the Association of Campus Journalists and reporting for COBRA, a campus journal. He and two friends founded a journal called The Parrot, which he edited until graduating in 1984. On completing his National Youth Service, Ojudu worked as a reporter for The Guardian, while attending the University of Lagos (1985–86), where he studied for a Master’s degree in Political Science.
In 1987, Ojudu started writing for African Concord magazine, initially as a staff writer and moving up to become assistant editor. The job involved extensive travel in Nigeria and to other African countries. In 1992, he resigned in protest at a request by M.K.O. Abiola, the publisher, to apologise to President Ibrahim Babangida over an article critical of the military regime. In 1993, Ojudu and other former workers from African Concord established TheNEWS magazine, with Ojudu as its first Managing Editor. Gani Fawehinmi, assisted in founding the newspaper with a contribution of N25,000. However, when Ojudu much later refused to support Fawehinmi in his campaign against Bola Tinubu, elected Lagos State Governor in 1999, Fawehinmi demanded a refund of this money.The first version of TheNEWS did not last long before it was banned by Babangida in 1993.
Years later, when Babangida said he was interested in running for president in the 2011 democratic elections, Ojudu said that the second coming of Babangida to rule the nation should be resisted by every Nigerian who wanted progress for the country.
In addition to his Managing Editor work, both before and after the return to democracy Ojudu, has been a member or chairman of several organisations and committees involved in media and human rights.In total, Ojudu spent 26 years in media practice before entering politics in 2010.
Ojudu formally declared that he would run for the Senate in August 2010. He left his post as Group Managing Editor of Independent Communications Network to run for office. The 10 January 2011 primaries for ACN candidate for the Ekiti Central Senatorial seat were held in three of the five local government areas (LGAs) that make up the Senatorial district, and Ojudu won in all three. The primaries for the other two LGAs were rescheduled, but were ultimately not held. The ACN submitted Ojudu’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as their candidate for Ekiti Central. However, on 17 March 2011, a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a judgement that recognised Senator Festus Bode-Ola as the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for Ekiti Central.[10] The Chairman of the Ekiti State ACN, Chief Jide Awe, accused Bode Ola of forgery in the papers he had filed saying the INEC had recognised him as candidate. On 31 March 2011 the Federal High Court in Abuja set aside its 17 March judgement.
In the April 2011 election for the Ekiti Central Senatorial seat, Ojudu polled 67,747 running on the ACN platform. Labour Party (LP) candidate and former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose received 29,773 votes.
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