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My binoculars : How sudden death stole my friend at the twilight of his service to humanity
My binoculars : How sudden death stole my friend at the twilight of his service to humanity
By: Sam Kayode
Of a truth, i have peeped and recorded a lot through my curious binoculars for over a decade now. But very few of the images I see have been as solemn as when I am reminiscing about buddies I met along life’s path of destiny fulfilment. This one of David Ibukun is unique because we grew up partially together as teenagers in the 80’s and he knew my parents in the secondary school house where my late father held sway as the Vice Principal. I observed, he had a special reverence for my father and was one of those students who the old man was well pleased with because of his stable nature.
David’s sudden death last year reminded us his classmates of the Muslim Progressive High School (MPHS) Oke Odan of the enormous power of God Almighty over all of us. This is because death according to the Bible is a transitional phenomenon all mortals must taste to enjoy or regret eternity based on our deeds after His final judgement.
It is always painful when someone you knew or sat in the same class with leaves you without saying goodbye. And why it hurts so much was that we rediscovered each other in 2023 after about 40 years of not crossing paths since leaving secondary school in the 80’s.
And that did happen in jos when he was driving to somewhere and I had parked to buy somethings to assist my trip back to Maiduguri. Incidentally, he worked in jos for about six years for Total Nigeria PLC without us crossing paths because I was on and off from the cold city. On this particular day, he was driving off to round up some of his transfer details and he spotted me on the long dual carriage way that runs from mararaba jama to terminus area in jos. He was the first to see me and stopped along the road at ‘building materials’ where I was buying fresh veggies. From behind I had Sammy. Only for me to turn to see David. I was so happy to see him after a long time. We exchanged pleasantries and spent sometimes catching up with each other. He hinted that he had been transferred to Lagos island and I told him I will check on him anytime I find myself down that path.
The David I knew at the Muslim Progressive High School Oke Odan
Dave was a confidant with whom we had a good chemistry. I will never forget his consistent smiles even when classmates annoyed him. He was a calm lanky fellow like myself who could never be provoked into extreme tendencies common with the teenage generation of that era. A very dependable, unassuming and approachable fellow who was very considerate since I joined the class in form 4 from a foreign school. In our secondary school days, he was a good student of economics and was studious in all his ways in spite of the air of affluence he enjoyed with a big brother who made sure he never lacked anything. His senior brother, a custom official who took care of him like his son was a good friend of my father who was the Vice Principal of the school then. He would always branch when passing on official duties since the school was along the trunk A road coming from Sango Ota. Whenever he was passing by he would branch to see David and we often shared in the goodies he used to bring for his kid brother after seeing “Baba” as they used to call my father.
We kept faith with each other even after form five as he described his brother’s home for me around iyana ipaja area where I used to branch while visiting my uncles in Lagos. We actually lost touch after I completed my training as a journalist and got my first job with the daily times news paper with posting to Taraba state in November 1992. He too got a career with total Nigeria PLC after his professional training. Life went on in our separate worlds as expected only for us to meet on that fateful day in jos where we both had worked without knowing he was there. Dave carried the same smiles I used to know him for only to sign off suddenly into eternity last year 2024.
Fellow progressives, its been about 40 years we left secondary school and quite painful to loose “Baskay” at the twilight of our respective callings. He was still the Baskay I knew and I was the “omo Baba” with whom we had a special bond with. Being class mates at the MPHS in a community called Oke odan in Ogun State was a unique opportunity to meet as young gentlemen and I will never forget those days. Oke odan then in the 80’s was a tiny linear settlement on the way to the border town of idi iroko which was a major gateway to Nigeria. And MPHS founded by the community and taken over by government was a breeding ground for future leaders and great sportsmen in the then Egbado division of Ogun state. It became a strategic point for young minds to be reprocessed into productive humanists to contribute to our country. Sadly, like his senior brother, Dave died suddenly last year on Tuesday 12th of November after a protracted illness in a Lagos hospital.He was a humanist to the core and a peaceful and practicing disciple of Christ who showed love to all till the end.
Final rites of David
His service of Songs was held at – KT&T Hall, Plot 61, Scheme 1, Warewa Bus Stop, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway on the 16th January 2025. And this was followed by the funeral service the next day at the RCCG Gate of Heaven Parish, Redemption City of God. He was
Interred at the Memorial Gardens, within Redemption Camp.
Do have a nice rest Ogbeni David Ibukun and extend our regards to Tajudeen Shittu (Tilly) who was also one of us. But had since gone before you after a tragic car crash along the Abeokuta Sango Ota road of Ogun State.
My binoculars : How sudden death stole my friend at the twilight of his service to humanity
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2027: Tinubu Deserves Second Term, Says First Lady Oluremi unveils APC women campaign council, orders nationwide mobilisation for ‘total victory
2027: Tinubu Deserves Second Term, Says First Lady Oluremi unveils APC women campaign council, orders nationwide mobilisation for ‘total victory’
By: Michael Mike
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has described her husband as deserving a second term, claiming that President Bola Tinubu administration’s economic reforms are beginning to produce tangible results and deserve the continued support of Nigerians.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Women Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections, the First Lady said the government’s economic interventions had moved beyond policy pronouncements to measurable signs of national stabilisation.

She urged APC women across the country to take the message of the administration’s achievements to the grassroots and mobilise Nigerians for what she described as a decisive electoral victory for President Tinubu and all APC candidates in 2027.
The campaign council, inaugurated under the banner “Renewed Hope Agenda 2.0: From Reforms to Prosperity,” is expected to spearhead a nationwide women-led mobilisation drive covering the presidency, governorships, the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.

Mrs. Tinubu said the administration’s economic reforms were beginning to reshape the country’s economic outlook, pointing to declining inflation, growing foreign reserves, increased investor confidence and greater support for farmers.
“Our economy is stabilizing, inflation is coming down, foreign reserves are growing, and investors are returning to Nigeria,” she said.
She also cited the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) initiative, noting that university students could now access interest-free loans to support their education.
According to her, the progress recorded by the administration was not merely political rhetoric but evidence that the country was moving towards economic recovery and prosperity.

“The theme of this year’s rally is not just a slogan; it is our reality,” the First Lady declared.
Describing President Tinubu as a courageous leader prepared to take difficult decisions in the national interest, she appealed to APC women to become the administration’s strongest grassroots communicators ahead of the elections.
She charged members of the newly inaugurated council to move across the country, engage communities and convince voters to support the APC at every level of government.
Mrs. Tinubu also announced a major restructuring of the various women support groups campaigning for the President, saying they had been brought under a single APC campaign structure to ensure unity and discipline.
“We have collapsed every other women support group into one—from Tinubu Again to Torch Bearers and others,” she said.
“What you will see on the ballot box is APC. We are here to promote APC, nothing less.”
The First Lady said the campaign structure would organise six geopolitical zonal mega-rallies, state-level rallies and a grand finale in Abuja as part of an aggressive mobilisation strategy ahead of the 2027 polls.
She disclosed that she would participate in the zonal campaigns alongside the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, and other senior party leaders.
At the state level, she said the mobilisation would be driven by the wife of the Senate President, the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum.
Earlier, the APC National Women Leader, Dr. Mary Alile Idele, charged the newly inaugurated campaign council to translate the administration’s reform message into direct grassroots engagement.
She said the “Renewed Hope Agenda 2.0: From Reforms to Prosperity” was not simply a campaign slogan but a call for women leaders to take ownership of the administration’s message and communicate its opportunities and achievements to Nigerians.
Alile urged the women to take the campaign into homes, markets, communities and wards, insisting that grassroots mobilisation would be critical to the party’s success in 2027.
She outlined a four-point strategy for the council, beginning with the creation of stronger women-to-women networks across wards, local government areas and communities.
The second, she said, was to identify women in need, link them with available empowerment opportunities and ensure that beneficiaries subsequently became agents of development within their communities.
She also tasked the council with taking the message of reform, opportunity and prosperity to every community while listening to citizens’ concerns and transmitting constructive feedback to the leadership.
The final plank of the strategy, she said, was to move beyond mobilisation to measurable results through clearly defined responsibilities, functional grassroots structures, regular engagement and accountability.
The inauguration signals the beginning of what the APC hopes will be a formidable women-driven campaign machinery ahead of the 2027 elections, with the party positioning its female leadership structures as a critical force in its quest for victory across the country.
2027: Tinubu Deserves Second Term, Says First Lady Oluremi unveils APC women campaign council, orders nationwide mobilisation for ‘total victory
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Troops, DIA Team Recover SMG Rifle, Ammunition in Taraba Raid
Troops, DIA Team Recover SMG Rifle, Ammunition in Taraba Raid
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the 114 Battalion (Reinforcement), in collaboration with a Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) composite team, have recovered a submachine gun rifle and assorted ammunition during a raid on a suspected criminal hideout in Taraba State.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation was conducted at about 3:00 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2026, at Abbare in Lau Local Government Area.
The sources said the joint team recovered one submachine gun rifle, one magazine, 12 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, one round of 7.62mm special ammunition and five rounds of 9mm ammunition.
No contact was made with the suspected criminals, and no arrest was recorded during the operation.
The recovered weapon and ammunition remain in military custody for further investigation and necessary action.
The raid forms part of ongoing security efforts to dismantle criminal hideouts, recover illegal weapons and prevent armed groups from using such facilities to perpetrate violence in the region.
Troops, DIA Team Recover SMG Rifle, Ammunition in Taraba Raid
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Troops Recover Two Rustled Cattle After Foiling Attack in Plateau
Troops Recover Two Rustled Cattle After Foiling Attack in Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 2, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), have recovered two rustled cattle following an encounter with suspected terrorists in Gululu village, Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2026, when troops responded to reports of cattle rustling by suspected terrorists in the community.
The sources said the troops engaged the suspected assailants, forcing them to retreat in disarray.
A subsequent search of the general area led to the recovery of two cattle allegedly rustled by the fleeing suspects.
The recovered cattle were subsequently handed over to their owner.
The operation highlights ongoing efforts by security forces to curb cattle rustling, protect rural communities and safeguard livelihoods in Plateau State.
Troops Recover Two Rustled Cattle After Foiling Attack in Plateau
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