Special feature: Chief Lanre Obadiah bows out of Government house Maiduguri

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Very few residents in Borno state, north east Nigeria can say they do not know Chief Lanre Obadiah, the official master of ceremony (MC) of Governor Babagana Zulum. This is because he has been the master of ceremony for two Governors. Senator Kashim Shettima now Vice President and Professor Babagana Zulum who is the incumbent Governor of Borno state. Obadiah’s dexterity with the microphone has worked well for him in public functions where he had a singular duty of introducing these two gentlemen and their activities and is now bowing out of the publicity machinery of the Government House maiduguri.
“Oga Lanre” as he is known by some contemporaries virtually assisted their excellencies enjoy the limelight by laying down the required basis for the gathering of the day after which he conducts the ceremony sequentially till the final prayers are said and everyone dispatches. No wonder it was shocking to Borno Governor Professor Babagana Zulum that he made such a sudden decision to leave after the demise of his dear wife this year.

Transition from the theatre to the government house protocols and perception

Having studied Theatre Arts from the University of Jos and later adding a Masters in Public Administration (M.P.A) from the University of Maiduguri, Oga Lanre is definitely not a typical broadcaster by training but his command of the microphone using three languages actually stood him out as a rare gem in public speaking. And that obviously was what attracted him to their excellencies. He displayed rare dexterity in Kanuri, Hausa and off course the English language during public functions which made him to become highly sorted for by even non governmental functionaries as an extraordinary anchor of important programs. The job became his second calling because he had a unique style of doing the needful and responding to issues as they popped up or as directed as the civil servants would say.

Introducing their excellencies and the numerous reasons which usually brings them out of their comfort zones to meet the people of Borno state was his calling and he woke up daily with a hope of performing better than the previous day.

First he was the special assistant on state and national welfare/social media. And that entails a lot of activities beyond keeping the optics around the former Governor kashim Shettima now Vice President top notch. When Governor Shettima was going to the Senate, Oga Lanre, felt it was time to go private so he left to join a non-governmental organization (NGO) “Save the Children” .
From my interaction with him, he really felt he was going to have a quiet life away from the public podium where he had become known for. But his foray into that sub sector did not last long. He was summoned by Governor Zulum to return to the government house to do the same job he did for his predecessor. And that was where his cherished relationship with Zulum grew stronger. The entire press crew of Governor Shettima including the late director of press, Isaiah Ndahi and Isa Gusau continued as a team for Zulum and he joined long before the enhanced media aids were appointed.

Stabilization factor in the government house media team

His work entailed working with Isa Gusau, the late Special Adviser on Public Relations and strategy and their team was the envy of other Governors in the country. The death of Isa Gusau however became a big blow to the entire media team. But that did not deter Oga Lanre from continuing with his job and off course serving as a major stabilization factor within the entire team in the government house. This balancing act started from the moment the Governor announced the team till this week that his three months notice of pulling out expires. His stabilization mechanism went beyond the small office, were all of them managed upstairs to the make shift newsroom used by the press crew in which we all used to sit down and banter whenever there was nothing to do or the Governor was not around. He was always at hand to give advice and assist warring factions to mend fences.

His stabilization role actually started during Senator Kashim Shettima’s era while he was Special Assistant on state and national welfare programs/ social media whereas with Zulum when he became Senior Special Assistant on publicity and official Mc to the governor his role increased as he was given a unit under the press department in which all the instruments that had to do with the projection of the governors programme were under him. His transition from a civil servant where he rose to the rank of executive secretary to a political appointee was seamless because he had indeed mastered the art of being a technocrat by all standard.
Hear his comments about his transition from a civil servant to an appointee of Government after his retirement from the Borno state service: “I retired in 2014, not as Director but as Executive Secretary of the Borno State Council for Arts and Culture, a position which I was appointed to by Governor Ali Modu Sheriff on April 19th 2006. Governor Kashim Shettima invited me from retirement in 2017 as a Special assistant and I served in that capacity till May 2019, 2 years”

A detribalised man of many parts who came to Borno in 1982 and had not looked back since then.

Oga Lanre actually started his National Youth Service Corp (Nysc) year in Cross river state in August 1981, but got redeployed to Borno in August 1982 and he completed the service on November 7 1982 and was immediately employed by the Borno state Council for arts and culture on 1st Dec 1982. He coordinated the entire arts council and produced several mentees during his tenure in the service before taking a political appointment.

His final bowing out of the service as the senior special advisor to the Governor of Borno state is a big shock to a lot of people. However it was necessary because he had just lost his wife and needed to go care of himself as a retiree.
While appreciating his service, the secretary to the state government SSG Alhaji Bukar Tijani said the the state was grateful for his dedication, patriotism and service to the state.

Contribution to the traditional institution

Chief Lanre Obadiah is a peaceful Nigerian of yoruba ancestry so he never relegated his duties towards his traditional institution. As a man of culture, he contributed immensely to the yoruba community in Maiduguri. Attesting to the that, the Kabiyesi of Yorubas in Borno state in an interview described him as a peaceful man. “His leaving Borno means a lot to me. He has been a major stabilizer here. As a matter of fact , I made him Otumba in 2014 and since then he has contributed immensely to the growth of our people in the state.

” To me, as he goes home, i would be missing a very nice person. He was a pace setter even in the arts council where he served “

The Kabiyesi who is the chair of the non indigenous forum in the state, said he was equally a major contributing factor to the forum. He has always played a major role towards the traditional council and yoruba family in general. He is a family man and I wish him all the best as he traverses home to rest.

Apart from holding the title of Otunba of the Yorubas in Borno, Oga Lanre was also coronated in 2023 as the “Bobadamoran” of Adanla Irese his home town in Kwara state.

Special feature: Chief Lanre Obadiah bows out of Government house Maiduguri

REJOINDER: On the Call for Vice President Shettima to Resign – A Premature and Misguided Proposition

By: Dan Amana

The attention of well-meaning Nigerians, party loyalists, and progressive stakeholders has been drawn to recent comments credited to Mallam Salihu Isa Nataro, a chieftain of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in which he called on Vice President Kashim Shettima to resign his position as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

While every citizen is entitled to free expression, it is important to respond when opinion borders on political misjudgment, poor timing, and an inaccurate reading of the political climate and leadership dynamics within the APC.

First, Vice President Shettima enjoys the full confidence and partnership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and continues to discharge his duties with the competence, loyalty, and vision that have defined his public service for over two decades. His contributions to the Renewed Hope Agenda are not only strategic but foundational—especially in areas of national security coordination, economic policy, and intergovernmental diplomacy.

To suggest that the Vice President “resign” for optics or to appease speculative 2027 calculations is both premature and unnecessary. The Vice President is not an accidental passenger in this administration; he is a co-architect of its foundational vision, having stood firmly by the President during the most turbulent moments of the 2023 campaign, and has since been a pillar of national cohesion and administrative stability.

Mallam Nataro’s commentary, though perhaps well-intentioned, unfortunately reflects a misunderstanding of the inner workings of government, party loyalty, and constitutional duty. Leadership is not a reality show of musical chairs, where individuals step aside to make room for ambition or sentiment. The office of the Vice President is not a bargaining chip for regional appeasement but a sacred trust between the Nigerian people and their elected leaders.

More so, APC is not a party of impulsive decisions. It is a movement grounded in strategy, inclusivity, and long-term national development goals. As such, speculative maneuvers aimed at altering the current power structure—midway into a constitutionally mandated tenure—are both distracting and destabilizing.

We also caution against using the North-East geopolitical zone as a token in political negotiations. The region has borne its share of national burdens, and the emergence of Vice President Shettima is a symbol of the APC’s commitment to inclusion, capacity, and national healing. His leadership continues to inspire hope among millions across the region and the nation at large.

In conclusion, we urge party elders and opinion leaders to focus their energies on strengthening governance, deepening internal democracy, and supporting the President and Vice President in delivering on their mandate to Nigerians. Calls for resignation at this critical stage only serve the interest of political opportunists—not the Nigerian people.

Let it be clearly stated: Vice President Kashim Shettima remains focused, committed, and unshaken in his service to Nigeria under the able leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Together, they will continue to lead Nigeria toward peace, prosperity, and purpose.

REJOINDER: On the Call for Vice President Shettima to Resign – A Premature and Misguided Proposition

KASHIM SHETTIMA: THE SOUR SIDE FOR A CONSPIRACY

By: Inuwa Bwala.

Nobody is trying to force the Vice President Kashim Shettima on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a running mate in 2027.

While it remains Mr President’s prerogative to pick a working partner, it remains a fact that, he should have known the value of Kashim Shettima, having worked with him at very close quaters in the last two years.

Far beyond this, the President is so committed to his covenant with his vice and does not need the ongoing circus show to stick to it.

Those orchestrating for a change in the ticket are perhaps afraid of the evident cause for continuity, hence the desperation to create a make belief that the Vice Presidential slot is open for contest.

Several attempts have been made to drag Shettima and his supporters into needless controversies so as to make an issue out of their blind postulations.

And ever since I got the winds about plans to make an issue out of the perceived plot to substitute the Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 Presidential elections, I knew it is a matter of time for backlashes, as witnessed at the APC Zonal rally in Gombe on Sunday.

Reading the body languages of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu and his praise choristers, everyone within the hall knew that, there was a grand conspiracy to downplay Kashim Shettima’s position in the endorsement: which was the primary motive for the rally.

And while the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje was quick to play safe sensing the possible consequences, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and the Zonal Vice Chairman Mustapha Umar were not so wise to recognize danger.

The governor escaped with jeers, but the APC vice chairman was not so lucky: he received the beating of his life from irrate delegates.
Those who try to link Borno state Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, with the mob reaction to the failure to endorsed Shettima were just being mischievous, as it was spontaneous

Those who witnessed it told me that, both Governor Yahaya and the APC Zonal chairman had ignored calls from delegates to recognize Shettima as an inseparable part of the ticket, which resulted in the jeers for Yahaya and the beating for Mustapha.
While it is not trying to justify the attendant violence and disruption of the rally, one should not fail to point out to leaders, the wisdom in harkening to popular demands at an occasion like this.

Of course, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum and Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State could not have done anything at the particular stage, even if they did not approve of the violence.
Common sense dictates that, as the political atmosphere becomes increasingly charged in the face of perceived plans to shortchange Shettima, who has endeared himself to Nigerians, speakers at such functions should learn from theGombe experience.

KASHIM SHETTIMA: THE SOUR SIDE FOR A CONSPIRACY