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Nduka Obaigbena, a congenital blackmailer and hustler, “lies without shame” Says Alake and Onanuga
Ordinarily, we consider it beneath us as well-bred media professionals to continue to engage in public spat with Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, a congenital blackmailer and hustler, especially in deference to ceasefire calls by well-meaning leaders and elders. The interventions followed our statement on Monday entitled “Obaigbena and His THISDAY/ARISE News’ Hypocritical Grandstanding On Public Morality”.
But we crave the indulgence of these well-meaning Nigerians to allow us respond to Obaigbena’s latest rambling, called a statement.
The largely diversionary composition was an attempt to deodorise his ethical problems.
Obaigbena tried to deflect attention from those pertinent issues we raised about ethics. There is nothing he said to creditably detract a jot from our accurate summation of his well-known perverse and ignoble approach to media practice over the years, a practice that continues to undermine the integrity of journalism profession in the country.
In his first statement attacking us, Obaigbena craftily attempted to mis-characterise as an attack on free speech, our principled stand against his blackmail to have Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu appear on Arise TV and its PDP sponsored Town Hall meetings.
In the second statement, he was still adamant that our candidate must attend his Town Hall debate, despite our stance that our candidate is already executing another communications strategy to reach the most important target: the Nigerian voters. We, repeat again: We will not make our candidate available to validate a scheme which, in the light of unassailable information at our disposal, is nothing but a racket by the Arise TV owner, designed to embarrass our candidate.
We now proceed to give a blow-by-blow response to Obaigbena’s latest very poor attempt at red-herring:
Rigmarole on Dasukigate:
How laughable that Obaigbena is now denying he was not in EFCC custody for receiving illicit funds from National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki. He attempted to rationalise that the money received was compensation for losses incurred by newspaper proprietors following the clampdown by security agents. But he craftily glossed over the meat of the matter: the grave misconduct to have the funds paid into the bank account of Hydrocarbon, a shell company (obviously set up for money-laundering) to which Obaigbena was the sole signatory. Since NPAN has bank accounts, why was the money not transferred there directly?
Moreover, the petty lie in Obaigbena’s statement was punctured by the joint disclaimer issued on 12 December 2015 by Tribune, New Telegraph and Peoples Daily in whose names he had collected money. The three newspapers said they did not receive a kobo.
His claim that he pocketed the chunk of the money received from Dasukigate as compensation for the alleged terrorist attack on his Abuja office is a laughable afterthought.
Rewriting June 12 story:
Contrary to Obaigbena’s lame attempt to rationalise his campaign against June 12 as action taken in furtherance of his membership of National Republican Convention (NRC), nothing can be further from the truth. His long story about sitting close to MKO Abiola on a London-Johannesburg flight begs the questions. He craftily sidestepped the issue of being recruited by the military regime to go on CNN to unconscionably declare “Abiola did not win any election”, shortly after NEC suspended the announcement of June 12 results. That dirty campaign was to prepare the grounds for the eventual annulment on June 23 of the election. If Obaigbena was pro-democracy as he falsely claims, why did he take up media consultancy work to Ernest Shonekan, the head of the Interim National Government, cobbled together by the junta to legitimise the illegality?
South African/London fiascos:
Obaigbena also tried to downplay the gravity of his misadventure in South Africa for which he had to flee, abandoning his office equipment and furniture till today. On one hand, he lied that it was President Nelson Mandela who asked that he set up the newspaper in South Africa because the dominant newspapers in the country were owned by the white establishment. On the other hand, he claimed that the same white establishment frustrated his venture. He forgot that when he floated ThisDay South Africa in 2003-4, a black President was in power!
Contrary to claims that he met a hostile environment, his habitual unethical practices gave him out. His business model of funding his newspapers and a champagne lifestyle from proceeds of blackmail rackets fell flat in South Africa where rules of a good society are rigidly enforced. To deceive advertisers, he inflated his circulation figures which the regulatory agency frowned at. Also, he owed printers and his workers. Gale of complaints against the “carpetbagger from Nigeria” soon reached the authorities and one official was quoted as famously saying, “You call yourself Thisday, very soon it will become That-day”. The prophecy came to pass with chilling accuracy soon after.
On his misadventure in London, Obaigbena disingenuously put it down to Forex crisis as if it happened this year or last year. The details of the judgment by the presiding judge were damning enough: Obaigbena lacks the personal honour and integrity to run any decent company.
His claim that his seven year directorship ban has been appealed is not the full story. He already lost one appeal at the Chancery in August.
Payment of salaries/pension:
Obaigbena tried to deflect his chronic indebtedness as something common in the media industry. It is an affliction peculiar to THISDAY/Arise which purports to make lots of money (as reflected by bumper advert patronage) but curiously still fails to pay workers as and when due. Even when the economy was relatively “good”, Obaigbena never paid workers regularly. His popular saying to staff, as well known in the industry, is that : “THISDAY/Arise ID card alone is your meal ticket”.
Such corrupt philosophy underlies the unethical practices in media companies run by Obaigbena.
A classic illustration of the untold hardship and dehumanization of his workers was provided by Mr. Paul Ibe, who is now the Special Adviser on Media to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Obaigbena tricked Ibe to South Africa with mouth-watering offers. But Ibe ended up enduring hunger there before finding his way back to Nigeria. Following a suit filed at the National Industrial Court in 2011 (suit no NICN/ABJ/26/2011), Mr. Ibe was awarded damages against Obaigbena for backlog of salaries, non-remittance of taxes and pension deducted from his wages over the years and outstanding entitlement. Tens of other staff of Thisday have died due to lack of money for medical care while awaiting Obaigbena to pay them their entitlements.
Open partisanship/Mefy racket:
We observe too that Obaigbena disingenuously sidestepped the questions raised about employing the services of Dr Reuben Abati, a card-carrying member of PDP as anchor person on Arise TV, as well as Obaigbena’s multi-million Naira consultancy role in the ill-fated attempt by a sitting Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele to compete for APC’ presidential ticket.
These are weighty moral issues Obaigbena, with all his resourceful facilities to lie and dissemble, could not defend.
Again, we challenge him to deny if Abati wasn’t the running-mate of Senator Buruji Kashamu on PDP’s platform in the governorship contest in Ogun in 2019. Kashamu was a wanted drug lord in the US. Of course, the same Abati, who never allows any opportunity to pass without attacking Asiwaju Tinubu daily, would have been one of those Obaigbena would have lined up at his dubious Town Hall meetings to “interrogate” Tinubu! Such shameless, unethical practice!
Further, while pontificating on public morality, Obaigbena conveniently ignored the perversity of collecting hundreds of millions as “media consultant” to Godwin Emefiele, the occupant of a critical public office from which utmost sobriety and non-partisanship is expected. Through patronizing reportage in THISDAY/Arise, Emefiele was egged on to openly descend into the political arena and bid for the presidential ticket of APC in its last primaries in what is now commonly called the “Mefy racket”.
This has antecedents: Obaigbena was also “consultant” to President Jonathan as he was to Chief Ernest Shonekan. Whatever happened to journalism ethics?
The culture of media merchandising:
In a futile attempt to burnish his image, Obaigbena resorted to dropping the names of U.S. and UK leaders who had attended events staged by him. Dropping the names and pictures of these former Western leaders who attended paid-for-appearance ThisDay events as if they attended when serving in office, is another Obaigbena’s vainglorious clout chasing scheme to scam the public. He failed to disclose that the high-profile personalities who delivered keynote addresses at such events were handsomely paid from money he collected through media blackmail from captains of industries notably bank chiefs. To con the outside world, Obaigbena had boasted in an interview with New York Times that he had corporate fortune of $100m accruing to his company annually. But later, tax officials in Lagos could not reconcile those bogus claims with his tax records and non-remittance of taxes deducted from workers. It was so easy to expose his fake lifestyle.
Since Nduka Obaigbena introduced his blackmail and extortionist brand of journalism into Nigeria, generation of Bank CEOs, company Chief Executives, politicians and Governors from 1999 have suffered in silence, seeking liberation from oppressive journalism by intimidation. In 2009, Nduka Obaigbena raided Niger Delta states with his Thisday Entertainment’s packaged Niger-Delta Peace Concert. He coerced the Niger-Delta Governors then to contribute hundreds of millions of Naira with a promise to bring A-list pop stars such as Jay-Z and Beyonce to perform. After collecting the money the promised superstars didn’t show up. One of the governors was at the airport till almost midnight waiting to receive the superstars. These governors complained and suffered in silence because they were afraid of Nduka and his Thisday Newspaper which he has turned to instrument of oppression.
We took notice of Reuben Abati’s ramblings on Arise TV on his Wednesday Morning Show where he laboured in vain to defend his despicable record and perversions. Abati queried our statement that he is a registered member of PDP.
The query is rather for him. How did he become a deputy governorship candidate to the Late Senator Buruji Kashamu in 2019 without a membership of PDP as required by law?
We really do not expect much from Abati. He is a known pathological liar, who has lived on lies and deceit all his professional life. While he has successfully created the image of a conscientious public intellectual over the years, the fact is that he is a morally bankrupt man who has no scruples in selling his soul to the devil as long as money is involved.
Abati has very odious reputation within the corporate and political circles as “anything goes newspaper columnist” as long as the money is right.
Alake, Adviser, Media and Strategic Communication, and Onanuga, Director of Media and Publicity, sent the statement on behalf of All Progressives Congress (APC) Media and Communication Directorate
……..APM Terminals pledges $600m
Speaking during a panel session at the ongoing Africa CEO Forum, President Tinubu attributed the inflow to reforms aimed at improving transparency, efficiency, and investor confidence in the country.
He said his administration’s policies were positioning Nigeria as an open and competitive destination for investment.
“In Nigeria, we’ve attracted nearly $20 billion in direct investment this year because we are efficient, transparent, and open for business,” President Tinubu said.
He said that Nigeria would no longer permit the export of raw minerals without local value addition, noting that the country possesses the capacity to manufacture products such as electric vehicle batteries from its mineral resources.
He said: “With our metals, we can produce batteries for cars. The private sector brings capital and expertise, but government must de-risk and create the enabling environment. That partnership is how Africa moves forward”.
He also canvassed for stronger economic integration across the continent, urging African countries to move beyond rhetoric and fully activate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to him, Africa needs to put its money where its mouth is and build a new relationship with its own resources.
“We have the African Continental Free Trade Area—it must not sit on the shelf. It needs to be activated properly through collaboration and effective use of resources, not by working in silos,” President Tinubu said.
He advocated an “Africa First” approach to development, insisting that African resources should primarily benefit the continent through local processing and manufacturing.
“We don’t want scavengers and extractors. We want partners who process and manufacture locally,” President Tinubu said.
Speaking on industrialisation, President Tinubu cited the success of the Dangote Refinery as proof that Africa could undertake large-scale projects with the right support framework.
According to him, Nigeria overcame years of dependence on imported petroleum products after supporting the establishment of the refinery through policy backing, credit support, and licensing approvals.
He said: “Today Nigeria is a net exporter of PMS, aviation fuel, and other products. Dangote is supplying aviation fuel across Africa and to European airlines”.
He also called for reforms to intra-African trade and financial systems, questioning the continent’s reliance on foreign currencies for trade transactions.
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“If you produce in Nigeria, you can trade in naira. Why should African trade depend on dollars? That adds cost and instability,” President Tinubu said.
He proposed the establishment of an African commodity exchange platform that would enable direct trade among the continent’s 54 countries.
On the issue of mobilising African capital for development, President Tinubu said governments must create stable legal and policy environments capable of attracting long-term investment.
He said: “Capital is cowardly. It needs transparency, accountability, and stability”.
He also advocated the creation of an African credit rating agency, arguing that existing global rating institutions do not adequately understand African markets and risks.
“The big American agencies dominate 95 per cent of the market, but they don’t understand our risks and opportunities,” President Tinubu said.
He noted that in addressing Africa’s digital infrastructure deficit, Nigeria is laying 19,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables nationwide to expand connectivity and support the digital economy.
“That’s how we bring lessons to children, connect families, and enable traders,” President Tinubu said.
He added that Africa must invest beyond basic telecommunications and build full digital infrastructure systems, including data processing, storage, artificial intelligence, and e-commerce capabilities.
He said: “We need to fund Africa’s shift from basic telecoms to AI and e-commerce”.
He further expressed optimism that the AfCFTA would eventually boost intra-African trade, despite political and structural barriers currently slowing integration efforts.
He said: “Pan-Africanism can’t remain a slogan. It has to be lived”.
He also urged African leaders to strengthen regional alliances and economic cooperation in response to global economic shocks and geopolitical uncertainties.
“If Europe can build alliances and move forward, so can we. Africa has everything we need here. What we require is good policy and the will to act.
“We don’t want our children dying at sea trying to reach elsewhere. We have the resources. We just need to help each other and push together. That is the only way to build an inclusive and prosperous Africa,” President Tinubu said
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has disclosed that he almost lost his position last year due to the alleged involvement of actor-turned-politician Desmond Elliot in the political crisis that rocked the Lagos State House of Assembly during the speakership tussle involving Mudashiru Obasa.
Speaking in a video widely circulating on social media on Thursday, Gbajabiamila narrated how Tinubu summoned him to his residence in Abuja at the height of the Obasa impeachment saga.
According to the CoS, the president confronted him over intelligence reports linking Elliot, who represents Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, to efforts to destabilise the state legislature.
“I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. Mr. President called me to his house in Abuja during the Lagos Speaker Obasa saga. He said, ‘I hear this Desmond is your boy, the one we gave you,’ and I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He is one of the people causing problems in the Lagos House of Assembly,” Gbajabiamila stated.
Gbajabiamila further revealed that he had to defend Elliot against the allegations.
“Immediately I said to Mr. President, no, no, no. Desmond is not part of them.
“I haven’t even spoken to him. I didn’t know whether he was part of that. I said, no, he’s not part of them.”
According to him, Tinubu said, “I’m telling you from intelligence that he is part of them. Go and tell him to retrace his steps. This is what Mr. President told me. I said, yes, sir.”
He said he called the lawmaker to inform him of the development.
“I called him. That’s what I told him. Just like the President, this is what he said.
“If you are one of these people, if you are part of them, get out of there.”
He added that the Director-General of the Department of State Services also contacted him regarding his and Elliot’s alleged involvement.
“Three days later, the Director General of DSS called me and said there’s a problem. Your name is being mentioned all over the place.
“That you are the one behind, you are supporting Desmond in this event. Of course, the President will not believe that Desmond would do such a thing and I will not know what it sounds like.
“I told the DSS, I’m going to have to talk to Desmond.”
“I told him, I’m going to have to talk to Desmond. He has not done anything. I called him again.”
The Chief of Staff said he asked Elliot to issue a statement vindicating himself of the allegation, which he allegedly did not till date.
The Obasa impeachment saga erupted on January 13, 2025, when a majority of the Lagos State House of Assembly impeached the long-serving Speaker while he was vacationing in the United States.
Lawmakers accused him of gross misconduct, abuse of office, high-handedness, poor leadership, persistent lateness to sessions, and alleged financial impropriety/mismanagement of Assembly funds.
His deputy, Mojisola Meranda, was immediately elected as the new Speaker, becoming the first female to occupy the position.
Obasa rejected the impeachment as illegal and unconstitutional, insisting due process was not followed.
The crisis triggered weeks of tension, court cases, parallel claims to leadership, and interventions by APC national leaders and Tinubu.
It was eventually resolved when Meranda resigned, paving the way for Obasa’s reinstatement as Speaker.
The incident comes amid growing resistance to the lawmaker’s bid for a fourth term in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Abbas, Kalu, Ihonvbere, Doguwa, Faleke, Obasa, Amaewhule, others in race for tickets
Primaries to pick candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for next year’s elections begin tomorrow.
Aspirants for House of Representatives tickets will take the first shots across the 360 constituencies.
As of last night, the party’s national secretariat was busy coordinating reports from screening centres, while appeal committees also sat to consider different cases as they arose.
“The process is tough, and the schedule is tight,” a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) told The Nation.
The party assured its members that, despite the logistical difficulties, the process would proceed as planned.
Leading lights of the party, which controls an overwhelming majority in the Green Chamber, such as Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, House Leader Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, spokesman Akin Rotimi, long-standing member Ado Doguwa, Finance Committee Chairman James Abiodun Faleke, former minister Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Chijioke Edoga and Leke Abejide, who defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), are among those seeking tickets to return.
Among those seeking a return to the House are Bimbo Daramola (Ekiti), Kafilat Ogbara (Lagos), Oluwole Oke (Osun) and Donald Ojogo (Ondo).
There are also high-profile lawmakers from state Houses of Assembly bidding to move to the House of Representatives.
These include Speakers Mudashiru Obasa (Lagos) and Martins Amaewhule (Rivers).
National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said the date fixed for the intra-party selection is sacrosanct.
The screening of the contenders has set the stage for what is largely expected to be direct primaries and, in some cases, consensus arrangements.
According to the APC guidelines, direct primaries should be adopted where consensus agreements fail.
Sources said the panel cleared all aspirants from Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Enugu and Rivers states.
However, a source said members of the Appeal Committee were at the Treasures Suites in Abuja handling last-minute petitions arising from the screening exercise.
According to the source, governors still hold the ace, having been saddled by the party with negotiating the “mode of primary” best suited for their respective states.
A senior party official confirmed that the committee refused to bow to external interference.
He said despite intense lobbying and “pressure from opponents,” the screening panels opted for an all-inclusive approach.
The source added: “No aspirant was disqualified. I was part of the team that handled Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Enugu and Rivers states, and I am sure that all the aspirants were cleared.
“There was pressure to disqualify some, but the screening committee stood its ground.”
The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) reviewed the report of the screening committee on Tuesday and yesterday.
While the official results have not been formally gazetted, sources at the party’s headquarters confirmed that the reports have been ratified.
Already, the NWC has dispatched primary election committees to the states to liaise with governors for rancour-free shadow elections that will produce acceptable candidates.
A member of the NWC reiterated the party’s resolve to adhere to the revised schedule of activities and timetable.
He said: “We have done everything possible for the primaries to be held as scheduled.”
Emphasising that the timetable would not change, Morka said the clarification became necessary following misleading reports.
He said the primaries will be held as follows: senatorial, May 18; House of Assembly, May 20; governorship, May 21; and presidential, May 23.
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