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Women who should not marry yet, By Funke Egbemode

Marriage is not for baby girls. It is for women who are ready for the marathon. Because it is not a 100-metre dash.

When Roseline complained to her grandmother that marriage was not what she expected. It was not even what my husband promised when we were dating.

“Grandma,” she said, “my husband does not understand me. He does not know when I am angry unless I tell him and when I do, he just either says, ‘ehn ehn, ma binu’, and moves on. He does not always say the right things.  He does not pet me. He does not notice on compliment my new wig or a freshly done make-up. Sometimes he even forgets things I told him the previous week.”

The old woman just smiled.

“My child,” she said, “you married a human being, not a magician. You married a man raised by another family, not yours. He is conditioned and socialised differently from the one you shaped, created in your head.  That he does not do everything on your own to-do-list does not mean he does not care for you or that he does not have his own to-do-list that you do not tick. You are on a journey, a lifetime journey. Be prepared for each bus stop, mad conductors, flat tires in the rain and long fuel queues even. “

“But I feel so alone, Mama.”

“That is just a bus stop you don’t like. You will soon leave it. Focus on your journey. Concentrate on what your husband does well. Even I like his deep voice.”

“Oh Mama, you are impossible.”

That was the day Rosie discovered that marriage is not a movie where the man always knows the right words, the woman always looks beautiful in the morning, and every argument ends with background music and a kiss and slow, tantalising lovemaking.

Marriage is not for baby girls. It is not about soft life, trust me. Yes, there will be soft days but those are rewards for the hard days. A good wife knows how to juggle both. Rume, my friend told me our husbands had on and off days about 30 years ago and that we should enjoy them on their ‘On Days’ and focus on our business and career on their ‘Off Days’. It worked and I recommend it.

Marriage is not for toddlers wearing adult clothes. That you said ‘I do’ means you will be called on ‘to do many things’, many things outside of romance.

It is not for people who just want the excitement of a wedding but are allergic to the responsibility of a marriage, the tough stuff.

A wedding is just a ceremony that lasts a day or two. Marriage is designed to last forever, in other words, decades. The woman who wants the flowers, the gown, the applause and the Instagram pictures must also be ready for the ordinary Tuesdays when there are bills to pay, children to manage, misunderstandings to resolve and two imperfect people trying to build one life. Note: one life.

The homily today is, therefore, about women should not marry yet. Yeah, they need to take a deep breath and ask if they are packed for this long journey.

Not because they are bad women.

Not because they are failures, in fact many of them are successful in their careers. They are business owners and celebrities.

But because marriage demands a different level of emotional maturity that romance alone cannot provide. Let run through this list.

The first group of women who should not rush into marriage are those who have not learnt forgiveness. A woman who keeps a record book of every offence committed against her will struggle in marriage.

The husband who forgot an anniversary in 2024, the argument from 2025, the careless statement made in 2023—everything is carefully stored in her large emotional warehouse. This one needs to sell that warehouse or start using it for something more useful.

Some women do not forgive; they simply postpone revenge. They even plan revenge meticulously, like Satan himself. But marriage cannot survive where every disagreement becomes a courtroom and every mistake becomes evidence presented years later. Marriage is not about who is right and who is wrong.

Forgiveness is hard but does not mean accepting nonsense. It means understanding that two people living together will hurt each other sometimes, even unintentionally.

A marriage without forgiveness becomes a prison where both people are serving sentences, with suspicion and hostility as constant companions.

The second group is where you find the impatient woman.

The woman who wants everything immediately. She wants a perfect house this minute, a perfect husband and mother-in-law from day one. Her husband must make money now, not later, not gradually.

But life does not work like a supermarket where you pick everything from the shelf and pay at the counter.

Marriage is a massive construction site. You need to lay bricks, repair cracks. Sometimes you are cleaning up after a storm, at other times, you are working on drainage.

Read Also: Echoes of Trauma: The stories pain tells us

Read Also: Echoes of Trauma: Beneath the scars

A woman who cannot wait, who cannot endure seasons, who cannot understand that every beautiful thing takes time may find marriage frustrating. Marriage has all the seasons, from winter to harmattan. Even good marriages have bad seasons. Good husbands have difficult days. Even good wives have moments when they are not the easiest people to live with. Only the patient will get to the finished line.

The third group is the woman who cannot compromise. Today’s women have terms for everything, terms that make the simplest things sound like cardinal sins.

I am alone in this marriage.

I am losing myself.

I don’t feel heard.

He forgets my birthdays and our anniversaries, he doesn’t love me.

These are matters that can be resolved with effective communication and compromise.

Let us be clear: compromise does not mean losing yourself. It does not mean tolerating abuse, abandoning your dreams or losing yourself. It means understanding that marriage is a partnership, not a dictatorship.

A woman who insists on,  ‘My way or the highway,’ will eventually discover that she is married to a human being, not a remote-controlled device.

Sometimes you choose the restaurant. Sometimes he chooses the movie.

Sometimes your family tradition wins. Sometimes his does.

Sometimes you are right. Sometimes you are wise enough to let peace win.

The woman who cannot bend will eventually break and break her marriage. No marriage can survive without compromise.

The fourth woman is the one who has not developed resilience

Marriage is not all about candle-lit dinners and romantic holidays. It is a road with many bends and bumps.

There will be sickness and financial pressure. There will be disappointments and moments when both partners are tired and nobody feels particularly romantic.

The woman who collapses at every inconvenience may find the reality of marriage overwhelming. Life will test every marriage with annoying subtractions. A wife who has no bank of additions will bend under the weight of minuses. The question is never whether storms will come. The question is whether the couple has built a house strong enough to survive them.

The fifth woman is the one who wants to be permanently taken care of and has not learnt partnership. She goes into marriage thinking it will solve all her problems, physical, emotional, financial, and even spiritual. To her, marriage means no more rent or jumping Uber, free fuel and no more prepaid metre hassles. Her husband must feed and clothe her, pay her siblings’ school fees and underwrite her mother’s 70th birthday expenses. And when the man cannot or refuses to be a beast of burden, she reels out a list of terminologies for the bad man.

He is not a keeper.

He is uncaring.

He is selfish, and/or self-centred.

Who told her marriage is an adoption centre?

A husband is a partner, not a parent. That is why it is not a union for babies.

A wife is a partner, not a servant.

Adults must enter marriage with the understanding that both people bring something to the table — love, responsibility, emotional support, sacrifice and commitment.

The strongest marriages are not built by two people asking, ‘What can I get?’

They are built by two people asking, ‘What can I give?’

And then there are the emotional cry babies.

The women who believe every disagreement is a declaration of war.

The women who threaten to leave every time they are angry.

I am leaving.

I’m done.

I am fed up.

You wonder if they ever really unpacked when you see how quickly they load their loads in one trunk. Weak little girls, those ones.

There are also women who believe silent treatment is a communication strategy. Mean little bullies,  those ones.

Marriage requires difficult conversations. It requires sitting down when you would rather walk away. It requires maturity to say, “I am hurt,” instead of throwing emotional grenades.

Strong women cry. Strong women feel pain. Strong women get tired.

But strong women also recover.

They stand again.

They try again.

They build again.

Marriage is not for the faint-hearted.

It is not for those looking for a permanent honeymoon.

It is for long-distance runners.

The woman entering marriage must understand that love is not only a feeling. It is a decision.

A decision to show up, rain or shine.

A decision to be kind when it is easier to be cruel.

A decision to fight for the relationship rather than fight against the person. A decision to protect your territory instead of abandoning your home.

A decision to remember that the person beside you is also fighting their own battles and that you should show understanding,  not drive him off the cliff.

However, there are also men who should not marry.

The immature man, the unforgiving man, the selfish man, the irresponsible man and the violent man should also stay away from marriage until they are ready to become husbands, not just husbands in title because marriage is not a playground for grown children. It is a garden.

And gardens require patience, watering, pruning and care.

Before any woman says, “I do,” she should ask herself some important questions:

‘Am I ready to build, or am I only ready to be entertained?’

‘Am I getting married because my friends are all married or I truly want to be a wife?’

‘Is it all about the ceremony and being the centre of attraction or I’m in it for the long haul?’

Marriage is not about little girls playing dress-up. It is for strong focused women, not fly-by-night bride who enters and starts looking for exits at the first sign of trouble.

Marriage is beautiful but its beauty belongs to those who are prepared for the work.

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PTD refutes NAFDAC tanker claim, denounces misleading reports

The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG has refuted reports alleging that two tankers designated for edible vegetable oil were intercepted while conveying diesel in Lagos, describing the narrative as misleading and lacking merit.

In a statement signed by Comrade Tope Ajagbe on behalf of concerned Lagos tanker drivers, the union clarified that the trucks in question were not intercepted by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as widely reported, but by PTD operatives during a routine enforcement exercise in early July 2026. The vehicles were subsequently handed over to NAFDAC for prosecution and further regulatory action.

The union emphasized that the interception was part of PTD’s stringent framework to protect public safety across the petroleum value chain — from loading and transportation to distribution and final delivery. It reaffirmed its collaboration with regulatory bodies, security agencies, and intelligence operatives to ensure strict adherence to safety protocols.

Addressing the controversy, PTD noted that tankers are not permanently restricted to a single product unless specifically branded or certified for exclusive use. Logistics companies often deploy vehicles interchangeably, provided proper cleaning and safety standards are observed. The union stressed that no evidence has been presented to suggest adulteration or intent to deceive, insisting that the claim of a “serious breach” was exaggerated and should be discountenanced.

The statement also condemned what it described as malicious campaigns of calumny by individuals such as Tajudeen Usman, who it said is neither a tanker driver nor a member of the union. PTD accused him of attempting to malign the union and sow division, urging stakeholders and the public to disregard his remarks.

“For the record, PTD and its parent union, NUPENG, maintain cordial working relationships with NAFDAC and other relevant government agencies. We will continue to uphold the highest standards of safety and accountability in the transportation of petroleum products. Tajudeen Usman, who claims to lead the outlawed Edible Tanker Drivers (ETD), has no legitimate membership. Neither he nor his associates are tanker drivers, marketers, or distributors; they are persona non grata.

“Furthermore, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has publicly disowned Tajudeen and the so‑called ETD. His attempts to malign the union and sow division deserve nothing but disdain. PTD and NUPENG remain united, with over four decades of proven contributions to the petroleum industry,” the statement read.

Reaffirming its unity and resilience, the union concluded: “Workers united will never be defeated.”

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Echoes of Trauma: Beneath the scars

There are people who look perfectly whole until life brushes against an old wound. Then, in a single unexpected moment, yesterday speaks through today.

By Lillian Okenwa

Most of us think of scars as marks left on the body. They are evidence that something happened. A fall, a surgery, an accident, a fight. With time, they become so familiar that we hardly notice them anymore. Then someone asks, “How did you get that scar?” and, in an instant, a story you had almost forgotten comes rushing back.

Emotional scars are not very different. They simply live where the eye cannot see. There are no stitches to remove, no bandages to unwrap and no visible marks to explain them. Yet they have an extraordinary way of accompanying us through life. They appear in places that seem to have nothing to do with the original wound—a marriage, a workplace, a friendship, a difficult conversation. We imagine painful experiences belong to yesterday. Often, they arrive in today before we do.

Read Also: Echoes of Trauma: The stories pain tells us

Not long ago, I read an account that stayed with me. A woman described an unpleasant exchange with a stranger whose manner struck her as unnecessarily abrasive. During the conversation, she noticed that one of his fingers was missing. Nothing was said about it, yet she suddenly found herself wondering whether she was speaking only to the man standing before her or also to years of learning to live with something he had lost. She changed her approach. Almost immediately, his own demeanour softened.

Whether her conclusion was right is almost beside the point. What lingered with me was the possibility that every encounter is larger than it first appears. We rarely meet people at the beginning of their stories. By the time our lives intersect, they have already celebrated victories we know nothing about and endured losses they have never spoken of. Some have rebuilt their lives more than once. Others are still trying to find their way through experiences that altered them forever. Every person arrives carrying an invisible history.

One story that has remained in the public conversation is that of Gospel Kinanee, the young Nigerian who disappeared as a teenager and was eventually found after spending eighteen years in prison without any known charge or record. His release and reunion with his family stirred relief across the country. It was impossible not to celebrate that moment.

Yet another thought lingered.

Freedom does not erase eighteen years.

No one walks away from an experience like that unchanged. Lost birthdays cannot be reclaimed. Childhood cannot be relived. Relationships must often be rebuilt from unfamiliar ground. Even hope sometimes has to learn how to breathe again. There are wounds that close and there are wounds that become part of the landscape a person must learn to navigate.

His story is remarkable only because we know his name.

Across Nigeria, countless people carry histories that will never make the headlines. They survived violence, abuse, displacement, addiction, devastating loss, prolonged illness, crushing poverty or years of rejection. Many rebuilt their lives with extraordinary courage. They go to work, laugh with friends, raise children and keep appointments. From the outside, life appears perfectly ordinary. Yet beneath that ordinary life are experiences that continue to shape the way they move through the world.

Researchers who study trauma have consistently found that recovery is rarely as simple as surviving the event itself. Human beings heal, but healing is seldom the same as returning to who we were before the injury. We adapt. We compensate. We develop ways of protecting ourselves. Sometimes those adaptations serve us well. Sometimes they follow us into places where they are no longer needed. A person who once had every reason to mistrust may struggle to receive genuine kindness. Someone who spent years living in uncertainty may continue preparing for disaster long after life has become stable. Survival has a way of leaving fingerprints on the future.

This does not excuse behaviour that hurts other people. We remain responsible for the choices we make, regardless of what has happened to us. Trauma may explain our reactions, but it cannot become a permanent licence to wound others. At the same time, understanding that unseen scars exist makes room for something our world seems to be losing: Mercy.

Not the kind that ignores truth or pretends wrongdoing does not matter, but the kind that resists reducing people to their worst moments. The kind that pauses before rushing to conclusions. The kind that remembers there may be chapters in another person’s life that we have not been invited to read.

We live in an age of instant judgments. A brief conversation, a social media post, a sharp response at work and we imagine we know who someone is. Yet the human heart has never been that easy to understand. Behaviour is often the final sentence of a story whose opening chapters remain hidden from everyone else.

Perhaps one of the greatest acts of maturity is accepting that what we see is rarely the whole story. The colleague whose words feel unusually sharp may be carrying grief. The neighbour who keeps everyone at a distance may have trusted the wrong people too many times. The stranger whose impatience catches us off guard may be fighting battles that began long before today’s encounter. We cannot know for certain. That is precisely why kindness matters. It leaves room for what certainty cannot see.

Every scar tells a story. Some are written on the skin. Others are written much deeper. We may never read them, but we will meet the people carrying them every day. Perhaps the gentlest gift we can offer one another is the grace of remembering that survival often leaves marks no eye can detect.

A lawyer and equity advocate, Lillian can be reached at [email protected].  X: @OkenwaLillian.

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At Sixty, Some Lives Speak Louder Than Their Titles: Celebrating Ezinwa Nwanyieze Okoroafor—A lawyer who has chosen stewardship over spotlight

By Lillian Okenwa

There are birthdays that celebrate age, and there are birthdays that celebrate influence.

The sixtieth birthday of Mrs. Ezinwa Nwanyieze Okoroafor belongs firmly in the second category.

Some people measure a successful life by the number of positions they have occupied. Others are remembered for the institutions they helped strengthen, the people they lifted along the way, and the confidence they inspired simply by doing their work with integrity. Mrs. Okoroafor belongs to that rarer group.

For nearly four decades, she has walked through some of the most demanding spaces in the legal profession with remarkable consistency. From private legal practice to corporate governance, from public service to international legal advocacy, each chapter has reflected the same qualities: discipline, quiet confidence, intellectual depth and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Those who know her story know the milestones.

An honours degree in law from the University of Nigeria. Call to the Nigerian Bar in 1986. A Master of Laws from the University of Lagos. Professional distinctions spanning arbitration, taxation, corporate governance and international law. Today, she serves as General Counsel of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, helping provide legal stewardship for one of Nigeria’s most strategic public institutions.

Impressive as these accomplishments are, they tell only part of the story.

The fuller story is one of service.

Long before she became International President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), she had already devoted years to strengthening the organisation. She served as Country Vice President, National President of FIDA Nigeria, International Secretary and International Director before delegates from across the world elected her International President at FIDA’s 38th Triennial Convention in Cali, Colombia, in November 2024.

That journey says something important.

Leadership that lasts is rarely built overnight. It is earned assignment after assignment, responsibility after responsibility, until trust becomes the natural language people associate with your name.

In many professions, ambition often seeks visibility. Genuine leadership, however, is usually recognised in reliability. The people who eventually lead global organisations are often those who have quietly spent years strengthening them from within. Mrs. Okoroafor’s election to the highest office in FIDA International was not simply recognition of personal achievement; it was recognition of sustained commitment.

Her emergence also carried historic significance.

For lawyers across Nigeria and Africa, her election represented more than national pride. It reflected confidence that African women continue to shape conversations about justice, human rights and gender equality on the global stage. At a time when access to justice remains uneven for millions of women and girls, her leadership carries responsibilities that extend far beyond conference halls and ceremonial functions.

Yet those who have worked with her know that she wears high office with refreshing simplicity.

She listens before she speaks. She prepares before she decides. She leads without unnecessary drama. In an age that often mistakes noise for leadership, that may be one of her greatest strengths.

The legal profession has always demanded intellect. Today’s world demands something more. It requires lawyers who understand institutions, appreciate collaboration and recognise that the law ultimately exists to improve human lives. Throughout her career, Mrs. Okoroafor has consistently reflected that broader understanding of what legal service ought to be.

Turning sixty is therefore not merely the celebration of a birthday.

It is the celebration of accumulated trust.

It is the celebration of a reputation patiently built over decades rather than moments.

It is the celebration of a woman who has demonstrated that influence is most enduring when it is anchored in competence, humility and service.

For younger lawyers, her journey offers an enduring lesson. Careers are not built by chasing titles. They are built by becoming the kind of person institutions can depend upon. Titles eventually find such people.

As she marks this remarkable milestone, I find myself reflecting not only on the offices she has held, but on the values her journey has consistently embodied: justice, dignity, service and an unwavering belief that the law must ultimately improve the lives of those it exists to protect.

Sixty years have added experience, wisdom and perspective, but they have not diminished purpose.

Indeed, if the journey so far is any indication, this chapter may well become her most consequential yet.

Happy 60th Birthday, Mrs. Ezinwa Nwanyieze Okoroafor.

May the years ahead bring renewed strength, greater impact and the satisfaction that comes from seeing lives, institutions and generations transformed through a lifetime devoted to the law and the service of humanity.

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Reserved seats bill gains fresh momentum as FIDA Abuja rallies support for greater women’s political representation

Nigeria’s chronic underrepresentation of women in elective office came under renewed scrutiny on Thursday as leading lawyers, gender advocates, lawmakers and development experts insisted that the proposed Reserved Seats Bill offers the country an opportunity to correct one of the deepest democratic deficits in its political history.

Speaking during a webinar organised by the Parliamentary Committee of the FIDA Nigeria Abuja Branch, participants argued that the legislation is neither a privilege nor an act of charity for women but a temporary constitutional mechanism designed to dismantle structural barriers that have kept half of Nigeria’s population almost entirely absent from legislative decision-making.

The virtual dialogue, themed “Exploring the Importance of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill,” brought together senior members of the legal profession, former legislators, civil society leaders and advocates for constitutional reform, all of whom urged sustained advocacy to ensure the passage of the proposed amendment.

Chairperson of the FIDA Abuja Parliamentary Committee, Dr. Rosemary Chikwendu, set the tone by confronting what she described as one of Nigeria’s greatest democratic contradictions.

While women constitute well over half of Nigeria’s population, she observed, they occupy barely 4.4 per cent of elective legislative seats across the federal and state legislatures—approximately 64 positions out of about 1,460 available seats. By comparison, she noted, more than 30 African countries have already crossed the 20 per cent threshold for female parliamentary representation, while countries such as Rwanda (63.8%), South Africa (44.7%), Cabo Verde (44.4%), Ethiopia and Senegal (about 41%) have demonstrated that deliberate constitutional and legislative reforms can substantially improve women’s political participation.

Dr. Chikwendu stressed that the Reserved Seats Bill is often misunderstood.

She explained that the proposal is not intended to permanently reserve political offices for women, nor would it suddenly produce gender parity. Rather, if passed, it would increase women’s representation to about 13 per cent, providing what she described as a realistic foundation upon which broader political inclusion could gradually be built.

“This will not solve every problem overnight,” she noted. “It is simply a starting point.”

Serving as moderator, Rachel Osibu walked participants through the contents of the proposed constitutional amendment, explaining that the bill seeks to create additional temporary legislative seats for women at the federal and state levels as an affirmative action measure until greater political balance is achieved through the normal electoral process.

Delivering the keynote address, renowned gender advocate and Executive Director of the Centre for Development, Comrade Ene Obi, challenged what she described as deeply entrenched cultural stereotypes that continue to frustrate qualified women seeking elective office.

Recalling a recent political experience, she narrated how a highly qualified female aspirant was pressured to withdraw her ambition in favour of a male candidate despite clearly possessing stronger credentials, arguing that such experiences remain commonplace across Nigeria’s political landscape.

She warned that Nigeria’s democratic record on women’s representation has steadily deteriorated rather than improved.

According to her, the country recorded its highest number of elected female federal lawmakers during the 2007 general elections, when 36 women entered the National Assembly—nine Senators and twenty-seven members of the House of Representatives—representing about 7.7 per cent of the legislature.

Nearly two decades later, however, the numbers have continued to decline. The Ninth National Assembly had only 19 women, while the current Tenth Assembly has fallen even lower, with only 18 female lawmakers, making Nigeria one of the poorest performers globally in women’s parliamentary representation.

Obi maintained that the Reserved Seats Bill should therefore be viewed as a temporary corrective mechanism rather than a permanent entitlement.

“The objective is not to replace men,” she argued. “It is to build a more representative democracy. Once an acceptable balance is achieved, such extraordinary measures naturally become unnecessary.”

Calling on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to actively support the legislation, she described the proposal as fundamentally an issue of social justice, insisting that legal practitioners have a responsibility to champion reforms capable of strengthening constitutional democracy.

She also criticised what she described as the National Assembly’s inconsistent attention to issues affecting ordinary Nigerians, expressing concern over frequent legislative recesses and poor attendance during debates on critical national reforms.

“Our democracy requires sustained civic engagement,” she said. “Citizens cannot afford to become spectators.”

Quoting former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, she reminded participants that “there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women” and that no national development strategy benefits society more than one that places women at its centre.

Former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State and former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, drew from her own political journey to encourage women not to retreat from public life despite the obstacles confronting them, insisting that persistence, preparation and institutional reforms must work together to expand women’s participation in governance.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Yakubu Philemon approached the issue from a constitutional perspective, arguing that Nigeria’s legal framework already prohibits discrimination based on gender and should therefore support stronger affirmative measures to achieve substantive equality.

He recalled the landmark judgment delivered by Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court in April 2022 directing the Federal Government to implement the 35 per cent affirmative action policy in public appointments, describing the decision as an important judicial affirmation of inclusive governance.

Vice Chair of NBA Abuja, Unity Bar, Anthony Enahoro Idoko challenged assumptions that political leadership is naturally the preserve of men, insisting that competence, rather than gender, should determine who occupies public office.

Drawing inspiration from civil rights scholar Angela Davis, he argued that societies only progress when they refuse to accept injustice as normal, maintaining that excluding women from leadership impoverishes governance itself.

The webinar also attracted several distinguished members of FIDA, including the association’s immediate past Country Vice President, Amina Agbaje, alongside lawyers, academics and civil society advocates from across the country.

International President of FIDA, Ezinwa Okoroafor, described the campaign for the Reserved Seats Bill as part of a broader global struggle for equal representation, noting that meaningful democracy cannot exist when women remain systematically excluded from the institutions where laws are made. She commended the Abuja Branch for sustaining conversations capable of influencing national policy and urged members to transform advocacy into coordinated action until the constitutional reforms are achieved.

Bringing the event to a close, Chairperson of FIDA Abuja Branch, Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko, said the discussion underscored why legal practitioners must remain at the forefront of constitutional reforms that promote equality, justice and inclusive governance. She urged participants not to allow the momentum generated by the webinar to fade, emphasising that lasting change would require sustained engagement with lawmakers, political parties and citizens across the country.

Mrs. Adejoke Layi-Babatunde, the National Chair person of FIDA Nigeria’s parliamentary committee, expressed appreciation to the speakers and participants for enriching the conversation, describing the overwhelming response to the webinar as evidence of growing national support for reforms that seek to expand women’s participation in governance. She reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to continuing public education and advocacy until the Reserved Seats Bill receives the legislative support necessary to become part of Nigeria’s constitutional framework.

For many participants, the webinar ultimately reinforced a simple but compelling proposition: the Reserved Seats Bill is not about conferring special privileges on women. It is about strengthening representative democracy by ensuring that Nigeria’s legislative institutions more accurately reflect the society they were elected to serve.

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Too many silks, too little prestige, By Davidson Iriekpen

Following the shortlisting of 89 candidates for the conferment of the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria for the 2026 exercise, analysts are calling on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to sanitise the selection process to restore the rank’s dwindling glory, Davidson Iriekpen writes. 

Last month, the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) shortlisted 89 candidates for the conferment of the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) for the 2026 exercise. The list comprises 77 legal practitioners under the advocacy category and 12 academics who have advanced to the final stage of the annual SAN conferment process.

The committee said it found that the candidates passed several assessment stages, including the advocates’ first and second filtration exercises, academic pre-qualification, academic first attrition exercise, independent appeals hearing, and chambers inspection.

The LPPC cautioned that inclusion on the short list does not amount to a successful application. It therefore invited the general public “to comment on the integrity, reputation, and competence of the shortlisted candidates.”

The committee asked members of the public to submit comments to the Office of the Secretary, Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, Supreme Court, Abuja, by July 15.

It said any “complaint or adverse representation against a candidate must be accompanied by a verifying affidavit deposed to by the author before a superior court of record in Nigeria or before a notary public in Nigeria.” The committee added that such comments or complaints must be submitted in 20 copies. 

The rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria is the highest distinction conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria. It is awarded annually to lawyers and academics who have distinguished themselves in legal practice, legal scholarship, and contributions to the development of the legal profession.

Members of the Inner Bar, as SANs are fondly called, enjoy privileges, including reserved seats in the front rows of all courts and priority for their cases. They are also distinguishable from other lawyers by their attire, called ‘silk ‘, which is styled differently from the gown worn by other lawyers.

However, many legal practitioners have raised concerns over the new conditions for lawyers wishing to attain the rank. They raised concerns because the number of lawyers assigned by the LPPC for the award has been increasing for three consecutive years, while the quality has been declining.

In 2025, 72 candidates were shortlisted. While many thought the number would go down this year, it has rather increased.

Although LPPC announced in 2022 that the application for SAN rank would carry a non-refundable processing fee of N600,000, THISDAY has learnt that the amount has since been increased to over N1million. 

This has sparked concern among lawyers, who decried what they called the “commercialisation” and “politicisation” of the bar’s highest honour and privilege, similar to the United Kingdom’s inner bar rank, known as the Queen’s Counsel (QC).

While people have different views about the rank, depending on which side of the divide they stand, some want it abolished completely as they deem it an unfair trade practice to confer special privileges on certain persons by way of ranking. Others believe that it is good to encourage healthy competition, but that substantial reform is required to make it strictly merit-based and transparent.

Lawyers who spoke to THISDAY said the award of the SAN rank was supposed to be based on proven integrity by those who had developed the hard work and legal skills required. They lamented that the manner in which the award is being conferred now leaves much to be desired.

Some of the lawyers who did not want their names in print called for a review of the guidelines for the award of the prestigious rank. They bemoaned the huge sums required to apply for the rank.

“Over N1,000,000 is just the amount; when the committee comes to inspect the offices of applicants and their libraries, they do get much more than that,” said a lawyer.

In the UK, where Nigeria copied the SAN title, the rank of QC or KC, depending on the gender of the monarch, which was first established in 1597, has about 1,600 to 1,900 members, while in Nigeria, where SAN was established in 1975, over 1,250 lawyers have been conferred with the title. 

Observers believe that with the large number of SANs churned out every year, the title has not only lost quality and value, but that the number of those holding the title would exceed that of ordinary lawyers in the near future.

“The prestigious award has been bastardised and compromised. It is losing its value and quality because it is now given to all Tom, Dick and Harry. As with everything else, it is now going to the highest bidders. It has also been tribalised and based on quota, and this has reduced the prestige attached to the rank,” a SAN told THISDAY.

“I think for a moment that if there was a qualifying exam to become a SAN, do you think we would have a large number of them like we have today? How many consultants and specialists do we have in the medical and other fields today? Of course, they are all few. You know why? Because they write very rigorous examinations. But to become a SAN, there are no exams,” another SAN said.

Even the sharp increase in the number of senior advocates has not gone down well with the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN). After the release of the list of lawyers shortlisted for the rank in 2020, BOSAN wrote a letter to the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, urging him not to elevate any lawyer to the premium rank until 2024 to enable them to revamp the elevation process. 

The body criticised the 2020 elevation process for conferring the rank on an unprecedented 72 senior lawyers. It warned that unless the LPPC undertook a holistic review of the process, the rank risked losing its prestige and standing among stakeholders. It pledged its members’ commitment to providing expertise and support at every stage of the review process.

However, this alarm was ignored as the number of SANs continued to increase.

In 2021, the Supreme Court placed what were supposed to be fresh hurdles for lawyers seeking to be conferred with the rank.

Among other requirements, the applicants were to face a panel of selected serving retired Supreme Court justices and senior lawyers for an oral interview as part of the final stage of the screening process. During the oral interview, applicants will be subjected to rigorous questioning to verify the claims in their application forms.

But THISDAY gathered that the selection process is still characterised by influence-peddling, favouritism, bigotry, and bribery, among other issues. Analysts have proposed that candidates must demonstrate active, successful litigation across multiple superior courts of record, including High Courts and the Supreme Court, to prevent the elevation of lawyers who only handle  political, election petition, or single-witness cases. 

Recently, a retired justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abdu Aboki, called on the CJN and the LPPC to review the requirements for conferring the rank to reduce unnecessary pressure on the court. He confirmed that undue pressure was mounted on the Justices of the Supreme Court by lawyers seeking the title.

Also, another Justice who retired from the Supreme Court recently attributed the overcrowding of appellate court dockets to lawyers’ pursuit of SAN elevation.

Presently, every candidate who desires to be elevated to SAN is required to have at least five concluded judgments of the Court of Appeal and four concluded judgments of the Supreme Court.

Out of desperation, it is now believed that lawyers fund appeals and even revive dead ones to secure the minimum number of judgments to ground their application for elevation.

This is why many are suggesting that the LPPC should raise the qualification for SAN to 15 or 20 years post-call.

In 2022, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) proposed some far-reaching reforms to both the Supreme Court and LPPC.

According to him, the court cases to be relied upon in selecting successful applicants should span many areas of legal practice, including civil cases such as land law, chieftaincy, commercial law, election petitions, matrimonial causes, constitutional law, and criminal trials, as well as other areas of law.

“We should not have a Senior Advocate who only conducted election petitions or one who only attended to NDLEA or EFCC cases with only one witness who pleaded guilty and was summarily convicted, or those who handled only political cases. How do we have a SAN who cannot conduct a criminal trial? In the same vein, the cases should cover all the superior courts of record, such as the High Court, Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court and indeed the appellate courts,” he explained. 

Adegboruwa further said: “Why should a law teacher apply for the rank of SAN if he has never practised and has no intention ever to practise law? This does not detract from the value of law teachers, but that career path is entirely different from courtroom advocacy. Law teachers who also practise law as advocates should apply only for the rank of advocate.

“For all categories of awardees, none should be considered for the rank if he/she is not an active member of any of the sections of the NBA, has not attended at least five consecutive meetings of his local NBA and provided concrete evidence of active participation in NBA affairs,” he added.

Many lawyers and analysts hope the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, will address the selection process for Senior Advocates of Nigeria to prevent the title from losing its prestige.

The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.

European broadcasters move to end sexualised coverage of female athletes

New guidelines seek to protect women from objectifying camera angles after athletes recount online abuse, mental health impact

Europe’s leading public broadcasters have introduced new guidelines aimed at ending the use of camera angles that unnecessarily sexualise female athletes during live sporting events, marking a significant shift in how women’s sport will be televised.

The guidelines, developed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in collaboration with female athletes, urge television crews to adopt more respectful filming techniques and avoid shots that objectify competitors or expose them to online exploitation.

The move follows growing concerns from sportswomen who say intrusive camera work has fuelled sexualised social media content, harassment and lasting psychological harm.

Among those who helped shape the new standards is British Olympic bronze medallist and pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw, who said she had repeatedly found herself the target of abusive online comments and inappropriate videos created from competition footage.

“How our sport is displayed during live broadcasts can be incredibly powerful, yet sometimes harmful to the women competing and the women and girls watching,” Bradshaw said.

Drawing from her own experience, she disclosed that she had received abusive messages on social media after slow-motion replays and revealing camera angles captured her in compromising positions during competitions.

“Many athletes, myself included, have found themselves worrying more about the cameras than their performance,” she said, adding that television coverage has too often featured close-up shots and prolonged slow-motion replays that serve little sporting purpose while leaving athletes exposed to ridicule and sexualisation.

The concerns were echoed by Serbian Olympic long jumper Ivana Španović, who warned that intrusive camera positions do more than create momentary embarrassment.

She said certain filming techniques can cause significant discomfort during competitions and may have “serious long-term effects” on athletes’ mental health.

New Standards for Sports Coverage

Following consultations with athletes, the EBU has issued a series of editorial recommendations designed to promote more respectful coverage of women’s athletics.

Among the key directives is the instruction to avoid positioning cameras beneath athletes during events such as the pole vault and high jump, where low-angle shots are more likely to produce revealing images unrelated to sporting performance.

Broadcasters are also encouraged to limit unnecessary close-ups and slow-motion replays that focus on athletes’ bodies rather than the technical or competitive aspects of an event.

According to Glen Killane, Executive Director of EBU Sport, the guidance responds to longstanding concerns about how women are portrayed during sports broadcasts.

He said the sexualisation of female athletes through selective camera placement and editing decisions remains “a significant concern” across many sporting events.

“Lingering shots on bodies, low-angle cameras that capture revealing views, and excessive slow-motion replays that serve no technical or storytelling purpose are among the issues observed in the media coverage of women’s athletics competitions today,” Killane said.

A Wider Debate on Women in Sport

The guidelines reflect a growing international conversation about the portrayal of women athletes and the balance between broadcasting sport and respecting athletes’ dignity.

Advocates argue that while television plays a vital role in promoting women’s sport, production choices should never expose competitors to unnecessary humiliation, objectification or digital exploitation.

The EBU’s recommendations are expected to be applied during the European Athletics Championships, which begins on 10 August in Birmingham and will be carried by broadcasters including the BBC.

The guidance will not automatically apply to all international competitions. Events such as the Diamond League, although also televised by the BBC, are produced outside the EBU framework and are therefore not bound by the new standards.

For many athletes, however, the reforms represent more than a technical adjustment in television production.

They signal growing recognition that excellence on the track, field or runway should define women’s sport—not the camera angles through which it is viewed.

FIDA Ondo celebrates historic election of Stella-Udu Arochendo as first female NBA chair, Ondo City Branch

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigeria, Ondo State Branch, has congratulated Fidan Stella-Udu Arochendo, Esq., on her groundbreaking election as the first female Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ondo City Branch.

In its official statement, FIDA described her emergence as a landmark achievement and a powerful testament to her competence, integrity, resilience, and unwavering dedication to the legal profession. The organization emphasized that her victory reflects the confidence reposed in her leadership and stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration to women and young lawyers across Nigeria.

“As an organization committed to advancing the rights of women and promoting gender equity within and beyond the legal profession, we celebrate this achievement as a significant step towards greater inclusion in leadership,” the statement read.

FIDA Ondo expressed optimism that Arochendo’s tenure will be characterized by visionary leadership, unity, and meaningful progress for the NBA Ondo Branch. The group further noted that her election reaffirms the principle that excellence, dedication, and service remain the true hallmarks of leadership.

The organization concluded by congratulating Arochendo once again, describing her emergence not only as a personal triumph but also as a collective victory for women in law and society at large.

Her election also underscores the resilience and determination of women in attaining leadership positions within the legal profession. It will be recalled that Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, recently achieved another historic milestone by becoming the National President of the NBA in the just-concluded electronic elections.

Stella-Udu Arochendo and other newly elected executives are expected to be formally sworn in at a ceremony scheduled for August 2026.

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Pastor to be hanged for killing daughter over alleged witchcraft

A High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced 51-year-old Apostle Ubong Bassey to death by hanging for murdering his 16-year-old daughter, Deborah Bassey, a child living with Down syndrome, after accusing her of witchcraft.

Delivering judgment on Monday in suit no. HC/54C/2025: State v. Ubong Bassey Etim, Justice Blessing Egwu of High Court No. 11 found the defendant guilty of murder.

The court heard that Deborah was killed on February 15, 2025, in her father’s home after he branded her a witch.

Prosecutors told the court the killing followed a pattern of abuse linked to superstitious beliefs. The prosecution led by the Cross River State Ministry of Justice proved the charge of murder beyond reasonable doubt.

The case drew nationwide condemnation from child rights and disability rights groups, who described it as one of the most extreme examples of violence against children with disabilities in Nigeria.

The Basic Rights Counsel Initiative, BRCI, which supported the prosecution, hailed the judgment as a landmark.

Principal Counsel and Co-Founder, James Ibor, said: “Today’s judgment sends a strong message that such acts are criminal and that perpetrators will be held fully accountable under the law. It reaffirms that every child, regardless of disability, has the right to life, dignity and protection.”

Ibor noted that Deborah’s death highlights the deadly consequences of witchcraft accusations, especially against children with disabilities, who are often targeted for abuse, abandonment and killing.

“BRCI will continue its campaign against witchcraft branding and child abuse across Cross River State until this practice ends,” he added.

BRCI commended the Nigeria Police Force, Attorney General Ededem Ani, Director of Public Prosecutions Okoi Ukam, prosecuting counsel Patrick Usang and Deborah Tom, and medical witnesses Dr. David Ushie of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for their roles in securing the conviction.

The group also acknowledged Women Arise, Safe Child Africa, Project Alert and other partners for providing support to Deborah’s mother and siblings during the trial.

The conviction is the latest in a series of judgments in Cross River State involving violence linked to witchcraft accusations against children.

Advocacy groups say the ruling must be backed by stronger enforcement of the Child Rights Law and sustained public awareness to end the stigmatization and killing of vulnerable children.

Deborah’s death, they argued, should be the last of its kind.

The Conclave

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State Police Debate: My final response to Dr. Atake, By Prof. Scott-Emuakpor

My very dear brother, Dr. Mofe Atake, SAN,

I would like to sincerely acknowledge your kindness and graciousness toward me. Not only did you take my concerns seriously, but you also responded with remarkable patience and generosity, despite what I readily admit were largely uninformed and deeply personal opinions. For that, I am truly grateful.

I had privately indicated in my previous message that it would be my last contribution to this exchange. However, your eloquent and thoughtfully crafted response was simply too compelling for me to let the conversation end there. So, with your indulgence, I shall engage once more.
On the “Same Politicians” Argument

The point about the “same politicians” cuts both ways, and I am sure you can appreciate the source of my skepticism. In fact, I would venture to say that very few—if any—of the politicians currently pushing this bill through the National Assembly could articulate its rationale with the level of depth, clarity, and intellectual rigor that you have demonstrated.

You have approached the matter as a conscientious citizen, carefully considering its legal implications, weighing the competing interests involved, and arriving at a position that you have defended with admirable elegance and conviction. I wonder, however, what proportion of our legislators possess a similarly nuanced understanding of the bill they are so eager to advance. My suspicion is that the number would be disappointingly small.

Read Also: State Police: A Constitutional imperative and the question of federal intervention, By Dr Eyimofe Atake, SAN

Read Also: State Police Debate: Prof. Scott-Emuakpor responds to Atake, SAN, says strong institutions matter more than structure

Read Also: A Reply to Professor Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor on State Police, in Plain Terms

Read Also: ‘Protection Without a Protector Is No Protection’: Prof. Scott-Emuakpor replies Atake, SAN again on state police

Read Also: “Eighty Percent Is Implementation”: A reply to Professor Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor, By Eyimofe Atake, SAN

This concern lies at the heart of my unease. In my admittedly bewildered view, the individuals who make up much of Nigeria’s political class are often among the least qualified to constitute its ruling class. That reality inevitably makes me cautious whenever sweeping legislative initiatives are championed with great urgency. The merits of an idea may be sound, but confidence in its stewardship is often undermined by the quality of those entrusted with its execution.

On Your “Count How Many Must Fail” Argument
Your “Count How Many Must Fail” argument is truly fascinating. What strikes me most is the remarkable optimism that underpins it—an optimism that is both refreshing and, I must admit, almost contagious.

You appear genuinely confident that, when confronted with clear and egregious abuses of power, the various institutional safeguards within the system will function as intended: that the Governor will act responsibly; that the State Assembly will exercise independent oversight and, where necessary, challenge the executive; that the Police Council will subject matters to rigorous scrutiny; that the certifying authority will assert its independence and withdraw certification where warranted; that the Federal Government will intervene when necessary; that the National Assembly will raise its voice in defense of constitutional principles; that the courts will issue judgments that are respected and enforced; that other states will speak out in condemnation; and, ultimately, that the electorate will hold political leaders accountable at the ballot box.

It is an inspiring vision of how democratic checks and balances are meant to operate.

My difficulty, however, lies in the reality of our experience. I am far less confident that these safeguards can be relied upon to function as effectively as you envisage. In my view, each of these layers of oversight is vulnerable to compromise because the key decision-makers at every stage are drawn from the same political establishment whose judgment and integrity many citizens have reason to question. Consequently, while the framework of accountability may be impressive on paper, my concern is whether those charged with making it work possess either the independence or the resolve required to uphold it in practice.

That, in essence, is the source of my skepticism. Where you see a robust chain of institutional protections, I see a chain whose links may be far weaker than we would hope.

On “The Protector You Left Out”
Your section on “The Protector You Left Out” may well be the most amusing part of this entire exchange. The “citizens and the ballot box” as the ultimate safeguard? Forgive me, but I find that proposition difficult to accept without a measure of disbelief.

When you speak of the ballot box as a meaningful check on political excesses, I cannot help but reflect on my own experience of elections in Nigeria. The last election in which I was able to cast my vote freely and with confidence was many decades ago. In subsequent elections, the atmosphere of intimidation and insecurity often made participation feel less like a civic duty and more like an act of personal risk.

And when we speak of “the citizens,” which citizens do we have in mind? The ordinary men and women seeking accountable governance, or the armies of political loyalists and hired enforcers who frequently dominate the electoral landscape in support of one flawed candidate or another?

Likewise, when we invoke “the ballot box,” are we referring to an electoral process whose outcomes are often so fiercely contested that the final verdict is routinely transferred from polling stations to courtrooms?

My dear brother, I continue to admire your unwavering faith in the corrective powers of our democratic institutions. It reflects a level of optimism that is both admirable and enviable. Yet my own assessment, shaped by years of observing our political environment, leads me to a far more cautious conclusion. While you see the citizen and the ballot box as the ultimate guardians of accountability, I remain unconvinced that they currently function with the effectiveness necessary to inspire such confidence.

Nevertheless, I must confess that your enduring belief in the possibilities of our political system is one of the most engaging aspects of this conversation. Even where I disagree, I cannot help but admire the hopefulness that informs your position.

The “Thirty-Six Experiments” Argument Presupposes Competent Governance
I acknowledge that the strongest aspect of your argument is its appeal to federalism. Decentralization, in theory, allows individual states to function as policy laboratories: successful states become models for others, while failures remain geographically contained.

The difficulty with this argument is that it assumes the existence of a sufficient number of competent, accountable, and well-governed states capable of producing these success stories. What evidence suggests that the political class at the state level is materially more competent or trustworthy than the political class at the federal level?

If the same political culture, patronage networks, electoral weaknesses, and governance deficiencies permeate every level of government, then multiplying centers of authority may simply multiply opportunities for abuse rather than innovation, as I argued previously.

The distinction between one national failure and thirty-six state-level failures is meaningful only if state governments are demonstrably more accountable and effective than the federal government. I remain unconvinced that they are. By the same reasoning, one could argue that every local government should maintain its own police force, an extension of decentralization that few would seriously advocate.

The “Failure Is Local” Argument Underestimates the Consequences
Your argument further suggests that abuse by a state police force would be geographically limited and therefore more manageable. But manageable for whom?

For citizens living in a state where the police have become instruments of political intimidation or oppression, the fact that the abuse is “local” offers little consolation. A localized tyranny remains tyranny for those who must endure it. The scale of abuse may be smaller than that of a nationwide police force, but the violation of fundamental rights is no less severe for the individual affected.
The question, therefore, is not simply whether abuses are geographically contained, but whether citizens have meaningful protection against them. Localization alone does not provide that assurance.

The Argument Relies More on Federalist Theory Than on Nigerian Experience
The proposition that states will learn from one another and emulate successful policies is attractive in theory. The more relevant question is whether Nigeria’s political history supports that expectation.
For decades, state governments have exercised substantial constitutional authority over education, healthcare, local government administration, and economic development. Yet differences in performance have seldom produced widespread adoption of successful policies by other states. Good governance has too often remained isolated rather than replicated.

What reason is there to believe that political actors who have generally failed to emulate successful state models in these sectors will suddenly become eager to adopt best practices in policing?

Structures Cannot Substitute for the Quality of Those Who Govern
You also argue that if I distrust politicians and institutions, then my preferred reforms are equally vulnerable because they must ultimately be implemented by the same political actors. That observation is fair.

The difference between our positions, however, lies in where we place our emphasis. Your argument focuses primarily on institutional design—structures, safeguards, standards, oversight mechanisms, and accountability frameworks. My concern is more fundamental. Institutions are only as effective as the people entrusted with operating them.

Without a political culture that rewards integrity, competence, and respect for the rule of law, even the most carefully designed institutions can be manipulated or rendered ineffective. Consequently, I regard the quality and character of those exercising authority as the decisive variable. Structural reforms are necessary, but they cannot compensate for the persistent absence of ethical and competent leadership.

My dear brother, I often find myself wondering why someone of your intellect, thoughtfulness, and seriousness of purpose is not serving as a Senator, a Member of the House, or even a Governor. Yet perhaps the answer lies in the very qualities that make you so compelling. I sometimes question whether our political establishment readily accommodates individuals who approach public affairs with the depth of reflection, independence of mind, and intellectual rigor that you consistently demonstrate.
Why do we not see more people of your caliber aspiring to leadership? Why are our political spaces not attracting and elevating more individuals who are guided by principle, informed analysis, and a genuine commitment to the public good?

You possess credentials, experience, and a capacity for thoughtful engagement that would enrich public discourse. Yet one cannot help but wonder how often such voices are actively sought out when important decisions are being made. Perhaps they are; I certainly hope so. But the evidence is not always reassuring.

For what it is worth, if you ever decide to seek elective office, you can count me among your earliest supporters. I would gladly volunteer my time and effort to help advance the candidacy of someone whose judgment, integrity, and intellect I hold in such high regard.

Ajovi

Professor Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor writes from Michigan State University.

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