“And how many bad days felt like they were never going to pass, as if it was the end of life…. But they did fade away and here you’re standing strong”
Respects to you. 🫂 ✊
@OgbeniAyoola From my experience here in Lagos some mosque did that to stop some sect that purposely refused to pray behind imam due to his belief
examples some suni brothers will deliberately wait for a sufi imam to finish for them to have their Salah in jama and for some other reasons too
Absolutely spot on. There is no reason your passport should be held hostage in any embassy. The application process can be done without the passport and the decision communicated to the applicant who can then submit the passport at a time of their convenience to affix the visa.
English is full of Arabic words from the Islamic Golden Age, yet this influence is hidden
“Experts” trace these words to other sources to downplay our achievements
Malcolm X said:if you believe you’ve never achieved anything you’ll never achieve anything
I’ve seen a number of takes flying around, especially from some big accounts, suggesting that I intentionally created a situation just to drag someone or farm engagement.
Let me say this clearly, that was never the intention.
When Victor Osimhen replied to me, I understood what that moment could become. I’ve been on X for over 5 years, and like many people on this platform, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like that, one that could finally help grow my page.
So yes, I had a plan.
To bring the giveaway to my timeline, ask people who were interested to follow, like, and comment, and then pick winners from there. Nothing unusual. In fact, it’s the same strategy many of the big accounts use every day.
When I was contacted, I explained clearly one phone that this opportunity meant something to me, that I wanted to use it to grow my account and engage my audience. But instead of understanding that, I was met with resistance.
At that point, I had two options, step aside or stand my ground.
I chose to stand my ground.
Since yesterday, I’ve also seen some of these same big accounts resort to calling me names and throwing insults. Interestingly, the moment I return that same energy, I get blocked. That says a lot.
What followed was simply me standing my ground when I felt that opportunity was being taken away from me. If people supported me, it was not because I manipulated them, but because they saw a situation and chose what to stand for.
Now, to those implying I did this for clout or monetization, let’s not pretend.
The same way I wanted to grow my page is the same way many big accounts have built theirs. Visibility. Engagement. Influence. These things don’t happen by accident, they are pursued.
The only difference is that some people are more comfortable admitting it than others.
I did not manufacture this opportunity, but I refused to let it slip away.
And I stand by that.
Thank you.
SAMBO
A 33-year-old Oluwole Olumuyiwa at his Architectural Firm in Lagos, c. 1962.
Trained at the University of Manchester between 1949 and 1954, where he graduated with First Class honours in Architecture and City Planning, Olumuyiwa refined his craft across Europe. He gained valuable experience with firms such as Architects’ Co-Partnership in London, worked on modernist projects in Rotterdam with Van den Broek and Bakema, and contributed to new town developments in Emmen, Stevenage, and parts of Switzerland, including specialised training in hospital design.
In 1958, he made history as the first Nigerian-trained architect to return home and establish a private practice. By 1960, he had founded Oluwole Olumuyiwa and Associates in Lagos, laying the foundation for indigenous architectural enterprise in post-colonial Nigeria.
A pioneer in both practice and policy, Olumuyiwa became the first President of the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, helping to formalise and regulate the profession. He also co-directed Africa’s first architectural review, The West African Builder and Architect, and represented Nigeria at international conferences, including the Commonwealth Association of Architects in 1964, where he later rose to leadership.
His work lives on through the skyline of Lagos and beyond.
From Eko Hotels and Suites to Crusader House on Martins Street, the Management House on Idowu Taylor Street, UAC Housing Developments, and several educational and civic buildings, Olumuyiwa helped shape the physical identity of post-colonial Lagos. #HistoryVille
Credit: ASIRI Magazine
Sigh!
I have been taking break from my phone for some days now and trust me I can’t take for granted how people, including those who don’t give a damn about me, have stood up to speak up on the frivolous allegation by some irrelevant political elements who have conferred on themselves a non-existent importance in the grand scheme of things.
Beyond the social media noise, banters and dragging, what matters the most for some people are the verifiable real impacts we make in the lives of the people, our country and humanity at large. So not even any online timid show of ingratitude and siding with my accusers will matter in the long run.
Pride/arrogance aside, I am good at everything I do, and my selflessness and help towards people are not for public validation adulation, praises or self-aggrandisement. So, not even an unfortunate incident with one person could change that. We cannot stop helping people because some people we helped in the past did not appreciate it enough.
Across different states of Nigeria, my team in less than 3years has freed and still freeing people either unlawfully incarcerated in prisons or facing legitimate criminal charges, including filing of appeals. All of these without collecting a dime from anyone involved or their families. Even when offered, I turned some of them down because when I set out to achieve things like this, there’s zero expectation of financial rewards, applauds or public validations. Instead, I commit millions of my money, donations and safety; and all of these are verifiable both in prints and people who must have seen us in action.
For the records and contrary to what was portrayed, I have never for once solicited public donations to free anyone from prison. Even when my team got an approval from the Comptroller General of Nigerian Correctional Service sometimes in 2024 or 2025 to visit the Ikoyi Correction Centre to approach inmates who cannot afford legal services to handle their matters pro bono, we got approval to take up only three cases but upon our arrival we realized that over 200 people required our services and we could only take up about 50. These ones are different from the ones we applied to court for assignment. For many, they have been freed, while some are still standing trial for one offence or the other. This is in Lagos alone! I can’t even count that of Ibadan, Ilorin and other places that we have also visited their prisons to take up these cases pro bono. To the glory of God, in the last 2years, not a single of these people has been convicted and sentenced. But for professional and confidentiality rules, I would have loved to publish all of them for verification, for those who might want to fact check it.
The only time people had to contribute or donate funds was when I made a post lamenting about the situation in one of the prisons we visited and another popular account quoted the post and asked people to donate money for these inmates who are either in prison because they could not pay fine, debt or afford legal services. When I could not take over all these cases alone, some lawyers here volunteered, we also called for more volunteers and a WhatsApp group was created which also included Sir Dickson, who originally quoted the post to solicit for supports. At a point, I was sharing public updates on some of these cases, including publicly appreciating the volunteers who went to court for the cases and for each appearance, the sum of 10,000 was paid to them just to cover for their transportation. Till now, some are still in court while many cases have been settled. I made sure that one of my staff provided updates on the reports, both the cases and we made sure we complied all these things for the sake of the future. So that when agenda like this comes up, the documents and other records can be made public.
In fact, it was the donations above that birthed the idea of me taking over Jonathan’s case and when it became public, the original idea…