Eldawand

happy guy,chelsea till eternity💙Blue blooded CFC fan || Software QA

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

Today, I celebrate a man I had the privilege of working with most closely for the better part of a decade: the 2026 Africa CEO of the Year, Chairman of @BUAgroup & Founder, @ASRAfrica, Abdul Samad Rabiu, CON, CFR.

When I joined BUA Group in 2015 as Director of Corporate Communications after years in international development and banking, I was stepping into the unfamiliar territory of manufacturing with overall responsibility for brand management, corporate & strategic communications, CSR, marketing, executive profiling, and public relations across one of Nigeria's largest conglomerates and all its subsidiaries.

Chairman Rabiu did something every young executive hopes for but few experience. He gave me access, room to think, room to build, room to make decisions and be accountable for them, room to grow, fly, and achieve.

Demanding when excellence was required, patient when lessons had to be learnt, and unwavering in his belief that people perform best when they are trusted, he combined empathy with discipline in a way that shaped not only my career but also my understanding of leadership.

Like my current principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Chairman always led from the front. Vision was never in short supply. Neither was courage or capacity to execute. Every conversation became a lesson. Every assignment felt like one executive MBA class after another. Every challenge came with the confidence that you could solve it. And solve many, we did!

To me, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu is my Chairman, a father figure, and a mentor. His influence on my life and career extends far beyond the confines of the workplace, and I will always be grateful for his confidence, guidance, and unwavering support.

Thank you for the confidence you placed in me, for the opportunities, the guidance, the countless strategy sessions and lessons regardless of where we were across the world, and for genuinely caring about the people fortunate enough to work with you.

Happy Birthday, ASR. I wish you many more years of good health, wisdom, fulfilment, and continued impact in Nigeria, Africa, and beyond.

O'tega 'The Tiger' OGRA

[Eldawand @EldaWand]

@ChelseababeCfc https://t.co/0fid1azzaV 💙💙

[Taiwo Oyedele @taiwoyedele]

History is not made by those who wait for perfect conditions. It is made by those who seize imperfect moments with courage and conviction.

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

@OneJoblessBoy The President said the truth to them. The economy has been saved from bankruptcy. Argue with yourself. Here are a few clips from President Tinubu’s chat with the bishops

Decide for yourself.

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

Nigeria’s gas wealth must improve the lives of Nigerians.

The Federal Government has launched the LPG Cylinder Distribution Programme in Bayelsa, with 27,000 households set to benefit from cleaner, safer cooking energy through LPG gas cylinder kits equipped with cookers.

Less firewood. Less harmful smoke. Better lives.

Renewed Hope, delivered to the people.

Nigerians asked, PBAT is Delivering. @officialABAT

[Oyindamola🙄 @dammiedammie35]

Omoh, see Garri PR 😭💔

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

Honoured.

Yesterday, I was elected President of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) for the 2026–2028 term, four years after joining the Executive Council and two years after serving as a Vice President.

Humbled. Ready to Serve.

Just three months ago, I was elected to the Executive Committee of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), the global voice of advertisers, representing more than 150 of the world’s leading brands and over 60 national advertiser associations across six continents. Together, WFA members account for almost 90% of global marketing communications spend, representing close to US$900 billion annually.

To receive these two mandates from my peers within such a short period is one of the greatest honours of my professional life.

For over two decades, my career has spanned international development, banking, corporate communications, marketing & brand strategy, manufacturing, public affairs and public service. It has afforded me the privilege of working alongside some of Nigeria’s most respected business leaders and, today, serving our country under the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

One lesson that has remained constant throughout that journey is that, the strongest economies are built when business and government see each other as partners in progress. That conviction will define my presidency.

ADVAN is more than an association. It is the collective voice of the advertisers, brands and businesses whose investments drive innovation, creativity, consumer confidence and economic growth across Nigeria.

Our industry, however, stands at an important moment. Regulatory uncertainty has strained relationships that should be collaborative. Litigation, however well-intentioned, has too often replaced dialogue. Energy that should be invested in building brands, protecting consumers, developing talent and growing our industry’s contribution to the economy has, at times, been diverted elsewhere.

We intend to change that.

One of my immediate priorities is to rebuild confidence through constructive engagement with regulators, government and every stakeholder in our ecosystem, while firmly advancing and protecting the legitimate interests of our members within the framework of the Constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Dialogue, mutual respect and regulatory certainty are not concessions; they are the foundations of investment, innovation and sustainable growth.

We will also strengthen the future of our profession by investing in capacity development, accelerating the establishment of the Institute of Marketing and Brand Leadership through the ADVAN Business School, deepening collaboration across the industry, expanding research and thought leadership, and ensuring Nigerian advertisers continue to shape global conversations on marketing.

I am grateful to every ADVAN member for this confidence; to our Board of Trustees, past presidents, outgoing Executive Council and Secretariat for their stewardship; and to my colleagues, mentors, friends and family whose support has brought me here.

The campaign is over. The mandate has been given. Now comes the responsibility of delivering on it

Less conflict. More collaboration. Better regulation. Stronger brands. Greater Nigeria.

O’tega “The Tiger” Ogra

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

Impressed with the scale of the Imo Digital City set up by Governor @Hope_Uzodimma1 in Owerri, Imo state

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

There’s something for everyone in every stratum of society.

Don’t despise small beginnings. Don't despite those who build and continue to support their families and communities with dignity from such micro and small scale businesses.

Akara and moi moi have their place. So do skilled jobs, technical careers, entrepreneurship and professional opportunities.

A country of over 200 million people cannot be built on one rung of the ladder.

Good morning

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

5000 jobs for youth.
Don't be left out.

[Dr Dípò Awójídé @OgbeniDipo]

For years, fuel scarcity was part of everyday life in Nigeria. Long queues, wasted hours, and the stress of not knowing when petrol would be available. Pipeline vandalism, subsidy fraud, and supply bottlenecks made life harder for ordinary Nigerians.

Today, Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT), with subsidy reforms and clearer pricing, those endless queues have disappeared and supply has stabilised. It hasn’t been easy, but it broke a cycle that held the country back.

Now that the Iran–US tensions have eased, Nigerians expect our marketers to put the country first and reflect the new reality in pump prices. Nigerians deserve fairness and real relief. That’s how we can build a stronger, more united, and prosperous Nigeria 🇳🇬💙✌����.

[Ayekooto @DeeOneAyekooto]

“First Lady Tinubu wasn’t referring to those who are already established and comfortable or on average comfort, she is referring to those who lack totally and possibly begging to feed. She says if she can give you N50k-N70k to start doing petty trade, that may save you from the agony of lack and street begging which is very true but look at the way hypocrites are turning her good gesture…”

This is the true definition of EDUCATION. As always seen in the summary section of WAEC Exam in those days “what is the central idea of this passage?”

See how a so called “illiterate” is lecturing educated illiterates whose knowledge has drowned in the ocean of social media trend!

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

VIDEO: what you need to know about the state police bill

@NGRPresident @NGRSenate

#StatePoliceBill #10thSenate #NigeriaAtWork #SenatePlenary

[A. Ayofe @abdullahayofel]

VIDEO: Nigerians lament of hunger crisis in 1994 keh 👇😳

But Obidiot say Tinubu brought hunger to Nigeria 😎

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

Historic.

The Nigerian Senate has just passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) State Police Bill, 2026.

All 26 clauses adopted.

- more than Two Decades after pushing for Police decentralisation as Govenor of Lagos State

- Five Years, Seven Months since @officialABAT made a strong case for the establishment of State Police at the Ajibola Ajimobi Roundtable in Ibadan saying, “The time for state police has come… in fact, it is overdue”

- Four Month after President Tinubu told Governors during Iftar Dinner: “What I promised Nigerians will not be postponed… we will establish State police to curb insecurity”

[Polymarket FC @PolymarketFC]

🚨 WORLD CUP 2026! 🇲🇽🇺🇸🇨🇦

Unforgettable moment for Norway today as they qualified for the Round of 32 in VIKING style. 🇳🇴🚣

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

The irony is difficult to miss.

Keir Starmer’s resignation after an internal revolt and loss of confidence from his own party reflects the same political reality Peter Obi has repeatedly faced within his own political circles that has seen him pushed out of various political platforms. Yet somehow, @peterobi still found a way to make the conversation about President Tinubu.

Remember the African proverb about pointing at others?

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

I woke up thinking about the WAEC conversation that dominated X and other platforms all weekend.

For me, this is not abstract politics. It is personal history.

While some people, like a former governor of Anambra turned presidential candidate, built reputations around inflated WAEC examination outcomes and a culture where “special centres” and malpractice became part of the national education conversation that it took a serious threat by WAEC before they were closed under a new administration in Anambra, many of us were direct beneficiaries of a different model: investment in real schools, better classrooms, stronger public education, and the payment of SSCE fees by the then Governor of Lagos State, now President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

I, O’tega Ogra, and many others across the private and public sectors, including leaders now serving in politics and governance (including two strong women currently the APC Deputy Governorship candidate of Lagos State and APC Surulere I LSHA Candidate), came through a Lagos education system that did not simply chase headlines. It expanded access. It reduced the burden on parents. It built actual education infrastructure as legacy. It gave ordinary students a fairer chance. Lagos’ payment of WAEC fees under Governor Tinubu was publicly reported as far back as 2004, when ₦214 million (about 10% of its average monthly IGR by that year) was released for students’ examination fees. (NOTE: As Governor, he started paying these fees in 2000 for all students regardless of state of origin or tribe)

That is the difference between gaming outcomes and building systems that outlive you.

Examination malpractice weakens a country. It produces certificates without competence, rankings without reality, and applause without substance. WAEC itself continues to treat malpractice as a serious threat to the credibility of education, with recent sanctions and withheld results showing how deep the problem remains nationally.

I know why I am a firm supporter, believer, and follower of our President and my leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT

His historical antecedents, his clarity of vision, and his consistent belief in expanding opportunity are not new. They did not start in Abuja. They were tested in Lagos. Many of us are living proof.

President Tinubu’s politics has always been about opening doors: for the poor child whose parents could not afford exam fees, for the young person who needed a functioning public school, for the talented Nigerian who only needed government to remove one barrier.

That is why, when we speak of Renewed Hope, some of us are not speaking from slogans. We are speaking from memory. We have seen the model before. We benefited from it. We know what it can do when scaled nationally. And we are seeing the building blocks of sustainable progress being laid for the entire country now by President Tinubu himself.

The debate should not be about who can manufacture the best statistics. It should be about who has the record, courage, and vision to build systems that give every Nigerian child a real chance for the long term prosperity of our dear nation.

For me, that answer has always been clear. It is the Jagaban himself. Asiwaju of Nigeria. Barkindo. Dike Si Mba Anambra and the Omeziri Igbo 1, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

#TheTigerWillTellYouSomething
O'tega

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

@siroshiobriggs @hindigoh Whilst you are here on Twitter complaining. Many like the young men in this video in Kaduna are actively using CNG for their business

#SwitchToCNG

[O'tega Ogra @otegaogra]

S&P’s Upgrade: Nigeria’s Reform Story Is Being Priced Differently

~ O’tega Ogra

Nigeria’s latest upgrade by S&P Global Ratings from B minus to B, with a stable outlook, is an important vote of confidence in the difficult but necessary reforms being implemented under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

It confirms what we have consistently said. Nigeria is turning the corner, not by chance, not by rhetoric, but by the courage to take decisions that should have been taken years ago.

This is not just about a rating. It is about credibility returning to the Nigerian economy.

S&P points to stronger oil production, increased domestic refining capacity, improved balance of payments, rising foreign exchange reserves, exchange rate liberalisation, stronger fiscal revenue, and the government’s continued commitment to reform. These are the foundations of a more stable economy.

For years, Nigeria paid heavily for postponed decisions. Subsidies drained revenue and foreign exchange. Multiple exchange rates rewarded arbitrage instead of productivity. Oil earnings were weakened by theft, leakages, and poor remittance discipline. The tax base remained too narrow for a country of our size and ambition.

President Tinubu chose a different path. He chose correction over comfort. He chose reform over illusion. He chose the harder road because serious nations are not built on temporary relief that mortgages the future.

That is what this upgrade recognises.

But this is not the moment for empty triumphalism. Many Nigerians still feel the pressure of food prices, transport costs, and the cost of living. Mr President is aware and doing the hard work to close that gap.

The point is that the foundation is being repaired.

And foundations matter because no household can enjoy lasting relief from an economy built on weak revenue, scarce foreign exchange, artificial pricing, expensive borrowing, and fiscal pretence.

For the regular Nigerian, the upgrade does not mean prices fall tomorrow morning. It means the country is becoming less risky, more investable, and better positioned to attract capital, support jobs, finance infrastructure, reduce pressure on debt service, and create the conditions for real recovery.

The real test now is transmission.

The gains must move from the report to the road, from reserves to relief, from investor confidence to factory floors, from improved revenue to better public services, from macro stability to household dignity. And they will. We have a President that has the capacity and the depth to ensure this happens in the quickest possible time while guaranteeing our country’s long term sustainability and shared prosperity.

At the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, President Tinubu made the wider point clearly. Africa must put its own house in order, but the world must also stop pricing the continent through old suspicion when African countries reform, stabilise, produce, and take hard decisions.

So yes, Nigeria welcomes S&P’s upgrade.

It is useful.

It is positive.

It strengthens confidence.

But it also reminds us that Africa must build its own instruments of confidence. We must earn global respect while developing credible African institutions that understand our markets, our resilience, our informality, our demographics, and the full texture of our reform journey.

That is the balance.

We welcome external validation.

We however will never outsource national conviction.

Nigeria has not fully arrived yet, but Nigeria has turned the corner for good.

And once a serious nation turns, the duty is to keep moving with discipline, courage, compassion, and the quiet confidence of a country that knows its future will not be handed to it.

It will be built.