Tinubu Lost, As 10 Other Nigerians Win Big In 2016

Nigeria. 2016 in its significance had grave losers in many spheres of the nation, and also some victors. Some of the Victors that recorded great successes include:

1. Muhammadu Buhari:Accolades have poured in for President Mohammadu Buhari for conquering Boko Haram and waging sustained fight against corruption. His successes with the anti-corruption drive of his government. Huge amounts of looted money have been recovered and measures have been put in place to check corruption, especially in public offices. Though, the president has been accused of pursuing an anti-corruption drive that is skewed against the opposition, no one has really accused the administration of prosecuting an innocent person. On security, too, Buhari is praised for the recent clearance of the Boko Haram terrorist group from their last stronghold in Sambisa forest.

2. Rotimi Akeredolu: On November 27, 2016, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) was declared winner of the Ondo State governorship election. That was his second shot at the topmost political office in the state. In 2011, Akeredolu had vied for the same office on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). In that election, he came third losing to Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the Labour Party candidate, who won the election and Peoples Democratic Party’s Olusola Oke, who came second.

His victory in last November election came against all odds. He had won the ticket of his party, All Progressive Party, in a keenly contested, though controversial primary, defeating other contestants including, Oke, one of his major opponents in 2011 race, and Olusegun Abraham supported by APC National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
His emergence as governor-elect after defeating PDP’s Eyitayo Jegede backed by Governor Mimiko, and Oke, believed to have the strong backing of Tinubu qualifies him as one of the winners in 2016.

3. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode: Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos Sate is a happy governor, and the reason is not far-fetched – History was made earlier in 2016 when production of crude oil, which was discovered in Lagos in Aje field located in the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 113, began. This has effectively placed Lagos in the league of oil-producing states in Nigeria.

The feat was recorded after 25 years by Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Company Limited (YFP), a wholly-owned indigenous firm and operator of the OML 113 offshore Lagos. Other partners are New Age Exploration Nigeria Limited, EER (Colobus) Nigeria Limited, Pan Petroleum (Panoro Energy) Aje Limited and PR Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited.
Aje is an offshore field located in OML 113 in the western part of Nigeria in the Dahomey Basin. The field is situated in water depths ranging from 100 to 1,000 metres about 24 km from the coast. The Aje field contains hydrocarbon resources in sandstone reservoirs in three main levels – a Turonian gas condensate reservoir, a Cenomanian oil reservoir and an Albian gas condensate reservoir.

4. Dream Team VI and Falcons: For winning laurels for the country: The past year was one with ups and downs for Nigerian football. While the senior national team, the Super Eagles, failed to qualify for the 2017African Cup of Nations, their female counterparts and the U23 team that represented the country at the Olympics put smiles on the faces of Nigerians. This was despite many challenges at administrative levels. At the Rio Olympics in Brazil, the Nigerian football team christened Dream Team VI won a bronze medal. Finishing third behind hosts Brazil and football powerhouse Germany is a commendable feat under any circumstance. However, the fact that there were institutional stumbling blocks like owed allowances and bonuses makes the medal – the only one won by Team Nigeria at the Olympics – a laudable feat.

It was a similar story with the Falcons, who confirmed their dominance on the African continent with an eight win out of ten. However the Falcons had to follow up winning on the pitch to also coming out on top off it, after they had to stage a sit-in and a protest in Abuja before getting any reward out of the sports ministry and Federal Government.

5. Ayo Balogun ‘Wizkid’: For his Grammy nomination and rising profile in global music
2016 was definitely a good year for the Starboy. Not only did he glitter in major international collaborations like in Canadian singer, Drake’s global hit ‘One Dance’, British-Nigerian rapper, Tinie Tempah’s ‘Mamacita’, and Roc Nation’s Justine Skye’s ‘U Don’t Know’, he also scooped many awards. He won the award for ‘Artiste of the Year’, Best Male Artiste and Best Collaboration at the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards; Best Worldwide Act at the 2016 MTV EMAs; Artiste of the Year at the 2016 Headies; African Artiste of the Year and Best Male Artiste at the 2016 Soundcity MVP Awards; Artiste of the Year at All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), among others. His collaboration hit with Drake ‘One Dance’ also got a Grammy nomination.

6. Tiwa Savage: Despite the ugly marital incident with former husband Tunji Balogun (Tee Billz) that nearly marred her image and career, the Mavin Crew singer still made waves in the music industry. She signed a management and publishing deal with Jay Z’s record label, Roc Nation in June 2016. Her single ‘If I start to talk’ which featured label mate Dr. Sid was one of the top songs of 2016. Although she was spotted recently with her husband at the engagement party of former MTV Base VJ, Stephanie Coker, there are still doubts of reconciliation between the couple.

7. Dotun Olakunrin and Bolanle Austen Peters: For their successful movie on the Ebola plague
For years, the Founder, Terra Kulture, Bolanle Austen Peters has been a giver to the art community in Nigeria. But in 2016, she won admiration and recognition in equal measures as her production company made a debut in West London with the critically acclaimed “Wakaa the Musical’’. While the heat of the drama is on, Dotun Olakunrin and Bolanle Austen Peters’ first feature film, “93 Days’’ became one of the most sought-after Nigerian films at the cinemas for its subject matter on Ebola Viral Disease, which is a global health concern.

8. Bukola Saraki: Senate President Bukola Saraki started the year fighting the political battle of his life. Despite prosecution and persecution at the beginning of the year, he is standing tall at the end of the year. Saraki was charged with irregularities regarding his assets declaration while he served as governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011. The trial has faced many controversies, including allegations that Saraki is being persecuted for emerging senate president against the wish of the leadership of his party, APC.

The federal government had last October 6 stopped a second case against Saraki. The government withdrew the charges of criminal conspiracy bordering on the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Orders, 2015, to facilitate their elections as principal officers, filed against Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu at the Abuja High Court. There are views that the assets declaration case may be dropped just like the forgery case following the rapprochement between the presidency and the Senate.

9. Tukur Buratai: The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, is in the forefront fighting the war against Boko Haram and he is winning. He is also ensuring that the violent agitations by militants in the Niger Delta and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are put under control.
With the crushing of Boko Haram, the takeover of the Sambisa Forest by the soldiers led by Buratai as chief of army staff, the years of wanton destruction of lives and properties in the North east is coming to an end.

10. Atiku Abubakar Bagudu:Kebbi State Governor, Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu, has set the pace in how to diversify the economy by embracing agriculture with particular focus on rice production.
The 55-year-old economist who was elected Senator for the Kebbi Central constituency of Kebbi State, Nigeria in a by-election after Senator Adamu Aliero was appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in December 2008, became the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Nigeria’s 2015 general elections, won the election and assumed power on May 29, 2015.

His focus on rice production gave birth to the strategic partnership between Lagos and Kebbi in Rice production. The output of the strategic partnership, christened ‘Lake Rice’, has led to a huge reduction in the price of rice and drew widespread commendation from Nigerians, including President Muhammadu Buhari.

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