Dementia humiliates and robs sufferers of joy and dignity. 

Dementia kills slowly and silently and relentlessly; and because my mother was semi-comatose for ages and completely lost her mind, her mobility and the power of speech nearly a decade before she actually passed away on July 22,  2023, I describe her gradual departure from her family and this mortal sphere as a Long Goodbye.

Anne Chizomam Ukachukwu Kogbara was an unusual woman of substance. She was passionate, highly intelligent and ahead of her time in many ways. I am grateful to God for allowing me to inherit some of her strengths. And I pray that she has joyfully reunited with my late father (who also died after a protracted illness) in Heaven and that they are both experiencing perfect peace in the Bosom of the Almighty after the pain they went through on earth.

Thank you, Mr President!

Regular readers of this column will know that I was not happy at all when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu took over from Buhari last year…and that I even went on TV to express my disappointment.

In a nutshell, I had been a diehard Obedient during the election campaign and made no secret of the fact that I fervently wished that victory had been bestowed on Peter Obi.

Furthermore, I have joined millions of Nigerians in complaining about the ordeals and injustices we have had to endure since President Tinubu was sworn in. And I’m still bitterly bellyaching about annoying dysfunctions like the rampant inflation, the insane foreign exchange rates and the ruling elite’s selfish refusal to cut back on expensive gravy train luxuries at a time when hunger is stalking the land.

However, every cloud has a silver lining and almost everyone (including Naija politicos!) has a good side, so let me seize this opportunity to loudly thank Mr President for two great things he has done this week.

Firstly, he has kindly and wisely reversed an appointment that I and most of my fellow Ogonis regarded as insulting and were ready to fight.

The drama started last week when Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), issued the following statement:

“President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Olufemi Adekanmbi as the new Project Coordinator for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP.

Dr. Adekanmbi is a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism in Ondo State, and a member of the Nigerian Environmental Society, NES.

He holds a Doctorate degree in Environmental Management.

The President anticipates the exercise of competence, dedication, and professionalism in fulfilling the mission of the HYPREP to restore and revitalize communities impacted by hydrocarbon pollution, with a primary focus on Ogoniland in Nigeria.”

To those who are not familiar with the politics surrounding HYPREP, this announcement would have come across as just another routine government diktat and nothing to write home about or give a second thought.

But to those in the know, it was a massive bombshell!

Long story short, HYPREP ALREADY had a very competent chief executive – an award-winning Professor called Nenibarini Zabbey – who is an environmental expert and dedicated to professionalism.

Crucially, Zabbey also happens to be an Ogoni and was therefore well-equipped to handle multiple sensitive stakeholder management issues linked to a project situated in Ogoniland.

Dr Adekanmbi may possess relevant academic qualifications; and for all I know, he is a jolly decent fellow. But the idea that a Yoruba should replace a son of the soil was totally outrageous within this context, given the ethnocentric realities we face in this country!

And since Zabbey had done nothing wrong and was making solid progress with his assignment, I and many others wondered why was he being removed just over a year after he started a job that has a four-year tenure.

So I contacted the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, to grumble. And he told me to calm down and wait and do/say/write nothing inflammatory until he had had a chance to talk to his Boss.

And he hasn’t told me exactly what happened next, but guess what?

Within a few hours, Wike had visited the Presidential Villa and Zabbey had been reinstated. And guess what?

Wike is often accused of being brash and bombastic; but he has not once boasted to me about the critical role he played.

By the way, I wasn’t alone! Other Ogonis like Kenneth Kobani and Victor Giadom also lobbied Wike on Zabbey’s behalf; and we and our kith and kin want to thank our former Governor from the bottom of my heart for being, on this occasion, an excellent leader and big brother to the millions of angry and anxious Ogonis who thought they were about to be shafted by a Yoruba presidency.

So kudos to President Tinubu for making a detribalised decision and treating Ogonis with respect.

I also want to thank Mr President for appointing  Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, with effect from August 14, 2024.

Mrs. Walson-Jack was appointed as Federal Permanent Secretary in 2017 and has served in several Ministries.

I know her and can confirm that she is a quality female who deserves this elevation. And I’m particularly thrilled because she is from Bayelsa. There aren’t many Niger Deltans shining in government at the moment, so this is a very welcome development.

President Tinubu has urged Mrs Walson Jack to discharge her duties with “innovative flair, integrity, and stringent adherence to the extant rules and regulations of the Civil Service”

I am sure she will make her many fans proud.

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DONU’S WORLD

I have a new YouTube channel. It’s called DONU’S WORLD.

https://youtube.com/@donukogbara?si=bBm_IPdFZ_wUyKYq

Check it out every Friday to watch me talking about my life and issues that interest me. And please “like”, subscribe and share!

Today, I talk about being a divorced older woman and ask whether it makes sense to actively seek love and remarriage late in life.

RESPONSES TO  [email protected]  or to 0805 404 6887. (TEXT ONLY). PLEASE NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR EMAIL OR TEXT MAY BE PUBLISHED WITH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS ATTACHED.

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