Interviews

Professor Dennis Ityavyar is a University don. He served the Benue State Government as Commissioner for eight years and aspired to serve the state as Governor but was not given the ticket. In this interview with a select group of journalists in his Makurdi residence , Professor Ityavyar rated Governor Hyacinth Alia low in performance as Governor, describing him as a monumental disaster. To him, Alia has no capacity to rule Benue State . He also spoke on his desire to run for governorship again, among other things. SAM TYAV was there for People&Politics. Excerpts: Q: For the purpose of…

The Perfect Living Master, Sat Guru Maharaj Ji, speaks on the June 12, 1993 election, general politics and his relationship with former Military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, in an encounter with journalists in Ibadan. STEPHEN GBADAMOSI presents excerpts: Rumors say you had a close relationship with Ibrahim Babangida while he was Military President of Nigeria. How true? Well, IBB was as close to me as any person who needed or needs my divine backing. Are you saying you backed IBB to do all he did to Nigeria? What did IBB do to Nigeria? He militarised the entire country, murdered many,…

Ogun State governorship candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general elections, Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, speaks on why he is shifting his political leaning to Oyo State, among other topical national issues. STEPHEN GBADAMOSI presents excerpts. Why are you in Ibadan to visit Alhaji Rasheed Olopoeeyan? Oguntoyinbo : I came to Ibadan because my father, family leader and political leader had invited me severally to come here to avail myself of the people. He asked me to come and do politics in the land of my father.Since the last election, he’d been calling me. He repeated…

Robust politician, successful journalist, former Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to a former all-action Governor of Oyo State, former Chairman of Oluyole Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo State, Global Public Relations guru, Kehinde Olaosebikan, is known to say things as they are: in a frank,sincere, no-axe-to-grind manner. In this interview with People&Politics' Stephen Gbadamosi, Olaosebikan fielded questions on several burning issues of national value, including President Bola Tinubu's often thumbed down performance so far, the raging insecurity in the land, the seeming political tsunami of Govs, senators, others (even opposition ones) thumbing up Tinubu for a second term in 2027,…

Former military governor of Niger State, Col Lawan Gwadabe (rtd), speaks to our correspondents on why he had not said anything about Major Gideon Orkar coup of 1990, which attempted to overthrow the regime of military president, Ibrahim Babangida. He says he’s offering to speak on the matter now to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the putsch and to address some of the misconceptions about the coup. You have not been talking since your release from detention. Why? Well, I made a promise to myself while in prison that the only time I would speak publicly would be right in…

The actor, 49, talks to The Guardian UK about his royal heritage, earliest memory, hard times in a hostel, four gifted kids and what happened when he met Sidney Poitier. " David , you are going to walk among kings.” This was my mum’s prophecy when I was small. My father is from a royal family in Nigeria, so I interpreted it that way. Remarkably, she was right: I went on to play King Pelasgus, Henry VI, Martin Luther King and Seretse Khama. My earliest memory is sitting on my dad’s shoulders as he walked down Balham High Street in…