by Kolapo Olapoju

Winners & Losers is a roundup of the week’s major happenings, where we spotlight the ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ of the news cycle. As always, you can agree or disagree.

 

WINNERS

1. Supreme Court gives Fayose some joyful news

Someone was an extremely worried man as the Supreme Court judges convened to rule on his case during the week.

His worry-state would not linger for long…

Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose, got handed some form of good news during the week, when the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging his eligibility and election as governor.

Although he’s still going around begging for forgiveness, so as to not get impeached twice,- Fayose can for the time being bask in his temporary victory.

 
2. Obasanjo can start counting his millions, already

After fighting tooth and nail to have his autobiography released for months, Nigerians can now get to read ‘My Watch’… and Olusegun Obasanjo can now have more money in his already fat kitty.

During the week, a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, has ordered the release of former President Obasanjo’s book: My Watch, which had been in the custody of the Nigerian Customs Service.

Justice Valentine Ashi had late last year granted an injunction restraining Obasanjo from publishing the book following a complaint lodged by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Buruji Kashamu.

 

 

 

3. Nigeria makes a notable appearance at the North Pole

This one is a collective win for all Nigerians as well as the person involved.

42-year-old Tuedon Morgan became the first Nigerian to run a marathon at the North Pole.

Morgan, who had run several times in Antarctica, says that experience “was a playground compared to my experience at the North Pole.”

She explained that the North Pole was so cold that it was like a “magnetic field sucking all my energy out.”

 

 

 

4. Oby Ezekwesili’s selflessness gets international recognition

On Thursday, April 16, Time Magazine listed 4 Nigerians in its annual list of ‘100 Most Influential People’ in the world.

Apart from President-elect Mohammadu Buhari, Chimamanda Adichie and Abubakar Shekau, #BringBackOurGirls convener and former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, was also specially recognized.

Time Magazine was apt in its profiling of Ezekwesili, whom it said created awareness about the Chibok girls abduction.

The magazine wrote that without Ezekwesili and the BringBackOurGirls movement, the world may not get to know about the abduction early enough.

 
LOSERS

1. The Federal government’s ineptitude yet lingers

April 14 2015 became exactly 365 days since about 276 schoolgirls were snatched away from their hostel in Chibok secondary school in Borno state.

In spite of the global awareness on the abduction and international assistance on the rescue of the girls, they remain missing, their fates remain uncertain while their parents/guardians continue to languish in pain.

Marking a year’s anniversary since their kidnap, is evidence that the federal government has failed the girls and Nigerians, and posterity will judge all the key players accordingly.

 

 

2. The kidnapper-nanny finally got served

After being in the business of kidnapping-for-ransom for some time, Funmilayo Adeyemi, was finally apprehended alongside her accomplice family.

Adeyemi, who kidnapped the three Orekoya children (Demola, 6; Adedamola, 4, and Aderomola, 11 months), blamed it all on her husband, the arrowhead who managed to evade arrest.

She allegedly masterminded the kidnap of with the aid of her husband, Waheed Kareem, her brother in-law, Akeem Kareem and her brother in-law’s wife, Joke Oseni, who are currently on the run.

 
3. Lamido and Maitama Yusuf are the winning losers

The two politicians are joint-losers this weekend following their shameless spat during the week.

Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido had threatened to jail ex-Minister of Internal Affairs, Senator Bello Maitama Yusuf, over a Peoples Democratic Party campaign funds he allegedly diverted.

Lamido claimed that Yusuf was supposed to share the money to the electorate but instead pocketed it and made matters worse by defecting to the All Progressives Congress.

In response, Yusuf promised that before he ends up in jail, he would expose the shady deals of Lamido.

As of now, the battle rages on… as two men prepare to take each other down.