Author: Ibrahim Abusadiq

By Paul Ejime

Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Africa’s first Commonwealth Secretary-General (1990-2000), has praised his late predecessor Sir Shridath ‘Sonny’ Ramphal of Guyana for championing “the universal recognition of the Commonwealth as an organisation with a capacity to operate globally in the service of the wider international community.”

“It was he who gave practical meaning to the maxim: ‘while the Commonwealth cannot negotiate for the world, it can help the world to negotiate, as has been the case since the 1992 Rio Summit on Environment and Development and the subsequent United Nations conferences on climate change,” Anyaoku said, in a tribute during a memorial service in honour of the Guyanese diplomat on Tuesday, 1st July 2025 at the historic Queen’s Chapel, London.

Born in New Amsterdam, British Guiana (now Guyana), the Guyanese former Justice and Foreign Minister, served as the second Commonwealth Secretary-General 1975-1990. He died in August 2024 at age 95.

Anyaoku, a Nigerian elder statesman said: “Sonny Ramphal will also be remembered as a great advocate of the efforts by the developing countries of the South to persuade the richer developed countries of the North to contribute more effectively to the development of the countries of the South,” adding: “It was in this respect that he played a prominent role in the Brandt Commission that was set up in 1977 on international development issues chaired by the former Chancellor of Germany, Willy Brandt.”

Continuing, he described Sonny Ramphal “as a man with great oratorical skills and word-craft; a remarkable Foreign Minister of his native Guyana and a great player in the affairs of his Caribbean region; a global diplomat who rendered enduring service to the Commonwealth; indeed, an icon of the modern Commonwealth.”

Attendees at the service included the representative of HM King Charles III, the British Foreign Secretary, a number of Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives of Commonwealth organizations
Anyaoku recalled how he first met Sonny Ramphal in August 1972 at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned countries in Georgetown, Guyana, which he hosted and Chaired.

“The first Commonwealth Secretary-General, Arnold Smith, had sent me then Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Political Affairs Division as an Observer to the meeting,” Anyaoku said, noting: “Sonny’s brilliance in conducting the meeting and his bonhomie made a lasting impression on me, and on a number of Foreign Ministers with whom I talked during the meeting.”

Their next encounter was in the following year at the Ottawa Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) and, as Conference Secretary of the meeting, Anyaoku said the topics of informal discussions in the corridors was the likely successor to the first Commonwealth Secretary-General, to be chosen at the next CHOGM in Kingston, Jamaica.

“From my conversations with several Foreign Ministers, it was clear to me that Sonny Ramphal was the front runner,” and “…(he) was easily unanimously elected by the Heads of Government as the second Commonwealth Secretary-General,” Anyaoku disclosed, adding: “I worked closely with him in Marlborough House, first as Assistant Commonwealth Secretary-General from 1975 to 1977, and later as Deputy Commonwealth Secretary General in charge of political affairs and administration from 1978 to 1990, except during the five months when I was invited home in 1983 to serve as Nigeria’s Foreign Minister.”

Recalling the threats posed to the Commonwealth then by the political crises in the then Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and the racist apartheid regime in South Africa, Anyaoku said: “It was Secretary-General Sonny Ramphal who, with the potent influence of the late Head of the Commonwealth HM Queen Elizabeth II at the CHOGM in Lusaka, Zambia in August 1979 succeeded in defusing the threat.”

“He did this by getting the Heads of Government to adopt the seminal Lusaka Declaration on Racism and Racial Prejudice, and more importantly, by getting them to reach the agreement which led to the convening of the Lancaster House Conference that resolved the situation in Rhodesia and settled the constitution of the resultant Independent Republic of Zimbabwe,” said Anyaoku.

According to him, “Earlier in 1977, at the CHOGM in Gleneagles, Sonny Ramphal had got the Heads of Government to adopt the Gleneagles Agreement that regulated Commonwealth sports sanctions against apartheid South Africa. The sanctions remained in place until 1991 when as Sonny’s successor in office, I led the Commonwealth intervention that effectively helped the Government of President F.W. de Clerk and the leaders of the other political parties, in South Africa’s transition from apartheid to a democratic government in May 1994 with Nelson Mandela as the President of the Republic of South Africa.”

“The first Commonwealth Secretary-General, Arnold Smith, is rightly credited with consolidating the evolution of the British Commonwealth into the Commonwealth of sovereign independent nations as envisaged in the London Declaration of 1949, and also with the beginning of the formal articulation of the fundamental principles of the Commonwealth with the Singapore Declaration of 1971, which was followed by the Harare Declaration of 1991 and culminated in the Commonwealth Charter signed by The Queen in 2013,” Anyaoku noted.

The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of 56 sovereign states and territories, most of them former British colonies, now with an estimated combined population of 2.6 billion, almost a third of the world’s population, with 2.1 billion living in India and 95% in Africa and Asia combined.

Francophone African nations of Gabon and Togo have also joined the Commonwealth, along with Mozambique and Rwanda, all of which had no prior historical relationship with the United Kingdom.

This makes the Commonwealth a mosaic union of diverse people, cultures, traditions, and religions from the smallest and developing to some of the most developed countries in the world.

Earlier this year, the two-day 2025 Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting (CTMM) in Windhoek, Namibia, pledged to boost intra-Commonwealth trade to US$2 trillion by 2030.

Formed in 1926 by the so-called original Dominions, the Commonwealth has since transformed into a modern organisation tackling emerging challenges confronting its members.

According to the Commonwealth Secretariat, seven Secretaries-General have headed the London Secretariat since 1965, including two women, all contributing to the evolution and impact of the organisation.

The first Secretary-General, Arnold Smith of Canada (1965-1975) is “credited with laying the foundations as the first Secretary-General, “establishing the Secretariat’s systems and global role.”

He was succeeded by Sonny Ramphal of Guyana (1975-1990), “who became a leading voice for decolonisation, South-South cooperation and the global fight against apartheid. Chief Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria (1990-2000) further strengthened the Secretariat’s diplomatic influence, particularly in its support for democratic governance.”

Don McKinnon of New Zealand was in the saddle from 2000 to 2008, focusing “on conflict resolution, strengthening election support and amplifying the concerns of small states.” He was followed by Kamalesh Sharma of India (2008-2016), “who emphasised youth engagement, gender equality and practical support for member states.”

Patricia Scotland of Dominica and the United Kingdom became the first woman Commonwealth Secretary-General in 2016, “leading on conflict resolution, climate action, legal reform and digital connectivity” and in 2025, Shirley Botchwey of Ghana, became the seventh Secretary-General and the first African woman in the role, “bringing renewed focus on resilience, economic inclusion and international cooperation.”

Paul Ejime is a Media/Communications Specialist and Global Affairs Analyst

 

News Investigators/ The Democratic Front (TDF) has acknowledged the impact of President Bola Tinubu’s financial engineering on infrastructural development in Nasarawa State.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, the group noted that projects commissioned by the President during his visit to the state showed glaringly the impact of the quantum leap in the State’s resources.

The statement reads: “We also note that this startling revelation was made possible by the working visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the state, which witnessed the commissioning of landmark infrastructural projects that were executed by the Nasarawa government in the past two years.

“The transformation of the solid mineral sector, and the harmonisation of foreign exchange rates have also attracted foreign direct investments to the state, which is why TDF is happy to acknowledge the establishment of two multi-billion naira Lithium processing plants in Nasarawa State.

“The cocktail of projects commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Nasarawa State confirms the tremendous progress and development which the removal of fuel subsidy visibly impacted on the sub-nationals.

It is for this reason that TDF aligns with the position of Governor Abdullahi Sule, that Nasarawa is an example for genuine critics who want to know how petroleum subsidy money is being utilised under the Tinubu administration.

“Furthermore, TDF’s inquest into the trajectory of development in Nasarawa State since it was created in 1996, shows that never has there been such a rapid economic and infrastructural development in the state like the last two years, when the removal of petroleum subsidy triggered an unprecedented surge in FAAC allocation to the state.

TDF asserted: “This is the ultimate objective of the painful but necessary economic reforms of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

” Riding on the back of the rapid infrastructural gains in Nasarawa State, the TDF backed President Tinubu’s eloquent wisdom in describing the cynical, critical and self-serving politicians that are currently masquerading as opposition in Nigeria, as Internally Displaced Politicians (IDPs).

“Sadly enough, this crop of Internally Displaced Politicians includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, a former governor who refused to conduct local government elections for most of his tenure.

Their opposition to Tinubu’s government and economic reforms lacks an ideological foundation. They are not able to provide the nation with a preferred policy alternative to President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing reforms, yet they focus mainly on personal political gain and power over public service.

“Shamed by the resultant green shoots from the economic reforms, and the reality of rising infrastructural development, they are aimless and confused, wandering like sheep without shepherds, from one IDP camp of political coalition to another, with each crumbling under the weight of conflicting personal interests,” the statement added.

TDF urged the President to embark on more working visits to other states to enable Nigerians to appreciate the remarkable changes in infrastructural and socioeconomic development, which the removal of the petroleum subsidy has brought to the people.

Flowerbud News/ The Tinubu Media Volunteers (TMV) have described the provision of numerous infrastructural projects in the Federal Capital Territory as clear proof that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is working.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Chukwudi Enekwechi, and Secretary, Segun Ogedengbe, TMV noted that the President’s decision to take the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) out of the bureaucracy of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has proved to be a well-thought-out move.

The statement read in part, “We believe that the transformative projects have already raised Abuja to an international city, and this was made possible based on the determination of the President to ensure that adequate attention is paid to all sectors under his watch.

“We also acknowledge that the projects were being realised due to the decision of the federal government to remove FCT from the bureaucracy of the Treasury Single Account. Based on that visionary decision, Abuja has, within a period of two years, transformed into a fitting national capital, attracting visitors from across the globe.

“It is our conviction that since the creation of Abuja as Nigeria’s capital in 1991, this is the first time we are witnessing such massive developmental projects, that even the critics of the Tinubu administration admire and agree on the positive changes.

“Furthermore, with the construction of several dual carriageways and other roads in the hinterlands (six area councils) the Federal Capital Administration under the leadership of Minister Nyesom Wike has succeeded in opening access to the city, while the rural dwellers can now heave a sigh of relief as they are now in a position to transport their agricultural products to the city.

Similarly, the construction of several roads will reduce traffic gridlock in the city center as residents can operate seamlessly from the satellite towns without everyone heading to the city center daily.

Today, Nigeria’s capital is having a new look with landmark road projects, newly-constructed bus terminals, and the newly-renovated International Conference Center, now known as the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre, among others.

“With these multi-billion naira projects dotting the landscape, there is no doubt that the Wike-led FCTA administration is bringing the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu into reality, and all Nigerians and foreigners alike are the beneficiaries.”

The group also urged the minister to extend what he is doing with infrastructure to other sectors in the FCT.

Flowerbud News/ The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has advised Nigerians to ignore ploys by the opposition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to distract attention from the successful Nigeria-Belarus tractor deal which analysts describe as the single largest investment in the mechanised farming by any Nigerian government in history.

This statement is made in the aftermath of a dubious attempt by the media handlers of the former Vice President and their collaborators to raise empty dust over President Bola Tinubu’s remarks about the Belarusian entrepreneur, Alex Zingman, who facilitated the multi-million dollar tractor deal between Nigeria and Belarus.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG accused them of deliberately derogating and badmouthing the giant strides of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to belittle the giant strides in the minds of Nigerians.

“We make bold to say that the Atiku team and its principal are doing their utmost by resorting to subterfuge to downplay a major achievement of President Tinubu in the agriculture sector.

“This is because never in the country’s history has any administration delivered what is clearly the largest agricultural mechanisation initiative in the country’s history.

“What President Bola Tinubu commissioned were 2,000 high-quality tractors, 10 combine harvesters, 12 mobile workshops, 9,000 implements, and 9,000 spare part kits.

“Simply put, it was a clear fulfilment of a July 2023 pledge by President Tinubu when he declared a state of emergency on food security, and assured Nigerians that his administration would pave the way for a paradigm shift in agriculture from the outdated model to a 21st-century farming system.

“And knowing that the commissioning of the 2,000 tractors and allied equipment was a major win for the Tinubu administration, the former Vice President knew they had to latch onto something to cast a dark shadow on such a momentous occasion.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the deal with Belarus will not stop with the supply of tractors, there are also two other phases of the collaboration which include establishing service and maintenance centres for Belarusian machinery in Nigeria, setting up local assembly plants for agricultural equipment, constructing grain storage complexes, and training Nigerians to operate and maintain advanced farming machinery.

“We invite Nigerians to note that the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Viktor Karenkevich, delivered a goodwill message on behalf of President Alexander Lukashenko to signpost the government-to-government collaboration,” the statement added.

TMSG, however, noted that it was not surprising that former Vice President Abubakar sought to belittle the great agric breakthrough by playing down such a breathtaking and momentous achievement of the Bola Tinubu government

The group said: “Just because President Tinubu acknowledged the role played by the Belarusian entrepreneur Alex Zingman, whom he described as a ‘very good neighbour and schoolmate, the opposition thought they had found a ‘smoking gun’ in their alleged age difference.

“And in their usual way of latching on to social media trends, the former Vice President and his media handlers not only drew attention to it, they also referred to Zingman as an individual ‘whose international reputation is mired in scandal.’

“But we are aware that the President said the Belarusian was a schoolmate, contrary to suggestions by the opposition that he called him a classmate.

“We also find it rather ironic that a former Vice President who has the historical global distinction of being used as a case study on foreign corruption by the US Congress, would be so eager to malign other people at the slightest chance.

“There are several international media reports on how Zingman helped put together a $58m agriculture deal between Belarus and Zimbabwe that has since 2018 improved food security and revolutionised agriculture in the Southern African country.

“But Atiku’s media handlers prefer to focus on the Belarusian’s arrest and investigation in the DRC over his relationship with former President Joseph Kabila for which he was later cleared of any wrongdoing and released without any formal charges.

TMSG added that Nigerians should focus more on the benefits inherent in the bilateral deal with Belarus that will significantly boost food security in the country.

By Mohammed Baba Busu

Gov. Mohammed Umar-Bago of Niger says the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar is a critical pillar in the nation’s socioeconomic development.

He spoke on Saturday in Abuja at a one-day Colloquium on Agriculture organised by Abubakar, as well as the unveiling of his endowment fund.

The event, with a theme: “Food and the Nation’, was convened by the traditional ruler as part of his efforts to boost food security in the country.

Bago congratulated the Etsu Nupe on the feat, describing it as a wonderful achievement.

The governor added that Abubakar was playing a critical role in the sustainable development of Niger and Nigeria in general.

“Our revered traditional ruler is helping a lot to entrench peace and unity in the state and the country at large,’’ he said.

He congratulated the traditional ruler on his birthday, saying, to hit 72 years, was not a joke.

“You still look like you are 40. I am also congratulating you on your 21st year on the throne.

“God has given you so much health, stamina and agility and we pray that it shall it be so forever,” he said.

The keynote speaker, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said that achieving food required collective effort.

Ogbeh emphasised the importance of food as a basic necessity, quoting Friedrich Engels: “A man must first feed himself, clothe himself and house himself before he turns his attention to philosophy and politics.”

Ogbeh commended the Etsu Nupe for choosing this critical topic, describing him as a true father and patriot who was concerned about the welfare of his people and the nation.

He said the traditional ruler’s decision to focus on food security demonstrated his deep commitment to addressing the challenges facing the nation.

The keynote speaker warned of grave dangers ahead, particularly in the area of food security, if urgent and collective action was not taken to boost food production.

NAN