LABARI

Daily Trust: People remember you more as a former chief physician to five ex-heads of state. How did you begin your medical career? Professor Sadiq Suleiman Wali: I did my post-graduate studies in the United Kingdom and qualified as a physician. I came back to Kano State and served for about three years. I preferred academic work, so I went to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria. Kano State offered me, or rather, forced me to come and be their Commissioner for Health during the administration of Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, instead of being the physician to then-President Shehu Shagari, who then picked Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, my classmate. DT: How did you become the personal physician to former Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari? Professor Wali: General Muhammadu Buhari requested that I should be his physician and I knew him very well, personally, because we were in Lagos during the January 1966 coup. Murtala, Gowon, Buhari were all around and that was how we got to know each othe...

Why AMCON Took Over Arik Air Management The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has advanced reasons for the takeover of the management of Arik Airline. The corporation announced the takeover of the airline on Thursday and appointed Roy Ilegbodu to manage the airline under the receivership of Oluseye Opasanya (SAN). According to AMCON, Arik Air, which is Nigeria’s largest carrier has a debt of more than N300bn and that a large part of it is taxpayers’ funds., in a statement on Thursday. Another reason for the intervention is “to enable Arik return to regular, undisrupted operations; to avoid job losses; to protect investors and stakeholder funds; to rebuild the credibility of the Airline and its brand; to ensure sure safety and stability in Nigeria’s already challenged aviation sector”. The corporation said it took over Arik’s non-performing loans – running into billions of naira – a few years ago, in exchange for a stake in the airline. A breakdown of the statement ...

Why should I blame Buhari? Pastor Adelaja tells who is responsible for Nigeria's economic recession. Popular Nigerian preacher, Pastor Sunday Adelaja who is the founder and senior pastor of the Embassy of God, an evangelical-charismatic megachurch in Kiev, Ukraine, has said he is not joining others to blame President Muhammadu Buhari for the economic recession because he is smarter than that and makes use of his brain. He wondered why he should blame the Buhari-led administration for Nigeria’s problems when it is evil people that crippling the economy. Adelaja said: “If the opposition or some evil people are going to blow up the resource of the country, if they are going to blow up the economic engine of the country, they are cutting off 40% of the income of the country, how will I support them, how will I blame the government for that. I will rather blame the evil people who are doing that for that." He blamed the Avengers, former Niger Delta militants and pro-Bia...