The week started with what was supposed to be a beautiful Christmas for Nigerians, then it quickly turned tragic.
A trigger happy police officer killed a pregnant lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, in Lagos State.
The outrage was swift and heavy, and rightly so. The policeman had been apprehended and the matter being dealt with, even though it should never have happened.
Away from Nigeria, the great football legend, Pele, also died. Although he suffered at the hands of cancer, he died as many would hope to go; surrounded by family and peacefully.
The world also lost the former Pope, Late Pope Benedict XVI.
Whereas, in Yahaya Bello’s (aka, The White Lion’s) Kogi State, President Muhammadu Buhari went for a visit.
Ahead of his arrival, explosion hit the Ohinoyi’s (traditional ruler of Okene) palace, allegedly killing four persons.
The President had gone to commission the Reference Specialist hospital and other projects in the governor’s hometown of Okene.
It is also believed that a revival of the Ajaokuta steel company is in the works. The sum of N400million has allegedly been allocated for the project with the hopes of creating some 500,000 jobs.
But this is not all. In far away London, a budding relationship appears to also be on the way.
The G-5, a group of 5 disgruntled governors in the Peoples Democratic Party, comprising Governor Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) Samuel Ortom (Benue) State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), is malling alliance with the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
Lad by Governor Wike, the group met with Tinubu in London.
Is this the start of the era of defections and mergers?
While we don’t know what went behind the closed door at the G-5/APC meeting, we do know that the story about salary increase for civil servants met a swift end.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, clarified that the otherwise circulating theory of a proposed salary increase was false.
And so ended the last week of 2022, riddled with deaths and politicking. Will the first week of 2023 be better?
Till then, happy holidays!