Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has recounted how former President Olusegun Obasanjo insisted that she travel to Norway to represent him at a major international event despite her initial refusal.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Ezekwesili disclosed this during an interview with Founders Connect, explaining that Obasanjo had been scheduled to deliver a keynote address at a global meeting of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Norway but was later unable to attend.

According to the former minister, Obasanjo contacted her on the eve of his planned trip and informed her that she would have to travel in his place.

She said she strongly opposed the decision because she was already occupied with several government responsibilities, particularly reforms she was determined to complete before the administration’s tenure ended.

Ezekwesili explained that Obasanjo often reassigned her to different roles because of her efficiency, a practice she said sometimes disrupted her plans and made it difficult to concentrate on ongoing projects.

Recalling the incident, she said she had carefully organised her schedule and calculated the time required to complete her reform work. She was therefore unhappy that the proposed trip would take her away for two or three days.

The former minister said she openly protested the directive and insisted that she would not travel. However, Obasanjo reportedly contacted her husband and asked him to persuade her to accept the assignment.

“I said I wasn’t going. It forced him to have to call my husband and say, ‘Beg me, beg her for me. She has to go to Norway,’” Ezekwesili recalled.

She said she returned home frustrated, arguing that the government had only a few months left in office and that she needed to focus on completing as much of her reform agenda as possible.

Ezekwesili added that, while serving in the education sector, she had deliberately limited her official travels, directing her minister of state to attend engagements that required her presence.

She was therefore disappointed when Obasanjo’s instruction threatened to disrupt the plan she had put in place.

The former minister said she initially expected her husband to support her refusal, but he instead encouraged her to make the trip.

According to her, her husband believed the assignment would provide an opportunity for her to step away from her demanding schedule and get some fresh air.

She eventually agreed to travel, and the event turned out to be a notable experience. Ezekwesili revealed that the person scheduled to deliver the next keynote address was the then president of the World Bank.

Her account highlights the tension between her commitment to completing government reforms and Obasanjo’s insistence that she represent him at the international gathering.

Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has denied reports that he was arrested by the Nigerian Police and released on bail after an hour of interrogation.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has filed a ₦5 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Department of State Services (DSS) over an alleged assault and forcible removal from the Federal High Court in Abuja.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2480/2026, was filed on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, against the DSS, its Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, and a deputy director of the security agency, Benjamin Bulus.

Sowore alleged that DSS operatives assaulted him and forcibly removed him from the court premises on June 22, 2026, despite a subsisting court order directing that he be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.

He said the incident occurred after Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his remand pending the hearing and determination of his application seeking a stay of the order revoking his bail and the bench warrant issued against him.

According to Sowore, armed DSS operatives, including hooded male and female officers, stormed the fourth floor of the court building while he was waiting for correctional officers to arrive and execute the remand order.

He claimed that the operatives physically assaulted him, forcibly removed him from the area and took him against his will to the basement of the court complex through elevators reserved for Federal High Court judges. He said the incident left him with physical injuries.

The activist maintained that the remand order did not authorise the security operatives to assault him, remove him forcibly or subject him to degrading treatment within the court premises.

Through the suit, Sowore is asking the court to determine whether the DSS operatives acted beyond the scope of the judicial order and whether their alleged conduct violated his fundamental rights.

He is seeking ₦5 billion in aggravated damages over the alleged violation of his constitutional rights to dignity and personal liberty.

A key aspect of the case is video footage reportedly recorded during the incident using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

According to the court documents, Sowore intends to rely on the footage as evidence to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault and the conduct of the security operatives involved.