MEDIA
Osinbajo Hails Femi Adesina’s Book As Honest Account On Buhari –
Former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has described the book by Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Muhammadu Buhari, as “very wise and proactive”, as it gives the “the most reliable account” of his experiences at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Professor Osinbajo made the comment in Lagos over the weekend when Adesina formally presented a copy of the book, entitled: Working With Buhari; Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023), to the former Vice President.
The book will be launched on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja from 10a.m. prompt.
Receiving the work, published by Safari Books, Osinbajo commended its quality and the speed at which Adesina churned it out, coming just seven months after they left office.
On the idea of the author coming up with the publication at this point in time, Osinbajo said:
“I think it is a very wise and proactive approach. I think it is wise to do so especially because he was an insider. He has all the information about the personal issues, personal details that are covered in the book. It is the right thing to do, so that he defines the narrative ahead, and anyone else who wants to write would have to use this as their soft material. Obviously, this is the most reliable account of his experiences in there.”
Lauding the quality of the book, and the richness of information in it, Osinbajo posited that it is “in many ways a personal discussion or conversation with Nigerians about who President Buhari was.” And Adesina is “possibly the person who would best represent who the (former) President was.”
According to Osinbajo, this is more so as Adesina has all the “the kind of care and attention that would be required to do a proper and in-depth analysis” of the era.
The former Vice President added everything up and described the book “an honest account”.
Expected at the launch on January 16, are President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the Special Guest of Honour; the subject of the book, former President Muhammadu Buhari, as Special Guest; while former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and General I.B.M. Haruna are Chairman and Co-Chairman, respectively.
A royal delegation from the Saudi Arabia Royal Family, led by HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Faisal Al Saud, will grace the occasion that will have Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, billionaire businessman and founder/chairman of Oriental Energy Resources Limited, as Chief Launcher.
By KUNLE SOLAJA.
Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has urged Nigeria to adopt sports as a central pillar of national economic development, describing it as an untapped solution to the country’s youth unemployment crisis.
Speaking at the public presentation of sports journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography at the University of Lagos, Fashola said Nigeria’s policymakers have “ignored a solution hiding in plain sight” by failing to fully develop sports as a business.
“Sports is a profession that employs mainly young people from their teenage years to around 40.
“When I reflect on the Nigerian problem of youth employment, I tell myself that it persists perhaps because we have been ignoring the solution,” he stated.
Fashola cited global examples of sports as a major economic driver, including the English Premier League’s £3.36 billion GDP contribution to the UK economy in 2015, and Saudi Arabia’s recent sports investments that have added 1% to its GDP.
He recommended integrating sports into national development plans, revamping school curricula to nurture talent from an early age, developing modern sports infrastructure, and ensuring safety, security, and good governance in sports administration.
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Top dignitaries expected at the public presentation of frontline journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography have been confirming their attendance at the event, which will hold at the Tayo Aderinokun Lecture Theatre, University of Lagos, on Sunday, 10th August 2025, at 1:00 pm.
Top of the bill is former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who will deliver a lecture on the topic, ‘Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria As a Catalyst for Sports Development.’ Fashola met Alao at the final of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup table tennis tournament at the Teslim Balogun stadium on Tuesday, 5th August and reassured the author of his preparedness for the lecture.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, also noted his commitment to the event in a message sent to the author, who is the speaker’s constituent in the Agege area of Lagos State, where he (Alao) grew up.
Obasa will be the chief presenter of the autobiography. He will be supported by Honourable Kabiru Amadu, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports.
Also confirming his attendance is the Chairman of the occasion, Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC). Dikko will lead other top sports officials from the NSC, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to listen to Fashola’s postulation on Nigerian football.
Rounding off the list of principal guests expected at the public lecture and book presentation is former sports minister Senator John Owan Enoh who is currently the Minister of State for Industry. Enoh wrote a foreword in the book alongside former Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu.
Other guests expected at the event are federal and states sports associations officials, Nigerian former Olympians and former Super Eagles players, journalists, family, friends, associates and fans of the book writer.
Dr. Mumini Alao, is an accomplished Nigerian sports journalist, author and media entrepreneur. He rose to the position of group managing director of Complete Communications Limited, publishers of widely-read popular journals, Complete Football magazine and Complete Sports newspapers. His last published book was “The Making of Nigeria’s Dream Team: Football Gold Medal Winners At Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games.”
Alao’s latest work, his autobiography, is a no-holds-barred narration of his professional and private lives spanning 60 years. Dr. Bolu John Folayan of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro will be the book reviewer, while SuperSports presenter, Mozez Praiz, will be the master of ceremony.
The event will be streamed live to a global audience on the YouTube channel of Complete Sports.
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All is set for the public presentation of the autobiography of renowned Nigerian sports journalist, Dr. Mumini Alao, with former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), confirmed as the keynote speaker at the high-profile event.
Dr. Alao, a respected figure in Nigerian sports media and former Group Managing Director of Complete Communications Ltd., announced the development following a meeting with Fashola on Tuesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium during the finals of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup.
Everyone anxiously awaits the launch of the autobiography. It is about one of Nigeria’s best sports journalists. This author has contributed appreciably to Nigeria’s sports literature.
The former governor, who was at the venue to present trophies at the continental table tennis event, confirmed his readiness to speak at the book launch scheduled for Sunday, August 10, at the University of Lagos.
According to Dr. Alao, Fashola will speak on the topic: “Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria as a Catalyst for Sports Development.”
“I’m sure this topic will be of interest to all of us stakeholders in Nigerian football,” Dr. Alao remarked, while inviting members of the public and sports community to grace the event.
The book, chronicling Alao’s decades-long career in sports journalism, promises to be a compelling reflection on the evolution of Nigerian sports media, landmark events, and the personalities that have shaped the industry.
The launch is expected to attract a broad audience of media professionals, football administrators, athletes, and policymakers.
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