POLITICS
Running a Nation’s Dream: How Marathon Became a Bridge of Unity, Service, and Endurance — The Adebayo Example
By Mike Udugba
Ondo town is more than a dot on the map of Nigeria; it is a living sanctuary of history, culture, and spirit. It is the ancestral seat of the Osemawe, the custodian of tradition and the spiritual compass of his people. Within this town of deep roots and enduring values lives Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo—quietly, purposefully—whenever he is home in the country and away from his Abuja residence.
His presence in Ondo is not announced by sirens or spectacle, but by an almost meditative simplicity that mirrors the soul of the land itself.
Adebayo is of royal blood, born into a lineage that carries the weight and dignity of the Osemawe throne. He is a man with the pedigree, the preparation, and the poise to one day ascend that ancient seat.Yet even now, he serves as an unofficial envoy of the Osemawe Kingdom—an ambassador whose reach extends across borders, continents, and conversations, carrying the spirit of Ondo into the wider world.
What is most striking about him, however, is how unassuming he is. You could walk past him on the street and never turn your head twice. He looks like the neighbour next door—no aura of entitlement, no performance of wealth or influence.
There is nothing flamboyant about him, nothing designed to impress at first glance. And yet, beneath that modest exterior lies a depth that only reveals itself with time.
What Adebayo does not display in material excess, he more than compensates for in intellect and enterprise.
Trained as a lawyer, his professional life refuses to be confined to a single discipline. Like an octopus, his reach extends into multiple sectors: agriculture and mechanised farming, legal practice, mining, ranching, media, real estate, and marketing. In every space he occupies, he brings clarity of thought and firmness of execution. He is gifted with words that persuade and ideas that endure.
Young, brilliant, blunt, and deeply practical, he is a man who speaks plainly and acts decisively. It is only when one steps into his expansive, gated compound that the fuller picture begins to emerge. There, five imposing storey buildings rise, all in white colour, each crowned with a rooftop that seems designed not merely for elevation, but for communion—spaces where people gather, converse, and celebrate life.
These buildings are alive with movement, housing family members, friends, and a steady stream of visitors. Behind them stands yet another testament to vision in motion: a glass edifice, also three storeys high, still under construction, quietly declaring that growth is a continuous journey, never a destination. Yet, architecture is not the true marvel of this place. Humanity is.
Within Adebayo’s home, food has no gatekeeper. Hunger is not interrogated; it is simply answered. Visitor or stranger, acquaintance or passerby—once you find yourself within the compound, you are fed. The kitchen operates like a living organism, awake from morning till night. Caterers work relentlessly, preparing meals every single day, not as an act of charity alone, but as a philosophy: that sustenance is a shared human right.
Across more than ten hectares of land, people from all walks of life live, move, and grow. Some are known to Adebayo; many are not.
Names are not a prerequisite for care. They are housed, they are fed, and their children are educated. School fees are paid. School buses—provided by him—move through the environs daily, ferrying students to and from their classrooms with quiet efficiency. Without fanfare or publicity, Adebayo practices philanthropy on a scale that defies assumption. His scholarship scheme, running into hundreds of millions, is guided by just two criteria—be indigent and be brilliant. Nothing more. Nothing less.
And then, there is the rhythm that has recently captured his heart: the marathon. To Adebayo, marathon running is not merely a sport; it is a language. It is a philosophy of life, a social adhesive, a powerful tool for uniting people—especially the youth—around the timeless value of endurance. In a world increasingly obsessed with shortcuts and instant gratification, the marathon stands as a quiet rebellion. It teaches patience. It rewards preparation. It honours discipline.
Marathon, he believes, gives people purpose. It invites them to test their strength and stamina, not against one another alone, but against their own limits. It places individuals side by side on the same road—this is me, this is you—each running at their own pace, yet moving in the same direction.
For Adebayo, success is simply endurance made visible. To succeed, you must plan. You must focus. You must work hard. You must project beyond the present moment. You must prepare for what lies ahead, compete with integrity, and endure with grace. This is true for individuals, and it is equally true for nations. Just as people run their personal races, companies run theirs, communities run theirs, and countries do the same. Development, in its truest form, is not a sprint. It is a marathon.
Though he is deeply involved in numerous sports—judo, basketball, boxing, wrestling, swimming—today, the marathon carries the message. Tomorrow, another discipline may take the stage. What remains constant is the spirit: sportsmanship, discipline, unity, and collective purpose.
A nation of sportspeople, Adebayo insists, is an active nation. Sport is the gateway to good health, to strong moral fibre, and even to national strength and security.
Begin with the young, and you shape the future.
To wake up every morning and train for a marathon scheduled a year away is to learn commitment, patience, and self-belief. It is to understand delayed gratification and to become part of a global community bound by effort, respect, and resilience.
Even the land itself seems to conspire with this vision. Ondo City, with its notable elevation, echoes the highlands that have produced some of the world’s greatest long-distance runners. Just a few kilometres from surrounding ranges, the terrain naturally invites endurance and rewards discipline. The soil, the air, the incline—all seem to whisper the same message: keep going.
In Ondo, through the vision of one man, the marathon has become more than a race. It has become a bridge—between people and purpose, privilege and service, strength and compassion. It is a bridge between today’s disciplined effort and tomorrow’s united nation, steadily running toward a future shaped not by haste, but by endurance.
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Peter Obi’s Presidential running mate in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, on Wednesday formally declared his interest in contesting the presidency in 2027.
Baba-Ahmed made the declaration at a rally held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
His announcement comes barely one week after Obi announced his departure from the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress.
This move has triggered intense debate over the party’s future and the direction of the wider opposition ahead of the next general election.
Addressing party members and supporters, Baba-Ahmed said his aspiration was neither reactionary nor dependent on Obi’s political decisions, stressing that his presidential ambition predates the 2023 election.
He said, “I have made myself to contest for the office in 2027. I’m not following anybody’s trajectory or stepping into anybody’s shoes.
“Can I please remind you that before His Excellency Governor Peter Obi filed for the presidency, I aspired for the presidency before him? The records are there for you to see.”
The former lawmaker recalled his earlier attempt to secure his party’s presidential ticket, noting that he had contested in the Peoples Democratic Party primaries years before aligning with Obi in the Labour Party.
“In October 2018, I participated in the primaries of the then PDP in Port Harcourt and walked to Obi for his vote, and he smiled at me. What a gentleman he was.
“If you heard me well in what I just submitted, I saw a rare opportunity for national unity to have elected Peter Obi in 2023. And that is why I decided to flow with it,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed also addressed concerns about religion and ethnicity, insisting that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees every qualified citizen the right to seek elective office.
“Yes, I am a practising Muslim. But I’m a Nigerian, and the constitution allows me to contest. You asked about my ethnicity. Yes, I am a Hausa man, and the Nigerian constitution also allows me to contest. I’m doing this because Nigeria needs help,” he said.
However, Baba-Ahmed noted that while he had made his intention known, he would adhere strictly to party and electoral guidelines.
“However, as a law-abiding citizen and a loyal party member, until the timetable is released by INEC and the leadership of the Labour Party calls for interested aspirants, I will not say anything about it. But remember I told you that Nigerians know the truth,” he stated.
Reacting, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, commended Baba-Ahmed for remaining in the party despite speculations that he might defect following Obi’s exit.
Abure said the development demonstrated that the Labour Party remained intact, adding that several key figures, including the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, had also chosen to stay back.
He said, “Only recently, the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, told the world that he joined the party before Peter Obi did – this is true. Otti also said he was not going to defect to Peter Obi.
“On the night Peter Obi defected, I received a telephone call from our Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed. He said he is not leaving the party because it was the platform upon which he, along with the former candidate, received 10 million votes from Nigerians, which was reduced to 6 million votes. We all know what happened.”
Abure further disclosed that Baba-Ahmed personally suggested a meeting of party leaders and members to reaffirm unity within the party.
“In fact, he asked me to organise an event where members can come together. He first suggested that we meet at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel with a few senior members that he would foot the bill.
“But I suggested that we hold the event here at the party Secretariat and invite our members, artisans and ordinary people who truly own the party, and he agreed. That is why we are having this gathering here today.
“The Labour Party is intact, we will not let Nigerians down. We will remain together and provide a genuine alternative for Nigerians,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed’s declaration is coming on the heels of INEC declaration that the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party is no longer recognized following the Supreme Court ruling voiding his National Working Committee.
End
The South-South Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emmanuel Ogidi, has reaffirmed that the suspensions of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, and others remain in effect.
Speaking on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Ogidi dismissed claims to the contrary as mere “noise.
”“Nigerians know the truth.
They (Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu, and others) are just making noise. They’ve been expelled,” he said.At its national convention in November, the PDP expelled Wike, Fayose, Samuel Anyanwu, and eight others for what the party described as “anti-party” activities.
The convention, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, cited actions inconsistent with the party’s collective interest as justification and later issued certificates of expulsion to the affected members.
In response, the faction of the PDP loyal to Wike expelled Governor Seyi Makinde and others who supported the move.
Weeks after the expulsion, Wike maintained that he is still a member of the main opposition party.
“I’m still in the PDP. So those who remain, we’ll continue to work together,” Wike said.
He added, “I have also told the party, ‘Put your house in order. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t, it’s the party that will lose.”
Wike made the comment while reacting to the defection of some PDP lawmakers in the Rivers State Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We still call on the party to work together to ensure the remaining members can be a relevant opposition. But they chose not to,” he concluded.
End
Nigerian politician, Dr Kenneth Okonkwo, and a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared that the party represents Nigeria’s only viable path to national salvation.
Speaking on AIT Kakaaki, Okonkwo said the ADC’s mission is squarely focused on the welfare of Nigerians.
He criticized both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and questioned the strategies of the former presidential candidate Peter Obi.
He claimed that new members joining the party have carefully reviewed its constitution and been convinced of the caliber of leaders committed to the ADC’s vision.
“The whole reason for ADC is for the welfare of our people and the welfare of our nation,” Okonkwo said.
“As Nigeria stands today, this is the only option to rescue the country from the hands of incompetent and corrupt APC.”
He also weighed in on the role of the Labour Party and Peter Obi, suggesting that while Obi speaks about a “New Nigeria,” ADC remains the more credible platform to achieve meaningful national reform.
According to Okonkwo, even a review of current political realities offers no good news for Nigerians under existing party leaderships.
End
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