Christmas tidings and the year ahead

BY OLUWASEYI ADEBAYO

As usual, for millions of Nigerians, Christmas is a time of utmost merriment; a time when the prevailing economic hardships and security concerns are temporarily forgotten and replaced with fun and national fraternal camaraderie.

The upbeat Christmas and Boxing Day mood was, expectedly, very pronounced at the just concluded GLO briefing on its ambitious network expansion and subscriber outreach programs for 2023. Indeed, going by the presentation of excited Glo communications staff, subscribers should look forward to more enhanced and excellent services at the least cost.

However, much as I was interested in the message and the gay mood, I seized the opportunity of the occasion to sidle up to one of the senior media advisers to the chairman to discuss an interesting Thisday Newspaper article titled ‘Ranking Nigeria’s Richest’, published on Christmas Eve. Since the chairman’s name, who is well known for being very reclusive and uninterested in any form of public display of wealth, was cited in the article, I wanted to know the media adviser’s views on the surprising theme and thrust of the article.

Interestingly, the media hotshot, who requested anonymity, did not hesitate to respond.

The chairman, he informed me categorically, is uninterested in the subject of who is on the billionaire ranking list and who is not. He emphatically stated that the chairman had nothing to do with the article and regretted that his name was even mentioned.

The chairman, he said, never talks to the press, doesn’t join issues with anyone, and has dissociated himself from the article while strongly requesting that his name be kept out of any such mundane articles. The media adviser further advised his colleagues to focus on more important subjects at this critical juncture in Nigeria’s chequered journey; a position that I cannot but agree more.

To all my faithful and future readers, I thank you most heartily for following my thoughts and findings of interest. I wish you all continued merriment and the best of the coming year.