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OPINION: My Church Bus | By Femi Ladapo
Long ago when I was just a little lad, my big Sister and I had an idea of a pass time during the holidays. My parents tried to dissuade us. My father would insist holidays are for resting. We started a lobby through my mother.
Asked what we wanted to do, we said we wanted to trade. They laughed us to scorn. After some days, they called us again to explain our business plan.
Very simple; we would buy whatever fruit was in season from Apata market, break the bulk and sell in retail. We were asked our marketing plan. Simple too; two big trays and hawking.My parents agreed on two conditions; No crossing the major road or railway and all trading must close by noon. So we started hawking.
We were expected to get tired in a few days but the excitement kept us on. My sister and I would go different directions and come home at twelve. We would count how much we had made, remove and save the profit. My mom was our auditor.
Lest I forget, my sister always sold out but me …? Thanks to some yeye football games at Kuole field in Odo Ona. You might wonder what my hawking business had to do with a Church Bus.
During a particular holiday, bananas were in season. The trend was the usual. My sister sold much more than I did. Then one day, I hadn’t spent a minute at the junction when a big church bus going to Abeokuta stopped. The bus was filled with people. Before you can say ‘Jack Robinson’ my bananas were sold out. I happily went home with my tray, feeling like a hero. My sister didn’t sell much that day. No matter our sales, the business was 50:50. It was a Saturday, so I was allowed to go play football.
Basking in the euphoria of the sales boost I spent the following week waiting for Saturday to come.
On that Saturday, I packed double my usual stock. Off I went to the junction to wait for MY Big Church Bus. At a quarter to twelve, the bus still hadn’t come. I stood there sweating, fighting back tears of disappointment. The load had suddenly become too heavy.
When my sister got home and didn’t see me, she came to fetch me. She took my load (God bless her soul. She was the best sister there ever was) and I followed her home in tears.We got home and my Great Mom encouraged me and even gave me a bottle of Fanta.
Then told me, ‘Son, your Church Bus came once, don’t expect that it will always come back your way again’. All the money we made selling bananas did not last but the lesson of the CHURCH BUS has stayed.
You may have an opportunity, a chance, when Fortune suddenly smiled on you. There are times when fate suddenly becomes your ally. When your Church Bus suddenly comes down the road. There was nothing I did differently that morning. My Church Bus just came.
Do not believe you can always walk to the road and the Church Bus will come. The opportunity you have that put you where you are today, without much ado, may never come your way again. Like my big tray load that second Saturday, what you got so easy may not be achieved even with greater effort.
Secondly, if I had scoffed my sister when my Church Bus came, she would have carried my heavy load when my Church Bus didn’t come. When fortune smiles at you, be good to people who stood by you when you were under the bar. You may need them to carry your load when your Church Bus doesn’t come.
I dedicate this story to the memory of the two greatest women I ever knew, My Mother and My Sister.
Femi Ladapo, writes from Ibadan, Oyo state
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday held a high-level strategic meeting with the Oyo State chapter of the party as part of efforts to reposition the APC for victory and prevent internal crisis ahead of the polls.
The development was first scooped by OYOINSIGHT.COM which quoted multiple party sources familiar with the closed-door deliberations.
Sources disclosed that the meeting, held in Abuja, focused largely on a consensus arrangement being considered by stakeholders of the party in Oyo State, in line with political templates reportedly being adopted in Lagos and Ogun states ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Party insiders said the move was aimed at strengthening unity within the fold of the opposition party in the state, minimising rancour during the primaries and presenting a formidable front against rival parties in 2027.
It was further gathered that some members of the state executive committee may have been subtly informed about preferred consensus candidates being considered for elective positions across the state.
Though details of the deliberations were still sketchy as of press time, sources hinted that the national leadership stressed the need for cohesion, discipline and strategic alignment among stakeholders to improve the party’s electoral fortunes in Oyo.
Those at the meeting included the Oyo APC Chairman, Moses Alake Adeyemo; the state secretary, Fatai Adesina Adeniyi; the Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare; the Organising Secretary, Aderemi Adepoju; and the Legal Adviser, Sunday Aborisade.
Others were the Women Leader, Adekemi Opatunde; the Youth Leader, Olalekan Oladejo; Joshua Oyebamiji; Tunde Oloyede; Sunday Babalola; Joseph Omoniyi; and Mojeed Adebayo.
As of the time of filing this report, the party had yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the meeting.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, on Monday assured aspirants and party members that the party would conduct transparent, peaceful and credible direct primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adeyemo declared that no aspirant would be victimised or denied a level playing field, stressing that the party leadership remained committed to internal democracy and progressive ideals.
The former deputy governor spoke while receiving members of the APC Screening and Appeal Committees deployed from the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja at the APC Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
He disclosed that although the party initially explored consensus arrangements across elective positions, prevailing realities indicated that direct primaries would be conducted in some areas, including the governorship contest.
Adeyemo said the party had already put necessary structures in place to ensure a hitch-free exercise capable of strengthening unity within the APC.
He said: “We set machineries in motion for us to achieve the aim of consensus across board but reports available to me indicate that we would have to go by the second option which is direct primary in certain cases including the governorship ticket.
“To this end, we shall work towards organising free, fair and credible exercise in all the affected areas even as we cannot rule out the possibility of some aspirants having a rethink and supporting the consensus arrangement as necessary.
“Where we have more than an aspirant, Abuja would send people to conduct primaries and we at the state level would provide the required support to make everything work out in the interest of our great party.”
The APC chairman explained that all registered party members would participate fully in the exercise at their respective wards on dates to be announced by the National Secretariat.
According to him, affirmation would be adopted in areas where consensus candidates emerge, while voting would be conducted wherever direct primaries become necessary.
“For consensus, members will lend their voices for affirmation while voting will be done in the cases of direct primary,” he added.
Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Screening Committee and former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Taofiq AbdusSalam, assured party faithful that the committee would carry out a thorough, transparent and unbiased screening process.
He said only eligible aspirants would be cleared to participate in the primaries and eventually fly the APC flag in the forthcoming elections.
Other members of the Screening Committee are Kamal Sanusi (Secretary), Smart Oluwole, Tunde Kolade and Olabamiji Agunloye.
Members of the Screening Appeal Committee are Jibola Oduwole (Chairman), Abimbola Jack (Secretary) and Jelil Jimoh.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress on Saturday zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, declaring that the party’s candidate would serve a single four-year term if elected.
The decision was reached during the party’s national convention held in Abuja amid growing momentum within the opposition platform following a wave of high-profile defections from other political parties.
Announcing the development on its official social media handle, the party stated, “NDC presidential ticket is zoned to the South!!”
The party also resolved that its 2031 presidential ticket would be ceded to Northern Nigeria as part of efforts to maintain regional balance and internal equity.
The convention comes as key opposition figures, including former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former New Nigeria People’s Party presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, joined party leaders and delegates at the Abuja gathering.
Saturday’s convention is expected to ratify several recent decisions taken by the party’s National Executive Committee, including zoning arrangements, amendments to the party constitution, and the election of new national executives.
According to the convention agenda obtained by journalists, discussions centred on zoning, ratification of the amended constitution, and leadership restructuring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC has in recent weeks witnessed a surge in defections from rival opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, no fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives defected from the ADC to the NDC.
Their defections were formally announced during plenary at the House of Representatives.
The lawmakers include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.
Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, Murphy Omoruyi and Abdulhakeem Ado.
The defections came barely two days after Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the NDC from the ADC.
The duo were presented with the party’s membership cards last Sunday shortly after a closed-door meeting with party leaders.
A former Governor of Bayelsa State and NDC national leader, Seriake Dickson, officially welcomed the opposition figures into the party.
Obi had attributed his exit from the ADC to worsening internal crises, external interference and what he described as increasing hostility within party structures.
The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria’s political environment had become increasingly toxic, marked by intimidation, insecurity and sustained scrutiny of opposition figures.
He also lamented that institutions meant to protect citizens were now often deployed against them, while individuals committed to genuine public service faced mounting pressure both publicly and privately.
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