News
All Protocol(s) Observed By Reuben Abati
This means you can’t recognize a Member of a State House of Assembly before a Member of the House of Representatives, and you can’t “acknowledge the presence (as it were) of” a Minister before a Senator. Any slight mix up is likely to fetch you a reprimand and complaints about how you are such an insensitive compere who wants to ruin an event that had been so well planned. Getting the pecking social order right is not even enough, you must be politically correct when you deploy such egoistic phrases as Your Excellency, The Distinguished, The Most Honourable, Your Honour, Your Worship, My Lord, Your Grace, Your Eminence…Only God knows what these honorifics do to the Nigerian big man or big woman’s mind. When you get it right, you can see the person actually believing the myth about he or she being so excellent, distinguished or honourable. Some would even rise and wave to the crowd.
The institutionalized flattery involved, is of course not limited to the special guests, sorry special guests of honour (!) who occupy the high table, or the top table, or better still, the reserved table. Other guests also have to be introduced. The rule is never to overlook any important person. If it is a government or corporate event, nearly everybody is important. If certain persons are mistakenly overlooked, they would insist on sending their personal assistants to the compere to remind him or her of how a grave error has been committed. Some would send their business cards, or a note or summon the compere to their table to register not a complaint but a protest!
Indeed, being a master of ceremony at a Nigerian event could be the ultimate test of humility and human patience. I once introduced a certain VIP as Chief XYZ. I was summoned and reprimanded. “He is not a Chief, but a High Chief”, he said. Correction taken, apology offered. “It is now my pleasure to introduce once more High Chief XYZ, the whatever 1 of anywhere.” The man grinned cheerfully. His retinue of assistants applauded so loudly, you would think the event was all about him. There certainly must be something special about being a High Chief; ordinary Chiefs, I guess, must be less human. But consider this: on another occasion, I mistakenly referred to another VIP as a Chief. The man sent for me, and whispered into my ears: “next time you call me a Chief, I’ll sue you, only unserious people go about saying they are Chief this and Chief that. I have never taken a chieftaincy title in my life; I am simply Mister. You understand? ” Yes, sir!
Again, apologies tendered. I went back to the microphone to introduce the Mister properly, cleverly leaving out his anti-chieftaincy commentary. But how do you deal with royalty? Now that many Nigerians act and behave like Republicans, traditional rulers and the royalty have also learnt to leave the comfort of their palaces to hustle like other Nigerians on the streets, and so, you can’t miss royal presence at most events. But there is a challenge, acknowledging them. You have to know who is His Royal Highness or which traditional ruler is better addressed as His Royal Majesty.
To play safe, it is always advisable to refer to every traditional ruler as His Royal Majesty. It doesn’t matter if the man is a common village head. The word “Royal” is where the magic lies. Leave it out, and you’d have palace jesters rushing to you to insist you emphasize that special phrase. To get the protocol right, the titles of female guests of honour must also be properly mentioned, the problem is knowing who is what: Yeye, Erelu, Lolo, Alhaja, Hajia, Dame, Mrs, Miss or Ms. And there is at least one female VIP who objects to any young compere mentioning her first name: she says that is rude! “I am old enough to be your mum, and you know my dear, we are Africans!” Etiquette lesson taken: “Sorry Ma.” Not to talk of the Igwes. the Knights of numerous Saints, the Otunbas and holders of honorary degrees who insist on being addressed as “Dr.”
By the time a Nigerian compere struggles with these imposed standards, half of the time is wasted on absolutely unimportant niceties. And wait a minute, most of the guests would arrive late anyway and insist on being seated close to the high table, at a visible location, preferably in full view of the television cameras. Important guests like to be noticed; they want to appear on television and have their photographs taken by photojournalists who criss-cross the floor, blocking people’s view, blinding guests with camera flashes, thus constituting extra nuisance.
But the real notice-me tactic often adopted is when in the middle of a programme or a speech, some really self-important guest arrives noisily and holds everything up, making a song and a dance, sashaying across the hall. The compere is expected to suspend the programme and massage the ego of the latecomer: “Announcing the arrival of….” I imagine it is precisely because of this elevation of bad conduct into a side event, that nobody is allowed to arrive late at any event where the President of Nigeria is already seated. The security people will not allow such breach of protocol. And if anyone at all must be allowed in, he or she would have to sneak in quietly and no official compere would dare announce such rude arrival. That is another delicate protocol matter, though.
Then, the speeches: no event is complete without speeches and do Nigerians love to make speeches? Oh yes. Most of the time, many of the speeches are unnecessary. Those who are not supposed to say a word are invited to say a few words and they take an hour. There is so much repetition, with some speakers not having enough sense to leave out what has already been said. You are also likely to find someone who starts with “I don’t have much to say” only to go ahead and bore you silly. Or, some would start with: “I’ll try to be brief.” When you hear this, it’s better to be on your guard. Be prepared to listen to a rambling sermon. Even when time is allotted for every speech, this is usually ignored. I have been at events where the microphone was deliberately muted when the speaker started wasting time. Some speakers would still insist that they should be allowed to finish whatever they believe they are saying and they’d go on rudely, without the microphone!
Then, the acknowledgements: Every speaker begins with a long list of acknowledgements: Your Excellency, the President of the world, Your Excellency the Governor of this, Your Excellency the Governor of that… (if ten or twenty governors are in attendance, some speakers will mention each one of them by name!), and the Distinguished Senator whatever, The Right Honourable somebody, My Lords, spiritual and temporal….this alone may go on for close to five minutes. Before then, the compere would also have taken about five minutes giving the biography of the speaker. And he does that with every speaker, who again takes the microphone and repeats the same protocol list, only to end it all with “All protocol(s) observed.” Sometimes, all protocols are not just observed but “duly observed”, followed by the ritual of time-wasting salutations.
And in some cases, the protocols are “respectfully and fully observed.” The truth is that speakers don’t have to worry about protocol being “duly, respectfully or fully” observed. Career diplomats often protest that these phrases are incorrect and offensive. But this has not stopped speaker after speaker adopting similar short cuts: “Madam Chairperson, permit me to stand on existing protocols”. Or: “Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to adopt existing protocols.” On one occasion, a speaker said: “I am sitting on existing protocols, Mr. Chairman.” That was something novel except that it didn’t stop the next speaker from standing on the same protocols that someone had just sat upon.
Elsewhere, in Britain, United States, Canada, and Europe, when speeches are to be made, people don’t sit or stand on protocols and there are no long introductions and acknowledgements. The speeches are delivered in a pre-arranged order, promptly, briefly and to the point. And of course, the guests arrive on time. Prefacing a speech with “Ladies and Gentlemen” is considered adequate. Here and in other African countries: Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Namibia, Ghana…the reverse is usually the case. We should perhaps begin to worry about African protocol, very much like African Time (!). Our public events and ceremonies could become more purposeful and business-like, however, if we dispense with lengthy introductions of titles and biographies. I once embarked on the onerous task of measuring the time spent on protocol at a particular event: two full hours. The main business of the day – an award ceremony – was just a little under an hour!
News
Tinubu Appoints Grace Henry as First Female Chair of Nigerian Legion

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Grace Henry as the new chairman of the National Council of the Nigerian Legion, marking a historic first as both the first woman and the first non-commissioned officer to lead the country’s foremost veterans’ organization.
The announcement was made on Thursday in Abuja via a statement by Abdul Lauya, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Digital Communications to the chairman.
According to the statement, Henry’s appointment was formalized through a letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and takes effect from June 7.
Born on October 5, 1964, Henry brings with her over 25 years of military and administrative experience. She retired from the Nigerian Army in 2000 and most recently served as Director of Corporate Affairs at the Legion’s headquarters in Abuja. She is also the current National Coordinator for Female Military Veterans of Nigeria.
She succeeds retired Major General AbdulMalik Jibrin. Her appointment is widely seen as a reflection of the Federal Government’s commitment to promoting gender inclusion and equal representation within the military veterans’ community.
President Tinubu expressed confidence in her leadership and urged her to leverage her experience to reposition the Nigerian Legion, which serves as a vital support system for the nation’s ex-servicemen and women.
Her appointment is expected to usher in a new era of reforms and revitalization for the Legion amid growing calls for improved veteran welfare and institutional development.
The Nigerian Legion, a statutory body established to support the welfare of ex-servicemen and their dependents, plays a critical role in the rehabilitation, reintegration, and economic empowerment of military veterans. It also promotes national unity through remembrance events such as the Armed Forces Remembrance Day and collaborates with various agencies to uphold the dignity of retired military personnel.
In response to certain media reports describing her as “one of the most powerful non-commissioned ex-service personnel,” Henry distanced herself from the characterization.
“She wishes to make it clear that leadership is not about grandstanding or media posturing,” Lauya stated. “There is no such thing as being ‘most powerful’ under her leadership.”
Henry emphasized that the Legion remains a unified body, representing all veterans—commissioned and non-commissioned—without bias or division. She condemned any effort to create artificial hierarchies within the organization and called on the media to refrain from spreading unverified claims.
“She remains committed to the principles of unity, service, and integrity,” the statement added. “Ms. Grace Morenike Henry belongs to all and to none in particular. Her mission is to serve all Nigerian veterans equally and selflessly.”

News
Former Kwara Governor Cornelius Adebayo Dies at 84

Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo, a former governor of Kwara State and one-time senator, has died at the age of 84.

Lagos Lately TV confirmed his passing through a close family associate, who disclosed that Adebayo died early Wednesday morning in Abuja.
Born on February 24, 1941, in Igbaja, Kwara State, Adebayo’s political journey began with his election as senator under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1979. He later served briefly as the state’s governor in 1983. Between 2003 and 2006, he held the position of Nigeria’s Minister of Communications.
A respected advocate for democracy, Adebayo was a leading voice in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which pushed for the actualization of MKO Abiola’s June 12, 1993 presidential mandate. Notably, he declined an appointment to serve in General Sani Abacha’s military government in 1993, standing firm in his democratic convictions.
Foreign
Fear of Assassination: Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei Picks Three Potential Successors—Excludes Son

Amid rising tensions and fears of targeted attacks, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly named three possible successors, excluding his son, in preparation for a worst-case scenario during the ongoing conflict with Israel.
According to a Saturday report by The New York Times, the 86-year-old leader, who is said to be operating from a secure underground bunker, privately selected three senior clerics to take over leadership if he is killed. The decision follows a wave of high-profile assassinations allegedly carried out by Israeli forces, which has heightened concerns at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership.
Crucially, Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba—who has long been rumored to be his heir apparent—was not included among the chosen candidates. This marks a significant departure from previous speculation suggesting a dynastic transition was in the works. The Jerusalem Post also confirmed the report, adding that Khamenei has made additional contingency plans by appointing replacements within Iran’s military hierarchy in anticipation of further Israeli attacks.
Traditionally, Iran’s Supreme Leader is selected by the Assembly of Experts, a powerful clerical body of 88 members. However, Khamenei’s move suggests he may be attempting to influence the succession process in advance, seeking to ensure ideological continuity and maintain regime stability amid external threats.
Experts believe the choice of three clerics rather than a single successor points to internal disagreements and the urgent need for contingency planning as the situation escalates. While the identities of the chosen individuals remain undisclosed, sources say they are trusted hardliners closely aligned with Khamenei’s vision.
Regional Impact and Rising Concerns
The reported development comes at a volatile time in the Middle East, with recent Israeli strikes targeting senior Iranian and Hezbollah figures. Analysts warn that any sign of instability in Iran’s leadership could further destabilize the region.
“This is not just theoretical succession planning — it’s being done under the very real threat of attack,” a regional intelligence source told The New York Times. “The regime clearly views the risk of a leadership vacuum as imminent.”
Khamenei’s decision underscores the high level of concern within Tehran’s leadership circle as it braces for potential escalations and prepares for scenarios that were once considered unlikely.

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