• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • NAHCON

      Renewed Hope in Hajj Operations: NAHCON Records Milestone Achievements Under Tinubu…

      Mohammed Idris Malagi, Honorable Minister of Information and National Orientation

      FG Reaffirms Non-Interference in ICPC, EFCC Operations

      ICPC Secures Conviction of Rector for Running Unaccredited Degree Programmes

      Engr Abba Babagana Dalori

      Engr Dalori Forfeits Galaxy Hospital, Petrol Station, Properties & Cash

      Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • FG, States, LGs Share N2.225trn Revenue for August – FAAC

      Nigeria Customs Aligns with Finance Ministry over 4% FOB Policy Review

      Members Board of Directors of Dangote Refinery

      Dangote Refinery Deploys 4,000 CNG Trucks, Promises 24,000 Jobs as Fuel…

      Renewed Hope in Central Banking

      Book Review: Renewed Hope in Central Banking – A Blueprint for…

      NAHCON

      Renewed Hope in Hajj Operations: NAHCON Records Milestone Achievements Under Tinubu…

  • National
    • Sowore vs DSS: Free Speech or Defamation? By Mohammed Bego Abdullahi

      NAF Air Strikes Kill Scores of Terrorists, Destroy Enclaves in Borno

      FG, States, LGs Share N2.225trn Revenue for August – FAAC

      Tinubu Lifts State of Emergency in Rivers, Reinstates Fubara, Legislators

      Crowned Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia

      Saudi Frees Nigerian Pilgrims Framed by Drug Syndicate

    • Government
      • Court Dismisses Suit Seeking to Bar ICPC from Probing Bauchi Security…

        Kano’s Corruption Storm: A Test of Media Ethics and Public Relations…

        Sowore vs DSS: Free Speech or Defamation? By Mohammed Bego Abdullahi

        FG, States, LGs Share N2.225trn Revenue for August – FAAC

        ICPC Secures Six-Year Jail Term for Sokoto River Basin Director

  • Security
    • massive cache of logistics

      Troops Intercept 700 Bags of Fertilizer, Drugs Meant for Terrorists in…

      Soldiers

      Army Condemns Soldier to Death by Hanging for Killing Tricycle Rider

      NDLEA Logo

      NDLEA Hands Over Intercepted 60 Cartons of Pregabalin to NAFDAC in…

      Police Officer

      Imo Police Raid IPOB/ESN Hideout, Arrest 18 Suspects, Recover Arms

      Troops Raid Illegal Arms Factory in Plateau, Arrest Suspect, Recover Weapons

  • Features
    • Kano’s Corruption Storm: A Test of Media Ethics and Public Relations…

      Sowore vs DSS: Free Speech or Defamation? By Mohammed Bego Abdullahi

      A Group of Terrorists/Bandits

      Nigeria Fights Back Against Banditry and Insecurity By Senator Iroegbu

      A Group of Terrorists/Bandits

      Nigeria Fights Back Against Banditry and Insecurity

      Engr. Suleiman Bolakale Kawu Agaka

      Engr. Kawu: A Heroic Homecoming for a Man of the People…

  • State
    • Soldiers

      Army Condemns Soldier to Death by Hanging for Killing Tricycle Rider

      Court Dismisses Suit Seeking to Bar ICPC from Probing Bauchi Security…

      NDLEA Logo

      NDLEA Hands Over Intercepted 60 Cartons of Pregabalin to NAFDAC in…

      Police Officer

      Imo Police Raid IPOB/ESN Hideout, Arrest 18 Suspects, Recover Arms

      Kano’s Corruption Storm: A Test of Media Ethics and Public Relations…

  • Event
    • Chairman NAHCON Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman meets with Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda

      NAHCON Boss Meets Katsina Governor, Pushes for Early 2026 Hajj Payments,…

      Flier for the programs that happened for the elderly by members of BUKAA FCT

      BUKAA FCT Appreciates Sponsors after Aerobics, Football Exercises

      Prof. Abubakar Mu’azu

      UNIMAID appoints Prof. Mu’azu as Pioneer Dean, Faculty of Communication

      NIPR President Ike Neliaku

      NIPR Inducts 422 New Members, Urges Commitment to National Unity

      Baze University Management visits TETFUND, Showcases Tech-Driven Growth, National Impact

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home Fact-Check Fact-check: Did Lasisi Olagunju condemn Herbert Wigwe and buyers of defunct  Intercontinental...
  • Fact-Check

Fact-check: Did Lasisi Olagunju condemn Herbert Wigwe and buyers of defunct  Intercontinental Bank?

By
Prnigeria
-
February 24, 2024

Fact-check: Did Lasisi Olagunju condemn Herbert Wigwe and buyers of defunct  Intercontinental Bank?

Clam: A widely shared post on WhatsApp message attributed to an award winning columnist, Lasisi Olagunju of Tribune newspaper condemned the successive buyers of defunct Intercontinental Bank, including the late Access Bank group CEO Herbert Wigwe, who died recently in a helicopter crash and others 

Full Text: The WhatsApp message listed notable and veteran Nigerian bankers,and politicians who were involved in the purchase of the moribund Intercontinental Bank from  Dr, Erastus Akingbola. 

The post, supposedly written by Lasisi Olagunju, an editor and columnist with the Nigerian Tribune, had this title:  “snatchers of Intercontinental Bank from Dr,Erastus Akingbo as CowBoys.” 

The viral WhatsApp message reads: “By Lasisi Olagunju- Part 2.

“Sir…… Ile taa bah fii Ito mon………………. You cannot build something on nothing!!… These cowboys snatched Intercontinental Bank PLC from Dr,Erastus Akingbola because they’re highly connected…… 

“They’re all cursed & jinxed……. Check their list & what have befallen them one after the other!… Emir Sanusi Lamido… dethroned & Banished from Kano Emirate .. He was the CBN Governor when the deal was sealed …….(Disgraced)  Dr, Olusola Saraki… His family Dynasty in Kwara state…crumbled,lost a vast property situated along Glover road Ikoyi to FedGovt…Now,Boy boy to Nyesom Wike…the strongest man in PDP.

“Late Hubert Wigwe….He was on his way to watch Bowl competition in Las Vegas, California,… Wigwe University now in disarray..I$hee kii paa eyan…..  Aig. Imougkuede.. had Glaucoma operation on left eye,to go for the second operation very soon. Partially blind!!…

“Mr Alabi..(interim MD) foisted by Sanusi Lamido……. Down with a stroke in Ilorin,..in a vegetative state!!.. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.. letter writer of Nigeria,… chronic diabetes patient,..Barred from Aso-Rock by Jagaban… What a disgrace for former president!!.. Now, Dr,Erastus Akingbola….. Now 78years, healthy, sound, & living a low profile life & seek God’s judgement on all these people……… He has won his property cornered by Access Bank at 999c Danmole street,VI..IB PLC former headoffice….. Court ordered Access Bank to vacate the place immediately….

“Vast estate seized by EFCC along Sinari Daranijo Street,VI. returned to him(Akingbola) with apologies!!…….

“So,you can see that,God is the ultimate judge……… I knew all these, because,I was there as a staff, when these cowboys committed all the atrocities……just because, Akingbola refused to fund PDP then!!……..Are you pondering what I’m pondering sir??.????????????,” it concluded.

Who is Lasisi Olagunngu?

Lasisi Olagunju, a multiple award-winning newspaper columnist and a recipient of Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) for the best Newspaper Columnist and also Nigeria’s Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME) for Informed Commentary writing 

He attended Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where he bagged a First-Class Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English Studies. He later obtained Masters and Ph.D in Communication Arts and Political Communication respectively from the University of Ibadan. He also holds a degree in Law.

The Editor of Nigerian Tribune on Saturday, writes the Monday Lines column for the Nigerian Tribune and has to his credit,over 500 informed articles written consistently every week for the past ten year. 

Verification: To verify if Olagunju wrote that piece, PRNigeria fact checkers compared the article to multiple known works by the writer to identify consistent patterns and build a stronger case for stylistic similarity.

Read Also:

  • Troops Intercept 700 Bags of Fertilizer, Drugs Meant for Terrorists in Yobe
  • Army Condemns Soldier to Death by Hanging for Killing Tricycle Rider
  • Court Dismisses Suit Seeking to Bar ICPC from Probing Bauchi Security Votes

Findings show that the linguistic characteristics such as vocabulary, sentence structure, figurative language grammer and punctuation particularly choice of words, informal jargons, length and complexity of sentences, adherence to grammatical rules and punctuation style in the article do not match the consistency across all Olagunju’s known public works. 

While Olagunju’s style is typically poetic, the figurative language used in the said article did not come close. 

Similarly, Olagunju’s thematic elements are usually about burning national issues such as economic hardship, insecurity, bad governance and injustice, compared to the content of the claim. 

However, for proper context, PRNigeria ran a keyword search of the subjects. Findings revealed that on October 5, 2011, Sahara Reporters published an article with the title, “InterContinental-Access Bank Merger: How CBN Sold A Bank To Its Rogue Debtors” portraying  Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, a key player in the sale of the troubled bank, to allegedly still owe InterContinental Bank N16 billion—even as the Central Bank of Nigeria and Access Bank shareholders had finalized the merger of the two banks, giving Access Bank 75% ownership of InterContinental Bank.

Similarly, on September 28, 2010, Vanguard Newspaper also published a news story, with the headline, “Akingbola opens up, accuses Saraki, Sanusi of plotting a takeover of Intercontinental”. The story indicated that the former Intercontinental Bank MD petitioned the federal government, alleging forceful takeover of the bank by the CBN governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi having been instigated by Dr. Bukola Saraki.

With regards to the claim in view, PRNigeria stumbled on a Nairaland – a Nigerian based blog – article which published a similar piece, but with a different caption that reads: “Do Not Touch My Anointing. Did Herbert Take Over Erastus’s Bank?”

The article alleged that Herbert Wigwe bought Erastus Akinkugbe’ s bank after Sanusi and his cronies stripped it to bare bones. The carcass was given to Wigwe for a few coins. It also mocked the 14th Emir of Kano, Sanusi, saying he was disgraced out of the palace.

Further checks on all the social media platforms of Lasisi Olagungu revealed that the veteran columnist denied the article, saying it is not his style.

According to him: “I have just been informed that some evil people PUT MY NAME on a bad piece which they wrote (and are circulating) against some prominent leaders, bank owners and bankers in the country. I did not write that piece. The language is not mine. The style is not mine.

“AGAIN, I DID NOT WRITE THAT PIECE,” he said.

Conclusion: An analysis of the claim with multiple known works of Lasisi Olagunju does not match the latter’s writing style or channel of publishing his articles. Lasisi Olagunju’s articles are usually published by Tribune newspaper, either as columns or opinions. He also usually posts his articles on his social media platforms, especially on Facebook. The Columnist has himself since denied the claim. 

PRNigeria therefore concludes that there is NO EVIDENCE to prove that the viral WhatsApp message attributed to the multi-award winning columnist, Lasisi Olagunju is actually his. 

By PRNigeria 

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • Access Bank
  • Herbert Wigwe
  • Intercontinental Bank
  • Lasisi Olagunju
Previous articleAkpabio leads Nigerian Delegation to Namibian Ex-President’s Funeral
Next articleTRADOC Commander Extols Gallantry of Young Military Officers
Prnigeria
Prnigeria

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

NAF Air Strikes Kill Scores of Terrorists, Destroy Enclaves in Borno

Tinubu Lifts State of Emergency in Rivers, Reinstates Fubara, Legislators

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Minister of Women Affairs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim presenting a cheque to women

Renewed Hope Agenda: Group Passes Vote Of Confidence On Tinubu’s Minister, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim

Omoyele Sowore and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Finally, DSS Files Charge Against Sowore, Twitter, and Facebook over Anti-Tinubu Post

Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami and Nafisa Abdullah Aminu

Global Winner Nafisa Visits Professor Isa Pantami

Omoyele Sowore, Bayo Ononuga and Adeola Ajayi

Sowore’s Provocation, Onanuga’s Plea and the DSS Overreach

Police Nab ‘Obi of Lagos,’ Foil ₦1.5 Billion New Palace Fraud

FACT-CHECK: Did Governor Uba Sani describe El-Rufai as “Godsent” who assisted him with various needs, including property acquisitions and even against Peter Obi?

The Arrest of Ansaru Kingpins Mahmud Muhammad Usman aka Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud al-Nigeri aka Mallam Mamuda

DSS Secures 15-Year Jail Term for Ansaru Leader Over Illegal Mining

Mrs Diiarau Didi Esther Walson-Jack OON mni, SEC 30, 2008, the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation

Personnel Audit to End Guesswork in Civil Service Reforms – Walson-Jack

Nigerian Army Rescues Abducted Major in Delta State

AFIT graduates

AFIT Produces 302 New Personnel to Boost Air Force Technical Capacity

Recent Posts

  • Troops Intercept 700 Bags of Fertilizer, Drugs Meant for Terrorists in Yobe
  • Army Condemns Soldier to Death by Hanging for Killing Tricycle Rider
  • Court Dismisses Suit Seeking to Bar ICPC from Probing Bauchi Security Votes
  • NDLEA Hands Over Intercepted 60 Cartons of Pregabalin to NAFDAC in Kano
  • Imo Police Raid IPOB/ESN Hideout, Arrest 18 Suspects, Recover Arms
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
Troops Intercept 700 Bags of Fertilizer, Drugs Meant for Terrorists in YobeArmy Condemns Soldier to Death by Hanging for Killing Tricycle RiderCourt Dismisses Suit Seeking to Bar ICPC from Probing Bauchi Security VotesNDLEA Hands Over Intercepted 60 Cartons of Pregabalin to NAFDAC in KanoImo Police Raid IPOB/ESN Hideout, Arrest 18 Suspects, Recover ArmsKano’s Corruption Storm: A Test of Media Ethics and Public Relations By Umar BabangidaTroops Raid Illegal Arms Factory in Plateau, Arrest Suspect, Recover WeaponsSowore vs DSS: Free Speech or Defamation? By Mohammed Bego AbdullahiNAF Air Strikes Kill Scores of Terrorists, Destroy Enclaves in BornoFG, States, LGs Share N2.225trn Revenue for August – FAACICPC Secures Six-Year Jail Term for Sokoto River Basin DirectorNAHCON Boss Meets Katsina Governor, Pushes for Early 2026 Hajj Payments, Promises Easier ExerciseKaduna Police Arrest Two Suspects Over Illegal Possession of FirearmsTinubu Lifts State of Emergency in Rivers, Reinstates Fubara, LegislatorsBadaru Joins Global Leaders at Beijing Forum on Peace, Security
X whatsapp