By Jerome-Mario Utomi

There are clear thinkers. There are also muddled thinkers. And at the rear are people you can’t explicitly refer to as Thinkers. They are just there. Neither warm nor cold. Not even lukewarm. They fall in between.

Clear thinkers are the ones that can cull everything down into the right points. And they are very hard to find. You can call them scarce commodities if you like. However, when you get yourself a team of clear thinkers, the possibilities are endless. These are men who see tomorrow, trailblazers and high-level executives, often misunderstood by some fellow countrymen still stuck in the old normal of yesterday.

Without any shadow of the doubt, the globally celebrated physician, Dr Joel Onafowokan, Chairman, Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, (ANPA) Carolina chapter is a rare breed. He is a “scarce commodity”. He is invaluable and priceless. He is an asset to his country and fellow compatriots. Dr Onafowokan is a clear thinker. He belongs to the league of clear thinkers  as outlined by Justin Merkins and illustrated above.

Given his scorecard of transformative leadership characterized by unwavering commitment to coordinated sustainable development, Dr Onafowokan is celebrated by fellow Physicians from Nigeria and other parts of the world resident in the Americas. He is a product of ingenuity and resourcefulness, a thoroughbred professional and administrator who approaches leadership roles with great enthusiasm, devotion and selflessness. Dr Onafowokan spends his energy in worthy causes and in the end, triumphs with high-impact achievements.

Dr Onafowokan’s strong leadership and commitment to protecting the political and socio-economic interests of Nigerians in the United States, has through strong alliances with credible development-oriented institutions seen ANPA, Carolina Chapter gain visibility and recognition in the comity of Medical Associations and Governmental Agencies.

A foremost example of such a relationship is the robust alliance between ANPA and the Grand Knight Sir Tonna Okei (Ikuku Oma), led Organization of African Unity (OAU), South Carolina, United States of America (USA).

On Saturday May 3, 2025, the ANPA America Carolina’s Chapter,  in conjunction with Heart Bright Foundation, at Carolina Lakes Golf Club, 23012, Kingfisher Dr, Indiana Land, SC, United States of America (USA), held its 2025 ANPA Carolina Symposium and Golf Tournament, to raise funds for ANPA National to support medical missions and workshops in Nigeria.

At the event, ANPA made a donation of $20, 000, to Heart Bright Foundation, a health focused- organization whose mission is to promote cardiovascular wellness through prevention, awareness, and partnerships in the Charlotte Mecklenburg area of the country. The gesture was received by Ms Nicole Bonesteel on behalf of Heart Bright Foundation.

I am confident that the donated sum will go a long way in helping put smiles on the faces of those in need of cardiovascular medical help.

Heart Bright Foundation focuses mainly on cardiovascular wellness and education by treating the risks such as diabetes, stroke, and hypertension.  They have a free clinic in the South End area which helps patients that have (or are at high risk for) heart disease or Diabetes.

In a similar vein, the ANPA Carolina chapter, alongside the Nigerian Physicians Advocacy Group (NPAG), Sir Okei’s (Ikuku Oma), OAU met with key U.S. leaders on Saturday, September 14, 2024, in Columbia, SC, and held discussions that focused on opening pathways for strategic collaborations and strengthening critical relationships between government entities and the Nigerian community.

ANPA, a non-profit organization representing Nigerian medical professionals in America was incorporated in 1995 for educational, scientific and charitable purposes as a tax-exempt non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, NPAG, under the leadership of Dr. Susan Edionwe, MD, FACS, serves as the 501(c)(4) advocacy affiliate of ANPA, a 501(c)(3) philanthropic organization. Both entities represent physicians residing and practicing in the Americas.

The delegation to the meeting was led by Dr Onafowokan (Chairman),  Dr Uyi Igbinadolor, with Grand Knight Emeritus  Okei (Ikuku Oma), President of OAU, SC, and Ms Nnenna Amuji, Presidential Aide.

The group paid a joint working and courtesy visit to the federal appointee for the South-east Crescent Commission, a federal agency in the United States.

Worthy of mention is that Dr Onafowokan holds in high esteem, his predecessors as attested by his recent visit to the grave side of Dr Nova Omoigui, the former president of ANPA. He was accompanied on the visit by Dr Igbinadolor, a physician per excellence, Okei (Ikuku Oma), President of the Organization of African Unity SC.

Again, as a result of Dr Onafowokan’s sterling leadership provisions, the sheriff of Mecklenburg county was the special guest of honor at the 2025 ANPA end of the year celebration where he praised the relationship ANPA is exploring in conjunction with OAU, and looks forward to a more robust relationship between the sheriff’s county, the sheriff’s office and ANPA.

There are three ways in x-raying Dr Onafowokan’s character trait. Firstly, he is not only a clear thinker but a man with sound leadership judgement and cerebral in thinking. Secondly, his organizing and human relations prowess are not only heroic but exemplary. Thirdly, He is imbued with the capacity to deliver on any given assignment, blessed with grace to take any given organization from where it is to where it ought to be.

A highly skilled physician, Dr Onafowokan specializes in primary care, internal medicine, and hospital care. He’s board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and has advanced certifications in cardiac life support and trauma life support.

Dr Onafowokan earned his medical degree from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and completed his internship and residency at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.

With over 15 years of experience, he has worked in various clinical settings, including emergency and critical care. He is passionate about providing superior health services and stays updated with the latest research to deliver high-quality care. He is affiliated with Faith Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and holds admitting privileges with Novant Health hospital network.

Very unique is the awareness that in their civil and detribalized nature, Tonna Okei and Joel Onafowokan both married Yoruba wives, Dr (Mrs) Oluwatoyin Okei (Ugodie) and Mrs Anne Onafowokan. And the two women are doing exceedingly well in both home management and in giving support to their husbands community development efforts.

What the above tells us is that Dr Onafowokan is an asset that needs to be deployed for national use. It will be in the immense benefit of our dear country if the government taps from his wealth of exhilarating knowledge and  leadership acumen. Given his sterling qualities, efforts and selfless contributions to development, it is my opinion that it will be highly rewarding if Dr Onafowokan  is partnered by the government or outrightly hired to bring his skills, leadership, administrative and patriotic fervour to bear on national service, especially as the Tinubu administration focuses on rebuilding the country and renewing Nigerians’ hope for a better tomorrow.

Utomi, a Media Specialist writes from Lagos, Nigeria. He could be reached via [email protected]/08032725374

By Isah Kamisu Madachi

The furore about whether the tax laws should be implemented or not has passed. The nationwide discussions about the discrepancy between the gazetted version and the version passed by the National Assembly have also faded. January 1 has come and gone, and many changes, especially around digital transactions, are already beginning to manifest, as provided for under the new tax law. The consolidated tax laws under the tax reform regime are now in force and, as a citizen, I hope they are backed by strong accountability mechanisms and oversight to ensure that collected taxes are used for the right purposes.

However, there is a major policy gap I observed at the very last minute of the law’s implementation which, if left unaddressed, may not only undermine the effectiveness of the law but also cause more harm to its objectives. If I were to estimate, I would say that less than 5% of Nigerians understand what the new tax law contains, how it works, and what it does not do. This knowledge gap has created a fertile ground for misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.

In the past few days, I have personally encountered many people who told me they had withdrawn all the money saved in their bank accounts and converted it to cash. They said they no longer trust cashless transactions. Some were told that every single transaction, irrespective of the amount, would attract a flat ₦50 charge.

Others were also told that just keeping money in their accounts would lead to monthly deductions, or that a 5% of their savings would be deducted every month for the tax. None of these claims could be traced to any provision of the law, yet they are widely being shared with absolute confidence.

Another unfortunate experience, was my encounter with a young and vibrant POS agent from whom I regularly withdraw cash. He told me he had shut down his business. According to what he was told, every ₦500,000 transaction would attract ₦15,000 in tax, every ₦5 million would attract ₦250,000, and any transaction above ₦1,000 would automatically be charged ₦50.

He was also told these deductions would be accumulated and collected at the end of the month, and that’s what frightened him most. He used to make transactions of an average of ₦50 million per month. With this information, he now chose to abandon his livelihood. Whether these claims are true or false is not the most important when one considers the damage such misinformation is already causing.

There is also a growing narrative, particularly on social media, that every transaction must now be clearly explained in the narration section. People are being told they must specify whether the money is for savings, shopping, gifts, rewards, profit, or salary. A counter-narrative exists saying this is false. Sadly, the average Nigerian does not know which version to believe. In an environment where official clarity is weak, rumours travel faster than facts.

If I were to document all the misinformation circulating about the new tax law, it would take more than a newspaper opinion. New versions emerge almost every hour. The most alarming outcome of this misinformation is how people are altering their economic behaviour. Businesses are being abandoned. Trust in digital finance is being eroded. People are deserting the cashless system out of fear, believing their money is no longer safe in the banking system.

The only effort I am aware of to address this information gap is the reported engagement of social media influencers to enlighten the public. If this effort has begun, it is not enough. If it has not, then it is urgently needed. But beyond influencers, one must ask: what happened to local radio stations? Radio remains the primary source of information for millions of Nigerians, especially in rural areas. The law should be broken down and discussed in local languages on local radio.

There are also a proliferation of online television platforms operating across social media spaces. The tax reform committee should strategically collaborate with them to explain the law in simple and creative ways. Influencers alone cannot carry this burden. Public communication must be broader, more structured, and more deliberate.

The Federal Ministry of Information also has a central role to play here. There is an urgent need for a simplified version of the tax law and other versions translated into local languages, and disseminated in collaboration with state ministries of information. Students, heads of households, community leaders, traders, and small business owners must all be deliberately engaged. Town hall meetings, especially in peri-urban communities, should be organized. They are necessary to counter the scale of misinformation already circulating.

When people are largely unaware of what a law entails, dysfunction is inevitable. The law may exist, but its implementation will be undermined by fear, resistance, and unintended consequences. By the look of things, those who understand the new tax law are currently the fewest in Nigeria, even among the highly educated. If this gap remains wide open, the law may struggle to achieve its intended outcomes.

Now that it’s here, I hope, and I genuinely pray, that if effectively implemented and properly communicated, the new tax laws will become one of the long-awaited channels for fixing many of Nigeria’s challenges. But without deliberate public education, I doubt if the policy can yield the desired result.

Isah Kamisu Madachi is a public policy enthusiast and development practitioner. He writes from Abuja and can be reached via: [email protected]

By Timi Olubiyi, PhD

I pray that the new year, 2026, unfolds with fresh opportunities, meaningful growth, and endless possibilities. Amid the many emerging topical issues, this piece focuses on a troubling trend in academia: the growing reliance on predatory publications and the declining pursuit of reputable, recognised journals.

For many academics, particularly early-career scholars, mid-career academics facing promotion bottlenecks, adjunct and contract lecturers under publish-or-perish pressures, and even senior scholars navigating international mobility aspirations, evolving global performance metrics, and global competitiveness, this piece is intended as a lifeline, offering clarity, guidance, and reassurance at a critical moment in evolving scholarly environment.

Predatory publications are sometimes legitimate outlets that promise rapid academic publication but without the expected integrity of research or known ethical reputation, and oftentimes quality is compromised for cash for these publications. This alarming trend is not only undermining careers but also diminishing the visibility and impact of knowledge in shaping global scientific discourse.

From an African perspective, the damage caused by predatory publishing goes far beyond wasted money; it quietly erodes academic credibility, blocks international mobility, and traps scholars within local systems that increasingly struggle to meet global university standards.

Predatory journals thrive where demand for publication is high, and support structures are weak. In many African universities from observation, promotion and appointment criteria emphasise quantity over quality and indexed publications.

The disturbing finding is that often times there are no clear differentiation between indexed and non-indexed publication. As a result, many university-based journals have become the default publishing route but these journals are largely not indexed in reputable databases like Scopus, Web of Science, ABDC (Australian Business Deans Council) and ABS (Association of Business Schools) journal ranking systems which should increase quality and standards. These non-indexed journals journals are sometimes institutionally encouraged, yet they rarely offer the global visibility, citation impact, or academic recognition required for international competitiveness.

For a scholar whose work never leaves these local publishing ecosystems, the world remains largely unaware of their research, no matter how insightful or relevant it may be. Yet perhaps the most painful consequence of predatory publishing is loss of global opportunities, and systematic underestimation of impact.

African academics are frequently judged as underperforming, not because they lack ideas, rigour, or relevance, but because their work is largely invisible on global platforms. From the author’s observation, a striking number of African scholars have no Scopus profile at all, or profiles are with very low visibility, despite years of teaching and publishing as experienced lecturers, senior researchers, and even professors. This invisibility feeds a damaging cycle because when it comes to international evaluation limited indexed output is seen and it is assumed that African scholars have limited scholarly contribution, while local systems continue to reward these non-indexed publications that do not translate into global recognition.

The danger becomes most visible when academics attempt to cross borders physically or professionally. Because for international job applications, visiting fellowships, postdoctoral positions, and global research collaborations increasingly rely on transparent metrics: indexed publications, citation records, journal rankings, and evidence of international engagement.

An academic who has published extensively in non-indexed or predatory journals may appear productive on paper locally, but he is invisible internationally. Hiring committees in Europe, North America, Asia, and increasingly the Middle East are trained to recognise predatory outlets; rather than viewing such publications as achievements, they quickly interpret them as red flags, questioning the rigour, ethics, and peer-review exposure of the candidate.

In this way, predatory journals do not merely fail to help academics they actively ruin their global prospects. The contrast between quality publishing and predatory publishing is very clear and obvious. Because quality publishing follows strict academic standards like peer review, transparency, and ethical practices, predatory publishing on the other hand ignores these standards and mainly exists to collect fees from authors without providing real scholarly value.

A single well-placed article in a reputable indexed journal can open doors to international conferences, editorial invitations, collaborative grants, and academic networks.

For example, Nigerian and Kenyan scholars who publish in respected international journals often find themselves invited to review manuscripts, join global research teams, or contribute to policy-oriented projects at the African Union, World Bank, or UN agencies. These opportunities rarely come from non-indexed or predatory outlets because such journals are not read, cited, or trusted beyond narrow circles. Visibility, in the modern academic world, is currency, and predatory journals offer the illusion of productivity without the substance of impact.

So, what is the future of African academics in a globalised academic labour market? As universities worldwide shift toward international rankings, global partnerships, and research impact metrics, African scholars’ risk being locked out not because they lack intellectual capacity, but because their work is trapped in publishing systems that the global academy does not recognise. The danger is a growing academic isolation, where African knowledge circulates locally but fails to influence global debates or attract global opportunities. The solution lies not in rejecting local journals outright, but in redefining academic ambition and preparedness.

African academics must increasingly think beyond local promotion requirements and prepare for international exposure from the outset of their careers. This means understanding journal indexing systems, targeting reputable outlets even if acceptance takes longer, and valuing revision and rejection as part of scholarly growth. Universities, in turn, must reform promotion criteria to reward quality, indexing, and impact rather than sheer volume. Training in research methods, academic writing, and ethical publishing should be institutional priorities, not optional extras.

Governments and regulatory bodies can support this shift by funding open-access publication in reputable journals and discouraging the use of predatory outlets in academic evaluation. The suspenseful reality is this: African academics stand at a crossroads. One path leads to rapid local advancement built on fragile publishing foundations, offering short-term comfort but long-term invisibility. The other path is slower, more demanding, and often frustrating, but it leads to global relevance, intellectual exchange, and genuine academic mobility.

Predatory journals promise speed and certainty, but they quietly close doors. Quality publications demand patience and rigor, but they open the world. For African scholars seeking international jobs, collaborations, and influence, the choice is no longer optional it is existential. The future of African academia depends not just on producing knowledge, but on ensuring that knowledge travels, is trusted, and is seen. In this new year and beyond be different, be intentional, be visible, and be globally relevant. Good luck!

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Dr Timi Olubiyi is an expert in Entrepreneurship and Business Management, holding a PhD in Business Administration from Babcock University in Nigeria. He is a prolific investment coach, author, columnist, and seasoned scholar. Additionally, he is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) and a registered capital market operator with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He can be reached through his Twitter handle @drtimiolubiyi and via email at [email protected] for any questions, feedback, or comments. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author, Dr. Timi Olubiyi, and do not necessarily reflect the views of others.