After an unusual tumultuous build up, instigated by Governor Seyi Makinde, Oba Olakuleyin was eventually Installed and presented with the Staff and Instruments of office yesterday, 13th July, 2024. Naturally, Ibadan should be relieved and allowed to enjoy the reign of the Monarch in peace but like Jogunomi, Governor Makinde would have none of that. He chose the occassion of the Installation to start another controversies, this time around, a bare knuckle fight against the person he had targeted all along, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan Land, His Excellency, High Chief Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja. An amendment to section 4 of…
Author: Editor-in-chief
When we were growing up, we were used to the analogy of our parents about someone who consoled himself after failing in a struggle with others over an issue and thereafter resigned to fate that only the Grace of God is unlimited. On such occassions, our parents would say, ” eni ti owo e o ba ijagudu nii pe ko sohun to ndun tii tan, a fi ola Olorun”. I saw Governor Makinde’s reaction to the Supreme court judgment granting full Autonomy to Local Governments and I laughed till some pleasant tears were rolling from my eyes. Governor Makinde in…
Gbanjo is a Yoruba way of calling attention of buyers to a product marked for sale. When Yorubas say ” maa luu ni gbanjo”, be sure that the subject of discourse is sure to be sold. Such products, in most cases are sold at undervalued prices. Barring any last minute change of mind, which is very unlikely, Governor Seyi Makinde will sell off the Eruwa Farm Settlement! From very reliable sources, the Farm settlement will be sold off to Chinese buyers most likely at some ” gbanjo” price. The issue of the pricing is not even the issue here. It…
One of the reasons I enjoyed reading Chinua Achebe’s books is the richness in African traditional proverbs and his usual mix of the Igbo language in his writings. Through him, I have been able to grasp the meanings of some Igbo words. In his book, Things Fall Apart, there is one Igbo word that came to my mind this evening while I was ruminating on the terrible situation Nigeria and Nigerians have currently found themselves under the watch of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Igbo word sounds hilarious somehow but it’s meaning carries a negative weight. It is ” efulefu”.…
Nigeria is dying rapidly, not slowly under president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Sadly, every indices point to a fact that the president see things differently. Chinua Achebe once said that the day a mad man becomes conscious of his madness, that day is his day of salvation. Unfortunately, while the generality of the Nigerian masses are seeing a Nation headed for the abyss, president Tinubu and his few accolytes are seeing a country in wonderland, to the extent that they are already gearing up for 2027! ” Iya nronu, Omo e nroka”. It is a case of the mother, been engrossed…
The Judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan Judicial Division between the EFCC, the Government of Oyo state and some Kingmakers in Oyo Town made headlines yesterday. The quick readiness by the EFCC to arraign the Kingmakers immediately after the Federal High Court delivered a Judgement in Its favor is also making headlines as I write this piece. As for the Judgment, I have made my opinion known about the state of our Judiciary in a piece I titled ” Nigeria’s Democracy On The Judiciary’s Slaughter Slab ” and I won’t belabor the issue here. These days, our Institutions have…
One phenomenon that cannot be denied in Nigeria today is hunger. Nigerian people are hungry. Very unusually, no one – politicians, elected government functionaries or their appendages – has been able to allege that this general cry of hunger is politically motivated. So many occurrences have been painted with the camwood of that word, “politically motivated”. It is worse for some of us who write. We must have taken overnight instructions from political baron opponents to paint government black. Or, our views are hangovers from ancient hatred and bile. But, hunger seems to be in a class of its own.…
If Nigeria burns, the Judiciary will most definitely be the match stick. When former president Mohammadu Buhari ordered the invasion of the residence of some Judges during his first term in office, many people, including yours truly, considered such actions against the Judiciary as barbaric. Unfortunately, events within the Nigerian Judiciary since that time have shown that, perhaps, the Judiciary didn’t deserve our pity. The Judiciary, which ordinarily should be reverred and recognized as the last hope of the common man has unfortunately become a willing tool for politicians. The populace have lost respect for the Judiciary to the extent…
Youths, under the aegis of Eruwa Youths Movements issued a statement yesterday, registering their displeasure and what they called their frustrations with the attitudes of the Speaker, Oyo state House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin. According to the Youths, Ogundoyin made several promises to them before the election which he has failed to fulfill and most particularly, he has not been accessible to the Youths. If I will be honest here, I will firmly say that those who are complaining about Debo Ogundoyin at this point are those Yorubas refer to as the* A moran bi ni Oyo” or better still,…
The Government of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu is faced with a plethora of issues. The Economy of Nigeria under his watch is at an all time worse. Prices of food and essentials have gone beyond the reach of the poor. The image of his Government is battered left, right and centre. There is no Government, since Shagari, whose image is as battered as the present Federal Government, led by Tinubu. The president and his men have been trying to appeal to Nigerians to see the present hardships as a necessity which must be endured for the dawn of better days…