The duo of Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano State, and the Nigerian presidency stand the risk of plunging Kano back into the year 1893. Their weapon would be politics and votes of the over 2 million people of Kano. In the year 1893, in the words of highly rated scholar on Northern emirate administration, C. N. Ubah, a bitterly disputed succession battle plunged the Kano emirate into anarchy and civil war. Indeed, the Kano royal family had overtime been a hotbed of divisions and acrimony. Beginning from the first civil war fought in Kano in 1565, the royal house of…
Author: Editor-in-chief
Tomorrow, 24th of May, 2024, Governor Seyi Makinde will change the baton for a new set of “Ajeles” to the 33 Local Governments in Oyo state. In Yoruba parlance, Ajeles signify proxy authority. What will be the sole responsibility of this gentlemen? The singular responsibility will be to continue the plundering of the Local Government funds as a proxy of the Governor. For the few who think they are going to have a new face of governance at the grassroots, you will be shocked. Those Chairmen were not selected to serve the people. They have specific mandates to serve only…
There was a popular blacksmith in the ancient town of Idanre a long time ago. One day, a man took two hundred blunt cutlasses to the blacksmith to help him make some tools out of them. The blacksmith asked his client to come back in three days. On the third day, the client went back as asked by the blacksmith and surprisingly, the blacksmith handed over two hundred needles to the man and told him that was all he could make from the two hundred blunt cutlasses. If the client was shocked, he didn’t betray it. He paid the required…
Trust Nigerians, most especially, the Yorubas of the South West. They are very gifted and resourceful when it comes to creating songs to fit prevailing circumstances and register such circumstances in history. The Yorubas have a rich tradition of composing songs to appreciate a peaceful and fruitful reign of a Monarch during the pre colonial era and I think they still do to some extent now. They also have a tradition of composing songs to condemn the reign of Monarchs laden with hardships. ” Laye Olugbon, mo daborun meje, e o maa pee lorin, laye Aresa, Moda borun mefa, e…
Makinde’s On Tuesday, 21st day of May, 2024, the Oyo state House of Assembly gave Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state yet, another nod to increase the debts profile of Oyo state with 10 billion Naira. While the House was giving this approval, Governor Seyi Makinde was in far away Yale university in the United States of America to celebrate the graduation ceremony of her daughter. Do not get me twisted, Governor Makinde, no matter how you look at it, is a man blessed enough to train his children in any foreign university, Governor or not. However, when you look…
Aare Ona Kakanfo, Afonja was a very powerful Yoruba Generalissimo. He was a prince of the old Oyo empire. By the time he was appointed as the Aare Ona Kakanfo, his base was at the Northern Garrison, precisely, Ilorin. The Fulanis, led by one Alimi had camped far away from Ilorin at the time. One day, Afonja saw himself in a dream. He was being deceived by a Fulani cattle rearer to sell off his old breed of cattle for a new breed which the Fulani cattle rearer told him were more productive. As Afonja was concluding the bargain, his…
Like Sango, who fights without marking boundaries, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have allowed his disdain for his party men in Oyo state to transcend the political terrain. In fact, advertently or inadvertently, Oyo state have become persona non grata in the consciousness of the president. His latest demonstration of disdain for the state, a solitary slot was conceded to Oyo out of over five hundred appointments for Federal Higher Institutions. The president made the appointments on Friday, 17th of May, 2024. States like Osun and Lagos, as usual, got chunks of the slots with both states carving over twenty slots…
Have you noticed that in the last two weeks, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State seems to have acquired an inexplicably large dose of boldness and courage? Conversely, you must have equally observed that, in the last couple of days, FCT Minister, the very loquacious Nyesom Wike, has taken an uncharacteristically large overdose of meekness and humility. The thawing of the ice of Wike’s flippancy baffles watchers of the combustive politics of the oil-rich state. To many students of the semiotics of Nigerian power struggle, Fubara’s sudden temerity can be found in a robust wise-saying of the Yoruba. They say,…
I had once warned that if the APC in Oyo state failed to gather Its acts together, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will repeat exactly what he did with It in 2023 by 2027. Except for those who perpetually love to deceive themselves or some incurable optimist, it has been generally admitted that president Tinubu had an agreement with Wike, Makinde and other members of the G-5 Governors of the PDP. It has also been largely established that whatever agreement he had with the PDP Governors favored him and affected the APC in Oyo and Rivers states negatively. In fact, the…
Auxiliary: Is This A Ride? When news broke on Thursday that the former Chairman of the Park Management System, PMS, Mukaila Auxiliary was to be arraigned, I was anxious to see what the charges against him would be before making up my mind on the level of seriousness of those who are behind his predicaments and how far they are willing to go. If reports in the Media are anything to go by, then I will say I am not disappointed. Auxiliary has been charged before a Chief Magistrate court on a four count charge bothering on allegations of Murder…