₦airaland Forum

Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, a historian who
served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the
United States, has died in Washington, DC,
SaharaReporters just learned. Mr. Adefuye
died at a yet to be disclosed hospital in the
US, a source in the US told our
correspondent. Mr. Adefuye was recalled to
Nigeria after President Muhammadu Buhari
was sworn in as President. He was still
waiting to hand over to a new ambassador
when he suddenly died today.
Mr. Adefuye died at a yet to be disclosed
hospital in the US, a source in the US told our
correspondent.
Mr. Adefuye was recalled to Nigeria after
President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in as
President. He was still waiting to hand over to a
new ambassador when he suddenly died today.
A former professor of history, Mr. Adefuye was
in 2010 appointed by former President Goodluck
Jonathan as Nigeria’s ambassador in the US. An
outspoken person and fierce defender of Nigeria,
the deceased diplomat tackled critics of Nigeria
in the US. He vociferously lobbied against
Nigeria’s classification as “a country of interest”
in America’s terrorism watch list.
Mr. Adefuye hailed from Ijebu-Igbo in 1947, and
studied at the University of Ibadan where he
earned his first degree in 1969 as well as a PhD
in history in 1973. He also received a Fulbright
Fellowship that enabled him to do research work
at Columbia University, the University of North
Florida, and the University of Florida in
Gainesville.
Ambassador Adefuye, who wrote several history
texts, taught at the University of Lagos, earning a
professorship and heading the History
Department 1985 to 1987.
Prior to his appointment to Nigeria’s Embassy in
Washington, DC, Mr. Adefuye served as his
country’s ambassador to Jamaica (where he was
concurrently accredited to Haiti and Belize) from
1987 to 1991. In 1991, he was appointed
Nigeria’s Deputy High Commissioner in the U.K.,
leaving to work for fourteen years as a Deputy
Director at the Commonwealth. On leaving the
Commonwealth, the former professor accepted a
position as an advisor at the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

http://saharareporters.com/2015/08/27/nigerian-ambassador-us-ade-adefuye-dead

“Blessed is the man who has delight in obeying
God completely, whatsoever he does shall
prosper.”
A CHAMPION in a lime and spoon 100, meters
race after winning a trophy, was asked by
journalists which of the crowd reaction helped
him to win. The crowd that cheered and praised
him or the crowd that mocked and jeered at him.
His response taught us a lesson: Ignoring the two
crowd reactions was the secret of his success.
Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye is a focused
Christian and a man of God. He has no time,
neither for those who praise him nor for those
that mock him and call him names. Adeboye is
passionate about salvation, about evangelism,
about character, integrity and holiness. He is an
incurable soul winner. As a young worker and
new convert, he formed a club: “The fishers of
men”. They would not go to bed any day without
winning some souls.
Over the years, God has used him to bring joy to
many homes enveloped in sorrow caused by
barrenness, terminal ailment or children of
wealthy parents that were hooked on drugs. At
the last RCCG Convention, which was the
platform for Femi Aribisala’s view, many women
that were called barren that Adeboye prayed for in
previous conventions brought their children in
their hundreds of thousands to give thanks to
God and to testify.
People brought on wheel chairs got up and
began to walk. People with terminal ailments
came out for prayer and they were asked to see
their doctors and confirm the healing that took
place. Adeboye did not want to share in God’s
glory; so he asked his pastors to lay hands on
these people. Under Adeboye’s leadership, The
Redeemed Christian Church of God established
departments that care for the afflicted and the
needy.
At Christ Against Drug Abuse Ministry, CADAM,
we gather drug addicts, heal them and give them
education or technical training depending on
individual’s ability and interest.
Habitation of Hope is a home that gathers the
homeless and the destitutes and give them hope,
education and a future. Many of these are now
citizens doing well for themselves.
RAPAC is a department that counsels, prays and
treats in confidence, people who are HIV positive.
Holistic Ministry ministers to prostitutes,
rehabilitates them, educates and trains them. ‘A
CAN can make a difference’ provides food for
people in the streets and under the bridges. RCCG
is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in Nigeria
and in 187 other nations.
The General Overseer of a Pentecostal church
based in Victoria Island, Pastor Femi Aribisala,
wearing a mask of social critic and columnist
wrote an article: “Adeboye the richest man in the
world” at page 47 of Sunday Vanguard of August
16.
In the article, Aribisala condemned the ministry
of Adeboye, the revered General Overseer of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God. Aribisala
believes the purpose of building a new auditorium
that can accommodate 12 million worshippers in
response to God’s instructions is because
Adeboye wants to make the Guinness Book of
Records. Adeboye has his name in the LAMB’S
BOOK OF LIFE which is the best achievement any
mortal can ever aspire to.
Aribisala said: “Pastor Adeboye is using man’s
wisdom to teach his congregation how to prosper
instead of imitating our Lord Jesus who pleaded
with his disciples that calamity awaits rich people
and that poor people are the blessed people.”
Aribisala got the gospel mixed up; many
scriptures tell us the mind of Christ about wealth,
our welfare, our health, salvation and eternity. In
3 John verse 2, the Bible says: “Beloved, I wish
above all things that you mayest prosper and be
in good health, even as thy soul prospereth”. In
other words, after salvation, God wants us to
have a good health and strong financial
resources.
In Philippians 4:19, the Bible says: “But my God
shall supply all your needs according to his riches
in glory by Christ Jesus.”
That is, the Lord will supply the needs to take the
gospel to the uttermost parts of the world.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was rich, he was
never poor.
“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the
Lord of hosts”— Haggai 2:8.
The owner of solid minerals cannot be described
as poor. In Psalm 50:10, the Bible says: “The
Lord of host is rich. The cattle on a thousand
hills are His”. The gospel of Jesus, however,
teaches us not to focus on wealth and that the
rich should not be high minded and that our
focus should be on things of eternal value.
‘Salvation, preaching the gospel’ are of eternal
value and they have to be funded.
SELF-SUFFICIENT
Jesus was self-sufficient. He did not carry money
or cheque book about but when he needed a
thing he would decree it. He rode in the Mercedes
Jeep of his time to Jerusalem. He commanded
money out of the mouth of a fish when he needed
to pay tax. He was not a tax defaulter. The little
boy who brought five loaves of bread and two
fishes went home with 12 baskets because Jesus
wanted to teach his congregation and disciples
the principles of financial breakthrough.
RCCG is a full gospel church where holiness,
divine healing, evangelism and principles of godly
prosperity without sorrow are preached.
Adeboye used a metaphor when he told the
congregation on Saturday of the last convention
that he is richer than Bill Gates. In 188 nations,
members of RCCG would offer him a place to stay
in their personal houses, a privilege Bill Gates
does not have. It was a challenge to the workers
to win souls.
It will be a surprise if Aribisala’s church in the
home of the wealthy, Victoria Island, is built to
look like a temple or synagogue of the Bible days,
simply because his understanding is that only
poverty can be combined with holiness. It is also
amazing that Aribisala’s church was not planted
in Ajegunle, Idumota or Mushin which agrees with
his philosophy that only the poor will enter the
Kingdom of God.
Another issue is Aribisala’s comment that Daddy
Adeboye once boasted that those who want to
become President will come to RCCG to seek
support and that the royalty of the United
Kingdom will want to be part of RCCG. The
prophecy that political candidates in Nigeria will
come to RCCG to solicit support has been
fulfilled. In 2011, presidential aspirants came to
seek Adeboye’s prayer and counsel.
Prince Charles, the British crown prince,
worshipped in RCCG, Jesus House, London, and
commended the efforts of the church. Queen
Elizabeth has also endorsed the impact and
efforts of RCCG in the United Kingdom. Boris
Johnson, the Mayor of London, and Prime
Minister David Cameron attended RCCG Festival
of Life in London when elections were close by.
Adeboye prayed for them and they won their
respective elections.
Cameron said: “Thank you, Daddy G.O.”
Aribisala’s friends in RCCG should give him those
tapes, if he wants to confirm.
Reputation law governing charity empowers a
charity to raise money publicly if they wish
provided the finished product is presented to the
donors to see. Adeboye is not a signatory to the
project account. He has invited the public to visit
the new auditorium even while under
construction.
Regarding some of our pastors and members
who are in political/public offices, we
acknowledge that their promotion came from God,
it is a wake-up call for increased prayers that
insurgency will be crushed and Nigeria will
prosper and improve in all fruits for their sake.
The big question is this; how does Aribisala have
so much time to visit and monitor messages and
structures of other churches when he has a flock
to feed spiritually?
In conclusion, we like to advise and pray for
Aribisala.
PREACHING THE TRUTH
He should preach the truth to his congregation,
the full gospel truth—holiness, prosperity, divine
healing- and he should challenge them to win
souls so that together we can expand the
Kingdom of God and extinguish or reduce the size
of Satan’s Kingdom. He should preach in his
Sunday Vanguard column and win souls.
The Lord that is rich in mercy will envelope
Aribisala in his mercy, overlook his malicious
words against us and enlighten his eyes of
understanding.
Adegbiji, a pastor, is the head of the RCCG Media
and Public Relations.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/pastor-aribisalas-misguided-missile-on-pastor-adeboye-rccg/


Pastor Aribisala's missile
https://www.nairaland.com/2539571/pastor-adeboye-richest-man-world

“I have houses in at least 188 countries in the world, so I am richer than Bill Gates.” (Adeboye). Recently, a friend took me to the jewel-in-the- crown of the Redeemed Christian Church of God; a glitzy parish called “City of David” in Victoria Island, Lagos. Displayed resplendently on a wall in the church-office is a design of their current building project; a 14 storey architectural extravaganza titled “Trinity Towers.” Is Redeemed still a church or is it now essentially a business concern? The Trinity Towers project shows the lines are now totally blurred. Jesus warns: “No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24). Nevertheless, this Tower of Babylon being built with church funds is designed both for the worship of God and for the worship of money. The project is an appeal to crass commercialism; a blatant celebration of wealth. In this poverty- stricken Nigeria, the foundation of the building alone is expected to cost over 2 billion naira. Side-by-side with a 5,000 seat auditorium for church services are high-brow restaurants, cafeterias, indoor swimming pools, cinema halls, gymnasiums, retail shops, games arcades, lawn tennis courts, relaxation spots, and a helipad as the crowning glory. Of what relevance is all this “supermarket” in a church? Anointing for carnality A church-member, overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all, buttonholed me in the hallway. I did not know him from Adam, nevertheless, he held me hostage as he waxed lyrical about how the Redeemed Church was, to use his words: “taking over.” “We have already got the vice-presidency,” he said. (The vice-president of Nigeria is now a Redeemed pastor). “Next we will get the presidency,” he continued; “and then we will get DSTV;” (a South African satellite television network). The anointing for this pride of life flows right from the top. The General Overseer of the Redeemed Church is Pastor Adeboye. A few years ago, he decided he needed a billion naira without which his “work of God” could not be done. So he confounded the Christian faith by establishing a “millionaire’s club.” To be a member, you had to hand over a million naira to him in Jesus’ name. Thereafter, he upped the ante by calling for a “billionaire’s club.” He announced that he would be building an auditorium that can only be described as “fantabulous.” It would be a ginormous three kilometers in length and three kilometers in breadth. This project is clearly more designed to get Adeboye into the Guinness Book of World Records than it is to get the members of Redeemed into the kingdom of God. Declared Adeboye on that occasion: “We need 1 billion naira from ten people. If you are one of them, please see my personal Secretary after we finish today.” Who are those likely to have this kind of money to give in the Nigeria of today except those who have cornered public funds? Thereafter, an announcer sought to know the members of the church who were “willing to join hands with our Father in the Lord to build a new auditorium to God’s glory.” Vanity upon vanity The proposed auditorium is not to the glory of God. The proposed auditorium is to the glory of Adeboye. Adeboye’s project is reminiscent of Saul’s, who built a monument to himself. (1 Samuel 15:12). Nowhere in the entire New Testament was money ever collected for putting up a building. Money was only collected for the poor. The temple of God is no longer a physical building. The temple of God is now Jesus Christ. Pastor Adeboye is getting increasingly carried away by vanity. I have a tape of a question-and- answer session he had with his church-workers a number of years ago in which he boasted that the time would soon come when, before anybody could aspire to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he would first have to talk to Redeemed Church. Nothing in the scriptures can be construed as suggesting this as one of the stated objectives of Jesus Christ. A Redeemed church-member told me of another meeting he attended captioned: “A Day Out with the G.O.” It was a dinner for financial sponsors of one of the annual “Holy Ghost Festivals.” Pastor Adeboye boasted tongue-in-cheek on that occasion that the time would soon come when the Queen of England would plead to join Redeemed in order to work as an usherette. The audience reportedly responded with wild applause and shouts of “Amen.” Richer than Bill Gates At the just-concluded 63rd Annual Convention of the Redeemed Church, Adeboye declared that he is now richer than Bill Gates; widely acknowledged as the richest man in the world. He said: “I have houses in at least 188 countries in the world, where we have our churches, so I am richer than Bill Gates. Each time I visit these countries, my children would be struggling and saying daddy, come and stay with me.” These “houses” don’t belong to Adeboye; they belong to Redeemed church. Knowingly or unknowingly, Adeboye distorts the gospel. Jesus says: “All who have given up home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or children or land for me will be given a hundred times as much. They will also have eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29). However, Jesus words are spirit. (John 6:63). Therefore, his “houses” are entirely spiritual, while Adeboye’s are physical. Jesus does not make his disciples richer than Bill Gates. Instead, he says: “God will bless you people who are poor. His kingdom belongs to you! But you rich people are in for trouble. You have already had an easy life!” (Luke 6:20/24). Adeboye continued: “If I announce here that tomorrow morning, I need a car to travel to the new auditorium, how many cars do you think would be made available to me by you my children? Those of you that do not have a car of your own, very soon, God will give you your own cars. So, I am appealing to you to become an incurable soul winner before you leave this convention ground and your cup will overflow.” Anathema to Christ This is nothing but the enticing word of man’s wisdom. Believers don’t preach the gospel in order to receive cars. We do because God commands that we do so. Jesus had neither chariots nor horses. He had no lands and houses. Indeed, he warned a prospective disciple who wanted to follow him they would not be staying at the “Sheraton Hotel:” “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20). Jesus does not speak like Adeboye. He says: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.” (Matthew 10:24-25). Jesus’ example is anathema to Adeboye’s declaration that he is now the richest man in the world. This is the word of Jesus the Adeboyes of this age choose to ignore: “It’s terribly hard for rich people to get into the kingdom of heaven! In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God’s kingdom.” (Matthew 19:23-24).
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/pastor-adeboye-the-richest-man-in-the-world/

Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has finally laid to rest rumours that he does not see eye-to-eye with his former assistant in the Eagles Austin Jay-Jay Okocha when he said; ‘’yes, I hate Jay- Jay’’. A reporter had asked him to clear the air on rumours that he does not see or stay in the same room with the former playmaker of the Super Eagles. The hall was like a graveyard when he made the pronouncement. He looked round and explained further. “I hate Okocha because anytime we play Tennis, he beats me. We played at the weekend at Sheraton Hotel and he defeated me’’. He made light of the rumour that started after he was appointed coach of the senior national team. Many still believe that Okocha stabbed Oliseh in the back when he accepted the captaincy of the Eagles to the 2002 World Cup. ‘’We’re the best of friends and we played Tennis at the weekend’’, he emphasised. Okocha is currently the Chairman of Delta State Football Association and Chairman of NFF’s Study Group. Speaking on the Eagles, Oliseh said that he was going to make the Eagles to play team football combined with individual talents. ‘’If you remember our victories in 1994 and 1996, it was based on individual talents. But we do not have such individual talents again. What we need to do is to play collectively. That is what obtains in Germany and Spain. It’s a lot of hardwork. We’re here to do our best’’, he added.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/i-hate-okocha-oliseh/

Prince Okunade Sijuwade, as he was then called, started his elementary education at Igbein School, Abeokuta, an institution owned by the CMS Mission. He lived with his other brother under the care of their father’s good friend Chief G. A. Adebayo and his family. Chief Adebayo was the secretary to the Egba Council, under the Asoju Oba. After his elementary school education, he preceded to Abeokuta Grammar School, under the well-known educationist, The Rev. I. O. Ransome Kuti who was the principal of the school.
Early in life, Prince Okunade Sijuwade was conscious of his royal birth, and his carriage, even in school, was of one who was destined to wear the crown. Once, at Abeokuta Grammar School, The Rev. Kuti wanted to flog the young Sijuwade for some misdemeanour. As the principal raised his whip, the young prince dared the famous disciplinarian to hit a ‘king’.
This did not of course stop Rev. Kuti from meting out what he considered appropriate punishment to the erring young man who was nonetheless satisfied that he has made his point. He left Abeokuta Grammar School after five years and transferred to Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife to complete his studies under the Rev. S. A. Adeyefa. On his first day at school, mistaken for one of the new teachers and in no hurry to correct the impression, young Sijuwade took over the class in which he was supposed to be a student. In spite of his royal posturing and youthful pranks, Prince Sijuwade is remembered by many of his classmates as a particularly diligent student and quite mature for his age. Because of his relative access to money, the prince was able to acquire many good things of life, especially clothes. He was a trend setter in school. He was one of the few students in Oduduwa College, who was familiar with life in Lagos at that time, as today, the centre of good life in Nigeria.
On leaving Oduduwa College, the young prince joined his father’s business for about three years after which the elder Sijuwade, convinced that his son had acquired sufficient on-the-job training, decided he should proceed for a course of study overseas. Before he left however, the young man on his own volition decided he needed to have journalistic training.
He joined The Nigerian Tribune where he spent two years, not only as a reporter but manager in charge of business and advertisement. Thereafter, he proceeded to the United Kingdom in the early fifties to undertake a course of training in Business Management. His training was essentially in Northampton and with the Leventis Group in Manchester in 1957. He also participated in advanced business management training programmes with companies in Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Scotland, West Germany and Israel. Armed with the immense experience he acquired in these places, he returned to Nigeria a few years later to lunch a career in business.
Prince Sijuwade’s business career was marked by more than average fortune. Endowed with an agile mind, highly motivated and possessed of an iron-will, courage and prodigious industry, the prince was certainly destined for success. And so he drove himself to limits that would seriously test all but the most dogged. Early in his career, he decided he could do with no more than four hours sleep and that distance would prevent him from accomplishing his goals. Even today, with the enormous demand on his time in several places, some of them several miles apart, he maintains a travelling schedule that even the most peripatetic would consider punitive.
Shortly after Prince Sijuwade returned to Nigeria, he was appointed the Sales Manager of Leventis Motors in Western Nigeria with its headquarters in Ibadan. By 1960, with Nigerian Independence, he became an adviser to the Leventis Group.
In 1963, the government of Western region Nigeria, now getting increasingly involved in a lot of industrial activities in the country approached the Leventis Group to release the Prince for five years to help in re-organisation of some of their companies. The request was reluctantly granted after month of hard negotiation by the then Chairman of the Leventis Group, Chief A. G. Leventis who considered the young Prince Sijuwade as an asset to their organization. The Leventis Group made the Western Nigeria Government promise to let the Prince return to his organization at the end of his assignment.
Prince Sijuwade’s first assignment with the government was as Sales Director of National Motor in Lagos. He subsequently headed the management of the company with numerous Nigerian and expatriate staff under him. In 1964, he undertook an extensive international tour to look into the possibilities of acquiring better products for National Motors. One of the places he visited was the Soviet Union whose cars he believed would sell well in Nigeria, because they were relatively cheap and appeared durable.
When he returned to Nigeria and reported to his employers, they were not as enthusiastic about the business proposal, because the government was not at this time well-disposed to trade with the Russians. Rather than feel disappointed Prince Sijuwade, smart businessman that he was, immediately saw a business opportunity and seized it. He formed a company along with three friends, WAATECO, which was to become in a few years the sole distributor of soviet-made vehicles, tractors and engineering equipment in Nigeria with at least fifty Russians on its staff and a dozen branches all over Nigeria.
This small beginning marked the start of trade with the Soviet Union in Nigeria and for Prince Sijuwade, the birth of a business empire that was to include at least fifty companies. Two years after WAATECO was set up, Prince Sijuwade offered the Soviet Union 40 per cent equity participation in the company. Of course, the Russians did not hesitate since the company was doing well. Business with the Russians was to grow many hundred folds in the next decade and a half.
It is a credit to his acumen in business that while trade with the Russians expanded, his business contacts in the capitalist West continued to grow and develop. He was being seasoned in the tough world of business. While setting up his own company, he continued his efforts to help re-organise the government-owned National Motors and by 1965 the company began showing a profit. The political turmoil in the country following the coup of January 1966 and the counter-coup of July the same year brought his good friend (Rtd) Major General Robert Adebayo (then Colonel) to office as Governor of the Western Region.
Sensitive to the possibility of having a disagreement with his friend over a public issue, he decided that it was best to resign his appointment as an employee of the Government of Western Nigeria. He subsequently left the service of the government and went fully into business on his own. With this resolve, he now explored with fresh zeal his many contacts within Nigeria and on the international scene and revitalized business possibilities which time had not allowed him to exploit while working with the government.
Within ten years, his activities stretched far and wide, and to keep in touch with the various commercial capitals of the world, he moved the headquarters of his operations to the United Kingdom n 1973. With this, he was truly where he wanted to be in the business world. The world was, as it were, his oyster.
Prince Okunade Sijuwade and Ile-Ife relationship before 1980
A modern housing estate which he built in one of the quieter and newer parts of the town was to provide housing for senior staff of the University of Ife, and help relieve the University’s acute staff housing shortage. It was for prince Sijuwade not only a business investment but a contribution to the development of the University and his home town.
It was the same thoughts that inspired his decision to build a first class motel for V.I.P. visitors to Ife, the Motel Royal. This also turned to be a far-sighted decision because at his coronation a few years later, when the town played host to thousands of guests, the accommodation problem was not nearly as chaotic as it might have been. With his business now firmly established internationally, he decided to establish a stronger footing in his home town, Ile-Ife. He embarked on two major projects in the town which turned out to be a wise decision both from a business angle and as a means of enhancing his image in his community and among many Ife indigenes. It is widely believed that this was the bedrock for him ascending the throne of his fore fathers in 1980.
Oba Okunade Sijuwade: a modern ambassador of peace in contemporary Yoruba Ever Since he ascended the throne, Oba Sijuwade has been a worthy ambassador-at-large in Nigeria and a symbol of pride for the Yoruba. The Ooni has ever since been in the forefront of the vanguard of traditional rulers whose foremost pursuit is geared towards sustaining the stability, unity and peaceful existence of every single component of the Nigeria nation. In fact, the Ooni, the Emir of Kano and the Obi of Onitsha for almost three years were being referred to as the three musketeers who have fought tooth and nail to bring the country together where every Nigerian can sleep in any part of the country other than his own town.
Oba Okunade Sijuwade has done a whole lot more than any other ruler in Yorubaland. For example, he is reputed to have personally forged unity and peace among the people and helped the Yoruba in Diaspora to stay in touch with their cultural roots. For the sake of history, in 2009, His Royal Majesty, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II, the Ooni of Ife, led about fifty traditional rulers from the South West on a five-day visit to the neighbouring Republic of Benin. The visit of the Ooni with the traditional rulers and chiefs was aimed at promoting cultural link and unity among traditional rulers in West African countries, some of who shared cultural link and origin with the Yoruba. Oba Aderemi Adedapo, the Olojudo Alayemore of Ido-Osun who doubles as Chairman, Protocol, Public Relation, Culture and Tourism Committee of  the Osun State Council of Obas, said the visit of the Ooni and the Yoruba traditional rulers to the Republic of Benin was to  promote cultural lineage and peace in West Africa. Eminent traditional rulers on the entourage of the Ooni on this fateful day were Oore of Otun-Ekiti, Obalufon Alayemore of Efon Alaaye, Owa Ooye of Okemesi, Elemure of Emure-Ekiti, Timi of Ede, late Aloko of Iloko Ijesa, Olufon of Ifon, Olobu of Ilobu, Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Olowu of Owu, Olumoro of Moro, Akesin of Ora, Asaoni of Ora, Olojo of Ojo and Onisan of Isan-Ekiti. Others were Owamiran of Esa-Oke, Olororuwo of Ororuwo, Olufi of Gbongan, Elerin of Erin, Oluwo of Iwo-Oke, Adimula of Ifewara, Salu of Edunabon and Olukoyi of Ikoyi Ile.
Oba Okunade Sijuwade and other traditional rulers visited Seme, a border town between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin and given a warm reception by Dr. Thomas Boni Yayi, the President of the Republic of Benin, who was represented by Professor Moufoutau Laleye, the Ambassador of Benin Republic to Nigeria and other prominent rulers comprising Alaketu of Ketu, Onisabe of Sabe, Onikoyi of Ajase, Ajahute Dode of Alada, the king of Abomey and a host of others. The five-day visit took the traditional rulers to Cotonou, Ajase/Porto-Novo, Ouidah, (a former slave camp) Alada, Abomey, Sabe and Ketu. Three of the seven sons of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba race, are residents in Benin Republic. They are Alaketu of Ketu who was the first born, Onipopo of Popo and Onisabe of Sabe.  The President of Benin Republic, Dr. Yayi, who organised a civic reception for Oba Sijuwade, said that the Ooni should feel more at home since the country is made up of Yoruba and other tribes.
It is important to note that in February 2009, Oba Sijuwade helped mediate in a dispute over land ownership between the communities of Ife and Modakeke Ife, which resolved in part through the elevation of the Ogunsua of Modakeke Ife as an Oba. The new Oba, Francis Adedoyin, would be under the headship of Oba Sijuwade.
In July 2009, Oba Sijuwade said he was concerned that Yoruba socio-cultural groups such as Afenifere and the Yoruba Council of Elders were taking partisan positions in politics and warned about the harm this might cause the Yoruba nation.
Towards the end of 2009, a more local dispute between the Ooni, the Awujale of Ijebuland and the Alake of Egbaland was finally resolved. Oba Sijuwade traced the dispute back to a falling out between Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola during Nigeria’s First Republic, which had led to a division between the traditional rulers. He noted that the traditional rulers were an important unifying force in the country during the illness of President Umaru Yar’Adua
Furthermore, in January 2010, Oba Okunade Sijuwade showed the world his commitment to Nigerian unity by conferring Nigerians from different tribes titles, which to many historians and writers has been describe as one of the reasons fostering unity in the country, little wonder the affable General Gowon described the Ooni as a bridge builder and a detribalized Nigerian, who has worked for the peace and unity of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the ceremony which saw to the conferment of chieftaincy titles on 18 prominent Nigerians, including Chief Muyiwa Ajibola and his wife, Oreyomi, who bagged the titles of Agbaakin and Yeye Agbaakin of Ife respectively was chaired by former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), as the Chairman. Other dignitaries who bagged titles include Chief Muyiwa Omisade and his wife, Toyosi; retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Chief Tunde Alapini, and his wife, Ibipo; then Osun State Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Local Government Matters, Prof Muib Opeloye; then Deputy Speaker, Osun House of Assembly, Chief Ropo Oyewole; a former Senator, Chief Segun Bamgbetan-Baju, and his wife, Yinka. Popular actor, Prince Babajide Kosoko, and actress, Chief Rachael Oniga, Chief Mrs Ololade Owolabi, Chief Mrs Funmilayo Adedoyin, Chief Mrs Jumoke Olatunbi, Justice Adewuyi Oyeyemi, and his wife, Amoke, and Chief Yomi Afolabi-Oloja, all bagged various titles. Described as generous, accessible, humorous, and humble, Oba Sijuwade also has the propensity to build bridges across ethnic, religious and political divides.
Critics have questioned the criteria for the numerous chieftaincy titles he confers on politicians, business persons and professionals from different parts of the federation, but those close to him believe that his sole motivation is the ‘promotion of culture and love’ in diversity.
In January 2010, he attended a meeting of the Atayese pan-Yoruba group, which issued a call for a truly federal constitution in which the different nationalities in Nigeria would have greater independence in managing their affairs.

Furthermore, the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero and Oba Okunade Sijuwade were like Siamese twins, almost inseparable. Their friendship was palpably solid and it extended to their children such as Prince Nasiru Ado Bayero (currently the Turaki Kano and one of the strongest contenders to the throne) and Prince Adetokunbo Sijuwade, the eldest child of the Ooni and his Crown Prince.
The late Emir, Ado Bayero was such a wonderful networker who broke down barriers of ethnicity and religion. He was a devout Muslim while his famous friend, the Ooni, was a full-fledged Christian. This difference in faith never affected their relationship adversely. Their religious tolerance would later get both into trouble with the then Buhari military junta when they travelled to Israel in contravention of a ban slammed against the country.
As an Oba, Sijuwade was involved in several political controversies, one of which was his position on the June 12, 1993 election, where he prevailed on his Yoruba kinsmen to abandon the struggle for its actualisation. He was roundly vilified. It was the same manner of resistance to Boko Haram that saw the insurgents making attempt on the life of the late Emir, Ado Bayero in his domain. While the ordeal might have rattled them in a way, they remained strong, resolute and united. Theirs was a bond cemented in heaven and concretised on earth, a didactic lesson for our current and future leaders.
Oba Sijuwade was a great family man. Like most African royalties, he was a polygamist with three wives, many children and grandchildren. Olori Monisola Sijuwade is his first wife and also the Yeyeluwa of Ife. The other two are Olori Dolapo Sijuwade, the CEO of Dalora Ventures, and Olori Ladun Sijuwade. It should be acknowledged that a major force in the life of Oba Sijuwade was the beloved Yeyeluwa of Ife, Olori Oyetunde Sijuwade – a remarkable woman, always cheerful and hospitable. She, for many years of blissful relationship, provided a stable, enviable matrimonial haven until her untimely death in August 1986.
Oba Sijuwade was a sincere patriot, statesman and harbinger of progress and development, with a keen sense of duty. As a result of this, the paramount ruler has received many national and international awards and decorations in honour and recognition of his various achievements. Under listed are some of the various awards received by him during his lifetime:
Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR)
Keeper of the Seal of Yorubaland
Hon. Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria
Hon. Chancellor, Osun state University, Osogbo,Nigeria
Former Hon. Chancellor, University of Technology, Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria
Doctor of Civil Laws (Honoris Causa), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa), University of Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria
Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa), University of Lagos, Nigeria
Member of the British Institute of Management
Highest National Honour, Republic of Poland
Royal Belgian Distinction of Commander in the Order of the Crown
Grand Commodore, Ohio State, USA
Carrier of the Key to the City of Columbia, USA
Carrier of the Key to the City of Philadelphia, USA
Carrier of the Key to the City of Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
Carrier of the Key to the City of Havana, Cuba

About the Writer:
Mr AYODEJI JOSEPH ODEYELE was born in Ile-ife, Osun State in late 1980s, the first son of Elder and Deanconess A.F ODEYELE.
AYODEJI attended Adventist secondary school,idi Omo lagere ile-ife,he proceeded to Osun state university for his degree programme in History and international studies. From his sophomore year at the University , he wrote a weekly column for the school press club. He was also active in student politics, serving as a the Pioneer President of his campus.He is a freelance writer,History scholar, a constructive critic,an astute disciplinarian,a patriotic Nigerian and presently the Research Assistant to Senator Babajide Omoworare.
He is married to Mrs TITILAYO MARY ODEYELE.

_http://abusidiqu.com/oba-okunade-sijuwade-in-the-eye-of-history-by-ayodeji-odeleye/

http://globalreportersnews.com/2015/08/oba-okunade-sijuwade-in-the-eye-of-history/


http://theeagleonline.com.ng/oba-sijuwade-in-the-eye-of-history-by-ayodeji-joseph-odeyele/?fb_source=timeline&ref=profile#_=_


For FP consideration CC: Seun,lalasticlala, ishilove

FlirtyKaren:
There's an ugly drama brewing on Nigeria Twitter right now. A serving judge of Osun State Judiciary, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede has been accused by another woman named Mrs Emily Richards-Obire of snatching her husband.

Justice Oloyede had a few months ago sent a petition to Osun State House of Assembly calling on the lawmakers to commence impeachment proceedings against the State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola. She was issued a query by the Osun State Judicial Service Commission, SJC, over her petition against Governor Rauf Aregbesola. And now Mrs Emily has written National Judical Council (NJC) accusing Oloyede of snatching her husband.

It is however not clear if Emily's accusation against Justice Oloyede has any connection with the Justice's petition to the Osun State House of Assembly. But Emily is urging the NJC to use their offices to prevent her husband from having an affair. Emily’s petition to NJC continues after the cut.

http://www.lailasblog.com/2015/08/photos-woman-accuses-justice-olamide.html

this woman does not have any case, mere looking at the marriage certificate sef, one can vividly see that it is fake, there is no stamp. Therefore, your marriage in d first place not legal.

axeman10:
I expect the management of this site (Seun et al) to dissociate itself from this false story, remove the thread or create a link to the thread dissociating itself entirely and apologising to the family of the deceased for the trauma and agony such sad rumour/lies would have caused in their moment of trials.

Note: These false stories spread like wildfire than corrected versions. This site is far bigger than it was 10 years ago, and its gone beyond just news, entertainment or politics, it is a way of life for some.. More than ever before, more controls and integrity checks are needed on posts making front page.

God will bless you like never before

kevoh:
Nairaland Moderators, this is a wake up call for you guys! Verify, Verify and Verify again before posting topics to frontpage!

CC: Seun

babaearly:
Nairaland should have a separate team that verifies homepage topics, because posts that make homepage are deemed to be important right?
Or is it just the moderators feeling?

Someone can sue You guys for this.

Seun should consider this please... it is be coming alarming the way some trends keeps hitting FP and some more informative and educative are roting behind.

ANY meaningful probe of corruption in Nigeria
must begin with former President Olusegun
Obasanjo, former Abia State Governor, Chief Orji
Uzor Kalu has said.
Kalu, who alleged instances of corruption against
the former Nigerian leader, said the former
President fertilized official corruption in the
country during his tenure, stressing that it was on
the strength of the festering sleaze around
Obasanjo that he was moved to draw the former
President’s attention to the monumental
corruption circulating around his office in 2005.
In the official letter dated September 25, 2005 and
addressed to His Excellency, Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo, copy of which was made available to
The Guardian yesterday, Kalu accused Obasanjo
of not only handling major oil deals through his
cronies but also preventing the proper auditing of
the accounts of the Nigeria National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC).
Explaining why he insists Obasanjo should be
probed for corruption, Kalu recalled how in a
media appearance on the Voice of America,
(VOA) in August 2005, he challenged the then
President to openly declare his assets, remarking
that “an exemplary leader genuinely committed to
taking up arms against the invading monster of
corruption would have had no hesitation in rising
to the call.”
While accusing the former President of owning a
foreign account and a platinum credit card, Orji
Uzor Kalu added: “The most pressing question I
wish to put to you, sir, revolves around your long
tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum
Resources since 1999. Why has there not been a
properly audited account of the Ministry of
Petroleum resources since then, despite outcry by
the people for this to be done? “There is indisputable evidence that all the deals
in the nation’s oil sector are being handled by
you, through your cronies and agents. What
about the leakages and the fraud at the NNPC
with particular reference to crude oil sales and the
accrued commissions? What have you done to
check the malfeasance?”
The former Abia governor noted that four years
after Obasanjo’s administration embarked upon
its anti-corruption crusade, it threatened fire and
brimstone with pretentious swagger of a national
revolution against corruption, regretting, however,
that “the campaigns have not yielded desired
results because the entire effort lacks focus and
a strong foundation right from the outset.”
Furthermore, Kalu informed Obasanjo: “The most
preposterous and incredulous aspect of your anti-
corruption campaign” was that while the media
was awash with stories connected with the EFCC
and ICPC, “corruption is taking root and
multiplying daily in many federal establishments,
including Aso Villa, the very seat of power, where
you reside.”
“I have repeatedly made the observation that
corruption is rife among senior officials of
government, especially those at the federal level,
and among your friends, your business
associates and cronies. Around you and in your
name have coalesced a few powerful brokers of
corrupt practices who peddle your influence and
extract billions of naira in the form of oil and gas
and defence contract commissions.
“The budget is manipulated at the National
Assembly with the active connivance of your
surrogates and a few Senators, thereby carting
away billions of naira through contract padding
or inflation. The felonious activities of this cabal,
including the foreign accounts of some of your
aides and serving and former ministers are well
known to the international community. I would be
surprised if you feign ignorance of this
unfortunate situation,” Kalu wrote.
Kalu went ahead in the six-page letter to accuse
Obasanjo on specific corrupt practices saying: “A
few examples are necessary to buttress my case:
The Abuja National Stadium, why was the original
design for the stadium, which had a five star
hotel and which contract was won by a Chinese
firm discarded and re-awarded to another foreign
construction company based in Nigeria without
the component of a five star hotel but at five
times the price originally quoted by the Chinese
firm? There is unquestionable evidence at my
disposal pointing to the fact that mega corruption
lies at the base of this dramatic turnabout.
“Why have the operations of Bureau for Public
Enterprises (BPE) remained so murky? Who
collected the commissions for the sale of
Ajaokuta Steel Company and Delta Steel Rolling
Mill, Aladja? To what degree would you, Mr.
President, defend those transactions as
transparent? Who owns Bells University and Bells
Secondary School? Who paid for the construction
of hostels and gigantic sports complex at the
Bells Secondary School? I put it to you sir, that
both projects were financed with Nigerian
taxpayers’ money through the construction giant,
STRABAG, five years ago (2000). What role did a
former Minister of Sports play in the whole deal?”
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/08/kalu-writes-obasanjo-you-are-corrupt-sir/

STORY OF "ABOBAKU" IN ILE-IFE, SACRILEGIOUS
FIGMENT OF A LUNATIC IMMAGINATION AIMED
AT DESECRATING THE SACRED SIT OF OLOFIN
ODUDUWA!!!
"Initially, I never wanted to respond to the said
story rapidly spreading around like a spirit
especially on the social media(as usual) until I
was challenged by the as a patriotic Ooduan from
Ife by the intervention of another tested & trusted
patriotic Ooduan from Ekiti in the person of my
senior comrade Adewale Adeoye who has really
shown the writers/promoters of the dangerous
lies where they truly belong in the house of
Oduduwa (bi ile ba n toro, omo ale ibe ko tii
da'gba ni).
In Ile-Ife, SARUN chieftancy remains a very
enviable position being the no.1 confidant of
OONI as the king's traditional ADC from the era of
ODUDUWA till date. However, it is imperative to
know that at no time in the history of Ife's
agelong royalty was a SARUN or any other chief
buried along with an OONI. Am also not aware of
such a practice anywhere in Oodua land except
our revered OYO KINGDOM where an
OLOKUNESIN had to be buried with an ALAAFIN
and of course that has been aborted by the
colonial government very many years ago.
After the demise of Ooni Adesoji Aderemi in 1980,
his "abobaku" Saarun Arasanmi was never buried
with his master but rather upgraded to LOODOKO
of Ife by the new Oba Okunade Sijuwade who
latter appointed his own Saarun in the person of
chief Ganiyu Oyebanji. At an older age, Saarun
Oyebanji was upgraded by Oba Sijuade who made
him the AGURO of Ife and later JAARAN which is
3rd on the hierarchy of MODEWA kingmakers(osi
Ife) until he died in sometime in 2001. The
present Jaaran, High Chief Adekola Adeyeye took
over as Saarun around 2002 and served for 11yrs
till year 2013 when he too handed over to the
present Saarun Awoyode Oyelami who was the
Oonirisa's closest traditional aid until recently
when THE ELEPHANT fell. The so called
"abobaku" Saarun Awoyode Oyelami is very much
alive in Ile-Ife always with High Chief Lowa and
other kingmakers who are about to begin the rites
for the selection of the next Oonirisa who has the
prerogative to either retain him as his Saarun or
otherwise.
I hereby describe the story of "ABOBAKU RUNS
AWAY" as untrue, malicious and reckless
calculated efforts towards the unwarranted
desecration of the sacred throne of Oduduwa by
those who could only be regarded as OMO ALE
who would always point to or desribe their
father's house with left hands(forbidden).
And as I severally asked in my refutal against a
similar anti-Ooni fabrication of lies about two
weeks ago which I titled "OORE OF OTUN TO
ANNOUNCE THE DEMISE OF OONI, A
DANGEROUS ABSURDITY OF THE HIGHEST
ORDER". Where did writer get his story from"?
"did he just decide to cause confusion of
tradition"? "did he just want to be seen as a good
writer with a round of applause from d people like
him"? "did he consult Ooni's palace in Ile-Ife? or
he just took it as a way of relaxing at the corner
of his room after eating AMALA & GBEGIRI or
EBA & EGUSI soup of his wife"?
It is again very disheartening to see someone or
people who are supposed to inform & educate the
uninformed public display abysmal level of
ignorance informed by their laziness &
unwillingness to do a thorough research into any
issue they may choose to discuss.
The sacred throne of OONI is the highest
Oduduwa Royal sit globally & should not be
undermined by those that only want to seek
cheap publicity through pages of social media.
Forgive me if my intervention doesnt meet you
well ABEG oooooo.
I sincerely remain your brother in the
descendancy of ODUDUWA and my names remain
OLAYERA MOSES OLAFARE from Lowa Ada
compound, Okerewe, Ile Ife."

Odeyele Ayodeji Joseph

PHOTO/DOC./PRO. PHOTO/AUG. 15/OONI19 L-R: Dejuwon Sijuwade; Dedun Sijuwade; Kemi Alokolaro; Mr. Ola Alokolaro; and Damola, during the inter-religious farewell service in honour of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade in Ile-Ife, Osun State… on Friday. Photo: Saheed Olugbon

misskenny:
I agree wt u, i was reading d post on OBATALA, few days back on nairaland and this exact picture is one of them. @OP; smh

I think the moderator that moved this to FP, should be banned for 30 years.

madgoat:
All this ceremony bcoz someone died. The important question is where will the person spend eternity.

Just like you and I,will one day be left to face that day.

good4all:
That's Nigeria for you. Can you pls move this to FP?

@Seun

Though the weather advisory for Lagos on Saturday, August 12, 1989, suggested a hot sticky day many a Nigerian soccer fan would soon remember it as cold, grey and unforgiving. And who could blame them?
First of all came the unfortunate sequence of events off the field. Recently refurbished and still basking in a fresh coat of paint The National Stadium was being tested for the first time in its new FIFA approved version which had 20,000 less seats - something that seemed to have slipped by the phalanx of host officials.

Shame !

I say this because despite being dressed up as merrily as a communal hut during a new yam festival, these much smaller specs as now handed down from Zurich were simply ignored and crucial safety devices like stop watches and individual counters were discarded for folded Naira notes by the legendary corrupt security men bent on maximizing every square inch of the stadium.

It was business as usual. Soon of course a bottleneck would rear its ugly head, tear gas would be unimaginably released and the unavoidable would happen and just like a stampede of mad cows at least 7 fans would be killed on a day that their only crime was to come and glorify Nigerian football.

Meanwhile on the field below things did not look any brighter.

Sure the game may have been an important World Cup qualifier for Italy 90 but no one seemed to have told either team. Despite a shocking 2-1 defeat to minnows Gabon just weeks earlier in June, the Eagles seemed clueless as to the ferocity with which arch rivals Cameroon were eyeing that same solitary Group C seat.

And it would cost them dearly.

As usual Nigeria had promised everybody James Bond but was now delivering Amitabh Bachchan. Sure the choreographed footsteps may have looked nice and sexy but they lacked the substance of anything serious and making matters worse, the Angolans were not cooperating with the sub titles they were supposed to provide.

Instead of being willing participants to a beautiful game, they were hawkish brutes who made it seem like fouls earned them extra Kwanzas at home.I mean if you can find a better excuse for the 9 cards issued within just 90 minutes - then please tell me. Nigeria’s game was unimaginative, plain, tasteless, bland or simply put just plain dull. Her attack wilted over and over and soon the fans started to fume over the crimes committed both by Stadium Management against them in the stands and the ones on the field by the Eagles, not knowing that a bigger one – soon to rob them of their brightest ray - was just looming around the corner

The Eagles Sun was and had been up till that day, the selfless dynamo Sam Okwaraji. Born in Orlu deep in the heartland of Igbo land in 1964 his accomplishments as a young lad are rather sketchy and blurred. Despite at least one of his brothers making a name for himself on the fabled green of the Bishop Shanahan Field where the cream of the LGA’S fought their bi weekly Sunday battles, our Okwaraji comes up missing.

In fact writing about Okwaraji has been very difficult because (as I would soon find out while doing my research) next to the fable of “Mammy Water”, no other story has lent itself to the myriad of truths and untruths spawned as the one of our enigmatic “Rasta”. Separating fact from fiction has been one of the harder tasks as opposed to the normal fact gathering process.

Did Okwaraji speak 7 languages? Did he shun water for Peak Milk? Was there ever a plot by a fellow Eagle to kill him? Did he have a Sampson like complex resulting in growing the country’s most recognizable dreadlocks next to Marley and U- Roy? Did he have 3 Law degrees? Did he take stimulants and did that result in his death? Did the Angolans poison him?



The Sam Okwaraji statue at the National Stadium in Surulere Lagos

Like I said while a lot of this is unsubstantiated speculation none is more questionable than the fact that he played for so many teams in so many countries in such a short time span. What we do know is that records indicate that he never played with a young Klinsman at the VFB Stuttgart but that he was an undisputable part of the success of the German 2nd Division team SSV-ULM 1848. We also know that he had just signed a $500,000.00 contract with Berchem of Antwerp within weeks before that fateful day in Lagos.
“Chukwuma” Sam’s middle name means “God knows” in Igbo and never has a name been more appropriate, because for quite a while only God would know for sure what exactly killed good old Number 6. While it would take months for us to know that his death would be cardiac related, it would take actual years later when the Indian Times would attribute Okwaraji’s death to the exact same heart defect that felled American Basket ball Star Hank Gathers and later on Cameroon’s Foe giving us finally, a non speculative cause of death

In a time when most of Nigeria was filled with inflated egos and bloated self-imagery Okwaraji was a selfless no nonsense player with any need for an iota of motivation. While we can’t link him to many spectacular eye popping creations on the field except plain consistency day in and day out, the few we do have of him are forever burned in our retinas. The most notable in my humble opinion remains the fastest goal of any ANC tournament, when he blasted a heat seeker past Cameroon’s motionless Goalkeeper in Morocco all within 60 seconds. In that same competition his gargantuan but flawed heart combined with almost reckless abandon for self, got him named MVP…… not once but twice in a row for “Team Nigeria”.

Gone at only 25, circa 20 years later Okwaraji’s name is revered and never spoken in anger - a testimony of the collective love and admiration of both friend and foe - be it in Africa or Europe. Rather it tends to serve a catalyst in conversations that try and focus on the shortcomings of both FIFA, CAF and the NFA then and what they did and didn’t do to ease the pain of the Okwaraji family.

When we compare what was done for the Foe clan years later we can safely conclude that absolutely nothing was done in "Ever Ready" Sam’s case and can only pray that in hind sight, someone or organization will realize this horrible mistake and be shamed into rectifying it regardless of how late.

RIP peace Sam

Original run August 12th 2013

http://ng.supersport.mobi/football/super-eagles/news/150812/Okwaraji_gone_but_not_forgotten



Cc: Lalasticlala

Some hours ago,Nigerian artist,Rugged man,uploaded a picture from a party he attended. And the picture showed that the pool was littered with some Nigerian currencies.
Some fans called him out for being a bad role model but the artist who himself achieved success by dissing the likes of Tuface,Eedris Abdulkarim on Tracks abd later fell off when there was no person to diss couldn't stomacj the criticism.

UnknownT:
I don't understand what you meant by periodise

Yoruba History is in chronological assessment.
There was some time in history wen a strong head sprang up and become famous and powerful redenring other Obas and even fighters useless,that is why we have places like Ede which was established by a famous and strong Hunter from Oyo. Dis time will be periodise between when the time of dis person one is talking about from time there is anoda one came famous and powerful, and attimes it might be a Town or locality that will suddenly become strong and unchallengeable

UnknownT:
Btw the Olubadan of Ibadan and the Alafin of Oyo, who commands more respect? Who has the larger kingdom?
Op, no vex say I dey ask for ur thread

Do u want to periodise dis? Or one shld just give a general ans

UnknownT:
Btw the Olubadan of Ibadan and the Alafin of Oyo, who commands more respect? Who has the larger kingdom?
Op, no vex say I dey ask for ur thread

Do u want to periodise dis? Or one shld just give a general ans

Why was Alaafin in a far Corner in this PIX ? In this PIX we have Ooni Of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade right beside Queen Elizabeth and Also Alaafin Of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi far left corner.

superior1:
Most C&S churches practice what can be called Chrislam (a fussion of Islam, occult and Christianity based on the 7 books of moses), he was never a Christian

Nothing shall be difficult for you again

chuna1985:
Imagine, u owe waec n u owe ur workers for 9 months.....yet u fed primary school children with 3.6 billion naira a year.

Lalasticlala n other moderators, pls take dis to front page.

The funniest thing is that things like dis doesn't make front page.

That is the Nigeria that we live bro

tate in 2015]

I've watched keenly the state of things and governance in the State of Osun and have taken to silence not because I have nothing to say but because I have realized how irrational Osun people are, how sentiments of nettled standards have overtaken the path of wisdom, how a one party legislature can sit comfortably with complete lawlessness.

It was recently that I felt the sharp pain of the economic situation of the state when I received a distress call from my mother, a primary school teacher in Osun State. My mother will never call me to ask for money, that I know, but I was shocked when I picked up the call and she didn't respond to my jokes and jibes. I was forced to ask my mum what exactly the matter was. She responded in an uncomfortable manner, saying there was urgent need to buy drugs and Ogbeni has refused to pay for months. That was how a single distress call further expressed the dilapidated situation of State of Osun.

When Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola launched the project called Opon Imo, I criticised it heavily and asked quite critically how sustainable the project was and is. I was however, heavily criticised but the question remains, where are the Opon Imo? When last did they give them out and where are students that collected them? I beseech everyone to check the performance index of students of Osun public schools in the last four WAEC & NECO to see the appalling situation. 

One can only weep for the future of Osun state. Before, the story was that Jonathan deliberately refused to release funds, thereafter it was said that Buhari said the Federal Government under Jonathan was not owing any state or withholding allocation. Later the story changed to how Jonathan mismanaged the economy. 

The question now is: did Jonathan come into Osun state to govern or award contracts within the state? Or does the general economic situation of the country have its headquarters in Osun state? 

 

One can only weep

for the future of Osun state

 

Well, haven said it before, I wish to restate that Aregbesola is a noise maker, an indecent one at that, who is meant to be a character in George Orwell's apologue of fable titled Animal Farm. 

To the non-literates in Osun state who got swayed by the noises on radio, television and social media, I wish them best of luck as they experience clearly the anger of God on the state. If you don't know, cash flow in Osun is basically from the state purse without which no company or big agencies can help the economy. What that denotes is that it is when the state government pays the civil servants that artisans and other non-state workers will make money. 

Also, because those civil servants will pay bricklayers to build for them, bricklayers will employ labourers with them and after some hours, they will get to petty traders to get water or bread to eat, persons producing pure water will benefit so also the bakers. I can guess you understand how it goes on like a chain? What I'm driving at is simple; Under Ogbeni, Osun state has broken in tatters. The debt profile of the state establishes a fact; it is either an end time sign or a redefined struggle.

For the sake of history, Aregbesola borrowed from First Bank the sum of 124.5 million naira on the 11th of July 2012 for the O'meal project. Now that the money has been exhausted, the state has decided to stop the O'meal project. Why embark on a project not sustainable? Why borrow money for a project that won't bring in a dime. Is it the duty of the government to feed pupils? What are you feeding them for? What's the rationale behind the feeding? Are pupils in Osun state now in schools to eat or learn? How on earth can't Ogbeni differentiate between a restaurant and a school? 

In the last few years, pupils in Osun only have one reason to go to school and that is because of the daily egg they take, little wonder many of this children think less. 

Well, for those who are not aware, the O'yes tech project was carried out on a 250 million naira loan taken from Wema Bank. If I may ask, what are the reasons for these debts and projects? Will the state continue to borrow till a creditor sells the Government house on OLX or KONGA? The same First Bank also granted over 500 million naira loan to fund the O'uniform fiasco. Mind you, all these loans are with ever growing interests. Most of these debts are unnecessary and 60% of Aregbe's policies and projects are cosmetic and simply to cajole gullible people of Osun.

Kudos to many, like this writer, who have refused to fold its hands and watch a government send its people on exile with its unacceptable 10th century government policies. 

http://www.elombah.com/elombah/detail.php?world=33840

Fellow Nigerians, the controversy surrounding the health status of The Ooni of Ife would have been unnecessary if many of us had understood or respected the Ife tradition. Ile-Ife being the cradle of civilisation is steeped in endless myths and the ancient town parades countless pantheons for about 401 deities who are worshipped all year round. Ile-Ife and Benin City cherish their culture and never joke with tradition. They revere their kings and hold on fastidiously to the belief that these kings can never die, they can only retire to the ceiling, a concept that is probably alien to members of the modern generation. This is why it is possible for a powerful king to depart this terrestrial space unannounced for months by the traditional institutions. The people have accepted a system that may seem abnormal to foreigners but not to us.

What has made The Ooni’s case so contentious is because the news of his departure escaped and exploded from abroad and our Ife Chiefs are righteously miffed about the antics of some busy-bodies who seem hell-bent on rendering them irrelevant. This is unacceptable no matter how modern the world as become. Traditions the world over are either kept or wholly jettisoned. There are sacred rites or protocols that are observed and performed by the Catholics at The Vatican. For example, there cannot be an emergence of a new Pope without the appearance of the famous white smoke. It is the same for the Muslims who must search, find and sight the moon before proceeding on starting or ending the Ramadan. Modernity has not been able to obliterate those age-old traditions.



Thisday newspaper was able to capture this terrific clash of tradition and modernity so poignantly in its story of Wednesday, July 30. I loved the way it placed the press conference held by the Ife Traditional Chiefs side by side that of those apostates or infidels (whatever you wish to call them) who betrayed Ife tradition by announcing what should never have been their remit. It would be interesting to see how this battle of wits plays out. The reason I’m anxiously awaiting its denouement is simple and straight forward.  I had cause to speak with some of the key participants, such interesting dramatis personae to say the list, and none was able to predict the outcome of this unusual debacle.
If indeed The Ooni passed away in London, a precise hour and specific date would have been logged and inscribed in the death register. Such records, unfortunately, cannot be fabricated, falsified or altered, for whatever reasons, and certainly not in obeisance to some esoteric African tradition or superstition. Now that Ife Chiefs are insisting that the influential monarch is alive and kicking, but not the bucket, would they have to manufacture a new date or admit to the date earlier announced by both the traditional and social media?

I’m aware that certain funeral rites must precede an announcement but these are unusual times. It is obvious that the Ife custom and lore never envisaged or prepared for this kind of hullabaloo where an infirmed king would have to be flown abroad for medical treatment and may never return home in body and spirit. Ile-Ife as a university town has lost some of its ancient innocence to Western incursion. This infiltration has thus filtered through and adulterated its original pristine state. The Benin kingdom is the only place I know that not much has changed. The Oba of Benin is rarely seen in public ordinarily. If something untoward then befalls the awesome traditional ruler, it may be difficult to unravel such mystery for months or even years. All that would happen is for people to discuss in low or loud whispers and so be it. Please, tell me who wants to invade the palace to probe what the ordinary eyes have never seen!

My humble submission is that we must allow a delicate marriage of modernity and tradition on this one occasion. It would be sad and tragic to enmesh the memory of this great descendant of Oduduwa the Yoruba progenitor in this type of banal and unproductive debate. And if indeed The Ooni has only retired to the loft or, by his modern equation, to the penthouse, he deserves to be celebrated by those who knew him well enough. He would be more than delighted to read his own obituary from the gilded chamber.

I was very privileged to speak to The Ooni of Ife Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II, exactly four weeks today. I had received an august visitor in Lagos, a most cerebral monarch The Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin Aroyinkeye I, who had honoured me with the traditional title of Basorun of Oke-Ila few years ago. He’s a very close associate and confidant of The Ooni. Somehow, our discussions dovetailed into how generous The Ooni and his Crown Prince Adetokunbo has been to Oba Abolarin’s Educational pet project in Oke-Ila, and we decided to call him in London. Baba, as we call The Ooni was exceedingly happy to hear from us. Oba Abolarin was the first to speak to His Imperial Majesty and he informed Baba that he was at my place. Baba’s voice was as sweet and sonorous as ever.

“Akowekowura (the man with the golden pen), how are you?” Baba asked in his funky fashion.  He then poured prayers on me: “Emi e a gun, ayo e a kun.. I’m always proud of you…” (you will live long and your joy will be bountiful). We spoke for a couple of minutes before I handed the phone back to Oba Abolarin. I find it strange that barely one month after that special conversation there are speculations that Baba has joined his ancestors. Whether true or false, this provides me with a unique opportunity to say a few things about a man who was my boss some 29 odd years ago. Since then a lot of water has passed under the bridge, whether calm or tempestuous.

Let me say emphatically that you won’t be wrong to call me a thorough-bred  Ife Boy though my father had migrated from Ihievbe, Edo State. I was born and raised substantially in Ile-Ife between 1960 and 1988, when I moved to Lagos in search of the proverbial greener pastures. I had all my education at Ife, from primary to post-graduate level. In between 1983 and 1985, I had worked as Private Secretary to former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Chief Akin Omoboriowo. My job had become comatose once the politicians were hauled into detention camps. But I was lucky to have a benefactor in Chief Omoboriowo’s cousin, Prince Adedeji Adelabu, the Chief Librarian at the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, University of Ife. He knew about my predicament and lack of income while I was also trying to return to Ife for a Master’s degree program in Literature-in-English. Prince Adedeji informed me of an opening for the post of Public Relations Officer at Motel Royal Limited in Ile-Ife, owned by The Ooni and I said I was interested. I was interviewed for the job and was immediately engaged.
I rose quickly on the job because the Board of the hotel which was headed by Chief Alex Olu Ajayi recognised my extensive networks with the university students and I was appointed as Manager. This new responsibility brought me in direct contact with our Chairman, Oba Okunade Sijuwade. I will never forget the first day I visited the palace to meet the boss of all bosses. I was already familiar with the geography of the Ife Palace due to my close affinity to the family of The Ooni Oba Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi. I had also been previously sent on errand from Chief Omoboriowo to The Ooni Oba Okunade Sijuwade but I knew he might not remember me.  At any rate, this was a different ball game entirely. I was now working for one of the most famous kings in Africa.

I was there to see my new Chairman and I didn’t know what to expect. Kabiyesi as we called him received us warmly and sternly at the same time. He said the hotel had been bastardised and cannibalised by some of those he entrusted to run the massive edifice that boasted of world class badminton and Lawn Tennis courts, swimming pool, horse stable, and so on. I promised I would do my best to bring the place back to life and I did within a few months.

I learnt many lessons while working for The Ooni. The harder I tried to resuscitate Motel Royal, the more I stepped on toes of some parasites who had fed fat on the place. They did not want anyone to stop the rot. It was similar to the story of the Nigerian nation where people tend to resist change by all means. Those guys gave me hell by spreading tales by moonlight. They bombarded The Ooni with all manner of cruel lies. It was then I realised how vulnerable men of power can be. Most of those around you were not interested in any progress but certain regress. For example, Kabiyesi would call me today and shower me with praises and recall me tomorrow for a severe rebuke. If I told him “but, Sir, you told me only yesterday that I was the best thing to happen to the motel”, he would respond that “a star is as good as his last performance.” It is one useful lesson I hold very dear to heart till this day; that one must continue to thrive without any excuse for failure.

The Ooni taught me so many other things, in thunder or in rain. We hosted friends across political divides. He was never tired of receiving visitors. Even before he woke up we would have decorated the swimming pool area of the palace in readiness for fresh visitors and our motel catered almost non-stop. He had sweet words for everyone. His ability to make friends was legendary. He was fond of saying “Allah dey” in every conversation and you would have thought he was a Muslim. His best friend was The Emir of Kano who joined his ancestors only last year. They were inseparable. He was friends with President Shehu Shagari just as he was with his arch-rival Chief Obafemi Awolowo. As a matter of fact, Chief Mrs Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo (who’s getting ready for her hundredth birthday next November) was decorated as The Yeye Oba (mother of the king) of Ife. He was close to Chief Bola Ige who installed him as The 50th Ooni of Ife just as he was to the man who dethroned him, Dr Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo. That was Oba Sijuwade for you.

This lack of discrimination landed him in several troubles. Those who wanted him to choose between right and left complained loudly and bitterly but The Ooni was never one to be swayed by the noise of the market place. He was a man of his own instinct, debonair and sartorial. He lived the life of a true Royal long before he became king. I learnt from him that it was not how much money you had but how you spent what you have. He enjoyed life to the hilt while many of his contemporaries were slaves of money who had so much but were too stingy to spend it on themselves or anyone for that matter. He knew how to unlock powerful doors, almost effortlessly. At London airports, he was known as the king of Africa with his portrait adorning private and exclusive lounges. His home was once at Chester Terrace facing the Regent’s Park in the heart of London and just a few doors away from Chief Moshood Abiola’s own terrace. When he moved some years back, he birthed majestically in a Mayfair apartment, just a stone throw from the American Embassy. The Ooni never shied away from living larger than life.

He faced many challenges, the toughest being the internecine wars between Ife and Modakeke. It reminded me of the intractable clashes between the Israelis and the Palestinians. It is to his eternal credit that he managed to reconcile with the people of Modakeke after a most fearsome and destructive war. Baba ran into troubled waters with the Buhari military regime after travelling to Israel with his Siamese twin The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero. It was a most humbling experience but he quickly put it behind him as always.

One of Baba’s most traumatic fiascos was over his handling of the June 12 crisis which angered many youths including me. I wrote several scurrilous articles against his position but Baba took it all with equanimity. As a matter of fact, that unfortunate saga drew us closer. He told friends he respected my guts and steadfastness…

• To be continued        
http://abusidiqu.com/as-the-ooni-retires-to-the-penthouse-by-delemomodu/

Ooni of Ife, Oba Sijuwade


The anxiety surrounding the demise of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has continued to heighten as worshippers of Oro began the annual festival in the ancient town on Friday night.

Oro is a deity worshipped across Yoruba land, which forbids the womenfolk from going outdoors in the night during the period of its festival.

Although, sources in Ife told our correspondent that the festival, scheduled to commence on Friday night had nothing to do with the demise of the Ooni, the public believe otherwise.

The sources, however, insisted that the festival, which would last for seven nights, should not be mistaken for the commencement of the rites of passage of the Ooni.

They also insisted that the Ooni was still alive, contrary to the media reports that the monarch died in the United Kingdom.

Although some youths interviewed by our correspondent said they were not aware of the festival, they said the festival would force everybody to remain indoors at night throughout the seven- day period.

A former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Osun State, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun, confirmed to our correspondent that the festival would start on Friday night.

Ayedun, who is from Ife, said, “Yes, Oro will start tonight (Friday). But it has nothing to do with the rumour of the death of Baba (Ooni).

“It is an annual festival and it holds around this time. So, it has nothing to do with the rumour in town.”

The news of the death of the Ooni was reported by the media on Wednesday, but the 16 chiefs, known as the Royal Traditional Council of the palace, led by the Lowa of Ife, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, debunked the news.

The Lowa also led the chiefs to announce to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Thursday that the monarch was alive and not dead.

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http://www.punchng.com/news/ooni-anxiety-heightens-as-oro-festival-begins-in-ife/

The Ife palace authority on Wednesday asked the world to disregard reports of the death of the Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, saying it remains the only credible authority to announce the demise of the king.
The palace also denied Oba Sijuwade had passed on.
News of the passage of the first class traditional ruler in the South-West of Nigeria broke late Tuesday evening and has been widely published across all media formats.
.
But addressing journalists at the palace of the Ooni in Ife, the traditional high chief of the land, Joseph Ijaodola, dispelled claims Mr. Sijuwade died in a London hospital Tuesday.
The Lowa Adimula of Ife, accompanied by the secretary, Royal Traditional Council, Adetoye Odewole, who spoke on behalf of other high chiefs, denied the news being circulated across sections of the media.
The traditional chiefs said if the Ooni had passed, the palace would be the first to know, and would be the only authority to announce the development.
They described reports of the monarch’s death as mere rumour, the type they said had been spread about the traditional ruler in the past.
They recalled that the Ooni was rumoured to have died in 1982 and in the year 2004, and called on residents of Ile-Ife to discard the rumour and carry on with their businesses.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/187443-ife-palace-authority-says-oba-sijuwade-alive-insists-only-palace-chiefs-can-announce-monarchs-death.html

Following media reports of the passing of the Ooni of Ife, O Okunade Sijuwade, sympathisers on Wednesday morning, trooped to his palace to confirm the development.
The sympathisers began arriving at the palace as early as 6.3a.m. to ascertain the veracity of the report from palace chiefs, who declined to speak.
They were, however, turned back at the entrance of the palace by palace guards, while the gate was shut.
Many sympathisers, however, gathered in groups a few metres from the palace gate discussing the development in low tones.
When the Private Secretary to the Ooni, Saka Awojoodu, was approached by a correspondent to react to the development, he simply said: “I have nothing to disclose.’’
Bisi Oduyemi, one of those at the palace, said he came to find out whether the news of the monarch’s passing on was true.
“I am here to find out whether the story of the Ooni’s death was true.
“I heard the news on radio during the newspaper review this morning but I am here to confirm this from the palace chiefs and unfortunately, they are not forthcoming,” Mr. Oduyemi said.
Another resident, Idayat Akinrolu, said she abandoned her house chores to find out the authenticity of the story from the palace.
Meanwhile, the state government and the Osun Council of Traditional Rulers have yet to react to the development.
Both the state government and the traditional council were waiting for official announcement by the palace chiefs.
Mr. Sijuwade was born on January 1, 1930 in Ile-Ife to the Ogboru Ruling House and was the grandson of Ooni Sijuwade Adelekan Olubuse I.
He studied at Abeokuta Grammar School and Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife.
Mr.  Sijuwade worked for three years in his father’s business, then two years with the Nigerian Tribune, before attending Northampton College in the UK to study business management.
By the age of 30, he was already a manager in Leventis, a Greek-Nigerian conglomerate. In 1963 he became Sales Director of National Motor in Lagos.
After a 1964 visit to the Soviet Union, he formed a company to distribute Soviet-built vehicles and equipment in Nigeria and this became the nucleus of his business empire.
He also invested in real estate in his home town of Ile-Ife and became the Ooni on Dec.6, 1980.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/187438-palace-shut-as-sympathisers-troop-to-confirm-news-on-ooni.html