Profile of Ogunwusi Ooni-elect - Culled by Ike Onwubuya

Profile of Ogunwusi Ooni-elect

Forty-one years ago in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, a prince was born into the Giesi Ruling House, Ojaja Royal Compound of Agbedegbede in Ile-Ife. He was named Adeyeye Enitan. 

Many years before the birth of the young prince, it was predicted that a child of prominence that would impact the lives of mankind would be born into the family at exactly 1pm. Indeed, Adeyeye came into this world at exactly 1pm on a Thursday, the 17th of October, 1974. 

With the news of the arrival of a new born prince, he was specifically named Adeyeye by his grandfather Pa. Joseph Olagbaju Adewole Ogunwusi Jnr. The name Adeyeye in English translates to ‘A Crown Befitting for a King’; Pa Ogunwusi on setting his eyes on the new born prince began to call him Adeyeye Ooni from that very day till he passed away. 

The young prince’s late mother also named him Enitan which in English translates to ‘A child of great story’.Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is the 5th direct descendant of the Giesi Ruling Family (Ooni Ojaja Orarigba – Ayikiti ninu Aran reigned form 1878-1880, he was the 44th Ooni of Ile-Ife to rule. 

He begat Adegosan Adewole Ogunwusi, who was an extremely powerful prince in Ile-Ife and a war veteran that never lost any battle for Ile-Ife and the Yoruba race. He begat Pa Joseph Olagbaju Adewole Ogunwusi (Jnr.), a very bold prince who took after his father. 

He begat Prince John Oluropo Ogunwusi, a radio and television anchor and star presenter that spanned the entire mid-1980s to early 21st century in the South-Western part of Nigeria. He begat Prince Adeyeye Enitan. 

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was quietly delivered into the humble family of Prince Ropo and late Margaret Wuraola Ogunwusi (Ile Opa family compound, Ile-Ife). Like the proverb, “A golden fish has no hiding place”, young prince Ogunwusi’s excellence and outstanding acumen would soon start to announce it for the world to see. 

Prince Adeyeye is best described as an astute entrepreneur driven by turning impossibilities to ‘possibilities’. The Young Prince’s power of imagination has set him aside, hence, revolutionizing his approach to creativity and innovation. He is a distinct achiever with the conscience of youthful excellence. 

The ambitious young Prince with exceptional business ideas delved into Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) locally and abroad for over 12 years. He is also actively involved in the development of over 2,500 housing units with various consortia of developers within the last 8 years. 

In Nigeria, he set up and fostered strong trade relationships through the Association for International Business (AIB) with presence in over 200 member countries across the globe. One of the laudable achievements of this body includes the trade facilitation between the United Arab Emirates (Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone Development) and the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). 

Furthermore, Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi led the Government delegation to Canada in 2002 that promoted strategic alliances through a partnership with the Ondo State Government on solid mineral (Bitumen, Dimension Stones, Granite, etc.) potentials of the state, which gave rise to the formation of the ‘Amalgamated Mining and Exploration Company Limited’ – wholly owned by the Ondo State Government. 

In addition, he facilitated the development of Sparkwest Steel Galvanizing Plant (the only steel Galvanizing Plant in Nigeria), National Iron Ore Mining Company Limited and Jakura Mines resuscitation projects, which has eventually become the major limestone feedstock to Obajana Cement Plant in Kogi State, Nigeria. 

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was involved in the trading and marketing of commodities as the main facilitator for Dangote Group’s break into the ‘up-country supply chain consortium’ between 1996 and 1999. To mention a few, he also traded for Dohagro Allied, Global Apex, Olam, Clemco, Stallion Group and Milan Group at about the same period. 

This was where he gained his expertise in marketing which till date is one of his core strengths. He also facilitated the biggest Lead and Aluminum recycling plant set up in Nigeria by the National Steel Company of India in Ota, Ogun State. 

In 2002 Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was able to revitalize the processing of rice and setting them into different groups and sub categories. In addition he was able to donate rice and tilling equipments to the Oyo and Ogun State chapters of the “Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria”. 

The Young Prince was a major force in propagating the Ofada rice production; which was made possible under the chairmanship of Alhaji Abubakar Wodi of the “Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria”. 

The industrious Prince began his strides in the Real Estate sector with various dredging and land reclamation projects in Lagos State. Prince Adeyeye is the initiator of Essential Homes, a real estate product launched in January 2014, formed to deliver affordable upscale homes to middle and low income earners. 

The 1st phase of the product (the Southpointe Estate, Lafiaji Road-Lekki, Lagos State) started in February 2014 and has been successfully delivered within a year with approximately 60% occupancy recorded. 

This attests to the huge market demand and acceptability of the Essential Homes brand. He also led the team that developed the prestigious Northpointe Estate Phases I, II, III and Midland Court on Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos. 

In addition, Prince Adeyeye has successfully undertaken numerous multi-billion Naira projects across Lagos and its environs; Jacob Mews Estate Yaba, Lakeview Park I and II Estate Lekki, the ongoing Golden Leaf Estate, Lekki and Grand Lake Estate Ajah, Lagos. 

The Lord’s Estate which is in partnership with Oba Adedapo Tejuosho, the piling of Lagos Home (a residential project powered by Lagos State Government), Ilubirin, Lagos and the upcoming Ife Grand Resort and Leisure. 

Prince Adeyeye has a clear track record of community development starting with his home town. Four years ago, during the occasion of his Mum’s funeral, the community was without any form of electricity. The Prince embarked on a ‘Power Project’ to install transformers and light poles that generated electricity which till date is serving the good people of that community. 

This ‘Power project’ was also extended to the other parts of the town. The Lafiaji community, off Orchid Hotel road, Lekki – Epe expressway, Lagos also benefitted from his community development projects with the opening up and reconstruction of 6.5km road, with a 1.1km green extension without Government intervention. He also made possible the electrification of this whole stretch powered by his company, Gran Imperio Group. 

Within a year, to actualize his dream of the development of one of the best resorts in Nigeria, he led a team that opened up a remote jungle called Inagbe Island in Amuwo-Odofin LGA, Lagos. 

His vision and creativity transformed Inagbe Island into a whole new community offering world class relaxation and recreational facilities. The multi-billion Naira Inagbe Grand Resorts and Leisure, Lagos, Nigeria is the first of its kind in the whole of West Africa bounded by the Lagos Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. With this feat, he is set to increase the country’s GDP through tourism and reduce unemployment by providing direct and indirect employment. 

At the launch of this magnificent project in December 2013, The Managing Director of First Bank plc., Mr.Bisi Onasanya, told The National Newspaper(published on December 13,2013) that tourism remain a veritable means of entrepreneurship and a source of revenue for Nigeria. Hence, it should be given necessary support. 

At the unveiling of the signage of the resort, Mr Bisi Onasanya said” It is a shame to some of us that we have waited this long for a younger person to come and wake us up and show us what we are able to do.” 

Prince Adeyeye is very passionate about people and their pursuit of happiness. Alongside his vibrant personality, he is very down to earth and enjoys being in the midst of his workers. He celebrates and dances with them, dines with them, cracks jokes and of course gets on the work grind with them. 

Early this year, Prince Adeyeye disclosed his plans to take Ile-Ife to greater heights by rebranding the ancient town and replicating the Grand Resort in Ile-Ife, having already acquired a good land mass for the project. On the 7th of March 2015, Prince Adeyeye was a recipient of the prestigious NIDSA (National Ife Descendant Students’ Association) GOLD AWARD for 2015 on the occasion of the Ife Day celebration. 

He is a grassroot fellow to the core, whose humility is second to none and a lover of youths. As a philanthropist, Prince Adeyeye has sponsored numerous less privileged children and youths in his hometown of Ile-Ife and likewise in Lagos where he lives. 

Many youths till date are beneficiaries of Prince Adeyeye’s scholarship platform. 

Prince Adeyeye is currently an employer of over 300 indigenous youths at the Inagbe Cocowood Factory-Essential Homes Furniture brand, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria using 100% indigenous raw materials for production. He has over 450 direct employees across his various companies and over 3000 indirect employees. 

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is a Director on the Board of Imperial Homes Mortgage Bank Limited, (formerly GTHomes) which is a leading National Mortgage Bank and former subsidiary of one of the biggest banks in Africa; GTBank plc. 

He is also a Director at Fina Trust Microfinance Bank Limited; one of Nigeria’s foremost Microfinance Banks focusing on SMEs and micro credit facilities. He is the founder and Managing Director of Gran Imperio Group, which is the holding company of his Real Estate and Construction, Manufacturing, Facilities Management, Leisure and Tourism companies in Nigeria. 

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND & FAMILY LIFE Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi attended Sobuola Memorial Nursery and primary school, Ibadan and completed his primary school education at Ibadan District Council (IDC), Akobo, Ibadan. 

He then attended the prestigious Loyola College, Ibadan in 1985, led by Reverend G.B Daramola, the principal of the college. He later proceeded to Ile Ife at Saint Peter’s Secondary School, Omi Okun, Ile Ife led by Late Johnson Adebisi. 

He holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy from the Polytechnic Ibadan, where he started cutting his teeth in outstanding entrepreneurship, even as a student. 

To mention a few, the royal prince of Ile-Ife (the source) is a member of some dignified professional bodies namely; Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an Associate Accounting Technician and a certified member of the Institute of Directors (IOD) Nigeria. He is also an active member of the Global Real Estate Institute (GRI) having participated at various levels. 

He is married to Adedokun Adebisi Ogunwusi and blessed with a daughter, Adeola Aanuoluwapo Ogunwusi. 

To be a Prince in Yoruba land in itself is outstanding. However, to be a prince of the source, Ile-Ife, the Cradle of Civilizations is to be truly blue-blooded. The young Prince is very passionate about what he believes in; people and possibilities and thus has achieved giant stride from his very youthful age. 

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi over the years has fostered numerous remarkable partnerships with dignified Royal Fathers of Lagos(Yoruba Land) in some of his Real Estate developments; HRM Oba Saheed Elegushi, Kusenla III, Elegushi of Ikate Land, Lagos(Development of Lake View Park 2, Lafaji, Off Orchid Hotel Road, Lekki-Epe expressway), HRM the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, (development of Northpointe Estate, Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos), HRM Oba Oyekan, Onilado of Ilado-lnagbe Island, Lagos(Development of Inagbe Grand Resorts and leisure, Lagos), HRM Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, The Oranmiyan Osile Oke Ona of Egba Land, Abeokuta (development of the Lord’s Estate, Buckswood College Abeokuta), HRM Oba Oloruntoyin Saliu, The Oloworo of Oworonsoki, Lagos (partners in the proposed Oworonsoki Redevelopment Scheme, Lagos), HRM Oba Akinloye, Ojomu of Ajiran Land, Lekki – a host to several developments which Prince Adeyeye has embarked on. HRM Olofa, Oba Mufutau Muhammed Gbadamosi (partnership during the rice and sugar merchandising for Dangote Group and others). 

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is indeed a highly dignified man, fearless and daring, a self-made man who not only has passion for his home town but for his country as a whole. He has forged respectable alliances with some of the most esteemed Royal fathers, leaders and kings of our time. 

It is without doubt that the young prince of Ile –Ife through his vision to impact the lives of everyone around him and his fervent passion for humanity has broken grounds as an investor in people and a preservationist of the cultural heritage of Ile-Ife. He is loved and highly admired by the people of Ile-Ife and importantly, he remains in tune with his roots and tradition.

Package Yourself - Humour

BTo Package urself no be crime....

NEW JOB TITLES:

*Gardener: Landscape Executive Officer (LEO)

*House Maid : House Upkeep Manager (HUM)

*Receptionist : Office Access Control Manager(OACM)

*Typist : Printed Document Handler (PDH)

*Messenger : Business Communications Conveyor Specialist (BCCS)

*Window Cleaner : Transparent Wall Technician (TWT)

*Temporary Teacher : Associate Tutor (AT)

*Tea Boy : Refreshment Specialist (RS)

*Garbage Collector : Public Sanitation Engineer (PSE)

*Watchman : Theft Prevention & Surveillance Officer (TPSO)

*Thief : Wealth re-Distribution Expert (WrDE)

*Driver : Automobile Propulsion Specialist (APS)

*Maid : Domestic Operations Specialist (DOS)

*Employee without Portfolio : Administration Manager (AM)

*Bus Conductor:Chief Exit Officer(CEO)

*Cook : Gastrointestina l Nourishment Management Executive(GNMO)

*Barber: Dead Scalp Cells Removal Specialist (DSCRS) 

Do Not Forget 

*Unemployed : Town Surveyor (TS)

*Gossip : Research & Communications Manager (RCM).

*Bad Belle pple: Research, Analysis & Criticism Specialist (RACS)

*Local Drunk: Alcohol Testing & Maintenance Executive (ATME)

*Mechanic: Automotive Fault Tracing & Correction Engineer (AFTCE)

*Tailor: Couture Fabrication Specialist (CFS)

 Wealth re-Distribution Consultant (IWDC)

Enjoy your day. Ike Onwubuya

India hosts biggest Africa summit

India hosts its biggest-ever Africa summit this week as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to challenge China’s dominance on a continent that is blessed with vast natural resources and has the world’s fastest-growing population.

The national capital wants to project its soft power and historical ties to Africa, in contrast to China’s focus on resource extraction and capital investment that has sparked a backlash in some countries against Beijing’s mercantilist expansion. 

Of the 54 countries invited, more than 40 to be represented by their heads of state and government who, after a series of ministerial meetings, will hold a full summit on Thursday. India’s trading ties with Africa date back to antiquity and both found common cause in the struggle against colonial rule. Yet India’s influence faded over the course of the Cold War as it withdrew into non-aligned isolation. Now Modi, self-styled chief salesman of a “Make in India” export drive, wants to capitalise on an economic slowdown in China to highlight the country as an alternative partner for trade and investment.

“India is the fastest-growing major economy. Africa is experiencing rapid growth too,” Modi told African journalists on the eve of the summit. Although India’s headline economic growth has overtaken China’s, its economy is one-fifth the size and it lacks the financial heft to challenge Beijing in a head-to-head contest for the African market.

“We can’t match the Chinese in terms of resources - but any engagement we do with the Africans at least gives them a choice,” said C Raja Mohan, a foreign policy commentator at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. The India-Africa Forum Summit is the third of its kind and, since the first was held in 2008, two-way annual trade has more than doubled to $72 billion. That lags trade between China and Africa, which has exploded to $200 billion as the world’s number 2 economy sucks in oil, coal and metals to feed its industrial machine. 

The world’s largest democracy has been criticised by human rights groups for inviting Omar al-Bashir, the president of oil-rich Sudan wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.

Exploitation and extraction

For India, business comes first. State-run oil company ONGC, which has fields in Sudan and South Sudan, is on the hunt to buy $12 billion in foreign assets over the next three years and has identified Africa as an investment target. India is also in talks with South Africa to buy coal mines producing up to 90 million tonnes of coking coal each year to feed its growing steel industry. 

South Africa is already a major coal supplier to India. Still, India wants its involvement in Africa to be less transactional than China’s, seeking a development partnership for two regions that account for a third of the world’s people, but seven in 10 of those living in poverty.

“Our partnership is not focused on an exploitative or extraction point of view, but is one that focuses on Africa’s needs and India’s strengths,” said Vikas Swarup, spokesman for the Indian ministry of external affairs. Trade ministers from India and Africa are looking to make common cause at a World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Nairobi next month, commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. 

Although India dropped its veto against a WTO deal to streamline customs procedures a year ago, it remains uneasy over Western pressure on food stockpiling it says is vital to ensure its 1.25 billion people don’t go hungry. “India and Africa are on the same page,” Sitharaman told reporters.

Culled by Ike Onwubuya 

Boko Haram: Chief Of Army Staff Disagrees With Buhari Over Deadline

Contrary to reports by Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, that the war against Boko Haram may not end by December, the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Maj-Gen Tukur Buratai has said that the deadline remains intact.

President Buhari, had through Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), expressed fears over the deadline he had given to flush out the insurgents, but Buratai has informed that the military has stepped up the battle against the terrorists.

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Major-Genreal Tukur Buratai is in sharp disagreement with President Muhammadu Buhari over December deadline on Boko Haram

Speaking during his visit to officers and soldiers of the 3 Division, Nigerian Army Jos, on Sunday, the COAS said that the tempo of the operation, the number of troops and the equipment being employed by his men, have all increased.

“Our strategy and operational plans have continued to evolve with the daily challenges that we have,” he added.

According to Vanguard, Buratai however, expressed worries over the increased spate of bombings by the group in some cities, especially on soft targets, in the last two weeks, but remains optimistic that the army, in conjunction with other security agencies would soon be able to quickly find a solution to the spate of bombings.

While commending the soldiers in the battle front for a job well done so far, he peladed with Nigerians to fully support the fight by providing useful information to security agencies, while also adding that his vision remains to reposition the army and make it more professional and more responsive to its responsibilities.

Only yesterday, the Nigerian president sent a delegation to troubled Adamawa and Borno to commiserate with them over the recent spate of bombings in their states.

Posted by Ike Onwubuya

Two Arik Air Aircrafts Collide

Two Boeing 737-800NG aircraft belonging to Arik Air were grounded by the carrier on Tuesday afternoon after they were involved in a ground collision on the tarmac of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

According to the airline, nobody was hurt in the incident, which occurred at the General Aviation Terminal of the airport.

Arik Air’s spokesperson, Mr. Ola Adebanji, said the incident happened when one of the aircraft was on its way to embark on a scheduled flight.

He said the aircraft’s wing brushed that of another plane belonging to the carrier, adding that the situation was adequately handled by the firm’s team.

Adebanji said in a statement, “Two of our aircraft, Boeing 737-800NG, were this (Tuesday) afternoon involved in a wing-tip brush at the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

“One of the aircraft, 5N-MJP, was marshalled out of the ramp for a scheduled flight when its wing brushed that of another aircraft, 5N-MJQ, parked on the ramp. There were no incidences as the safety of passengers was not jeopardised. We have grounded the two aircraft and are looking into the incident.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, told our correspondent that it was compulsory for the airline to file a Mandatory Occurrence Reporting with the agency, telling it of the incident.

Although he stated that he had not been briefed of the incident as of the time of filing this report, Adurogboye stated that it was expected of the carrier to report the incident to the NCAA for appropriate action

He said, “It is an incident. Once there is a disruption in a flight operation, which does not involve damage to the aircraft or fatalities, then it is an incident. Once you operate an aircraft, there are bound to be incidences and the regulation requires that they file the report of any incidence with the NCAA immediately by telephone and putting it in writing thereafter.

“So, they are bound to call us within the hour. Our people will now be sent to ascertain the incident and if it is something that is worth maintenance, we will ensure that after it is done, we recertify the aircraft before they return to operation. That is the regulation.”

Posted by Ike Onwubuya 

Copyright PUNCH.

Meet Canada’s new prime minister, Justin Trudeau

Justin Trudeau, the dashing eldest son of political legend Pierre Trudeau, has ushered in Canada’s first political dynasty with a stunning come-from-behind victory. But the new prime minister’s win may owe as much to voters’ fatigue with the outgoing government as to the legacy of his father.

The younger Trudeau defeated Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Monday’s elections, ending a nine-year reign that had shifted Canada politically to the right.

The victory comes just weeks after Trudeau’s Liberal Party was running third in the polls, behind Harper’s Conservatives and Thomas Mulcair’s center-left New Democratic Party.

Both Mulcair and Harper had taunted the athletic Trudeau, 43, in campaign ads that referred to him as “Justin” and made fun of his “nice hair.” Critics said he was too young and inexperienced to become prime minister.

[Trudeau leads a Liberal landslide in stunning election victory]

But Trudeau ran a tireless 78-day campaign based on change and optimism at a time when many frustrated voters wanted “anyone but Harper.” Trudeau, a former schoolteacher, ran on a centrist platform, to the left of the Conservatives but to the right of the NDP. He also benefited from many Canadians’ fond memories of his father, a public intellectual who was prime minister from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984.

“The reason he got the job of leadership is the same reason Hillary [Clinton] and Jeb Bush can run — name recognition,” said Nelson Wiseman, director of the Canadian Studies Program at the University of Toronto. “He is personable. He is a family man. He has three kids. That is appealing. But he doesn’t have much gravitas. He is an intellectual lightweight compared with his father.”

Canadians wanted Harper out. He was accused of being stiff, autocratic and out of touch with Canadian values on environmental issues, race and immigration.

Harper, 56, who was seeking a fourth term, had made a controversial push to prohibit use of the niqab, a face veil worn by some Muslim women, at Canadian citizenship ceremonies. Many Canadians were also upset at Harper’s reluctance to accept refugees from Syria. The government said at the start of this year that it would accept 10,000 Syrian refugees over three years. But only a fraction of that number have been admitted.

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien wrote in a column published in the Globe and Mail and other Canadian newspapers that Harper’s stance on the refugee crisis created an international impression of Canada as a “cold-hearted” nation. “What has happened to the country that was a model for peace and stability in a tumultuous world?” Chrétien wrote that he is frequently asked.

Trudeau had called for the government to accept 25,000 refugees.

The Conservatives also were hurt by recent political scandals, including one involving a senator on trial over fraud suspicions.

“Two-thirds of Canadian voters said the Conservatives lost the moral authority to govern,” Wiseman said. “The election revolved around one issue: Do you want to keep the government of Harper or not.”

Harper had called in August for the election, thinking a longer campaign and a bigger Conservative Party budget would wear down the Liberals and the NDP. Very few predicted a Liberal victory. But days before the election, polls showed a Liberal surge. The party wound up capturing 184 seats, enough to form a majority government.

Trudeau becomes Canada’s second-youngest prime minister. The youngest was Joe Clark, of the Progressive Party, who took office in 1979, a day before his 40th birthday.

During his victory speech, delivered in French and English, Trudeau told a cheering crowd in Montreal: “Lots of people will have lots of opinions about why we were successful.”

Against the backdrop of a Canadian flag, Trudeau said his campaign had simply used an old-fashioned political strategy.

“We met with and talked with as many Canadians as we could,” he said. “We won this election because we listened. We met with hundreds of people in the dead of winter in the Arctic and people in the middle of Brampton. You built this platform; you built this movement. . . .

“You told us it is getting harder and harder to make ends meet and to get ahead. You told us you were concerned about your retirement. . . . I am not the one who made history tonight. You are.”

[Quiz: What do you actually know about Canada?]

Not once during the nearly 30-minute speech did he mention his father by name. Under Pierre Trudeau, Canada officially became a bilingual country. The elder Trudeau had pushed for multiculturalism, a constitutional bill of rights known as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the end of provisions that gave the British Parliament a say in Canada’s laws and constitution.

Posted By Ike Onwubuya

Source  - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/meet-canadas-new-prime-minister-justin-trudeau/2015/10/20/41dea584-772a-11e5-bc80-9091021aeb69_story.html

Eze Ndigbo of Akure Dethroned

Eze Ndigbo of Akure Dethroned..."You Can't have a palace in Akure".

The Eze Ndigbo of Akure, Eze Grail illoson was dethroned in Akure on Monday the 12th of October 2015

by HRH Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo (Odundun ll).

It was reported that His royal highness, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo (Odundun ll) went with his entourage on monday to the 'palace' of the Eze Ndigbo of Akure to issue a stern warning to the Eze on the choice of keeping a palace and being enthroned 'king' on an ancestral land he doesn't belong to, Oba Aladetoyinbo iterated that there can't be two kings and two palaces in a community.

In was reported that Oba Aladetoyinbo said "I have nothing against you and your fellow Igbos, you have a right to associate freely,however, erecting a palace and being enthroned king is an abomination to our ancestral heritage".

Is this really necessary? The powers to decide who is a ruler or who designates his house a palace should lie with civil authorities and not traditional rulers. 

Posted by Ike Onwubuya

Social media and Nigeria's new civil war

Nigeria has been on the throes of a virtual civil for the past few years. This war which has pitched brother against brother is fought thankfully not in a battlefield but on social media. The battlegrounds are Facebook, Nairaland, Twitter, to a lesser extent Instagram and other sundry online forums. This war is basically between the Igbos and Yorubas with the other tribes acting as not so innocent bystanders. These two tribes due to their large, enlightened and educated populations dominate the social media sphere in Nigeria. The Niger Deltans and other southern minorities tend to passively support the Igbos, while the Hausas, who are really the target of the Igbo attack, support the Yorubas explicitly. This war have with words as its weapons, have added to the vocabulary such interesting words and phrases as “Zoo”, “Wailing Wailers”, “Ofe Nmanu”, “Biafraud”, “Dullards”, “Elections have been won and lost” amongst other colourful words and phrases.

It's hard to know the origins of this war. Historically, Ndigbo dislike the Hausa/Fulani and distrust the Yorubas. The Yorubas, distrust the Igbos and dislike the Hausas. The Hausas dislike the Igbos and distrust the Yorubas. This circle of dislike and distrust culminated in the Nigerian civil war of 1967-1970 which pitched the Igbos as Biafra against the rest of Nigeria. To a good proportion of Igbos, the Biafra war was between the Igbos and Hausas and they believe they had an agreement from some Yoruba “leaders” to join them in the fight against the Hausas and felt betrayed when these Yoruba “leaders” reneged and instead of being at best neutral, became staunch antagonists.

The advent of social media and its attendant freedom of speech has given a new generation an avenue to vent their spleen and spew the hate that almost destroyed their parent’s generation. This new bitter phase of the war began with the emergence of the All Peoples Congress  (APC). The worst nightmare for an Igbo propagandist is an alliance between the old enemies of Yorubas and Hausas, which is what APC depicts when viewed along Nigeria's ethnic fault lines. The Igbos had adopted the then Nigerian President Goodluck ‘Ebele’ ‘Azikiwe’ Jonathan as one of their own. The fact the Jonathan is from Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta of Ijaw extraction is of little consequence. He is not Yoruba, he is not Hausa/Fulani, he is a Southerner, he is a Christian, his name is Azikiwe, so he is as close to Igbo as you can get without actually being Igbo. The Igbos supported Jonathan and PDP in 2011 and were ready to back him to the hilt in 2015. They viewed any attack on Jonathan as a personal attack on Igbos, the belief was that the Yorubas and Hausa/Fulani are uniting for the sole purpose of kicking out a southern Christian minority. It also didn’t help that a lot of the APC leaders were Muslims. On the Igbo side of social media at the run-up to the election, the APC was often depicted as a Muslim party and even called sponsors of Boko Haram.

The Yoruba protagonists on social media on the hand viewed APC as the best thing since sliced bread. They often made reference to the “cluelessness” of President Goodluck Jonathan, while depicting Buhari as the Messiah in waiting and Bola Tinubu as John the Baptist. A lot of Yorubas felt shortchanged by the Jonathan government and saw the APC as an avenue to get back into the mainstream of Nigerian politics. To do that, they had to demystify and then crush the ruling government and their social media mouthpieces, the Igbos. The Yorubas were the harshest critics of the Jonathan administration on social media and were the propaganda machine behind the APC.

The defeat of the ruling PDP at the 2015 general elections means that there is now a role reversal. The hunter has now become the hunted. Where in the past we had “Jonathan the Clueless” now we have “Buhari the Dullard”. The Igbos on social media have now become the main critics of the Buhari administration for which they have earned the unenviable name of the “Wailing Wailers”, and they in turn call Buhari supporters inmates of the “Zoo”. Only on social media!

Any news on social media can be used as a tool for ethnic points scoring. From the ethnic make-up of the appointments of President Buhari, the long awaited ministerial list, the death of the Ooni of Ife and the “Abobaku” debacle; utterances of Femi Fani-Kayode, the fallout between Super Eagles head coach Sunday Oliseh and his erstwhile captain Vincent Enyeama, even as mundane a topic as the nominees for the Headies awards has the internet ethnic bigots slugging it out.

The emergence of the likes of Nnamdi Kanu, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Radio Biafra has taken this war to whole new level. This internet army complete with facebook pages, Twitter handles, a flag, virtual embassies and even a National Football team have become the greatest social media phenomenon in Nigeria. It is arguable that this group is a match to the very effective APC propaganda that won Buhari the presidency on social media. In Nnamdi Kanu, they have an arrowhead who seems to have captured more young Igbo hearts than his earlier incarnation, Ralph Uwazurike of MASSOB. Kanu with his take no prisoners, no holds barred way of speaking, he has captured the hearts and minds of many an Igbo youth who now believe the Igbos are better off as an independent state than in Nigeria. It is very common to see many Ndigbo signing off their comments with Kanu’s catchphrase “Chukwu Okike Abiama”.

This war will only be fought and lost on social media. It gives a lot of people an avenue to exhibit their innate bigotry. It shows us that Nigerians are not really the most tolerant of people and that from generation to generation, the tribal fault lines on which Nigeria is built has not been repaired. It is alarming that a good number of the hate protagonists on Social Media are products of Unity Schools and the National Youth Service Corps. These were schemes that were initiated foster unity by bringing people of different ethnicities and background together at a younger age. This is to ensure that we have unity in our diversity. These are people who work with and socialise with people of different ethnicities in real life but come on social media to score cheap points. Are these people really ethnic bigots? Some definitely are, but the majority are noisemakers who are enjoying a game of “my tribe is better than yours”. For those beating the drums of war, if you want to test your power, there is Boko Haram to be defeated, your country needs willing soldiers.

Ike Onwubuya writes from the United Kingdom

The essence of trust

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.

The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter: 

"Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river." The little girl said:

"No, Dad. You hold my hand." 

"What's the difference?" Asked the puzzled father. 

"There's a big difference," replied the little girl. 

"If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go." 

In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. So hold the hand of the person whom you love rather than expecting them to hold yours... 

Posted by Ike Onwubuya 

THE NEWLY MINISTERIAL NOMINEES AND THEIR PORTFOLIOS

1.Chris Ngige-Anambra (Health)

2. Kayode Fayemi- Ekiti (Foreign Affairs)

3. Rotimi Amaechi - Rivers (Ministry of Niger-Delta)

4. Babatunde Fashola -Lagos (FCT)

5. Abdulrahman Danbazau (Defence)

6.Aisha Alhassan - Taraba (Women Affairs)

7. Ogbonaya Onu- Ebonyi (Science and Technology)

8.Kemi Adeosun -Ogun( Trade and Investment)

9. Abubakar Malami (SAN) -Kebbi (Justice)

10. Sen Hadi Sirika -Katsina (Aviation)

11.Barr. Adebayo Shittu -Oyo (Works)

12. Suleiman Adam -Jigawa (Labour and Productivity)

13. Solomon Dalong -Plateau (Interior)

14. Ibe Kachikwu-Delta (Petroleum and natural resources)

15. Osagie Ehanire -Edo (Water Resources and Solid Minerals)

16.Audu Ogbeh - Benue (Agriculture)

17.Lai Mohammed -Kwara (Information and Communication)

18.Ahmed Isa Ibeto - Niger (Transportation)

19.Amina Mohammed - Kaduna (Finance)

20. Udoma Udoma- Akwa-Ibom ( Culture and Tourism)

Police arrest ex-minister Diezani in London

Deizani Allison-Madueke

Immediate past petroleum minister, Deizani Alison-Madueke, was on Friday arrested in London by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.

Investigations revealed that the UK Police picked up Alison-Madueke on Friday in connection with offences bordering on fraud and bribery.

 

The Spokesman for the UK High Commission in Abuja, Joe Abuku, confirmed to our correspondent that five persons were arrested by the agency.

 

He, however, did not disclose their identities.

 

It was gathered that the Seizure Organised Crime Agency within the National Crimes Agency of the UK arrested Deziani and are probing the allegations against her.

 

It was further learnt that Diezani was picked up by operatives of the SOCA at the instance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which has been discretely probing her.

 

The PUNCH investigations revealed that the SOCA has a working agreement with the EFCC in the area of investigation of allegations of financial crimes and proceeds of such crimes.

 

A source said, “It is true that the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani has been arrested by the UK’s National Crimes Agency, not the Metropolitan Police.

 

“There is an agency within the National Crimes Agency called the Seizures Organised Crimes Agency. She was actually arrested by operatives of SOCA because the agency has a working agreement with the EFCC. We have been cooperating with SOCA on a number issues.

 

“I can tell you that Diezani is being quizzed over allegations of bribery and fraud by the UK police.”

 

Investigations revealed that the EFCC dispatched a team of crack investigators to the residence of Alison-Madueke at Frederick Chiluba Avenue, Asokoro, moments after the commission was alerted that the investigation had commenced in the UK, where the ex-petroleum minister has been holed up since leaving office in May.

 

It was learnt that the EFCC operatives were still combing her residence as of the time of filing this report. 

 

A family relation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrest of Alison-Madueke to our correspondent on Friday.

 

Our correspondent could not get the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, to comment on the issue as repeated calls to his mobile telephone line indicated that it was either switched off or in an area outside network coverage.

Culled by Ike Onwubuya from the Punch

http://www.punchng.com/news/police-arrest-madueke-in-london-channels-tv/

Independence Day treat

I see you with

Comrade Oshiomhole on Monday

Abubakar Audu on Tuesday

Baba Obasanjo on Wednesday

Ogbeni Rauf on Thursday

Lai Mohammed on Friday

Babangida Aliyu on Saturday

Jagaban Tinubu on Sunday

Are you a plastic surgeon or you are looking for ministerial list?

Happy Independence Day!

By Ike Onwubuya