Ooni of Ife’s remains allegedly arrive Ile-Ife as palace chiefs insist the Oba is alive, hale and hearty

The remains of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade may have arrived at his palace in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

NE became aware of the development even as palace authorities and notable Ile-Ife personalities insist the Oba is alive, and is hale and hearty.



Reliable palace insiders said on Saturday that the body of the paramount ruler left London in a chartered air ambulance on Friday and was taken to the palace under the cover of darkness.

The body, our sources said, is now lying in a secluded part of the palace called Ilegbo, a sacred place where all Oonis commune with their ancestors.

Ilegbo, we understand, is the place where highly-prized rituals take place within the confinement of the palace.

It is also the place where the Are beaded crown, worn annually by the Ooni, is kept.

The Are crown is usually worn through the back because it is forbidden for the Ooni to see the inside of the beaded crown. And when it is worn, the rain must not touch it.

Our sources said only the monarch’s male children and highly ranked priests and chiefs are allowed to access that innermost recess of the palace and sight the Ooni’s remains.
“Even the Oba’s female children can’t come here, tradition does not allow them to sight the Oba at this time,” one of our sources said.

A source close to the palace revealed on Saturday that the body of the late monarch arrived at the palace in the early hours of Saturday.

The source said, “One of the sons of the Ooni travelled to the United Kingdom on Tuesday when the incident happened and I was told that he was part of the entourage that accompanied the body back to Nigeria. The body was said to have been brought back to the palace in the early hours of Saturday.

“I did not see it myself but I was told that the body had arrived. Although the cutting of the tree and the closure of market which are some of the signs of mourning have not been done, there are some other indications that the body might have arrived.

“Security has been beefed up and nobody is allowed to access the inner part of the palace. The body will not be kept where just anybody can see it and only the male children of the Ooni and some high chiefs can see the body.”

Meanwhile the Ooni’s son, Adegbite Sijuwade, is going ahead with his wedding to an actress and television presenter, Dolapo Oni.

The wedding ceremony holds in Lagos today.

Amid speculations that the wedding ceremony might be postponed over the event, the younger Sijuwade, on Saturday, shared a photograph of himself and his bride-to-be, Dolapo, on his Instagram page and wrote, “Sunday August 2nd.”

The post had attracted congratulatory messages from his followers.

Meanwhile, a palace source confirmed that the wedding would hold today. “It has not been postponed. If the Ooni is dead as being rumoured, the Olori (king’s wife) will definitely not be in a good mood. But she is cheerful and eagerly waiting for the ceremony,” he said.

The Yoruba paramount traditional ruler reportedly died in a London hospital last Tuesday but the palace officials have debunked the reports describing them as malicious and untrue.

Despite the denials of the king’s demise by palace chiefs, Oro festival has begun in the ancient town on Friday night.

Oro is a deity worshipped across Yorubaland, which forbids women from going outdoors at night during the festival.

Although palace sources in Ife told our correspondent that the festival, which would last for seven nights, had nothing to do with the demise of the Ooni, the public believe otherwise.

The commencement of Oro festival following the death of the Ooni of Ife, has forced travellers to shun passing through the ancient city.

A student of the Adeyemi College, Ondo, Michael Adeleke, whose parents live in Osogbo, told newsmen that he would not pass through Ile-Ife while returning to school on Sunday.

Adeleke said, “I don’t want to take chances, therefore, I will travel through Ilesa- Akure-Ondo. Although Oro does kill men, I will prefer to steer clear of Ile-Ife until the whole episode subsides.”

A commercial driver, Muritala Kareem, who returned from Ife to Osogbo around 5:20pm on Saturday, said he was not going on another trip due to fear.

He said there were just three female passengers aboard his bus while returning to Osogbo from Ife but he said the female passengers wanted him to get out of the town quickly because of the festival.

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IN PICTURES: President Buhari Arrives Nigeria From His One Day Visit To Benin Republic

President Muhammadu Buhari alongside his entourage arrived Nigeria this evening from his one day state visit to Benin Republic.

He was received by VP Prof Osinbajo and other government officials.

More pictures below...

IMAGE CREDIT: Sesco Photography

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Oyo workers’ salaries will be paid within three months - Ajimobi

Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has assured civil servants in the state that their outstanding salaries would be settled within the next three months.

The governor gave this promise while addressing journalists in his office.

Disclosing that he had just approved the sum of N2billion for the payment of junior workers, while fresh funds are being expected within the next few weeks to clear the April salary, Ajimobi further explained that with the state government would have enough funds to clear its debts as soon as the federal government’s appeal to commercial banks to stop all deductions from states’ allocation takes effect.



The governor confirmed the receipt of about N2.3 billion from the NLNG money shared by all the states of the federation, which he said is not a bailout.

He said: “I have approved a sum of about N2billion naira for the payment of workers of lower cadre and with the efforts we are making now, I can assure you that within the next three months, the issue of salary would be resolved.”

Ajimobi revealed that his trip to the US yielded positive results, as three investors have agreed to invest in Oyo state. He, however, did not disclose the identities of the investors.

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Women must aspire for elective positions, says Tinubu

To effectively combat vices that have impeded the nation’s progress, women must play key roles and divest their efforts for Nigeria to achieve greatness.

Senator representing Lagos Central, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, gave this admonition while speaking at the inaugural lecture of the National Union of Lagos Students (NULASS) held at the Faculty of Education of the University of Lagos. She spoke on the theme ‘Students as panacea in the emerging new Nigeria’.


Tinubu, who said the quest for a better Nigeria would only be achieved if women willingly aspire for elective positions, added that women must be part of the country’s policymakers if bad policies that encouraged vices and corruption must be changed.

She said: “Power is never served a la carte; you have to fight for it. I have said this during political campaign. I want women to aspire for elective positions, because that is where we can change bad policies. Of all the eight women in the last National Assembly, I am the only one who returned. It is very disheartening and sad.

“How are we going to stand for women? I don’t think I see that possibility. More women should flood the National Assembly and areas where they can make decisions, so that we can lead this country to the Eldorado we want.”

Tinubu noted that education remains vital to the growth of the nation, stressing that the country would face a dangerous future if the leaders fail to educate the youth. She said government must invest hugely in education, noting that the past administrations’ efforts were not enough to stabilise the education system.

The former Lagos First Lady said she was proud of the Lagos students for their foresight and their thought on issues affecting the wellbeing of the nation, adding that students have a key role to play in nation building.

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Yahaya Bello picks APC form for Kogi State gubernatorial election

Kogi State gubernatorial aspirant Yahaya Bello has picked the All Progressives Congress (APC) form at the party head office in Abuja.

Bello lamented that Kogi State created 24 years ago has remained undeveloped, stating it took United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai the same years to be transformed from a desert.


According to him: “With all the enormous resources we have and what is accruable to the state over the years, there is nothing to show for it.”

He said that his entourage came from far and near across the length and breadth of the state to support his aspiration.

Bello said he was offering himself to serve after pressure from the people, vowing to implement a five-point agenda to transform the state if elected.

He regretted that the current administration is not paying attention to internally generated revenue.

“Kogi State has more than 80% of solid minerals in Nigeria which some powerful cabals are illegally mining to their own benefits.

“We will make sure that Kogi State is prosperous and other states will come to learn from us,” Bello pledged.

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Africa Wealth Report 2015: The rich get richer

Africa is now home to more than 160,000 people with personal fortunes worth in excess of $1m (£642,000), a twofold increase in the number of wealthy individuals since the turn of the century that highlights the problem of deepening inequality as some of the world’s poorest nations register strong economic growth.

The combined wealth holdings of high-net-worth individuals – those with net assets of $1m or more – in Africa totalled $660bn at the end of 2014, according to a report by New World Wealth, a South African market research firm.


Meanwhile, the number of poor people in Africa – defined as those living on less than $1.25 a day – increased from 411.3 million in 2010 to 415.8 millon in 2011, World Bank data shows.

By 2024, the number of African millionaires is expected to rise 45%, to approximately 234,000, according to the report.

During the past 14 years, the number of high-net-worth individuals in Africa has grown by 145%. The rate for the Middle East over the same period was 136%, while in Latin America it was 278%. The global average was 73%.

The report said that by the end of 2014, the number of people worldwide worth more than $1m had reached 13 million with a combined worth of $66tn, although the number of millionaires can vary depending on what assets are included and different methods have produced different figures. New World Wealth, for example, do not include primary residences when assessing wealth or net assets.

The World Bank has forecast an average of 5.5% economic growth for sub-Saharan Africa over the next year, though it warned that “extreme poverty remains high across the region”.

Nick Dearden, director of the advocacy group Global Justice Now, said the report shows deepening inequality across the continent. “It’s no wonder that rich individuals in Africa are getting richer, because we’re seeing a form of ‘development’ … which hugely benefits the wealthy but makes the lives of the poor even harder. Aid money, trade agreements and corporate ‘investment’ pushed by Britain are locking countries into a form of growth which is all about making the rich even more rich and the poor even more poor.”

Mauritius has the wealthiest individuals in Africa, with average per-capita wealth of $21,470, according to the report. The rankings show that people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the poorest, at $230 a person.

To put Africa’s wealth into context: the global average wealth per capita is $27,600, with top-ranking countries such as Switzerland and Australia boasting per-capita wealth of more than $200,000.

“Over the last year there’s been very strong growth in places like Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. Going forward, we expect Mozambique to continue to be the fastest growing market for high-net-worth individuals in percentage growth terms. So I’d say that Mozambique stands out in this report,” said Andrew Amoils, head of research at New World Wealth.

Angola, where per-capita wealth rose from $620 a person in 2000 to $3,920 in 2014, recorded the highest growth over the 14-year period analysed.

In Zimbabwe, the worst performing country, wealth per capita dropped from $630 a person in 2000 to $550 a person in 2014. Zimbabweans have until September to turn in their Zimbabwean dollars before the currency is discarded.

The southern African country was one of the wealthiest countries in sub-Saharan Africa on a wealth-per-capita basis, said the report’s authors, but the country is now bottom of the rankings. They also note that while other low-ranked countries on the list such as Libya and Tunisia have been affected by uprisings and political instability, Zimbabwe remains under the same leadership.

The study identifies erosion of ownership rights in Zimbabwe, ongoing political intimidation, election fixing and investor confusion arising from the banning of the independent media in the early 2000s as key reasons for the country’s poor performance.

South Africa is home to the highest number of millionaires on the continent at 46,800 in 2014. Egypt comes in second with more than 20,000, followed by Nigeria in third place.

Amoils said African economies benefit from rich citizens: “A lot of [high-net-worth individuals] keep their wealth locally, so normally, for most African countries, it’s between 50% and 70% local wealth. There’s lots of advantages because a lot of [these individuals] are business owners and a lot of them start businesses even if they are in corporate environments.”

Dearden said: “From Nigeria to Mozambique you can see poverty rising at the same time as rapid growth. What does this mean? The growth is being gobbled up by the super-rich and transnational capital. And that means ordinary people, by comparison, find their lives even more impoverished.

“It could be different: with decent government spending on public services, progressive taxation, regulation to control capital and regional trading relationships to wean countries off dependency on western markets.”

Source: Guardian newspaper

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Todays America and a few more questions for U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy - Femi Fani-Kayode

The United States of America funded and led the fight against tyranny and the German Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm 2nd in World War 1. She led the fight against fascism, the Axis Powers and Adolf Hitler’s Germany in World War 2.



She led theQA fight against communism, Josef Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. She led the fight against Saddam Hussein in the two Gulf Wars and the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the war against terror. On all these occasions and many others, the Americans literally saved the world.

That is the United States of America that we know and love. In those days, in the conduct of their foreign policy, they led by example, they displayed solid religious values, they feared God and they stood firmly against all manner of evil.

Sadly, things appear to have changed in the last few years. Today’s America seeks to impose her culturally deviant and strange values on the rest of the world by hook or by crook.

Today’s America boastfully and openly erects statues of and builds monuments to Satan (the Lord of Destruction) in her cities, all in the name of religious freedom.

Today’s America openly celebrates the cult of humanism and the rejection of God in all its dealings and affairs. Today’s America says things like “we will compel Nigeria to accept homosexuality and gay marriage”.

Today’s America, through its Supreme Court, has redefined the institution of marriage, has rejected its traditional definition and has affirmed the right of every American to enter into same-sex marriages- a course of action which is in direct contradiction with the Holy Bible and which is nothing less than an affront to the Living God.

Today’s America has done more than any other country in the world to destabilise and topple Arab and North African secularist governments and to help spread the dreaded Wahhabi/Salifist philosophy, jihadist terror and Islamic fundamentalism.

Today’s America has isolated the State of Israel and has pampered and appeased the traditional enemies of the Jewish state more than any other.

Today’s America has provoked and alienated Russia, caused a civil war in the Ukraine, divided Eastern Europe, increased tensions and nuclear proliferation amongst the world powers and made the world a far more dangerous and unstable place.

Today’s America has a police force that slaughters blacks for sport and has a military that indulges in the systematic torture and rape of prisoners of war. Today’s America gives sodomy a pride of place in the affairs of men. I could go on and on.

So much has gone wrong in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. So much has gone awry in “God’s own country” and all of it has happened under the watch and during the tenure of office of a suave, good-looking, elegant, eloquent, brilliant and seemingly gentle, humble and pious African-American President who first rode to power in 2008 on the slogan, “Yes we can”.

Little did we know at that time that “Yes we can” actually meant “anything goes”. Yet despite all these challenges and conflicting signals one thing remains clear: Many of us, including this writer, still love America and we always will.

Our admonitions and observations are made out of love and concern and not out of anger or hatred. Let us pray that the USA gets back up there again where she belongs.

Let us pray that she turns back to God and that her glory is restored. Let us hope that in 2016 the American people elect a President that “knows God”, fears Him and stands in
awe of Him.

Meanwhile I have a few more questions for U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy.

The United States of America, both directly and through their regional allies like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait and various other Arab Gulf states, supplied millions of dollars’ worth of arms to the vicious Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organisation known as the Al Nusra Front three years ago in Syria in an attempt to get rid of President Bashir Al Assad. Did they forget about the Leahy Act then?

Did they not recognise the fact that when Al Nusra was going from town to town wiping out whole civilian populations, including women and children, and openly cutting out and eating the hearts of their victims, it was a gross violation of human rights? Worse still, they filmed their barbarous behavior and proudly aired it on the internet.

The Al Nusra Front was to later transmute into the beast called ISIS and the rest is history. Who created, funded and fed that beast at the initial stage? Who encouraged them at the outset? Was it not America?

Come to think of it, who funded and created Al Qaeda itself and who supported and armed Osama Bin Ladin to resist and fight the Soviets in Afghanistan right from the start? Was it not America?

Again, who supported and funded Saddam Hussein in the early years and who sold him millions of dollars’ worth of weapons to fight a war against Iran in an attempt to topple Ayatollah Khomeni after the Iranian revolution? Was it not America?

Where was U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy on all these occasions? Did he lose his voice? Was he on vacation in Hawaii? Did he complain about the atrocities and human rights violations committed by the Al Nusra Front, Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein at the appropriate times?

In particular, why was he so silent about the atrocities of Al Nusra three years ago and why did he not call them ‘’rapists and murderers’’ in the same way that he called our soldiers?

Why was his celebrated Leahy Act not invoked to stop the Obama administration from supplying arms to the Al Nusra Front in the same way that it was invoked to stop them from supplying arms to our armed forces?

Senator Leahy should explain that one away to the world instead of insulting the sensibilities of our people. Who is kidding who?

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Son of the Ooni of Ife weds today despite strong rumours of his father's death

The families of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, and the former National Emergency Management Authority, NEMA boss, Mrs Remi Olowu, will, today, join their son and daughter in holy matrimony in Lagos despite the rumoured death of the paramount ruler.

It was learnt that the two families resolved to proceed with the wedding programme after due consultations with friends and relations.



Meanwhile, there was disagreement between residents of Ile-Ife yesterday on the reason behind the on-going Oro festival in the town which entered its third day today.

Many people of the ancient town, who spoke to newsmen , believed the announcement of the festival may have been preparatory to the formal announcement of the passage of Ooni.

But some residents insisted that the festival had been scheduled to hold long before Sijuwade’s reported demise.

Media attention has been on the town since the reported demise of the Ooni on Tuesday in a London hospital.

Speaking to newsmen in Ile-Ife, a traditional title holder, who preferred anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, listed Oro, Olojo, Orunmila, Edi, Oranmiyan, Esu, Obatala among others as some of the festivals celebrated in the town annually.

The chief insisted that the ongoing Oro festival had nothing to do with the “rumoured death of Oba Okunade Sijuwade.”

According to him, the ongoing festival will end on Thursday. He explained that while it lasts, there will be no restriction of movement, except for young and old females that must not see the procession of Oro adherents.

However, the door at the back of the Ooni’s palace, that normally should open at the death of the monarch, remained shut yesterday.

But a palace source explained that “since the door remains permanently closed, it means the monarch is alive.

“The closure of markets for business and ringing of a special gong to announce the death of an Ooni are two major significant signs to indicate that the monarch has joined his ancestors and these are yet to be done”.

“These have not taken place and so our belief is that our Oba is still very much alive”, he added.

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NYSC didn’t ban pregnant women, nursing mothers from service — DG

The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps, Brig. Gen. Johnson Olawumi, has said the NYSC did not ban pregnant women and nursing women from its orientation camps.

The director-general stated that because of the challenges pregnant women and nursing mothers face, they were only advised to take good care of themselves and come to the camps after being fit to withstand the rigours involved in camping activities.


Olawumi said, “We did not ban pregnant women and nursing mothers from orientation camps. In the past, we have had cases where pregnant women and nursing mothers came to camps to participant in the NYSC activities. These are people who should come for service but rather we see ourselves managing them. So, what we are saying is that ‘if you are pregnant, why don’t you go and deliver, then when you are okay, you can come for the national service. It is in their interest and also to give effectiveness to what we are doing in the scheme.”

He also urged state governors to continue to support the activities of the NYSC in their respective states.

According to him, there is a reduction in the subventions and support from some governors while others still support activities of the national service scheme.

Olawumi added that some governors had continued to show enthusiasm towards the programmes and activities of the corps.

He, however, noted that lack of funds and other state obligations could be responsible for the low subventions and support from some of the governors.

The DG also said NYSC had not banned pregnant women and nursing mothers from its orientation camps.

He added that the NYSC would continue to unite the corps members to boost inter-personal relationship across the country.

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Nigerian states owe commercial banks N685 Billion - Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said in Kano State on Saturday that the 36 states of the federation owe commercial banks N685bn.

He said the situation made the Federal Government to assist the states with the bailout fund since the development had hindered them from meeting most of their obligations.

Osibanjo said the Buhari-led administration operates under zero tolerance for corruption and insisted that the era, where looting public fund unite politicians was over.

The Vice-President, who spoke at a ceremony in honour of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, defended the bailout policy, arguing that it was not the first time the Federal Government took such a step.


According to him, the Federal Government will also pursue to a logical conclusion the implementation of a social welfare policy designed to alleviate poverty and ensure even distribution of the dividends of democracy to the masses.

Osinbajo, who praised Shehu for his consistency and dedication to the journalism profession, added that his honesty, simplicity and integrity continually endear him to his associates and co-workers.

He noted that the Buhari-led administration would not condone corruption, insisting that the era where looting of public funds united politicians was over.

In the same vein, Osibanjo said the Federal Government would support plans to cater for persons displaced by insurgency in the northern part of the country.

The Vice-President, who assessed the living conditions of the 100 children adopted by the Kano State Government, expressed satisfaction with the condition of the children currently being educated and rehabilitated through the state Ministries of Education and Women Affairs.

Describing the Kano method as a model, Osibanjo pledged that the Federal Government would complement efforts of the state government.

According to him, the Federal Government will not relent in its efforts to assist victims of insurgency and it had constituted a Presidential Fund Initiative for victims headed by a former minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma.

He added that, among other things, the initiative would fashion out ways of assisting the victims in the provision of education and basic infrastructure while also resettling them.

Osinbajo said, “I am excited to see great things you (Governor Abdullahi Ganduje) and your government are doing. What you are doing in the state shows that the coming generation will be well taken care of. These children have gone through trauma, but with this treatment, it will not affect their future because these children can be presidents and architects tomorrow.”

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