ALL YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE FIRST INDIGENOUS NIGERIAN LAWYER

The first aboriginal Nigerian lawyer was Christopher Alexander Sapara Williams. He was born on 14 July 1855, was of Ijesha origin, but born in Sierra Leone. He studied the Law in London at the Inner Temple, and was called to the English bar on 17 November 1879. In addition to his legal practice, he came to play an influential role in the politics of Nigeria during the colonial era. Williams was the elder brother of Oguntola Sapara, who became a prominent physician.

Returning from the United Kingdom, he began practising law in Lagos Colony on 13 January 1888. He had an unmatched reputation as an advocate, and had intimate knowledge of unwritten customary law. He enrolled in the Nigerian Bar Association on 30 January 1888, and was Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association from 1900 to 1915.

Although Williams was the first indigenous Nigerian to formally qualify as a lawyer, he was not the only one to practice the law. Due to the shortage of qualified lawyers, until 1913 it was common for non-lawyers with basic education and some knowledge of English law to be appointed to practice as attorneys.

Williams was nominated to the Legislative Council, serving as a member from October 1901 until his death in 1915. In 1903 there was a crisis over the payment of the tolls that were collected from traders by native rulers, although Europeans were exempted. The alternative was to replace the tolls by a subsidy. Governor William MacGregor requested views from Williams, Charles Joseph George and Obadiah Johnson as indigenous opinion leaders. All were in favour of retaining the tolls to avoid upsetting the rulers. In 1903 governor MacGregor nominated Williams for a knighthood, but his recommendation was turned down.

In 1904 Williams moved that “the present boundary between the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria and the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria be re-adjusted by bringing the southern portion into Southern Nigeria, so that the entire tribes of the Yoruba-speaking people should be under one and the same administration”. Sir Frederick Lugard had opposed this proposal on the grounds of administrative convenience, and the eventual decision largely followed his beliefs. The principle applied was to group people who were at roughly the same political and social level into one province rather than to try to align the provinces with ethnic boundaries.

In 1905, Williams visited England. While there, he made several suggestions to the Colonial Office for changes to imperial policy. These included establishing a teachers training college in Lagos, and having more continuity of policy by the governors of the colony. Sapara Williams challenged the Seditious Offenses Ordinances of 1909, which suppressed press criticism of the government. He pointed out that “freedom of the Press is the great Palladium of British liberty … Sedition is a thing incompatible with the character of the Yoruba people, and has no place in their constitution … Hyper-sensitive officials may come tomorrow who will see sedition in every criticism and crime in every mass meeting”. Despite his plea, the bill became law.

Williams encouraged Herbert Macauley to convene an inaugural meeting of the Lagos Auxiliary of the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society on 30 August 1910, which gave Macauley a platform for producing popular opposition to colonial practices.

When Northern and Southern Nigeria were united in 1914, the new legislative council was headed by the Governor, and consisted of seven British officials, two British non-officials and two Nigerians, one of whom was Williams. He died on 15 March 1915.

Here is an official photograph of the first 30 Nigerian officers in Nigeria's military

Date: June, 1959

Left to right sitting: Captain Robert Adeyinka Adebayo, Captain Philip Effiong, Captain Umeh Ogere Imo, Major Samuel Adesoji Ademulegun, Major Wellington Bassey, Major General Norman Forster (GOC, Nigerian Army), Major Aguiyi Ironsi, Major Ralph Adetunji Shodeinde, Captain Zakaria Maimalari, Captain Conrad Nwawo, Captain David Akpode Ejoor.

2nd Row Standing: Lt Igboba, Lt George Remunoiyowun Kurubo, (non Nigerian standing next to Kurubo), Lt J Akahan Akaga, Lt Patrick Awunah, Lt Louis Ogbonnia, Lt Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Lt Eyo Ekpo, Lt Author Unegbe, Lt Abogo Largema.

3rd Row Standing: Lt Hillary Mbilitem Njoku, 2nd Lt Macauley Nzefili, 2nd Lt David Ogunewe, 2nd Lt Shadrack, Lt Alexander Madiebo, 2nd Lt Anthony Eze, Lt Yakubu Gowon, 2nd Lt Sylvanus Nwanjei, Lt Yakubu Pam, 2nd Lt Hassan Katsina. 

The very first Nigerian to be commissioned officer was "Wellington Bassey" with Army number (N1). Two months later, "Aguiyi Ironsi" (N2) and "Samuel A. Ademulegun" (N3) were also commissioned. A short while later, "Ralph Adetunji Shodeinde" (N4) was also commissioned officer.

General Interpretation-Obi Abata (Kola Nuts) (Obara Meji)

Ajo "Awo Ile Aiye" & Abemo "Awo Ode Isalu-Orun" They both usually met at the unknown boundary between Heaven & Earth, they were told to make sacrifice so that a single woman may not cause disagreement between them. They both play deaf & refused to appease Ifa, they said "How can a single woman bring misunderstanding between Heaven & Earth. The Woman is called Obi, the wife of Abemo Awo Ode Isalu-Orun (Heaven). Abemo had gone to consult Ifa; he was told to make sacrifice for a child & money, Abemo made sacrifice for money only.

It is getting late in life, Obi has no child, she became sad, she ran to marry Ajo Awo Ile Aiye (Earth). Ajo heard & performed sacrifice for a child. Obi then got a single child for him. Then the year rolled by, the time for outing ceremony of the child came by Obi followed Ajo to meet Abemo. He was so angry to see that Ajo kept his wife for a whole year without sending her back to him, so Abemo began to say bad words to Ajo who voluntarily brought his wife from the world to meet him.

The fight became great between them. Obi moved clear from them to observe them, nobody to separate them, it became a bitter fight. When the two became exhausted and began to rest, then Ajo said, "It is a stupid fight that is staged between Heaven & Earth, there is no one to separate them, so that there may be confusion in heaven & on earth that is why Obi left me for you. Alright, you Ajo Awo Ile Aiye do not want us to ponder, and keep our words in the pocket. The Two of them became pleased, they came to an agreement, and they decided to kill Obi, the source of the fight between them.

Obatala was passing by and found the dead body of Obi by the tree, he raised her up and asked her how she got there. When Obi finished telling him the story of how she got there, Obatala answered, It is alright, I cannot question them, what they did is not bad. So, he tied Obi Into the same bag, hanged her on the side of the tree he found her from, he went his way...

((We Break Obi (Kola Nut) To Settle All Concerns Between Heaven & Earth))

"Gúnnugún ni ò to rí abe f'árí - Erè lawo àbàtà Adífá fún Èjìòbàrà tí yóó pa'bì f'Éríwo - Ò bá dúrò o mó'bì f'Éríwo “ Èjìòbàrà, ò bá dúró o mó'bì f'Éríwo Èjìòbàrà“

==The vulture doesn't get bald as a result of razor - Anaconda snake is the priest of swamps Cast divination for Eji-Obara who will throw Obi for spirituality. Do not wait to give Ifa Obi Eji-Obara. No matter the challenges you are facing, we shouldn't forget to offer the most important ingredient, Obi to Ifa... https://yagbeonilu.com/obi-abata-kola-nuts-mystical-divination/

Laura Adorkor Koffi Ga Adangbe

Laura Adorkor Koffi Ga Adangbe Prophetess from Gold Coast Ghana and her role in Pan Africanism in America.

Laura Adorkor Koffi was a religious leader and Pan-Africanist who created the African Universal Church. Koffi was born circa 1895 in a Ga village outside of the city of Accra in Ghana. 

In the early 1920s, Koffi served as a Prophetess in the Asofa village and ran a mission in Kumasi. Koffi moved to the United States via Canada in the mid 1920s and was a guest speaker in Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) divisions throughout the United States and Central America. Koffi gained significant recognition within the UNIA when she spoke in front of its members in Miami’s Liberty Hall in March 1927. Koffi boldly claimed to be the daughter of King Knesipi of the Gold Coast. Her oratorical skills bolstered her popularity, making her one of UNIA’s most recognizable leaders. With that popularity, Koffi attracted thousands of new members into the UNIA from Daphne, Alabama; and five Florida cities, Miami, Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.

Koffi sudden rise led some members of the UNIA to question her origins and true intentions. Marcus Garvey, the founder and leader of the UNIA, began to despise Kofifi visibility within the organization. When Garvey heard that Koffi was suspected of raising funds to buy ships for her own African repatriation mission, Garvey dispelled her from the UNIA and called her a fraud in the Negro World newspaper. In response, Koffi created the African Universal Church in Jacksonville in 1928.

Koffi held church meetings, mainly in Jacksonville and Miami, where her talks were frequently disrupted by UNIA members. Koffi was assassinated on March 8, 1928, while giving a sermon in Miami’s Liberty Hall. 

She was shot twice in the head from a crack in a door near the pulpit before an audience of 200. The shots killed Koffi upon impact. Audience members seized Maxwell Cook, a highranking official in the UNIA’s local branch, and beat him to death. Later Miami police arrested James Nimmo, a leader of the Universal African Legions, the paramilitary auxiliary group of the UNIA, and Claude Green, president of the UNIA’s local chapter. Green and Nimmo were tried and found not guilty on July 10, 1928, due to insufficient evidence. Three separate funeral services were held for Koffi in Miami, Palm Beach, and Jacksonville where she was buried on August 17. Hundreds of people attended when Koffi was finally laid to rest.

Koffi espoused a brand of Pan-Africanism that encouraged Black people to embrace African culture, become economically self-sufficient, and seek out religious redemption. The African Universal Church continued to advance Koffi”s  ideas after her assassination. Since 1928, the church has engaged in mission trips to the African continent, developed African history programs, created industrial clubs, and established communities, such as Adorkaville in Jacksonville. Leaders in the church’s early history were primarily migrants from different countries on the African continent. They gave free lessons to U.S. born church members on how to read and communicate in Bantu languages and taught songs in the Xhosa language. Two African Universal Churches still exist today, one in Jacksonville and one in Daphne, Alabama.

LATE CAPT. KYARI MAGUMERI

Late Capt. Kyari Magumeri From Borno was the first Nigerian to be promoted to the rank of CAPTAIN in the British Army (1953) After making a gallant performance in 1st and 2nd WW.

Born in 1897 in Borno, Nigeria, Chari Magumeri enlisted in a colonial unit of the Imperial German Army at the age of sixteen during The Great War and was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class for bravery in the field against the British in Northern Cameroon. The Germans promoted him to the rank of sergeant. When the British occupied part of that territory, Magumeri was inducted into the West African Frontier Force in 1917. 

He served in 5th Bn The Nigerian Regiment, in which his father had served for twenty-six years, and has been described as distinguishing himself, which would have pleased his father, presuming the latter were still alive. One wonders what Chari Magumeri's father would have thought of his son's enlistment in the German army. In the photo (posted below because of dynamic page link problems), RSM Magumeri is wearing the ribands of the MM, BEM, BWM, VM, 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star, Burma Star, Defence Medal, War Medal with MID Oakleaf, 1937 Coronation Medal, and the Army LSGC Medal. He qualified for The Defence Medal during his time in India and Abyssinia.

One wonders if he still had his German documents and his 1914 EK2 or if these were confiscated from him in 1917 after the WWI. He would have had every right to wear the 1914 EK2 as a Civilian after he retired. He would also have been eligible for the 1934 "Hindenburg Cross". One wonders if any former Askari applied to the Nazi government for their 1914-1918 “Ehrenkreuze”. By 1928, Magumeri was RSM of the 3rd Battalion The Nigerian Regiment. During WW2, RSM Magumeri won the MM in the 1940-1941 Abyssinian (Ethiopian) Campaign. 

The regiment was later transferred to India with 81st West African Division, fighting in the Naga Hills and Burma with the 14th Army, where RSM Magumeri MM picked up a MID. He also received the BEM in 1944 for his long and excellent service. Returning to Nigeria after the war, RSM Magumeri MM BEM MID was involved in training duties and was promoted to Captain on retirement from the service in 1953. 

His name remains revered in Nigeria amongst those Nigerians with a sense of pride in their nation and its history but until recently, there were no military establishments named after him, perhaps because his achievements pre-dated independence, his part in the shaping of a new generation of Nigerian soldiers aside. What an impressive-looking soldier Maigumeri was! An Army barracks has now been named after him in Lokoja.

The below photograph was snapped on the 21st May 1953, Royal Sergeant Major Chari Magumeri, a member of the Nigerian Regiment, with Lieutenant Colonel M M Davie, at Woolwich Barracks, London. The regiment is part of the colonial contingent which took part in a parade during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

May His Gentle Soul Rest In Perfect Peace.

HISTORY OF SEPETERI, OKEOGUN AREA OF OYO STATES

Have you heard of an Ancient Yoruba town called Sepeteri and its Mysterious history,?

Sepeteri is an ancient town in Okeogun Oyo state, Sepeteri is the biggest town in the Saki East Local Government Area of Oke-Ogun Oyo State, Nigeria . The people of Sepeteri are believed to have migrated from a town called Ifon which is located in Osun State. Sepeteri town can be found in between Igboho, Ago-amodu and Oje Owode to Shaki, Ago Are and Iseyin.

Any King enthroned in this town are called Obalufon that is the title of the King in sepeteri. The ruling families in sepeteri are Daodus, Baloguns and Ogboros.

Sepeteri is situated in between Shaki and Igboho in the Oke-Ogun area, Oyo North Senatorial District of the state of Oyo in Nigeria. Oke-Ogun comprises Of ten local governments. Oke-Ogun area is located between Oyo and the present Kwara state. The area starts from Iseyin and ends in Bakase, a small town along the boundary of Oyo State and Kwara State.

PEOPLE

The town is homogeneous comprising mainly people belonging to the Yoruba ethnic group who speak the Yoruba language, although minority groups from elsewhere in Nigeria and Africa are represented. Like all other Yorubas, they claim descent from Oduduwa. The extended family system is important to the Yoruba culture.

Muslims is the majority religion here, with a minority of Christians and those who follow traditional beliefs.

ECONOMY

Sepeteri is a town blessed with mineral resources. There is mineral availability in the area, such as tantalite, columbite, cassiterite, kaolin, and granite. The Oyo State Government is setting up a lapidary to process the minerals and an international gem stone market in the Capital city of Ibadan where miners can market their wares.

The town has tourism potential, such as Old Oyo National park, Iyemoja Shrine, Fishing festival, Old mining sites.

Agriculture is the major work of the people of Sepeteri. Apart from the primary roles of providing food and shelter, employment, industrial raw materials, it remains an important source of revenue in the local Government.

The climate favours the growth of food crops like yam, cassava, millet, maize, fruits, rice and plantains. Cash crops such as citrus, tobacco and timber also abound in the state.

The people of Sepeteri are Blessed with lot of natural things there is a river in this town of Sepeteri which according to history have a live crocodile which have palm tree behind it's back and it is still alive till date in this town.

Also in the Oke Ogun Area is a river called Ikere dam which has the capacity of supplying the entire southwest region of Nigeria standby Electricity.

SOME AXIOMATIC SAYINGS IN YORUBA LAND AND HOW THEY METAMORPHOSED

‘’ORI E GIGUN BI POSI ADELABU’’

This vituperative saying is applied to people with long head, they are said to have a similar facet to Adelabu.

I could remember when I was growing up in my Lafayette, when this particular saying was used as a caricature and cognomen to people with long head. Why are some people fond of this ridiculous saying? and how does this saying metamorphosed?. In 1958, sir Adegoke gbadamosi adelabu penkelemesi who was referred to as lion of the west gave up the ghost in an accident after he encounters some political upheavals in the western region of Nigeria[Ibadan precisely]. during his burial, sir mbadiwe of the NCNC presented the family of sir adelabu a unique long expensive coffin.

This coffin was long to the extent that the people present were surprised and begin to spread the news after they left the burial. Thus, giving birth to the description of long head as Posi Adelabu. He was also known for other thing like the Penkelemesi textile introduced by his Yunnan friend that later became the cynosure of all eye in all the western region of Nigeria. Pluribus Unum, this belong to the axiomatic saying that people think it is rootless.

‘’GUDU GUDU MEJE YAYA MEFA’’

A group of Yoruba chiefs went en masse from Ibadan to give an account of their governance to a British district commissioner. In the course of giving the account to the white man, he was impressed and he showed this by nodding and said ‘good’ seven times and ‘yeah’ six times simultaneously. When this emissary got home they told their people that ‘’oyibo se gudu gudu meje yaya mefa’’ i. e the Whiteman did seven ‘good’ and six ‘yeah’.

‘’ALAJO SOMOLU’’

Singers, comedians among others always make use of this name anytime they perform. ‘’Alajo somolu’’ means somolu thrift collector. Before the advent of fintechs and banks, people entrusted their savings with thrift collectors.

ÀARE̩ KURUMI OF IJAIYE. THE YORUBA WARRIOR WHO LOST HIS FIVE SONS IN ONE DAY

The story of Kurunmi is one that draws tears from the eyes of people who feel pity for a man who stood firm for tradition. 

There was a time in the history of Yoruba where the heir to the throne is killed whenever the king dies. This tradition came about because it was discovered that a lot of princes killed their fathers so they could ascend the throne and become king instead. 

It was believed that if the heirs were killed alongside their fathers, kings would live longer on the throne. 

During this period, Alaafin Atiba was the paramount ruler of the Oyo empire, and he appointed Kurunmi, the son of Esiele as the Aare-ona-Kakanfo ( the generalissimo of the whole Yoruba warriors). 

As it was with tradition, a king and an Aare-ona-Kakanfo cannot stay in the same town because their wield similar powers, so Kurunmi was assigned to Ijaiye, where he was given the power to lord over. 

One day, Alaafin Atiba summoned the kings and lords of the neighboring towns and told them he wished to change tradition. Present at the meeting were kings like the Timi of Ede, Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan, and Kurunmi himself. 

When they were seated, Atiba came down from his throne and held the sword of Ogun (the Yoruba god of iron) in his right hand, and the bolt of Sango (the Yoruba god of lightning and thunder) in his left. He charged the royalties present to swear by the sword and bolt that after his death, his son Aremo Adelu will be made king after his demise.

Kurunmi disagreed immediately, and he reminded Alaafin Atiba that according to the tradition, the moment Atiba does, his son Adelu must follow suit. Other royalties tried to persuade Kurunmi, but he was adamant. When he couldn't convince them, he walked out in anger and headed for Ijaiye. 

The other kings and chiefs went home to their people to inform them of the latest developments. When Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan told his chiefs the news, one of the chiefs Basorun Ogunmola took the matter up and suggested they wage war against Kurunmi.

Kurunmi had once captured Ogunmola who had a secret affair with his wife. He captured him, tied him to a stake like a goat and fed him ashes as food. As a form of revenge, Ogunmola proposed war against Kurunmi. 

Alaafin Atiba sent emissaries to Kurunmi to change his mind, but he remained adamant, and when Alaafin Atiba saw that he would not change his mind, he sent two calabash bowls to Kurunmi. One of the calabashes contained an effigy of a pair of twins (Yoruba symbol of peace), while the other calabash contained gunpowder (Yoruba symbol of war).

Kurunmi immediately chose war and sent the emissaries back to Atiba. Immediately, Kurunmi summoned his chief warrior Balogun Ogunkoroju and told him to prepare for war. 

As part of the preparations for war, Kurunmi consulted the oracle, and the oracle warned him not to go to war with Ibadan because he would lose the war. Kurunmi was not going to have any of it, and he pestered the oracle to tell him what to do to win the war. 

The oracle then told Kurunmi that in order for him not to lose the war, he must not cross the River Ose, which was the boundary between Ijaiye and Ibadan. Kurunmi agreed, and went ahead to plan for the war against Ibadan. 

While Kurunmi was making preparations, the Ibadan warriors, led by Ogunmola went to meet the people of Ęgba who were said to possess very powerful charms.

The Ęgba people then prepared a potent charm called Eedi (a charm that causes someone or a group of people to ignore warnings or dare something that will harm them). The Eedi was set out to the River Ose so that the Ijaiye warriors will be tempted to cross the river. 

When the war came, Kurunmi sent his five sons to war to fight the Ibadan people. During the face-off, Ijaiye warriors soundly defeated the Ibadan warriors, and the remaining Ibadan warriors fled back, crossing the River Ose. 

Unfortunately for Kurunmi, his warriors fell to the potency of the Eedi, and they crossed the River Ose, believing that they had momentum, and that they could chase the Ibadan soldiers far away. 

Immediately they crossed the river, their charms failed them, and they were killed in thousands by the warriors of Ibadan who had set a trap for them. Kurunmi suffered heavy losses, and lost all his five sons in the war. 

Basorun Ogunmola mocked him and sent a message to him that he was coming for his head. On hearing the news of the death of his daughter and his men, Kurunmi became very devastated and suicidal, but while he grieved, he held on to his belief that tradition remains tradition, and that he does not regret standing firm in the face of corruption. 

Kurunmi committed suicide by taking poison, and he was thrown into the river Ose according to his wishes so that Basorun Ogunmola won't have the luxury of cutting his head and hanging it in shame.

OGUN THE GOD OF IRON

“Ògún’s relationship to justice is also revealed in a keen sensitivity to deceit.

As a result, his devotees call on him for oath-taking.

Upon a sword, a piece of iron, or a measure of earth (any of which signals the deity’s presence), no devotee of Ògún dares swear falsely.

If one breaks an oath, one may be castigated with “Ògún l’ áá j rì ” (“Ògún shall afflict you with a fatal accident”).

Adeboye Babalola

#ogun #ogum #oggun #orishas #orixas #lukumi #lucumi #candomblé #ifa #santeria #yoruba #yorubadiaspora

PROFESSOR SOPHIE OLUWOLE

Prof. Sophie Bosede Oluwole nee Aloba was born on 12th of May 1935, in the town of Igbara Oke. She was a Yoruba professor and philosopher, and was the first female doctorate degree holder in philosophy in Nigeria.

She was a practitioner of Yoruba philosophy.

Oluwole's teachings and works are generally attributed to the Yoruba school of philosophical thought, which was ingrained in the cultural and religious beliefs (Ifá) of the various regions of Yorubaland.

According to Oluwole, this branch of philosophy predates the Western tradition, as the ancient African philosopher Orunmila predates Socrates by her estimate. These two thinkers, representing the values of the African and Western traditions, are two of Oluwole's biggest influences.

Concerned Nigerian: "Charles, why do we have an Arabic inscription on the Naira? Is Nigeria an Islamic nation?"

Charles Awuzie:

Please calm down. The problem we have in Nigeria is lack of proper citizenship education.

The Arabic script on the Naira is actually Ajami. 

Ajami is a pre-colonial era practice of writing other languages using a modified Arabic script.

Ajami was sewn into the fabrics of the socio-cultural life of our ancestors.

Swahili and Hausa are the major languages written in Ajami. 

Utendi wa Tambuka is a Swahili Poem written in Ajami around 1728AD. Utendi wa Tambuka is Swahili but the writing style is Ajami. (See Sample C in the pictures attached).

If you check the old Naira, (sample A in attached pictures) Naira Goma which means Ten Naira was written in Hausa with Ajami script. Yes, that's Hausa language but scripted with Ajami to reflect the historical relevance of Ajami in Africa. This has nothing to do with religion but history and culture.

But in 2007, President Olusegun Obasanjo cited that most Nigerians can now understand English language and there was no longer need to reflect Ajami on the Naira so the Ajami scripted Naira Goma was replaced with the modern Hausa language and written as seen in Sample B.

Now understand that Igbo and Yoruba are scripted in Latin Letters. Unfortunately, this is the reality of Africa as we lost our original African writing styles due to external influences. In fact, truth be told, the closest African writing practice we can have on the Naira is Ajami. 

After Obasanjo's administration, Ajami was not used on lower Naira denominations until 2014 when President Goodluck Jonathan's administration issued a new N100 note to commemorate the 1914 amalgamation and the words “Naira Dari” — Hausa for “one hundred naira” — appeared in Ajami. Again, this was misunderstood but I blame the almost useless National Orientation Agency for not doing enough to educate Nigerians about the significance of Ajami.

Like I said in the opening sentence of this article, Nigeria's major problem is lack of proper citizenship  education and history. We are lost but we know not. 

We have embraced Latin scripting and developed phobia for Ajami which is the only surviving Africanized writing practice from pre-colonial era.

I leave you to judge whether we still need Ajami on our Naira or not... But at least Know that Ajami on the Naira has no connection with Islam just as Latin Letters on the Naira has no link to Christianity - it's simply a writing style.

My name is Charles Awuzie and I want Nigeria to work again.

Ancient name of Africa

Before the European settled for the word Africa, the continent was called many other names. They include Corphye, Ortigia, Libya, Ethiopia and Alkebulan.

Other names such as the land of Ham (Ham means dark skins), mother of mankind, the garden of Eden, Kingdoms in the sky, and the land of cush or kesh (referring to the Cushites who were ancient Ethiopian) were used.

No one knows the source of the names for sure. However, the theories below shed some light on how this second largest continent got its new name.

Roman theory

Some scholars believe that the word originated from the Romans. Romans discovered a land opposite the Mediterranean and named it after the Berber tribe residing within the Carnage area, presently referred to as Tunisia. The tribe's name was Afri.

Weather theory

Some believe that the name was coiled from the continent's climate. Deriving from aphrike, a Greek word that means a land free from cold and horror. A variation of the Roman word aprica, which means sunny, or even the Phoenician word afar, which means dust.

Africus Theory

This claims that the continent derived its name from Africus. Africus is a Yemenite chieftain who invaded the northern part in the second millennium BC,It is argued that he settled on his conquered land and named it Afrikyah.

Phoenician Theory

Another school of thought suggests that the name is derived from two Phoenician words friqi and pharika. The words mean corns and fruits when translated. Hypothetically the Phoenician christened the continent as the land of corns and fruits.

Alkebu-lan “mother of mankind” or “garden of Eden”. Alkebulan is the oldest and the only word of indigenous origin. It was used by the Moors,Nubians, Numidians, Khart-Haddans (Carthagenians) and Ethiopians.

There is little or no certainty on the source or meaning Africa. Several scholars have tried to explain the origin of the word, but none is convincingly correct.

Ancient African History

CHIEF MKO ABIOLA

Sometimes ago Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Jimoh Ibrahim, Mike Adenuga... were looking at Abiola, Nwanyawu, Igbinedion, Dantata as YOU are doing now.

Sometimes ago Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho were looking at Maradonna, Roberto Baggio, Romario, Jeep Stam, Luther Mathaius as YOU are doing now.

Sometimes ago Bill Gate, Warren Buffett, Carlos Helu... were looking at Rosthschild, Rockefeller, Henry Ford as YOU are doing now.

Sometimes ago GEJ, Late President Yaradua was looking at Tafawa Balewa, Muritala M, IBB as YOU are doing now.

Sometimes ago Adeboye, Oyedepo, Areogun, Kumuyi... were looking at Ayo Babalola, Obadare, Idahosa, Kc Price... as YOU are doing now.

Some time ago, Emeifile, Sanusi Lamido, Soludo were looking at Clement Isong, Vincent, O.Ahmed, M.Borno as YOU are doing now.

The only thing that speaks in the lives of these people and the only difference among them is TIME called TOMORROW. Your tomorrow is only in the hands of God. Get ready to fill the vacuum of the Legend you are looking at as you read this message. The grace of God will eventually take you there.

Don't stop when the road is closed. Continue even if it will take you to create another. We will all get there by special grace of God.

Every king was once a crying baby, every Principal was once a Pupil and every building was once a picture. The person you admire so much was once a nobody. The person you attended his or her wedding was once a chief bachelor or spinster. So why worry in life?

It's not about where you are today but where you will reach tomorrow. Alphabet "O'' which stands for Opportunity, is absent in '' yesterday'' but once in ''tOday'' And three times in "tOmOrrOw'' So Stay Positive Always and have hope.  Your tomorrow will surely be better than today. Believe in yourself and never give up.                           

The future is Bright!

KEEP LEARNING, KEEP GROWING

DR TAI SOLARIN

For many years, TAI SOLARIN was a trouble for IBB; a hard critic of IBB and a perpetual lover of the poor. He called IBB incompetent. So One day, after series of criticisms, IBB invited Tai for a discussion, he asked him what he could do to better the lives of the poor.

Tai was happy, he quickly proposed a soft loan for all the poor Nigerians to enable them start small scale businesses and as they return the loans, other poor people will continue to benefit until it reaches all. IBB clapped for Tai and pleaded with him to champion the noble cause so that the programme can run without a hitch. Tai agreed.

Immediately, a Peoples Bank was formed by Decree and huge fund was pumped into it with Dr. Tai as the Chairman. Poor people were getting funds to start or expand their businesses, it was coordinated by Tai, IBB never gave him any bottleneck, no distractions. But after giving out loans to the poor, the poor refused to return the money, neither did we see their businesses on ground, they have spent the money but no repayment. Wahala de!!

Tai was sweating under the Air conditioning system, "this is trouble". After many futile attempts to recover the loans, the Celebrated Peoples Bank crashed and became liquidated. Tai was running helter-skelter.

He finally went to IBB but IBB was not angry, he merely said "Egbon, see what we are facing in government? It is easy to talk, talk is cheap sir but look at your bank. This is just one small bank that you cannot manage o, imagine how many banks we have, imagine ruling a whole country sir? If people now blamed you for the collapse of the bank you proposed and ran, how will you feel? Don't worry sir, you will not be prosecuted. Just go home and rest. You have had enough troubles already......thanks for your service to the nation....."

But before he could leave Dodan Barracks, the then Military President Ordered that he be called back. Tai Solarin started sweating. But he quickly composed himself before IBB asked him, "would you like to serve as the Minister of Education or Finance?" All he needed to say was "Yes sir, either of the two will be ok." And IBB would have appointed him right away.

But Tai Solarin quickly answered. "Mr President, you already told me to go home and rest. I will be on my way now." With that, Tai Solarin left the presence of the President. The two men never met again and Tai Solarin never criticized IBB again.

It’s Ose Obatala!!!

Patience is the Greatest Virtue

While Èsù’s character is synonymous with impetuous motion and perpetual change, other òrìsàs epitomize unwavering stillness and abiding calm. One such deity is Obàtalà (Lisa, Òrìsànlá, Oxala). As the Yorùbá Arch Divinity, Obàtalà is the venerable father, whose wisdom fills the devotee with aristocratic poise and regal presence. From his oriki we get a glance of Obàtalà’s austerity:

He is patient.

He is silent.

Without anger he pronounces his judgment.

Here it’s important to note that we all enjoy some degree of Obàtalà consciousness. For example, recall a time when you had to demonstrate deep cool. Maybe you were confronted by an emotionally intense situation, like natural childbirth or attending a loved one’s funeral. Perhaps you were facing a fast-approaching deadline or you were about to present some very important information. Think about what it was like to be “at the eye of the storm”, where, in spite of the fact that everything around you was spinning, you found yourself in a state of deep stillness. This is a flash of Obàtalà consciousness.  After many years of practice and experience, a wise person comes to understand the virtue of stillness. Yoruba traditional thought reminds us that “What an elder sees sitting down a youngster cannot see standing up.” 

Like his elder brother Obàtalà, Orúnmìlà is also notoriously serene.  In a verse of the Holy Odù Ifá called Ogbe Ogunda Orúnmìlà teaches us that when he is offended he waits three years before responding, giving the offender ample time to rectify the situation. Even when he does decide to respond his motion is as slow as the snail, even though he has as many feet as the millipede, who has 200 pairs of feet but still moves slowly and gracefully. Orúnmìlà says that if a stone obstructs his path, he coils up beside the stone until falling leaves and branches fall, forming a bridge for him to cross. Likewise, if a tree falls in his path, Orúnmìlà says he will wait for it to decompose before continuing the journey.

Ogbe Ogunda says;

An uncontrolled temper does not create anything for anyone.

Patience is the father of existence.

A patient person has everything.

She will reach a ripe old age.

He will enjoy a healthy life.

And she will enjoy life thoroughly,

Like a person tasting honey.

Once there was a poor man who had only a single set of ragged clothes, lived in a ragged house and struggled daily to feed himself and his wife. The depth of their deficiency, however, was the absence of children.  One day, Olodumare answered their prayers and sent the unfortunate couple patience, child and money. On the journey to the poor man’s house, patience, child and money reached the river bank. Patience started across, slowly but surely. Meanwhile, the water was too cold for money and too deep for child.

Money refused to carry child on the grounds that wealth is senior to progeny. While they stood there quarreling, patience quietly returned and carried them across, one by one. Eventually, the three travelers arrived at the poor man’s home. They explained that Olódùmarè had sent them as an answer to their prayers. After five days with the poor man he and his wife must pick one and send the other two back to heaven.

The poor man consulted his wife. “If we have a child without money how can we feed it?” she asked. “And patience after all, is worthless. Pick money.” Next he consulted his friend, Abinuku. Unbeknownst to the poor man, Abiniku was secretly jealous of his friend. He wished that the three travelers had visited his house instead. So he deliberately gave the poor man what he considered bad advice. He said, “Your wife is right. If you pick a child without money you cannot feed it. But at the same time, money minus a child means your estate will goes to strangers upon your death. So chose patience.” The poor man agreed with friend’s advice. At the end of five days, his wife was disappointed to find money and child packing their belongings and bidding the poor couple farewell, while patience was settling in to live with the family.

The two travelers again arrived at the river bank. Again the water was too cold for money and too deep for child.  Once again, money refused to carry child on the grounds that wealth is senior to progeny. Once again they stood there quarreling. But without patience there to ferry them across, they saw no other option but to return to the house of the poor man to seek refuge. Later that evening, you can imagine his wife’s elation to see money and child approaching the house again. She and her husband were happy to take them into their family to settle in alongside patience.

This is why the Yoruba say that one who has patience has everything.

Make time this week to create a plan for deepening your well of patience and forbearance. Good things will soon follow.

Bábá Hoya Ifakoku

Maryam Ndidi Babangida (nee. Okogwu)

Maryam Ndidi Babangida (nee. Okogwu) (1948-2009) was best known for her women empowerment program called Better Life for Rural Women during her time in office as Nigeria's First Lady (1985-1993). This program was also subversively known as "Rural Life for Better Women".

Maryam King was born in 1948 in Asaba (present-day Delta State), where she attended her primary education. Her parents were Hajiya Asabe Halima Mohammed from the present Niger State, a Hausa, and Leonard Nwanonye Okogwu from Asaba, an Igbo. She later moved north to Kaduna where she attended Queen Amina's College Kaduna for her Secondary education. She graduated as a secretary at the Federal Training Centre, Kaduna. Later she obtained a diploma in secretaryship from La Salle Extension University (Chicago, Illinois) and a Certificate in Computer Science from the NCR Institute in Lagos.

On 6 September 1969, shortly before her 21st birthday, she married Major Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. They had four children, boys Mohammed and Aminu, and two girls, Aisha and Halima. After her husband became Chief of Army Staff in 1983, Maryam Babangida became President of the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA). She was active in this role, launching schools, clinics, women's training centres and child day care centers.

As First Lady of Nigeria between 1985 and 1993, she turned the ceremonial post into a champion for women's rural development. She founded the Better Life Programme for Rural Women in 1987 which launched many co-operatives, cottage industries, farms and gardens, shops and markets, women’s centres and social welfare programs. The Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women's Development was established in 1993 for research, training, and to mobilize women towards self-emancipation.

Maryam died aged 61 from ovarian cancer on 27 December 2009 in a Los Angeles, California hospital. On March 19th 2020, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa accompanied by Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal immortalised the memories of Maryam Babangida by commissioning the Maryam Babangida way in Delta state capital, Asaba.

ELESHI OBA

A sticky picture of humour, power, women, honour and tragedy.

The Alaafin has died in mid-1940s Oyo but Elesin, the King’s Horseman’s unfettered lust for pleasure, beautiful women and carnal comfort has not only derailed him from subjecting himself to the ritual suicide required to perfect the king’s passing, but his indiscretion has also broken the sacred generational and spiritual bond between the unborn, the living and the dead, triggering a web of tragic outcomes in a spell-binding historical flick that drips with humour, clash of culture, chaos and death.

Intricately scripted, beautifully directed and superbly performed by a pantheon of seasoned actors, Elesin Oba, an #EbonyLife Films and Biyi Bandele feature film stars Odunlade Adekola, Shaffy Bello, Deyemi Okanlawon, Mark Elderkin, Jenny Stead, Omowunmi Dada, Jide Kosoko, Kevin Ushi, and Langley Kirkwood.

Evidently made for the role of Elesin, Odunlade is at his vibrant and sensational best from the outset where he is snuggled in between his many barely clad women on his last day of life. An absolute enchanter, Odunlade’s boisterous and no-holds-barred performance is at the epicentre of all the tragic twists and turns that arise from his failure to remain focused on his appointed day with destiny. 

Shaffy Bello’s masterful enactment of the role of Iyaloja often steals the show. As Elesin’s biggest fan, she supports the horseman with everything he needs to see through his ultimate sacrifice, including acquiescing to his selfish demand for a last day marriage and sex with a woman that is coincidentally betrothed to her own son! Yet, when Elesin fails in the end, she tugs at our heartstrings with extreme emotion as she derides the horseman to his ultimate tragic demise.

Mark Elderkin and Jenny Stead (Simon and Jane Pilkings) are at their comical best when the white imperialist couple, in preparation for the costume ball, thumb their noses at the native religious practices by tangoing in Egungun costumes! Mark is perfect in his cruel, dismissive and pompous performance of Simon, while Jenny shines in her exceptional role as his well-meaning, but sometimes culturally clueless wife.h

Deyemi Okanlawon’s performance in the character of Olunde is both credible and flawless. When he returns from England looking all glossy and debonair, he cuts the picture of an imperialist apologist, but his sophisticated denunciation of Mrs. Pilkings when he finds her attired in Egungun costumes, and subsequently the manner of his unsparing rebuke of his own father at the discovery of his catastrophic flop, removes every doubt about his oneness with the sacred customs of his people.

Jide Kosoko (Sergeant Amusa) does his characteristic best to bring out his worst as the overzealous native police chief who wants to maintain his loyalty and prove his competence to his white imperialist bosses at the expense of his own people’s customs and traditions.

Impressively conveyed, beautifully filmed and totally engrossing, Elesin Oba is a melodramatic masterpiece. The film has been boldly conceived with an eclectic choice of music, masquerade and talking drum spectacles. Scored by Olawale BrymO Ashimi, the music of Elesin Oba is impeccable, interpreting the sacred, the sacrilegious, the physical and the metaphysical in a pleasing, entertaining and thought-provoking way.

Adapted from an original stage play titled ‘Death and The King’s Horseman’ by Professor Wole Soyinka, Elesin Oba is unquestionably another epic from #Ebonylife Media, an outfit now squarely fitting into the real global studio model equipped with the capacity to develop and produce a wide genre of films and series. The company’s film credentials range from dramas such as Fifty, Romcoms such as The Royal Hibiscus Hotel and the Wedding Party, soul searching impact thrillers such as Oloture and Blood Sisters, and now to period historical IP pieces such as Elesin Oba.

Watch Elesin Oba now on Netflix.

KWAME NKRUMAH

Did you know Kwame Nkrumah ruled Ghana 🇬🇭 for 9 years: from 1957 to 1966, under this period he built at least one industry in every region of Ghana.

He built all but did not build even a House for Himself.

He built several new Industrial Cities across Ghana including the Famous Tema and Akosombo industrial cities. These industrial cities housed several industries and production centers which produced nearly all commodity needs of the economy while employing the citizens.

He built roads which are still alive today after 60 years. In fact, Tema Motorway is still the best stretch of road in Ghana as we speak and it was built by Nkrumah.

The Colonial administration that ruled and exploited Ghana intentionally deprived the people of Northern parts of Ghana an access to education or any kind of development in order to force the people living in this areas to move to the Middle and Southern belts of Ghana for free labour. This was a strategy to divide the country so to create enmity among the locals in order that they cannot see themselves as one people or people of equals in order not to unite to fight the colonial exploitation. Knowing this, Kwame Nkrumah open up free eduction to those of us in the Northern belt of Ghana who have suffered such a grave discrimination and exploitation to help us recover when he assumed office as a president.

Again, Kwame Nkrumah built a gigantic African Line Hostel and dedicated this building to serve as a free housing for all African Freedom fighters who seek safety in Ghana. Today, this building has been converted and it is being used as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana.

Kwame Nkrumah did all these and so many others for Ghana and Africa at large without building a single structure of house or home for himself. In fact, Kwame Nkrumah has no house built by himself either in Ghana or Abroad. His only house is the 6 feet land on which he was buried on and the monument which was built in his honor. Yet, he built so much for many generations which we are still enjoying.

The Today's politicians run the state and make losses, they leave huge debt for today and future generations while at the same time profitably running their private business and declaring gains for their families.

Kwame Nkrumah is gone but his spirit and good intentions live on. Rest In Power, Nkrumah never dies.

LATE SAIBU AYINDE BAKARE

October 1 was also the anniversary of the disappearance of Saibu Ayinde Bakare. The popular Juju musician, Ayinde Bakare, disappeared exactly 50 years today.  He was born in 1912 in Lagos but his father was from the Balogun Ajikobi family of Ilorin and for 37 years, he entertained a cross section of fans every where.

It was Sunday, October 1, 1972 and Ayinde Bakare and his Band had a day gig at a wedding event at Isale-Gangan area of Lagos Island and was also billed for a night engagement at Ijebu-Ode. As it was  usually the case, some members  of the Band had gone ahead to Ijebu-Ode  to set up for the evening event while the Lagos show was going on. It was while the Band was on break that the unthinkable happened. It was believed that Ayinde Bakare retreated to the backstage during the break  when some unknown persons reportedly invited him for some discussions away from his Band members and he was never seen again. Some initially thought that he had left with a woman for an amorous hook up when he did not come back after the break and his deputy, Ayanniyi Atanda took over the leadership and they completed the gig. When he did not come back, some thought he had gone ahead to Ijebu Ode only to get there and not finding  him there. All efforts to locate him proved fruitless until a few days later.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, 4th October 1972, the police had found a body floating on the Lagos Lagoon near Bonny Camp in Victoria Island and the police who found the body were unable to connect the body they had found  with the missing musician. The body was dumped among other unclaimed bodies and was given a mass burial by the Lagos City Council at the Atan Cemetery.

His son Shina, also a musician  received a telegram at where he was in Gongola from his mother and he returned to Lagos to join others in the search for his father. When he arrived, he was able to inform police that his father had a tattoo on the inner part of his right hand with the inscription A.S. Bakare and this immediately jumped into the mind of the police officers who found the floating body that was buried in the mass grave at Atan cemetery.

The body was exhumed and his son was able to identify his father’s body and it was released to the family for a decent burial but not before an autopsy was carried out. The Consultant Pathologist, Dr. Nasirudeen Olaseni Akinlade (RAO Hospital, Surulere) put the cause of his death as drowning. There were a few theories as to how he met his death.

The autopsy showed that he drowned but how ? I met an elderly man in the 90s who knew him when they were growing up. He believed that when the band was on break, he needed to go to the toilet and he went to do it by the sea and was probably swept away  by the waves while he was not concentrating. Some claimed that he loved women and among those he slept with were married women and probably an aggrieved husband planned his death and to his family, he had problems with some members  of his band who probably killed him. This was what came out before the coroner’s inquest set up by the government to unravel the circumstances of his death, the Coroner, Mrs. Grace Akinboboye, commenced her assignment on Monday, April 30th, 1973.

One of Bakare’s wives, Risikat Dabiri, told the Coroner that she suspected two members of Bakare’s Meranda Orchestra. She said she witnessed the quarrel between the two and her husband over the sharing of 60 naira engagement proceeds. She further buttressed this by claiming that the Band was still playing at social events while their leader was missing.

A former deputy leader of Bakare’s Band, Daniel Akinola and two serving band members (Ayanniyi Atanda – current Band deputy leader and Michael Gasper a drummer of the Band) were the principal suspects that appeared before the Coroner. Daniel Akinola claimed he saw Bakare last in May 1972 (5 months before his death); the Coroner however ordered him to be present daily until the Inquest gave its verdict. For Atanda who admitted that he directed the sharing of the Band’s Isale-Gangan engagement proceeds, he was ordered to be detained for perjury. In his own case, Gasper who was accused of wishing Bakare dead in previous utterances denied such wish to his ‘guardian’.

The coroner found that Ayinde Bakare died from drowning and cast suspicion on two members of his Band who had complained about being underpaid, but said there was no incontrovertible evidence as to their involvement. She was convinced that the principal suspects knew more than they revealed about the death of Bakare. ‘It is my confirmed opinion that both Atanda and Gasper knew more about the case than they revealed before the coroner and same goes for Daniel Akinola who testified before me with a smearing contemptuous face, telling nothing but lies,’ Mrs. Akinboboye ruled.

The inquest was unable to report on who killed him because of lack of evidence. Only God knows whichever of those theories contributed to his death. His death still remains a mystery up till today and may he rest in peace.

WOULDN'T YOU RATHER FORGIVE?

Just before dawn on a Saturday morning, about 2:10 am, January 15, 1966, the Adjutant-General of the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant-Colonel James Pam (pictured), his wife Elizabeth and all other members of his family in their Nigerian Army residence at 8, Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos, awoke to the sight of soldiers crouching decidedly towards their house.

Eventually, the fully-armed soldiers continued to make their way to Lt. Col. Pam's home. Those approaching the kitchen chose to make their entrance by shooting through the door. A quick run up the stairs and the soldiers took over the bedrooms.

By this time, Elizabeth was no longer in doubt that something has badly gone wrong. As she ran to the children’s rooms in her distress and confusion, she screamed for her oldest child and daughter who was eight years old.

“Kaneng ! Kaneng! Help me! Help me!” she called out.

However, the invading soldiers had come face-to-face with her husband, James Pam, led by a man very close to him and a family-friend, Major Humphrey Chukwuka,  who was also his second-in-command, and Deputy Adjutant-General.

“Sir, we have come to take you with us,” Chukwuka said.

“Why? What is the meaning of this?” Pam questioned. 

“Sir, please come with us,” Chukwuka responded.

“Ok. Allow me to dress," Pam said as he gave in especially to the sight of guns blaring at him.

At this point, Pam was joined by his heartbroken wife, Elizabeth, as he retreated into the bedroom and changed swiftly into a pair of trousers, a vest and shirt and he put on his watch.

He returned to the waiting soldiers as Elizabeth pleaded with Major Chukwuka who she knew well as her husband's deputy and friend, to spare her husband’s life.

“Please don’t kill him, please don’t kill my husband,” Elizabeth pleaded.

"No. We won’t Madam. Don’t worry. I will bring him back to you," Chukwuka assured.

Major Chukwuka, who had rather become impatient, began to march Lieutenant-Colonel James Yakubu Pam out of his home but not without first advising him to put on a coat because it was cold outside due to the harmattan season.

As Pam was led out, Kaneng, his daughter, aware of the present danger, ran to her father and hugged him. Pam promptly turned to Elizabeth his wife and said in Hausa: “Liz, ki lura da yara,” which means “Liz, look after the children.”

Those were his last words to his wife. It was also the last time he would have a glimpse of his family that comprised his wife Elizabeth, Kaneng, eight years; Jummai, six years; Yusufu, four years; identical twins Ishaku and Ishaya, one year and nine months and Ibrahim (Gambo), four months and two weeks.

James Pam was led out and eventually killed within the hour after he was allowed to say his last prayers. His last thoughts were obviously for his devoted wife Elizabeth and their children. “Lord save them. Lord bless them and Lord keep them.”

Those were his last words as thirteen bullets were rained on him hitting his chest and jaw. He was 32. Murdered in cold blood on a cold morning by people he had trusted.

In 2001, 35 years after the events of that night, at the age of 65 years, Elizabeth Pam, who was born to a Ghanian Christian father and a Fulani Moslem mother, the widow of James Pam, went to see Humphrey Chukwuka in Enugu, the former capital of the Eastern Region and present capital of Enugu State.

She was 30 years old in 1966 when Chukwuka took James away and never returned him to her as promised.

Elizabeth did not call for justice as an alternative to the loss of her beloved husband neither was she avid for tribal accusations.

She just uttered those difficult words: "I FORGIVE YOU."

She died softly on the 10th of May 2011, surrounded by her children and her illustrious moral superiority. 

Source: A Carnage Before Dawn, by Ayomide Akinbode

L CHUKWUEMEKA ODUMEGWU OJUKWU AS A YOUTH

22-Year-Old Ojukwu And His Aunty, Winifred, On His Return From Oxford In 1955.

Below is a picture of a 22 year old, Biafran warlord, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and his aunty, Winifred Ojukwu, shortly after he returned to Nigeria in 1955 on completing his studies at Oxford university. Ojukwu bagged a Degree in History.

Ojukwu attended Kings College Lagos, Epsom College, Surrey, England and the prestigious Oxford University, England. By the time Ojukwu returned to Nigeria in 1955, his father had become one of the richest businessmen in the country with a business empire that spanned Transportation, Banking, Retail, Construction and Manufacturing.

Ojukwu's father took him to his corporate headquarters and showed him a well furnished airconditioned office, offering him a top position in his business organisation. Ojukwu turned his father down, telling him he wanted to make his own way in life. Ojukwu eventually secured a job in the civil service as an assistant district officer of Udi division, just outside Enugu. In 1956, Ojukwu was posted to Aba. It was at Aba that Ojukwu attended a party that would change the course of his life. At this party, Ojukwu met a young Yoruba man called Adeyinka Adebayo, who had just been newly commissioned as an officer of the Nigerian Army. Adebayo told Ojukwu that the Army was in the process of being indigenized and their was a shortage of officers. A few weeks after this party, Ojukwu was promoted to District Officer and posted to Calabar.

On hearing that his son had been posted to Calabar, Ojukwus influential father prevailed on the authorities to cancel the posting. When Ojukwu learnt of what his father had done, he angrily resigned his job and drove all the way to Kaduna where he enlisted into the Nigerian Army as a lowly recruit.

The British officers at Kaduna kept wondering what an Oxford graduate was doing as a private in the Army and sent him for officers course in England. Ojukwu returned in 1957 and was commissioned a second Lieutenant, the first graduate to join the Nigerian Army.

Ojukwu rose rapidly through the Army. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1958, Captain in 1960, Major in 1962 and Lieutenant Colonel in 1964. Ojukwu was commander of the 4th battalion, Kano, when the first coup happened in January 1966.

As the coup unfolded, Major Nzeogwu called on Ojukwu to join the coup to which Ojukwu refused. Ojukwus refusal to join Nzeogwu is one of the major reasons why Nzeogwu's coup eventually failed.

General Ironsi then siezed power and appointed Ojukwu Military Governor of the Eastern Region.

6 months later, mid-level officers of the Nigerian of Northern extraction conducted a coup that led to the overthrow and killing of Ironsi, and the installment of Lt Col Yakubu Gowon as Head of State. The coup also greenlighted a pogrom in which over 30,000 Easterners, mainly Igbos, were killed all over Nigeria, particularly in the North.

The inability of Gowon to stop the killings, the resentment in the Eastern Region against his government and the fact that Ojukwu was senior to Gowon caused bad blood between both men.

The crisis became so bad that the then President of Ghana, General Joe Ankrah, intervened and invited both Gowon and Ojukwu to his Hiltop Mansion in Aburi, Ghana, for peace talks in January of 1967.

After two days of discussions, Ojukwu and Gowon signed an agreement that was to be known as the Aburi Accord.

A few months after their return from Ghana, Gowon broke the Aburi accord they signed by issuing decree 14 of 1967 which abolished all the 4 Regions, created 12 states, reversed the fiscal federalism practiced, changed the revenue sharing formula, all in a bid to increase the power of the North over the rest of Nigeria.

For Ojukwu, it was the last straw. Ojukwu convened the Eastern Nigerian Consultative Forum, a body that comprised of all the chiefs and head of the 20 provinces that made up the Eastern Region. They sat and discussed for 2 days and mandated Ojukwu to declare the Eastern Region a separate country. On the 30th of May 1967, Ojukwu declared the Eastern Region a separate country called the Republic of Biafra.

In retaliation, Gowon declared war. The war raged on for 3 years and ended in January 1970 with Ojukwu handing over to his deputy, General Effiong, flying into exile in Ivory Coast and the subsequent surrender of Biafra.

Ojukwu later returned from exile 12 years later. He died in London in 2011 aged 78.

Rest in peace Legend....

EMIR Of Kano Dethrones Seven Yoruba Obas

The Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero (MFR) last Monday, in his palace, sacked seven self acclaimed Yoruba Obas in seven local government areas of the state by ordering their immediate de-turbanning.

This followed the meeting of the illegal obas with the emir in his palace in which the traditional heads had accused the Oba Yoruba of Kano State, His Highness Engineer (Dr) Murtala Alimi Otisese of various misdemeanors.

The seven had approached the emir, Sarki Kano with a multiple page petition against Oba Otisese, accusing him of high handedness, and causing disaffection and disharmony among the Yoruba people of the state.

But in a twist of fate, the emir, in his reaction, expressed disappointment over the conduct of the seven Yoruba leaders, saying that at no time did he, as the head of Kano Emirate Council, appoint them as obas of the seven local government areas and declared that the petitioners, by parading themselves as Obas in their various local government areas, had violated the laws of the land.

He noted that since there is an Oba of Yoruba in the state, the other traditional heads in the various local government areas are Baales (district heads) and, therefore, subjects of Oba Otisese.

The first class monarch frowned on the petitioners’ action, recalling that in a meeting he had with them sometimes in the past, he had directed them to follow due process by presenting themselves to the Oba Yoruba of Kano State whose responsibility it is to install them as Baales after which he would lead them to his palace for royal blessings.

He noted that the state traditional institution recognizes only one Oba, adding that other leaders of the Yoruba Community are under Oba Otisese and, therefore, cannot be addressed as Oba.

The sacked obas are Alhaji Segun Oni, Kumbotso Local Government Area; Alhaji Olayinka Dagunduro, Nassarawa Local Government Area; Alhaji Lukman Abdulkareem, Dala Local Government Area; Alhaji Mustapha Abdullahi, Kano Municipal Local Government Area; Alhaji Muhammed Roji, Gwale Local Government Area; Alhaji Kassim Olokuta, Tarauni Local Government Area and Alhaji Abdulrazak Alfa.

LT. COL. BANJO HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE “YORUBA BIAFRAN?”

Lt. Col. Banjo Have you heard of the “Yoruba Biafran?” Banjo almost captured Lagos for the Biafran Army in 1967, and his failure led to his execution. Some believe that Nigeria’s Civil War, fought between 1967 and 1970, is not a civil war, but a dispute between a set of tribes; Yoruba and Hausa on one and the East on the other. This assertion does not consider people like Lt. Col. Banjo, the Yoruba soldier who rose among the ranks fighting for the Biafran Army and did so until his death at the height of the war. Not much is known about Lt. Col. Banjo’s early life. He was born “Victor Adebukunola Banjo” as an Ijebu-man in Ogun State on April 1, 1930.

From Ogun’s foggy towns, he joined the Army as one of a generation of precocious young men in 1953 as Warrant Officer 52. The records state that Banjo was the sixteenth Nigerian to be commissioned as an officer in the Nigerian Army, (NA 16). In those days, Nigerian officers were entitled to training in England or nearby countries, under our colonial tie to Britain. Banjo was a product of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he also obtained a B Sc. in Mechanical Engineering. By the early 1960s, Banjo had risen to become the first Nigerian Director of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Corps of the Nigerian Army. It was the ideal life. He was a young man in his 30s with a young wife and two children. On January 15, 1966, many of Banjo’s peers executed the decision to take power from the civilian government.

They went on a rampage, killing many national and regional leaders in what we have now simplified into calling the 1966 coup. It is perhaps the most important day in Nigeria’s history. Detention It is also the day when Banjo’s travails began, the day when life decided to throw him through filters and ask questions that make a man wonder what drives him at the core. Shortly after Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi came to power following the 1966 coup, Lt. Col. Banjo was summoned to the office of the newly-selected Supreme Military Commander and was arrested while he was still waiting to see the Head of State.

Few people can say they understand what happened next but Banjo was accused of planning to kill the Head of State, General Aguiyi-Ironsi, and summarily detained. It has been suggested in accounts of that period that Ironsi was simply caught in the middle. The politics of the coup had been very tribal. After a team of largely Igbo soldiers had murdered the majority of the North’s leaders, there was pressure on him. From the North, he was expected to bring the coup plotters to justice. Eastern leaders were pleased that the perceived Northern stranglehold had been broken. Ironsi did not know what to do and the people needed scapegoats. It was not the first time that matters of the tribe would determine the course of his life. Banjo was detained until the Northern counter-coup in the same year. In a different world, Banjo would have been released. But somewhere in the ripple effects of that coup, Banjo tried to stand up for a Yoruba soldier.

Despite protesting his innocence, he was thrown in jail for the second time. He would stay there until May 1967. Letters from Prison It is often said that adversity brings out the best in men. And while he would have flourished undoubtedly outside the prison walls, it was then that Banjo showed the moral fibre and liberal system of beliefs that would make him stand out at the most trying moments in his short life.

Most of these can be seen in his letters. According to the book “A Gift of Sequins”, at the time, Banjo had a young family of four children. He did his best to staying touch and improve what was undoubtedly a hard time through constant letter writing. Banjo’s letters revealed that he had a liberal, non-tribalistic worldview. At the core, he was a man who loved his country and wanted to see his fellow soldiers do much better. Also, read the Funny tweet When the Biafra War began, Banjo had been moved to a prison in the East. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of the new Biafran nation, released him and made him a colonel. Despite his tribe, Banjo sought to fight for the new country against what he saw as institutional tribalism and genocide. Later he would say, “However when l discovered the emerging trend that followed the declaration of Independence of Biafra, it became clear to me that a war with the North was imminent.” “I decided to stay behind and assist in the prosecution of the war, both for the sake of my friendship with Colonel Ojukwu and in the hope that having assisted to fight back the Northern threat to Biafra, he would assist me with troops to rid the Mid-West and Lagos of the same menace.” 

There was scepticism about his role in the Biafran Army, but Banjo quickly proved himself to his fellow soldiers and earned their belief. The Yoruba Biafran He proved himself as a master tactician and a fearless soldier, traits that he proved when the Biafran Army attacked Nigeria. When the Nigerian Army invaded Biafra on July 6, 1967, Ojukwu sent Lt. Col. Banjo and Major Albert Okonkwo to invade Nigeria.

Banjo and his team moved quickly. He was able to capture Benin City in less than 24 hours. By the time his division took a break, he and his soldiers were able to get within 300 kilometres of the Nigerian capital Lagos. Something changed when they tried to enter Lagos. The Biafran offensive on Lagos started heavily and with purpose. Reports of that time say it moved at a “lightning-quick speed” but midway, Banjo, along with his fellow commanders, Okonkwo and Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna stopped and turned their army back to Biafra. On getting back to Biafra, Ojukwu had the soldiers detained. It is reported that Ojukwu saw their retreat as an act to sabotage Biafra’s existence. Why they did is not exactly known. Some relations of Ifeajuna have made claims that, as the was war progressed, Banjo and Ifeajuna did not share the idea of a break up of Nigeria.

Their cases were taken to a tribunal. After the first tribunal dismissed the case, a second tribunal sentenced the soldiers to death.

At his sentencing, Banjo said, “ I came into the war at a moment of temporary collapse of the Biafran fighting effort, when it became quite clear to me that the fighting effort of the Biafran Army was not only being incompetently handled, but also being sabotaged.” “Since then, it has been my fortune to command the Biafran troops on their successful exploits.” “On the whole, l had in private, told Col Ojukwu that l could never be made to stand charged for having plotted against his office and his person. There was no plot against him” On September 22, 1967, Banjo, Emmanuel Ifeajuna, and Philip Alale were marched into the Enugu city center and tied to a pole.

A firing squad of Biafran soldiers fired at them. When Banjo was hit, he reportedly yelled defiantly, “I’m not dead yet!” and he had to be shot multiple times before he died. Today, the legacy of the soldiers who fought on both sides has been largely forgotten. But in a country where tribal relations are still harsh, Lt. Col. Banjo set a template for living beyond tribe, for the greater purpose of humanity.

JACOB ODULATE, THE MAN WHO INVENTED ALABUKUN POWDER OVER 100 YEARS AGO

Alabukun, one of the oldest drugs in Nigeria and even  is still very relevant and popular today. However, not many know the Jacob Odulate aka Blessed Jacob, a Nigerian pharmacist, inventor and entrepreneur and  the brain behind the brand that has remained relevant selling in all parts of Nigeria, Benin republic, Cameroon, Ghana and some parts of Europe.

1.Jacob Sogboyega Odulate aka Blessed Jacob was born into a polygamous family in 1884.

2.He was originally from Ikorodu in Lagos State but later moved to the neighbouring Ogun State.

3.At age 14, he trekked for three months from Ikorodu before reaching Abeokuta to establish himself.

4. Blessed Jacob managed to create a brand from what served as his consulting room and workshop in Abeokuta. His modest headquarters was at the Sapon Area, not far from where he later built his famous three-storey building in Ijemo Agbadu.

5.In 1918, he invented the legendary Alabukun powder which is now a hit in the world’s most populous nation and in other West African nations.

6.He sent his children to study at some of the best universities in Durham, Newcastle, United States of America and London. e.g Mrs. Folake Odulate (later to become Chief. Mrs. Folake Solanke) who is the first female lawyer in Nigeria to wear the silk and she also became the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). In 1966, she established the first law firm by a Nigerian female at Ibadan, Oyo State and named it Alabukun Chambers in honour of her great father.

7. Apart from making the drugs, the energetic Blessed Jacob also produced other brands like Alabukun mentholine, other preparations and an annual journal called Alabukun Almanac which was widely distributed in Abeokuta and eventually all over Nigeria between the 1920s and 1950s.

8. He died in 1962 at age 78.

THE HISTORY AND MYSTERY OF BILIKISU SUNGBO SHRINE IN IJEBU ODE, OGUN STATE, SOUTH WEST NIGERIA 🇳🇬

The burial place of the legendary and biblical Queen of Sheba, locally known among Yoruba people as Bilikisu Sungbo, has turned a place of worship and tourism in Nigeria. Millions of people visit annually from different parts of the world to share the mystery surrounding Bilikisu Sungbo grave-turned-shrine located in Oke-Eri, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria.

The historical queen, Bilikisu Sungbo, was said to have traveled all the way from Ethiopia down to Ijebu-Ode where she died and was buried. The natives of Ijebu-Ode hold strong and popular claims about the identity of the controversial Bilikisu Sungbo. They claimed that she was the Queen of Sheba mentioned in the bible to have visited the wise king Solomon at height of his powers. They also claimed that Bilikisu Sungbo was the Quranic Queen Baliqs of Ethopia (from which the name Bilikisu was derived) who visited king Sulaiman. Another source has it that Bilikisu Sungbo was a wealthy woman and the leader of a group of women potters who traveled to far away places. Also, she was believed to possess supernatural powers with which she dug ditches around villages in Ijebu-Ode.

The tradition of the Ijebu people forbid women and dogs to visit the spot where Bilikisu Sungbo was buried. At the shrine, there is a small open ground with no grass growing on it. This place is said to be the place where the ancient queen was washed before being buried, and because of her supernatural powers, no plant or grass can ever grow on the spot.

In 1995, Bilikisu Sungbo’s shrine was added to the cultural category of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bilikisu Sungbo ‘grave-shrine’ will forever remain a pride of Ijebu-Ode people.

OONI EMPOWERS OVER 300 FASHION DESIGNERS IN ILE-IFE, ENVIRONS

Arole Oduduwa & Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, has empowered more than 300 fashion designers in Ile-Ife and some communities around the ancient city as part of his 11-point agenda set up for the throne to assist the less privileged.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony Programme of Ojaja Fashion Training Institute, on Tuesday, at his ancient Ile-Oodua Palace in Ile-Ife, Ooni Ogunwusi expressed his heartfelt joy the success of the initiative over the past five years. 

He lauded Olori Temitope Ogunwusi for being the facilitator via her nongovernmental organization; Hopes Alive Initiative (HAI) long before her emergence as an Olori in the Palace.

"I have known Olori Temitope for a long time and one thing no one can take away from her is her philanthropic gesture, she gives wholeheartedly without looking back. This is the basis upon which she established Hopes Alive Initiative, a nongovernmental organization that organizes this event." Ooni Ogunwusi said.

While addressing the beneficiaries who got trained in the art and trade of cloth making and also given start up equipment for free, Ooni Ogunwusi stressed that young individuals must be empowered with adequate skills and others necessary for them to have a better future.

He however applauded parents of the young minds for the love and support which has brought them thus far. 

The Co-chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) equally acknowledged the Coordinator of Ojaja Fashion Training Initiative and Ojaja Vocational Training School, Mr Samuel Adeyanju for modeling these lives for self-reliance.

Addressing newsmen, the Deputy Convener/CEO of Hope Alive Initiative (HAI), Olori Temitope Ogunwusi, applauded Ooni for being a responsible Royal Father who wants everybody to make it in life.

Queen Ogunwusi said that her husband does not believe that something is impossible, so this motives promoted him to always helping the downtrodden both in academics and non-academics.

"If anybody wants to attributes anything to Ooni, is humanitarian service, for he loves all and sundry with the believes that all fingers are not equal. He fulfills God's Will of meaningful people to assist the less privilege, that's why  I sees him as my first number one role model.

"My being here is the fulfilment  of the Will of God for me, because helping others is my passion, assured that this would assist me to fulfill my dream when seeing Ooni daily having compassion on the poor." She stated.

Olori Ogunwusi charged other philantorpists to stand up for the help of others by emulating Ooni, know that everyone would give account of him/herself on judgement day.

The CEO admonished the graduands to work on their mind and not to relent on tailoring level, but to aspire more on fashion designing so as to become modernised fashionists.

She appealed to them to  see this training as fundamental knowledge of what they should have started to be, they shouldn't stop there, but should try to make their best, "with God on their side, they would move the mountains.

Signed:

Otunba Moses Olafare,

Director, Media & Public Affairs,

Ooni's Palace.