The runner-up will be besieged by attorneys, emergency judges, and unsatisfied fans. Some people who enter situations for profit will not leave. Lawyers like my buddy Afikuyomi, who had just venerated Olokun and Aje, and still looking for millions to pay for school fees of their kids would key in.

The winner will also be surrounded by those vying for a seat at the power table. For the runner-up and others, their prophets of doom, armies of termites and parasites they call followers, including their political girlfriends who promised miracle votes, would be nowhere.

Soothsayers and prophets of doom are also on the run after achieving success – an apology to skit-maker, ‘Ogb recent’. The prophets and seers you see in garages have gathered money and foretold victory in vain. They do not want to be stripped naked. They also fear the wrath of the losers and their troops, over which they have no influence. Looters disguised as grassroots mobilizers and still in possession of funds intended to buy votes would join their fellow seers and prophets of doom in escaping the enemy (nemesis).

The nemesis that others are fleeing is looking at Obaseki directly. If you examine the Edo election, you will notice that Obaseki lost more than polls. He also lost some people. Most importantly, he’s losing himself. As sweet as power. As important as authority. If you’ve ever held authority, you wouldn’t want to go on vacation. You would be power-sick. Consult Wike and Fayose. Bello continues to enjoy his honeymoon in Kogi.

The noise isn’t new. Obaseki did not kill anyone. He only lost one election to install his favored. If you ask me, I wish he had lost the poll. Edo people should not have to suffer in the same way as Kogi people do. I don’t believe any state deserves a lap dog in power. Truly, Monday Okpebholo will be a lap dog in power, but he is not linked to a governor who has only served eight years and must be held accountable.

I vehemently oppose governors installing their successors. I see it as a third-term agenda. But Yahaya Bello accomplished it. Even President Tinubu accomplished it. That is why Ododo can be found wherever Yahaya Bello is. Even in the gutter or dirt. Kogi residents have no idea whether Usman Ododo is the governor or Yahaya Bello’s head of security.

Tension is not a friend of the body, particularly the political one. What kind of spirit overtook Obaseki when he visited the REC on election day? It should be disturbing. When I read about it, I just agreed with him. People cannot spend billions on an election whose results might be postponed at any time. Nigerians, particularly the Edo people, deserve to be informed. But I am concerned by comments attributed to Governor Obaseki following the Edo poll. He referred to democracy and the rule of law. Obaseki claimed that the Edo gubernatorial election was plagued by a disdain for the rule of law.

I am not here to debate his position on the poll. Elections in Nigeria, or anywhere in the world, are imperfect. Obaseki was elected Governor twice using the exact process he condemns. Logically, it is understandable that some aspects of the election were tarnished by a disdain for the rule of law. What exactly is the rule of law? What is democracy? Merriam Webster defines rule of law as a condition in which all citizens observe a country’s laws. Democracy simply implies rule by the people.

Obaseki does not seem to comprehend that you can not abuse witches in the afternoon and then seek their assistance at night. You cannot abandon or insult God during the day while seeking His favor at night. Obaseki is like someone who is cruising on water in a boat, singing Maami water power is powerless power, and when there is turbulence, he shouts for help from water spirits.

It’s humorous that Obaseki, who dismantled the roofs of the Edo State House of Assembly, refused to swear in 14 validly elected lawmakers, and plotted the removal of his deputy governor, with whom they share a ticket, is now claiming that the Edo gubernatorial election was marred by a disdain for the rule of law. When in a position of power or influence, act appropriately. Do not wear the garment of pride. Do not use power to molest others. Do not support actions that you would oppose as a private citizen. Nemesis is what comes to mind when you think of Obaseki.

Overall, I pity Obaseki. He is the biggest loser. He lost his party, caucus, deputy governor, king, and finally the election. True, his name was not on the ballot, but he was the one wielding power, politics, and relevance. If the PDP had won the Edo poll, people would still be praising Obaseki. In fact, press, radio, and television stations would interview Obaseki more than the PDP gubernatorial candidate.

For analysts, the game remains a draw. Obaseki and Oshiomole, Monday Okpebholo’s godfathers, are the ones throwing the cards. For Obaseki, the loss is personal. As he steps down from power, he may leave behind his legacies. Politicians are like witches. They don’t forgive. Political vengeance and nemesis may be harsh. If Obaseki is not careful, his name as a former governor may be his only legacy. He needs to contact Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun. They need to exchange notes. I wish him well as he prepares for life outside of power. He will miss his aides, a swarm of followers who are buddies with power. I also wish him a Happy Missing in advance.

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo

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In the last three years, Oba Ogungbangbe has not agreed that he is a ruler. He prefers to be addressed as a leader. Rulers are the people who rule, while leaders are the people who lead. I have once argued that both are non-identical from one another, accusing the monarch of cajoling his people owing to his decision to stick to being addressed as a leader rather than a ruler.

On an occasion, I asked the monarch why he preferred being addressed as a leader rather than a ruler. “A leader listens to his people, while a ruler does not. A leader is someone you can look up to, while a ruler is someone you must obey.” Oba Ogungbangbe calmly responded, saying he wants to earn, not demand, the respect of his subjects through his actions.

Oba Ogungbangbe is not your regular king. He is special, different, and distinct. He is a Muslim but bears Benjamin. His late father died in 2002 as the Chief Imam of Iloko-Ijesa. Like a father, like a son. His father was a religiously tolerant person who gave equal access to all in his school, irrespective of religion. Despite his rich Islamic background, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Iloko-Ijesa, and other faithful use the open space in his palace for fellowship.

During Easter or Christmas, he associates with Christians. In the month of Ramadan, he associates with Muslim faithfuls. During Obalogun festivals, Oba Ogungbangbe wakes up as early as 3 a.m. to join the procession to historic sites in the town and does not miss showering prayers on his people at every historic site. He expressly permits the celebration of the Olokun and New Year festivals without restraint.

Aworo could not hide his excitement when he was thanking and praying for the monarch’s administrative and financial support. I watched how each indigenous group, including hunters, was hailing the monarch for his many efforts in building the town and allowing peace to reign. Oba Ogungbangbe told the crowd that he should not be flattered because he still has a lot of ideas to execute or implement. Yes, Benjamin Disraeli was right about true royals. “Everyone likes flattery, and when you come to royalty, you should lay it on with a trowel.”

His major achievements are in education and employment opportunities. Aside from employing temporary staff, he pays monthly to assist public teachers at Osowusi Grammar School. He has a long list of indigenes who are benefiting from his scholarship scheme from primary to tertiary education. He has empowered some youths with quality tools for vocational practice, and those who were lucky to be employed through his intervention are not few in number.

Oba Ogungbangbe is not also a skit-maker in robes. He has problems with indiscipline and favoritism. Barely a year after he was crowned, he declared that scholarship opportunities should only be made available for brilliant sons and daughters of the needy and poor. He said any kid whose parents can afford primary or secondary education should not be allowed to take part in the scholarship examination. He added to the scholarship slots for more opportunities for the poor and disadvantaged.

His kind of royalty does not accommodate laziness and indiscipline. I have seen him driving around the town in person. Whenever you asked him, he would tell you that his driver is also a family man who deserves to rest and play with his kids. For Oba Ogungbangbe, leadership, or royalty, is service to the people. He is not the kind of leader who sits flamboyantly in his palace and asks subjects to run errands for the people. He supervises and monitors community projects.

When Oba Akeem Olusayo Ogungbangbe appears in public, he carries so many rare attributes of a special person. The Owaloko of Iloko-Ijesa, like many, is not defined by material possessions like cars, houses, or rustles of cash in his pockets but rather by the exemplary lifestyle of a true royal. Oba Ogungbangbe consumes ‘humility’ as a daily tablet. He does not talk or act hysterically. He doesn’t act in ways that will make him infamous or flaunt his fortune to attract attention. Yes, Philip Treacy was correct. Royalty is completely different from celebrity. Royalty has a magic all its own. 

For Oba Ogungbangbe, royalty is a demanding, difficult job and a selfless devotion to the people. He is constantly thinking of ways to make Iloko-Ijesa better. You will find out when you talk to the king about the town. He considers himself to be an occupier of a throne with greater responsibilities. When you see Oba Ogungbangbe, you see a royal father who is not only driven by passion to serve his people but also troubled by his vow to never abandon the people, especially his forefathers who helped build the town.

As he marks his third anniversary on the throne, Oba Akeem Ogungbangbe still believes he has not done much for his people. In all fairness, Oba Akeem Ogungbangbe has reasons to be afraid. His own father, the late Alhaji Taiwo Ogungbangbe, founded the first post-secondary school in the town, now Osowusi Muslim Commercial High School, Iloko-Ijesa. He comes from a prestigious family ‘Ogungbangbe’ known for respect, hard work, and devotion to his place of living and work. Iloko-Ijesa is a masterpiece of what natives can do for their town. From roads to businesses to mighty buildings, all are genuine efforts from natives. You cannot lead a town like Iloko-Ijesa and be satisfied or comfortable, no matter how big your achievements are. 

Being an Owaloko comes with a lot of sacrificeand demands. Whoever enjoys a luxurious lifestyle, partying, or living flamboyantly must not aspire to become the king of Iloko-Ijesa. The king (Owaloko) serves the people, not the other way around. In Iloko-Ijesa, the king cannot sell land; only the people or council can. No king of Iloko-Ijesa can enjoy the palace like modern kings. You are certainly compelled by some mysteries to work for the town and its people. This is evident in the lives of past leaders who led the town to prosperity with their God-given intellect, resources, and positive drives.

As Oba Akeem Olusayo Ogungbangbe continues to paddle the affairs of the Iloko-Ijesa kingdom as the true custodian of culture and tradition, I join prominent sons and daughters to celebrate the multi-dimensional king who made his palace a home for all. 

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo writes from Osogbo, the capital of Osun State.

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The sanctity of the throne must be thoroughly protected against the excesses of its occupiers. For the throne to be secured, the occupier must go through a thorough cleansing and screening because it must not be polluted. Occupiers are compelled to go through spiritual cleansing and spend a couple of days at the Ipebi, where they are taught how to behave and what characters to exhibit in public. In Ipebi, kings would have a better understanding of the core secrets of their towns, including traditions, historic sites, and how their forefathers related to them.

At Ipebi, discipline is a virtue and an important teaching that must not be missed at all. Kings don’t eat outside. Kings don’t lead a mob to the houses of their subjects. Kings do not appear in public without caps. Kings do not dance anyhow in public among others. These are true values every rational Yoruba king must display because they are not greater than values of the system that made them king. When you look at the kind of traditional rulers being paraded in public, one is forced to ask if Ipebi still exists and what they teach them there. Is the Yoruba tribe now in need of elderly people with clear heads to manage Ipebi for better products?

Barely two weeks ago, a video emerged on social media where the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, was seen running around without his cap in Mecca. In the video, Oba Akanbi did not only appear in public without covering his head, but he also captured the moment and posted it on his social media page. When I saw the video, I browsed through the page, and I saw a comment section bombarded by three sets of people: some Muslims who hailed him because they saw it as a plus to their religion, some Iwo natives who did not want their king to be ridiculed, and some cultural enthusiasts who expressed their worry over the act. I decided not to intervene in the matter because it would not be the first time Oba Akanbi would attempt to drag the values of a system that made him king.

I was preparing for a professional examination when a message popped on my phone’s screen. A friend who probably watched the video of Oluwo appearing in public without a cap was the one who sent the message. “Oluwo will destroy Yoruba values.”  That was the message he sent. I did not bother to reply to him. I read it and continued with my preparation for examination. He later forwarded another message in which he expressed concern about my silence. Are you quiet because you’re also a Muslim? The prince queried. I did not respond again. When we met, I did not raise it either. Dear Tadenikawo, if you ever read this piece, my response to your questions is responsibly captured here.

Abdulrasheed Akanbi cannot destroy Yoruba values. He is not the first Yoruba king to visit Mecca for pilgrimage. Other kings also removed their caps, but they did not record themselves for the public to watch and judge. I have seen kings who try to avoid being recorded or captured with people’s phones. Oluwo is not the first Yoruba king to commit such an offense, but he only lacked decorum and discipline, and it is evident in the ways and manners in which he has been parading himself and clearly waging war against a system that crowned him.

Sadly, no matter how much he tries, he can only continue to prove to the public that he has been given a job or responsibility greater than his character and mental capacity. Yorubas have a rigid structure of values that cannot be ridiculed. Even though our politicians and money-bag natives have polluted the system and facilitated the crowning of people of questionable character, possibly ex-convicts, as reported by some tabloids, the Yoruba system has continually shown strength by surviving the antics of politicians and the tenures of their installed candidates of questionable character.

In Yorubaland, elders are allowed to occupy leadership positions. From Olori Ebi (the family head) to Iya Ile (the oldest woman in a family), elders are given priority over young ones, yet there are positions reserved for the young ones in family and community. It is as if our forefathers had pictured the possible bastardization of culture and traditions in the future, hence the rigid structure of values that allowed elders to occupy leadership positions for years. Unfortunately, politics has weakened traditional systems, and the game of “who do you know in the royal contest” has worsened it. The structure that favored elders in leadership knew that it would be rare and almost impossible for elders not to act like toddlers.

If Oba Akanbi had apologized or kept quiet after the video went viral, I would have suggested that he should be forgiven and argued that he was driven by youthful exuberance and a quest for more power and more respect within the largest religious setting in his town. When I watched his defense, he further proved that he was not worthy of the throne and was a clown wearing traditional robes of authority. Who mocks the inheritance of his forefathers that he’s benefiting from? A clown. Oba Akanbi is not a traditional ruler. The revered stool of Iwo is vacant. He is more of a spiritual leader of the largest religious movement in his town than a ruler of all. I once postulated that Oba Akanbi is acting like a 6-year-old toddler promoted to university for ridicule and mockery. His actions are clear proof that he lacks basic knowledge about royalty and the culture and practices of the tribe he’s supposed to lead.

In another angle, I also expressed sympathy and pity for Oba Akanbi. He is the most widely criticized and condemned Yoruba king. Recently, he was repeatedly portrayed as someone who scams people by some tabloids. I really do not see karma. I only see the consequences of the game of power-seeking he’s playing. I have listened to and watched videos where Oba Akanbi misrepresented facts about Yoruba values, history, and traditions. I had earlier assumed that he was ignorant, but the day I spotted that he was deliberately not speaking to facts but rather to hailing of Muslims, the largest worshippers in his town, I concluded that he is in search of popularity, acceptance, and respect, and the only way to claim these is to associate with the Muslims, particularly TAWUUN, the largest religion group in Iwo.

When someone who abuses his own father respects your father, you should run away and block every access because if he’s not doing it for a purpose, you would surely become a victim. There are a lot of Yoruba kings who are followers of Allah and his holy prophet, Muhammad. They observe their solat (prayers) and go to Mecca without noise. They do not seek validation from the public about their choice of religion, and you would never see them descerating the stools of their forefathers because they have accepted a foreign religion. They speak moderately. They dress in Yoruba attire, and they allow custodians of ancient practices, such as customs, to perform their roles without stress. They associate freely, and they permit the coexistence of religions without breastfeeding one to grow more than others.

Why can’t Oba Akanbi act like other Yoruba kings who promote cultures, allow traditions to operate, and still worship in line with their preferred religion? It is simple. Oba Akanbi’s actions are mere show-offs to lure or seek acceptance and respect from Muslims, particularly TAWUUN members, who are the largest religious group in Iwo. He knows that Iwo is densely populated by Muslims. He has also seen how Emirs, particularly Oba of Ilorin, are being accorded respect for being Muslims in a territory populated by Muslims. He also knows that Muslims can only respect a king who is a Muslim and has associated with them in public. Oba Akanbi is simply in love with power and respect for Muslims accorded their rules who worship the same God as them. People on the streets say that Oba Akanbi does not really love Allah; rather, he’s obsessed with power and respect from the largest group in his town.

He cannot destroy Yoruba values. No matter how he tries, he will always meet strong resistance. Oba Akanbi needs to know that Yoruba tradition and custom do not need people to defend themselves. It would always happen naturally.

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Why should a trader be harassed or intimidated for not joining an association? These cowards target vulnerable people who are struggling with businesses and use fear as a weapon by claiming that there are top police officers and the palace behind them. They would force them to join and strangle them with bills.

I did not attend the event where the monarch banned the forceful inclusion of members in trade associations, but I watched the video of the pronouncement, and it was not different from the popular biblical reference ‘Let my people go’. I believe the royal father must have been overwhelmed by the excesses of trade associations and the unending reports of people whose lives have been miserable by ignorant members and arrogant leaders of these trade associations.

Oba Aromolaran declared war against his old friends. The royal father directed that no individual must be compelled or forced to join any association before he or she can engage in any business of his or her choice. The obviously angry king further directed that any resident of Ilesa who is tackled and frustrated by any association should report to the palace, and those responsible would be dealt with to the full extent of the law.

The outcry of joy and pleasant remarks that followed the declaration by the monarch is proof that people are extremely tired of the excesses of trade associations. Many residents, including outsiders who have witnessed or read about the sponsored harassment and molestation of traders who were either not interested or had no financial muscle to join trade associations, praised the directive.

Oba Aromolaran has spent more than forty years on the throne of his forefathers, and I sincerely doubt if he has ever received praise and prayers as much as these in his entire journey on the throne. The joy on people’s faces is evidence that they or people they know have been shown ‘pepper’ by trade associations.

As a ruler of distinction and intimidating native intelligence, many are still surprised why he tolerated the actions of trade associations for so long. Why did it take him so long to cut the excesses of trade associations? The question is on the lips of every individual.

I had intervened on a particular matter where the leaders of this trade association claimed to have support for the monarch. They claimed that they owned ‘Owa’ and that the palace supports whatever they are doing. I did not bother to doubt this claim because the palace never frowned at it.

Another alleged fact is that they take gifts to the palace every year to show appreciation for support, which means that the king and his entire council are in support of whatever they are doing. I had to inform the police about the incident, and I thank a team of responsible officers who rescued the poor woman from the shackles of marauders who hide under trade associations to infringe on people’s rights.

As residents celebrate the new move, I think they should be bothered about the consequences and ask if the monarch is ready to wrestle with his old friends. Oba Aromolaran must be properly informed that he has a lot of work to do beyond the verbal directive. There must be a task force that is not corrupt, and it must be populated by people who are rich in both native and emotional intelligence to readily receive complaints and manage those who have been frustrated by trade associations.

Leaders of trade associations who use funds gathered from levies to raise their kids would surely fight against it. They would not tackle the monarch in public; rather, they would continue with their lawless acts. They will only change tactics. They won’t engage those who have temerity to report them to the police station. They will run away from those who know the palace and the people in it, but I pity the disadvantaged and vulnerable women who only want to feed their kids with little gain from their businesses.

My ears are filled with sad tales of how the leaders of these trade associations treat their members. From pepper grinders to food sellers to bread sellers to nylon sellers to alcoholic drink sellers, among others, it has always been a story of crass use of force, intimidation, and unlawful assertions from acclaimed leaders to members.

I have not seen Iya Romoke (not real name), a food seller in Ilesa, since the directive of Oba Aromolaran. I surely do not want to measure her excitement in absentia. She is a victim of a trade association. They once invaded her small shop, locked it, and took her keys away for a long time. They did not care about cooked foods in her custody. She once paid N2000 with a lot of appeals for presenting a levy receipt for Ilesa West to the Marshals of Ilesa East. She narrated how she was forced to kneel down during one of their meetings because she refused to leave the spot they directed her to leave.

When I asked her to follow me to the station, she begged me. Why did she beg me? It’s obvious. She told me that she would be attacked spiritually. She mentioned three people who wrestled against the trade association and watched their businesses rot away. I looked at her with pity, and I saw a conquered businesswoman whose wings had been capped by marauders. Iya Romoke is not alone.

Her story is not different from that of thousands of traders who have been witchhunted and oppressed by associations. People join associations to become bigger, more connected, and achieve higher prosperity. For Ilesa trade associations, you forcefully join associations to be monitored, tackled, intimidated, oppressed, and possibly dragged to penury and financial instability.

Definitely, Ilesa is fertile ground for businesses to flourish. It is a big center stage of deliberate commerce, but trade associations and the silence of community leaders, especially Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, have denied the town its rightful place in the community of prosperous towns. The price of every commodity is determined by these associations. No trader has the right to buy and sell at prices that matter to him or her. If these prices were determined in favor of the masses, it would have been more appealing. They would increase the prices of goods and services astronomically and compel their members to follow the same suit.

I thank his Imperial Majesty, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, for looking directly into the eyes of his old friends. But there’s more work to do. There must be a task force to implement your directive, and it must be felt across the entire town. Let the palace be open to all and for all. Let the people feel the warmth, safety, and security of the palace. Please make scapegoats too. May your reign continue to make life better for the Ilesa people.

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The social media was abashed with receipts of advance tuition fees for Yahaya Bello’s kids paid in dollars by the former governor from Kogi State coffers. According to the EFCC chairman, Yahaya Bello took $720,000 from Kogi state accounts to pay in advance the tuition fees of his kids before leaving office as a two-time governor. When I surfed the internet to read comments under the pages of news platforms, I read the anger and anguish of netizens in writing. They nearly lost words to describe the actions of the former governor. From greed to extreme greed to wickedness to outright evil, there’s no bad word they did not use in condemning the action.

A civil servant from Kogi, while condemning the act, disclosed that he had to defer the admission of his child because he could not clear some bills like school fees, accommodation, and upkeep due to unpaid backlog of salary in the state. As sad as his narration might be, it pushed me to conclude that it would likely be a threat to a new generation. There’s a likely possibility that the civil servant’s son sees his father as an irresponsible man who denied him the opportunity to resume school with his friends after he had passed the necessary examination because his father could not steal or launder money, while Yahaya Bello’s children, whose father allegedly stole from the coffers of Kogi State to pay their tuition fees in advance, would be seen as the responsible one.

Some Nigerians also abused the Abuja American School for collecting advance payments from Yahaya Bello. I think I agree that when problems are too many, you might not know which of them to tackle first. A school that collects advance tuition fees, if at all there should be a problem, is not greater than a public officer who looted the treasury of a state he governs to pay the tuition fees of his children in advance. Aside from receiving school fees in dollars in a Naira–dominated nation, American School in Abuja has not committed any offense known to law, logic, or morality. The American School in Abuja is not the center point of this entire case, but Yahaya Bello.

I was struggling to understand life and its complexities, especially the wide gap between social status and the abuse of privileges by public officers, when I came across a news publication that some Kogi-born lawyers protested at the EFCC headquarters, accusing the anti-graft agency of molesting and trampling on the rights of Yahaya Bello. That’s the danger of Nigeria’s politics. When I watched the clip and saw adults who are probably older than Yahaya Bello, either lawyers or impersonating the drivers of the legal profession, I could not agree less with Nigerian comedian and actor, Bovi Ugboama, who defined the problems of Nigerians with a ‘culture of shame’. If you embezzle or steal public funds, just ensure that you stole enough to pay lawyers in court and the clowns onthe streets. the streets.

While we were still trying to understand what could have compelled Yahaya Bello, a two-time governor to allegedly embezzle N80bn from Kogi coffers, a video emanated from Lead British International School belonging to a fifth-time federal lawmaker representing Ijesa North Federal Constituency, Oluwole Busayo Oke. In this video, a female student named Namtira Bwala was slapped repeatedly by another female student named Maryam. Those who counted the slaps received by the victim said it reached 18. Namtira Bwala received 18 slaps from Maryam in the presence of fellow students. This is bullying, I agree with many Nigerians who have condemned the act and I also agree that such incidents must be curtailed and not  allowed anywhere in the country.

However, we are still lacking the necessary details about the incident. We must not only show desperation in punishing the ‘bullies’ but also be desperate in knowing the true cause of the incident. As a trained criminologist, I am more interested in ‘how and why’ it happened rather than who did it or providing evidence of guilt. I have listened to Namtira and Maryam, but none have explained in clear terms the primary cause of the bullying. What could have made two teenagers, Maryam and Aliya, beat up Namtira Bwala after a teacher had first resolved the issue?

The bullying act that happened at Lead British International School is just a representation of what has become a menace in our society. There’s no boarding school in Nigeria where such acts do not occur. For Nigerians, bullying is a way of life. Every boarding school, either private or public, is a training camp for bullies. Both teachers and senior students bully. Like Namtira Bwala, eight out of ten students living in the boarding school have been bullied, either by fellow students or teachers. If we only punished Maryam and Aliya for bullying Namtira Bwala, it would not stop others from being bullied. Until we uproot the primary causes of bullying and introduce interventional measures that would reduce it, those who are riding the buses of vengeance do it in vanity.

The extent of bullying in government-owned boarding schools is extremely disturbing. During the week, I visited ‘Oroki Foods’, the official page of a PhD student based in Osogbo who sells paps, and I marveled at the revelations of people, especially those who went to boarding schools. I was not surprised but a bit shocked because I sincerely doubt if administrators of boarding schools have knowledge of the number of people they have ruined psychologically. Yes, I was not surprised. I attended a private-owned boarding school from JSS 1 to JSS 2. I was a victim of bullying. My pointed teeth and being a Muslim in a Christian boarding school made me a target.

Whenever I read any confession on her page, it was easier for me to relate because I had first-hand experience. I have seen senior students having sex during the night. I have seen senior students forcing juniors to drink water used to wash clothes as punishment. I have watched helplessly how senior students would forcefully hijack provisions meant for juniors and still organize premium beatings for any junior that disagreed. I’ve seen senior students setting up any junior that disagrees with them. Physical torture, abuse, same-sex  teachers to students sexual encounters, dinning wahala, and many more are events that shaped my memory as a boarder. The greater problem is that there are a lot of victims living with these traumas who are now teachers, parents, and even proprietors.

Of all the experiences I had as a boarder, I still remember a particular incident that happened on a Saturday evening between me and the chaplain of our school. I had issues with one of my classmates (name withheld). I think she abused me, and I seized her book in return. She went ahead to pick up my book lying on the table and tear it. I was upset and threw her book on the floor. I did not know that I had offended the chaplain’s favorite. She left the entire school and went to report me at the chaplain’s dormitory. In response to her report, the chaplain sent three senior students to fetch me. I did not steal or commit examination malpractice, but I was apprehended like one. They took me to the chaplain’s quarters, and I started receiving different kinds of punishment without being questioned.

The chaplain did not investigate the matter. I was severely punished alongside a friend named Folowosele Samuel. According to the female student, Samuel was an accomplice who assisted me in harassing her. I was punished from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Samuel was released around 7 p.m. during dinner time. I missed dinner, and I was severely punished. I received all kinds of punishment because I threw this girl’s book to the floor after she tore my own book. The chaplain stood up from a plastic chair he was sitting on and used pipes to beat me after ordering two seniors to carry me. He had already directed senior students to knock my head and give me dirty slaps. I fell and ran away. I was chased by the chaplain and these seniors towards the school gate. I would have escaped through the fence if I was not nabbed by gatemen. I nearly collapsed from beating that very night. He later released me after he was satisfied. I trekked to the hostel with premium tears and washed myself at the water tank. I could not sleep at night due to body pains.

The following day was a Sunday. I arrived late at the chapel inside the school. He asked me to stand up and mocked me openly. He addressed me as a boy with adult teeth. He said I nearly died from his beatings but do not believe in Jesus Christ, who survived the torture of his aggressors till he reached the point of crucifixion. I kept silent and did not utter a word. After Sunday’s service, I walked to the boy’s hostel and sat on my bed. I did not sleep, but I could not remember what I was thinking. I later heard from one of my seniors that I offended the chaplain’s girl. As a boy, I thought she was just a favorite, but I think she was more than that now that I’m older. This is one of my sad experiences as a boarder.

My story is not different. It is similar to the tales of every boarder who went through hell at the hands of bullies and abusers. When I saw the video of Namtira Bwala being bullied by Maryam and Aliya, I had a memory refresh and remembered when the Chaplain directed my seniors to give me knocks and slaps. As a victim of bullying and abuse, I clearly posit that most boarding schools in the country are very low in standard and do not make adequate preparation to tackle issues like bullying and abuse. The government must start a reformative process outside her doors and extend such practices to private owners. We must look beyond punishing Maryam and Aliya or shutting down Leed Bristish International School; we must be deliberate about making reforms that would change the status quo of boarding schools in the country.

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo is an online editor, criminologist, and columnist.

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Many Nigerians no longer have faith in the Nigerian legal system. Instead of going to court, any Nigerian who feels oppressed or deceived would rather record the incident on social media, where other users would be able to drag the offending party or cheater to heel. Social media provides justice for oppressed and defenseless people. The number of strong, influential Nigerians who have moral failings and have been brought low by social media is too great for me to tally. I completely agree that social media may be toxic, nasty, and too demanding, but we also can’t ignore the reality that it has turned into an open prison that celebrities and the wealthy fear more than the legal system.

I got a video on Monday morning from one of my pals. The fact that he omitted captions made me even more excited to download and view the said video. When I clicked on it, I saw that it was a video of a woman testifying at Dunamis Church about her attempt to get a B.Sc. in law (degree) from the National Open University (NOUN), which is now trending. I thanked my friend without letting him know that I had seen the aforementioned video. The woman was severely reprimanded and criticized by Dunamis Church owner Paul Enenche like a secondary student who did not pass WAEC. He accused her of lying on his altar and further affirmed that there’s no BSC in law but LLB or BL. He further undermined the law graduate’s self-worth by using her as a case study of those who come to his altar to tell lies in order to pressure others into accepting their testimony.

The aforementioned video did not meet Nigerians well. They chastised Pastor Enenche for making the accusation against the woman, who subsequently proved to be a law graduate at the Abuja Study Center of the National Open University. Furthermore, other Nigerians contended that because the woman’s English was not perfect or fluent, the pastor was obviously incorrect to condemn, reject, and shame her so fast.

Enenche was correct to point out that her English was not perfect, but this just serves to highlight the pastor’s preoccupation with fluency and perfection rather than credentials. It just implies that it would be simpler for someone with perfect English to pretend to be a law graduate and be welcomed by Pastor Paul Enenche. The “gods of men” that rule Pentecostal churches are like that. They are discerning and consider their own level of value and worth to be the highest of all time. Paul Enenche says you’re a law graduate if you can speak English perfectly, even if you’re a graduate of French.

At the moment of the woman’s mockery, harassment, and scorn at Paul Enenche’s altar, God was not resting. Luckily, she still has the photo she snapped at convocation, and the school administration even published her name on the list. That protected her from the anger of Nigerians, but it did not protect her spiritual father from public mockery. On social media, they ripped him to pieces. In addition to forgiving the woman for her poor English, they also shared a screenshot indicating that NOUN, or National Open University, is a university that grants legal students a Bachelor of Science degree before it is later changed. They dragged Paul Enenche, the owner of Dunamis Church, until they became so irate that they had to make a statement. Social media is a humbling tool.This woman worked for ten years to fulfill her longtime ambition. She is her family’s first degree holder. For a young adult who finished so late by Nigerian standards, she was ecstatic and proud of her accomplishment. She was aware that there were people who took away her joy, but she had faith in the church and her spiritual guide to keep her joy intact. She lost her joy because of the church. She became the target of mockery as Paul Enenche turned her charming moments into moments of ridicule. Although I don’t know her, I hope she finds somewhere to boost her confidence and self-worth.

It was incorrect of the woman to dash to the church in order to hold onto her happiness and give her law school graduation testimony. Her biggest mistake was thinking that the church was only for the underprivileged and that the church would be much affected by her testimony. I respectfully request that she padlock the chamber where these kinds of notions seep out. Her story about becoming a law graduate after ten years would not be of interest to anyone in a church full of wealthy and well-off people. It’s not like you’re wealthy. You are not a member of the colony of tithe-paying people. You’re not giving a testimonial about how God blessed you with a billion dollars and that you want to give N50 million to God’s ministry.

You’re not announcing scholarship offers for members to be monitored by church administration, or donating speakers worth millions of naira. By telling the guys in the church who are wealthy, powerful, and well-connected that they need to waste their time praising God for having graduated you after ten years, you are upsetting a place where duly recognized members sit in the front rows. You immediately shoot yourself in the foot by saying that the wealthy are not accustomed to BSc in law. It is Pastor Paul Enenche’s right to keep his altar safe. He has the right to maintain the high standards of his altar against the underprivileged and those who have experienced hardship and find small solace. The pastor, Paul Enenche, who speaks for the group of rich and giving, responded to this woman’s boldness with even more intensity.

Pastor Paul Enenche would never have responded this way if the person sharing her tale had been a politician, affluent churchgoer, or a significant church supporter who was unable to speak English fluently. If any modifications were necessary, they would be made simply, completely humble, and with the highest respect. This demonstrates even further how the church respects the contributions of the wealthy, strong, and powerful while promising celestial benefits to the impoverished who perform church-related tasks.

To be really honest, I don’t hold Pastor Paul Enenche responsible. You are unable to give up what you lack. The first time I saw Paul Enenche as a preacher was when he was spotted praying for a traditional monarch who was kneeling down for him with a cultural crown on his head. The second time I learned about him, it was when he stood up for Bishop Oyedepo against the criticism of Pastor Tunde Bakare regarding his private aircraft. He concluded his defensive remarks with “so that nobody will feel bad, we had to put our luggage in the other ones (jets). Our cameramen, media people, protocol officers, and even ushers entered the jet. Those who are talking anyhow are yet to see anything; you can’t serve God and still  beg.” Can such a spiritual father be moved by the testimony of a struggling woman who finally graduated as a law student after 10 years? It is not possible.

The way we view and handle these pastors is where the bigger mistake is. We gave them preferential treatment and transformed them into “gods dressed like men,” with powerful, affluent men serving as their heavenly partners and advisors. We should be worshiping God, but instead we are focusing more on men in religious garb. This is a sad state of affairs. We even look to them for approval. Why is Vera unable to remain at home and tell his story to friends and family? If they were unhappy with it, at least they wouldn’t be so bold as to make fun of her in public. Seeking validation about God’s blessings from the church that is not interested in your growth is wrong.

It’s crucial to remember that Paul Enenche, the proprietor of Dunamis Church, has responded to the occurrence. I felt horrible when I read the statement since it was so full of ego. The owner and the church are still unaware of the audacity of what they have done. The relationship between the master and the slave did not assist either. Why should a master give his slave an apology? A straightforward letter of apology that would have further helped the church’s reputation would have been preferable to an unneeded explanation that would have further damaged the church’s reputation.

In addition to helping the woman regain her lost sense of self-worth, saying “Dear Vera, we are sorry and we apologize for calling you a liar” would have further enhanced the church’s reputation as a place where all souls are respected. I’ve read the declaration. Do read it if you haven’t already. Pastors in Nigeria are haughty and arrogant. They always want others to think of them as impervious to error. They want people to think of them as someone who is incapable of saying sorry for anything. God and they are both divine. They’ve lost sight of the fact that they are only messengers. They must understand that they are not God. They are not Jesus Christ, for He died to atone for sins of his people.

I also concur with some who say that if the pastor hadn’t suppressed the woman’s testimony, Nigerians would have laughed at the church. It is true, of course. However, Pastor Paul Enenche’s response to the alleged inaccuracy in the testimony and his manner of doing so are not in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ, the supreme authority among Christians. Jesus Christ showed respect for everyone. He showed respect to the woman whose menstruation was flowing. He showed respect to the woman who was being accused of infidelity. He was a sinner, but he did not cast her to the wolves. He didn’t leave her to appease people’s egos or make it possible for wealthy Pharisees to love him. If Paul Enenche and others can’t be Jesus Christ, at least they should become a very low budget of his personality and other good messengers of God.

Overall, Vera’s story illustrates what happens to those who are weak, deserving of tiny favors from the church, and who look to them for happiness and approval. It illustrates the master-slave dynamics that exist between some religious leaders and their followers, particularly with the impoverished who have nothing more to give the church but labor.

We are grateful for social media. Because morally upright and uncorruptible social media judges would not have seen the horrific event, Vera would have totally lost her confidence and Paul Enenche would have kept up his actions. For Vera, everyone wins. A triumph for the underprivileged and defenseless who toil diligently for the church but do not merit their regard. A triumph for individuals who go church to celebrate their small victories but instead experience harassment and molestation.

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Two weeks ago, the gates leading to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex were shut down by aggrieved laid-off employees. They held several placards depicting their demands before they could open the gates. Men, including women with their babies, were agitating in the hot sun during the day while they slept in the same spot to be fed upon by mosquitoes at night. On Thursday, at the OAU Teaching Hospital Complex, they were so angry, agitated, and conspicuously vexed. John Okeniyi, the Chief Medical Director of OAUTHC, allegedly drove them to the breaking point.

Before I went, I saw footage and images from the protest location, and what I saw there was a group of helpless Nigerians who had been duped and asked to perform at their worst. For four days, crying babies and heartbroken mothers entertained John Okeniyi and the other members of the OAUTHC management team in front of the hospital entrance. They (management) were unable to contain their excitement because they were having so much fun. No matter how engaging a film may be, a weary viewer will undoubtedly end the session. The members of OAUTHC’s management board are individuals who never tire. They enjoyed the lamentation of the laid-off employees and they do not want them to stop.

Unfortunately, Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi’s intervention on the fourth day brought an end to the misery of OAUTHC’s laid-off staff. Along with bags of food to be distributed among the laid-off workers, he gave them N10 million. Additionally, he pledged to get in touch with John Okeniyi, the CMD of OAUTHC, and important players in the medical field to address this grave issue. Was that term “serious” I just used really correct? Naturally, it is. Do the victims realize how serious this problem is? That I am unable to say.

Two weeks after the demonstration ended, I was still upset about how the victims had squandered their money, time, and energy by organizing a protest that had no outcomes. Receiving N10m and sacks of rice from Ooni of Ife was not the original goal of the demonstration. The protest leaders are expected to receive 50 lashes while standing in the sweltering sun in their underwear. You terminated the demonstration in exchange for N10 million and rice bags, failing to meet one of the three demands. This is abuse of protest. Three demands from you sparked a four-day protest. These three demands are to pay the outstanding salaries, retract the accusation of job racketeering, and notify the public that they were employed through memo.

What has fascinated me after the protest ended is how these demonstrators were able to have faith in Ooni of Ife to settle the ongoing conflict between OAUTHC and the laid-off employees. Even though Ooni is a first-class monarch, his authority is only applicable to the Ife resort, palace, and other native-based businesses in which he most likely has stock. This is not a question of ownership. It is not a chieftaincy issue. Ooni of Ife just got involved to accomplish his goal of allowing patients and workers to enter the complex easily and preventing an escalation of the situation. We can’t expect Ooni of Ife not to perform his job properly, but we may question the protest leaders about why they failed to take responsibility for carrying out their requests.

As I thought about the situation, the general sense of loss and the purposeful throwing money or temporary fixes to issues weighed on my mind. There were more than 2,000 people working there. You just asked them not report to work due to job racketeering. You later requested 500 to continue while 1500 should be put away. It would be pardonable if it were a master-slave relationship, but this is between a set of privileged people and those who put them in office. Less than a week following Ooni of Ife’s intervention, a number of laid-off workers stormed the hospital complex, claiming they had heard from reliable sources that very few of them had been assigned to take exams. They swarmed the hospital grounds, vowing to sabotage the drill. Police stormed the hospital grounds and used tear gas to chase them out after they refused to leave for hours. Their gain was that the exam failed to hold, but their loss was that they felt tear gas.

You’ll realize why endurance seems to be a problem for Nigerians if you ever sit down with some of these laid-off individuals and listen to their experiences. You’ll even ask them to move permanently to the hospital’s gate while wearing boxing gloves and visiting their homes. I’ve heard accounts from people who quit their prior positions in order to take a position with the federal government. In order to obtain these employment, several people told me they had to sell off assets like vehicles. They did not get a wage when they were hired. They needed loans since they assumed it will be reimbursed later. They were forced to sell their properties or look for other loans months later. To live, some have turned into infamous debtors. There are also a lot of people who owe their wards’ school fees and rent. I have no idea how they sleep at night, moping about debt when they have unpaid paychecks for the past 14 months. This is evil.

Like President Bola Tinubu, like the CMD of OAUTHC, John Okeniyi, like the Ministry of Health, Both the greedy and the shameless are not different from each other. They did not investigate the alleged job racketeering. They did not apprehend the real culprits; rather, they sent employees away. That’s what cowards do. They walk away from situations and use weaker ones as bait. John Okeniyi has found in President Tinubu a mentor and coward. Tinubu also removed fuel subsidies rather than fighting subsidy scams or oil theft. He floated Naira as a currency instead of waging war against bank owners and Bureau de Change operators, among others, who weakened Naira through selfish desires. You floated the currency of a country whose economy is unstructured and unorganized.

Why did Tinubu remove subsidies without enhancing public transportation? Why did he float the naira as a currency without boosting local production and exportation? Tinubu stacked governors’ purses with gains from subsidy removal and could not even ask them what they did with it. You know someone is greedy, and you are still throwing more funds at him. Governors who cannot account for N5 billion would never account for N10 billion. Tinubu understood that our governors are notorious embezzlers, yet he’s throwing more funds at them and asking citizens who are chained by hunger to serve as watchdogs. Like Tinubu, who removed subsidy and used its gains to drive the luxury lifestyle of the political class and expected the clappings of the masses, the CMD of OAUTHC thought he could take 500 workers out of wood while the remaining 1500 workers would smile at him.

Eni nkan na de ba lo le ro yin ohun to n sele, lorisirisi iriri aye. Only a person who has personally faced misfortune can truly express the terrible occurrences taking place on this planet. Let me be clear: laid-off employees have experienced adversity, and their tales are indeed terrible. If you ask them why it took them so long to express their dissatisfaction publicly, they will tell you that the people they contacted told them to endure. And if you ask them why they are still not occupying OAUTHC, they would tell you that Ooni of Ife and other stakeholders told them to endure till they solved this issue. Where is the solution? Not available. Just endure and die. That’s the message. If something were to go wrong, someone might wonder if it’s my business, or perhaps I should just tell them to bear it. It’s true that Nigerians struggle with endurance.

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In their eyes, it’s more like a barter exchange: if he defends me now, I’ll defend him later. From the time of the Bible to the present, this instinct was developed over many years. Only God knows for sure who really worships him, even in the midst of humankind’s constant endeavor to demonstrate compassion and morality.

Nigeria is a part of a community of nations whose people barter goods and services with God. They implore him to protect them from bad guys and to protect him in return. They report evildoers to God when they suffer harm. If someone mistreats God as well, they flare up and present the Supreme being they adore and respect as a weakling who can only defend the rights of others while failing to defend himself. This concerned a man named Abdulazeez Adegbola, born into a Muslim family and later became a traditionalist.  

When Abdulazeez Adegbola, also referred to as “Tani Olohun” made the decision to burn the Quran, he doesn’t appear to be illiterate. He is aware of what blasphemy is and how the law frowns at it. He’s aware of which area of the nation he can burn the Quran in, and he won’t face a death sentence on the basis of Sharia law or a two-year prison term under customary law. Not only did “Tani Olohun” burn the Quran, but he also criticized certain religious authorities and spoke out against certain religious teachings. 

“Tani Olohun” would respond that religious leaders in Islam and Christianity had treated followers of African religions worse if you asked him why he desecrated the Quran and disparaged religious authorities. He would utilize songs that denigrate Orishas and the popular saying “Olorun ba wa pa Ina adebo re” as justifications or grounds for his criticism. It slipped Tani Olohun’s mind that the people he accused of disobeying the “Orishas” had not mentioned the names of any religious authorities. All they do is criticize the faith and its practices.

Regretfully, Tani Olohun was not wise; he was merely cunning in his mission. He might have been overlooked if he had kept defiling the Quran since many would have said that since he purchased the book, he was free to do as he pleases with it. However, he disparaged, humiliated, and falsely accused a number of well-known Nigerians who practiced these faiths. To quell public anger, they chose to defame people rather than burn the Quran as a form of punishment. Among other things, he was arrested for slander and defamation. He was freed from Kwara jail after more than six weeks of incarceration following an apology and the easing of his previously strict bail conditions.

Life is like a coin with two sides. Even though Tani Olohun insulted religious authorities and desecrated the Holy Quran, his activism wasn’t all that horrible. He claimed that Islamic clerics or Sheiks who disparage customary purification methods or approaches to problem-solving in public do the same in private. He made public a few films purportedly featuring Islamic clergy making contradictory remarks to Islamic principles. He went on to challenge Islamic clerics to only use the Quran as a source of guidance in spiritual matters, rejecting African practices. He claimed that the Lekulejas, or those who offer African herbs and materials for sacrifices and rituals, are heavily patronized by clergy. Furthermore, he said that Muslims make up the bulk of “Lekuleja” vendors.

There are recordings showing certain Islamic clerics endorsing and encouraging the use of these materials, in addition to the numerous accusations of the unholy contact between Lekulejas and Muslims. Indeed, some Islamic clerics would advise their adherents to search for cow eyes among other objects to be utilized in rituals. I have seen films, among other things, of Islamic clerics advocating sacrifices in order to pacify others. It is impossible to participate in an activity in secret while denouncing it in public. Both censure and moderation are necessary. Be Osaka if that’s what you want to be, and Osoko if that’s what you want to be. That is the message conveyed by Tani Olorun. 

Islamic scholars have discussed using African religious customs to resolve disputes within the Muslim community verbally over the years. Certain people have consistently advocated for Quranic quotations to address issues, while others contend that these are insufficient in all cases. The war was not won by those who consider themselves devout Muslims. These priests and their adherents made fun of, humiliated, and ridiculed them. 

If there’s anything Tani Olohun had achieved for the Nigeria Muslims with his activism in the course of propagating African religion, it’s raising the bar of truism in Islam from a deliberate angle which has indirectly cautioned some clerics and made others retract their past words or actions. We now have clerics who once boasted of voodoo in public now condemn it and criticize Muslms who still engage in it. We have clerics who preach true teachings of the prophet and advocate for truism. If we remove the defamation and burning of the Quran which he had apologized for, Tani Olohun should be awarded by the Nigerian Muslim community.

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The incident, which many social analysts deemed absurd and an attack on Yoruba customs, particularly the value and very soul of the race Obasanjo claimed to represent, actually resembled a scene from the well-known Nollywood film “Sarowoide.”

It will be simpler to tie what happened in Iseyin to a specific scene where Lapite (Kola Oyewo) was seen berating Baales—heads of villages—from a storey building if you have seen the film. He referred to them as bastards while they remained silent after one Baale who opposed him was detained. In addition to lecturing monarchs on showing respect to presidents and governors, ex-President Obasanjo chastised monarchs and made them get up and sit like a principal would make a student in first grade.

Obasanjo was not completely mistaken. Every person in the country is expected to stand up and show respect when a governor or president enters the room. They refer to it as convention or tradition, but in my opinion, those with poor self-esteem overemphasize this habit. Are monarchs immune from having to stand up for governors or presidents when they enter a building? Of course, not.

In our constitution, there is no place for special citizens. Governors are head of states and elected leader of citizens including traditional rulers. If local governments keep paying monarchs their salary and benefits, they’ll still be viewed as LG employees wearing Agbada and beads.

The incident gave the impression of having two opposed sides to a coin. There were good and bad. The outright denunciation is illogical, absurd, short-sighted, and very low in level and worth of the person involved. Elder statesman Obasanjo is. The politician from Owu needs to learn better that criticizing kings in public is improper. Obasanjo definitely would have had his head chopped off for doing this back when rulers were revered as gods.

Power can occasionally be harmful. Only those with exceptional character and individuality may survive its toxicity. The same force that made Dapo Abiodun sit haughtily when he was prostrated for by council chairmen also affected Obasanjo. Our traditional leaders should not be ignored at the same time as we criticize Obasanjo for putting salt to exposed wounds. These scars, in reality, do not excuse or justify what Obasanjo did. To completely heal these wounds, our kings must be consciously upright.

It is impossible to tie corns around your waist and not become a chicken clown. Yoruba kings aren’t celebrities; they’re the incarnations of the gods. Monarchs and young celebrities now compete in public places. We have had cases where Obas led mob to the homes of their alleged rivals and yelled threats to hurl stones.

Obas use governors’ assistance to threaten their subjects or escape justice when they conduct crimes like land grabs and other offenses. The political rally was attended by a king. For electoral success, another person organised prayers. Why should politicians respect those who are in lower in rank?

Some obas have been known to leave their palaces to welcome guests at the edge of their towns. Some obas display a lack of restraint when acting and speaking in public. To push for contracts, they visit the homes of politicians while wearing white flowing Agbadas. Some Obas relied on their connections with governors to scale through questioning and would abandon or perform poorly contracts intended for the public interest. It is impossible to sow the seed of disrespect and harvest the fruit of respect.

While I concur that colonialism had a significant part in the destruction of traditional stools, it is crucial that our obas maintain their hallowed positions in a religious manner. They must protect local customs and retain a strong bond with their ancestors by taking part in all rituals. Simply put, throne security is impossible without tradition protection.

Kings now engage in open combat. They became embroiled in a messy marriage that would be scrutinized by the public. They ask lawmakers for financial help by calling or writing. They play politics and pursue the females of their subjects. These actions cannot honor the throne.

Our monarchs cannot continue to flourish in actions motivated by bad attitudes and expect to be respected. Respect for our monarchs must be earned if they truly desire it. They shouldn’t wear corns tied around their waists if they don’t want to be made fun of, since impolite people will undoubtedly find a reason to do so.

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While some adherents voiced worry over the fact that these two governments did not declare Monday as “sèse Day,” some Muslims and Christians who have at least three days to celebrate their respective holidays are equally vocal about their displeasure with the decision by four states.

Only four states—out of a total of 36—have designated Monday a public holiday in honor of the Sese Festival, but some Christians and Muslims are not thrilled about this development.

I found it fascinating that some Christians and Muslims joined forces to combat followers of African traditional religion in the debate that followed the statement. When you ask them what benefits they would derive by denying traditionalists the right to celebrate their festival, they respond that the declaration signals the revival, weight growth, and momentum of a ritualistic religion.

I had the honor of speaking with some Christians and Muslims who disagreed with the announcement. I noticed that the proclamation was not only the problem, but also the alleged acceleration of African religion, as they laid forth their complaints. While I was online browsing, a fairly irate Muslim commented on a Facebook post, saying, “We can’t be working to ensure the death of idolatry while some governors would continue issuing directives that would strengthen them.”

To be quite honest, after reading the message, I felt terrible for the lack of respect for religion that has continued to cause significant difference among our people. Even though some people practice idolatry, it is not a sin that one should find repugnant. I reasoned that I probably do not understand the fundamental definition of idolatry. I focused on my dictionary and looked up “idolatry” there. The Oxford Dictionary defines idolatry as having a great deal of respect for something or someone. Why is it upsetting when someone else has a deep love, adoration, or reverence for something or someone?

Christians have a great deal of admiration for Mary’s son, Jesus. Muslims don’t make jokes about Muhammad, who is also Aminat’s son. Traditionalists believe that gods like Ogun, Sango, Osun, and Obatala, among others, are deserving of respect and adoration. Why should the Abrahamic religions not feel the same way about the deities who are regarded as Olodumare’s messengers if traditionalists do not find it repulsive when Christians and Muslims revere Jesus and Muhammad? Everyone who practices religion engages in idolatry. It just had different features.

Religion is not exclusively spirituality since religion involves an organized entity with rituals and practices centered on a higher force or God, whereas spirituality involves a personal search for life’s purpose. However, you cannot practice any religion if you are not spiritual. Religion does in fact promote spiritualism that is limited. You will be constrained within the spiritual boundaries of the faith to which you belong. In every faith, spirituality is the first step toward divinity. Any religion that does not have spiritual motivations need to be disregarded.

There are three main categories of spirituality to consider while discussing it: spiritual individualism, spiritual collectivism, and spiritual conversation. Without these three, any religion is a sham. These are among the numerous components of traditional African religion, but some continue to query whether the religion is particularly spiritual or not. I can assure anyone who is concerned that traditional African religion is quite spiritual.

Permit me to cite a case study. I once enquired about the spirituality test of African traditional religion from two senior coworkers who are ardent adherents of Abrahamic religions. Both used the Osun Osogbo celebration as an example of how spirituality may be found in traditional African religion. He described how two Christians who had accompanied him to the festival in the past for just sightseeing fell into a trance when they heard the music. He also said that before things stabilized, Osun priestesses at the groove had to intervene.

Another buddy described how he noticed an odd rise in the Osun River’s waves whenever priestesses sung spiritual praises in the water. He also discussed the throwing of kolanuts to take destiny’s place and the similarities between the images he had of his buddies. These two coworkers, who prefer to identify as Christians and Muslims respectively, acknowledge the spirituality present in traditional African religion.

Evangelism exists in Christianity. Jihad is an Islamic concept. There is no such thing as an African traditional religion, yet it has endured years of assaults, misunderstandings, misrepresentations, and blackmail from representatives of Abrahamic religions and is still surviving. Luckily for these people, the proponents of African traditional religion are either not creative or have no ideas at all for how to expand their religion like others.

Nigeria is a secular nation. Even though Yeye Ajisekemi’s and other people’s rights were violated by some fanatics and the law and its enforcers remained silent, it permits participation in any religion a citizen chooses and asserts that it is protecting their freedom to conscience, thought, and religion. The leaders of Nigeria must take care to ensure that the protection of religious freedom extends beyond the pages of the constitution. It must be made very clear that everyone is free to believe and practice their religion in both public and private without fear in this nation.

I was confused when the Yeye Ajisekemi problem arose because I had assumed that traditionalists would exploit the circumstance to make demands of the government. There has never been a better opportunity for followers of traditional African religion to make their case and increase their chances than right now. It must not be in vain that Tani Olohun, a campaigner for the liberation of African traditional religion, was arrested. It needs to be met with demands like the establishment of boards and institutions like Muslim and missionary schools.

There are Muslim and Christian welfare boards in Nigeria that have been set up for pilgrimages and other religious commitments, and they are in charge of overseeing the departure of billions from our faltering economy to strengthen host nations’ economies. Let there be forums for traditional African religion as well. While other welfare boards make Nigerians poorer and the economy more difficult, these boards would ensure that our cultural and traditional places are strengthened, made appealing, and able to house millions of international visitors, which would help our struggling economy and increase revenue. We owe the church, but those who are making millions can teach us how to do business.

Traditionalists should also push for the establishment of or allocation of schools like missionary and Muslim schools, which would be under government control but allow students to learn through the lens of our culture and traditional beliefs. This is in addition to calling for boards to strengthen cultural and traditional sites. This would provide kids the opportunity to learn about authentic cultural and traditional beliefs as early as elementary school, spreading African traditional religion from the ground up and preparing it to compete when technology is predicted to take over the world.

A balance would be created for African traditional religion when boards and schools are brought into our system, among other things. I also feel that our curriculum has to be changed. In addition to Yoruba, there ought to be another subject that will introduce them to the real religious doctrine and practice of their ancestors rather than what they see on screen or read in books.

I’ve watched a few videos by certain traditionalists ranting about the activist’s detention and alleged conspiracy since the Yeye Ajisekemi and Tani Olohun controversy began. They entirely predicated their demand on Tani Olohun’s release, a proponent of the liberation of African traditional religion. They have forgotten that Tani Olohun would eventually be freed, but they are still in need of solidifying their institutions and forming strong organizations like MURIC and CAN, among others, that would be ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble.

Traditionalists have a reputation for being bad and should be avoided, according to a number of Alfas and Pastors over the years. Even if the bulk of these followers of Abrahamic religions practice African religion, Muslims and Christians who are born into them are in the majority. One is forced to question why Christians and Muslims feel frightened by traditionalists’ actions when they assert to have committed followers and potent mystics who can settle this issue quietly. Why are the majority of people who identify as followers of authentic religions of God, as well as those who profess to do so, furious at attempts by followers of the Ìsèse movement to honor their gods?

I believe that rather than working endlessly to ensure that it does not happen, devoted practitioners should be able to summon fire from above to consume the traditionalists during their festival. Today, as we celebrate the Sese Festival, I believe that traditionalists should gather and make plans to strengthen their institutions and build artificial support systems to supplement the natural support systems already in place rather than just eating and celebrating alone. Schools and boards are also due to them.

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As usual, the United States, France, the former colonial power in Niger, and ECOWAS member states except Mali disapproved of the new development in Niger. Along with halting aid from the United States and France, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s democratically elected president, also imposed some strict restrictions and gave the head of the military junta seven (7) days to turn over power to President Mohammed Bazoum.

When I learned about the military takeover in the Niger Republic, I thought back to the conversation I had with a friend following the coup in Sudan. The Niger coup shouldn’t come as a surprise to her if she remembers our chat, I hope. I’m from Nigeria. People who lived through Nigeria’s democratic growth from 1966 to 1999 as citizens would never seek for military dictatorship to resume. It was a compilation of horrible memories, whether a bloody coup was involved or not, from Aguiyi Ironsi through Sani Abacha. The call for civil rule resulted from the poor and unsettling rate of growth and development. Military leaders and accomplices made every attempt to thwart the return of civil government, but it eventually materialized in 1999.

Sadly, after the restoration of civil authority, little has changed in the nation. The issues ignored by the military juntas are still present and have gotten worse. Illegal incarceration, press repression, intimidation of demonstrators and political rivals, among other things, are still prevalent. To make matters worse, over the years, important problems have persisted and gone unsolved, including inconsistent electricity, poor roads, an increase in the poverty rate, insecurity, food insecurity, and others.

Democracy supporters should be extremely concerned if people celebrate and cheer whenever the military takes power. The same people who are lamenting democracy’s loss are demonstrating its failure or doom. It hasn’t helped the situation at all because Democrats are unable to bring about meaningful reform in the system or grant the people the benefits of democracy. Nobody understands democracy or any other form of government. All they want is to be able to eat, drink, and live in harmony. Simply said, the ideal kind of government for the people is one that offers that. How can we claim that democracy is the best if it fails to provide sons and daughters with a quality education and makes life miserable for parents? How will we communicate to them the risks and excesses of military juntas?

Africa as a continent is in greater danger due to the rising number of coup d’états. Given that our leaders are men with an insatiable thirst for power, there is a great likelihood that similar coups will continue to occur until we address the underlying issue of public approval. Except for Sudan, where some people protested, celebrations after coups in Mali, Sudan, and Niger should raise red flags.

Have you ever viewed online footage of people celebrating coups? You should have seen the video in which a military officer and a Nigerien discussed the coup, highlighting huge corruption, lack of development, and rising poverty among other causes as coup-related concerns. We may vehemently oppose coup d’états from daylight until night, but it would be a wonderful comfort for the populace if this same fervor were directed into developing one’s nation and boosting the economy to improve people’s lives. People should not be treated unfairly if they opt for a different form of government if democracy does not provide them with a better quality of life.

In a nutshell, Africans are tired of bad leadership. They are aware that terrible leaders foster bad government. They are aware that by having elections that can be won through dishonest means like intimidating rivals or purchasing votes, democracy in this region promotes unstable leaders. Of course, coups d’état will never be a better option than democracy. But if African leaders don’t endeavor to improve democracy and the ways in which people may enjoy it more, Africa will continue to have coups, which the African people will gladly embrace.

Africa was not failed by democracy. Every democratically elected official who has ever held a position of authority through voting is to blame for the mockery of democracy.

Tinubu and other African leaders should remember to learn lessons even as they condemn the coup. The declaration of war against the Niger Republic is not wholly necessary because, except from Nigeria, no other West African nation is capable of successfully launching or maintaining a war against the Niger Republic. Sadly, the same Nigeria has been dealing with insecurity for years; it has only gotten harder to deal with as it has fragmented into smaller groups. I genuinely believe that it would be unwise for a nation fighting to stabilize or regain control over long-term invaders who had drained it of resources to launch a war in another nation that would be heavily supported or provided for.

I explained to a close friend that the incident in the Niger Republic was a political transition rather than a terrorist strike. From 1966 to 1999, Nigerians resisted military authority. It represented a selfless act of sacrifice. No country from West Africa aided us in our struggle against the Khaki soldiers. Why should Nigerians be held accountable for sacrifices that the people of Niger are unwilling to undertake as a result of a change in government? Did President Tinubu take into account some of the states that are closest to the Niger Republic and the chance that some Nigerians might become casualties of this pointless conflict?

President Bola Tinubu should care more about Nigerians than Nigeriens because if he is not elected as president of Nigeria, he cannot serve as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States. For him to understand that he has more issues to handle here than the leadership crisis in the Niger Republic, I believe the former governor of Lagos should reorder his priorities. On a daily basis, millions of Nigerians voice their dissatisfaction with the withdrawal of fuel subsidies and his administration’s inability to come up with a sane and well-thought-out strategy to offer workable palliatives to mitigate the consequences of the removal of fuel subsidies.

In addition to the challenges in the South East, the administration lead by Tinubu should view the banditry attacks in the North West and the ongoing ISWAP or Boko Haram attacks in the North East as major issues. How does Tinubu intend to handle the more than 300,000 Nigerians who are Boko Haram refugees in the Niger Republic? Nigeria Labour Congress will lead a national demonstration against the elimination of fuel subsidies. Why do we still face these issues after gasoline subsidies were eliminated? We have these issues as a result of Tinubu’s administration’s disregard for the circumstances that first caused the subsidy and how to address them prior to their removal.

Like other Nigerians, I believe that President Bola Tinubu has to take note of what happened in the Niger Republic and the joy that the people felt when the military deposed their democratically elected leader. Tinubu ought to pay greater attention to issues that concern Nigerians and exercise caution to avoid experiencing the same fate as President Mohammed Bazoum, who refrained from starting a war in the Niger Republic because we obviously lack the means to support such a battle.

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On the day he left Ipebi for his coronation, I had the honor of meeting his Royal Majesty. He exited the building and warmly greeted each person who was waiting for him under the tent. He was composed, kind, modest, and accommodative. I was complimenting the king for these exceptional qualities when a buddy cut me off, saying he was not surprised because candidates for positions present themselves as calm, once they secure such positions, they transform and get worse. Though I was weak, I swiftly disproved his theory and prayed in secret to counter it. If you know me and I haven’t told you about how much I love Kabiesi, then we’re either not friends or not really close.

I have diligently observed his Royal Majesty for 730 days and kept tabs on his public appearances. Whenever I have the opportunity to go to his palace, I carefully observe every little detail. When I saw him at official events, I would go into hiding and keep an eye on him from a distance while also praying that he wouldn’t fall into the hands of his enemies. Actually, having power does not transform a person; rather, it shows the true nature and identity of the person using it. For the past two years, his majesty has brought his town and its residents pure, unadulterated delight.

Before ascending to the throne, Oba Ogungbangbe had experience with wealth and royalty. His majesty would look you in the face and tell you that he is pretty lucky and has enjoyed money and opulence since birth, whereas many people in positions of authority make up stories about their upbringing to appear determined or gain easy points. He does not find wealth weird either. He was born and nurtured by a father who valued each person’s dignity, faith, and education. One of his sisters had earlier said that he was a special child who received special treatment from our father since he was aware that he would grow up to be a king.

Royalty cannot, in fact, be purchased. You cannot act like a royal if you were not born one. Even if you give a pig a crown, the starchiest agbada, Gucci shoes on its feet, a staff, and a horsetail, it will still be a pig and not a king. We can only give staff of office to kings; they cannot be given character. You can see class, royalty, and humility in his majesty, Oba Akeem Olusayo Ogungbangbe.

The tale of how he was long denied the right to the kingdom is well known. He received eleven (11) votes out of the votes cast by 13 of the 15 kingmakers, which were made up of kingmakers, warrant chiefs, and other respectable members of the royal class. In a free, honest, trustworthy, and open election, he defeated six other candidates.

Even though he won in a free and fair competition, he was denied the privilege to occupy his forefathers’ crown for six years by some strong forces. Though intimidated, he maintained his composure. If he had not been a wealthy child, one could have assumed that he was firm because of the privileges associated with the stool. What kind of financial benefits did the stool come with that he hadn’t gotten more of in his private practice? He merely wanted to serve the public and represent a new Iloko.-Ijesa.

Despite his past struggles, he buried hatred and division completely for the sake of peace and tranquility. Oba Ogungbangbe brought the town together by his words and deeds, in contrast to others who would go to the homes of rivals and accompany natives to throw stones at their roofs. When he emerged, I went over to him and asked for an interview. I wanted to publicize his inspirational narrative and let people know that he was a king-elect who had to wait six years to be anointed. He graciously turned down my plea.

“I am the new king.” I don’t have any foes. There are just those who disagree with me, but it does not make us adversaries. Without peace, progress is impossible. I’m not going to agree to this interview, and please don’t ask me about what happened during the six years I waited. I had let go of the memory of the six years of miscommunication between me and my brothers before I ascended to the throne of our forefathers. Oba Olusayo Akeem Ogungbangbe stated, “Greater Iloko-Ijesa is my top priority, and I cannot accomplish it on my own.”

Have you been to Owaloko’s palace in Iloko-Ijesa? I refer to it as the “palace of commoners.” There isn’t a native who doesn’t have access to the palace despite the architecture and sophisticated taste in ornamentation. The king’s current relationships with his subjects are quite shocking and astonishing, and I’ve been to the palace multiple times. Even though he is wealthy, Oba Ogungbangbe drives himself around town and occasionally goes for a night or daytime walk with his subjects.

Oba Olusayo Akeem Ogungbangbe has continued to steer the town’s ship, advancing its course to greatness by advocating for meaningful contributions to the town by notable sons and daughters of others. These contributions range from scholarship programs for the underprivileged and poor to access to quality employment, systemic empowerment programs for women and young people, and advancing the course of traditions – practice of Iloko-Ijesa forefathers.

“At public events, we exclusively use our cameras to take photos. I have no desire to draw attention to our significant contributions to humanity. Every human being deserves to have their dignity respected. When I give, it’s not so that I can get credit or likes on social media. I do it for mankind. In fact, I particularly request that those who God has used me for be silent about it. Oba Akeem Olusayo Ogungbangbe informed this writer, “Giving is what I inherited from my father, and I will continue to do so without making noise.”

Despite the fact that Iloko-Ijesa is not a city, it boasts an appreciable road system. You won’t find any sheep or goats wandering aimlessly around. It is a clean environment. The aged in Iloko-Ijesa are not forgotten by the young people, notwithstanding how tough it is to age in Nigeria. Ask any Iloko-Ijesa native why goats are kept in farms and not allowed to roam aimlessly, and they’ll tell you that goats don’t deserve to eat up profits from the farms that our elders worked so hard to cultivate. The town of Iloko-Ijesa values the future of its children and does not discard its senior citizens. They do live longer because of their peace of mind.

As Oba Olusayo Akeem Ogungbangbe marks his two-year anniversary, I wish the devout monarch additional fortitude and inspiration to lead Iloko-Ijesa into greater prosperity. I am glad for the noble people of Iloko-Ijesa that God answered your prayers.

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I also considered the possibility that the unhappy individuals or groups referred to as enemies of state that the Department of State Security had earlier forewarned us about in its statement that public spaces should be scrupulously secured against attacks might have made their choice, ‘Osun State’.

I came across a publication from one of the governor’s aides while searching the internet for more information. I quickly skimmed the publication to find the location of the Eid praying ground, and I was rudely surprised to learn that the governor also attended Osogbo Eid praying ground, the same location my Muslim family attended.

I was quite relieved, knowing that other families who didn’t have special protection would have gone home if my family had been able to do so calmly and without haste. I was extremely concerned about the hundreds of Muslim believers who might have gathered at the same Eid prayer location and might have been subject to attacks from these violent personifications while security personnel struggled to save the governor and other important dignitaries.

Even if I had been mistaken about the purported assassination attempt, the main reason for or element contributing to the viral tale continued to worry me. While I was perplexing my senses to understand why someone or something would wish to kill Senator Ademola Adeleke, a cheery and naturally happy person, I was also concerned about the disclosure of the attempted assassination that came from the governor’s office. The statement has the same academically pretentious language that artisans’ associations publish. Despite all the fanfare in the article, it provided no justification for or clarification on the purported assassination attempt.

I’ve read various articles regarding the incident. I have listened to both parties’ narrators in equal measure. I inferred that all parties acknowledged that the seating arrangement and the involvement of thugs in the situation were the root reasons of the altercation. Both both concurred that the governor stormed off and into his waiting car. No one suggested that the governor escaped the clutches of thugs or jumped into the car to avoid being shot.

There were also allegations. While the Senator claimed that those who followed the governor to his seat are thugs and incompetent individuals, the governor’s spokesperson claimed that there were three buses loaded with thugs on standby. I leave it up to security agencies to figure out what truly happened. We can only hope that the results of the investigation will eventually be made public so we can learn the truth.

For me, yesterday’s events seemed more like a fight or an assault than a failed assassination. Has the Governor’s team gone too far? Yes. Did the incident happen in a tragic, unfortunate, preventable, and unsatisfactory way? Yes. At the scene, were there any thugs? Yes. Thugs are present throughout the state. Thugs are undoubtedly there to see their abandoned fathers. Who are the men who abandoned them? Politicians.

Nobody on earth, not even a state governor or a former senator from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in my opinion, deserves to be mistreated or made fun of. Regarding the altercation at the Eid worshiping grounds, I am, nevertheless, at a loss for words for public servants and politicians.

Anywhere where there are politicians, there will undoubtedly be conflict, but I have some words for religious leaders who have imposed class distinctions, segregation, and hierarchy even in the presence of Allah, who sees all people as being equal and of one blood.

When Muslims are in front of Allah, there is no hierarchy in Islam. They consider themselves to be equal beings. Come early if you want to sit in the front row. The front roll is typically recommended for individuals who are familiar with the Quran since it is intended for those who can correct the Imam or carry on with the prayer if the Imam is unable to. Unfortunately, the situation has changed. Our imams now permit elites and politicians who have been involved in all kinds of atrocities to fill the front row, denying true Muslims who arrive early out of a desire to be associated with those in positions of authority or to gather money.

As the flames of the alleged murder attempt continue to burn, another picture of a sitting governor who attended Eid prayer and sat among people surfaced online. The custom of assigning certain seats to individuals needs to end. The front rows shouldn’t always be reserved for the affluent. People can fill up once those who arrive early and can correctly read the Quran are positioned. Every Muslim would attend Eid and depart quietly if we stopped the deliberate segregation. A sanctuary of divine contact, not a forum for settling political scores, should be the Eid prayer area. Thanks, but no thanks to our religious leaders who are more afraid of food than their creator.

However, I am sympathetic to Senator Ademola Adeleke and relieved that, despite the assassination attempt described by his spokesperson, he survived. If the claims of his spokesperson are true, escaping an assassination is a rare luxury indeed, but we as a state should be concerned if political thugs have the audacity or confidence to assault a sitting governor of a state in a location where security personnel are present.

On my Facebook page just a week ago, I had an intriguing discussion about political violence, gansterism, and the negative impact it has on the state with one of Governor Adeleke’s aides. I mentioned the story of a female student at the Federal Polytechnic Ede who was sexually assaulted by Yemi Aleeba, a prominent hoodlum and reputed zonal leader of motorcycle gangs in 10 local governments. I complained that Osun ancestors ought to awaken and save the state from her latest low, thuggery.

In spite of citing incidents of rape and gang activity in our schools, he accused me of seeking for cheap fame. I was also accused of seeking attention by a follower of Governor Adeleke who was later evicted from the media group of the governor.

Days later, the office where he works released information claiming that Senator Ademola Adeleke had narrowly averted an attempted assassination. When I read the aide’s lamentations in the comments and posts, I was reminded of a sage’s quote: “Wickedness is like a food.” As you put more, the stomach enlarges.

God will save Osun State. What a loud Amen from every corner!

Who wants to assassinate Senator Ademola Adeleke? Our trusted security organizations are working on the response. We are waiting.

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He also went to the home of Olagunsoye Oyinlola, his erstwhile foe whom he had expelled from the halls of authority. A little earthquake would occur if people were standing next to the graves of those who died in the rift between Aregbesola and Oyinlola. That ought to be the most effective method to say something as straightforward as “they died in vain.”

I was reminded of Aregbesola’s time as a governor and the “partying spirit” in every Yoruba when I read a poster stating that there would be a program dubbed “home-coming” for the departing interior minister. I once said to a friend that trying to fully reintegrate himself into Osun politics was either absolutely unneeded or could be better used as a show-off. I listened to Aregbesola while watching the political farce on camera, and I was there when he revealed his intentions to reorganize the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun Chapter.

Aregbesola and novel ideas go hand in hand. Both intertwine, and if the former interior minister was skilled at anything, it was the creation and shortime execution of populist programs. Aregbesola does not lack for initiative or execution, but his ideas are never sustainable.

From Igi-Iye to Opon Imo to Osuwon Omoluabi to the Ayegbaju International Market to the MKO International Airport, they are all admirable concepts that have been terribly executed and lack any durability. The pace at which Aregbesola swept Osun State employing “home-calling” as a tactic to visit important political stakeholders, demand restructuring of the APC, and communicate with his political competitors was on a high note. Can Aregbesola keep up the tempo, is the burning question.

What is a “homecoming”? returning to a location that was once frequented or regarded as home, typically on a special occasion. Aregbesola is accustomed to holding public office. He previously held the position of Works Commissioner in Lagos State. He served as interior minister of the country and as governor of Osun State twice. He skipped ‘homecoming’ despite having served as a commissioner and governor in the past. Skipping was done only to ascend higher. Why did Aregbesola plan a homecoming following his tenure as interior minister?

One of his kinsmen I inquired about this said that Aregbesola organized the homecoming since it was the first time Ijesaland would receive value from him in his capacity as a public official. He continued: Up until he expressed interest in running for governor, he utterly neglected his hometown while serving as a commissioner.

During his eight years as governor, there was a modest improvement, but the community liked him better as a minister. The new custodial facility, the fire service office, and other offices were made possible by him. He did not use his abilities to his full potential. After serving in public service for 20 years, Aregbesola brought them home, one of his kinsmen concluded.

Beyond accomplishments in office, the contentious apologies that went viral ultimately revealed the real purpose of the “home-coming.” Aregbesola is a cunning and ambitious politician. He took his “home-coming” trek or trip to Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, when he turned around since he was aware that he had failed to accomplish anything significant for the Ijesa people. For Aregbesola, “home-coming” was a political show-off and a plan to reintroduce himself to Osun mainstream politics. For his supporters, “home-coming” was a celebration of his accomplishments.

He begged party members and those he had upset while in power to come together so that the party could be properly restructured. Aregbesola stated that the Osun APC has to be reorganized. From the governor’s race through the general election, he abstained from taking part in the same party’s electioneering. As a former governor and minister, Aregbesola undoubtedly has the only authority to restructure the Osun APC, but how does he intend to do so? How does he plan to win over the majority of people who still hold him accountable for the Party’s defeat in the state?

The distinguished son of Ijesa ought to be aware of the distinction between reforming a pressure group and a political party. You cannot assert that you have restructured a party while continuing to visit the homes of political adversaries while ignoring the homes of party leaders. You cannot make the claim to be the head of a group while praising the group’s opponents at the expense of your fellow party members.

Nigeria is responsible for whatever is happening to Aregbesola. We play games with our adversaries in an effort to temporarily alienate our friends. As long as the agony of the harm is not higher than the happiness of our friends who live in a different time period, we choose to be hurt by our adversaries. Aregbesola asserts that the Osun APC needs to be reorganized. I don’t believe the former governor’s assertion to be true. He merely wants to be in charge, negotiate with the party, or close any gaps between him and his former principal.

Without genuine reconciliation, there cannot be true restructuring. Genuine reconciliation is impossible without both parties making compromises. Aregbesola and his competitors in the APC have ego issues, and I feel bad for party members, especially those who see the party as a platform for active engagement in Nigeria’s democracy. They’ll experience higher losses and disappointments. Under the cover name “APC restructuring,” Aregbesola and his political adversaries within the APC are both playing cards of “political survival and relevance.” They are cunning burglars. They wish to steal the party.

Osun APC: Does it actually require restructuring? No. Sacrifices, tolerance, forgiveness, and sincere reconciliation are what the party needs. A party that lost by fewer than 30,000 votes doesn’t, in my opinion, require reformation. All those who feel wronged should put down their swords and let peace reign. That does more and is better than restructuring. Restructuring is only done to collapsing entities. When restructuring a corporation, you first look for potential causes. Aregbesola and his opponents in the Osun APC have not done this. They merely intend to take over the party’s control.

When I read the news and saw photos of Aregbesola visiting Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s home, I had a flashback of the people who had given their lives and had suffered property damage as a result of the power struggle between the two. I am sure that if the dead could communicate with the living, there would be plenty of people who would tell the dead that their sacrifice and death were in vain.

Aregbesola asked the late Isiaka Adeleke and former governor of the state Oyinlola for help in 2014 when he intended to run against Iyiola Omisore for governor. They shared a common set of complaints against the PDP. Aregbesola wished to run once more. Omisore mocked Late Adeleke out of the PDP, while Oyinlola was upset at his personal loss at the national PDP level. They forged a powerful alliance and vanquished Omisore, their common foe.

He hugged Oyinlola, the guy who was arguably the driving force behind the creation of the park, at the freedom park, which Aregbesola established to honor the losses the state had suffered and to signal a clean break with violence. He embraced the late Isiaka Adeleke, Oyinlola in order to challenge Omisore in 2014. Aregbesola didn’t make up his declaration that he was prepared for battle. He didn’t come back home to sleep. It will be a dirty fight because he came home to fight.

I have observed numerous PDP members praising Aregbesola after the Osun APC’s current power play, whom they had previously decried for eight years, because Senator Ademola, the party’s nominal leader, appears to be in his good graces. They praised Aregbesola as a notable politician who had done so much for his community and deserved to return home. Senator Adeleke received praise from Aregbesola for facilitating his “homecoming” events in the state.

Senator Adeleke recently traveled to Ilesa from his office in Osogbo to welcome Aregbesola as interior minister while overseeing the launching of a passport office. Together, they joked and danced. It was a lovely scene to see. Senator Adeleke made a significant break with the past and embraced the person who has called him everything worse since he first proclaimed his intention to run for the Senate until 2019. He also left the somber accounts of his late brother Isiaka Adeleke’s death, the claims of cover-up against Rauf Aregbesola, and the family’s response to the coroner’s investigation ordered by the state government. This demonstrates that sentiments and interests can be more important than blood relationships. Can someone closer tells his Excellency to stop crying every year whenever he visits the grave of the late Serubawon?

Even though Senator Ademola Adeleke hasn’t served for a full year, 2026 politics have already begun. In anticipation of the opening of commissioner slots, there has been a realignment of forces and the establishment of the disgruntled. The governor views Aregbesola as a playmaker and demi-god who can destroy his opposition’s structure so that he can land safely in 2026.

Senator Adeleke appears to be anxious about his political future. He thinks that without an insider with astute cunning like dismantling the Osun APC, he cannot win and be reelected. Senator Ademola allegedly still fears his own political shadows.

Can Aregbesola withstand Senator Adeleke’s run for office in 2026? Will Senator Adeleke’s siblings, who run his administration and party, be able to control Aregbesola? Can Aregbesola fully renounce the APC in favor of the PDP in order to fight back? Will Aregbesola remain in command and survive attacks on his party? Similar to Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State, Can Aregbesola fly a third force into the state and install his nominee as governor?

These are the issues on the minds of thoughtful citizens who are concerned with national politics.

After reading Aregbesola’s thank-you note for Adeleke, a friend recently enquired of me: “Can Aregbesola babysit Adeleke for a long time?” My friend should not worry because the future is pregnant and contains the solution to his query, I assured him, even though I am aware that I do not at this time have the perfect response to his question.

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo writes Osun State. He is an online editor and columnist at WITHIN NIGERIA

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They didn’t forewarn him when he first started working with political thuggery. Governor Makinde ought to have paid more attention to the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who not only curbed political violence but also made it undesirable.

The late Senator Ajimobi liberated the state from the grasp and whims of thugs and street urchins, put it in the proper position, and transformed Oyo—a state that had not known peace and calm for years—into a refuge.

Governor Makinde, did you listen to late Ajimobi’s advice? No. Did he adhere to it? No. Makinde is not a historical orphan. He disregarded the prudent advice of his predecessors, who suffered horribly at the hands of political shills. He exploited these components as ladders to ascend to his intended pinnacle in addition to encouraging political thuggery.

Seyi Makinde didn’t actually behave in a resentful manner. He had a clear understanding of the meaning of appreciation. After being elected governor, he didn’t push them away. He didn’t just give them money. He assigned them roles.

He took away people’s freedom of association, combined the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) into one organization, the Oyo State Park Management System (PMS), and appointed one of his “strikers,” Mukaila Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary, as the chairman of the new park system.

For years, Seyi Makinde and his “strikers” dined and partied together like brothers. More than just the PMS chairman, Auxiliary was. Because of how strong and effective he was during Seyi Makinde’s first term, he was sometimes referred to as deputy governor.

Makinde did nothing in response to Auxiliary’s abuses and turned a blind eye. He didn’t just control the’strikers’ leader; he also raised and cultivated them specifically for electoral purposes. Makinde insisted on the appointment of Auxiliary as Chairman of the Oyo State Park Management System despite widespread opposition since they were still helpful to him.

Henning Mankell undoubtedly had Seyi Makinde and Auxiliary’s relationship in mind when he said, “There’s always an end, but the end is always the beginning of something else.” Everyone should research how the once-happy marriage of Seyi Makinde and Mukaila Lamidi (Auxiliary) turned sour. Some sources asserted that Makinde could no longer control Auxiliary because of its growing power, while others asserted that Makinde made a decision to put his old enemies out of his misery and asked that they coexist under the same roof.

Accommodated? Auxiliary likely heard it and really lost it. He was aware that he could not accommodate his previous friends and that his abilities could not be restrained. He does not want his powers to be taken away from him, nor does he like to share them.

We both agreed that I would work for you until you were elected governor and that you would make sure I kept the park. Why do you have a problem with upholding your end of the bargain after we have upheld ours?Auxiliary must have thought quietly.

Was the governor of Oyo anticipating fruits of harmony, peace, and togetherness when he was busy sowing the seeds of strife and violence? Governor Seyi Makinde must have utterly forgotten that there is always a corresponding and opposing reaction to every action. They are now divided by the same politics that once united them.

Governor Seyi Makinde is currently scurrying around to make sure the body he buried five years ago is not poking its hands or legs out of the ground. The Oyo State Park Management System, led by Mukaila Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary, has been disbanded by him.

Mukaila Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary, was fired as the chairman of the Oyo State Park Management System two days ago, and Oyo State Police Command agents conducted a raid on her Ibadan residence. They claimed to have found weapons such guns, ammo, wraps of naira bills, and charms.

Oyo State’s capital, Ibadan, is currently tense and filled with palpable apprehension. Because they do not want to be affected by this rift, people are living in fear. There have been allegations of intermittent shootings in several areas of Ibadan by unidentified individuals, forcing residents to flee for their lives.

The fruits that the seeds they plant would produce terrify both the farmer and the workforce. Mukaila Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary, has been declared wanted by the police. Ask Governor Makinde if he has ever read any writings by Craig D. Lounsbrough, an avid reader, who wrote in one of his books that how much we get bit by our decisions depends on how many teeth we give them.

In addition to expressing my sorrow for the innocent Oyo State residents who have been unable to sleep because of the ongoing conflict between Governor Makinde and Mukaila Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary, the former chairman of the Oyo State Park Management System, I also leave the governor with the wise advice of Craig D. Lounsbrough: “You are not bullet-proof.” You would therefore be sensible to stop feeding your decisions’ pistol with the bad decisions’ ammunition.

I send my best wishes to the people of Oyo.

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In an open letter headlined “the floor is slippery” from a year ago, I also forewarned Dr. John Adekolawole that the ongoing increase in tuition prices would not lead to a happy ending. Both school heads—Prof. Idowu Olayinka, a former vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan, and Dr. John Adekolawole, a former rector of the Federal Polytechnic Ede—read my articles but chose to discard the infant, the water, and the bowl. They insulted the message from the sacred sanctuary and disregarded the warnings. They did not modify their behavior and kept on ruling without restraint, warning, or advice. We all know how they turned out.

There was a resounding scream of freedom and redemption from the staff and student populations on campus when Prof. Olayinka departed his position. Many employees, primarily from the non-teaching group, entered the school with brooms and swept away his presence from his office to the front gate while chanting “NEVER AGAIN.” It was nearly same story with Dr. John Adekolawole. His departure filled the staff circle with delight.

If they had a cause to visit one of their respective schools, these two would behave appropriately and may even keep them waiting while they waited for newcomers. The renters leave offices at some point, just like they do with rental properties. Offices exist even though people who work there die. I’m writing to you today, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, sixth vice chancellor of the University of Abuja. Like your predecessors, you won’t occupy this role indefinitely. Your time and energy will expire just like the leaves withering away. It’s not necessary to improve UNIABUJA, but you shouldn’t make it worse either.

There is currently a toxic and antagonistic atmosphere at the University of Abuja. The vulnerable who view UNIABUJA as a reliable option to learn and still be relevant in their pursuit of knowledge are the targets of the vicious, harsh, and inhumane administration led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah.

Before Na’Allah came into power, destroyed people’ optimism, and took away their peace, the citadel was a beacon of hope for the children of Nigerians who were destitute and striving.

Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah was called a bully and disrespectful by several campaigners. Why? He was accused of intimidating pupils who dared to question his authority by utilizing uniformed troops. He is accused of ordering the confiscation of phones and the mistreatment of some students. All of these crimes were committed in a nearby citadel.

I assumed it had to be an internet hoax when I read about the university community’s reaction to the increase in tuition prices. I remarked to a friend that it was inappropriate for a respectable university administration to use such obscenely coarse language to threaten and intimidate its pupils. I concluded that the author was probably inebriated or had lost all civility. I was unsure after reading the statement if students were no longer allowed to voice their concerns or ask questions about a rule or change at the school.

However, the press release not only bore the signature of a dictator or someone who enjoys intimidating or stifling the voices of those who disagree with them, but it also showed the personalities of those who are serving in Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah’s administration. With due respect to Abimbola Adelakun, the statement was written in the intellectually pretentious style that the military Supreme council is known for.

After reading the statement, I came to the conclusion that there was power hubris, willful wickedness, and celebration of evil by souls in cages because they provided no sincere justification for raising the tuition cost from N22,000 to N220,000 within four years. Not just UNIABUJA students, but the entire citizenry demand an answer.

However, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah owes us no answer because his crusade against the weak and defenseless who want knowledge did not just begin. The more wickedness you consume, the larger your gut will become.

There is nothing that Na’Allah did to KWASU students that he is not doing worse to the students at UNIABUJA. He turned KWASU into a living nightmare for underprivileged students while hiding behind the disgraceful pretense that the citadel is a state-run institution. Does state government also own UNIABUJA?

Fortunately, he was able to buy both colleges’ student unions as private properties.
Dictators don’t just do things; they carefully plan them out and only begin once all obstacles have been removed. As soon as Na’Allah arrived in UNIABUJA, he embraced and deceived the union, claimed it as his own, and populated it with his errand boys. He reduced the union’s ability to demonstrate within the school and directed its leaders to buy imported turkeys under the constant supervision of welfare surplus.

After turning the union into a weak, toothless bulldog that has lost the ability to even bark, he began to direct his arrows of illiteracy and early schooling towards the poor. The officials were fed so nicely by him that they were unable to sing or even bark.

Due to the efforts of activists and certain alumni who genuinely want to save the school from this dictator in a gown, there is a good chance that tuition fees will slightly decrease. My concern is: Can those on the outside free those on the inside who aren’t ready to be set free?

The process must be started from the union building by stakeholders who are prepared to press for reduction. Only a sleeping dog that genuinely desires to be awakened can be roused.
To assist with outsiders’ efforts, the sleeping union of UNIABUJA needs to be awakened and active.

Under close scrutiny, they must demonstrate to the world that they are not obese or toothless bulldogs. It shouldn’t be with a topic that affects everyone if the students’ union wants to thank Na’Allah for all the egunjes. The efforts of other stakeholders would fall short of expectations if insiders are not prepared for liberation.

I tell UNIABUJA students that “Pharaohs/Goliaths they see today, they shall see them no more,” just as I told Ojo Aderemi, the former president of the UI Students’ Union, and other students of a prestigious university three years ago. The world is watching.

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A brief clip of the pair (Aregbesola and Adeleke) dancing to the minister’s praise singers’ beautiful renditions of Yoruba songs went viral in Osun, breaking the internet. I’m a member of a sizeable groups with a high concentration of people from Osun, and in those groups, the video wasn’t just shared; it was also the main topic of conversation.

Both the governor and the interior minister demonstrated their dancing prowess in front of happy and delighted audiences. When I viewed the video, I noticed that it closely resembled the dance that former governors Oyetola and Oyinlola performed to commemorate the 30th year of Osun’s existence.

Oyetola and Oyinlola also demonstrated their dance prowess throughout the event. Osun is a joyful, amusing, and happy place. Leaders of the state should not be crucified or punished if they choose to amuse their supporters and fans. Yet, the Aregbesola/Adeleke dance in this piece piques my curiosity more.

I got a flashback to earlier occasions that impacted the state’s political history while I watched the video. Aregbesola last engaged in such a public dance with a prominent state party leader from the opposition in 2014.

Aregbesola as a politician has good fortune. He always has a shoulder to lean on in times of need, worry, or grief. He relied on the shoulders of former governors, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the late Isiaka Adeleke, in 2014 when he was running for reelection and faced off against Iyiola Omisore. Both helped him win easily and gave him the confidence he needed to take on the illustrious son of the Ife kingdom.

You are correct if you claim that Aregbesola has a history of teaming up with former adversaries to battle current adversaries. He is a wise politician who places a high importance on longevity and relevance. A buddy once remarked that the interior minister wouldn’t mind sharing a seat with a rabid lion if he knew the zoo’s alpha male could only harm or bite his foes. In politics, survival and relevance are important.

In Nigerian politics, all that really matters is to survive; how you survive to become more relevant is irrelevant. Aregbesola is prepared to play the game recklessly because he understands the rules.

I should remain relevant and not become too cut off from Osun State if I am unable to exert control over it, that’s Aregbesola’s style. There is no justice in blood and war. Aregbesola is a politician, and he hasn’t broken any rules of logic, the law, or political ethics.

In 2014, Aregbesola asked Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, his political nemesis and fiercest rival, for assistance. He put a stop to the eight-year conflict that had been marked by bloodshed, deaths, and the destruction of both private and public property.

Recall that Aregbesola relocated from Lagos to Osun in 2006 while serving as a commissioner for work in order to run for governor there on the Action Congress ticket. He invaded Ilesa, his hometown, and Osogbo like a hurricane. It was a fierce struggle for existence, significance, and influence.

The tremendous schism between the two led to the loss of many lives (of followers) and the destruction of numerous homes. I experienced total and utter horror. It was a display of mixed emotions as Aregbesola and Oyinlola hugged in front of the public while the latter urged people to vote for the former. a sense of closure and regret.

I had no idea how the families affected by their rift must have felt, but I was aware of how Mr. Tajudeen, the father of one of my friends, Rasak, must have felt. At the ward level, he served as the Action Congress’s (AC’s) chieftain.

During eight years of Aregbesola’s administration, he has not yet recovered after losing his home and car in the rift. The tale of Mr. Tajudeen is comparable to those of all the Action Congress members who have experienced harassment, intimidation, and physical violence. It also resembles stories of those who lost loved ones and possessions due to the rift.

It was a tragic moment for the state when Aregbesola and Oyinlola reconciled their differences in public, and it ought to serve as a sobering lesson to anyone who kills or causes trouble over a dispute between two politicians. The main victims of political battles are young people. This young population has to be saved from intellectual extinction.

Another video appeared on social media 9 years after Oyinlola and Aregbesola reconciled. Both Rauf Aregbesola, the current interior minister, and Senator Ademola Adeleke, the current governor of Osun State, were spotted dancing merrily.

After viewing the little film, I immediately went to Google and typed “Isiaka Adeleke, Aregbesola” into the search bar. The first news article linked to concerned Adeleke’s family accusing Aregbesola of covering up Isiaka Adeleke’s tragic passing. The third news item described how Aregbesola, then a governor, had allegedly attacked the late Isiaka Adeleke brothers and family.

In the rerun senatorial election, Aregbesola chose Hussein over the deceased brother Ademola, according to the fourth news site. In the fourth news link, Aregbesola detailed how he obtained the senatorial ticket from Mudasir Hussein and handed it to the late Isiaka Adeleke to spare him from embarrassment.

In 2017, it was a really terrible scenario. Some people asserted that the late Isiaka Adeleke was murdered because he expressed interest in running for governor of Osun in 2018, while others blamed the late Isiaka Adeleke’s death on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor Aregbesola.

It was a horrible struggle between Aregbesola and members of the Adeleke dynasty, spanning the coroner’s investigation into Isiaka’s death, Ademola’s ambition to succeed his brother in the senate, and the tax scandal at Adeleke University.

When Senator Ademola Adeleke entered the race for governor in 2018, the rift widened and led to direct criticism of the senator’s personality and character from the administration of then-Gov. Aregbesola.

The opposition circulated a video of Aregbesola belittling Senator Adeleke and those who were equating the two. Aregbesola stated that it is an insult and a shame to all that he has accomplished over the years to compare him to a rally entertainer.

The individual Aregbesola alluded to as the rally performer is currently the governor of Osun State five years later. Aregbesola and Adeleke danced together and cracked jokes at the opening of the Ilesa passport office.

Along with paying tribute to the outgoing governor, Adeleke issued an executive order mandating Aregbesola’s protection whenever he visits Osun. A former governor is currently under the protection and security of a former rally performer. That is how fate operates, and that is how it is.

After the dance, a number of disputes have been brought up. Due to their engaging personalities at occasions, some people claimed that the dance was performed to insult the state’s former governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, while others insisted that it was a harmless dance between the two. Whatever the case, the dance had a political message that was transmitted and is thought to have been received.

Interest is a crucial factor in politics. Politicians are not morally upright people. They are just concerned about power, survival, and importance. Only those who chose to become victims of a political split have my sympathies.

Major victims of Aregbesola and Oyinlola’s rift were nowhere to be seen when they hugged in public. The events that shaped 2017 in the state were probably forgotten by Senator Ademola Adeleke, his family, and Aregbesola by the time they moved on.

While the majority of their followers who lost relationships as a result of their disagreement are still trying to work things out, they are now buddies. Every negative word a person has ever made has been eaten.

Why do we fight as if we won’t need each other again when we know we will still need each other? The arguments between Adeleke and Aregbesola have been settled. Hope that you, as a disciple, may still make amends with those you split with over the matter.

Don’t let politics cause you to lose friends and loved ones overall. When politicians argue, try not to let your emotions get the best of you. You will ultimately be the main victim and the one who suffers the most.

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo writes from Ilesa, the former administrative headquarters of Ijesaland

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We must also admire the courage, tenacity and intelligence of police detectives who besieged the hideouts of a kidnap syndicate and apprehended the infamous kidnap kingpin, John Lyon.

After watching the viral video of Lyon’s arrest, I had to search for his name via a search engine to verify his identity if possible run some profiling.

The result of my findings was not in agreement with the true situation. I had to rewatch the video and it broke my heart after listening to his confession.

As I surfed through his profiles on social media accounts, the video of a hefty, shirtless young man wearing boxers and weeping uncontrollably and begging police detectives to free him could not escape my thought.

How does a prayerful person, online motivator, preacher of hardwork and deserving leisure end up being a kidnap kingpin?

As I pondered and carefully examined the chameleon status of John Lyon, one of my good Egbons fondly called ‘Baruwa’ relieved my mental stress.

According to Baruwa, every human being has three kind of lifestyles namely private, public and secret.

The private lifestyle is the one that is known to immediate family members. The public lifestyle is how he or she wants the public to see him or her while the secret lifestyle is the one that is unknown to all.

The story of John Lyon is similar to the tales of many Nigerians who make earnings through illegal means and have no regard for hardwork.

Some Nigerians dupe people, become emergency entrepreneurs or CEOs by setting up businesses to cover their tracks.

Those who engage in money rituals also create fake profiles to justify their expensive lifestyles.

They sometimes participate in politics to either serve as leverage or provide opportunity to mix with powerful people for protection against possible prosecution.

We also have people who lament about kidnapping cases in the country but are major participants of the business.

John Lyon is not alone. He is just a representation of colony of desperados and moneybag chasers who are ready to do anything as far as it is not work to live expensively.

The organ harvesters and drug barons share same fate too. They run their illegal businesses secretly and create different impressions as means of livelihood to justify their lifestyles.

These people also act as motivational speakers on social media platforms. They upload pictures depicting expensive lifestyles, citing God’s grace and blessings as factors responsible for their wealth.

Like John Lyon, they would admonish their gullible followers to work smarter and imbibe their teachings of wealth creation. They sometimes write business plans, share interesting opinions about growth to maintain and preserve their covers.

Like John Lyon, they also attend churches and mosques. They worship God and ask for blessings too. They go to religious places to harass, impress and molest the vulnerable. They use ill-gotten funds to set up businesses for their wives, enjoying the temporal gains of vanity that will diminish with time.

On daily basis, we have an intimidating number of people flocking into their business of ruins. Sadly, this colony is expanding and there is no strong will from the government in addressing likely causes of this menace.

People no longer have reasons to engage in fraudulent acts. They just want to get rich and live flamboyantly. Our moral fabric as a nation has indeed torned.

However, the arrest of Bayesla-born kidnap kingpin Iidentified as John Lyon is an assurance that there is always unpredictable end for evildoers.

The arrest is a proof that there is a time for everything. Time to steal, time to enjoy loot and time to face damning consequences.

The apprehension is a clear indication that we can not solely attribute the growing insecurity in Nigeria to invaders or foreigners.

An evidence to the postulations of those who claimed that the insecurity in Nigeria which is a recurring phenomenon can only be efficiently tackled if Nigerians especially the elite circle wants peace.

As much as I’m pleased with the arrest of John Lyon who never expected that the glory of his fraudulent acts could be cut short, I am damn sure that the end of many others who thrive on illegal businesses or make others cry to enjoy lives will face the full wrath of law or nature soonest.

While we enjoy the dramas that come with the prosecution of John Lyon, tell a fraudster that you know that the time of retribution is near and he or she might be the next person.

Till then, I have no sympathy or condolences for evildoers.

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When the news that Joshua Dariye is seeking for senatorial seat surfaced, it was disturbing but not surprising. The only thing that can not happen in Nigeria is what has not happened. If Dariye did not reverse his decision, he would have won at the poll.

The same Nigerians that welcomed and celebrated James Ibori after he was released from UK prison would not have rejected Joshua Dariye at the poll. Nigerians have forgiving hearts. They easily reconcile with the souls of those who made life difficult for them sometimes celebrate their freedoms when releases from prison. But Nigerians do not reconcile with their own souls nor embark on journey for freedom, liberty and prosperity.

James Ibori, Joshua Dariye and others were jailed because they looted public funds. Whose money did Dariye or Ibori loot or mismanage? Nigerians. Who protested the delay Dariye’s presidential pardon suffered? Nigerians. Who attended the welcome party organised for Ibori? Nigerians. Who are the early promoters of Dariye’s senatorial ambition? Nigerians. It is very clear that Nigerians are truly the problems of Nigeria.

However, it is worthy to note that the former governor now ex-convict has cleared the air five days after the story went viral. He publicly declared that he has no interest in seeking political office again.

Joshua Dariye, ex-governor of Plateau on June 12, 2018 was sentenced to 14 years in prison for criminal breach of trust and two years in addition for misappropriation of N1.16 billion public funds, both to run concurrently.

When the news of Dariye’s senatorial ambition went viral, I smiled and pondered. Why the National Assembly? Is the legislature a retirement home for crooks, ex-convicts or corrupt leaders? Why does he wants to make law as an ex-convict? These answers are not far-fetched.

Dariye, a beneficiary of presidential pardon quite understands that he would have no problem of association in the parliament. The National Assembly has a history of securing and protecting ex-convicts or members on trial.

The story of Joshua Dariye is not strange. His tale is similar to tales of others who are either ex-convict or facing trials on corruption in the National Assembly. If Dariye becomes a senator, he would not have been alone in the parliament.

If elected today, Dariye would surely relate well with the Chief Whip of the National Assembly, Orji Uzor Kalu who was jailed and later freed over corrupt practices. There are former governors now senators who are regular visitors at the headquarters of EFCC, anti-graft agency. We also have individuals who emptied their state treasuries and struggled to win a seat in the National Assembly for coverups.

We also have individuals like late Senator Buruji Kashamu who are running day and night from the crawls of law and justice. We have people who set up project firms, lobbied for contracts and ended up abandoning them in the National Assembly.

The house of pen robbers and movers of Agbada-crazy politics of self-sustaining and quest for personal survival without positive impacts on communities. Indeed, the National Assembly is a safe haven for crooks, ex-convicts or corrupt persons. Even if Dariye did not debunk his senatorial ambitions, why should Nigerians be bothered about it? Is the National Assembly no longer a retirement home for looters?

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo writes from Osogbo, the capital of Osun State

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I could recall that some readers who are followers of the duo felt uncomfortable with the use of ‘enemies’ in my title. They claimed the dispute between the duo is reconcilable and it can be easily resolved by the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu. They waited in vain as growing differences escalated the situation. Two brothers wrestled power till they lost it. When two cows fight over grass, a nearby goat roaming carelessly always end up being the beneficiary.

Sadly, Aregbesola and Oyetola are not the major losers here. Their direct lieutenants might not be major losers too. Aregbesola is a two-time governor and current Minister of Interior while Oyetola is a two-time Chief of Staff and current governor of Osun State. If peradventure Tinubu emerges as president, there is possibility that Oyetola will be appointed as a Minister.

The main losers are ordinary party members who were direct victims of (2006-2010) struggle. Persons who see politics as a profession and only survive when their preferred party is in power. Party loyalists who lost everything and gained nothing in the 12 years of APCs rule are the main losers. But the essence of this writing is not to discuss the electoral loss of APC and its consequences on members of the party. It is purposely written to discuss or analyse the effects of rift between Aregbesola and Oyetola on governance.

When the administration of Governor Gboyega Oyetola came on board, people projected that it would be continuation of Aregbesola’s eight years. Political analysts who watched the debate and monitored campaigns also calculated that the tenure of Oyetola would not be a clear departure from Aregbesola’s template of governance. They maintained that Oyetola would not only continue as APC governor but also not neglect the six point agenda of his predecessor and former boss.

It is interesting to note that Aregbesola increased Osun domestic debt from N10 billion to N148 billion without the inclusion of debts incurred from uncompleted projects and salary arrears. These loans were mostly used by Aregbesola to fund his legacy projects while in power. Legacy projects such as Mega schools (10 completed), Bisi Akande Trumpet road (completed), the infamous Ona Baba Ona (uncompleted), airport project (abandoned), Ayegbaju international market (uncompleted) among others.

Beside legacy projects, Aregbesola also embarked on some programmes such as Igi-Iye (planting of trees), Opon-Imo (tablets of knowledge), O-Reap (agricultural advancement in rural areas), O-Yes (Youths empowerment), Osuwon Omoluabi (Measuring scales for virtuous people), among others. These programmes such as Igi-Iye, Opon-Imo, Osuwon Omoluabi and few others experienced deaths before he left office in 2018.

Aregbesola also introduced new policies to change the political and socio-cultural narratives of the state. From single uniform to reclassification of schools to same gender. He switched the system of local government from presidential to parliamentary.

Aregbesola changed the state’s identity from ‘Osun State’ to ‘State of Osun’. He also changed the slogan from ‘state of the living spring’ to ‘state of virtuous’. He introduced coat of arms and anthem. Within 8 years, Aregbesola changed the face of Osun, a product of ‘self thought’ achieved through collective efforts.

Barely a year in office, the actions of Governor Oyetola proved the expectations of political analysts wrong. He did not adopt the full governance template set up by his former boss. He embarked on a journey of stripping his former boss naked. He firstly set up a committee to review the educational policies in the state and vowed to enforce the recommendations of the committee. Within four years, Oyetola reversed all policies associated with education his former boss, Aregbesola introduced.

The governor reversed the 4-5-3-4 educational system introduced by the Aregbesola administration to 6-3-3-4. He activated old students associations. He reversed the single uniform system and reverted to old names of the schools. He also decentralised the school structure by separating the merged schools that, hitherto, operated as girls’ and boys’ schools.

When Aregbesola introduced these policies, the main opposition party (PDP) alongside pressure groups tackled them. There was loud ovation in the state when these policies were reversed yet some people were shocked that Oyetola not an opposition governor reversed these policies.

Out of all 11 proposed mega schools, 10 were completed and the one situated in Iwo has reportedly reached 85%. These schools are currently in despair. They were not maintained too. Government conducted integrity tests on the buildings and informed the public that these buildings failed integrity tests. As at the time of reportage, the mega schools are empty and in despair.

Recent developments have shown that Oyetola is still busy stripping Aregbesola’s naked despite electoral loss. Governor Oyetola recently ceded the runaway and the entire airport corridor of abandoned Moshood Abiola Kasimawo (MKO) International Airport which was proposed and initiated by Rauf Aregbesola while in office to the Nigerian Air Force.

Barely 24 hours after ceding the proposed MKO airport to Nigeria Air Force, the Osun State House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye announced that it has reversed the system of local government from parliamentary to presidential.

Recall that Aregbesola, who is the current Minister of Interior, had during his government in the state, adopted parliamentary system for local governments in the state and argued that it is in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is possible that Aregbesola, a two-time Osun state governor might end up with little legacy projects and no new policy to his credits. I doubt if there is any policy introduced by Aregbesola aside identities that has not been reversed by this current administration.

Even though most of these policies when introduced were tackled by pressure groups including the about to be ruling party in the state but some analysts are simply worried that Governor Oyetola with assistance of Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye might end up stripping Aregbesola’s naked before he vacates office in November 26, 2022. From reversal of educational policies to switch of local government systems to …. The people of Osun are anticipating next moves.

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo writes from Osogbo, the capital of Osun State

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