Author: Gbenga Olaleye

A growing rift between two prominent Yoruba traditional rulers has sparked fresh controversy, as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, openly dismissed a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, regarding a disputed chieftaincy title. The Alaafin had demanded that the Ooni withdraw the recently conferred title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland from Ibadan-based businessman Chief Dotun Sanusi, branding the act a direct affront to his authority and the sanctity of the traditional institution. However, in a sharp response, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, described the ultimatum as an “empty threat” stemming from a “dead…

A prominent legal practitioner, Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq., has waded into the recent controversy surrounding the conferment of the title Okanlomo of Oodua on Chief Dotun Sanusi by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi. The lawyer described the alleged ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo to the Ooni as “gratuitous, constitutionally unsound, and an affront to Yoruba heritage.” He argued that the move to challenge the Ooni’s decision was both historically and legally untenable. According to Olajengbesi, the Ooni acted well within his lawful and cultural prerogatives. “In law, we ask whether an action is intra vires—within lawful…

With just one month remaining before the six-month emergency rule in Rivers State expires, the camp of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara has started the countdown to his anticipated return on 18 September 2025. Jerry Omatsogunwa, the governor’s media aide, said that residents of Rivers State are eagerly awaiting Fubara’s comeback, hopeful that he will resume the “good work he was doing” before the suspension. “Expectations for the governor’s return are very high,” Omatsogunwa said. “He had been doing wonderfully well as head of the Rivers State Government. Several key projects were underway, including the multi-billion-naira Port Harcourt Ring Road, which spans…

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has directed all Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs) to immediately stop accepting or processing equity contribution applications from seven Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) due to their alleged failure to comply with the commission’s housing loan guidelines. In a circular dated 11 August 2025, signed by Obiora Ibeziako, Head of Benefits and Insurance Department at PenCom, the commission instructed PFAs and PFCs to suspend dealings with Jigawa Savings & Loans Limited, FHA Mortgage Bank Limited, Delta Trust Mortgage Bank Limited, AG Mortgage Bank Limited, Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank Plc, First Trust Mortgage…

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has commended Nigeria’s security agencies for their recent success in capturing two top leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group. The arrests were announced last Saturday by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. According to Ribadu, the operation, conducted between May and July 2025, was a high-risk, intelligence-led counter-terrorism effort that resulted in the capture of Mahmud Muhammad Usman, the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeria. Usman coordinated various terrorist sleeper cells and orchestrated high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies, while al-Nigeri led the group’s “Mahmudawa” cell operating around Kainji National…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that young Nigerians are at the forefront of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, stated that within just seven hours of the nationwide online registration reopening on Monday, 69,376 Nigerians had successfully completed pre-registration. “Out of the total registrants, 48,033 are aged 18 to 34, representing 69.2 percent of early applicants,” Olumekun disclosed. Gender distribution shows a nearly balanced participation, with 33,803 applicants (48.7 percent) male and 35,573 (51.3 percent) female. Olumekun also highlighted that the online…

Prominent human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has strongly criticised the continued reverence accorded to former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), particularly the practice of referring to him as a “statesman.” In a post shared via X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Farotimi condemned such accolades as a distortion of history and an attempt to whitewash the damage he says Babangida inflicted on Nigeria during his time in power. “Not telling these ruinous cretins exactly what they are contributes towards the normalization of the evils that they have visited on the people,” Farotimi wrote.“This mutual affirmation strategy is…

A respected Mogaji in Ibadanland, Chief Abass Oloko, has come to the defence of business tycoon Chief Jubril Dotun Sanusi, following the controversial ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba (Engr.) Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, demanding the revocation of Sanusi’s Okanlomo of Yorubaland title. The title, conferred by the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has sparked tension between two major Yoruba traditional institutions. However, Chief Oloko dismissed the Alaafin’s threats as “absurd” and rooted in a misinterpretation of traditional authority within Yorubaland. In a statement issued Monday, Oloko asserted that the Ooni of…

A traditional rift appears to be widening in Yorubaland as the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has issued a strong rebuke to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over the recent conferment of the chieftaincy title “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” on Ibadan-born business magnate, Engineer Dotun Sanusi. In a statement released by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin described the Ooni’s action as a direct affront to the revered institution of the Alaafin, insisting that only the Alaafin holds the exclusive authority to confer titles that span the entire Yorubaland. Oba Owoade…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has credited its success in the recently concluded bye-elections held across 12 states of the federation to growing public confidence in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In a statement issued on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, expressed gratitude to Nigerians for what he described as “decisive support” that led to a sweeping victory for APC candidates in the polls. “These wins represent yet another solid endorsement of President Tinubu’s administration and its Renewed Hope Agenda, which is steadily transforming Nigeria’s economy and other critical sectors of national life,”…