NEWS
Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi III dies at 83
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi Layiwola III, joined his ancestors at 83-year-old.
It was gathered that the top Yoruba monarch died in the late hours of Friday in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State Capital after a brief illness.
Adeyemi died while seeking treatment at the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital in Ado Ekiti.
The late Oba’s spokesperson, Mr. Bode Durojaye, acknowledged the death.
He said, “Alaafin is dead. Details in due course.”
Sources at the palace also confirmed the death of the traditional ruler to our correspondent on Saturday morning.
Also said the Governor of the state, Seyi Makinde, had been informed of the passage of the monarch.
The late Alaafin’s first son, Prince ‘Tunde, and other children had received the monarch’s remains at Idi-Igba, Oyo town early Saturday morning.
Palace sources confirmed that traditional rites had begun without giving details about his burial arrangement yet.
However, the Palace spokesman has debunked the news of the passage of Alaafin as false.
In a statement made on Saturday, Signed by Alaafin’s Media and Publicity Director Bode Durojaiye, rumored death was unfounded.
The statement reads: “it has come to the notice of the Office of the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin of Oyo about a fake report making the wave in the social media, by a disgruntled group of bloggers, about the imaginary death of His Imperial Majesty, Iku Baba Yeye, Oba (Dr.) Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, the Alaafin of Oyo.
“Members of the public are hereby urged to disregard the unfounded report, as the Paramount Ruler is hale and hearty .
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“Precisely on Monday and Tuesday this week, Oba Adeyemi, accompanied by some of his wives (Ayabas), children, aides, and well-wishers were at the Durbar Stadium, Oyo, for physical fitness exercises as usual.
“He has neither fallen sick nor rushed to the hospital for any serious ailment, hence he and his family remain agile and active.
“The general public should not entertain any fear at all, as Iku Baba Yeye is healthy, physically fit, and mentally stable”
Adeyemi ruled for 52 years before his demise, making him the longest-reigning Alaafin.
By tradition, the head of the Oyo Mesi, Basorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Ayoola, would take over pending the appointment of a new Alaafin.
The late Alaafin of Oyo was from the Adeyemi branch of the Alowolodu family. He was born on October 15, 1938.
During his late childhood stage, he lived briefly at Iseyin.
Adeyemi III was the son of Oba Adeyemi II, the former Alaafin of Oyo who was deposed and sent into exile in 1954 for having sympathy for the National Council of Nigerian Citizens.
He succeeded Alaafin Gbadegesin Ladigbolu II in 1970 and was crowned on January 14, 1971.
He was a lover of boxing.
Adeyemi’s death came after the demise of the Soun of Ogbomoso, Jimoh Oyewumi, and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Saliu Adetunji, who died on December 12, 2021, and January 2, 2022, respectively.
Oba Abdul-Azeez Adewuyi, the Asigangan of Igangan, also died in December 2021, and Oba Abdulyekeen Ayinla, the monarch of Ikoyi town in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, died in April 2022.
NEWS
Moghalu Prescribes Good Governance As Panacea To Ethnic Agitation
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
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The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
NEWS
N1.7trn Loan: Atiku Blames NASS For Worsening Nigeria’s Debt Burden
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
International News
ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Others
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.