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Ex-Oyo AG Writes Makinde, Gives Reasons Why Lekan Balogun Can’t Be Next Olubadan

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Otun Olubadan, Chief Lekan Balogun

There are strong indications that legal tussle may affect the appointment and installation of the next Olubadan of Ibadan.

Recall that the 41st Olubadan of Ibadan, Saliu Adetunji, died on Sunday at the age of 93 at the University College Hospital, Ibadan and has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

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A few hours after the monarch’s death, family members, friends, and well-wishers thronged the Aliiwo and Alarere Compounds of Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Lekan Balogun, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, who is the next in line to become Olubadan of Ibadanland, according to tradition.

But a former Attorney-General of Oyo State, Michael Lana, in a letter to the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, argued that Lekan Balogun is unfit to be crowned as the next Olubadan of Ibadan.

Ongoing legal cases

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The lawyer cited some ongoing legal cases that affected the eligibility of Balogun to become the Olubadan.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Tears As Body Of Late Olubadan Arrives Palace

In the letter dated January 3, Lana explained that installing Balogun as Olubadan would amount to an “aberration and illegality”.

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According to the ex-Attorney-General, Balogun, some high chiefs and Baales had been conferred their titles by the late Abiola Ajimobi, when he was the Oyo State Governor.

Part of the letter read, “Kindly note, your excellency, that your predecessor in office, without thinking of the legal effects of his actions on the future of Ibadan traditional institution, conferred the title of Obaship on some high chiefs and Baales and gave them the right to wear beaded crowns and coronets in 2017.

“This action was challenged in suit No. M317/ 2017-high chief Rashid Ladoja V the governor of Oyo state.

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“However, the court of appeal in Appeal No.CA/111/99/ 2018 set aside the said Judgment of Aiki J on technical grounds without touching on the merit of the case and sent the case hack for retrial,” the lawyer continued.

“Upon your excellency’s assumption of office, it was resolved that the matter be settled amicably and the same was settled through the instrumentality of a Terms of Settlement which became the judgment of the court.

“The said Terms of Settlement recognised the illegality of the said actions and therefore set aside the gazettes by which the said chiefs became Obas with a right to wear beaded crowns and coronets.

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“These high chiefs and Baales were dissatisfied with this consent judgment and therefore instituted two separate suits to set aside the consent judgment while at the same time clinging to the title of Obas (which actually is in contempt of court).

“One of these cases is Suit No: Suit No. I/ 22/ 2020-HRM Oba (senator) Lekan Balogun & ors V governor of Oyo state & ors.”

No Oba can ascend Olubadan throne – Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957

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The lawyer further explained that though the judgment amended the Ibadan chieftaincy customary law, “the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957 was not amended and therefore remains extant”.

He added, “Under that declaration and all relevant law, no Oba can ascend to the throne of Olubadan.

“In other words, as long as the high chiefs still cling to the title of Oba, they cannot ascend to that throne and any installation of any of them during the pendency of that suit is illegal, null and void.

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“It is in line with this legal situation that I advice, most humbly, that you should withhold any approval of any high chief to become the 0lubadan so that you will not also join in the desecration of Ibadan chieftaincy customary law.”

What can be done for Balogun to be installed’

READ ALSO: BREAKING: 93-year-old Olubadan Of Ibadan Is Dead

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Lana explained that until the cases are concluded or withdrawn, Balogun would be unfit to be installed as Olubadan.

He said, “There are only two ways to deal with this situation: one is for the high chiefs to withdraw the aforementioned cases and the other is to wait for the court to pronounce on it before any step is taken to install an Olubadan.

“If the court holds that they have the right to be Obas and entitled to wear beaded crowns, then they are perpetually barred from becoming another Oba. Nowhere in the customary law of any Yoruba town is an Oba elevated to become another Oba.

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“On the other hand, the court holds that the Terms of Settlement stands, and their Obaship title is illegal, then they are free to be elevated to the post of Olubadan.”

(PUNCH)

 

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US Suspends Work Visas For Nigerian, Foreign Truck Drivers

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The United States government has suspended the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign truck drivers, citing job security concerns and safety risks for American citizens.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision on Thursday, saying it takes immediate effect.

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According to him, the rising number of foreign truck drivers on U.S. highways is both threatening lives and reducing opportunities for American truckers.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: US Visa Restrictions On ECOWAS Countries Threaten Regional Prosperity — FG

Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.

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“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio said.

The move comes under President Donald Trump’s renewed clampdown on immigration since returning to office in January 2025.

READ ALSO:US Visa Adjudication Sparks Concerns Over Diplomatic Relations

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As part of new measures, travellers from countries with high visa overstay rates or weak travel databases will be required to pay a bond of $5,000 to $15,000 before obtaining certain categories of visas.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria also directed all visa applicants to disclose their social media handles from the past five years, warning that failure to comply could result in denial of applications and possible ineligibility for future visas.

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Judge Orders Closure Of Trump’s Controversial ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Migrant Camp

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A US federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration and Florida state government from bringing any new migrants to the detention centre known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and ordered much of the site to be dismantled, effectively shuttering the facility.

Florida’s government swiftly announced it would appeal the decision.

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The detention centre was hastily assembled in just eight days in June with bunk beds, wire cages and large white tents at an abandoned airfield in Florida’s Everglades wetlands, home to a large population of alligators.

President Donald Trump, who has vowed to deport millions of undocumented migrants, visited the centre last month, boasting about the harsh conditions and joking that the reptilian predators will serve as guards.

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The White House has nicknamed the facility “Alligator Alcatraz,” a reference to the former island prison in San Francisco Bay that Trump has said he wants to reopen.

The centre was planned to hold 3,000 migrants, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

But it has come under fire from both environmentalists and critics of Trump’s crackdown on migration, who consider the facility to be inhumane.

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The new ruling on Thursday by District Judge Kathleen Williams comes after a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity.

READ ALSO:Trump, Putin Make No Breakthrough On Ukraine Deal, End Summit

The environmental groups argue that the detention centre threatens the sensitive Everglades ecosystem and was hastily built without conducting the legally required environmental impact studies.

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– Sixty-day deadline –

Earlier this month, Williams had ordered further construction at the centre to be temporarily halted.

Now she has ordered the Trump administration and the state of Florida — which is governed by Republican Ron DeSantis — to remove all temporary fencing installed at the centre within 60 days, as well as all lighting, generators and waste and sewage treatment systems.

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The order also prohibits “bringing any additional persons onto the… site who were not already being detained at the site.”

READ ALSO:Trump Threatens 250% Tariffs On Foreign Pharmaceuticals

Several detainees have spoken with AFP about the conditions at the centre, including a lack of medical care, mistreatment and the alleged violation of their legal rights.

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“They don’t even treat animals like this. This is like torture,” said Luis Gonzalez, a 25-year-old Cuban who called AFP from inside the centre.

He recently shared a cell with about 30 people, a space enclosed by chain-linked fencing that he compared to a chicken coop.

The Trump administration has said it wants to make this a model for other detention centres across the country.

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Japan City Mulls Two-hour Daily Smartphone Limit

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A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties.

The limit, which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan’s Toyoake City, will not be binding, and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance.

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The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems,” Mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday.

The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00 pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10:00 pm.

READ ALSO:Two Japanese Boxers Die From Brain Injuries At Same Event

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The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic.

“I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X.

In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another.

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Others said smartphone use should be a decision for families to make for themselves.

The angry response prompted the mayor to clarify that the two-hour limit was not mandatory, emphasising that the guidelines “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life”.

READ ALSO:Japan’s Petabit: What To Know About Internet Speed That Can Download 67 Million Songs In A second

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The ordinance will be considered next week, and if passed, it will come into effect in October.

In 2020, the western Kagawa region issued a first-of-its-kind ordinance calling for children to be limited to an hour a day of gaming during the week, and 90 minutes during school holidays.

It also suggested children aged 12 to 15 should not be allowed to use smartphones later than 9:00 pm, with the limit rising to 10:00 pm for children between 15 and 18.

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Japanese youth spend slightly over five hours on average a day online on weekdays, according to a survey published in March by the Children and Families Agency.

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