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From Pulpit To Throne: What Pastor Adeboye Told Me — Soun Of Ogbomoso

Published

2 years ago

September 23, 2023

The historical city of Ogbomoso was on Thursday, September 14, 2023, agog as the newly installed Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Afolabi Ghandi Laoye Orumogege III, moved to the main palace to receive members of the community and dignitaries who converged to rejoice with him on his coronation. His coronation as the 28th Soun of Ogbomosoland, followed the approval of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

On the day of his installation, prayers were said by the Bishop of Ogbomoso Diocese of Methodist Church Nigeria, Right Rev’d Ademola Moradeyo; the Chief Imam of Ogbomoso, Sheikh Talihat Oluwashina Ayilara; and the Araba Oluawo of Ogbomosoland, Chief Opeyemi Ifamakinde.

Before his installation, a serious controversy had trailed his selection from his own Laoye Royal Family.

In a short interview, the new monarch of Ogbomoso spoke on why he chose to become Soun after being a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) for 30 years in Washington, United States of America. He spoke to his congregation in March 2022 in Washington revealing that he received a divine call to become the Soun of Ogbomoso Kingdom which was why he left the pulpit for the palace.

Oba Laoye said: “I was born into the royal family. But one way or the other, the Lord took me on a completely different path. He made me a pastor. In December 2021, I was on vacation in Nigeria, like I normally do every August and December. If I was not in Nigeria, I would be in other parts of the world.

“So, I was in Nigeria when the king of our town joined his ancestors. We have five royal families in Ogbomoso. After the Ajagungbades, we know that it is my royal family – Olaoye, that is the next to produce the king. Everybody in Ogbomoso who knows about the tradition knows that. Of course, I knew about it but I was not interested in it at all because I believe that I have gone on a completely different path. My father never sat me down to say, Ghandi, if you want to become Soun of Ogbomoso, you can be. He never told me and I never bothered. My dad tried to be Soun of Ogbomoso in 1940 but it was not what God wanted for him as the people rejected him.

“But in December 2021, people started calling me, saying: ‘Ghandi, why can’t you do this? -especially people who were close to me and knew that the Laoye Royal Family would produce the Soun after the Ajagungbades. I insisted I did not have interest because I believed I had a different path. Sometime in 2021, I said in the church that I was going to retire. I said that at the age of 60, I was going to retire. People asked me what I would retire into and I said I have done 30 years as a pastor, I felt there are other expressions of ministry.

“I planned that I was still going to do other things in the ministry. It was that time that I appointed Pastor Chinyere as the Executive Pastor and Pastor Olumide as the Lead Pastor of the Church. When I was doing all that, I did not have a plan of what I was going to do. All I knew was that I have had 30 years of pastoring, and Pastor Olumide has been my assistant pastor for 21 years; that is a long time to be somebody’s assistant. Twenty one years! That is nearly a generation, since a generation is about 25 years.

“When I was being told to come and be Soun of Ogbomoso, I told them the life I wanted to live after 60 years is very simple. I wanted to travel the world because I like travelling. I tell people that I was born in a car, and maybe that is why I am just restless as a person; that is my nature. It has been a little difficult to change that. Today, I am just restless, I just want things to happen, I just want to be on the move. I know that is the way God created me. So, that was my plan for 60.

“Then, people started calling me a lot. I insisted I was not interested. Of course, as a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, I didn’t want Daddy G.O (Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the church) to hear. Of course, he is my spiritual father. So, I called him and told him what was going on. I said: ‘I don’t want you to hear. My people wanted me to come and become Soun of Ogbomoso. But I just want you to hear what people are saying. It is not because I am interested, but I don’t want you to hear it from other people.

“Then, he stopped me, saying: ‘Don’t say you are not interested.’ I asked why and he continued: ‘No, this kind of thing, you brought it from heaven.’ I asked what he meant by that and he said ‘You were born into a royal family, you brought it from heaven. Don’t ever say you are not interested’. He told me to go and pray and fast about it. But I didn’t pray and I didn’t fast because it’s not what I was interested in.

“The next I asked him was if he knew of any pastor, who left pastoring and went to become an oba. He said of course, he could tell me four. He told me two among them. He then said: ‘You can go ahead, that is all I have to say.’ He also told me that he never wanted to become General Overseer and I can see what General Overseer is today. He told me: ‘Go ahead and do whatever you have to do.’

“To cut the long story short, I had planned that on January 2nd, 2022, which was first Sunday of 2022, I would tell the people calling me to become Soun of my final stance. I was going to tell them to stop bothering me.

“So, I woke up around 6:30am to pee. When I finished peeing, I laid down on the bed, thinking about how the service was going to be. Then, I prayed: ‘Lord, I am at a crossroads of life. These people are saying I should come and become Soun of Ogbomoso. Today is the day I am going to give them the final answer that I am not interested. To me, how would Jesus say leave Washington and go and live in Ogbomoso? The next thing I heard was: ‘You are born for this. This is the reason for your birth’.

“Of course, that was not what I was expecting. But let me tell you this; when I hear, it is 10/10. So, I got ready for church. I came to the church, I called Pastor Olumide, Pastor Chinyere, and Pastor Tunde. I called the three of them to my office on January 2nd, 2022, and I said to them what the Lord told me, and I told them I am 10/10. I never miss it.

“There is time when I don’t know, I’ll say let’s go ahead and do it. When I say God told me, it has never changed in 30 years of ministry. People that are close to me know exactly what I am saying. When God spoke to me, what I said was very simple: ‘If it is not you, stop it.’ The next thing I did was, I got into the process because I am following God.

“There is nothing in this world that anybody has to offer me than what I have committed half of my adult life to do; absolutely nothing. If you know me very well, I am not doing this because I have nothing else to do.”

My name as ‘Ghandi’

“Itumo oruko mi re…Genesis 30:11 ‘Lea si wipe, Ire de, O si so oruko rè ni Gadi. That means “This is the meaning of my name. Genesis 30:11, which says: ‘Leah said, I have been lucky’ and she named him Gad.”

At his coronation, the monarch urged the aggrieved people to unite with him for the development of the town adding that it was God that sent him to rebuild the city and to work for its progress.

His words: “Ogbomoso will be different. In terms of development, Ogbomoso will be different. In terms of peace, Ogbomoso will be different. I want you to know it is a new thing in Ogbomosoland. Imole tuntun lo de yi ( A new light has come). Ire tuntun lo de yi (A new goodness has come). Many knew what has been happening, what we have passed through but we will leave that behind us. Those who are aggrieved, let us unite for the development of Ogbomosoland. Let us unite so we can move Ogbomoso forward. Let us eschew violence, if we love this city we will rebuild this city together. It is God that sent me to rebuild this city, to work for the progress of this city.

“We have not come to the throne to make wealth, God has given us wealth; we have not come to make a name, God has given us that. To put Ogbomoso in its rightful place is our goal. I assure you we will make Ogbomoso greater. What we have come to do in Ogbomoso has started today, the development of Ogbomoso has started today, new glory has started. Things will change. Good things such as industries will spring up, not one but many. God will give us many. I don’t talk much, it is action you will see, that is what you will see in the name of the Lord.”

His choice as new Soun by Araba Oluawo of Ogbomosoland
The Araba Oluawo of Ogbomosoland, Chief Opeyemi Ifamakinde, stated that whenever a king joined his ancestors, another person would succeed him from the next royal family. The next royal family, he said, would present a candidate or candidates.

“The candidate can be one or 20, 30 to 200 candidates. Then, the family will invite the kingmakers and present their candidate or candidates to them. If you are a pastor or a preacher, and you become Soun, we are not against you. But you must not be against other religions.

“There has never been any Soun that did not allow Isese to practise in Ogbomoso. The immediate past Soun was a Muslim. When he became the Soun, he allowed Muslims, Christians as well as traditional worshippers to practise.

“This is how it should be. The new Soun has said he would allow other religions to be practised in the town.

“It is on record that the crown of Soun is not from Jerusalem and it is not from Mecca. It is a traditional crown,” he said.

Recall that Oba Laoye succeeded the immediate-past Soun, late Oba Jimoh Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, barely 21 months after his demise, after spending 48 years on the throne.

There are five royal families in Ogbomoso that have been producing monarchs for the town on rotational basis. Each of the five royal families has a Mogaji as the traditional head.

The Mogaji is always installed by the reigning Soun of Ogbomoso. In the case of Laoye Royal Family, Chief Amos Olawale Olaoye, is the current Mogaji. The new king is from Laoye Royal Family but the selection for the new king from the family was greeted with intrigues that divided the family into two, with each member of the family queuing behind different princes.
VANGUARD

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How I and Obey’s Son Escaped Getting Caught In Benin’s Coup —Dele Momodu

Published

10 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

The 2011 presidential flagbearer of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Chief Dele Momodu has revealed how he and his entourage missed getting caught in Benin Republic’s coup on Sunday.

A group of military personnel in Benin on Sunday announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon, who is due to step down next April after 10 years in power.

Soldiers calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic”.

Reacting to the news via a post on his official X account, Momodu said he and his entourage would have been caught in Benin Republic’s coup if not for a missing document.

“OUR GOD DID THIS FOR US… My friend ROTIMI OBEY, the second son of legendary musician, CHIEF COMMANDER EBENEZER OBEY and I were to head out to Accra, Ghana, by road, this morning. All was set and ROTIMI went to bed early so that we can set out at 5am. But something went wrong,” he said.

“Before going to bed, I asked my driver for the originals of my car documents. He said he had only the copies with him. I searched the Home Office in Victoria Island but I couldn’t find it. I then went to the Penthouse in Ikoyi to check my other office. Still no luck. So , I called ROTIMI at 10:38 PM to give him the decision to fly instead of driving. He agreed.

“Meanwhile, my Beninese friend and mentee, ALEX DALMEIDA, was already in town waiting to accompany us through the French-speaking borders. So I called him at 23:02 last night to abort our road trip.

“I called PRECIOUS, my travel consultant, to check available flights. She got us tickets at 11:15PM. It was at the airport we received the news of the coup in Benin Republic… We barely missed it by the whiskers…”

Soldiers led by Lieutenant Pascal Tigri announced that they have taken over the country. They also suspended all political parties and announced the closure of land, sea and air borders.

Speaking further, Momodu expressed surprise at the coup attempt, saying: “Benin is one of West Africa’s most peaceful countries.

“The Benin’s President changed the constitution just last month to allow him extend his presidential term, this morning the military has overthrown him.”

Talon’s entourage has, however said that the Benin Republic President is safe and the army was regaining control.

Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman dubbed the “cotton king of Cotonou”, is due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office marked by solid economic growth but also a surge in jihadist violence.

West Africa has experienced a number of coups in recent years, including in Benin’s northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.

News

OAU Unveils Seven-foot Bronze Statue Of Chief Obafemi Awolowo

Published

16 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

…Yemisi Shyllon, other dignitaries praise Awo’s commitment to humanity

A giant bronze statue of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was unveiled on Friday at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.

The statue, the worth of which was put at N120 million by the donor, has the sage dressed in his Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) attire. It is of a height of seven feet, which goes to 15 feet after the inclusion of the pedestal.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Adebayo Bamire, stated that the statue is a legacy project for the university.

Professor Bamire said the statue was a celebration of Chief Awolowo’s selfless service to humanity and expressed the appreciation of the university to the donor, Prince Yemisi Shyllon.

Prof Bamire noted that the life of Chief Awolowo should serve as a lesson for all to live for the good of the people.

“It is known that the soul of any civilisation, the very pulse of its humanity, beats strongest on its art, on its music, its literature, its visual splendour and its performances. This affirmation resonates with the Obafemi Awolowo University academic philosophy: ‘for learning and culture’—a culture of creativity and a creative culture.

“The donor of the statue, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, is a man whose name resonates across continents. He is Africa’s foremost art collector, an accomplished creative mind, a committed philanthropist of extraordinary vision and a relentless advocate for cultural advancement and one of the most remarkable cultural ambassadors of our time.

“For a university like ours, dedicated to the holistic development of mind and spirit, this example is a beacon. It reinforces our own commitment to ensuring that the sciences converge with the humanities, that innovation dances with tradition and that our graduates are as culturally literate as they are professionally skilled.

“This iconic piece will not only beautify our campus but also serve as a permanent cultural marker, reminding future generations of the ideals of leadership, service, excellence and intellectual courage upon which this university was founded,” the Vice Chancellor said.

Speaking, the donor of the statue, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, stated that the project was aimed at celebrating Papa Awolowo for living a purpose-driven life.

Prince Shyllon said conceiving the project and funding it was his own way of saying thank you to Chief Awolowo for the sterling leadership he gave his people and for showing what meaningful life meant.

“Indeed, many people solely focus on material wealth, such as having cars, building and buying properties, buying private jets, jewelries and the many other worthless and selfish illusions of life, that are generally not meaningful to the real essence of human life,” he said.

He added that Chief Awolowo would be remembered forever for living for what was right and just even as he listed some of the enduring legacies of the sage.

Prince Shyllon pointed at “free education in the old Western Region, and other landmark projects such as the Cocoa House, Western Nigeria Television, Liberty Stadium, industrial estates, farm settlements and the Obafemi Awolowo University, among others” as worthy legacies left behind by Chief Awolowo.

Shyllon noted that the sage was a man who could be best described as an example of a person who lived a “meaningful life.”

He added that Chief Awolowo lived his life planting seeds for generations while leaving his indelible footprints on the sands of time.

He charged all to live the kind of life that would make humanity remember them for something positive, “just as Papa Obafemi Awolowo, who died 38 years ago.”

He stressed that the Holy Qur’an and the Bible preach the act of showing love to the needy, adding that all should not give to the needy for the purpose of getting anything in return.

“Life is full of emptiness. Awolowo lived a meaningful, purpose-driven life and planted seeds through his various selfless services to humanity before his exit. That is why he is celebrated every day since he died 38 years ago,” he said.

In his remarks, Chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of the Tribune titles, and daughter of Chief Awolowo, Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, thanked Prince Shyllon for donating the statue.

She also appreciated the university for being receptive to the idea and for keeping the legacy of Chief Awolowo alive.

Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, who was represented by the Editor, Saturday Tribune, Dr Lasisi Olagunju, noted that the project was a celebration of selfless service to the people which was what Chief Awolowo lived for.

“History is always there to reward selfless leadership and expose pretenders. We are here today in celebration of an uncommon man who died 38 years ago. This honour, this statue is a demonstration of what immortality means.

“Chief Awolowo gave his very best in the service of the people. We appreciate the donor, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, for the gesture and also appreciate the university for giving the right space for the erection of the statue. Good life is about services; what we are celebrating today is history’s reward for Chief Awolowo’s selflessness.

“Papa was one leader who believed that service to the people is a rent paid for the space we occupy in this world. The Awolowo family appreciates this monument and thanks the donor and the sculptor for doing a great job,” he said.

He urged students of the institution to learn from the life lived by Chief Awolowo and rededicate themselves to noble causes.

At the ceremony were principal officers of the university and other dignitaries, including Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who also said positive things about Chief Awolowo and the leadership he gave the Nigerian people.
(TRIBUNE)

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FULL LIST: FG Selects 20 Content Creators For Tax Reform Education

Published

16 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government has released a list of 20 content creators selected to support public education on Nigeria’s ongoing tax reforms.

The Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee issued the announcement, which was posted on Thursday by its chairman, Taiwo Oyedele, on X.

The list, titled “Top 20 Content Creators for Tax Reform Education,” was shared after the organisers received 8,591 nominations covering more than 200 creators.

The organisers said the selected creators will attend a special training session designed to deepen their understanding of the new tax laws so they can share clearer and more balanced information with their audiences.

They encouraged Nigerians to tag any creator on the list and ask them to confirm their interest by completing the acceptance form.

“If your favourite creator is on the list, tag or mention them and ask them to confirm their interest by completing this form: forms.gle/Ph49kSE4okDf6g….

“Deadline for acceptance is Monday, 8 December 2025.

“Tell us the areas of interest and key issues you’d like the training to focus on in the comments section.”

According to the announcement, the creators were ranked by their followership across major platforms. The top 20 include:

1. Financial Jennifer

2. Onlinebanker

3. Don Aza

4. Mary Efombruh

5. Baba Ogbon Awon Agba International

6. Perpetual Badejo

7. Personalfinancegirl

8. Tomi Akinwale

9. Emeka Ayogu