News

How Wande Abimbola Rejected IBB’s ING Bait, And Other Stories (2)

Published

3 months ago

March 28, 2025

Tunde Odesola

Once upon a time in the land of Ìwásè, Orunmila, Yoruba god of Wisdom and Divination, thought to showcase Yoruba science, divination, arts and philosophy to mankind; so, he codified the four aforementioned essence of human existence into a body of knowledge called Ifa.

As science, Ifa embodies the study and prescription of herbal medicine for healing, with its practitioners being ‘babalawo’ or ‘iyanifa’ (male or female Ifa priests) and ‘onisegun’ (medicine men or women). Ifa, as science, unravels astronomy, time cycles, and energy balance in understanding cosmology – the science of the origin and development of the universe.

Ifa’s science is also contained in its corpus called Odu Ifa, a humongous collection of 256 voluminous books, passed down orally within Yoruba culture. The 256 books are a cornucopia of Ifa literature containing stories, poems, revelations, findings, assertions, songs, taboos, laws, etc that explain the Yoruba worldview on far-ranging issues of existential proportions. The vast 256 collections of voluminous books are divided into 800 sections, making the totality of the corpus 204,800 compendia of orature.

In the 256 Odu Ifa is the coded knowledge system called the binary coding found in computer science, and derived from mathematical probability, observation and pattern recognition. With this similarity, Ifa shows an amazing connection between ancient wisdom and modern technology. Abimbola says no other religion has more body of books, noting, however, that adherents of foreign religions in Nigeria erroneously throw away the science, arts, divination and philosophy of Ifa for imported religions that are not better. “Something is wrong with us,” he says.

He continues, “I am not a Christian, but I use western medicine when necessary – along with herbs and divination. You might not be an Ifa worshipper, but that shouldn’t stop you from benefiting from its truths, which are so natural and pure. The truths of Ifa are contained in its accurate divination, diagnosis, treatment and healing. The efficacy of Ifa explains why you find people of other religions sneaking to it in secret and benefiting from it while pretending publicly not to have anything to do with it.”

The art of Ifa is seen in its rich poetic recitations, panegyrics, historic accounts, music, storytelling and symbolism, just as Yoruba sculpture, smithing, beadwork, weaving and many other art forms are believed to be inspired by the gods.

As philosophy, Ifa teaches moral and ethical wisdom symbolised by Orí (Destiny), Èsù (Choice and Consequence), Ìwà Pèlé (Good Character), Omolúàbí (Virtue), Owú (Jealousy), Ìbínú (Anger), and Ànìkànjopón (Greed), among other behavioral traits.

Through divination, Ifa offers insights into the past, interrogates present possibilities and reveals future prospects while prescribing solutions via sacrifice, rituals, offerings, or behavioral changes. Ifa divination involves an interactive engagement that gives room for guidance and encourages personal responsibility.

According to Abimbola, ‘writing is an enemy of remembrance’. What do you mean, sir? I asked. “The 256 Ifa corpus can be sectionalised into 800 large volumes. This means there are 204,800 volumes of verses, recitations, poems, stories, etc in the corpus. In prehistoric times, the whole of the corpus was crammed by Ifa students, but nowadays that they are in book form, people are forgetting them. That’s why I said writing is an enemy of remembrance. When I was in school, I didn’t jot down notes during lectures; I preferred to listen and understand first, and form my notes later, from my understanding. In writing my notes, I borrowed the notes of my classmates who had jotted down notes. My style gives room for deeper comprehension,” Abimbola explains.

The Araba of Osogbo, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, affirms the tenet of loyalty in Ifa corpus, reciting the Ìwòrì Bògbé verse during a telephone chat with me, when I asked for an esè Ifa that teaches loyalty.

Ogunwande exemplifies the loyalty displayed by the partridge in the Ìwòrì Bògbé verse of Ifa, which Elebuibon describes as the story of the partridge, who having wined and dined with the houseowner, will not desert the houseowner in time of trouble, “eyele kii b’onile je, ko b’onile mu, ko di ojo kan ijongbon, ko yeri.”

When MKO, the friend of his youth, came under political oppression after winning the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Abimbola stood by him like Jonathan stood by David in the Holy Bible.

Abimbola said, “Twice, they made me offers to head the Interim National Government. Firstly, I asked those sent by the military authorities if, after being sworn in as Head of State, I could pronounce that the election would be held afresh? Secondly, I dilly-dallied by saying the seven-month lifespan of the ING was too small to do anything. Thirdly, and morally, I couldn’t do that to a friend. Fourthly, and above all, I consulted Ifa, and Ifa told me in unmistakable terms to reject the ING offer.

“A few days after the offer was made to me, Abiola called a world press conference. We were all present at the conference where he announced the full results of the election. A day after the press conference, Ernest Shonekan was announced as the Head of the Interim National Government. I was happy I didn’t betray my friend. I would have regretted all the days of my life if I had accepted the offer.”

Named Ogunwande because his forebears were the spiritual heads of Ogun worshippers in Oyo, the Awise Agbaye says all the children of his grandfather and father bear Ogun in their names.

And, Ògún, the Yoruba god of Iron and War, was king over Irè, hence the appellation Ògún Ònírè. But Ògún wasn’t an indigene of Irè, a town in Ekiti; he only stopped by Irè-Ekiti on the way from an expedition with his men. Abimbola reveals Ògún was a native of Sakí, though he lived in Ile-Ife.

According to a myth, Ògún, thirsty and tired, came across some palm wine gourds as he passed through Irè. He stopped and lifted one of the gourds, hoping to quench his thirst. But the gourd was empty. He lifted the second, third and fourth gourds; all were empty. He became incensed and broke the four gourds and more, ordering that henceforth, empty gourds should be laid sideways while empty calabash for drinking should be placed face down. Ogun later rose to become the king of Ire.

The Ogun courage of Ogunwande came to bear when he thwarted the efforts of his fellow senators who attempted to fix their salaries during the Third Republic. He said, “As soon as we were inaugurated, senators began agitating to legislate and fix our salaries. As Majority Leader, I presided over intra- and inter-party caucus meetings. They said I should call a meeting for us to discuss the issue. I delayed by saying we should wait till the President and his ministers were sworn in before we discuss our salary.

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“They would have beaten me up if not for the aura (òwò) innate in my personality. They would hear none of my advice. During one of our arguments over the issue, I asked some of them, “Are you here for money or service?” They looked at me in shock and asked, “If you’re not here for money, what are you here for? After some days of stand-off, I called a meeting of the elders of both parties – the Social Democratic Party and the National Republic Convention – and explained why I felt we shouldn’t fix our salaries.

“I said if we fix our salaries now and the President and his cabinet come in and fix their salaries lower than ours, are we not going to look greedy and stupid? When I said this, they saw reason with me. They said, ‘You should have explained it clearly like this. We shall wait’.”

Abimbola’s view on Yoruba bulletproof
All hell broke loose on November 26, 2020, a day the devil himself was appeased to drink water, and cease hostility. That date was an ‘ojo buruku, esu gbomimu’ day, when some suspected kidnappers shot the second-in-command to the gods of the land. It was the day the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Adegoke Adeusi, a first-class Ondo monarch, was felled by the bullets of assailants in Elegbeka community of Ose Local Government Area.

Abomination! No one sacrifices the child of Orè to Orè; ‘ai fi omo Orè b’Orè!’ The igbakeji orisa cannot be killed just like that, I thought. Shocked and sad, I called the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to ask what happened to the efficacy of Yoruba bulletproof aka ayeta, if a first-class Yoruba oba could be gunned down just like that.

I grabbed my pen, scratched my head and penned the article, “Can African bulletproof stop AK-47 bullets?”, published in The PUNCH, on January 18, 2020.

In the article, the Ooni said the Yoruba had bulletproof ‘ayeta’ aka ‘odeshi’ for bullets. Ogunwusi said, “Everything has a name. If you call ‘ota’ (bullet) by its real name, it’ll deflect bullets from you. Even when the bullet hits its target, it won’t have any effect. This is why it’s called ‘ayeta’. But it has its taboos.”

Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, supported the view of the Ooni, but a former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who’s a retired Brigadier General, disagreed, saying there was no ‘ayeta’ for AK-47, a view supported by Elebuibon.

To be concluded.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola

News

Obi Berates Tinubu For ‘Ignoring’ Benue, Says No Value For Human Lives

Published

29 minutes ago

June 16, 2025

Editor

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for lack of “leadership empathy” over the recent killing of over 50 people in Benue State, as well as the recent flooding in Niger State.

In a post on his X handle on Monday, Obi wondered why there were no presidential visits to Benue and Niger states despite the loss of lives in both incidents.

The former governor of Anambra State blamed this on a lack of competence, capacity, character and compassion on the part of the Nigerian leader.

In contrast, he gave an example of how both Indian and South African leaders were quick to visit the scene of a plane crash and flooding in their respective countries, saying that was leadership with compassion.

“Sadly, the evidence is right before our eyes. Recently, we witnessed severe flooding in Niger State that claimed nearly 200 lives, with many still missing. Yet, not even a single presidential visit, this, in a nation where the scene of the tragedy is less than an hour away by helicopter.

“Just days ago, over 200 Nigerians, innocent men, women, children, and even soldiers, were massacred in Benue State. Again, no presidential visit. No physical presence at the scenes of pain. No genuine national mourning. No leadership face to comfort the grieving or give hope to the people.

“Yet, we have seen what true leadership looks like elsewhere: In India, after a plane crash killed nearly 200 people, the Prime Minister was physically at the scene within hours.

“In South Africa, when floods claimed 78 lives, the president went personally to the affected communities, stood with them, and took responsibility.

“That is leadership with compassion. That is leadership that understands the value of human life. But here in Nigeria, we have normalised leadership without empathy, without accountability, and without a human face.

“That is why I insist: Nigeria does not just need another president; Nigeria needs a leader, a leader with competence, capacity, character, and compassion. Until we choose leaders on these principles, the cycle of pain will only continue,” Obi’s post read.

Obi also warned that Nigeria will keep facing failed leadership if citizens continue to vote along tribal lines rather than based on competence and capacity.

He maintained that where competence, capacity, character and compassion are non-existent, there is no magic one can do to improve the leadership of any nation.

“Leadership of a nation is such that it’s either succeeding or failing, none can be hidden. There are critical areas of leadership that must exist for a nation to move forward, and these are summed up in four Cs: Competence, Capacity, Character and Compassion. Where these four are non-existent, there is no magic you can do.

“It’s in this line that I have always maintained that we must move away from voting based on tribe and religion, and begin to vote for people with competence, capacity, character, and compassion, because we have all seen, painfully, what leadership without these qualities has done to our country.” Further emphasising the importance of the aforementioned qualities, Obi stressed that Nigeria today needs a leader who understands the issues, who has the knowledge, experience, and clear ideas to solve them.

“Competence because Nigeria today needs a leader who understands the issues, who has the knowledge, experience, and clear ideas to solve them. Capacity because it is not a ceremonial position; it requires strength, stamina, and the mental energy to confront our complex challenges.

“And above all, leadership must be rooted in character and integrity because without integrity, public trust collapses, corruption thrives, and selfishness takes over. But perhaps most importantly, we need compassion, because when a leader lacks compassion, human lives are treated as statistics, and suffering is ignored,” Obi added.

News

Hon. Andrew Uzamere: Redefining Legislative Representation

Published

5 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Editor

By Anthony Osazuwa

Two years ago, Hon. Andrew Uzamere stepped into the Edo State House of Assembly as the representative of Ovia North East Constituency II.

Today, as we reflect on his journey so far, it is evident that he has brought a refreshing approach to legislative representation — one rooted in accessibility, responsiveness, and impact.

In the Edo state House of Assembly, Hon. Uzamere has consistently raised his voice for policies and legislation that benefit not only his constituency but the entire state. His participation in debates and sponsorship of motions reflect his deep commitment to education, security, youth empowerment, and community development. But beyond the chambers, it is his grassroots-driven leadership that truly distinguishes him.

From school renovations to clean water access, the evidence of his work is visible across the constituency. He facilitated the renovation of Eweka Primary School in Obagie-Uwaifiokun community and oversaw the provision of boreholes in underserved areas like Gelegele, Ite, and Iguzama — demonstrating his focus on basic yet life-changing amenities.

Education, a key pillar of his agenda, has received notable attention. He paid WAEC fees for over 500 indigent students in public schools, ensuring that no child is left behind due to financial hardship. In addition, through regular empowerment programs, hundreds of constituents — particularly women and young people — have received tools, training, and start-up support, paving the way for self-reliance and economic growth at the local level.

Despite the usual political speculation that comes with public office, Hon. Uzamere has remained unwavering in his commitment to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — the party through which he earned the mandate to serve. He has repeatedly affirmed his loyalty to the party and its ideals, choosing to stay focused on delivering democratic dividends rather than being distracted by political noise.

Perhaps most commendable is his consistent presence among the people. Through town halls, constituency meetings, and day-to-day interactions, Hon. Uzamere has proven that representation is not about occupying a seat, but about staying connected to the people’s concerns and working every day to address them.

As he marks his second year in office, it is clear that Hon. Andrew Uzamere is not just holding a political position — he is redefining what it means to represent a people. With two more years ahead in his current tenure, the constituents of Ovia North East Constituency II have every reason to believe that even greater achievements lie ahead.

Here are some of the lists of projects embarked upon by Hon. Andrew Edobor Uzamere that have earned him the name, Mr. Projects

WATER PROJECTS – Boreholes with Generators
Provision of motorized boreholes and generating sets across communities:

1. Gelegele Community – Oduna Ward (Completed)
2.Ekewan-Waterside – Oduna Ward (Completed)
3.Iboro Community – Oduna Ward (Completed)
4.Ugbineh-Urhobo Camp – Oduna Ward (Completed)
5. Ite Community – Utoka Ward (Completed)
6.Iguzama Community – Iguoshodin Ward (Completed)
7.Igueze Community – Okada East Ward (Completed)
8.Egbeta Community – Uhen Ward (Completed)
9.Iguomo Community – Okada West Ward (Completed)
10.Okada Community – Okada West Ward (Ongoing)
11.Oduna Community – Oduna Ward (Ongoing)
12.Utese Community – Uhen Ward (Ongoing)
13.Olumoye Community – Uhen Ward (Ongoing)
14.Ugbuwe Community – Uhen Ward (Ongoing)

EDUCATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Rebuilding schools, markets, and classrooms for a better tomorrow:

Igo Community Market – Oghede Ward (Completed)

1 Block of 6 Classrooms – Emaba Primary School, Iguoshodin-Ngbemaba
→ With furniture, headmistress office and toilets (Completed)

2 Blocks of 9 Classrooms – Oghede Secondary School
→ With furniture, principal’s office & toilets (Completed)

1 Block of 6 Classrooms – Primary School, Obagie-Uwaifiokun
→ With furniture, headmaster’s office & toilets (Ongoing)

Reconstruction of 3-Classroom Block – Uhen Mixed Secondary School, Uhen Ward (Ongoing)

EDUCATION SUPPORT – Scholarship Scheme
WAEC/NECO Scholarship Programme

→ Over 200 indigent students in public secondary schools across the constituency (Completed)

SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS – End-of-Year Palliatives
Annual End-of-Year Palliatives (Since 2023)
→Distribution of bags of rice and at least 1 cow per ward across:
▪️ Oduna Ward
▪️ Utoka Ward
▪️ Iguoshodin Ward
▪️ Okada East Ward
▪️ Okada West Ward
▪️ Uhen Ward
▪️ Oghede Ward

Aimed at supporting families during the festive season (Ongoing annually)

PROJECT SUMMARY
14 Borehole Projects (9 Completed, 5 Ongoing)
5 Education & Market Projects (3 Completed, 2 Ongoing)
Scholarship Scheme (200+ Students Sponsored – Completed)
Palliatives Distributed Across All 7 Wards

Click links below to watch:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/12MT9sQmmFL/

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BsGoP8f6Q/

News

OPINION: Death Of A Queen

Published

5 hours ago

June 16, 2025

Editor

By Lasisi Olagunju

“There is a kind of price for life,” says Charles A. Curran, and that price, he says, “moves in the direction of death.” Death blows no trumpet but we all know it is coming. It is the unalterable final part of the process of life. Some of us spend our entire life worrying about death; some simply ignore it; some mortally fear it; some calmly look forward to it. Whichever you and I choose, the final portion is that we all have to die one way or the other. It is destiny at work.

In the afternoon of Thursday last week, I was with the Orangun of Oke Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, who lost his wife, Olori Solape Christianah Abolarin, exactly one week today. She was 51 years old.

I knew her; she was my wife’s friend and colleague in the civil service of Osun State. Her death has made us poorer here. If anyone had asked the dead what she thought was next in her life, she would probably have said she looked forward to becoming a permanent secretary. Her diligence at work was preparing her for the top job. For her, death was too far-fetched to consider. She had so much ahead, and a lot in her plate to attend to. But she died. We all mourn her untimely passage.

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“We care, God cures” is a bold inscription on the wall of a popular hospital in Ibadan. A very sensible thing for every person and physician to say is in that message. No matter the degree of care, people die, some young, some old. Probe certain ailments; for women, for instance, probe fibroids: “The exact cause is unknown” is what comes up. Modern medicine and its prophets get confounded now and then despite humanity’s progress across centuries. That is why since the beginning of creation, women anatomy and freak deaths appear together, constantly holding hands. German physician, Eucharius Roesslin (1470-1526) told his readers in 1513 that “very many (are) the perils, dangers, and throngs which chance to women…” Read about him and why he wrote his ‘Der Rosengarten’ (The Rose Garden), later translated to ‘The Birth of Mankind’.

The death of our king’s wife reminds the mindful of a hugely cerebral editor, columnist and Queen of Letters, MEE (May Ellen Ezekiel). Married to Richard Mofe Damijo, MEE died after a fibroid surgery on 23 March, 1996 in the best hospital of her day in Lagos. She was aged 40. The uterine course (and cause) of her transition was identical with this exit in Osun State. The stabbing pains of the whys, till eternity, rack the brain.

Amidst a torrent of personal grief and familial lamentations, Oba Abolarin reeled out the pearls of his companionship with the departed Olori: “Many of the things people praise in me, she was the architect. Everyone who was my person was accepted by her as her person. She was mother to all the boys and girls in our college. She made our home cosy for orphans. She was from Igbeti in Oyo State, she married me and became completely Oke Ila and Osun State …” The king’s men and women in attendance nodded in agreement.

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The grieving oba went on and on punctuating prayers from visitors and friends with tales of the great bond he shared with the departed. Hearing him and looking at the histrionics that accompanied what he was saying reminded me of a passage on intimacy, death, and grief: “…with a person’s death and our experiences of grief comes…the clearest view of what that person and relationship have meant to us in life” (Brian tie Vries in ‘Grief: Intimacy’s Reflection’).

When a loved one dies, everyone periodically pauses and queries their efforts. We’ve all lost persons whose death left us to wonder if we did enough to keep them around. I ask myself till tomorrow if I put in everything I should to keep my parents alive despite their very old age. With the deceased’s immediate younger sister beside him retelling, amid sobs, the last-moment stories, I heard Oba Abolarin asking himself repeatedly what he ought to do which he did not do. “I am a finicky person, so what happened?” He asked no one in particular.

Those who experienced it would swear that a spouse’s death is a life-altering experience. They say it is a tough one. I read in Phyllis R. Silverman’s ‘Widowhood and Preventive Intervention’ that during courtship, people commonly rehearse for marriage, but “no similar rituals prepare the individual for the inevitable termination of the marriage when one of the partners will die.”

Between this husband and his late wife is a 12-year-old prince, Tadeniawo. And I heard Kabiyesi asking how he was going to cope going forward: “I am close to 70. How is a 70-year-old man going to take care of a 12-year-old, all alone? The boy was very close to his mum.” The oba said; then he went on and on even as he struggled to put on the visage of courage.

He has to be strong; he is an oba, husband of the whole town. One of the covenants he had with those who had been on the throne before him is that his hard wood must never shed tears. Ako igi kò gbodò s’oje. He has handled it so well so far. We keep praying for him.

“Death, thou shalt die” comes as a verdict from seventeenth-century English poet, John Donne. In that Holy Sonnet, Donne asks ‘Death’ not to be proud because “One short sleep past, we wake eternally,/ And death shall be no more…”

May Olori Abolarin’s soul rest in perfect peace. May God look after her husband and child and all her other loved ones.