Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has questioned the daughter of President Bola Tinubu and Iyaloja General, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo if she knows the role of Iyeki (market leader) in Benin Kingdom and the connection with the palace.

The revered Benin Monarch asked Tinubu-Ojo the question when she paid him a homage in his palace and to inform him that she was in the state to inaugurate Pastor Josphine Ivbazebule as the Iyaloja of all markets in Edo State.

The Benin Monarch, having carefully listened to Tinubu-Ojo, told her that the ‘Iyaloja’ concept she spoke about was alien to the Benin culture.

The Oba told the Iyaoloja General
that in Benin Kingdom the Iyeki must be confirmed by the palace after being selected by the market women.

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Oba Ewuare II told Tinubu-Ojo that Iyeki performed certain cultural roles on his behalf in the markets outside her role of coordinating affairs of traders in the market.

He said the Iyeki has special relationship with the palace and performed expected roles in the shrine located in every market.

The Oba said: ”Iyaloja is alien to us here in Benin. You are in Benin, the home of culture; we have our culture here. I have discussed this matter with my chiefs and those that are knowledgeable. Do you know the role of Iyeki in Benin culture? Every Iyeki has a special relationship with the palace. Are you aware of that? Do you know that every Iyeki has a cultural role to perform inside every market.

“The Oba does not interfere so long as the Iyeki does what is expected of her in the shrine of a particular market on behalf of the Oba. We are not going to say much except to explain to you the concept of Iyeki in Benin.”

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Chief Osaro Idah, whom the Oba permitted to enlighten Tinubu-Ojo also added: “Iyeki is independent in every market like the Oba market, Ogiso market and others. The traders select their leaders from within the market. The Iyeki do more than the role of coordinating traders.

“There are certain shrines inhabited in all the markets. They play certain roles on behalf of the palace. After their selection, they bring the person to the palace for confirmation.

“The novelty of general Iyeki is alien to Benin custom and tradition. We just believe the Iyaloja is your socio-cultural thing like you have other clubs.

“It is not in our culture to have a general Iyeki. Iyeki is particular to each market. No one has the right to control the other in another market. The Iyeki in Oba Market has no role to play in Ogiso Market. The Oba established the market for all in the society”

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of new leaders for three federal agencies, in a move the Presidency says is aimed at strengthening critical institutions and boosting service delivery.

The announcement was contained in a statement on Tuesday by Segun Imohiosen, the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

At the National Biosafety Management Agency, the President appointed Bello Bwari from Niger State as the new Director-General.

His tenure, which is for an initial four years, took effect from September 18, 2025, in line with Section 5 of the NBMA Act, 2015.

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The agency plays a crucial role in ensuring that modern biotechnology products, such as genetically modified crops, are safe for Nigerians and the environment.

Bwari, a trained town planner and former lawmaker, studied Geography and Urban & Regional Planning at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

He once served in the House of Representatives for Suleja/Gurara/Tafa Federal Constituency of Niger State, where he rose to become Chief Whip. He has also worked as a planning officer in the Niger State civil service and in private practice as a consultant.

In the financial sector, a former Attorney-General of Zamfara State, Barrister Aminu Junaidu was named the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Investment and Securities Tribunal.

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He is to serve for five years, also effective from September 18, 2025.

The tribunal is responsible for resolving disputes in the capital market, giving investors confidence that their grievances can be addressed fairly and quickly.

For the tourism industry, lecturer and former Deputy Provost at the Federal College of Freshwater Fisheries Technology, Baga, Olayiwola Awakan was appointed as the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation.

His four-year tenure started on September 2, 2025.

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The NTDC is saddled with promoting the country’s cultural heritage and tourist destinations.

Speaking on the new appointments, Imohiosen said: “These appointments underscore President Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening key sectors and institutions in Nigeria.”

He added that the President has directed the appointees to justify the confidence reposed in them.

“The President tasks the appointees to contribute their expertise in the development of the agencies for the good of the nation,” the statement read.

Scientists said Tuesday they have turned human skin cells into eggs and fertilised them with sperm in the lab for the first time — a breakthrough that is hoped to one day let infertile people have children.

The technology is still years away from potentially becoming available to aspiring parents, the US-led team of scientists warned.

But outside experts said the proof-of-concept research could eventually change the meaning of infertility, which affects one in six people worldwide.

If successful, the technology called in-vitro gametogenesis (IVG) would allow older women or women who lack eggs for other reasons to genetically reproduce, Paula Amato, the co-author of a new study announcing the achievement, told AFP.

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“It also would allow same-sex couples to have a child genetically related to both partners,” said Amato, a researcher at the Oregon Health & Science University in the United States.

Scientists have been making significant advances in this field in recent years, with Japanese researchers announcing in July they had created mice with two biological fathers.

But the new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, marks a major advance by using DNA from humans, rather than mice.

The scientists first removed the nucleus from normal skin cells and transferred them into a donor egg which had its nucleus removed. This technique, called somatic cell nuclear transfer, was used to clone Dolly the sheep in 1996.

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However a problem still had to be overcome: skin cells have 46 chromosomes, but eggs have 23.

The scientists managed to remove these extra chromosomes using a process they are calling “mitomeiosis”, which mimics how cells normally divide.

They created 82 developing eggs called oocytes, which were then fertilised by sperm via in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

After six days, less than nine percent of the embryos developed to the point that they could hypothetically be transferred to the uterus for a standard IVF process.

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However the embryos displayed a range of abnormalities, and the experiment was ended.

While the nine-percent rate was low, the researchers noted that during natural reproduction only around a third of embryos make it to the IVF-ready “blastocyst” stage.

Amato estimated the technology was at least a decade away from becoming widely available.

“The biggest hurdle is trying to achieve genetically normal eggs with the correct number and complement of chromosomes,” she said.

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Breakthrough

Ying Cheong, a reproductive medicine researcher at the UK’s University of Southampton, hailed the “exciting” breakthrough.

“For the first time, scientists have shown that DNA from ordinary body cells can be placed into an egg, activated, and made to halve its chromosomes, mimicking the special steps that normally create eggs and sperm,” she said.

“While this is still very early laboratory work, in the future it could transform how we understand infertility and miscarriage, and perhaps one day open the door to creating egg- or sperm-like cells for those who have no other options.”

Other researchers trying to create eggs in the lab are using a different technique. It involves reprogramming skin cells into what are called induced pluripotent stem cells — which have the potential to develop into any cell in the body — then turning those into eggs.

“It’s too early to tell which method will be more successful,” Amato said. “Either way, we are still many years away.”
The researchers followed existing US ethical guidelines regulating the use of embryos, the study said.
(GUARDIAN)