News

Kingship Tussle: Egbema Leaders Of Thought Takes Swipe On Warri North Chairman

Published

3 years ago

November 9, 2022

…Accuses Him Of Bias, Compromise, Imposition Of Candidate

A Group known as Egbema Leaders of Thought (ELOT) has taken a swipe on Warri North Chairman, Hon. Smart Yomi Asekutu, on his alleged bias, compromise and imposition of one Napoleon Egin, as the new Agadagba of Egbema kingdom.

For this, ELOT added that the Chairman cannot be trusted to play any role in the selection process of a new Agadagba of the kingdom that can guarantee an outcome that will earn respect and loyalty of the Egbema people.

ELOT was reacting to the Chairman’s reaction to its earlier publication wherein it accused him the same act of bias but he (chairman) denied the allegation and consequently described it (allegation) as laughable.

A statement made available to INFO DAILY and signed by ELOT’s Chairman, Elder Edmund Tiemo and Secretary, Erepade Mawari, said contrary to the Chairman’s claim that a meeting of the entire Egbema produced the man in question as the new Agadagba of the kingdom, there was nothing of such, but the community/Ruling House concerned was only mandated to nominate 12 persons, adding that Mr. Egin, whom the Chairman is projecting, was screened out.

The statement reads in part: “In the first place, at no time was there a meeting of ‘‘the entire Egbema people assembled for a whole day to come up with one (Napoleon Egin) out of six names’’ purportedly submitted by Ogbudugbudu community as being falsely alleged by the chairman. We challenge him to prove us wrong.

“Following a resolution of the meeting at Ofunama, on September 24, 2022, the Ogbudugbudu Ruling House was mandated to produce a suitable candidate for consideration as Agadagba of Egbema kingdom.

“The Ogbudugbudu Ruling House accordingly convened a meeting of the entire community where twelve (12) prospective candidates, including Barr. Napoleon Egin, were screened.

“After a rigorous and well documented screening process, three of the twelve candidates were adjured to meet the minimum qualification of having a none-Egbema mother. Barr. Napoleon Egin and eight others were screened out by the Ogbudugbudu Ruling House based on the requirements of the gazette.

“The meeting in question was well attended by the Elders and young people, including the Ama-Okosuwei of Ogbudugbudu Community. The screening process was peaceful and transparent and its outcome was generally acceptable to the entire community.

“The Chairman’s reference to the existence of a second list is in fact turning the truth upside down and putting a spin on the process of choosing the Agadagba-Elect. He said that a second list was prepared as a result of the announcement of Saturday, 24 September, 2022, for Ogbudugbudu people to produce a candidate and that his findings showed that the Ama-Okosuwei of Ogbudugbudu community was not willing to sign that document but to allow peace to reign, he allowed the second list to be included. He says, ‘‘I was in that meeting” of Saturday, October 01, 2022.

“In fact there was no second list. The only authentic list was the one submitted by the Ogbudugbudu Community openly on Saturday, October 01, 2022.

“The so called first list being referred to by the WN – LGA Chairman was a fake list clandestinely smuggled in through the back door by the LGA chairman in connivance with his faction of the chiefs. That list was roundly condemned and rejected by the generality of the people present.

“The list was secretly and fraudulently prepared since August 24, 2022. In spite of the loud opposition to this list, the LGA chairman overruled and ordered that the fake list should be accepted, presumably because the list contained the name of his preferred candidate.”

It continued: “This was the main reason the LGA chairman came to attend the October 1 meeting with security gun boats to act as a ramrod for his mischief-making Chiefs to force down the fake list against the people of Egbema Kingdom.

“The meeting of September 24, 2022, rose with a unanimous decision calling on Ogbudugbudu Ruling House to produce a candidate within one week to be considered as the next Agadagba,” it added.

ELOT empathized that it has no preferred candidate neither in against of Mr. Egin being a native of the kingdom, adding: “ELOT has no preferred candidate and at no time during our meeting with the Chairman did we talk about any particular candidate.

“ELOT would want to make it explicitly clear that we do not have anything against the chairman of the WN-LGA or the traditional council of chiefs. We have nothing against Napoleon Egin as a person.

“He is an active member of ELOT who is supposed to uphold truth and justice, but instead, he has readily lend himself to be used as a tool for foisting evil and untruth.

“ELOT, as a body, is committed to ensure that justice and truth is upheld at all times in the Kingdom regardless of who is involved.

“Our position is that the WN-LGA Chairman, Mr. Smart Yomi Asekutu has soiled his hands in this matter. He is deeply entangled. Mr. Smart Yomi Asekutu should tread the path of honour and disentangle himself from this web and allow Egbema Kingdom to follow due process and install their own King,” it added.

Calls put across to the Chairman by INFO DAILY were not picked neither did he reply SMS sent to his cell phone.

News

Shock As Adeleke Employs Roadside puff-puff Hawker As Govt House Chef

Published

5 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday shocked a female puff-puff seller during a rally in Osogbo by buying all her snacks with ₦50,000 and offering her employment as a chef at the Government House.

This happened when Osun public servants trooped out in their thousands in what they called an appreciation solidarity rally in support of the governor for his support and care since he took over state governance.

It was observed that the governor, who sat in the bus, had sighted the woman who was among the crowd cheering him.

He immediately beckoned to the woman carrying a plastic container filled with puff-puff on her head and asked how much it would cost to buy all the snacks.

The female hawker, who was visibly surprised and star-struck at the level of her proximity to the governor, found it difficult to even tell the governor how much she sold the snacks.

Surprisingly, Adeleke handed her a bundle of ₦50,000 to the cheers of the crowd.

The lucky woman knelt down in appreciation of the governor’s generosity.

Excited onlookers quickly rushed to share the snacks in the plastic already purchased by the governor.

The governor invited the vendor inside the vehicle where one of his officials questioned her academic background, and she revealed that she holds a Nigerian Certificate in Education.

Adeleke further asked about the dishes she could prepare and instructed his aides to take her contact details for employment as a chef in the Government House.

Confirming the development, the Commissioner II at the Osun State Civil Service Commission, Olaniyan Taofeek, shared the video on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “The moment Gov. Adeleke turned the life of a puff-puff seller into a Government House chef.”

A Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Media, Oni Gbenga Lawrence, also corroborated the incident in a post on X, stating: “Moment Governor Ademola Adeleke turned the life of a puff-puff seller to Government Chef… not only ₦50k but he invited her into his car and employed her as chef in the Government House.”

The Guardian correspondent, who was at the scene of the welcome rally, made efforts to interview the lucky vendor, but they did not yield as she was not allowed to alight from the bus throughout the event.
(The Guardian)

News

Katsina Govt Revokes Licenses Of All Private, Community Schools

Published

5 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

The Katsina State Government has withdrawn the operating licenses of all private and community schools in the state, with effect from August 13, 2025.

The announcement came through a circular issued by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and signed by Commissioner Hajiya Zainab Musa-Musawa.

The ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Sani Danjuma, released the document in Katsina on Saturday.

According to the circular, the move is part of the government’s effort to strengthen quality assurance and standardization within the education sector.

“The withdrawal of licenses is aimed at ensuring that schools operate in line with approved standards and provide quality education to students,” Danjuma said.

The circular also outlined a review of fees for license application, registration, and annual renewal.

“Owners of affected schools are required to obtain fresh licenses by submitting proof of payment to the ministry on or before September 30, 2025.”

The statement also added that school operators have been warned not to increase tuition or other charges without government approval.

The ministry further promised to issue additional guidelines soon, including categorization of schools and the revised fee structure.

News

JUST IN: Oldest Missionary To Nigeria, Ruth Elton, Is Dead

Published

7 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

British-born Nigerian missionary, Ruth Elton, reputed to be the oldest missionary has passed on at the age of 91.

Ruth Elton, born 7 September 1933, was a British-born Nigerian missionary whose lifelong dedication to faith, healing, and revival left an indelible mark on communities across western and central Nigeria.

It was learnt that Elton died on Saturday at Sharon compound, Alafia Bamin Quarters in Ilesa, Osun State.

She was the only daughter of Pa Elton and her remains have been deposited at the mortuary.

Ruth Elton, daughter of Sydney Granville Elton (Pa Elton), who is referred to as one of the founding fathers of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, had approached a Kaduna court and nationalised as a Nigerian.

At old age and despite the happenings in Nigeria, she still held in high esteem her father’s prophecies that although Nigeria could be known globally for corruption, it would only for a while as new dawn would beckon when the country would be known worldwide for righteousness and prosperity.

Elton moved to Nigeria in 1937 with her parents and served as a Christian missionary across Egbe, Okene, Koton Karfe, and other parts of Kogi, Ondo, Oyo, and Osun States.

A naturalised Nigerian, having renounced her British citizenship in the 1970s, she embraced the country completely and became fluent in Ebira and Yoruba.

Elton, who remained single, believed that she had made a true mark in the country and apart from her missionary work, she saw her efforts in taming infant mortality, especially in Okene, Kogi State as a generational impact.

Relating her experience on infant mortality in the country, Elton recently noted that many newborn babies had passed on due to lack of proper care and hygiene, adding that the practice of force-feeding babies contributed to the challenges, especially in the face of poor awareness.