President Bola Tinubu has approved the compliance with the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) a mandatory requirement for mobilisation into or exemption from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The provides that, effective from Oct. 6, no Nigerian graduate – whether from a Nigerian university, polytechnic, college of education, or an overseas institution would be mobilised for or exempted from NYSC without proof of NERD compliance.

This directive was contained in a circular issued to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) by Sen. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) on Sunday in Abuja.

The directive does not, however, affect serving Corps members or those enrolled before the enforcement date.

Akume said that the compliance directive was to convey the approval for the adjustment of “NYSC mobilisation criteria in accordance with the President’s regulation requiring proof of NERD Policy compliance for all prospective Corps members, regardless of where they were educated.”

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By Suyi Ayodele

“When I set out to join the race to become the Olubadan, I was focusing on how to become the Olubadan and the only crown I want to wear is that of Olubadan of Ibadanland.”

Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, spoke these immortal words on June 28, 2023. Two years, two months and two days later, Oba Ladoja was crowned the Olubadan, on Friday, September 26, 2025.

The elders of our land say when the snail sticks tenaciously to the tree, it will climb it to the top (Ìgbín tenu mó igi, ó gùn ún d’ókè). Oba Ladoja, who in 2017 fought the late Governor Ajibola Ajimobi of Oyo State to a standstill over the balkanisation of the Olubadan throne, equally rose in 2023 to challenge the crowning of Ibadan High Chiefs as obas by the government of Governor Seyi Makinde.

Governor Makinde, a fellow Ibadan man like the late Ajimobi, had, through the Amended Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration, approved the elevation of 11 Ibadan High Chiefs to beaded-crown obas. Ladoja, who then was the Otun Olubadan, saw the matter differently.

Holding on to the ancient tradition of Ibadanland, the then Otun Olubadan, who was also a former governor of the state and a former senator, quipped: “You don’t mend what is not broken. I don’t think it is right to make high chiefs Obas. The only crown I want to wear is the Olubadan crown. Everybody knows that it is God who makes one an Oba. As far as I am concerned, it is not proper for high chiefs to wear crowns. My intention is to become Olubadan.”

He held to that position and boycotted the July 7, 2023, crowning of the remaining 10 chiefs, namely; Balogun of Ibadanland, Owolabi Olakulehin; Otun Balogun, Tajudeen Ajibola; Osi Olubadan, Eddy Oyewole; Osi Balogun, Lateef Adebimpe; Ashipa Olubadan, Biodun Kola-Daisi; Ashipa Balogun, Kola Adegbola; Ekerin Olubadan, Hamidu Ajibade; Ekerin Balogun, Olubunmi Isioye; Ekarun Olubadan; Bayo Akande and Ekarun Balogun, Abiodun Azeez, by the then Olubadan, Oba Lekan Balogun.

That action by Oba Ladoja, set Ibadan on the edge. The debate was severe in the public place. Those who know Governor Makinde very well vouched for his stubbornness. They were ready to swear that nothing would make the governor shift ground.

A senior journalist told me then that “Seyi Makinde kìí se eran rírò (he is not a soft meat). You see, when he tells you: òrò yìí ò dè rí béè (this matter is not as you think), forget it; he has made up his mind. Ladoja will have to accept the crown if he wants to be Olubadan.” I was alarmed.

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I asked another Ibadan man about the solution. His response was not encouraging. According to him: “Baba Ladoja is not being stubborn, as many people believe. He is just trying to say, ‘don’t let us bastardise Ibadan culture’. I pray that he will listen to those who are close to him because Baba himself is as stubborn as Seyi Makinde.”

The die was cast. Oba Lekan Balogun joined his ancestors on March 14, 2024. Oba Owolabi Olakulehin was crowned Olubadan on July 12, 2024. Ladoja moved up to the second-in rank as the Otun Olubadan. Then Governor Makinde, true to his identikit as a man of strong will, decided to make public the published Amended Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration at the coronation of Oba Olakulehin on July 12, 2024.

The tension at the arena heightened; it was palpable. Nobody was in doubt that Ladoja was the target. The Declaration is a simple matter. For anyone to become Olubadan, he must have been a beaded crown-wearing oba. The gazetted paper was freely shared at Olakulehin’s coronation. The implication is that Ladoja could no longer claim ignorance of its existence.

Who would blink first? Ibadan is a city which answers the name, Agbotikuyo (he who rejoices at the death of another). They are not wicked people, mind you. It is just their tradition. When an Olubadan passes on, all the chiefs on the line to the throne are happy. Why? The death of an Olubadan is a promotion for each of the remaining chiefs. Ladoja had waited for over three decades to be Olubadan. Oba Olakulehin was old and frail at his coronation. But for the tenacity of Ladoja himself, the ascension of Olakulehin was almost truncated. Now, an amended chieftaincy declaration stood between him and his ambition!

Many were worried. Yours sincerely, inclusive. I am not from Ibadan. But I wanted Ladoja as Olubadan. Not for any other reason but for the fact that he stood to be counted among those who wanted our culture preserved. The late Ajimobi, I stand to be corrected, had no reason to do what he did in 2017 over the Olubadan throne.

Ibadan, in the entire Yorubaland, I dare say, is the only town that upholds the tradition of seamless succession procedure. Though conservative compared to the ‘modern-day’ thinking, the Olubadan chieftaincy legacy is a demonstration that Africans have a perfect sense of what is right and just, and uncommon fidelity with justice and fairness. Once a man joins the line to the Olubadan throne either through the Balogun or the civilian line, only death can stand in his way. So, why would anybody tamper with that smooth process? We will never understand how our politicians think!

Will Ladoja ever become Olubadan of Ibadanland given the new law in place and his promise not to wear any other crown apart from that of Olubadan? If he failed to, Ibadan’s smooth process of ascension would be gone forever. Ibadan being the last man standing, so to say, in matters of enthronement, and with Ifa and other kingmakers dancing ijo yoyo all over the place, the sanctity of thrones in Yorubaland was gravely threatened!

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The Igbo say: “When a man says yes, his chi says yes also” (Onye kwe chi ya ekewe). The saying is a testament to the power of positive thinking. The legend, Chinua Achebe, projected the saying in his classic, Things Fall Apart, to demonstrate that with the tenacity of purpose, a man can achieve anything he desires. Fortunes don’t come cheap. Achebe was both right and great in the imagery of a man’s willpower and the approval of the Cosmic in terms of the man’s destiny.

Did the literary icon, Achebe, have Ladoja in mind when he used the above saying to depict the character of Okonkwo, the tragic hero of Things Fall Apart in 1958? Will Ladoja ever become Olubadan if he held on to his stance of not accepting a crown before the crown? Yet, the multi-billionaire politician insisted that he would be Olubadan! As how, in the manner of our street lingo?

Reason prevailed. The Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Ladoja, on Sunday, August 4, 2024, announced that he would accept the beaded crown. He said so while appearing on the Ibadan-based Fresh FM Radio programme, Agbami Oselu, He added that he would be doing that in deference to prominent Ibadan sons and daughters and other well-meaning Nigerians who appealed to him. There again, he declared: “By the grace of God, I will become Olubadan… Anyone God destined to become Olubadan will become Olubadan, no matter the obstacles placed in their way.” We heaved a sigh of relief!

On August 12, 2024, Ladoja ended the seven-year-old controversy over the Olubadan chieftaincy matter as he was elevated to a beaded-crown wearing oba by the late Oba Olakulehin. Incidentally, the elevation of Ladoja was the first official duty of Oba Olakulehin. The relief across Yorubaland after that historical event was palpable! Ibadan, once again, rose to the occasion as the defender of Yoruba unity.

So, when on Friday, September, 26, 2025, all the people of Ibadan gathered at the historic Mapo Hill to crown Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja, the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, the entire Yoruba race rose to salute the courage, the goodwill and the strength of Ibadan people at upholding the culture of fairness and justice handed over to them by the founders of the west Africa’s largest city!

As a Yoruba man, if anyone had ridden a horse in my stomach last Friday, there would have been no stumbling. I was not just happy for Oba Ladoja and the people of Ibadan; I was happy for the entire Yoruba Race. A ségun òtá, a r’éhìn odì (we conquered the enemy; we prevailed against perversity)!

Ibadan people would never appreciate what they have done to the Yoruba race by preserving that age-long culture of succession to the Olubadan throne. Governor Makinde, who had to cut short his annual leave to attend the ceremony and personally perform the tradition of presentation of staff of office to the new monarch has equally recorded his name in the history of the race. The owners of the day and night will endow him with the wisdom to review that needless declaration.

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Oba Ladoja’s tenacity of purpose is a study in self-worth. It is an act and art commended to everyone who desires that which is good. For a man who had waited for over three decades and almost lost the precious prize, one needs no further evidence to show that power, of a truth, belongs to God! We have no doubt that the new Olubadan of Ibadanland understands what Kim Tan The Heirs, the wealthy heir to the Korean conglomerate, Jeguk Group, means, when he posits: “The one who wants to wear the crown, must bear its weight.”

In all the battles he has fought in politics, business and in upholding the tradition of his people, Olubadan Ladoja has demonstrated that William Shakespear was right in his postulation that, “My crown is in my heart, not my head” (Henry VI). It is indeed the content of the heart that makes a monarch who he is. In and out, Oba Ladoja has demonstrated that his is a heart of gold.

At his coronation on Friday, he told the entire world that he would not be an Olubadan for the people of Ibadanland alone. The entire Yorubaland, nay, the Black Race, he assured, would be his constituency. Looking back at his journey in life, Oba Ladoja declared: “There is nothing else I am looking for in life. Yesterday, I clocked 81. Some people do not have this privilege. So, I recognise that the fact that God spared me till date, what remains is to serve every resident of Ibadan, serve Oyo State, serve Yorubaland, serve Nigeria and Africa, to the best of my ability.”

I believe Kabiyesi Olubadan will pursue that goal with the same tenacity of purpose. He is, like Robert Greene, the American author, who says great men “Do not wait for a coronation; the greatest emperors crown themselves.” Indeed, Oba Ladoja crowned himself long ago through his fidelity with the tradition of his people. We hope, again, like Greene posits that as the king has placed the crown upon his head, he has assumed, “a different post-tranquil yet radiating assurance. Never show doubt, never lose your dignity beneath the crown….”

Olubadan Ladoja cannot but radiate joy. He cannot but demonstrate confidence. He is a man who has seen it all. From the classrooms to the boardrooms, from the legislative chamber to the Government House; from the Government House to the courtrooms and from the courtrooms back to the government House and finally the Palace of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja is the quintessential figure of the English writer and theologian, William Penn (October 14, 1644-July 30, 1718), who says: “No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.” That is Oba Ladoja in words!

Kabiyesi, now that you have obtained that which you most desired, holding on to your abiding faith in your creator and the triumph of good over evil, we can only pray as Oodua Atewonro decreed in the ancient Ode Aro, at the coronation of their oba thus: Kí e gbó gbó Olúyèyèntuyè/Kí e gbó gbó Olúyèyèntuyè/Kí e gbó gbó Olúogbó/Ìrùkèrè á di abéré/ Èé je ju ará iwájú?/ Èé je kù f’érò èhín. May your reign be peaceful! Àse!!

By Lasisi Olagunju

In February 2025, Daily Trust quoted him as saying:

“I’ve been fighting battles all my life and I have not lost one yet.”

In May 2025, Business Day quoted him as saying: “I have been fighting all my life. And I will win at the end of the day.”

Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, speaks those words each time there is a war to fight. In the last two, three weeks, I have heard him repeat that statement about fighting all life and winning all the time.

There is a bird in the Yoruba forest called Òrófó. Its mouth is its executioner. If I fought and won all the time, I would not display the trophy all the time.

Each time I hear people boast about their strength and blessings, I reach for my favourite quote:

“Travel and tell no one,

Live a true love story and tell no one,

Live happily and tell no one,

People ruin beautiful things.”

It is one of my priceless quotes; it is from Khalil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet who lived from January 6, 1883 to April 10, 1931. There is a reason why the light travels light; it is because the world is heavy.

Dangote may be correct in his self-assessment as the unbeaten. He is the lion in Nigeria’s industrial jungle. He fought and won in cement, in sugar, in flour. But did he win the noodles war? When he started his refinery project, I heard people who said we should expect another war in that sector. And that is what we see. But if I were him, I would reflect that even the lion has limits. A lion that fights hyenas, leopards, wild dogs, and hunters all at once will soon learn that its roar and paws are not enough. If I were him, I would know that there is a difference between the unbeaten and the unbeatable. I would know that strength spread too thin becomes weakness. A lion who fights every creature in the forest risks exhaustion. It risks even worse: isolation.

The wealthy man who fights and wins all wars now has his hands full. At the beginning of his refinery journey, Aliko fought the regulators over approvals and compliance issues; he crossed that river and turned his cannon on depot owners and marketers; this week he is fighting the unions. And now the unions are responding by shutting the valves. PENGASSAN at the weekend ordered a blitzkrieg on Nigeria’s fuel lifeline: it instructed its members to stop all gas supply to Dangote refinery with immediate effect; it ordered crude oil supply valves to the facility shut; it directed loading operations for vessels headed to the refinery suspended. Its grouse was the mass sack of workers there.

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It has been one war after another, a rolling theatre of conflicts that raises the question: can one man, no matter how wealthy, fight every battle and still win the war?

But the unions are not saints either. Nigerian unions roar justice but feed like hyenas. They thrive in disruption. They fight for rents. A union that turns every quarrel into a weapon or business may one day find that it has destroyed its own leverage.

Sword that destroyed its sheath is homeless. I do not know what democracy calls pulling the plug on a promising patient. But I know that under the military, those who did what PENGASSAN ordered at the weekend were deemed to have committed grievous crimes. Luckily, we are in a democracy.

Shortly before the PENGASSAN bombardment, there was the war with DAPPMAN, the depot owners and marketers. Dangote said they demanded ₦1.5 trillion in hidden subsidies each year. He said he would not pay. He said they wanted him to cover coastal charges and logistics. He insisted that his gantry price was fair. He dared them to sue. The marketers replied that Dangote sold cheaper petrol abroad than at home. They called him disruptive. They accused him of undermining competition. So, the drama grows. The lion roars at unions, at traders, at depot owners, and at those he called the mafia in the oil industry. The elephant struggles with its own bulk. But wisdom says no hunter fights every battle.

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I had this hearty discussion with some friends yesterday. They think the unions were unreasonable and exploitative. I agreed with them but asked them to also check what a monopoly in fuel refining and supply does to national security. All monopolies are dangerous.

I told my friends what a voice told me: If one refinery is the nation’s fuel heart, don’t we know that one strike or sabotage can paralyze the country?

What if the refinery owner even decide to ‘go on strike’ or produce and refuse to sell?

When a country’s situation is as it is, will that be said to be sovereignty? That will be fragility disguised as progress. I hope you agree with this.

No village entrusts its present and future sustenance to one farm, no matter how large. Nigeria does not need monopolies, whether in refineries or in unions. What it needs is balance, competition, and choice.

Nigeria needs competition, not concentration. It needs many refineries, not one. But where are the investors? Where is the government? Why do we need more than the behemoth in Ibeju-Lekki? Foklorists tell of an elephant. It was the envy of the savannah. Grass bent under its feet. Trees shook at its steps. But when drought came, its size became its curse. Its massive body needed more water than the land could give. Smaller animals survived on little streams. The elephant collapsed under its own weight.

That is the risk with this lone refinery. It is an elephant mighty and heavy. The body and its demands are a burden to it. Its operational environment is choky. I pity the promoter. He must have found out too late that this terrain is not solid and firm as concrete; not as soft as dough. The refinery ground is crude, oily, slippery, and treacherous.

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Those who know told me that in this business of refinery and refining, tension will remain forever high because margins are thin. In there, refineries buy crude in dollars; they sell fuel in naira. Debts keep breathing in banks while workers hum discontent with the life they live. As investors juggled the figures to stay afloat, at the UNGA, we heard rhetorics that tell the world to accelerate its movement towards clean energy. Clearly, the elephant carries more weight than the land may sustain.

But what kind of country fears convulsion, or even convulses, because a private company has issues with its stakeholders? Ask around how many refineries Egypt has. Google says Egypt currently has eight operating oil refineries, with a total nameplate capacity of approximately 763,000 barrels per day. And Algeria? Six: five operational, the sixth about to be commissioned. How about small Ghana? I asked Google and this is its final answer: “Ghana currently has two main operational refineries, the state-owned Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and the Sentuo Oil Refinery… In addition to these two, the nation is also developing the Petroleum Hub Project, a large-scale initiative that includes the construction of three new refineries as part of a three-phase project aiming to significantly reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported refined fuels.” What is Nigeria as a country building? Do not bother to check. If you check, what you will find is 2027.

Back to the feuding Dangote refinery and its union of workers. Negotiation and bargaining and agreeing (rather than stone-throwing) are key in human transactions. In his ‘Bargaining and War’, R. Harrison Wagner notes that “nearly all wars end not because the (feuding parties) are incapable of further fighting but because they agree to stop.”

It is sweet to fight and win. But that is where it ends. The one who killed an elephant with his hat enjoyed the fame for just 24 hours. The next day, everyone avoided him. Enough of unhelpful tough talking and disruptions. As I watch the drama of this oily war, I see the two entitled camps unravelling. I see both sides losing ultimately. But their loss will be our loss, a disaster. The country will grind to a halt.

So, I ask the oily fighters in Lagos to read Khalil Gibran’s ‘The Two Cages’: “In my father’s garden there are two cages. In one is a lion, which my father’s slaves brought from the desert of Ninavah; in the other is a songless sparrow. Every day at dawn, the sparrow calls to the lion, ‘Good morrow to thee, brother prisoner.’”

There is no winner in this war.