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OPINION: Animals In Human Skin

Published

3 months ago

June 2, 2025

Tunde Odesola

Situated in a dark groove is a drum never to be beaten. Thin as a strand of hair, the delicate drum transmits sound waves. This drum does not speak; it only listens and understands, even before its owner does. This drum is located deep inside the ear, rightfully earning its name, eardrum.

Sounds travel into the ear canal in waves, vibrating the eardrum, which transmits sounds to the three tiny bones behind it. The tiny bones are named malleus, incus and stapes–fragile trinity inside the shrine of sound. Located in the middle ear, these three bones, also nicknamed the hammer, anvil and stirrup, are collectively called the ossicles, and they are the tiniest bones in human anatomy.

The little bones amplify sound vibrations from the eardrum and transmit them to the inner temple called the cochlea, where the mechanical sounds are converted into electric signals, which are sent to the brain.

Like an expert sound engineer mastering a tape, the brain reads the signals from the cochlea and, for instance, interprets the wah, wah of a crying baby and elicits empathy; transmits the clap of thunder and evokes fear; dissects the promises of politicians to provokes disdain; even as it identifies the blindfold of justice and demands fairness. To beat this drum is to shatter the membrane separating hearing from deafness; it is to wave sound goodbye.

But I know many drums that rejoice when sticks rain fierce strokes on them. Long before the written word wormed its way into print to produce a code of morality, the drum encapsulated society’s moral codes. The drum instructed, warned, praised, rebuked, prophesied and cursed. It told the truth absent in a million lying mouths. Give me a drum; drown the Nigerian political elite.

In Yoruba cosmology, drums are objects of worship because Àyàn Àgalú, the god of drumming, is capable of rewarding or reprimanding drummers, depending on the work of their hands. Àyàn Àgalú is the primordial spirit of drumming and divine custodian of rhythm. He’s believed to be the first ever deified ancestor to make the drum talk like a human, not just beat.

Every drummer in Yorubaland is called Àyàn, in relation to Àyàn Àgalú’s ancestral origin. For the African, particularly the Yoruba, the drum is a link to the past. It is not just the skin of an animal talking in a human voice, no; it is much more than òkùewúré ti o n fo ohùn bi ènìyàn, the drum provides a spiritual communication between the dead and the living.

When things are looking down for the Àyàn, he performs rites on his drums and calls on Àyàn Àgalú for a turnaround. The power of Àyàn Àgalú to change the fortunes of the drummer for good is encased in the saying, “Sèkèrè kii ba won re òdeìbànújé,” which means that the rattling gourd is never found at mournful occasions. It symbolises an expectation that the downturn being experienced by the drummer will fade away as joy is coming.

Aside from the foregoing roles drummers played in societal cohesion in time past, they are also intelligence officers in palaces–processing and disseminating signals, and on the warfronts–inspiring soldiers on courage, patriotism, gallantry and history.

Despite these roles, however, drummers were regarded as the dregs of society, whose reward included water suspension from pap, hence, they were referred to as “Alùlù gbomi èko”.

Many, many years ago, palaces had a retinue of drummers who woke, warned, praised and entertained kings and their royal households. Then, kings were not expected to entertain their subjects by playing the drum for them. But this narrative began to change when Prince Adetoyese Laoye emerged as the Timi of Ede on December 9, 1946, and embarked on a 29-year reign, which terminated in 1975.

Professor of History, Siyan Oyeweso, in his book, “The Quintessential Oba John Adetoyese Laoye I (1946 – 1975): Personification of Royalty and Culture”, describes Oba Adetoyese Laoye as the first Timi of Ede, who had a Western education.

Oyeweso says Oba Laoye, a dispenser, druggist and pharmacist, “Belonged to the tiny club of those Nigerian traditional rulers who historians refer to as ‘Intellectual Monarchs’ or ‘Philosopher Kings’…This class of monarchs has acquired Western education in the opening years of the 20th Century, and also distinguished themselves as authors and historians…”

According to Oyeweso, the father of Oba Laoye I, Prince Oyebisi Omolaoye, was a successful Muslim trader in Togo and a protégé of a white missionary named Dr Greene, who later returned with him to Ede. Prince Omolaoye begot a son and named him Yusuf Adetoyese Omolaoye. “At baptism, Adetoyese was christened John, but because Dr Greene could not pronounce the name Omolaoye properly, he shortened it to ’Laoye,” says Oyeweso.

Throughout his reign, Oba Laoye was a major protagonist of Yoruba renaissance as he upheld the dignity and unity of the traditional institution, says Oyeweso.

In the view of Oyeweso, Oba Laoye was an uncommon king who elevated drumming into an aristocratic art, not minding the view of the palace and society on drumming. He was the author of the signature tune for the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service Corporation/Western Nigeria Television, (which says) ‘This is Nigeria Broadcasting Service’ (but) which has been variously interpreted as ‘B’olubadan ba ku, ta ni o joye’, ‘Ninu ikoko dudu lati n se’be’, ‘Gomina akoko o n’imu oru’, ‘Ko sionigbese ni bi, lo si ile keji’, ‘Ojegede dudu, inu ta bon’, ‘Belo Gbadamosi Olori Ole’, ‘Eko je’badan lowo, 13 pounds’.

Explaining the significance of drums to the African, the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, said Yoruba talking drums were unique in their characteristic mimicry of human voice, stressing that no other drums worldwide had such a function. Adeyemi, who said this in an address captured in a viral video, maintained that drums were used for reasons such as teaching, worshipping, informing, news dissemination, intelligence and warfront duties, and entertainment.

“Drums are used in palaces and in the residences of dignitaries. Drummers advise the king about how to behave in public,” Adeyemi said. The close relationship between the king and drummers bred the proverb, “Oba kii mu o nkorin.” But this is not the case with Nigeria’s political class that gags freedom of speech and disregards the Freedom of Information Act.

In a telephone interview with me, cousin to Oba Laoye, Prince Adewale Laoye, says the late monarch picked drumming from the family of his mother, revealing that his own father, Prince Elkanah Olatinwo Laoye, was the Baba Kekere–a synonym for Chief of Staff–to Oba Laoye throughout his reign.

Adewale, who is the founder, Aafin Ilu–Palace of Drums–located in Ede, Osun State, says he established the institution to revamp various Yoruba drums, which are gradually going into extinction.

“My father was the younger brother of Timi Laoye I. Their mother had two boys and a girl, who was the lastborn. I was gifted a talking drum when I was three, and I still have the drum with me to date. It was given to me by my big uncle, Pa Ajao Ayangbayi, from my father’s mother’s side. My grandmother, Iya Odefunke Omoware Ayangbayi, was a drummer from Ile Ologun Compound in Ede,” Adewale explains.

He continues, “I went to some towns and realised they didn’t have a complete drum set like the dundun at their egungunfestival–this was what prompted the idea behind Palace of Drum. Many people tried to discourage me from playing drums, saying a prince shouldn’t be seen playing drums. Thank God for my supportive mother who stood by me, but she didn’t live to see me actualise my dream on drums. Oba Laoye and my father were both choir masters, who invested in music, with my father teaching me the art of music. I see Oba Laoye in my dreams, asking me who would continue the family’s tradition if I stopped?”

Despite the inroads of some monarchs into music, royalty and society still look down on musicians and drummers, in the main. Juju music maestro and Ondo prince, Sunday Adegeye, MFR, popularly known as King Sunny Ade, had to lie to his parents that he had gained admission into the University of Lagos, for him to leave Ondo and pursue his music career in Lagos. King of Fuji and Ijebu prince, Wasiu Ayinde, was luckier as his mother supported him when he decided to go and live with Fuji music creator, Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, at a tender age.

It’s not only crowns that frown on princes taking up music as careers; wealthy and educated families also discourage their scions from becoming musicians. Afrobeats superstar, David Adeleke, aka Davido, is an example. His billionaire father, Dr Deji Adeleke, once got him arrested by the police, just to discourage him from singing.

I once had an interview with Deji’s elder brother and first Executive Governor of Osun, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, the Serubwon of Osun politics and patriarch of the Adeleke family. In the interview, Serubawon revealed how Davido blew all his school upkeep on a big piano while studying in the US and he had to give him another money, though not as much as the money he blew – just to teach him a lesson.

Culture expert, musician and ewi exponent, Chief Sulaimon Ayilara, aka Ajobiewe, advises, “If you visit a town and there’s no drumming there for three days, please, leave the town,” adding that the use of metals in martial music was a form of drumming too.

It is normal when animal skin talks like humans. But it is strange when animals wear human skin, according to Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, in Beasts of No Nation.

Plateau, Borno and many parts of the North have been turned into killing fields by terrorists, just as other parts of the country have been battling with other forms of killings and insecurity. The hopelessness of the government in tackling security and economic challenges is disturbing; the preoccupation of the government with corruption and politicking while the country boils is heartbreaking.

I see more animals in human skin at the helm nationwide than I see real humans. Animals are lording it over human beings. What do you see?

—————

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola

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Benin Consultative Forum Mourns Its President, Arase’s Death

Published

1 hour ago

September 2, 2025

Editor

Benin Consultative Forum (BCF) has expressed sadness over the sudden passing of its president, Dr. Solomon Ehigiator Arase.

Arase, who served as the 18th Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force,died on Sunday, August 31, 2025 in Abuja hospital.

In a statement signed by the Vice President of the Forum, Dr. Samson Osagie, and Secretary-General, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, the BCF said Arase was widely celebrated for his role in modernizing the Force.

“He introduced innovative policing models, including the establishment of a state-of-the-art technical intelligence platform, and made history as the pioneer Head of the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, where he deployed forensic and non-kinetic strategies to combat complex crimes,” the statement partly reads.

The BCF, while describing Arase as a towering figure in Nigeria’s security architecture and an acknowledged intelligence cop within the global security network, recalled his contributions to police reforms, intelligence, law enforcement, and scholarship, especially through his writings on internal security and electoral management.

The Forum noted that Arase’s membership of the Body of Benchers was a reflection of his commitment to excellence, integrity, the rule of law, and service to humanity.

“Until his passing, he was the immediate past Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), where he brought fresh, innovative ideas to police management.

“Beyond his public service, Arase would be remembered as a philanthropist who used his influence and professional networks to uplift communities.

“Through the Solomon Ehigiator Arase Foundation (SEAF), he provided scholarships to indigent students across Nigeria and championed causes that advanced education, security, and social welfare,” the BCF noted.

The BCF also highlighted his passion for his people, which inspired the formation of the Forum in December 2024 at his Benin City residence.

The BCF said his vision was rooted in building an egalitarian society where culture, security, and development went hand in hand.

“The Edo people, the entire nation, and humanity in general are highly appreciative of his humble service which he rendered with uncommon dedication, grit and compassion,” the statement read.

The Forum extended prayers and condolences to his wife, Mrs. Agharese Arase, and their children, describing his death as a monumental loss to Edo State, Nigeria, and the world.

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OPINION: Crowns Of Crime And Shame

Published

6 hours ago

September 2, 2025

Editor

By Suyi Ayodele

When a man says, ‘Here is where my friend was disgraced yesterday,’ our elders ask us to remind him that the disgrace has become a communal one. No sensible man derives joy from the shameful conduct of his kinsman. Does that philosophy still hold water in Yorubaland today?

A big Yoruba king was jailed in the faraway United States of America last week. He was arraigned, tried and found guilty of blood profiteering. The Apetu of Ipetumodu, Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, was sentenced to four-and-a-half-year imprisonment by Justice Christopher Boyko of the North District of Ohio, US, for stealing COVID-19 relief funds running into millions of dollars.

Oba Oloyede was portrayed as a blood-sucking demon who took delight in the blood of the victims of the pandemic, COVID-19. He stole $4.2 million meant for the relief programme for the victims. In addition to the jail term, the monarch will also refund the sum of $4,408,543.38 to the US Government.

He will add his home on Foote Road, Medina, Ohio, to the restitution. Oba Oloyede’s bank account with a balance of $96,006.89 will be taken over by the government. The troubled monarch is not entitled to a Cent of the money in the account. The court said the money therein was the proceeds of fraud! That is not the end of his troubles.

When eventually released, the jailed Ipetumodu monarch will be on the watch-list for three good years. The devil helps him if he misbehaves during his suspended release. He goes back to jail, summarily!

The saddest aspect of the tragedy is that while the trial lasted, Oba Oloyede did not put up any defence, no alibi. He admitted committing the crime. When the charges were read to him, Oba Oloyede simply pleaded guilty to the crimes he committed between April 2020 and February 2022. Kabiyesi was arrested on May 4, 2024, when he travelled to the US. He was sentenced on August 26, 2025!

This is a sad development for the entire Yoruba Race. It is a sad development that we would not want to tell our children. But not the Yoruba of our time. If we were to be the true products of the Omoluabi ethos handed over to us by our forebears, Yorubaland would have been in mourning over the Apetumodu shameful outing in the US. But what do we have now?

Instead of showing remorse, the elders and elites of the land are busy exchanging words over inanities. Hot exchanges are being traded over unimportant matters. Words that, like the proverbial egg which breaks when thrown on the floor, have been uttered. When the storm calms, the scars will be visible for us to see. Outsiders alike will also see the relics of this current useless war over a non-issue. We left leprosy to treat ringworms!

We are in ruins in this land. The entire Yoruba race is dancing naked in the market square. Those who have no ancestry have come to the open to deride a race that is acknowledged worldwide as the most civilised and most cosmopolitan. The entire Kaaro Oojire is in shambles, dressed in garments of shame because our monarchs are behaving badly!

I sighed in sadness after reading the Apetumodu’s ordeals, I tried to reflect on how Yorubaland arrived at this turning point. Whom did we offend? Has what happened to the children of Oduduwa had anything to do with the curse placed on the race by Alaafin Aole Arogangan? Why are most Yoruba thrones occupied by the dregs of humanity nowadays? Why do we have charlatans and other undesirable elements occupying Yoruba palaces? At the point of my confusion, history beckoned. Yoruba thrones and nitwits, history says, predates this era. How?

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Years ago, when the ant could carry the tortoise on its head, a rich man died. Though the man had two sons, he bequeathed his estate to the extended family members. He left nothing for his sons! Nobody knew why he did that. But the two boys were not stupid. They knew where their father kept his most valuable possession, a giant box of precious stones. The boys, at the cover of the night, stole the box. When the time came for the family to share the rich man’s estate, the box was discovered missing.

From time to time, the boys were selling the gold and other precious stones in the box. They had a mutual understanding until one day, the older boy got greedy. He wondered why his younger one would share the proceeds of their heist with him equally. He decided to have the entire stuff to himself. The older brother stole the remaining items and told his younger one that they had been robbed of them.

Stealing the king’s flute is not the problem; where to blow it is the issue. The younger brother, suspecting that his older brother was up to something, decided to keep him under close monitoring. With no moment of respite, the older brother used the only available opportunity he had to be alone and carried the box to the palace for their king to keep for him.

Our elders say the third generation of greed will be a burglar (ipele keta okanjuwa, ile lo unko). The king saw the gold and decided to keep it to himself. He called his sorcerer and got the deadliest poison from him. He planned to kill the one who asked him to keep the precious stones. While at it, an incident occurred that required the attention of the king’s diviner.

The diviner, Àsèsèdà Ifá (The one who is new at divination), cast his Opele. But rather than address the issue that brought him to the palace, he told the king that he (the king) was about to do something that would bring eternal shame to him and the throne. He asked the king not to mix gold with poison because the hereafter would spell doom for the king’s lineage. The Oracle, Àsèsèdà Ifá said, directed that the king should return what was kept in his custody to the owner.

Àsèsèdà Ifá was still on the divination mat when a commotion was heard within the palace precincts. Who had the audacity to fight before Kabiyesi? The parties were brought before the king, and lo, they were the two brothers. The younger one, who suspected that the older brother wanted to cheat him, resorted to violence. When the combatants became inseparable, their family members dragged them before the king.

The king asked what the matter was. The two brothers reported how they stole the box containing their father’s precious stones and how they sold some of the items, and the remaining items went missing. Everyone present was shocked that the boys could steal what their father gave to the entire extended family. But the king had a better understanding of what happened.

The king sent for the box he kept in his room. When brought, he removed the poison on top and emptied the contents on the floor. There were the missing pieces of gold. The king went ahead to share the items between the two brothers and ordered that all the other property the family had taken over be returned to the boys.

Diviners of old who narrated this story said it is from Ifa Corpus (Odu Ifa) known as Ogunda Ofun, named after the king (Ogunda), who wanted to appropriate what Ofun (name of the older brother) kept in his care. To date, in Yorubaland, one of the divinations done for a would-be oba is Ogunda Ofun with the admonition that he, the would-be oba, must never covet that which belongs to another man- Ogunda Ofun, ogbe mohun folohun (Ogunda Ofun, let the king return that which belongs to another to the owner). Did the Ipetumodu people take Oba Oloyede through this Ifa divination?

Yet another story to buttress that Yoruba thrones have been under siege for a long time.

A group of alájàpá (itinerant traders) market women set out early in the morning. The destination was Ibadan, Gbagi Market to be precise. They were cramped at the back of the Bedford vehicle, sitting on the wooden benches that were rammed to the floor, and holding on to the wooden body of the vehicle for stability.

Their monies were tied around their waists inside their yèrì and òpóò (long cloth purses). Those purses would not be untied until they got to Gbagi Market, where they would buy the wares they traded in.

The Bedford vehicle, on top speed, suddenly ran into a pothole. The passengers were thrown at one another, knocking heads. The vehicle came to a sudden halt. The driver cursed! He was familiar with the road. It had no pothole on that spot. He could swear to that; the driver knew where the potholes were. And those were not as deep as the one that halted the vehicle.

His instincts instantly came alive. Danger! This must be the handiwork of some adigunjalè (armed robbers), he muttered to himself. But nobody emerged from the bush to attack them. Shocked! What could have happened then? He asked no one in particular.

A woman asked what happened. The driver remained silent. He manoeuvred the vehicle out of the pothole. He dared not check if he had lost a tyre. Experience taught him never to do that on that spot. Yes, he must move a distance before he can check the state of the vehicle. Then he remembered. The pothole could have been dug to slow the vehicle down. “Òràn dé” (danger looms), he whispered loudly. The tension in the vehicle became intense.

He steadied the vehicle back on the road. Moved a distance, engaged the gear for acceleration. His headlamp picked up the objects ahead. Logs of wood, they were. Someone had barricaded the road. Nobody needed anyone to say who did that. Armed robbers were at work!

The driver applied the brake and jumped off before the vehicle came to a complete halt. His motor boy did the same. The duo dashed into the bush. Only the women were trapped. It was a case of olórí d’orí è mú (everyone for himself).

Running was useless for the women. Before the first of them could jump out of the vehicle, the armed robbers were already on them. They were ordered out of the vehicle. One after the other, their attackers dispossessed them of their money. Then the unthinkable happened.

One of the women recognised a figure among the armed robbers. She could not be mistaken. It was a figure she would identify among a million men! Sure of her vision, the woman saluted: “Alayé (owner of the world), Kábíyèsí (he who no one can question) Àdìmúlà” (the one you hold to survive).

Two other women turned to look at the man. They recognised him to be the Kábíyèsí (king) of one of the biggest towns in that axis. Ah! What was Orí Adé (the head that wears the crown) doing among armed robbers? They wondered as they made to pay obeisance as tradition demands. What they got shocked them.

Kábíyèsí raised his cutlass and dealt the first matchet blow on the head of the first woman who identified him. A chilling cry, and she went down. Alayé moved to hit the next woman. She ducked, but not before she got a bow to her arm. The other women took to flight. The party scattered. Àdìmúlà and his gang also took off. They did not forget their loot, anyway!

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The next vehicle carrying another set of traders came to the scene. The driver and the passengers began a rescue operation. The first woman was stone dead. They simply packed her corpse by the roadside; attention focused on the wounded but living. Those who ran away were attracted by the accompanying wailing and came out of hiding.

The day broke with the news of the armed robbery incident. The two women who identified kábíyèsí could only tell their husbands. They were sternly cautioned not to tell any other person. Their husbands then volunteered the information to the elders of the town, who, in turn, also maintained the oath of secrecy.

Later in the day, Kábíyèsí summoned a meeting of his chiefs. He called neighbouring kings too. A company of the esoteric was dispatched to the robbery incident to go and do what tradition stipulates. Curses were laid, and the gods of the land were asked to avenge the sacrilege instantly. Then everyone went home. Did the curses work?

Yes, they did. Days later, it was discovered that all the trees around the spot withered; they all shed their leaves in the rainy season! What happened? It was gathered that after the esoteric team had performed their rites and left, Kábíyèsí led another team of traditional experts to the spot. Being the king, nobody could question him for the second traditional journey. He was not just Kábíyèsí for fun.

According to the story, on the second trip, kábíyèsí asked that a pig (elédè) be sacrificed. He alone did the ìwúre (royal pronouncement) on that occasion. He simply told the party that he wanted to commune with his ancestors in silence. They responded: Kábíyèsí! Nobody heard what he said. They only noticed that his lips moved. The pig was slaughtered, its blood sprinkled on both sides of the road, and the party headed home. End of ritual! The result was the withering of the trees.

Any adult from Ayebode Ekiti up to the then Arigidi Ekiti (now Ayedogbon Ekiti) in the mid-70s would remember this ugly incident. The Ekiti-ethno-music icon, the late Elemure Ogunyemi, later in one of his albums, alluded to the incident when he sang: Ha ti m’òrí elédè rúbo (we have sacrificed the head of a pig)/ùgbàyí á dèrò kooko (this season will be peaceful).

But that incident did not go without repercussions for the erring Kábíyèsí. Conscious of the shame that an open reprimand would bring to the town, the elders came together and confronted their king. Of course, when in ìgbàlè (traditional coven) with the elders, Àdìmúlà owned up to the crime.

The elders did what they needed to do and sealed it with a traditional pronouncement. No blood descendant of the kábíyèsí would ever ascend the throne again! They sealed that with Olugbohun. Whoever attempted it would pay with his entire sires. Kábíyèsí was asked to pass the message to his children for onward transmission to the generations to come. He also paid a heavy fine couched as etutu (appeasement items).

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Àdìmúlà thereafter lived and died at an old age. His remaining days on the throne witnessed a lot of crises, though. Other members of his gang died miserable deaths. Another kábíyèsí is on the throne in that town. The people await whether that secret seal will be broken! This story was told in hushed tones, as I tell you today!

Before the above ugly incident, another Yoruba king was once executed for murder. The king was hanged in 1949. He was said to have used a 15-month-old baby girl, Adediwura, for rituals.

The trial of the oba was a huge sensation. The advocacy in the court was the best anyone could imagine. But that could not save him and his accomplices. The trio were executed by hanging. What did the people, his subjects, do to the family of the executed king? Would they ever allow any of his offspring to ascend the throne of the rocky town? But more importantly, what was the Ifa prediction before the oba was enthroned?

This is where we are missing it in Yorubaland. A lot of misfits are today wearing crowns in the land because they were chosen by other external forces apart from Ifa. The modern-day civilisation has robbed us of our heritage. No would-be oba who spent an average of three weeks in Ipebi (seclusion) would misbehave on the throne.

But that is no more. A would-be oba was once asked to go into seclusion for seven days. He got to the door of Ipebi and put one of his legs inside seven times. He told the people that each step into the Ipebi represented a day. Guess what? He was still crowned king. It happened because the influential members of the community were behind him; he was their candidate! With good money and connections in high places, anyone can become an oba today. Ifa, Yoruba religion, has been shifted and shoved to the background.

Today’s Yoruba foremost kings are at loggerheads. Others are queuing behind them, forming camps. While the fire rages, the farmlands their ancestors left for them are in ruins. The subjects Edumare put under their care are daily killed, kidnapped, maimed and rendered homeless! Obas are going to jail, some fight in public, and many are facing trial for rape and other misdemeanours.

The Daily Mail of UK on May 19, 2024, ran a story about another king who was “twice deported from America with a lengthy criminal record and a distinct murky past. The paper described the oba as “a conman”, stating that he tried to “cash stolen £247k cheque.” Interestingly, the king has not contested the report as he pontificates on virtually every issue of Yoruba ancestry! The circle of shame has gone round!

Ascending the thrones of Oduduwa is no child’s play. It comes with responsibilities; it comes with self-worth and dignity. If we cannot question these kings’ misbehaving because they are kábíyèsí, they should know that Alálé (progenitors) will ask them; Èsìdá (owners of the land) will judge them on our behalf. Enough should be enough. Our Yoruba obas should allow us to walk the streets with our heads raised. Ìtìjú yi ti ún pò jù (This shame is becoming too much)!

News

Nestle Sacks CEO Over Office Romance

Published

17 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

Swiss food giant, Nestle, on Monday dismissed Laurent Freixe as chief executive with immediate effect over an “undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate.”

The multinational behind Nespresso coffee capsules and KitKat chocolate bars said Freixe’s dismissal followed an investigation.

In a swift move, Nespresso CEO, Philipp Navratil, was appointed to take over by his fellow board members.

“The departure of Laurent Freixe follows an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate which breached Nestle’s code of business conduct,” a statement said.

The board said it had ordered an investigation overseen by chairman Paul Bulcke and lead independent director Pablo Isla, with the support of outside counsel.

“This was a necessary decision. Nestle’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service,” Bulcke said in a statement.

A company veteran, Freixe joined Nestle in France in 1986. He ran the firm’s European operations until 2014, steering them through the subprime and euro crises that began in 2008.

He headed the Latin America division before his promotion as CEO.

Freixe had only been in the top spot since a surprise switch in September 2024, entrusted with reversing soft spending by consumers for the company’s food and household goods.

Nestle’s share price slumped by nearly a quarter last year, raising concerns in Switzerland, where pension funds invest heavily in the company, whose brands also include Purina dog food, Maggi bouillon cubes, Gerber baby food and Nesquik chocolate-flavoured drinks.

Nestle shares closed up 0.13 percent at 75.49 Swiss francs on the Swiss stock exchange.

– Net profits –

In late July, Nestle reported a 10.3-percent drop in first half profits as it struggled to turn around its fortunes amid sluggish consumer spending in China, even as it passed on higher cocoa and coffee prices to consumers.

New chief executive Navratil had been an executive vice-president at Nestle, which is headquartered in Vevey on Lake Geneva.

“The board is confident that he will drive our growth plans forward and accelerate efficiency efforts. We are not changing course on strategy and we will not lose pace on performance,” insisted chairman Bulcke.

Navratil started his career with Nestle in 2001 and took on various roles in Central America, leading the coffee and beverage business in Mexico from 2013 to 2020, when he took over responsibility for global strategy and innovation for the Nescafe and Starbucks brands.

He became chief executive of the Nespresso brand in July last year and joined the company board in January 2025.

“I fully embrace the company’s strategic direction, as well as the action plan in place to drive Nestle’s performance,” said Navratil, pledging to “drive the value creation plan with intensity.”