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OPINION: Ifa’s Message For Our President
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1 year agoon
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By Suyi Ayodele
At the very beginning of time when the deities lived among human beings, Òrúnmìlà, the father of Divination, occupied a prominent space. He attracted many people to himself, friends and foes alike. He assisted many people to achieve their ambitions. Òrúnmìlà was instrumental to many becoming wealthy. He made nobles of not a few. He crowned and assisted in dethroning kings. He was powerful, influential and generous. But he has hubris. He was always ruthless whenever he saw any obstacle to his ambition.
A time came when Òrúnmìlà wanted to take the highest title among the deities. Of course, many rose in his support; those who wanted to repay his past good deeds. Likewise, some others who had felt cheated or ill-treated by Òrúnmìlà, also lined up against him. To these people, it was payback time. Two Òrúnmìlà’s partners in divination were ferocious in their opposition to Òrúnmìlà’s aspiration. What went wrong between them, only the gods could tell. But Òtúrúpòn and Òkàràn swore that Òrúnmìlà would not attain the position he sought. While Òkàràn was ready to shift ground if certain conditions were met, Òtúrúpòn was so determined, and nothing would persuade him to be soft on his erstwhile friend. The duo approached Èsù (the trickster deity) to assist them in their mission against the great diviner. Èsù kept them in his shrine, waiting to see what Òrúnmìlà would do.
At his wits end, Òrúnmìlà summoned his diviners to find a solution. Ifa revealed to Òrúnmìlà that his two enemies were waiting in ambush for him at the shrine of Èsù. Òpèlè equally told him that it was only Èsù that could save him and get him to the position he so desired. Sacrifices were prescribed. Among them was that Òrúnmìlà must carry 700 empty gourds and 4,000 cowry shells to the shrine of Èsù. How would one man carry those items at once? Ifa simply asked Òrúnmìlà to make the poor in the town to be happy. He was asked to attend to the needs of the masses reasonably.
For seven days, Òrúnmìlà took care of the needy. He fed them, divined for them pro bono, attended to every of their needs and asked the king to initiate policies that would make life bearable for the poor. The people were happy. On the eighth day, Òrúnmìlà brought out the sacrificial items and began to carry them. The people who came to thank him for the way he had treated them in the past one week saw his struggles with the items. They offered to assist Òrúnmìlà. The masses shared the items among themselves and Òrúnmìlà led the way to the shrine of Èsù, otherwise known as Elégbáa.
The noise from the items as the empty gourds and cowry shells knocked one another was terrifying. The noise produced a music, which according to the Odù, says: A ó pa Òtúrúpòn/A ó kan Òkàràn lésè (We with kill Òtúrúpòn. We will break the legs of Òkàràn). On hearing the music, which was just coincidental, the duo thought that it was a battle cry, and took to flight. Òrúnmìlà and his party arrived at the shrine, offered the items to Èsù. He was instantly proclaimed the head of all deities. Òrúnmìlà defeated his enemies without shooting a single arrow. The masses who made up his team were his strength. When a dog has the people behind it, even the monkey on a high tree becomes a meal!
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Today is barely three days after the Annual Convention of my church, The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), with the theme, “Heaven”, ended. For those my fellow heaven-bound brothers and sisters, who may be wondering why I chose the path of divination early this New Year in the RCCG, I refer you to my new position in the cabinet of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Senior Special Adviser, Culture and Tradition (See “Dangote Refinery: Blind man and his yam scrapers”, published on July 30, 2024). It is in pursuant of that new office that I offer this ‘advice’ free of charge! But like the deity, Olúa, in my town is wont to say: I wish Tinubu not to accede to my divination so that at the fullness of time, he would say the Oracle warned!
The year 2027 is going to be a decisive year for Nigeria, Nigerians, and particularly for President Tinubu. It is the year that Tinubu will be seeking to be the head of all principalities and powers in the corridors of power as the ‘number one citizen’ of Nigeria. Tinubu will seek his second term in office, no doubt. Many will support him, just as many will be up in arms against him. The battle will be fierce, mean and bloody. The opposition camps will give all it takes for the president not to realise his second term ambition. President Tinubu should have no doubt in his mind that the Òtúrúpòns and Òkàràns of the nation’s political firmament will assemble all arsenals at their disposals to see the end of his political career. We will be on the fringes to observe events and lend our voices here and there, and from time to time, by God’s grace. However, the battle will rage most fiercely, in Tinubu’s camp. What should the president do? We shall come to that.
But first, let us establish this fact. With the way the #EndBadGovernance ‘protest’ was prosecuted and ended in the North, it is clear, even to the blind, that the Òtúrúpòns and Òkàràns of the North have parted ways with Tinubu’s Òrúnmìlà. What happened between President Tinubu and his old friends and allies from the North is left at the imagination of the deities as it happened in the divination above. The North, we all have come to realise, did not ‘protest’ hunger, inflation and the general pains in the land during the August1-10, 2024 EndBadGovernance ‘protest’. What ails the North most in the last 15 months of President Tinubu’s administration is the loss of power to the South.
The folks up the Niger River have not been able to reconcile themselves with the fact that they are no longer in charge. They find the prospect of a Tinubu second term too difficult to bear. So, when the opportunity came for them to ‘protest’ hunger, the North sent their youths to do it peculiarly. That region is ready to do anything, ready to give anything and ready to allow anything, for power to return to it. The prospect of a military intervention is a welcome development! They openly canvassed it! Sad! But it is understandable, anyway. When a region has no other business apart from the government, the loss of power, no matter how temporarl, can never be palatable.
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During the build-up to the 2023 general election that produced the Tinubu presidency, many of us warned Tinubu then that it was fatal for the dog to make the tiger its best man. Such a relationship comes with a huge price. But when a man sets his eyes on the throne of his forebears, it is useless to caution him to tread softly. In the course of realising his ambition, everything, no matter how deadly, got a warm embrace from Tinubu. While one is tempted to salute his dexterity at executing all his political battles, one cannot but shrug at the tendency of Tinubu to throw caution to the winds. He befriended his most arch enemies. One of them was Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State. The public insults El-Rufai heaped on Tinubu prior to the 2023 race paled into insignificance as the same diminutive governor became the arrowhead of Tinubu’s campaign. That is what our politics is all about; no clear-cut ideology.
In power, Tinubu has made so many concessions to his ‘friends’ in the North. He has done everything he could to pacify them. With numerous appointments, to even creating a full ministry for the cows of the North, President Tinubu has demonstrated that he is a man ready to give in anything for his own personal comfort and ambition. But despite what he has done for the North, the same people came out during the EndBadGovernance ‘protest’ to show that they are implacable. The only thing that will pacify the North is a return of power to the zone. If you are wondering why the North behaved the way it did during the ‘protest’, you need to know the fable of the insatiable bird called Àlúkèrè. Here is the story.
Children, especially those from the countryside, love to play with birds. Growing up then, our parents caught birds for us to play with. We tied a tiny thread on the legs of the birds and made them take flight, while we pulled them back. It was fun. On our own too, as children, we set traps for birds and whenever we caught any, we brought it home to the elders. But there is this tiny bird that we were never allowed to keep and play with. The bird is very easy to catch because it finds it difficult to take its eyes off the baiting grains in our traps. But despite catching many of them, we were asked to release them back into the wild without hesitation. Àlúkèrè is never a domesticated bird. It ruins every home it is kept in. Its needs cannot be satisfied. No matter what the keeper does to make it happy, Àlúkèrè keeps singing that its life is better off in its own home where it is the lord. Incidentally, Àlúkèrè lives in lack, want and deprivation in the wild. The same reason it keeps wandering into traps, seeking food. But take it home to feed it good rations, it keeps singing:
Ebi á pa Àlúkèrè Ku/Hunger will kill Àlúkèrè
Response: Àlúkèrè
Kó bá sulé honi/ If one were to be in his own house
Response: Àlúkèrè
Honi a dáná a jeun/One will cook and eat
Response: Àlúkèrè
Honi adúgbà some mu/One will once in a while drink water
That is exactly the North Tinubu has been trying to pacify all because of 2027. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan did the same. Rather than establish a Ministry of Cows for the North, Jonathan established nomadic schools for the ambulant pastoralist populace of the North. But that did not pacify them. They ensured he was practically chased out of power! Anything short of power is nothing for the region. It doesn’t matter the huge difference between the number of years the North has been in power and the alarming backwardness of the region, the zone still wants power and nothing more. Those children on the streets during the ‘protest’ are products of the wickedness of the elite class up there! That should get any rational mind worried. And this is why nobody up there appears to appreciate Tinubu’s rapprochement with the North! Come 2027, the North will queue behind any northerner that stands against Tinubu at the election. The only bragging right they have is the population. That itself is a ruse! In all this, Tinubu can change the narrative. He can do something that will make 2027 an easy ride. What do I think President Tinubu should do?
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I refer the president back to Ifa’s counsel to Òrúnmìlà in the above divination. Nigerians, I have come to realise, don’t really bother about who rules them as long as life is more abundant. We demonstrate that in sports. Nobody cares if our National Team is populated by the Okechuckwus of this world or by the descendants of Ahmed Musa, or the offspring of Segun Odegbami. All they want is the gold medal!
So, if I were President Tinubu, I would, like Òrúnmìlà did, make food available for the masses by ensuring that farmers are no more molested by herders and bandits. I would ensure that Nigerians can travel on the highways without any fear of being kidnapped. As the president, I would take a look at the power sector and ask questions as to why the Power Generating Companies (GENCOs) generate so much but the Transmission Companies (TMs) could not transmit the megawatts generated for the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to sell to the populace. I would address the issue of over-bloated cost of governance by cutting down on the number of political appointees and stem other profligacies. I would also not forget to look at the NNPC and its moribund refineries and do a decisive surgical operation there. In all the juicy pies where my family members, cronies and I have our hands, I will become more transparent and be above board. If indeed I were him, I would devote more time to good governance and leave politics for a while. I take a bet, if President Tinubu makes the welfare of the people the cornerstone of his administration today, when 2027 comes and the Òtúrúpòns and Òkàràns all gather, the masses will carry his sacrificial items to the shrine of Èsù with the battle cry: A ó pa Òtúrúpòn/a ó kan Òkàràn lésè (We with kill Òtúrúpón. We will break the leg of Òkàràn)! May the president hear and understand what the Oracle says!
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FG Unveils Revised Curriculum For Basic, Secondary, Technical Education
Published
5 hours agoon
August 31, 2025By
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The Federal Government said it completed a comprehensive review of school curricula for basic, senior secondary and technical education aimed to make Nigerian learners “future-ready.”
The Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement signed on Friday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, and made available to newsmen on Sunday.
Folasade said the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad announced the curriculum on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, while speaking in Abuja.
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According to the minister, the review was carried out in collaboration with key education stakeholders, including the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission and the National Board for Technical Education.
The new framework is designed to reduce content overload, improve learning outcomes, and ensure Nigerian students are equipped with skills relevant to today’s global demands.
Prof. Ahmad said the exercise went beyond merely trimming subjects, stressing it focused on improving content to promote deeper learning and reduce overload for pupils and students.
“Under the revised structure, pupils in Primary 1–3 will study a minimum of nine and a maximum of 10 subjects; pupils in Primary 4–6 will take 10 to 12 subjects. Junior secondary students may offer 12 to 14 subjects, senior secondary students will take eight to nine subjects, and technical schools will offer nine to 11 subjects,” the statement read.
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“The revised curricula will reduce content overload and create more learning time for students,” Prof. Ahmad said, adding that the changes reflect the government’s commitment to delivering quality, practical and relevant education in a rapidly changing world.
The Ministry of Education commended stakeholders for their role in the review and said implementation will be accompanied by strict monitoring to ensure a smooth transition across schools nationwide.
The ministry did not give an exact date for rollout, but said the new curricula will be phased in with oversight from relevant agencies to guarantee effective adoption.
News
Over 23,000 People Still Missing In Nigeria — ICRC
Published
6 hours agoon
August 31, 2025By
Editor
The International Committee of the Red Cross says more than 23,659 people remain missing in Nigeria, leaving 13,595 families in anguish, most of them women struggling with uncertainty and hardship.
Protection of Family Links Team Leader of ICRC in Damaturu, Mr Ishaku Luka, disclosed this on Sunday during activities to mark the International Day of the Disappeared.
He said 68 per cent of those still searching for answers were women, while 59 per cent of those missing were minors at the time of their disappearance.
According to him, Yobe State alone accounts for 2,500 cases, the majority recorded in Gujba Local Government Area.
“Behind every missing person is a family living in pain, uncertainty, and economic difficulty.
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“The anguish is compounded by legal, administrative, and psychosocial challenges. These families deserve acknowledgement, care and support,” Luka said.
He explained that the issue of missing persons was one of the most devastating consequences of armed conflicts, disasters, and migration.
He urged parties to conflicts, authorities, and communities to take greater responsibility in preventing disappearances.
Sharing ICRC’s interventions, Luka said by June 30, the organisation had collected 451 new cases in Nigeria, and closed 515 cases.
Luka added that the organisation had facilitated the reunification of seven separated children with their families.
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“Every day, worldwide, we help reunite 20 people with their families. Every hour, we help clarify the fate of two missing people. Every minute, we help four separated persons contact their loved ones,” he added.
Head of ICRC Sub-delegation in Damaturu, Mr Rashid Hassan, said families of the missing should not be left alone in their struggles.
“Time does not heal. Acknowledgement, answers and respect do. Families must know that their loved ones are not forgotten and their demands are heard,” Hassan stressed.
He said the ICRC, working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), had provided mental health and psychosocial support, livelihood assistance, and orientation programmes for families of missing persons in Borno and Adamawa states.
Hassan urged authorities to fulfill their obligations by clarifying the fate of missing persons, protecting the dignity of the dead, and addressing the economic and social needs of the affected families.
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He also called on society to show solidarity, avoid stigmatisation, and support the resilience of families searching for answers.
Globally, Hassan said, more than 94,000 people were newly registered as missing in 2024, bringing the total to 284,400.
He stressed, however, that the figure represented only a fraction of the real number.
“As we commemorate this day, we renew our commitment to advocate for the rights of the disappeared and to push for continuous efforts in searching for answers.
“No family should live with the torment of uncertainty,” Hassan said.
(NAN)
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Ex-TVC’s ‘Your View Host,’ Afolabi-Brown, Admits Ignorance In Past Criticism Of Peter Obi
Published
6 hours agoon
August 31, 2025By
Editor
… narratives how she once considered suicide
Former Your View host, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, has said her past remarks about former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, were made without knowing much about him or his record in office.
The veteran media personality, in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, explained that her comments on the Labour Party presidential candidate at the time were not based on personal familiarity with his record.
“It was because I did not know him. After I made that comment, people called me and said, ‘Morayo, do you realise that when he was governor, he actually served us?’
“So that was him. I said, ‘Oh, I did not know,’” she said.
The broadcaster also opened up about her battle with depression, recalling how she once considered taking her own life.
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“I was depressed. It got so bad that I thought I was suicidal. I just left everything behind.
“I remember just walking on the express, hoping a car would hit me. It was that bad,” she revealed.
Afolabi-Brown explained that she decided to step away from Your View after the show’s tenth anniversary, saying she had long harboured the thought of moving on.
“It was when we were 10 years old that I knew it was time to move on to the next thing.
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“I’ve been harbouring that thought for a while, but I just didn’t know to what or where, you know.
“But I think last year, I got that light bulb moment,” she said.
Brown further narrated how she was sacked from TVC until her identity became known to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“People now call Asiwaju, ‘Do you know whose child was sacked?’ He said, ‘I’m not aware.’
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“He said, ‘This is the Alao Aka-Bashorun’s daughter. That’s when he knew it was me,” she recalled.
On controversies during her career, she revisited the uproar that trailed an on-air interview in which she was accused of calling her husband a pedophile.
According to her, the First Lady’s intervention helped her make peace and publicly apologise.
Her exit from Your View, she noted, marked the end of her 12-year journey on the breakfast show.
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