News

OPINION: Pasuma, Currency And Super Eagles’ Humiliation (2)

Published

11 months ago

October 25, 2024

Editor

Tunde Odesola

From the bottomless depth of Yoruba divinity, I fetch the myth of Ajala, whose popular name is Obatala. Ajala is the heavenly Potter tasked with the duty of moulding human heads. Ori is the Yoruba word for head. Ori encases destiny. In Igbo cosmology, a person’s Chi, like Ori, is a personal spiritual force that shapes an individual’s life experiences and destiny.

In two of my published articles, “Mike Ejeagha and the power of Music,” and “Yoruba rascals and Igbo idiots (1&2),” I affirmed the conclusion among researchers which suggests that the Yoruba and Igbo languages lived in the same community at a time and that both ethnic groups are from the same ancestral stock. And I frowned on the needless suspicion and bickering between both ethnicities.

Ajala is not a saint. He is an agile drunkard, who abhors palm wine but loves sèkèté, the corn beer. He probably loves otíkà, the beer brewed from millet, too.

As told by the world-renowned Ifa scholar and Araba of Osogbo, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, in a telephone chat with me, here goes the tale of destiny, humility, perseverance and obedience.

Once upon a time, three neonates set out from Ìkòlé Orún, the Heavenly Realm, on the journey to Ìkòlé Ayé, the Earthly Realm. The names of the three infants are Orísánkú, the child of Ògún; Ìlémèrè, the child of Ìjà, who is also known as Òṣówùsì, and Afùwàpé, the child of Òrúnmìlà.

Ready to embark on his earthly journey, Orísánkú went to the House of Àjàlá but the potter was abroad. Orísánkú wasn’t ready to wait for the potter, so, among the numerous heads Àjàlá had made with clay, he picked a head and headed out.

No sooner had Orísánkú left the habitat of Àjàlá than Ìlémèrè came calling. Àjàlá was still nowhere in sight. Ìlémèrè walked around the dwelling, looking at various heads. Some were still wet, some were dry. Some heads were big, some were small; Ìlémèrè looked for a good head. One good head, he thought, is better than two.

Everywhere he turned, a head stared at him. One head was big for nothing, another head was too small for something. Ìlémèrè continued to examine the heads; he saw a medium head, liked it, and was going to pick it when he discovered a crack from its front to the back. He dropped it quickly.

Ìlémèrè was in a hurry. He wanted to go and explore the earth. Eventually, he picked a heavy head and headed into the Odd World called Ayé Akámarà.

But before Òrúnmìlà allowed his son, Afùwàpé, go into the world, he consulted Ifa for guidance. Ifa told Òrúnmìlà to give his son some salt and 10,000 cowries.

So, Afùwàpé set out with (íyò) salt and (egbàá) 10,000 cowries. On getting to a crossroads, Afùwàpé became lost and had to ask for directions to the house of Àjàlá. To a man cooking in a hut by the roadside, Afùwàpé went. “You turn right by that iroko tree and go straight downhill. You will see a mud hut overlooking a stream. That’s Àjàlá’s house.”

Strangely, Afùwàpé noticed the man was cooking with ashes. So, he asked, “Why are you cooking with ashes? I have salt, do you want some?” The roadside man was profusely grateful.

By the time Afùwàpé got to Àjàlá’s house, the potter wasn’t home still. Afùwàpé was ready to wait till Àjàlá came back. While waiting, a furious woman came asking for Àjàlá. She had sold some corn beer to Àjàlá who had defaulted in payment.

Afùwàpé calmed the angry woman down and asked her how much Àjàlá owed. “I’ll not leave here today!” she wailed. “How much does he owe?” Afùwàpé apologised to her, paid her off and continued to wait.

Àjàlá saw everything from where he hid in the ceiling. He climbed down and thanked Afùwàpé, asking the stranger what brought him to his house. “I have come to choose a head, baba.”

Àjàlá took Afùwàpé around the house, explaining in detail the compositions of each head. With his rod, he touched a particular head which looked very beautiful, but he said, “That head is not good. Anyone who picks that head will not succeed. Many people in the world have the wrong heads because they chose heads according to their fancy,” Àjàlá continued, “To succeed, everyone needs good character to go with a good head.”

But Afùwàpé had to choose his own head because it is his destiny, his àkúnlèyàn, his chi. So, with the guidance of Àjàlá, Afùwàpé chose a good head and left to explore the world.

Afùwàpé succeeded greatly in life. But Orísánkú and Ìlémèrè failed woefully. One day, the three of them met, and the two unsuccessful men bemoaned their tragedies as they recounted how they separately journeyed to the house of Àjàlá and how they picked their destinies. Afùwàpé told them his own story and they realised how water entered into the shell of the snail.

Generally, life’s struggles should recognise the place of destiny, ori, chi, àkúnlèyàn, though this doesn’t mean that arms should be folded akimbo while time flies away, but haste and patience should be equally measured; ìkánjú pèlú sùúrù, ogboogba lójé. When you run ahead of your destiny, disaster runs faster ahead.

The tortoise in Taye Currency wanted some honey, so he headed up to the beehive, against advice. But when he saw the swarm of angry bees, nobody told the tortoise to recoil into its shell.

In a live show, Currency stirred the hornet’s nest, throwing three stones; one at Pasuma, his benefactor, one at Sefiu Alao aka Baba Oko, who’s by far his senior, and another one at Sunny T, aka Idan Armani, saying that Pasuma once copied the style of Obesere aka Ológbojò and that the late Igbo man that sang Fuji, Sunny T, once copied King Wasiu Ayinde’s style while Alao allegedly copied Aare Shina Akanni aka Scorpido.

After the three-pronged salvo, Currency threw yet another stone, saying Pasuma could only pass for his elder brother and not his father, warning fans not to cause katakátá between him and Pasuma, his ògá, prompting watchers to ask if it was fans that made him open his mouth to defy Pasuma. Here, Currency spoke like the Nigerian politician, who blames everyone around for their own errors.

There are undercurrents to Currency’s outburst, no doubt – the water bug dancing on the surface of the stream has its drummer below the surface. The foundation of Fuji music was laid with acrimony, declares General Kollington Ayinla, the sidekick to Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, the late Fuji pioneer, with whom Ayinla fought bitterly over supremacy. I disagree with Baba Alatika’s submission because Adewale Ayuba, the Bonsue Fuji king, has remained a shining exemplar of finesse, respect, dignity and honour.

In Nigeria, bitter fights often ensue whenever a music mentee breaks away from a mentor, like in the case of Mohbad and Naira Marley, just as political fights ensue between presidents and their deputies – like the Obasanjo-Atiku enmity; and between governors and their deputies as Lagos witnessed in the Tinubu Vs Bucknor-Akerele rumble, etc.

Asked in an interview why there was so much bad blood between him and Osupa Saheed, the Olufimo 1 of Fuji, Pasuma attributed exuberance to their past feuds, adding, “But we are both over 50 now, our children are now parents; what else are we looking for? We now have a solid relationship.”

Remarkably, Pasuma has remained silent over the issue even as Currency, who publicly apologised for his utterance, spoke from both sides of his mouth, admitting his utterance was a mistake and at the same time maintaining he had done nothing wrong.

Advisedly, Pasuma should just let this matter slide because when the world rises in your defence during a fight, you utter no word. Oga Nla has his palm kernels cracked for him by benevolent spirits, he should be grateful. The overwhelming outpouring of solidarity Alabi Amama received in this matter is uncommon on the Nigerian music scene, where opinions and fan support on contentious issues are fairly divided between contending forces.

The last time there was lopsidedness in opinion and fan support over a contentious Fuji music issue was when KWAM 1 gave his personal opinion on the origin of Fuji in the song, “Orin Dowo,” which saw an overwhelming percentage of Fuji lovers reaching for Ayinde’s jugular. But I see Fuji GOAT, Barrister, as the visioner of Fuji, and not essentially as someone who created Fuji out of void because music evolves from music. The Fuji music Barusati envisioned is bigger than him today. That was his prayer. Music has no end. So, I love the historicity in ‘Orin Dowo’ and I see it as a peep into the origin of Fuji. ‘Orin Dowo’ will outgrow the intent that birthed it.

As it is with music generally, rivalry won’t cease in Fuji; there was the Obey-Sunny rivalry, Ayinla Omowura-Fatai Olowonyo hostility, the ongoing Wiz Kid-Davido feud, etc. Freedom to dissent is a mechanism for growth. Man is naughty by nature.

* Concluded.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola

News

SUBEB Urges LG Chairmen To Sack Absentee Teachers In Bauchi

Published

5 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi State Universal Basic Education (BASUBEB) has called on all the 20 Local Government Chairmen in the state to sack absentee teachers.

Alh. Adamu Mohammed, the Executive Chairman, BASUBEB, made the call on Friday during the official flag off ceremony of the 2025/2026 state wide enrolment campaign in Kirfi Local Government Area of the state.

Mohammed, who said that the move would serve as a deterrent and make others to be up and doing, added that the chairmen only need to inform SUBEB about the decision.

He also expressed the commitment of the Board to reward teachers who are diligent, committed, punctual and dedicated to service so as to encourage them.

The SUBEB boss who lamented the lack of enrolment of school aged children in schools across the state, said the development is detrimental to the future of the children.

According to him, the state government was doing everything possible to improve the quality of education at the Basic level, saying that members of the communities were not supportive of the efforts by not sending their children to school.

He also stressed that Girl child education is important to the development and growth of the society, calling on parents to send their girl children to School.

“I want to call on all the Local Government Chairmen in the state to take responsibility of supervising and monitoring schools in their respective areas because SUBEB can’t be everywhere at the same time.

“The Board will not rest in its oars until Basic education becomes the envy of others in line with what UNICEF and UBEC set as guidelines,” he said.

Also speaking, Dr Mohammed Lawal, the state’s Commissioner for Education, said the aim of the enrolment campaign is to mobilise traditional institutions to support enrolment drive in the state by sensitising parents and guardians on the need to send their children to school.

He added that the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) would also support whatever the traditional institutions are doing to achieve greater enrolment as well as continuity in education.

Earlier, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, the Chief of Field Office, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi, recalled how the number of out-of-school children was reduced from 1.5 million to 500,000 through the effort of the governor with support from traditional, religious leaders, communities and parents.

“This is a huge progress but still, having 500,000 children out of school is one of the main goals for us to bring them also into schools.

“Education is the right of every child. No child should be out of school and that is my humble request that as the government is putting in policies, steps and strategies to bring these children back to school, everybody should key into it.”

While assuring UNICEF’s commitment and support to the development of basic education in the state, she called on all stakeholders to work together and ensure that every child is back to school.

News

UNILAG Honours Bayelsa Gov, Diri

Published

5 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The University of Lagos has completed a book project on the leadership qualities and governance style of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.

The Managing Director of the UNILAG Consult, Prof John Oyefara, who disclosed this on Thursday during a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa, said the institution has also proposed a public lecture as well as endowing a Professorial Chair in the Department of Political Science in his honour.

UNILAG Consult was established in 1983 and incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act in 2013. It serves as the consultancy arm of the institution, providing research-driven, cross-sectoral technical services via access to the university’s academic expertise and facilities.

Diri’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, in a statement on Friday, quoted Oyefara as saying that the university had a track record of assessing the performance of various leaders in Nigeria and that the book titled “Leadership Chronicles of Governor Douye Diri” focuses on his exemplary leadership and achievements.

He said, “At the University of Lagos, we have a tradition of assessing leaders in Nigeria. We use our own templates and standards that are global to measure the leadership in Nigeria.

“We identified Your Excellency to be a leading star in Nigeria, based on leadership and governance. We decided to put together all your achievements. The purpose of our visit was to inform you about our project in three thematic areas. One, is on the publication of the book we have been able to put together about His Excellency’s achievements in the state.

“We also propose a public lecture where renowned leaders in Africa will deliver a lecture on leadership and governance to exemplify the achievements of the governor. The third one is for the Department of Political Science in the University of Lagos to see the possibility of endowing a professorial chair in the name of His Excellency.”

The Lead Editor of the project, Prof Hope Eghagha, also stated that the idea was an independent assessment of the governor’s performance in office, either in infrastructure or human capacity development, through interviews that were conducted.

Responding, Diri said he was pleasantly surprised by the gesture of the institution. He welcomed the idea of documenting his achievements, saying he had been nursing the idea of establishing a leadership institute to groom those with an interest in politics and political offices.

The governor said, “It is really interesting when people, without your prompting, decide to do a thing for the purpose of posterity. A lot of the time, we do not document these events and activities, as we look at them as not too important. But they are.

“I have toyed with the idea that if I had the resources, could I establish a leadership institution in Bayelsa State so that before anyone thinks of becoming a councillor, council chairman, commissioner, special adviser or even governor, he knows what he is coming to do in office?

“If you are not prepared for it, then we are bound to fail as a country and as a state. So, I have been pleasantly surprised by the University of Lagos, and I think it is a good thing. Let me also state that the success in Bayelsa is not all about me. It is actually about our team. We have a dedicated team of commissioners, special advisers, technical advisers, and everybody contributing their quota to the whole.

“That is why if anyone says we have done well in infrastructure, it is because down the ladder, those who have been vested with that authority have implemented our policies, projects and programmes to the best of what we expected to be.”

Diri approved the proposals from the delegation and thanked them for recognising him in the midst of others.

Serving as Bayelsa State’s helmsman since his Supreme Court-affirmed inauguration in February 2020, Diri has become noted for his inclusive leadership and development-oriented governance.

Against this backdrop, UNILAG’s decision to document Diri’s leadership style and legacy through a dedicated book, alongside a public lecture series and a named professorial chair, marks a rare scholarly honour reflecting both institutional respect for governance excellence and encouragement of lasting academic inquiry.

News

Lagos Begins Comprehensive Assessment Of Public Primary Schools

Published

5 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has commenced its maiden NEEDS Assessment Project for all public primary schools across the state.

According to a statement on Friday by the Deputy Director, Information, LASUBEB, Abe Adunola, the initiative, spearheaded by the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, was unveiled on Thursday during a stakeholders’ engagement session.

The NEEDS Assessment Project is an evidence-gathering exercise designed to identify gaps in infrastructure, teaching capacity, and learning resources in public schools. It provides government with data to plan targeted interventions and allocate resources more effectively.

According to the board, the project will cover 1,238 public primary schools, vocational centres, inclusive units, and Local Government Education Authorities.

Board member of LASUBEB, Owolabi Falana, said the exercise was a major step in strengthening the foundation of basic education in Lagos.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Project Implementation and Monitoring, Mr. Olusegun Sanwo-Olu, noted that the initiative reflected the state government’s resolve to drive education reform with data-driven interventions.

“This project is about clarity and intentionality. By understanding the realities in our schools, we are laying a solid foundation for smart planning, equitable resource allocation, and sustainable reforms. It is a bold step that will ultimately improve the quality of teaching, enhance learning outcomes, and prepare Lagos children to thrive in this fast-changing world,” he said.

LASUBEB Chairman, Dr. Hakeem Shittu, described the initiative as the first in a series of continuous exercises aimed at transforming Lagos public schools.

“This maiden edition of the Needs Assessment Project is only the beginning. It will be sustained as a continuous initiative to ensure our schools, teachers, and learners are never left behind,” he affirmed.

Highlighting the project’s benefits, Shittu explained that the assessment would lead to safer classrooms, improved facilities, empowered teachers, and better learning outcomes for pupils.

“The future of Lagos depends on how much we invest in our children today. This initiative gives us the clarity and direction to act decisively,” he said.

He further stressed that the project was not only about identifying gaps but also about developing practical solutions that would create conducive learning environments, improve teachers’ working conditions, and strengthen administrative capacity across schools.

Shittu also commended the contributions of teachers, administrators, and Local Government Education Authorities, while emphasising collaboration with the Project Implementation and Monitoring Unit for credible data collection.

He urged teachers, parents, and community leaders to support the exercise.

“The success of this project depends on our collective effort. Together, we can build a school system that empowers our children with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to compete globally,” he said.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of several education reforms introduced in Lagos in recent years. Through the EKOEXCEL programme launched in 2019, the state government deployed digital learning devices and retrained teachers to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes in public schools.

The state has also embarked on school rehabilitation projects, the construction of new classrooms, and the expansion of inclusive education centres to accommodate children with special needs.

Despite these efforts, public primary schools in Lagos have faced challenges of overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure, and uneven access to quality teaching.

Education experts have long called for systematic assessments to guide interventions, making the NEEDS project the first coordinated attempt to collect comprehensive data for policy decisions in the state’s basic education sector.