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OPINION: Sending Ooni Of Ife To Tinubu

Published

1 year ago

April 29, 2024

By Lasisi Olagunju

One day, I will have the courage to ask the immaculate Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, how he feels each time he travels on the horrible Ibadan-Ife road. Ben Okri, ‘The Famished Road’ storyteller, finds his own ‘road’ a torment – he says it “leads home and then away from it, without end.” Okri thinks the road a torment because he meets it “with too many signs and no direction.” The Ife-Ibadan road has signs, it has directions – and I find them very treacherously significant because they interlock fingers while road users lose life and limbs. The road has signs and directions to the very bowel of hell.

Olojo, the guardian divinity of the House of Oduduwa, is the famed owner of two machetes: with one machete, he prepares the field for the plants of tomorrow; with the other, he clears the road for prosperity (Ó fì’kan sán’ko/ Ó fì kan yè’nà). Those weapons must either now be blunt or lost. An Odu Ifa tells us something about Ile Ife and roads. It affirms that well-paved open roads start from Ile Ife. That affirmation today can only be treated on the operating theatre of irony. Could it be that truth has an expiry date and Ogbe’s truth of good, open roads in Ile Ife has expired? What we see today from the capital of Yorubaland (Ibadan) to the historical source of Yoruba people is the torment of a closed road that mocks the pathfinder-spirit of Oduduwa. The road does worse with its gaping craters and their threats of morphing into greater gullies. And it is a federal road.

Has the Ooni ever told the president that the worst road in the universe leads to his kingdom? Has he told the president that the N79.8 billion contract for the reconstruction of Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa road awarded in September, 2019 by his friend and villa mate, Muhammadu Buhari, has remained a contract for ghosts? Has he invited the president’s attention to the truth that since last year when he took over, the road has sunk even deeper in the mire of decrepitude? And, that even FERMA, a perennially rich agency that pretends giving palliatives on federal roads, has since seen the futility of stitching this rag? Or could it be that Kabiyesi does what our presidents since 1999 do – escaping road users’ pains by flying over our heads?

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The reigning culture here is rooted in the ragged soils of our toil. I admit that badness is not peculiar to the Ife-Ibadan-Ilesa road. It is a national affliction that can’t be cured because of the greed of doctors who treat sick roads with fake and expired drugs.

We work hard to build roads that wear out before they are inaugurated. We have the interminable construction mess called Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. When did construction start there? When will it end – if it will ever end? How much have we sunk there? And, is it not a shame that the road is ready already for corrective surgery even before its makers are done making it? If you are a woman, and you are pregnant and your doctor tells you dancing is a ‘safe and fun way to exercise’, do not dance to the break beats of that road. It is made for abortion.

Ben Okri says “all roads lead to death” and “some roads lead to things which can never be finished.” Is that why our federal government’s roads are forever ongoing, none is ever finished or completed? Federal government’s statistics says out of Nigeria’s national road network of 200,000 kilometers, 36,289 km belong to it. Now, you ask Abuja which of its other roads, apart from the one from the Villa to Abuja airport, is good? Ask them why almost all roads that wear federal tags suffer neglect, abandonment or crass abuse.

My NYSC journey to the far north 34 years ago was on the Ibadan-Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Yauri road. It was an experience in pleasantness. It is, today, a monument to frustration, a shrine to demons that feed on losses -human and material. The Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso part of that road is one major reason why Nigeria should not have a federal government – or have roads managed by the Federal Government. There should be a coroner’s inquest on why that road was killed and who killed it. Without the states, the vehicle of Nigeria would have long lost its chassis. States keep doing what heart surgeons do when arteries are found blocked. They create bypasses, byways. A brand new 78-kilometre Iseyin-Ogbomosho road has just been built by Seyi Makinde’s Oyo State to escape the Federal Government’s death trap along that axis. A commenter online wrote: “The road has helped us to link northern Nigeria without using the dangerous Oyo-Ilorin road that has consumed so many lives…” The Oyo-Ilorin road of death spoken of here belongs to the government in Abuja.

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Potholes jolt us to appreciate what bad roads represent in our lives. They tell us why the tyres of our country never last and why our rides are forever bumpy. Asking questions on why our roads are perennially bad is living the times of Ayi Kwei Armah’s ‘Two Thousand Seasons’: “A thousand seasons wasted wandering amazed along alien roads, another thousand spent finding paths to the living way.” Like Ouroboros, the self-tail-devourer, Nigeria’s ‘alien roads’ cyclically keep consuming the ‘living way.’

It is time to pound yam for the household, the idler among us goes for the heaviest pestle. This is better said in Yoruba: Òle bàá tì, ó gb’ódó nlá. There are abandoned federal roads everywhere which directly affect millions of Nigerians, but the government has moved the money to a 700km super coastal highway that will cost N15.6 trillion. The first phase is 47 kilometres, starting somewhere and ending nowhere, at a cost of N1.06 trillion. Should I just say that that N1 trillion will start and complete the reconstruction of decrepit Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa Road (224km), Ilorin to Bida (244.9km) and Shagamu to Benin (492km) if wisdom wills? Even at an inflated cost of N1 billion per kilometre, our husbands will achieve these and will even ‘collect change’. And Tinubu would have become very popular with it. But he wants a white elephant and has moved our money to purchase it.

White elephants are always expensive! Poet and journalist, Mathew Wills, in his ‘The Original White Elephant’ defines ‘white elephant’ as “something excessive that turns out to be valueless.” James A. Robinson and Ragnar Torvik in 2005 published an interesting article about the third world and deliberate bad investments – they titled their article: ‘White Elephants’. In that piece, they hold that politicians around here would always go for “white elephants” as against “socially efficient projects” because “the political benefits are large compared to the surplus generated by efficient projects.” That piece says much more than this. It is published in the Journal of Public Economics 89 (2005: 197-210). I think you should read it.

‘The Stolen White Elephant’ by Mark Twain is an interesting story on the cost of investing in big, expensive loss centres. It is the story of a fictional Kingdom of Siam. A reviewer says Siam is blessed with a “national appetite for fraud”. Another says it has officers of “pompous assumption of infallibility and ridiculous inappropriate procedures.” The “pointless” story is about an expensive search for a stolen white elephant, a further loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation and the eventual discovery of the rotting corpse of the supposedly stolen animal. The story ends with the duped narrator celebrating the man who duped him. It ends as the man pronounces himself “a ruined man and a wanderer in the earth.” In Studies in American Humour, Peter Messent (1995) does a lot of justice to it in his ‘Keeping Both Eyes Open.’ The whole story sounds Nigerian; what Fela called “expensive shit.” But I can argue that though we wander today, the past was a better experience.

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“How can you develop a country rapidly if you can’t get about it?” Sir Rex Niven, pre-independence Speaker of Northern Nigeria House of Assembly, asked that question 69 years ago in relation to the state of roads in Nigeria. On January 27, 1955, Riven was asked to brief the Royal African Society and the Royal Empire Society in London on “Recent Developments in Nigeria.” He gave a very detailed account of himself as a British participant in the affairs of a key component of the Nigerian federation. Sector by sector, he spoke about efforts and failures. He particularly spoke on roads which he described as “the most important of the great aspects of development.” He said as he was speaking (in 1955), Nigeria had over 30,000 miles of roads whereas in 1920, “she had hardly any at all.” Then he used Kabba (in present Kogi State) to illustrate what he was saying: “The first province I went to, the newly constituted Kabba Province, had exactly 4 miles of road…but when I left Kabba four years later, there were over 200 miles of road.” Thirteen years later, the same Niven, in retirement, told the Commonwealth section of the Royal African Society on 11 November, 1969 that Nigeria had 40,000 miles of quality roads. That figure was even in spite of the ongoing civil war. Now, you ask: Why are our golden years always in the past? The past was obviously better handled.

News

Nigeria Ready, Willing To Host Commonwealth Games — Tinubu

Published

11 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

Nigeria on Thursday welcomed the Commonwealth Sport Bid Evaluation Committee to Abuja, a major step towards hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, formally received the delegation at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

“What I can assure you is that we’re ready,” Tinubu told the delegation.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to hosting an inclusive, diverse, and world-class 2030 Commonwealth Games on African soil.‎

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement he signed Thursday titled, ‘Nigeria ready to host Africa’s First Commonwealth Games in 2030-President Tinubu assures‎.’

Gbajabiamila, along with a strong Federal Government team of Ministers and senior government officials, held strategic talks with the delegation led by Darren Hall, Director of Games and Assurance at Commonwealth Sport, and a member of the 2030 Evaluation Commission.

President Tinubu emphasised that the Commonwealth champions unity and diversity, and Africa deserves its moment after nearly a century.‎

Africa has never hosted the Games since their inception in 1930. Nigeria made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2014 Games. The city of Durban in South Africa won the bid to host the 2022 Games, but could not do so due to financial difficulties. Birmingham in the UK took over and hosted the Games. Thus, Nigeria’s bid to host the 2030 Games would be historic, Onanuga stated.

In his welcome remarks, Gbajabiamila called on the visitors to savour Nigeria’s renowned hospitality: “You’re very welcome to Nigeria. I hope you enjoy our great hospitality, which we are known for. Mr President also asked me personally to convey his regards; he fully supports this bid.”‎

“The President has written a Letter of Guarantee to you; his full weight is behind this bid. What I can assure you is that we’re ready. We’re willing, we’re able, and we actually want this. It’s been almost 100 years. The games have not been held on any soil in Africa.

‎”The element of inclusivity is what the Commonwealth is, and we hope that will benefit us,” he stated.

President Tinubu stressed that his administration has set some bold reforms to reposition sports, having realised its role as a strategic driver of national development.

He added that he scrapped the Ministry of Sports and replaced it with the National Sports Commission in the bid to drive sports development.

The President further assured the delegation that all infrastructural, security, and hospitality needs will be met ahead of schedule.‎

He emphasised that Nigeria’s bid is not just about hosting but also leaving a legacy for youth and national development.‎

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, made a strong case for Nigeria over India, stressing that Africa has 22 Commonwealth nations, and Nigeria, as the continent’s giant, deserves the honour.‎

“One thing I want to assure you is that the President sees the hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2030, if we win the bid, as a celebration of the country’s growing force in sports, beyond just participation.”

‎President of Commonwealth Sport Nigeria, Habu Gumel, said the country is ready to host an environmentally sustainable Games.‎

Chairman of the Bid Committee, Mainasara Illo, presented Nigeria’s proposal, highlighting key plans and innovations.‎

He revealed that Nigeria proposes 15 sports, with football introduced to boost excitement, global visibility, and audience engagement.‎

Director of Games and Assurance, Darren Hall, thanked President Tinubu and the Nigerian team for their warm welcome.‎

“I have been most thrilled by the passion of the Nigerian people in all their endeavours, including sports.”

He said the Commonwealth, now comprising 56 nations, aims for greater diversity as it approaches its 100-year milestone.‎

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, Minister of Aviation, Festus Kayamo, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and‎ Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam, attended the meeting and made statements in support of the bid.

Nigeria and India are the two official bidders for the 2030 Games, with Abuja and Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, as their proposed host cities.‎

‎After a thorough evaluation of both bids, the Commonwealth Games General Assembly will decide the host city in November 2025.

The next Commonwealth Games will be held in 2026 across four venues in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.

News

JAMB Extends Post-UTME Deadline For Underage Candidates In 23 Varsities

Published

12 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has extended the deadline for universities to submit Post-UTME screening scores of underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination

JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, announced the extension on Thursday in a statement on Thursday.

Benjamin, who explained that the decision was reached in collaboration with the affected institutions, said a reminder has been sent via email to the defaulting universities.

He noted that despite the release of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination results by the National Examinations Council on September 17, several institutions had yet to comply.

Benjamin, hoiwever, urged the affected institutions to forward the results without further delay.

He said, “23 out of 71 universities failed to meet the earlier deadline of September 15 for the submission of the scores. The institutions are among those chosen by candidates seeking admission.”

Benjamin further directed all public universities to upload their recommended candidates to the Central Admissions Processing System on or before September 30, while private universities have until October 31.

He added, “The measure was necessary to meet the overall admission deadlines of October 30 for public universities and November 30 for private institutions.”

Benjamin said a breakdown of the affected schools shows that the University of Lagos tops the list with 39 underage candidates, followed by Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, with 18, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, with 15.

Others include the University of Abuja with 12 underage candidates, University of Uyo with nine, Federal University of Technology, Owerri has eight, and David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu with six.

The board spokesperson added that in total, 135 underage candidates are involved across 23 institutions.

JAMB had earlier disclosed in August that it would conduct a special screening for over 500 outstanding underage candidates seeking admission for the 2025/2026 academic session.

Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the screening would be handled by a technical committee between September 22 and 26 at designated centres in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri.

He noted that while 41,027 underage candidates wrote the 2025 UTME, only a little over 500 met the requirements to proceed to the next stage.

News

FULL LIST: Anglican Church Approves 15 New Dioceses

Published

12 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has approved the creation of 15 new dioceses, bringing the total number of dioceses across the country to 176.

The decision was taken at the Standing Committee Meeting of the Church, which held in Ekiti State between September 15 and 19, 2025.

According to a statement signed on Thursday by the Church’s Communication Officer, Korede Akintunde, the approval followed a series of inspections, verifications and validation exercises after the lifting of the moratorium on the creation of new dioceses in September 2024.

The statement read, “The inspection team are as follows: Old Province 1 headed by Archbishop Joseph Akinfenwa, Old Province 2 headed by Archbishop David Onuoha while Old Province 3 headed by Archbishop Daniel Yisa.

“They presented their fact-finding report at the Standing Committee held at Niger-Delta Diocese in February 2025 which formed the basis of the assignments of the Church of Nigeria Validation Team on the creation of full-fledged and missionary Dioceses which was constituted and inaugurated by the Primate on 27th March, 2025, headed by the Most Rev’d Dr Timothy Yahaya.

“The Validation Team in turn visited, inspected and verified the contents of the report of the Inspection Teams and Verification Committee and made the recommendations to the Primate on the creation of full-fledged and missionary Dioceses in the Church of Nigeria.”

The statement noted that five of the new dioceses would operate as full-fledged dioceses, while 10 others were approved as missionary dioceses.

The full-fledged dioceses are:

1.⁠ ⁠Ekiti South Diocese out of Ekiti Diocese
2.⁠ ⁠Kalabari Diocese out of Niger Delta Diocese
3.⁠ ⁠Lagos South West Diocese out of Lagos West Diocese
4.⁠ ⁠Omoku Diocese out of Ahoada Diocese
5.⁠ ⁠Ozoro Diocese out of Oleh Diocese

The missionary dioceses include:

1.⁠ ⁠Eket Diocese out of Uyo Diocese
2.⁠ ⁠Idanre Diocese out of Akure Diocese
3.⁠ ⁠Ikom Diocese out of Calabar Diocese
4.⁠ ⁠Keffi Diocese out of Kubwa and Lafia Dioceses
5.⁠ ⁠Nasarawa Diocese out of Lafia Diocese
6.⁠ ⁠Ogoja Diocese out of Calabar Diocese
7.⁠ ⁠Oyo South Diocese out of Oyo Diocese
8.⁠ ⁠Oyun Diocese out of Kwara Diocese
9.⁠ ⁠Takum Diocese out of Jalingo Diocese
10.⁠ ⁠Zuru Diocese out of Kebbi Diocese

The church added that the election of bishops, consecration, inaugurations, and enthronement dates would be announced later.