Headline

Why Delay In Selection Of New Alaafin Revealed

Published

3 years ago

September 15, 2022

Editor

The 45th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Atanda Olayiwola Adeyemi was no doubt an accomplished monarch among the Yoruba traditional rulers.

Oba Adeyemi, who came from the Alowolodu royal family in Oyo, ascended the throne of his forefathers in January 1971 at the age of 31.

The monarch who reigned for 52 years joined his ancestors in April this year.

Alaafin stool is currently vacant as a result of Oba Adeyemi.

Though the process of selection and appointment of the new monarch has started, however, it was gathered that controversies have continued to trail the selection process.

Some of the pending issues is the alleged marginalization of some families in the selection process.

Others are some pending court cases which are yet to be resolved.

Our correspondent learnt that no fewer than 119 princes from the various royal houses have indicated interest to succeed the departed monarch.

The Baba Iyaji (Head of Princes) of Oyo, Chief Mukaila Afonja made this disclosure.

He said that various things, such as educational background, wealth, influence, knowledge of the Yoruba culture and ability to speak Yoruba language without any mixup would be considered while choosing the next Alaafin.

However, gathered that 61 of the princes have been disqualified, though the reason for the disqualification has not been revealed.

But, our correspondent learnt that those who were disqualified were princes from the families that the kingmakers said are not the one to produce the next monarch.

It was gathered that 58 of the contestants have been cleared.

The names of the 58 aspirants who were cleared have been submitted by the Baba Iyaji to the Bashorun of Oyo, High Chief Yussuf Ayoola Layinka.

The Bashorun whose position is likened to the present Prime Minister is the head of the Oyo traditional chiefs, known as Oyo Mesi.

DAILY POST learnt that all candidates who had been cleared are from the Agunloye royal family.

The clearance of the princes from the Agunloye family and disqualification of others from other royal families, according to a source, was due to a letter from the Oyo State government, which instructed the Baba Iyaji to find the next monarch from the Agunloye royal family.

It was gathered that the Oyo State government currently recognised two royal families: the Alowolodu and Agunloye. The position is to be rotated by the two royal families based on that arrangement.

But, the non recognition of other royal families apart from the two has been described as discriminatory by some families who said that they should also be allowed to participate.

The disqualification of the 61 candidates who are said to be from other royal families made nine families from the Atiba lineage raise an alarm that they had been shortchanged.

But, despite the alarm raised by the nine families from the Atiba lineage, the kingmakers have commenced the selection process of the new Alaafin.

As part of the selection process, the kingmakers have invited the shortlisted candidates for interview.

It was gathered that the interview commenced last week Monday 4th and is expected to end on Thursday 15 September 2022 (today).

Conclude ongoing court cases before appointment of new monarch- Atiba lineage

Meanwhile, Nine (9) families within the Atiba lineage have called on the Oyo State government to conclude all ongoing court cases patterning to the Alaafin stool before appointment of the new monarch.

The nine families in their explanation also urged the State government, to without wasting more time, stop the ongoing selection process.

The nine families made this disclosure during a press conference held at Akinmorin community in Oyo.

The nine families who said that they should be allowed to participate in the process include: Adeitan, Tella Okitipapa, Ese Apata, Olanite, Adelabu Baba Ibadan, Adesiyan, Adesokan Baba Idode, Iteade Abidekun Omo and Agbojulogun royal families.

Spokesperson for the 9 families, Prince Afolabi Ademola Adesina, who noted that 11 families within the Atiba lineage were recognised as the occupants of the throne, wondered why only two families, Agunloye and Alowolodu have been rotating the throne among themselves.

Adesina, who is from the Adeitan royal family, addressed journalists in the presence of representatives of the remaining 8 families, among whom are Prince Remi Azeez from Tella Okitipapa, Prince Adediran Makanjuola from Ese Apata, Prince Adediwura Lamola from Olanite, Prince Agbounyin Olayiwola from Adelabu Baba Ibadan, Prince Adebowale Adesiyan from Adesiyan, Prince Adetunji Adesokan from Adesokan Baba Idode, Prince Adekunle Bello from Iteade Abidekun Omo and Prince Tella Agbojulogun from Agbojulogun royal family.

Adesina called on the Oyo State government to use its power to stop the process until all issues are resolved.

He said, “There is never a declaration or discrimination among the children of Alaafin Atiba, and any king must be choosen from the Atiba’s family. Then in 1961, upon the dethronement of Oba Adeniran, Alaafin Gbagbadesein of Agunloye ruling house made a declaration between only two ruling houses to benefit the stool out of 11 main children of Alaafin Atiba.

“You will recall that the 1963 constitution housed the jurisdiction of the court to challenge anything chieftaincy matter, upon the fact that the so-called declaration is tied to the customary law of the Yoruba land which states that every member the children of a founder of a town can benefit from the stool of the forebearer; this is not in line with what late Oba Gbadegesin declared in 1961, with petitions and protests registering before the western government.

“When the late king, Oba Gbadegesin died in 1963, everybody started running for the stool of Alaafin, among the children of Atiba; when this happened, they urged our fathers that they should be patient for them to choose a king out of the declaration made by Oba Gbadegesin. And upon that, they will constitute a panel that will listen to the yearnings of all other children of Atiba.

“This was done by late Adeyinka Adebayo, the then military Governor of the old Oyo; he constituted a panel of enquiry headed by my lord honourable Justice Ladeinde Adekunle, who looked into the matter affecting the children of Alaafin Atiba, after this, every child of Alaafin Atiba, including those who have benefited from the stool of Alaafin in the past, everyone presented their memorandum which was looked into; after this, the commission of enquiry made this recommendation, it is against this background that we called this press conference.

“Upon the decision of the commission of enquiry in 1976, they declared all the existing ruling houses null and void, and constituted the Atiba ruling house.

“1976 commission of enquiry declared the selection of Alaafin of Oyo 1961 declaration defective; this was done by Justice Adekunle Ladeinde commission of enquiry; subsequently, 1993 was Oloko commission of enquiry which also upheld the decision of Adekunle Ladeinde of 1976, that there should be a single ruling house in Oyo, regarding the stool of Alaafin, to be called Atiba ruling house, which is to include all the descendants of Alaafin Atiba.

“Another development, in year 2001 where the then Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Lam Adesina presented through his secretary, Micheal Koleoso into law the white paper and decision of Oloko enquiry, with an option that Atiba Local Government should make amendments which will include all other excluded royal families. You will recall that Justice Ladeinde of 1976 declared 11 royal families to be the descendants of Alaafin Atiba, which are the Agunloye, Alowolodu, Adeitan, Adediran Ese Apata, Adesiyan, Iteade Abidekun, Olaniite, Adelabu baba Ibadan, Baba Idode, Tella Okiti Papa and Tella Agbojulogun royal families, and that all should be included in the new order which can benefit and contest for the stool of Alaafin.

“In year 2004, there was another development which is negative and was not in our knowledge; the late monarch, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi went to court with Oyo State Government to court amending or removing the sections of the consenting authority of the volume 2001 gazette, this happened without our consent and we were not even put in copy, and we are not in any way part of that.

“Upon that we are appealing to the Oyo State governments to look into this matter, as where there is an injury, there is always a remedy.”

Agunloye family, not Alaafin Atiba is the next ruling house for the Alaafin stool – Bashorun

Meanwhile, the Bashorun of Oyo, High Chief Yussuf Akinade Ayoola Layinka has said that the next family to produce the new Alaafin is the Agunloye family.

Layinka made this disclosure through a statement made available to DAILY POST by Bode Durojaiye, the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin of Oyo.

He said the issue raised by Prince Adesina was between the Alaafin Atiba and the Oyo State Government.

He added that the issue had nothing to do with the Oyo Mesi.

“It has come to the notice of the Oyo Traditional Council (Oyo Mesi), a purported press conference organized by the so-called eleven families of Atiba Alaafin, in which they called for the cancellation of the ongoing interview for shortlisted aspirants to the Alaafin stool.

“The Head of Royal Families, Baba Iyaji, in conjunction with the Mogaji Agunloye Royal Family, Pa Prince Adeladan, had confirmed the ruling house for the next Alaafin stool to be the Agunloye family.

“Interested aspirants, who are authentic members of the family, had collected expression of interest forms and their names submitted to the Head of Oyo Mesi, High Chief Yussuf Akinade Ayoola Layinka 1 for the next step, which is the interview and in line with the due process.

“So, why is Prince Adesina crying wolves where there should be none, and keep misleading the unsuspecting members of the public. What is the justification for Prince Adeshina to seek for the cancellation of the ongoing interview, when in actual fact, the Alaafin Atiba family is not entitled to occupy the seat of the next Paramount Ruler?”

DAILY POST.

Headline

Israel-Iran War: Stranded Nigerians Cry For Help From Underground Shelters

Published

7 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

Nigerians caught in the hostilities between Israel and Iran have called for help from underground shelters amid heavy exchange of missiles between the two countries.

Those who spoke to Saturday PUNCH slammed the Nigerian government for not doing enough, adding that other countries had started evacuating their citizens.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government said it was awaiting border clearance to rescue over 1,000 Nigerians in the warring countries.

Rising casualties

According to reports, no fewer than 264 people, including 70 women and children, have died in the two countries since the war started.

The war began last Friday when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, with guided missiles and air raids pounding suspected Iranian nuclear and military sites, including air-defence installations, as well as residential areas in eastern Tehran, notably the Shahrak-e-Mahallati neighbourhood, home to senior IRGC commanders, and targets in Tabriz and other cities.

High-ranking Iranian military figures, including General Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC commander Hossein Salami, were among those killed in the Israeli offensive.

In a statement, Tehran described the strikes from Israel as “the most direct act of war” in decades of covert hostilities.

In a retaliatory response on June 13, 2025, Iran launched a large-scale missile barrage, firing over 100 ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, where the Nigerian embassy is located.

Checks by The PUNCH revealed that most Nigerians living in Israel are based in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Sources confirmed that nearly all economic, social, and religious activities have been suspended in major Israeli cities.

Nigerians recount ordeal

In separate interviews with our correspondents, some Nigerians living in major Israeli cities recounted their ordeals.

A Nigerian in Tel Aviv, Ekene Abaka, said since the onslaught began, members of the Nigerian community in the city had joined other foreigners to take cover in underground shelters provided by the Israeli military, pending an opportunity to escape the country.

“We are in an Israeli bomb shelter and I can’t answer calls right now,” Abaka said in a hasty Facebook message to The PUNCH.

A software engineer living in Jerusalem, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Nigerians in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem had been scrambling for the past few days since the face-off between the two nations started.

The source, who also claimed to be speaking from a bomb shelter, said though many Israelis had died, no casualties had been recorded among Nigerians so far.

He, however, lamented that the Nigerian embassy had closed all official and diplomatic activities without supporting distressed Nigerians in the country.

“Most of the areas where Nigerians live in Israel are in Tel Aviv. As a matter of fact, that is the main area where most of the missiles are going. I live in Jerusalem.

“There are about three families in Jerusalem from Nigeria, but the majority of Nigerians live in Tel Aviv. We are on the run.

“The Nigerian embassy is situated in Tel Aviv. It has shut down. It’s not doing anything about the issue at the moment. We ran into a bomb shelter to protect ourselves from missiles coming from Iran,” he added.

Meanwhile, in a video shared on Tuesday by Travels Vlog, a Facebook page documenting the daily experiences of Nigerians in Israel and other parts of the Middle East, some Nigerians were seen scrambling into a bomb shelter after the Israeli government sounded the security alarm, warning of incoming Iranian missiles.

“Everybody is running helter-skelter now. I didn’t grab my water. Oh! Those are the missiles there. They have fallen now,” one of them cried out in fear.

But as they approached one of the shelters, they found it locked.

“Oh! It’s closed. Why did they lock this place? Let’s go, there is another one over there. We can’t stay here. This place is not safe,” another voice urged as the group rushed off in search of an open shelter under the night sky.

When they finally reached a covered spot, they sat on the ground, visibly shaken, waiting as the blaring alarm slowly faded and the missiles vanished from sight.

The Travels Vlog host, identified as one Solomon, explained in a live video on Wednesday that people were informed about incoming Iranian missiles through a text message from the government.

“There are missiles coming in, but 10 minutes before they hit, the Israeli government detects them and sends us a direct message to immediately leave our homes and run to the shelter. A few minutes afterwards, the security siren starts blaring, and that’s when panic sets in,” he said.

Countries move to evacuate citizens

The situation in the Middle East has prompted governments around the world to evacuate their nationals from both Iran and Israel, where airspace closures and missile fire have made civilian travel dangerous or impossible.

No fewer than 12 countries, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Greece, and Bulgaria, have contacted their citizens in the warring nations and repatriated hundreds by air, sea, and road.

Many evacuees crossed land borders on foot before boarding repatriation flights from neighbouring countries.

Agence France-Presse reported on Thursday that the Czech Republic and Slovakia flew home 181 people on government planes, while Greece returned home 105 of its citizens plus a number of foreign nationals via Egypt.

The United States announced plans on Wednesday to evacuate Americans by air and sea, while China evacuated more than 1,600 citizens from Iran and several hundred more from Israel.

The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Tuesday night, revealed that the Nigerian Embassies in Israel and Tehran (Iran) were actively reaching out to affected citizens and coordinating efforts to ensure their safe return.

However, as of Thursday night, the Federal Government had yet to evacuate any Nigerian trapped in the countries.

A woman, identified as Hope Omobeauty, during Solomon’s Vlog podcast, said some of her people had been trying to leave Israel but had found no way.

“I have people in Israel who are trying to leave, but there is no way,” she said.

Collapse of businesses

The Israeli government has shut down all activities until at least Sunday at 8pm, further worsening conditions for Nigerians in the country.

Israel announced that all educational institutions, including kindergartens, daycare centres, schools, special education programmes, summer camps, youth organisations, and higher education facilities, had been closed.

Speaking about this, the engineer told The PUNCH that the closures had negatively affected the livelihoods of Nigerians.

He lamented the “indifference and insensitivity” of the Nigerian embassy to their predicament.

“In Israel, rent is paid every month. At workplaces, you’re paid per hour. But all business activities have been shut down, so there is no income for anyone at the moment. We are scared because we don’t even know how we will pay our next rent or feed our children,” he said.

“There is an announcement that everything will reopen on Sunday, schools, markets, and places of worship, but it is not guaranteed. It all depends on how Iran continues the war, whether they will carry on with the bombardment or not. We don’t sleep at night because that’s when the missiles fall.

“What the officials at the Nigerian embassy do is perform their formal obligations, grant visas and handle diplomatic or travel assignments. They don’t engage in the welfare of Nigerians. If anything happens, you are on your own. They don’t do anything to help Nigerian citizens here.”

FG awaits border clearance

Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 Nigerians stranded in Iran have remained in limbo, as the Federal Government awaits final border clearance from Armenia to begin their evacuation.

According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Nigerian Embassy in Tehran has completed logistical arrangements to move citizens to Armenia, the nearest border country, where they are to be airlifted home from the capital, Yerevan.

He told The PUNCH that embassy officials were in close talks with Armenian authorities to finalise the movement of evacuees across the Iran-Armenia border.

While bus transport has been secured, approval from Armenia to allow Nigerians to cross the border is still pending.

“The Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy met officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Armenia, which is the nearest border, to discuss modalities of moving stranded Nigerians via buses to Yerevan, while waiting to be airlifted to Nigeria.

“The Embassy has also advised Nigerians to stay away from demonstrations, remain in safe areas, and stay glued to their phones for evacuation messages once arrangements are concluded.

“At the moment, the Embassy has concluded arrangements with bus companies to hire buses that will convey us all to the transit country, Yerevan, Armenia. However, we are awaiting permission from the transit country before moving from locations already earmarked for evacuation,” Ebienfa said.

He said to prevent complications at the crossing, the embassy was coordinating with Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs by submitting updated lists of evacuees, including personal details.

“This is to ensure a smooth passage through the border and avoid any bottlenecks.

“All hands are on deck to get permission, including for transit and final airlifting to Abuja from Yerevan, Armenia,” he stated.

Headline

Egypt, South Africa Universities Beat Nigeria At Global QS Rankings

Published

7 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

For the third year in a row, no Nigerian university has made it into the top 1,000 of the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, with the 2026 edition released on June 19, 2025, once again excluding all 297 Nigerian universities from the global elite list.

Only three Nigerian institutions were ranked at all, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

UI and UNILAG were ranked in the 1,001–1,200 band for both the 2025 and 2026 editions, while ABU appeared for the first time in the 1,201–1,400 range.

The QS World University Rankings are compiled annually by Quacquarelli Symonds and assess institutions based on eight key performance indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international student ratio, international research network, employment outcomes, and sustainability.

Despite longstanding reputations and a high number of graduates annually, Nigerian universities continue to underperform in areas such as research output, international collaboration, and employability metrics, factors that heavily influence global rankings.

Across Africa, Egypt led the continent with 20 universities on the 2026 list, followed by South Africa with 11, and Tunisia with four.

Ghana and Morocco each had two universities listed, while Kenya, Libya, Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia had one each.

Notably, the only African universities to break into the top 300 are from South Africa with University of Cape Town ranking 150th and University of Witwatersrand ranking 291st

QS World University Rankings 2026: Global Top 10

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – United States
2. Imperial College London – United Kingdom
3. Stanford University – United States
4. University of Oxford – United Kingdom
5. Harvard University – United States
6. University of Cambridge – United Kingdom
7. ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology – Switzerland
8. National University of Singapore – Singapore
9. University College London – United Kingdom
10. California Institute of Technology – United States

These institutions not only lead in research output and faculty reputation but also boast substantial international partnerships and high graduate employability scores.

Headline

Iran Nabs 22 Suspected Israeli Spies Amidst Escalating Conflict

Published

7 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

Police in Iran’s Qom province said Saturday that 22 people “linked to Israeli spy services” had been arrested since June 13, Fars news agency reported.

“22 people were identified and arrested on charges of being linked to the Zionist regime’s spy services, disturbing public opinion and supporting the criminal regime,” the agency said, citing the head of police intelligence in Iran’s Qom province.

It came after Iranian police announced the arrest on Thursday of 24 people accused of spying for Israel and of seeking to tarnish the country’s image, according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency.

A European national was also arrested for spying, Tasnim reported on Friday, without giving their nationality or the date of the arrest.

Anambra CP seeks community cooperation to nab Oko attack hoodlums
Iran regularly announces arrests of suspected spies. Several have been executed in recent weeks.

Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel, cautioning that the actual figure was likely higher.

AFP