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Aláàfin Ọ̀yọ́’s Coronation a giant leap in Yoruba renaissance – Olaopa
The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission ( FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has described the coronation of the 46th Alaafin Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, as a giant leap in Yoruba renaissance.
According to Prof. Olaopa, the coronation of a new Alaafin of Oyo is always an event that possesses social, political and cultural symbolism and significance. “This is why I deeply congratulate His Imperial Majesty, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade,, on the ascension of the throne of his fathers. This is an event whose significance transcends Yorùbáland and reverberates into the Yorùbá diaspora and the entire world where Yorùbá socio-cultural and political influence is felt,” he said.
According to Prof. Olaopa, the coronation of a new Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́ is always an event that possesses social, political and cultural symbolism and significance.
“This is why I deeply congratulate His Imperial Majesty, Ọba Abímbọlá Akeem Ọ̀wọ́adé, on the ascension of the throne of his fathers. This is an event whose significance transcends Yorùbáland and reverberates into the Yorùbá diaspora and the entire world where Yorùbá socio-cultural and political influence is felt,” he said.
This is contained in a congratulatory message Olaopa issued to celebrate the new monarch whose coronation takes place on Saturday, April 5, 2025 . To Olaopa, the new Aláàfin is “wearing big shoes not just as the successor of the charismatic and highly influential leadership of past rulers, from Aláàfin Atìbà Atọ́batẹ́lẹ̀ to the unforgettable Aláàfin Lamidi Adéyẹmí — the traditional geniuses whose deep sense of history enabled them to curate the cultural relevance of the ancients and their traditional wisdom and institutions. He is also the inheritor of the great ancient tradition and heroic achievements of the leadership accomplishments from Ọ̀rànmíyàn to Ṣàngó, those whose foresights and selfless humanism laid the foundation of the formidable Ọ̀yọ́ Empire, and a cultural philosophy that gave the idea of the ọmọlúwàbì to the world.”
For Olaopa, this ascension is therefore not a sinecure as he is confronted “with a modernising imperative that serves as the core of the urgency of facilitating a Yorùbá renaissance at home and abroad. This renaissance must be founded on the rich tapestries of Yorùbá culture and civilisation — that the Yorùbá built cities and founded dynasties; they created cultural dynamics and oversaw resilient political institutions; they conquered lands and incubate an entrepreneurial spirit that kept them on the critical frontiers of multidimensional achievements that have weathered the erosion of time. All this makes the Aláàfin a singular figure — a traditional agent of modernisation that stands at the crossroads of managing the orthodoxy of tradition while launching the Yorùbá on the path of renewed modern vigour. This is even all the more so as traditional institutions in Nigeria place the traditional ruler within the context of democratic rejuvenation and consolidation. This is because it is at the level of the traditional institutional framework that Nigeria’s local governance dynamics become clarified and revitalised.
“The Aláàfin therefore becomes a symbolic pointer to the possibility of local governance that serves also as a modernising influence on grassroots development. Yorùbá renaissance must therefore start at the level at which the Aláàfin constitutes the rallying point for Southwest socio-economic development. “
But this role as the vanguard of local governance means the Aláàfin has to first stimulate a climate of peaceful coexistence that constitutes the most significant element for socioeconomic development, starting from Afijio communities to the Òkè-Ògùn axis and rolling outward to the entire southwest as a corridor of development that builds on a climate of peace to instigate an industrialising progress that will eclipse past developmental efforts.”
For the new monarch to realise these, according to Olaopa, he must be able to “stand above the recurring adversarial relationship that seems to define the relationship between the Aláàfin and the Ọọ̀ni of Ifẹ̀. This is one historical moment when the Aláàfin needs to be meticulous and deliberate in deploying his status, as the symbol of cultural unity, to articulate a relational framework that will ensure that all cultural and political resources are harnessed towards the task of making Yorùbáland a source of exemplary leadership that undermines the depth of irrelevance to which traditional rulers and traditional institutions have been reduced in Nigeria’s contemporary socio-cultural and political reckoning.
“The ascension of the monarch will bring a cosmopolitan touch to modernise tradition for the emancipation of Oyo people. I see the coronation of His Imperial Majesty, Kábíyèsí Ọba Abímbọlá Akeem Ọ̀wọ́adé as the signal to a new beginning not just for the Ọ̀yọ́, Òkè-Ògùn and the southwest, but essentially for the injection of a youthful dose of creative and cultural innovation into Nigeria’s democratic experiment. May the reign of His Imperial Majesty, Aláyélúwà, Kábíyèsí Ọ̀wọ́adé be long and peaceful and fruitful—Àṣẹ!.”
The Yoruba Youth Socio-Cultural Association (YYSA), on Friday, also congratulated Alaafin on his coronation. This was contained in a statement signed by the National President of YYSA, Olalekan Hammed, in Ibadan, the state capital.
“We Congratulate His Imperial Majesty, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, Alaafin of Oyo on his coronation as the 46th Alaafin in the history of the ancient town,” Hammed said. He urged the new monarch to pacify aggrieved members of the Oyomesi.
“We however implore him to do everything possible soonest, to pacify and reconcile with aggrieved members of Oyomesi so that they can work together in synergy to turn things around in Oyo town,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye, who declared that all was set for the event in a statement, said the monarch urged the people to celebrate with moderation and promote peace.
“Promoting peace and communal unity is a collective responsibility of every indigene of the ancient town.
”Peace and unity are important tools for community development, as peace is a fundamental asset to building personal growth, community development and robust institutions. Peace creates an enabling environment for human capital formation and infrastructural development,” he said.
-Guardian
Entertainment
Davido breaks silence after Grammy Award loss
Five-time Grammy nominee, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted after losing the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States.
The Afrobeats star shared a message of faith and resilience following the outcome of the ceremony, which took place on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in California.
In a post on his Instagram page, Davido shared photos with his wife, Chioma, from the event and wrote, “Oluwa Dey my side,” alongside prayer and music emojis.
Hours later, he posted another set of pictures of himself and Chioma at the Grammys, reflecting on the loss in a longer caption.
“I said baby listen we lost again let’s not go ! she said ‘Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat’ we outside,” he wrote.
Chioma also reacted via her Instagram page, praising the singer, “You already know that you’re the perfect one, @davido,” she wrote, while sharing photos from the awards night.
Davido was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category at the 2026 Grammy Awards but lost to South African singer Tyla, who won with her song Push 2 Start.
Other nominees in the category included Burna Boy (Love), Ayra Starr and Wizkid (Gimme Dat), Davido (With You featuring Omah Lay), and Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin (Hope & Love).
The win marked Tyla’s second Grammy Award, following her first victory in 2024 for her hit single Water.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, the singer revealed that With You, featuring Omah Lay, almost did not make the final tracklist of his album 5IVE.
“Man, it’s so crazy because that song almost didn’t make the album. With You was not in anybody’s top five.
“And now look at it go. Every time I was performing it, my heart would just start beating like, what if I didn’t put this song?” he told OkayAfrica.
Davido also recounted how he learned about the Grammy nomination, saying the news came unexpectedly while he was in Dubai, days before his birthday.
“I was in the car, actually, checking a car, and then my phone rang. They were like, ‘Oh yeah, another nomination.’ I was like, wow. Thank God,” he said.
“With You” was released in April 2025 as the 17th track on Davido’s fifth studio album, 5IVE, and has since become one of his most successful recent records, surpassing 100 million streams on Spotify.
Despite the song’s success, Nigeria did not record a win at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Davido said he is now focused on touring and releasing new music.
He is also billed to perform at Coachella 2026, where he will be the only Nigerian artiste on the festival lineup, performing on April 11 and April 18, 2026, in Indio, California.
-Guardian
Entertainment
Kunle Afolayan gives reasons to marry many women
Nollywood filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has stirred reactions after advising men to “marry many women” while reflecting on his upbringing in a polygamous home.
The actor and producer made the remarks at the watch party of Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens, with a clip from the event going viral on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, Afolayan linked his existence and achievements to his late father’s decision to marry several wives.
“Without my father, there wouldn’t have been a KAP Village or even Kunle Afolayan. I am the seventh born of my father because my father had ten wives. For the men, marry many women, or rather be involved with many women. You know why? If my father didn’t, he would not have born me, and that is the honest truth. But today, a few of us are lifting his legacy. Life is short, death is constant. Nobody has life forever. Everybody has a period. Use your period,” he said.
While his daughter, Eyiyemi Afolayan, joined him on stage, the filmmaker compared his childhood experience with his relationship with his children.
“They are lucky. For her, staying by my side is luck. Do you know why? I couldn’t stand it with my father. My father didn’t know my school. My father didn’t know my date of birth. He did not know anything about me other than, ‘He is the son of that person.’ But today, I’m so proud of my father,” he added.
Afolayan also spoke about fatherhood.
“Sometimes when people say ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ I’m always saying whether he pays child support or not, he’s still a father. I have been going to court because I want to get a divorce. I don’t mind being in the witness box, and I experienced the shit, so that I can marry many wives,” he said.
He thereafter prayed for his daughter, praising her role in the series.
“Hephzibah, her mother is the one who gave her the name. I don’t care, but I am proud of you. You started with the film, you did the first season, and now with the second season, you did amazingly well. My good Lord will continue to increase you in wisdom, in knowledge, and in understanding. If this is your path, the good Lord will see you through.”
However, this is not the first time the filmmaker has spoken about his late father’s polygamous lifestyle.
In March 2021, Afolayan told BBC Pidgin that his father, Adeyemi Afolayan, who died in 1996, married 10 wives and had 25 children, a decision he said took a toll on the family.
“I would not want to marry many wives because my father had 10 wives and I knew what happened throughout that period. I knew that really distracted my father. In this age, nobody needs to tell you before you know what’s right,” he said at the time.
He also disclosed that growing up in a polygamous home affected bonding among the children due to language and other barriers.
Afolayan further narrated how he battled poverty in his early years, revealing that he once lived in a one-room apartment in Ebute-Metta and sometimes had to deal with flooding.
“I was born in Ebute-Metta and have lived in one-room apartment before that we even have to grapple with flood sometimes. It’s not shame to say have been poor before. But if you see how l made it, it’s a matter of consistency. My father was a very popular filmmaker and ordinarily, people would expect me to life the kind of live akin to Hollywood stars,” he said.
“But that wasn’t the case. How would one live such life when you’re living in a room with ten women. That doesn’t mean there was no love among us.”
He had advised young filmmakers to start with the little resources available to them while working towards their dreams.
-Guardian
Article
Court adjourns Ganduje’s corruption trial to April 15
A Kano State High Court has adjourned until April 15 the trial of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and son, Abdullahi Umar, alongside five other defendants, over alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to billions of naira.
The defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The remaining accused persons are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
At the resumed hearing, the prosecution told the court it was ready to proceed and drew attention to a motion dated November 24, 2025, seeking leave to file additional proof of evidence.
However, defence lawyers raised objections, informing the court that multiple applications were pending and must be resolved before the trial could continue.
Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, counsel to some of the defendants, said the defence had filed a motion dated July 17, 2025, seeking a stay of proceedings.
Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, also referred to a separate motion dated May 23, 2025.
In addition, Muhammad Shehu, counsel to the fifth defendant, told the court that an affidavit had been filed notifying it of a pending application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
Abubakar Ahmad, counsel to the sixth defendant, informed the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and an application for extension of time to respond on points of law dated February 2, urging the court to fix a date for hearing.
Only Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, indicated readiness to proceed with the trial.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, adjourned the matter to April 15 for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.
The trial has suffered repeated delays due to legal challenges. The high court had earlier dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defence as “incompetent” and affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the case.
That ruling was appealed by the defendants, who argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. However, in October 2025, the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal struck out the appeal, citing failure to properly transmit the record of appeal.
-Guardian
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