Author: Abiodun KOMOLAFE

The illustrious 42-year reign of Oba (Dr.) Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, the 40th Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, has come to a close. As we bid farewell to this venerable monarch, may his soul rest in peace, free from worldly burdens! May God comfort the people of Ijesaland and grant them solace during this difficult time! Oba Aromolaran was installed on Saturday, February 20, 1982. His remarkable journey came to a close on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. His illustrious reign beckons us to contemplate the transience of human existence and the impermanence of earthly authority. I had a personal connection to Aromolaran’s…

My first encounter with Adegboyega Oyetola, then Chief of Staff to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, occurred in 2014 during the buildup to the Osun governorship election, where Aregbesola sought reelection on the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket. Today, Oyetola serves as the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy. “And reckon (people) by the number of years, so that they may understand.” (Quran 18:19). My second and most enduring encounter with Oyetola commenced in October 2016, when I was appointed Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media by Aregbesola. I later continued to serve under Governor Oyetola in the same capacity from December…

Governance requires effective time management to thrive. Unfortunately, political systems often waste this precious resource, compromising citizens’ well-being and national prosperity. As a universal currency, time is equally distributed but unequally valued, with marginalized communities frequently bearing the brunt of temporal inefficiencies. At the politics-time intersection, power dynamics emerge, shaping lives through prioritization, policy and resource allocation. To maximize productivity, strategies like prioritization and goal-setting are crucial, lest poor management leads to missed deadlines and lost opportunities. Historically, societies aligned tasks with natural rhythms, highlighting the tension between short-term gains and long-term benefits, thus underscoring the need for intentional time…

According to the World Tourism Organization, tourism generates over $1 trillion in exports annually, creating millions of jobs and stimulating local economies. Be that as it may, it is important to note that Nigeria’s vast growth and development opportunities are being overlooked due to a lack of vision and self-centeredness on the part of its successive leaders, ultimately hindering the greater good and benefiting only a privileged few. This issue pervades all levels of government, from state to local, with authorities neglecting their duties to harness the potential of natural attractions for promotion and development. The plight of Erin Ijesa…

Nigeria is at the moment in a precarious position, teetering like a heavy toddler due to the instability of its monocrop economy. The country’s heavy dependence on crude (not even refined) petroleum exports exposes a cumulative effect of defective political economies and the complacency of the ruling elite “who have been trained as to how not to think”. It also reminds one of the stage-like observations of Robert Nester Marley, that “amid water, the fool goes thirsty”. Nigeria’s reliance on oil can be diversified, but the elite’s mindset stands in the way. A notable example is Mexico’s Acapulco, which transformed…

Assuming no unforeseen circumstances, Dangote Refinery is expected to make its first delivery of refined premium motor spirit, PMS, to the Nigerian market by September 2024. The Federal Government has also announced that sales of crude oil to Dangote and other local refineries will begin on October 1, 2024. To address concerns about pump prices and dollar-naira exchange rates, the Federal Executive Council approved a plan. The plan offers 450,000 barrels for domestic consumption in naira to Nigerian refineries, with Dangote Refinery as the pilot. To begin with, this directive to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) marks a…

“Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain forever a child.” – Cicero, 46 B.C. Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC-43 BC), renowned statesman, lawyer, philosopher, poet and ‘the greatest forensic orator Rome ever produced’, was right! We have to go into the past to understand today! The present conundrum in the National Assembly highlights just how far we have departed from many rational definitions of public service. It wasn’t always like this! From the early 1950s, with the commencement of self-rule in the regions and at the centre, parliamentarians were on allowances. This is because there…

“I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens”. These were the words of President Bola Tinubu in a broadcast to the nation on the now-suspended #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests. Among other things, the protests have highlighted the plight of Nigeria’s forgotten poor, who are not just passive bystanders but active voices demanding change. The brief nature of this outcry finds its flow in the poor’s ability to sustain their demands and hold their…

Last Sunday, President Bola Tinubu addressed the nation amid #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protests, expressing sorrow over lost lives and urging peace. He defended his economic reforms, highlighted progress and unveiled initiatives for youth empowerment, housing and food security. Nevertheless, his address sparked a range of responses, and indeed, it received mixed reactions, with critics saying he didn’t address root causes and others commending his efforts to tackle challenges. The government’s subsidy removal and allied policies have had a mixed impact. They’ve increased government revenue, attracted private investment, and reduced fiscal burden. However, these policies have also led to higher fuel prices, increased…

On Saturday, August 3, 2024, the funeral service for the late Mrs. Aderoju Janet Akinyemi will take place at the Cathedral Church of St. James the Great, Oke Bola, Ibadan, Oyo State. The ceremony will be followed by the committal of her mortal remains to Mother Earth. We invite friends, family and loved ones to join us as we bid farewell to an inspirational figure. Aderoju, wife of The Most Reverend Michael Olukayode Akinyemi, the Retired Archbishop of Kwara Province and Bishop of Igbomina Diocese (Anglican Communion), passed away in the United States of America on May 15, 2024. A…

The trend of endorsing governors for a second term has gained significant momentum. This trend is particularly noteworthy in the context of Nigeria’s political landscape, where endorsements can make or break a candidate’s chances of winning. In various states, governors have received endorsements from diverse groups and individuals. For instance, Governor Peter Mba of Enugu State secured the backing of the Northern Community in Enugu, while Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has earned the endorsement of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, barely a year into his tenure. On October 22, 2023, former Governors Adeniyi Adebayo, Ayo…

Right now, the Yorubas must have to build a leadership that honours their legacy. Again, remember the treaty that ended the Kiriji War, which sparked a rebirth in learning and progressive thinking! This led to a thirst for education, resulting in an explosion of investments in community scholarships, sponsoring individuals to pursue higher education and the establishment of numerous primary and secondary schools. These efforts contributed significantly to the economic development of the Lagos Colony, driven by Yoruba entrepreneurship both within the colony and from the hinterland, as captured in the 1920 publication, ‘The Red Book of West Africa’. This…

Available records show that the first public electricity generation took place at Pearl Street Station in New York in 1882 and that electricity generation in Nigeria began in Lagos in 1886. Therefore, one can safely say that this year marks the 142nd anniversary of commercial electricity globally. It also means that all this talk about artificial intelligence as if the world wants to come to an end is the same way the world looked at electricity as a game changer almost a century and a half years ago. Put simply, railways were the game changers of an era before electricity…

We are in a time of pronounced change of thinking in a positive direction in Nigeria after decades of misadventures. To support this change, we must focus on the key policies and drivers of reform to assist them in their endeavours. A crucial aspect of this transformation is transitioning from a consumption-based economy to one driven by productivity, essential for achieving sustainable development. To achieve this, there is an urgent need for the prioritization of revenue collection to redirect Nigeria’s very economic foundation. While we may not subscribe to the ‘great man theory of history’, the individual chosen to drive…

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the 2026 Ekiti and Osun governorship elections are less than 27 and 28 months respectively. In Osun State, it is believed in the All Progressives Congress (APC) family circle that former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s tendency worked for the then Candidate, now Governor Ademola Adeleke and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 2022 election. Prominent among this tendency were Wale Bolorunduro and Kolapo Alimi who eventually became the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment. On the flip side, it is also believed that a major tendency in the PDP, as represented by the Shuaib Oyedokuns…

There is a ticking time bomb in Kano and President Bola Tinubu has to move in quickly in a statesmanlike way to diffuse it. f centuries of upholding the tradition have brought peace to the ancient city just as we have in Ibadan, why uproot hundreds of years of history? Of course, that’s why Abdullahi Ganduje, the immediate past governor of Kano State, has to accept responsibility because he triggered this crisis. Like it or lump it, Governor Abba Yusuf and former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso also played politics. But then, Yusuf didn’t hide it, that he would remove Aminu Ado…

Let’s come to the issues of recruitment and selection. All over the world, leadership is what changes history. Think of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, led by leftist revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, aka, Vladimir Lenin, and come to terms with the fact that followership is just extras in a movie! Or, was it ‘the people’ or a determined leadership comprising a few people like Awolowo, who made the deserved changes during the Action Group days? Was it ‘the people’ who built Ghana’s Volta Dam as a testimony of tenacity and human courage for which Kwame Nkrumah was ultimately sacrificed? In…

There is a problem with the institutional framework in which the Nigerian state as presently constituted is based. To have democracy, good governance and credible elections, there must be institutional reforms and great accountability in government. The three are interwoven, only that we tend to think that democracy is all about elections. In any case, the fact that those ingredients are currently missing is an indication that Nigeria still has a long way to go. After all, without democracy and governance, there can’t be credible elections. To put it politely, Nigeria, even as we speak, has very weak institutions, and…

The trajectory of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has always been in the news for negative reasons. For instance, among its past Directors-General, we have those who have faced corruption charges in the law courts. But the new helmsman, Anthony Ekundayo Mobereola, has a high reputation for integrity, performance, and delivery on expectations. He has renewed hope amongst the maritime stakeholders that the organization’s ship will be redirected along the right path. People who have interfaced with Mobereola have spoken glowingly about his high value for professionalism, vision, patience, and a striking resemblance to public etiquette in…

The purported ranking of states by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), based on their performance in the 2023 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), is the focus of this piece. In the said publication, ‘Lagos State, which hosts many private schools and is home to virtually all Nigerians, is in the 6th position. The next Southwest state is Ekiti, in the 11th position. Others are Ondo: 13th; Ogun: 19th; Oyo: 26th; and Osun: 29th. Edo State came 3rd. Even Kwara State out-performed most of the Southwest states as it clinched the 18th position.’ WAEC has since denied “any association”…