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The Okeho Exodus: A Review

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THE OKEHO Exodus Akeem Akinniyi

By Akeem Akinniyi

Playwright: Olutayo Irantiola

Publisher: Peo Davies Communications

Year of Publication: 2022

Reviewer: Akeem Akinniyi

Olutayo Irantiola’s The Okeho Exodus is a historical play set in 1916 but written in a modern-day language and filled with elements that will not alienate a reader in these present times. The play revisits the past of the descendants of Okeho, who resettled among the hills along with ten villages to stem the tide of invasion by the Dahomey and Fulanis. What follows are intrigues of betrayal and bastardisation of culture by colonialists, which eventually leads to the tragic end of not only the king but the loss of the town’s sovereignty to the colonial masters.

The theme of betrayal dominates the play, and the only character who survives it is Oba Arilesire, who built a harmonious home of settlers which sets the tone for successive kings before the turn of Onjo Olukitibi.

The emergence of Captain Ross and his fellow conquerors in Okeho with their laws and subjugation of the people leads to distrust among the chiefs and sets the plot to oust the king, Onjo Olukitibi.

A wave of betrayal rises among the chiefs who think Onjo Olukintibi has sold them out to the colonialists referred to as ‘Ajele’ (a Yoruba word for usurpers). The internecine fighting grows beyond the borders of Okeho and extends to other towns as Balogun Olele seeks allies from far and within against the king.

In the end, the king is captured and annihilated along with his family. Captain Ross avenges the death of the king, and attacks and arrests the unerring chiefs to bring law and order to Okeho, thereby establishing the sovereignty of the colonial masters.

The play deploys antithesis effectively to strike a balance in the events as well as the lives of the characters and the passing of the years. Oba Arilesire’s reign is filled with harmonious living and unity among the people. He would go on to die peacefully in his sleep. This is contrasting to the reign of Onjo Olukintibi whose reign ends in disarray with mistrust in the air and would later die agonizingly in the hands of his own people.

Another is the replacement of invaders; at first, it is the Fulanis and Dahomeys whose aggression make the people of Okeho flee to the new place. Little had they settled down when the colonialists invaded their space, and sadly, it will result in their return to the place they left earlier.

The challenges of colonialism to traditional laws and customs are symbolized by the emergence of Captain Ross whose influence and power conflicted with Onjo Olukintibi, thereby reducing his relevance before the people. His authority is challenged, and as Captain Ross’ influence grows, Olukitibi’s stature shrinks.

The people of Okeho begin to see him as the puppet of the white man. An example is the statement of Oladunni (41) “The reign of Olukitibi is already disheartening. We have never experienced this in Okeho Ahoro, I have been watching with keen interest, and I am getting to lose hope in his leadership abilities. People have been saying that Olukitibi was not the right person to be crowned, he was imposed on us by the colonial masters. But will the kingmakers and the oracle lie?”

The theme of betrayal echoes throughout the book, and it is expressed in many ways. Jinjin represents the modern, inquisitive, and courageous woman who believes in equality. She also represents the Biblical Eve, whose inquisitiveness led to the fall of man through her desire to partake in the Oro traditions. A Yoruba cult tradition that forbids the participation of women. She never hides her intent to break all patriarchal foundations (25):

Jinjin: My right to social equality, freedom of association and speech. I want to know more about Oro. If it was an entirely sacred thing, men should also stay out of the rituals.

To achieve her husband, Olojomo’s commitment to making her participate, she weaponises sex, and the poor man submits to her guiles: “Yes, my mind is at rest now.  I am sure that I would soon partake of the ritual, and we would break all the limitations that have been set by many generations” ” (63).  Olojomo would go on to get her involved in the ritual, a flaw that ridicules his legacy in the Oro cult leading to his disgrace from the group by fellow initiates who considered his actions a betrayal of trust.

Another female character of note is Oladunni, who challenges the status quo of the submissive housewife who must accept everything that her husband dishes out to her. She broke patriarchal norms by talking back at her husband Oga Akooda (37) who in a state of excitement and drunkenness about the Oro festival insults her father which she replied accordingly and disrespectfully. The husband chases her with the intent to beat her and, instead of being apologetic, tries to give reasons for his uncouth behaviour. (38)

Oga Akioda: She has to swallow those words if not, there won’t be peace any longer in this house. She thought I was tipsy and could not reason well.

Oladunni: I will go to the court of Ross. You will learn lessons. I cannot tolerate you any longer. You are a violent man. (He wants to chase her again, but Akoda holds him).

The court of Ross is the court of the white man which allows room for divorce. This can be seen as a breakaway from the cultural norm of family and community elders settling marital conflicts. It reflects a subjugation of traditional authority. Some of the little cracks that, bit by bit collapse the wall of traditions and customs.

The playwright makes use of songs to communicate and express the mood. The language, though direct, is sometimes riddled with too much Yoruba aided by code-mixing and translations that somehow belabour the point. Some scenes appear intrusive, as we have during the choice of kingship. Above all, the playwright achieves his aim of telling an ancient story to a modern audience by reflecting on the effects of colonialism and its attendant evils of erosion of cultures and abuse of power.

Akinniyi Akeem is an advertising copywriter with one of the leading PR agencies in Nigeria. He enjoys the art of writing, and in his spare time, he loves to delight the blank page with poetry and short stories. 

Education

JAMB to Review 2025 UTME Results Amid Looming Lawsuit, Public Outcry

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JAMB Registrar Ishaq-Oloyede

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered an immediate review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) following public outcry over technical glitches and threats of lawsuits.

The board, in a statement issued by its Public Communication Advisor, Mr Fabian Benjamin, acknowledged what it described as an “unusual volume of complaints” since the release of the UTME results last Friday.

Last week, JAMB announced that over 1.5 million out of the 1.9 million candidates that sat for the 2025 exercise scored below 200 out of the total 400 marks.

It said the development had prompted it to fast-track its annual post-examination review process, which typically takes place months after the exercise.

“We are particularly concerned about the unusual complaints originating from a few states within the federation. We are currently scrutinising these complaints in detail to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” the statement read.

The spokesperson explained that the annual review covers three stages of the UTME cycle—registration, examination, and result release, adding that if any faults are found in the system, JAMB would not hesitate to implement “appropriate remedial measures.”

“To assist in this process, we have engaged a number of experts, including members from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Chief External Examiners, who are heads of tertiary institutions, the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa, measurement experts, and Vice Chancellors from various institutions,” he said.

The exam board noted that “If it is determined that there were indeed glitches, we will implement appropriate remedial measures promptly, as we do in the case of the examinations themselves.”

This development comes amid reports that thousands of candidates are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against the Board over the alleged irregularities that led to mass failure.

The chief executive of Educare, Mr Alex Onyia, has commenced legal proceeding with almost 9,000 affected students by the issue on board, saying the demand is for JAMB to show students their mark sheets to view their results and enforce more transparency.

Many claim they encountered technical malfunctions and inconsistent question displays during the examination and this has sparked conversation on social media

In reaction, the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, attributed the mass failure to the efficacy of JAMB’s anti-malpractice technology.

He defended the results, stating that the board’s computer-based testing system “had made cheating nearly impossible” and should be extended to other national examinations such as WAEC and NECO.

JAMB Registrar, Mr Ishaq Oloyede, also dismissed claims that the 2025 results were unprecedented, pointing out that similar performance trends have been recorded in previous years.

Despite the registrar’s defence, pressure continues to mount on the Board, with widespread calls for transparency and fairness in the marking and result collation processes.

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Education

Prof Chris Piwuna Emerges Next ASUU President

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Chris Piwuna

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Professor Chris Piwuna has been elected as the next president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), replacing Professor Emmanuel Osodeke.

The new ASUU chief was elected at the 23rd National Delegates Congress of the group in Benin City, Edo State on Sunday.

He is a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Plateau State, and won the exercise contested alongside Professor Adamu Babayo of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

The ASUU president is also the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos.

His predecessor is a Professor of Soil Science from the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State.

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Education

Dangote Offers Automatic Jobs to Best Graduating Students of ADUSTECH Kano

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ADUSTECH Kano Dangote

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The best graduating students of the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil (ADUSTECH), Kano State have been assured automatic jobs.

This gesture was from Mr Aliko Dangote, who was reappointed as the Chancellor of the tertiary institution. He also donated N15 billion to the school during its 5th convocation ceremony.

In his speech, the businessman charged the university to be repositioned to lead the race of producing cutting edge research and highly skilled manpower that meets the requirements of market demands, industries and real problem solvers in the Nigerian society.

“It is in this vein that I wish to use this opportunity to announce the launch of the 5-year development plan which I envision for this institution.

“Over the next five years, we will commit the sum of N15 billion to the following projects: the design and construction of additional student hostels; the design and construction of a world class Engineering Lab; the design and construction of a world class multipurpose computer lab -open to all students of the institution which will also be equipped with 24-hour internet access to support academic research and the installation of a mini-solar plant to support access to power on campus,” the chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) said.

“We also undertake to design and construct a befitting Senate building that will house the administration of this institution.

“Finally, we will also reserve post-NYSC employment slots for the best performing graduates in Engineering and other related courses that form part of our areas of interest at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Plant and Dangote Cement Plants,” he added.

Mr Dangote said the funding for such an institution places a significant burden on the government, which is why, through ADF, it was able to offset the university’s electricity bill to ease the strain on their finances.

“Additionally, to support the infrastructural drive of the University, we built two blocks of Male and Female Hostels with 500 bed spaces each.

“We also ensured the availability of electricity in a specialized university like ours for continuous teaching, learning and research, via the connection of the university to a 33KVA line, and provided a 2.5 MVA transformer and six (6) step-down transformers. This, I believe, has gone a long way in solving the energy needs of the university,” Mr Dangote stated.

He, therefore, congratulated the vision of those who dreamt of the institution 25 years ago.

“An institution that began with a student population of 88 today has a population of more than 21,877 students and this combined convocation has a total of about 18,000 graduates. This is indeed a milestone,” he added.

In his address, Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf of Kano State commended Mr Dangote for contributing financially and morally towards the development of the University, adding that, “All of us will continue to remember you as a visionary and African illustrious industrialist.”

The school’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Musa Tukur Yakasa, said 18,000 students were being celebrated during the convocation ceremony, having graduated from the university in the last 10 years to date.

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