Feature/OPED
Oba of Lagos Rebuffs Ooni of Ife: Appraising the Aftereffects
By Omoshola Deji
Civilization and modern forms of governance have drastically diminished the power and authority of monarchs. Fading, not faded, our hidden admiration for primordial values sustains the influence of monarchs on government and the governed.
Monarchs currently have no constitutional role, but their grassroots prominence generates patronage from virtually all holders of public office, industrialists and dignitaries. This patronage vindicates the presence of monarchs in social and state functions.
The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi’s presence at a function recently produced a much-needed distraction. Just when Nigerians were ardently debating President Buhari’s healthiness and his ability to rule, the video of a royal discord between two Yoruba monarchs diverted public attention like an orchestrated political gimmick. Summarily, the public was enraged that the Oba of Lagos dare rebuff the Ooni of Ife.
Although different scholarly and historical account of the Yoruba race exists, the Ooni of Ife is widely acknowledged as the supreme Yoruba monarch. The Oba of Lagos is not rated among the leading monarchs. As ranked by the Alake of Egba, the top five royals in Yoruba land are the Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo, the Oba of Benin, the Alake of Egba and the Awujale of Ijebu respectively. To bring you up to speed, a narration of what transpired in the viral video is necessary.
In accordance with the Yoruba regal heritage, some royal guards’ were eulogizing the Ooni while others hastily cleaned his reserved seat. Admiringly, people loosen their neck strings to catch a glimpse of the Ooni’s majestic entry to the occasion.
Humbly and commendably, Ooni Adeyeye exchanged pleasantries with a seated monarch and was he warmly welcomed. Upon approaching the Oba of Lagos, the Ooni, an earthly king of kings, was snubbed in the most absurd manner. He was publicly rebuffed like a mere slave or palace guard.
In shock, Nigerians, especially the Yoruba’s, couldn’t rationalize the courage behind Oba Akiolu’s action. Could it be because Oba Akiolu (74) is older than Ooni Adeyeye (42)? No, that’s not cogent! Similar to the police and army, the rank of a king’s ancestral dominion determines superiority, not age.
Frightened by the overwhelming public outrage and condemnation, Oba Akiolu issued a statement denying that he snubbed Ooni Adeyeye. One of the Lagos white cap chief, Lateef Ajose, proclaims that the snub is “the culturally acclaimed way of greeting by a Lagos monarch” and Oba Akiolu is “basically trying to revive the culture and tradition of ancient Lagos”.
This fabricated response dampens the spirit of Nigerians that, like politicians, monarchs are fast going political in reasoning, actions and reactions. The general feeling on social media was that Oba Akiolu’s damage control strategy of rationalizing insult as Lagos tradition was an afterthought. It is ignoble that rather than apologize, the Lagos monarch chose to diabolically wrap his wrongs around culture and tradition revival.
Appalling, his rhetoric magnetizes all the trappings of a political rejoinder. More to the point, the sharp snub and glaring hostility captured in the video negates Oba Akiolu’s defense.
Even if culture is to be revived, welcoming the Ooni at a public function should not be the take-off point. Indeed, there is more to it than meets the eye. On how many occasions has Oba Akiolu greeted dignitaries with a snub, especially in public, before the cameras? In this modern age, would he have welcomed President Trump or Queen Elizabeth to Lagos with such a hostile attitude and snub? Please recall that despite the fact that President Buhari is a Muslim and would not shake hands with his female aides, he cheerfully shook hands with the Queen of England and the Chancellor of Germany. Manifestly, the genuine reason of actions resides only in the mind of the actor.
Since Oba Akiolu’s guilefully redefines his unruly behaviour as cultural revival, examining his past deeds would be a credible means of determining whether he could have intentionally snubbed the Ooni or not. Based on facts in the public domain, unlike most Nigerian monarchs, Oba Akiolu is vocal, temperamental and politically sentimental.
In the heat of the 2015 gubernatorial election in Lagos State, the Eze Ndigbos (Igbo traditional rulers) in Lagos state paid a courtesy visit to Oba Akiolu. At the meeting, the monarch ordered all Igbos in Lagos state to vote for Akinwunmi Ambode, his anointed candidate. Vibrating with anger, Akiolu threatened that anyone who flouts his order would perish in the lagoon. The monarch boasted that he owns Lagos; he handpicked Ambode and; he (Ambode) must govern Lagos for eight years (two terms).
The national tabloids quoted Akiolu as saying “If anyone of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard”.
The monarch further threatened that “I am not ready to beg you, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the person is going to die inside this water”.
In a country of laws, it would be interesting to watch Oba Akiolu dump the Igbos into the lagoon if Ambode had not triumphed. You may term Akiolu’s statement a mere threat, but recall that a similar inciting statement made by the Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, fuelled xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Won’t Nigeria shatter if Ambode had lost the election and his supporters angrily began to murder the Igbos?
Before you resolve that Oba Akiolu’s action in 2015 was a mistake, please recall that he recently vowed at the inauguration of the Nigerian Women against Corruption Initiative that he would work against former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition. All things considered, Akiolu’s vow would have held water if Nigeria is limited to his kingdom.
Moreover, if Akiolu’s relentless attacks on Atiku were often credible and pro-masses, most Nigerians would have probably subscribed to his views, but, unfortunately, his rants were purely vengeance-seeking.
At a stakeholders meeting in Victoria Island, Lagos, Akiolu accused Atiku, Daura and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts of facilitating his dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force in 2002. He argued that his dismissal from service was a plot to ensure the PDP wins the 2003 elections in Lagos State.
Evidently, Oba Akiolu is more of an electoral warrior and political godfather than monarch. Being human, most monarchs have their political preference, but are often careful not to appear politically biased. They strategically play safe, so that if their preferred candidate is not elected and power change hands, they (monarchs) can easily switch allegiance and dance to the new political rhythm.
In all likelihood, most of the individuals that Oba Akiolu had ridiculed with his ego and temper have tolerated him based on their respect for royalty.
For Akiolu, a less significant monarch and beneficiary of ‘royal immunity’, to now ridicule Ooni Ogunwusi, the overall leader of the Yoruba race, is unacceptable and condemnable. The catastrophic aftereffect of Akiolu’s snub is best presented in literal fiction (read slowly to grasp).
Once upon a time, there were three brothers that hardly agree on anything; they terribly hate themselves. By order of birth, James is the first born, Jack is second and Jude is the third/last born.
According to their culture and tradition, once a man dies, the immediate junior brother owns the corpse and determines how it would be buried. While working on his farm, James was bitten by a poisonous snake, he fell sick and died. By right, James’ corpse belongs to Jack and he has the liberty to bury it as he wish. Based on the never-ending hatred, Jack announced that James’ corpse be sliced and fed to the vultures. People persuaded Jack to have a rethink but he refused.
For the first time in that village, human flesh was sliced and fed to the vultures. Obviously, Jack thought he has perfectly humiliated his brother because of the hatred between them. Unfortunately for Jack, he has forgotten that such hatred also exists between him and Jude and he had indirectly taught Jude the best way to handle the corpse of hated brother.
The crucial message in this fiction is that we all must always use our discretion and power intelligently. Wise is the man who first orated that ‘what goes round comes round’. If Oba Akiolu fails to act cautiously and the powers-that-be fails to caution him, the law of Karma never fails.
Oba Akiolu must be reminded that today’s action is tomorrow’s history. He has set a bad example and indirectly taught other low-class monarchs that the best way to treat a revered monarch in public is to be rude. Therefore, no one should be surprised if a third class king from Ekiti State (best to use a PDP state) snubs or hiss at Oba Akiolu at a public event and later claim it is culture and tradition revival. To be honest, if the Sultan of Sokoto or the Obi of Onitsha snubs the Ooni of Ife in public, Oba Akiolu would most likely be the first to condemn such act and label it an insult to the Yoruba nation.
It is evident and non-negotiable that for Oba Akiolu to reclaim the admiration of Nigerians, especially that of the Yoruba extraction, he must melt his ego and apologize to the Ooni of Ife.
Arise, O compatriot Akiolu, humbleness call obey.
Omoshola Deji is a political and public affairs analyst. He wrote in via [email protected]
By Luke Kyohere
The global payments landscape is undergoing a rapid transformation. New technologies coupled with the rising demand for seamless, secure, and efficient transactions has spurred on an exciting new era of innovation and growth. With 2025 fast approaching, here are important trends that will shape the future of payments:
1. The rise of real-time payments
Until recently, real-time payments have been used in Africa for cross-border mobile money payments, but less so for traditional payments. We are seeing companies like Mastercard investing in this area, as well as central banks in Africa putting focus on this.
2. Cashless payments will increase
In 2025, we will see the continued acceleration of cashless payments across Africa. B2B payments in particular will also increase. Digital payments began between individuals but are now becoming commonplace for larger corporate transactions.
3. Digital currency will hit mainstream
In the cryptocurrency space, we will see an increase in the use of stablecoins like United States Digital Currency (USDC) and Tether (USDT) which are linked to US dollars. These will come to replace traditional cryptocurrencies as their price point is more stable. This year, many countries will begin preparing for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), government-backed digital currencies which use blockchain.
The increased uptake of digital currencies reflects the maturity of distributed ledger technology and improved API availability.
4. Increased government oversight
As adoption of digital currencies will increase, governments will also put more focus into monitoring these flows. In particular, this will centre on companies and banks rather than individuals. The goal of this will be to control and occasionally curb runaway foreign exchange (FX) rates.
5. Business leaders buy into AI technology
In 2025, we will see many business leaders buying into AI through respected providers relying on well-researched platforms and huge data sets. Most companies don’t have the budget to invest in their own research and development in AI, so many are now opting to ‘buy’ into the technology rather than ‘build’ it themselves. Moreover, many businesses are concerned about the risks associated with data ownership and accuracy so buying software is another way to avoid this risk.
6. Continued AI Adoption in Payments
In payments, the proliferation of AI will continue to improve user experience and increase security. To detect fraud, AI is used to track patterns and payment flows in real-time. If unusual activity is detected, the technology can be used to flag or even block payments which may be fraudulent.
When it comes to user experience, we will also see AI being used to improve the interface design of payment platforms. The technology will also increasingly be used for translation for international payment platforms.
7. Rise of Super Apps
To get more from their platforms, mobile network operators are building comprehensive service platforms, integrating multiple payment experiences into a single app. This reflects the shift of many users moving from text-based services to mobile apps. Rather than offering a single service, super apps are packing many other services into a single app. For example, apps which may have previously been used primarily for lending, now have options for saving and paying bills.
8. Business strategy shift
Recent major technological changes will force business leaders to focus on much shorter prediction and reaction cycles. Because the rate of change has been unprecedented in the past year, this will force decision-makers to adapt quickly, be decisive and nimble.
As the payments space evolves, businesses, banks, and governments must continually embrace innovation, collaboration, and prioritise customer needs. These efforts build a more inclusive, secure, and efficient payment system that supports local to global economic growth – enabling true financial inclusion across borders.
Luke Kyohere is the Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Onafriq
In a heartfelt statement released today, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has extended its warmest congratulations to Ghana’s President-Elect, emphasizing the importance of learning from Ghana’s recent electoral success as Nigeria gears up for its 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade James Ezema, the CNPP highlighted the need for Nigeria to reclaim its status as a leader in democratic governance in Africa.
“The recent victory of Ghana’s President-Elect is a testament to the maturity and resilience of Ghana’s democracy,” the CNPP stated. “As we celebrate this achievement, we must reflect on the lessons that Nigeria can learn from our West African neighbour.”
The CNPP’s message underscored the significance of free, fair, and credible elections, a standard that Ghana has set and one that Nigeria has previously achieved under former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. “It is high time for Nigeria to reclaim its position as a beacon of democracy in Africa,” the CNPP asserted, calling for a renewed commitment to the electoral process.
Central to CNPP’s message is the insistence that “the will of the people must be supreme in Nigeria’s electoral processes.” The umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in Nigeria CNPP emphasized the necessity of an electoral system that genuinely reflects the wishes of the Nigerian populace. “We must strive to create an environment where elections are free from manipulation, violence, and intimidation,” the CNPP urged, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take decisive action to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
The CNPP also expressed concern over premature declarations regarding the 2027 elections, stating, “It is disheartening to note that some individuals are already announcing that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock in 2027. This kind of statement not only undermines the democratic principles that our nation holds dear but also distracts from the pressing need for the current administration to earn the trust of the electorate.”
The CNPP viewed the upcoming elections as a pivotal moment for Nigeria. “The 2027 general elections present a unique opportunity for Nigeria to reclaim its position as a leader in democratic governance in Africa,” it remarked. The body called on all stakeholders — including the executive, legislature, judiciary, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and civil society organisations — to collaborate in ensuring that elections are transparent, credible, and reflective of the will of the Nigerian people.
As the most populous African country prepares for the 2027 elections, the CNPP urged all Nigerians to remain vigilant and committed to democratic principles. “We must work together to ensure that our elections are free from violence, intimidation, and manipulation,” the statement stated, reaffirming the CNPP’s commitment to promoting a peaceful and credible electoral process.
In conclusion, the CNPP congratulated the President-Elect of Ghana and the Ghanaian people on their remarkable achievements.
“We look forward to learning from their experience and working together to strengthen democracy in our region,” the CNPP concluded.
By Kenechukwu Aguolu
The proposed tax reform, involving four tax bills introduced by the Federal Government, has received significant criticism. Notably, it was rejected by the Governors’ Forum but was still forwarded to the National Assembly. Unlike the various bold economic decisions made by this government, concessions will likely need to be made on these tax reforms, which involve legislative amendments and therefore cannot be imposed by the executive. This article highlights the purposes of taxation, the qualities of a good tax system, and some of the implications of the proposed tax reforms.
One of the major purposes of taxation is to generate revenue for the government to finance its activities. A good tax system should raise sufficient revenue for the government to fund its operations, and support economic and infrastructural development. For any country to achieve meaningful progress, its tax-to-GDP ratio should be at least 15%. Currently, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is less than 11%. The proposed tax reforms aim to increase this ratio to 18% within the next three years.
A good tax system should also promote income redistribution and equality by implementing progressive tax policies. In line with this, the proposed tax reforms favour low-income earners. For example, individuals earning less than one million naira annually are exempted from personal income tax. Additionally, essential goods and services such as food, accommodation, and transportation, which constitute a significant portion of household consumption for low- and middle-income groups, are to be exempted from VAT.
In addition to equality, a good tax system should ensure equity and fairness, a key area of contention surrounding the proposed reforms. If implemented, the amendments to the Value Added Tax could lead to a significant reduction in the federal allocation for some states; impairing their ability to finance government operations and development projects. The VAT amendments should be holistically revisited to promote fairness and national unity.
The establishment of a single agency to collect government taxes, the Nigeria Revenue Service, could reduce loopholes that have previously resulted in revenue losses, provided proper controls are put in place. It is logically easier to monitor revenue collection by one agency than by multiple agencies. However, this is not a magical solution. With automation, revenue collection can be seamless whether it is managed by one agency or several, as long as monitoring and accountability measures are implemented effectively.
The proposed tax reforms by the Federal Government are well-intentioned. However, all concerns raised by Nigerians should be looked into, and concessions should be made where necessary. Policies are more effective when they are adapted to suit the unique characteristics of a nation, rather than adopted wholesale. A good tax system should aim to raise sufficient revenue, ensure equitable income distribution, and promote equality, equity, and fairness.
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