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Historians, Others Gather in Lagos to Discuss Afonja
Historians, Others Gather in Lagos to Discuss Afonja
Discussion on Yoruba history especially as it concerns Afonja, a onetime Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Oyo Empire, will be at the front burner at MUSON Center, Lagos this Sunday, as historians and top culture enthusiasts, including a leading Yoruba Storyteller and Cinematographer, Tunde Kelani, take a look at Yoruba history and life and times of Afonja and Alaafin of Oyo – Aole Arogangan.
The roundtable talk is being organised to launch a book –Afonja: The Rise, written by Tunde Leye, a former Banker and former staff of Interswitch, whose person for writing has produced four good books.
The Literary community in Nigeria will be well represented at the launch. The book will be reviewed by one of the eminent voices in the Arts in Nigeria, Molara Wood, the erstwhile Arts and Culture Editor of Next newspaper
Mrs Elizabeth Ajayi, a former Chief Lecturer of History at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, who fact checked the book, will be on the panel of discussion. The penal will also have one of the custodians of Yoruba culture, Mr. Tunde Kelani of Mainframe Productions.
Popular musician, Aduke will be on ground to spice up the the eventful evening which will also feature live performance of “Spoken Words” by RezThapoet.
According to the author of the book, the discussion is being organised to further give hindsight into the history of the Yoruba before the colonial masters came to give the people alternative government.
On what informed his reason to write the book, Leye said he was compel to research and put the story together because of the poor knowledge people of his generation has about Yoruba history.
“I’ve always loved history generally not just the Yoruba version. Before my sojourn into this, I took it for granted that everybody knows our history. I have a couple of friends and we discussed history but most of what we discussed was Western history.
“Of course, they were very knowledgeable at it. One day, I just mentioned Kiriji War and they looked at me like; what is Kiriji War?
“Meanwhile, these are guys that if you ask them about the battle of Waterloo, they will tell you the type of Calvary and artillery used. I became confused that how could they be knowledgeable in other people’s history and as Yoruba guys, they didn’t know about Kiriji War,”
The author, who expresses his regret over the way young men and women today in Yoruba nation, engage history as if it started when the white men came, said with the Sunday roundtable talk, stakeholders will appreciate the need to protect the African culture and history.
“When you mention our history, they tell you about the Amalgamation and those things, but are unable to tell what happened before the white men came. I realised that I wanted to write about Kiriji War, but when I started researching, it became very clear to me that I can’t start the story from Kiriji War because something led to the Kiriji War.
“During the research it became clear that the magical point to start the story was from the decline of the Oyo Empire. And everybody says that the person responsible for the decline of the Empire is Afonja. So this story is my take on who Afonja is and his role in the decline of the Oyo Empire,” he said.
While calling on Yoruba leaders to attend the roundtable talk, Leye recommends the book, which is written as a novel, for scholars, students and Yoruba elites who are passionate about their culture.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu has been asked to urgently investigate allegations that more than N128 billion cannot be accounted for by the Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc.
This call for a probe was made by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in a statement issued on Sunday.
The group urged Mr Tinubu to give directive to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and the appropriate anti-corruption agencies to look into the allegations of the missing N128 billion.
It declared that anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, especially if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing or diverted public funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury.
In the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on September 9, 2025, it was claimed that the funds could not be accounted and may have been diverted by some persons.
In its statements today, SERAP said Nigerians continue to pay the price for the widespread and grand corruption in the power sector, stressing that there is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these grave allegations.
“Tackling corruption in the power sector would go a long way in addressing the persistent breakdown of transmission lines in the country, and improving access of Nigerians to regular and uninterrupted electricity supply,” a part of the statement read.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
All the terrorists behind the deadly attack on the Kasuwan Daji community in Niger State must be apprehended, President Bola Tinubu has directed.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President condemned the attack as well as the abduction of women and children in the community.
He asked the Minister of Defence, Mr Christopher Musa, to mobilise the security apparatus to hunt down the perpetrators of the act.
In the statement, Mr Tinubu stressed that the Chief of Defence Staff, the service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) must track down and apprehend them, ensuring they are swiftly brought to justice.
He also directed security agencies to rescue all the abducted victims urgently.
President Tinubu issued the directives on Sunday in response to the recent killings of several villagers in Niger State by terrorists suspected to be fleeing from Sokoto and Zamfara following the United States’ air strike on Christmas Eve.
He sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the government and people of Niger State.
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people. They must, therefore, face the full consequences of their criminal actions. No matter who they are or what their intent is, they must be hunted down. They, and all those who aid, abet, or enable them in any form, will be caught and brought to justice,” he declared.
Mr Tinubu assured the people of Niger State that security agencies have been mandated to intensify operations around vulnerable communities, particularly those near the forests that have served as hideouts for criminal elements, urging Nigerians to remain united and resolute in the face of this tragedy and cautioned against divisive rhetoric that could undermine national security and cohesion during this challenging period.
“These times demand our humanity. We must stand together as one people and confront these monsters in unison. United, we can and must defeat them, deny them any sanctuary. We must reclaim the peace and security of these attacked communities,” he stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed January 7 to hear the bail application of former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, over alleged money laundering.
Recall that the same court had ordered the remand of Mr Malami at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, his son, Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Mrs Bashir Asabe, are standing trial predicated on a 16-count charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The trio, who are accused of laundering N8.7 billion, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were arraigned on December 29, 2025.
Following their plea of not guilty, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered their remand at Kuje Correctional Centre till January 2, 2026, when their written bail application would be argued by his legal team.
In the charge, identified as FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, the defendants were accused of conspiring to conceal, disguise, and retain proceeds from illegal activities.
The indictment claimed that they used multiple bank accounts, corporate entities, and high-value real estate transactions over nearly ten years to indirectly acquire the illicit funds.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offences took place between 2015 and 2025, primarily within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, during Malami’s time as the country’s Attorney-General.
The EFCC alleged that Malami and his son used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to hide N1.014 billion in a Sterling Bank account from July 2022 to June 2025.
They were also accused of depositing an additional N600.01 million between September 2020 and February 2021.
The properties in question include a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama, purchased for N500 million; a property on Onitsha Crescent, Garki, bought for N700 million; and another in Jabi District for N850 million.
Additional acquisitions include real estate on Rhine Street, Maitama (N430 million); in Asokoro District (N210 million and N325 million); and at Efab Estate, Gwarimpa (N120 million).
The EFCC further alleges that Mr Malami used unlawful proceeds totaling N952 million to acquire multiple properties in Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023.
The acquisitions were allegedly made through proxies and corporate entities to obscure ownership.
The commission claimed that the alleged actions violate the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
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