Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
The overall winner of the Bayelsa state Essay Writing Competition, Africanus Noel, has been made a Child Commissioner for Education in the Ministry on Monday in Yenagoa, by the state Governor, Hon Seriake Dickson.
Introducing the Child Commissioner to government functionaries in his office, the substantive Commissioner for Education, Hon Jonathan Obuebite assured that the Dickson-led government would continue to make appropriate investments in the education sector to guarantee a more secure and prosperous future.
Hon Obuebite said he initiated the Essay Writing Competition and Child Commissioner concept to serve as a motivational tool as well as promote creativity and healthy competition among students.
He noted that the initiative would enable the child commissioner to be acquainted with the art of government and leave a pleasant impression in the mind of the beneficiary.
While assuming office, the 14-year old Child Education Commissioner who is an SS1 student of the Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama, lauded the Governor for establishing world class free boarding secondary schools across the state.
Noel said the quality of school infrastructure provided by the present administration does not only give Bayelsa students a sense of pride but also serve as a source of encouragement for them to work harder.
Describing education as the foundation for any meaningful development, he identified lack of proper education and value orientation as the major cause for cultism, prostitution and other social vices in the country.
Speaking earlier, the Coordinator of the 2018 Essay Writing Competition, Michael Afenfia described the winners as excellent. He said they were selected by a crack team of impartial judges, using grammatical accuracy, diction, creativity, punctuation, knowledge of the subject matter among other criteria.
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