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...

Abudu performed the role at the recently concluded 47th International Emmy Awards in New York City. In June, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences appointed her chair of the gala.
This followed her appointment as the first African director of the Academy in December 2018. Sharing the history-making moments on Instagram on Wednesday, Abudu said:
“Chairing the International Emmys Gala was such an incredible opportunity for me personally, for EBONYLIFE and for Nigerian TV Producers. Now we have our foot in the door which will gradually open wider. Let’s get going with our global stories.”Speaking at the gala, she said:“These partnerships are the first of their kind between Hollywood studios and a Nigerian television company.
“We are happy to be at the forefront of forging these new partnerships because it is truly about sharing our local stories with a global audience – stories that are historical, authentic and progressive.”
Watch below:
Abudu hosted and produced Moments with Mo, the first pan-African talk show before she went on to found EbonyLife TV in 2012, which has grown into a media group.
In October 2018, she was included in The Powerlist’s top 100 most influential people of African and Caribbean heritage in the UK, alongside Meghan Markle, Anthony Joshua and Lewis Hamilton.
In April, Abudu became the first African to be honoured with the MIPTV H Médailles d’Honneur in France.
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