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...
Minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello has disclosed that the Chinese mining company operating in the nation’s capital has no lease to mine gold. In a meeting with the minister of water resources Suleiman Adamu on Tuesday, August 18, Bello who confirmed that Hongao Mining Company Limited acted against Nigeria’s mining policy also disclosed that they polluted the only water source for at least six communities in the Karshi area of the FCT. A physio-chemical analysis carried out on the stream by the FCT water board revealed that the water had high levels of turbidity, nitrate, and iron and may need further treatment. In a statement released by the spokesman of the ministry of water resources Kenechukwu Offie, Bello was quoted saying;
“The company undertaking the mining activities in Kutasa Community was not granted a lease to mine gold in that Community”. It was further gathered that Adamu has directed officials of the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC) to investigate the matter.
The statement added;
“The outcome of the investigation revealed that ‘Gold’ mining activities were taking place in that Community. “Engr. Adamu said that the report from Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission indicated ‘a red flag’ to us that must not be allowed to fly further.
“Engr. Adamu, therefore, reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, will not allow the experience of Niger State where people died of lead poisoning to repeat itself in FCT. “The FCT Minister corroborated the Hon. Minister of Water Resources’s position that their various reports would need to be harmonized into a working document before they take up the matter with the Minister of Mines and Steel Development.”