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 governments of the United States of America, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signified intentions to repatriate Nigerians that have been convicted, pardoned, and paroled in their countries. Boss Mustapha, the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), disclosed this during the daily briefing of the task force in Abuja on Monday, August 17. Mustapha stressed that the repatriation is different from the normal evacuation of stranded Nigerians, which he said, will end on Saturday, August 22 to enable the airports to prepare for the resumption of international flights. “A number of countries have signified intention to repatriate Nigerians convicted and pardoned and paroled in those countries. They include the UAE, Egypt, and the United States of America. Coming in the midst of our National Response to COVID 19, all relevant Agencies of government are taking multi-sectoral steps to ensure that the process remains within acceptable international protocols and in line with bilateral agreements. For the purpose of clarity, this should be distinguished from normal evacuation flights and we wish to state that all evacuation flights will end on 22nd August 2020 after which Airports will be given sufficient time to prepare for reopening.” he said.