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...
Nigeria’s former Finance and Foreign Affairs Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala reportedly took American citizenship in 2019. According to Bloomberg, the decision might be linked to her ambition of becoming the next director-general of the World Trade Organisation under a nomination from Nigeria, a position she is contesting for alongside 8 others. The 1976 Harvard graduate of Economics spent most of her career at the World Bank and living in the Washington suburbs. The publication noted that the revelation of her dual status may become magnified as protectionist sentiment rises around the world and national allegiances are questioned. At least two other candidates for the top WTO job disclosed multiple nationalities on their biographies posted online by the Geneva-based organization. Okonjo-Iweala’s bio doesn’t mention dual citizenship, and there’s no requirement to do so. Jesús Seade Kuri is Mexican and Lebanese; Amina Mohamed serves as a minister in Kenya but has Somali roots; Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh is both Swiss and Egyptian.
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