Soldiers mourn gallant Col. Abu Ali killed in Boko Haram ambush

Soldiers confronting Boko Haram terrorists in the North East are mourning the death of Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu Ali, described as a gallant, battle tested and trusted patriotic soldier of the Nigerian Army.
In a statement on Saturday, the Theatre Command Centre of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, said Ali, nicknamed, Sarkin Yaki [Chief Warrior], was the Commanding Officer, 272 Task Force Battalion at Mallam Fatori in Northern Borno.
He died in confrontation with suspected Boko Haram terrorists who attacked 119 Battalion, Nigerian Army location at Mallam Fatori on Friday, in a failed attempt to capture the town.
Four other soldiers also died in the attack.

“He served the nation with unwavering commitment and dedication, paying the ultimate price so that millions can sleep on their beds in peace.

“We are deeply pained at the loss of one so selfless and committed to routing the misguided terrorists from the North of the country,” it said.
Ali, a recipient of the Chief of Army Staff Award for exceptional bravery and excellence, led the army units that recovered Gamboru-Ngala, Baga and several communities from the terrorists.
The centre said that it was deeply pained by Ali’s demise who served as “the face of the campaign against Boko Haram which embodied commitment, loyalty, service and hope for a better, peaceful and prosperous nation.”
The statement added that the deceased was “a source of inspiration to us and millions of Nigerians praying for the speedy end of the insurgency.
“At this point we pray for his family and the Nigerian Army that God gives them the fortitude to bear the loss.
“Ali and others who have lost their lives in the ongoing campaign will never be forgotten.”

A SPEECH DELIVERED BY COM. AMINU OLUWASEYI DULAYE,PRESIDENT, NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AKOKO STUDENTS (NACAS NATIONAL BODY) AS A PRESS RELEASE TO DECLARE AKOKO STUDENTS FOR DR OLU AGUNLOYE,THE CANDIDATE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY TODAY 3RD NOVEMBER 2016.

A SPEECH DELIVERED BY COM. AMINU OLUWASEYI DULAYE,PRESIDENT, NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AKOKO STUDENTS (NACAS NATIONAL BODY) AS A PRESS RELEASE TO  DECLARE AKOKO STUDENTS FOR DR OLU AGUNLOYE,THE CANDIDATE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY TODAY 3RD NOVEMBER 2016.

Protocols
Glory to God in the Highest, the maker of men,the founder of the universe and giver of life. Today in History will never be forgotten in Akoko land and the state at large. We the executives and members of National Congress of Akoko Students have come together to openly declare our support for our Illustrious ambassador who had made us proud,the Olu Omo of Akoko, the Omoluabi of Ondo State, former minister, former Road Safety Corps Marshall, Dr Olu Agunloye, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the gubernatorial election 2016. We are here to publicly tell him and the general public that Akoko Students have stake their support for him to become the next Governor of Ondo State. The reason for our support is not only because he is our father,leader but because he is the best among all and his antecedents had convinced us that he will rebuild our economy, Rescue our youths from the shackle of unemployment, revamp our dead industries, pay our bursaries and scholarships, pay our parents salaries promptly and give us better lives.
We are of the opinion that the society will not be destroyed by people who do evils but will be destroyed by people who watch the evils without stoping it,we say the evils in ONDO State is enough,we want good roads,we want better health services, we want prompt payment of our bursary and scholarship, want developmental infrastructures, we want a man of integrity in power,we want Omoluabi,we want a man of his words,we want lover of youths and students,we want Dr Olu Agunloye, we want Social Democratic Party to lead us come 2017.
Ladies and gentlemen, we want to use this medium to call on all and sundry to let's rally support for Dr Agunloye of Social Democratic Party to make him our Governor,we want to implore our fellow student leaders,stakeholders and all students of Ondo State to let us come together and vote this man of vision and mission,his love for students and youths is incomparable, he is the only man in ONDO State that is always accessible,we can vouch for him that he will not close his door against us. We have resolved to work with you because we believe in your vision and mission for the good people of Ondo State. Let's support and vote Dr Olu Agunloye,flagbearer of Social Democratic Party.
Thank you all.
Amangla Awetu...Victoria acerta.

Long Live NACAS
Long Live Ondo State

2016 Ondo poll: Mimiko has goofed -Okitipupa Monarch

Gov. Olusegun Mimiko

Dr. Olu Agunloye

The calculation of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, the Governor of Ondo state to pick a candidate from the Central Senatorial District for the coming Governorship election is a wrong calculation, the Rebuja of Osoro land, Oba Gbadebo Bajowa has said.

Oba Bajowa who passed the judgement in his palace at Igbotako in Okitipupa LGA while receiving the Governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr. Olu Agunloye in his palace said, a Senatorial District can not be watched to rule the state for 16 years in succession.

According to him, no one can allow Dr. Olusegun Mimiko who is from Ondo town in the Central Senatorial District  to install Eyitayo Jegede SAN an indigene of Akure, in the same District  as his successor  after eight years in office.

He therefore described the choice of Dr. Olu Agunloye who is from the Northern Senatorial District and his Deputy, Erelu Modupe Akindele Martins from Ikale land in the Southern District  by the SDP as a welcomed development and a balanced equation.

He noted that the problem of economy hardship the state is facing today is because people like Dr. Agunloye, a talented manager of resources has not been privileged to rule the state.

The Kabiyesi how ever assured that people of Osoro land will come out to vote for Dr. Agunloye, being a tested, trusted and a man of integrity now that he is contesting for the number seat knowing full well that he shall turn things around for better if given the mandate to be Governor.

He how ever appealed to Dr. Agunloye to consider Igbotako/ Aye and other  roads which had been abandoned by the Contractor and the reconnection of the community which has been in darkness for the psst two years to National grid.

Other requests include the reviving of Oluwa glass industry and Palm oil settlement, which were major source of revenue for Okitipoupa Local Government and Ondo state in particular, the effective deduction of five percent to tradition Rulers and the University of Science and Technology which had been suffering neglect in the last seven years.

The Kabiyesi lamented that the non remittance of the five percent to local governments by state Governors had brought untold hardship to traditional Rulers and their Chiefs, as most them receive as little as N3,000 in a month.

While responding, Dr. Agunloye assured the people of Osoro land that part of his agenda is to uplift the status of Royal fathers by removing them ''from the apron'' of state Governors to enable them offer useful advises and air their views on issues that could be beneficial to their people at all times.

He disclosed that his administration will invite foreign investors and Sons and daughters of Okitipupa in diaspora shall be invited to come home and establish industries to improve the economy and create jobs for the Youths

Erelu Akindele Martins, visited the Regent of Oda town in Ondo State.

SDP: Ondo State Governorship Aspirants

A media interaction with Ondo State Governorship aspirants

Wednesday, 25^th May, 2016

At the Social Democratic Party meeting on Wednesday, 25^th of May, Barrister Pius Olusegun Dawodu declared his motives for aspiring for the post governor in Ondo State. He said, the main reason for his aspiration is not that Ondo is not good but for the betterment of the life of people of Ondo State in some sectors like: Education, Industries, Agriculture and lots.

He further elaborated on the sectors to that it will be an opportunity to the masses in that there would be equitable participation, the regime will partner with foreing investors, give them land for industries and give support to them that may have all it takes to grow and contribute their quota to the State.

Speaking on the Educational sector, he said payment of teachers on time and very well should be the priority of a good government and creating free institutions and good library would be part  of what he will make sure in the State.

He also mentioned the Health sector though, commended the present day government in the State yet said his government would make sure of the improvement in the health sector and provide required equipments.

The area he most centered on was the security. he said killing can be averted if proper care is taken. Issue of community policing is one way of making sure of the people thereby, reducing clash of problems e.g. rearing animals.

He of course will not end his agenda without making sure of the youths in the State, talked about empowering the youths and monitoring them to make sure they carry out what they are being empowered to do, this will create more employment.

Barrister Dawodu talked about the issue of replacing PDP, he said, rating the present day government, “can’t say about the first administration but the second tenure is commendable” but SDP rely on God.

CHIEF OLU AGUNLOYE In like manner, Dr. Olu Agunloye said he is interested in vying for the seat because he is competent, well trained and credible.

Dr. Olu Agunloye was a lecturer of University of Ibadan, Special Adviser to Chief Bola Ige, former Minister and former FRSC Corp Marshal.

He said his achievement during the Ministerial work (being 4,139 mega watts of electricity) was a record for years until 2003. He further said that generating power is easy but corruption is the problem, if the corruption will stop, power will come.

Dr. Agunloye said it is not a mistake that he decided to contest under the umberella of Social Democratic Party because the party seems to be the only party that uphold its reason for existence compared to others and further said, he is very sure that it’s just a matter of time, others will come under this party and want to stay. Come 2019, SDP will be soaring higher than any other.

His agenda was mentioned as he sited to include job opportunities for the masses, youth matters and lots more.

Eze Ndigbo is Cultural Not Traditional Leader

•Urges calm, says Eze Ndigbo is cultural not traditional leader
• “The so-called Eze Ndigbo issue as a misnomer.”
By Clifford Ndujihe
DISTURBED by the increasing clashes and misgivings between traditional rulers and Eze Ndigbo in the South-West states of the country, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has set up a committee to mediate in the crises.


ng peaceful and harmonious relations between the Igbo and their host communities outside Igboland, Ohanaeze said the Eze Ndigbo is a cultural not traditional position and asked all Eze Igbo not to attach ‘His Royal Majesty or Royal Highness’ to their titles.
In a statement by Chief Guy Ike Ikokwu (Omenife), Solicitor and Grand Patron Ohanaeze, Lagos State, Ohanaeze described the Eze Ndigbo issue as ‘’a misnomer.’’
The statement read in part: ‘’We have read the statement issued in the media by the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) with regard to the installation of “Eze Ndi-Igbo” in places outside Igboland such as Lagos, Akure, Oyo, Abuja etc. There is a so-called face off between the Deji of Akure, whom we hold in high esteem and the “Eze Ndigbo” in Akure and the Mojere marketers in Akure metropolis.
“We understand that the Commissioner of Police is looking into the matter as well as Governor Olusegun Mimiko. The Apex Igbo organization in Nigeria, the Ohaneze Ndigbo is appealing to all parties and stakeholders to remain calm and for a peaceful resolution of the matter.
“Igbo communities or town associations all over the country are very peace loving, and developmental in nature and cater for the welfare of their members and neighbours.
“The Ohanaeze and other Igbo stakeholders have a committee presently looking into the cultural and traditional issue of so-called nomenclatures of title holders in order to obviate any clash of culture or usurpation of any traditional values such as may be perceived in the Nigerian Diaspora. It is not coming up for the first time.
In some cultures they have leaders called ‘Seriki’ outside their domain. Igbo cultural leaders have no territorial control outside Igboland.
“The issues of their regulation are very close to being concluded and ratified by the Apex body Ohanaeze but it has to be emphatically said right now that no Igbo cultural leader outside Igboland can use or be invested with the title of “His Royal Majesty or Highness” or such accolades. Ohanaeze will definitely define their functions, modus operandi and nomenclature very soon. They are cultural leaders and not traditional kings or royalty outside Igboland. They are not political appointees!
“For the Food Sellers Associations, Cattle herdsmen, cow/sheep and Garki market associations, adire clothing fabricators, electronic market associations, yam traders, Balogun traders associations and such like trading associations, it is their civic right and liberty to elect their own leaders for their own development and progress and welfare, and marketing strategy.
“However the civic, legal and constitutional rights of Igbo and other Nigerians in this country must be respected and preserved for peaceful coexistence and development, justice and equity. So let there be peace and harmonious coexistence and relations, for us all to be our brothers keeper, for our mutual welfare and development.’’

New Ooni Appointed

Barely three months after the death of Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi of the Giesi ruling house has emerged the 51st Ooni of Ile-Ife, Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola has said in a press statement.

Ooni of Ile-Ife Appointment Letter

Aregbesola said in the brief statement that the kingmakers of Ife had completed the required process and communicated the choice of Prince Ogunwusi to his office for approval.
Ogunwusi takes over from Oba Sijuade, who died on July 28, 2015 in a London hospital.

A written Letter confirmed his consent........

I Have a Story to Tell....... Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (The Ooni Ellect)

I have a story to tell the world and most importantly the people of Ile-Ife. About 40 years ago, I was born into the Giesi Ruling House, Ojaja Royal Compound in the ancient city of Ile-Ife.

From birth, my life has been a journey; one that I embarked on, saddled with great conscientiousness when I became a responsible father at the age of 19, which shaped and groomed me for greater challenges ahead.
To cater for my family as a young father, I became very enterprising with the knack of building something out of nothing. This certainly increased my temperament for being successful in all my endeavours, as well as towing the right path as a responsible father.
Thus, in the following years, I was able to build a consortia of companies with a team of well-versed, highly skilled and unskilled professionals from scratch and with hard work and God’s providence. This has made me a huge employer of labour and a captain of industries. The story of Ile-Ife begins as the cradle of civilization and has spread its tentacles beyond Black Africa.
The Ooni stool is highly revered and exalted and as the world looks on; our strength and emphasis need to be injected into the development of Ile-Ife as a beacon of hope and enviable city.
Spiritual home of all Yoruba
Suffices to say that Ile-Ife is the ancestral and spiritual home of all Yorubas, bona fide, in Nigeria and the Diaspora, and the World Headquarters of the House of Oduduwa, which comprises people resident in nearly all the continents of the world.
Thus, the Ooni, as the head of the vast Oduduwa family, must be no less versatile and resourceful. Available evidences from the curatorial community and archaeological discoveries have put the origin of Ile-Ife around 2000 years BC.
Around this time, the people of Ile-Ife have distinguished themselves in technology and cultural advancement. A notable fact in this direction is Ori-Olokun: though purportedly ‘discovered’ by the famous German archaeologist Leo Frobenius in 1910, but had been in existence for thousands of years.
Discovery: The pure-copper sculpture took the entire arts world by storm at the time of its discovery that experts from the West argued that the artefact was a mystery that was too sophisticated to have been created by African hands. However, after careful examinations of other works, profusely located in and around the city and bearing striking resemblance, the world accepted the truth that the advanced people of Ile-Ife had, not only wielded the technology to turn iron to alloy but also of moulding abstract artworks out of the product. Consequently, it is now accepted by the curatorial community that the advanced artistic techniques used to create the sculpture were more advanced than those of Renaissance Italy, and comparable to those of [the artist] Donatello.
Yet, Ile-Ife has not taken its rightful position as the ‘source’ of civilization despite her wealth of history, culture and tradition.
Having found ourselves in such state of affairs where the potential of the land remains untapped and its people lacking economic and social emancipation, we should all take it upon ourselves to redress this situation.
Redressing the situation
The Ile-Ife of ‘my dream’ will be strategically positioned to empower its people socially, economically and culturally to bring about the desired developments. Now, with our resolve to transform Ile-Ife we are ‘SET’ to leave no stone unturned, in the drive to put Ile-Ife on the map of the world. Our ultimate goal is to reposition the House of Oduduwa as a worthy example of successful inward-looking community.
At this juncture, I consider it pertinent to share with everyone the account of how Nigeria as a nation came to be. The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company charter by the British government in the nineteenth century. It was formed in 1879 as the United African Company and became the Royal Niger Company in 1886. By 1900 it went through several name changes and in 1914 a merger occurred between the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate to become the independent Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1960. It suffices to say our beloved nation developed through a corporation of technocrats and quality mind input. Arguably, this is one of the several ways cities and communities are built; through large corporations. The ethos of this account goes to prove that any geographic setting can undergo boundless growth through clusters of companies which invariably can lead to the creation of settlements and human capital development.
Consequently, there is a huge possibility for Ile-Ife to experience tremendous growth through industrialization and developmental projects like a company managed by dedicated sons and daughters of Ife and all Ife enthusiasts. I have no doubt, Ife will be great again due to its economic dexterity. Ife has one of the largest land mass in the South-west beaming with natural resources including three out of the four factors of production; ‘land’, ‘labour’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ and with our great resolve we shall work towards ‘capital’ creation.
I am very passionate about my roots with the determination of bringing Ile-Ife to the forefront of economic and social affairs. In my private life, I have for a while been involved in many philanthropic gestures in Ile-Ife and its environs. The progressiveness of the youths of Ile-Ife is at the core of my philosophy and I have been instilling hope to thousands of youths through the various ongoing reciprocity Programmes I established a while ago.
It is within the dictates of our culture that the young shall provide for the old and for this reason our youths need to be nurtured and engaged positively hence they can attain financial independence and in return provide for their parents, families and dependants. This is not to say that the old and elderly will be left out. There will be various empowerment Programmes for the elderly and the widowed to learn new trades and acquire new skills that will help stamp out redundancy and at the same time be financially rewarding to them.
Many might argue that the tasks before me are incredibly monumental and impossible. However, I do not get easily swayed by the idea of impossibilities. In every challenging situation what I see is a speck of possibility which I build on till the task at hand is completed. I have done this time over time and I have defied the rules of men to follow my gut instincts. I have excelled where, people had predicted failure and I derived the most joy where others have said emphatically “it is not possible.”
A recent classic example of turning impossibilities to possibilities took place at ‘Parakin’ in Ile-Ife where I converted a sizeable piece of thick forest land into a beautiful castle within a month. The land hitherto, was a garbage dump and an escape route for men of the underworld in the vicinity which constituted a social menace to the inhabitants of ‘Parakin’.
In recent history one cannot mention Ile-Ife without acknowledging the Ife and Modakeke conflict. It’s unfortunate that lives were lost during the war between Ife and Modakeke; a war that had no economic value and displaced many lives. I paid a courtesy visit to the youths affected by the war and implored them to be proactive. Furthermore I urged them to be on the straight and narrow path and propagated the tenets of hard work as the only way to make it in life.
Touching experiences
In the course of my life I have had many touching experiences. However, my most compelling experience till date involves two young boys namely Demola Adewole and Taye Fayemi. Demola and thousands of others energetic youths visit work sites on a daily basis to solicit for money. I took it upon myself to get to know these young boys and found that all they wanted was to earn a decent living. We got acquainted with Demola and found out he was a welder. Without hesitation, we helped to re-orientate him and got him involved in construction work in ‘Parakin’. Demola Adewole has turned out to be one of the best welders I have been privileged to work with till date.
Another set of energetic youths on one of the days I visited Ife chased after my car, many of them climbed onto the fast moving car and during the tussle to stay latched on to the car, one of them got injured. I got out of the car and addressed all of them and asked why they would want to hurt themselves and with no care in the world, Taye replied “death means nothing to me”; I shed tears, there is no hope for the youths and no one to rebuild their dashed hopes or future.
Taye Fayemi was simply desperate to make a living for himself and today, to the glory of God I personally supervise Taye’s rehabilitation, his personal development and wellbeing.
Destinies: Similar to the story of Demola and Taye, are thousands of youths with different expertise that need our help to find their feet, many whose destinies would have been cut short like the others lost the war. I cannot but emphasize that the development and well being of our youths is paramount to our future and one that is very close to my heart.
This area needs to be properly addressed to ensure our youths are well engaged in various professional and vocational pursuits.
Today, and to the glory of God, I have been energized to rehabilitate and take off the streets several thousands of youths by providing them with gainful employment. Furthermore, we shall set up a foundation that will support post war effects and the rebuilding of war torn Ife and Modakeke.
Thereafter there shall NEVER be war again. I stand firmly for peace and unity between Ife and Modakeke and I guarantee that this peace and unity will transcend into economic and social benefits for everyone.
Similarly, we shall use this stool to unify the entire Yoruba race; there shall be no division, no supremacy or animosity amongst us, we are all from the one and the same source-God Almighty.
Coming to the throne is a clarion call to heed my selfless desire to serve the people of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba race and all of humanity. We will use the stool to provide a lot of opportunities to invest in the youths through mentor-ship and empowerment programs that will further take thousands off the streets on a gradual basis. Youths all over the country will be eligible for the mentor-ship programme and Ife will be the pilot model. We will use the stool to transpose Ile-Ife into the twenty-first century and with the use and influence of social media we are ‘set’ for his transformation. Sons and daughters of Ife and Ife enthusiasts around the world will have an input in the building of the New Ife City, ‘NIC’ through constructive feedback. ‘Socially’, we are ‘set’ to revive and promote Ile-Ife as a tourist destination.
‘Economically’ we are ‘set’ to increase our industrial footprints to give Ife the much desired facelift and ‘Traditionally’ we are ‘set’ to redefine the kingship system by blending modernity into our cultural values and practices and our tradition of thousands of years will stand.
Plans are well under-way to revitalize Ife in the areas of Sports, Mining, Agriculture, Real Estate, Tourism and rapid industrialization. To achieve this transformation, a brand new platform named ‘House Of Oduduwa Resources Limited’ has been established to stimulate the entire economy of Ile-Ife with a positive impact on the entire Yoruba race and our nation as a whole. ‘House Of Oduduwa Resources Limited’ will be tasked with rebuilding Ife into the ‘New Ife city’, NIC.
However, this is a herculean task which can only be achieved with the support of all well-meaning technocrats, sons and daughters of Ile-Ife in Nigeria and in the Diaspora and all lovers of Ife. My fervent desire is to grow ‘House Of Oduduwa Resources Limited’ into one of the
biggest corporations out of Africa, likewise uniting all lovers of Ife with the people of Ife. Earlier this year, I acquainted the youths of
Ile-Ife of my plans to replicate the truly Nigerian project, Inagbe Grand Resorts Lagos, Nigeria (almost hundred percent of raw materials
used are locally sourced) in Ile-Ife. Inagbe Grand Resorts is the first of its kind and will soon be the most sought after resort destination in all of West Africa. I have developed an incredible master plan for the proposed ‘Ife Grand Resorts’ which will be an off shoot of ‘Inagbe Grand Resorts Lagos’. The ‘Ife Grand Resort’ project and the ‘NIC’ initiative was conceived to attract young men and women, businesses, corporate organization, investors, holiday makers, lovers of Ife and Ife in Diaspora to a comfortable ambience to stay when they are away from home. This will continually put Ile-Ife, the cradle of black civilization on the map likewise showcasing many artefacts about the Yoruba race, hence creating a steady influx of people into Ile-Ife.
The time has come for us to embrace our true heritage as the progeny of Oduduwa and the task of modernizing Ile-Ife is yours and mine. I am highly honoured to have been chosen to fill the stool that great men once occupied; history and I will forever remember this day. I use
this opportunity to pay tribute to Oba Adesoji Aderemi and Oba Okunade Sijuwade; these monarchs were colossus that redefined the monarchy with touch of diligence, elegance and gravitas that traversed so many cultural boundaries. They were great fathers to me and I will forever miss and honour them.
I am not coming to the throne to pass judgment on those that have maliciously wronged me. But then, I should think that a bid to be enthroned as the foremost Oba in Yoruba race should be healthy and ordained of God. There is also the Ifa divination that also synthesizes the process, just in case human beings are partial.
Rather, some people resorted to dangerous attacks, wicked lies, malicious insinuations and vigorous campaign of calumny. Why would I fail to forgive them when all came to nought and the good people and governments of Ife and State of Osun saw through these unfair games and chose me as the prestigious Ooni of Ife.
Therefore, I am coming to set a good example and show the world that I am truly called by God to lead Ile-Ife into a state of tranquillity, conscientiousness and prosperity. It is my fervent prayer that the Lord will continue to guide us all and bestow us with great wisdom to carry out our incumbent tasks. I use this opportunity to call on all the sons of Ile-Ife that were alongside me in the race for the stool to heed to my call and let’s work harmoniously to align our goals for the sake of posterity and Ile-Ife. Together we shall not lose sight of the values and tradition that have made us the greatest nation of black people on earth. I come before you all today as a man pledging his unwavering commitment to his Kingdom and his people that I cannot do this alone; without you all there is no me “I will serve you all with everything I have”. Long live Ile-Ife; long live the Yoruba race, long live the House of Oduduwa, and God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Yoruba people (Yoruba: Àwọ̀n ọ́mọ́ Yorùbá) are an ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria and southern Benin in West Africa. The Yorùbá constitute over 35 million people in total; the majority of this population is from Nigeria and make up 21% of its population, according to the CIA World Factbook, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language which is a tonal Niger-Congo language.
The Yorùbá share borders with the Borgu in Benin; the Nupe and Ebira in central Nigeria; and the Edo, the Ẹsan, and the Afemai in mid-western Nigeria. The Igala and other related groups are found in the northeast, and the Egun, Fon, Ewe and others in the southeast Benin. The Itsekiri who live in the north-west Niger delta are related to the Yoruba but maintain a distinct cultural identity. Significant Yoruba population in West Africa can be found in Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone (where they have blended in with the Saro and Sierra Leone Creole people).
The Yoruba diaspora consists of two main groupings, one of them includes relatively recent migrants, the majority of which moved to the United States and the United Kingdom after major economic changes in the 1970s; the other is a much older population dating back to the Atlantic slave trade. This older community has branches in such countries as Cuba, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Etymology

As an ethnic description, the word "Yoruba" was first recorded in reference to the Oyo Empire in a treatise written by the 16th-century Songhai scholar Ahmed Baba. It was popularized by Hausa usage^[12] and ethnography written in Arabic and Ajami during the 19th century, in origin referring to the Oyo exclusively.
The extension of the term to all speakers of dialects related to the language of the Oyo (in modern terminology North-West Yoruba) dates to the second half of the 19th century. It is due to the influence of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Crowther was himself a Yoruba and compiled the first Yoruba dictionary as well as introducing a standard for Yoruba orthography.
The alternative name Akú, apparently an exonym derived from the first words of Yoruba greetings (such as Ẹ kú àárọ? "good morning", Ẹ kú alẹ? "good evening") has survived in certain parts of their diaspora as a self-descriptive, especially in Sierra Leone^[12][13][14]

Language

Main article: Yoruba language

The Yoruba culture was originally an oral tradition, and the majority of Yoruba people are native speakers of the Yoruba language. The number of speakers is roughly estimated at about 30 million in 2010.
Yoruba is classified within the Edekiri languages, which together with the isolate Igala, form the Yoruboid group of languages within the Volta-Niger branch of the Niger-Congo family. Igala and Yoruba have important historical and cultural relationships. The languages of the two ethnic groups bear such a close resemblance that researchers such as Forde (1951) and Westermann and Bryan (1952) regarded Igala as a dialect of Yoruba.
The Yoruboid languages are assumed to have developed out of an undifferentiated Volta-Niger group by the 1st millennium BCE. There are three major dialect areas: Northwest, Central, and Southeast. As the North-West Yoruba dialects show more linguistic innovation, combined with the fact that Southeast and Central Yoruba areas generally have older settlements, suggests a later date of immigration for Northwest Yoruba.
The area where North-West Yoruba (NWY) is spoken corresponds to the historical Oyo Empire. South-East Yoruba (SEY) was probably associated with the expansion of the Benin Empire after c. 1450. Central Yoruba forms a transitional area in that the lexicon has much in common with NWY, whereas it shares many ethnographical features with SEY.
Literary Yoruba, the standard variety learnt at school and spoken by newsreaders on the radio, has its origin in the Yoruba grammar compiled in the 1850s by Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther. Though for a large part based on the Oyo and Ibadan dialects, it incorporates several features from other dialects.

History

Main article: History of the Yoruba people

Further information: Ife

Further information: Yoruba mythology

As of the 7th century BCE the African peoples who lived in Yorubaland, were not initially known as the Yoruba, although they shared a common ethnicity and language group. The historical Yoruba develop in situ, out of earlier Mesolithic Volta-Niger populations, by the 1st millennium BCE.
Oral history recorded under the Oyo Empire derives the Yoruba as an ethnic group from the population of the older kingdom of Ile-Ife. Archaeologically, the settlement at Ife can be dated to the 4th century BCE, with urban structures appearing in the 12th century (the urban phase of Ife before the rise of Oyo, c. 1100–1600, a significant peak of political centralization in the 12th century) is commonly described as a "golden age" of Ife. The oba or ruler of Ife is referred to as the Ooni of Ife.


Oyo and Ile-Ife
The settlement at Ife appears to have entered this "golden age" with the appearance of urban structures by the 12th century. This seems to be the formative period of the Yoruba people as reflected in oral tradition and due to it, Ife continues to be seen as the "spiritual homeland" of the Yoruba. The city was surpassed by the Oyo Empire as the dominant Yoruba military and political power in the 17th century.
The Oyo Empire under its oba, known as the Alaafin of Oyo, was active in the African slave trade during the 18th century. The Yoruba often demanded slaves as a form of tribute of subject populations, who in turn sometimes made war on other peoples to capture the required slaves. Part of the slaves sold by the Oyo Empire entered the Atlantic slave trade.
Most of the city states were controlled by Obas (or royal sovereigns with various individual titles) and councils made up of Oloyes, recognised leaders of royal, noble and, often, even common descent, who joined them in ruling over the kingdoms through a series of guilds and cults. Different states saw differing ratios of power between the kingships and the chiefs' councils. Some, such as Oyo, had powerful, autocratic monarchs with almost total control, while in others such as the Ijebu city-states, the senatorial councils held more influence and the power of the ruler or Ọba, referred to as the Awujale of Ijebuland, was more limited.
Yoruba settlements are often described as primarily one or more of the main social groupings called "generations"

• The "first generation" includes towns and cities known as original capitals of founding Yoruba kingdoms or states.
• The "second generation" consists of settlements created by conquest.
• The "third generation" consists of villages and municipalities that emerged following the internecine wars of the 19th century.

The Nri people of Igbo land have a creation myth which is one of the many creation myths that exist in various parts of Igbo land. The Nri and Aguleri people are in the territory of the Umueri clan who trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figure Eri. Eri's origins are unclear, though he has been described as a "sky being" sent by Chukwu (God). He has been characterized as having first given societal order to the people of Anambra. The historian Elizabeth Allo Isichei says "Nri and Aguleri and part of the Umueri clan, [are] a cluster of Igbo village groups which traces its origins to a sky being called Eri."
Archaeological evidence suggests that Nri hegemony in Igboland may go back as far as the 9th century, and royal burials have been unearthed dating to at least the 10th century. Eri, the god-like founder of Nri, is believed to have settled the region around 948 with other related Igbo cultures following after in the 13th century. The first Eze Nri (King of Nri) Ìfikuánim followed directly after him. According to Igbo oral tradition, his reign started in 1043. At least one historian puts Ìfikuánim's reign much later, around 1225 AD.
Each king traces his origin back to the founding ancestor, Eri. Each king is a ritual reproduction of Eri. The initiation rite of a new king shows that the ritual process of becoming Ezenri (Nri priest-king) follows closely the path traced by the hero in establishing the Nri kingdom.
E. Elochukwu Uzukwu

The Kingdom of Nri was a religio-polity, a sort of theocratic state, that developed in the central heartland of the Igbo region. The Nri had seven types of taboos which included human (such as the birth of twins), animal (such as killing or eating of pythons), object, temporal, behavioral, speech and place taboos.The rules regarding these taboos were used to educate and govern Nri's subjects. This meant that, while certain Igbo may have lived under different formal administration, all followers of the Igbo religion had to abide by the rules of the faith and obey its representative on earth, the Eze Nri.

Hausa people

The Hausa (autonyms for singular : Bahaushe , Bahaushiya ; plural Hausawa and general: Hausa/Haoussa; exonyms being Ausa, Mgbakpa, Kado, Al-Takari, Fellata and Abakwariga) are the largest ethnic group in West Africa and one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. The Hausa are a racially diverse but culturally homogeneous people based primarily in the Sahelian and Sudanian areas of northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, with significant numbers also living in parts of Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Chad, Togo, Ghana, and Sudan.
The largest population of Hausa are concentrated in Nigeria and Niger, where they constitute the majority. Predominantly Hausa-speaking communities are scattered throughout West Africa, and on the traditional Hajj route north and east traversing the Sahara Desert, with an especially large population around and in the town of Agadez. Other Hausa have also moved to large coastal cities in the region such as Lagos, Accra, Abidjan, Banjul and Cotonou, as well as to parts of North Africa such as Libya over the course of the last 500 years.
Most Hausa, however, live in small villages or towns in West Africa, where they grow crops, raise livestock including cattle and engage in trade. They speak the Hausa language, an Afro-Asiatic language of the Chadic group. The Hausa aristocracy had historically developed an equestrian based culture. Still a status symbol of the traditional nobility in Hausa society, the horse still features in the Eid day celebrations, known as Ranar Sallah (in English: the Day of the Prayer)

When Mrs. Sally Uwechue-Mbanefo was appointed to replace jolly Otunba Segun Irusewe, as the new Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), a lot of people said it was a good development.
However, barely six months after assuming office, the woman is swimming in a big mess that smells of corruption and it is threatening to ruin her career.
www.theoctopusnews.com, was informed that along with some top officials of the agency, Sally is being investigated for an alleged N270m fraud.
Presently, the case we learnt has been brought to the attention of the anti corruption agency Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (E.F.C.C), who has invited and questioned all parties involved.
According to an inside source, ‘the new D.G and her agents are so embroiled in the matter that, they were only allowed to leave the office of the E.F.C.C based on administrative and self recognition  bail.’
www.theoctopusnews.com also learnt that a travel ban was also slammed on all of the parties involved by the agency, as they continue investigations.
The ‘official’ car of one of the accused identified as ‘the C.S.0′ was reportedly impounded till circumstances surrounding it’s acquisition have been cleared.
The case against Mbanefo and her aides centres on alleged illegal manouevering in ‘allocating budgets’ and ‘ approving expenditures’.
A whistle blower realized discovered the anomaly and petitioned the E.F.C.C with supporting evidences. Six top staffers of the NTDC- including the D.G and the ‘C.S.0′- are involved in the ongoing case.
Prior to her appointment in May, Mrs. Mbanefo, was a former banker and top staffer of Lafarge Cement Wapco Nig. Plc.
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