Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of Oyo has
turned 77, and new pictures of his celebration shows how gracefully
aged the monarch looks.
The Alaafin and his teenage wife struck an awesome pose at his 77th birthday which took place on Monday, October 15.
The Alaafin became 77 on Thursday, October 15, he was clad in a sash which read, “It’s my Birthday” while he struck a relaxed pose with his last wife, amidst balloons and cake.
The teenage queen whose name is Olori Badirat Adeyemi, started university this year.
Her matriculation photos went viral, and here are some photos from her matriculation-party.
Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III with-Olori-Badirat-Adeyemi at her matriculation.
Alaafin of Oyo and his teenage wife at her matriculation, earlier in the year.
The 77-year-old monarch reportedly works out to ensure he is fit for his wives, youngest of which is a teenager.
Wife of Nigeria’s president, Mrs Aisha Buhari, was
on Thursday, November 5, 2015, spotted alongside Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo,
the vice president’s wife and Mrs Monica Ugwuanyi, the Enugu state first
lady, during an event in the eastern state.
Photos obtained from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) showed
that the trio were also joined by the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
to welcome Mrs Buhari and Osinbajo to the state for a health screening
programme on Thursday.
Mrs Aisha Buhari has been in the news lately, as she has
been pictured occasionally making appearances at events and notable
occasions within and outside the country.
Below are some pictures from the arrival taken earlier today.
L-R:
Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo; wife of the president,
Mrs. Aisha Buhari; wife of the governor of Enugu state, Mrs Monica
Ugwuanyi and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, during the president’s wife
visit to Enugu for a health screening programme on Thursday, November 5,
2015. Photo: NAN
L-R:
Mrs Monica Ugwuanyi, Wife of the governor of Enugu state and her
husband, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, welcoming the wife of the president,
Mrs Aisha Buhari, during visit to Enugu for health screening programme
on Thursday, November 5, 2015. Photo: NAN
The Senate president Bukola Saraki has visited
President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock presidential villa in Abuja on
November 3, Tuesday.
President Buhari finally received the formal report of the screening of ministerial nominees that ended last week.
Saraki arrived for the meeting scheduled for 3pm around 2.55pm and was escorted into one of the halls inside Buhari’s office.
He was accompanied by the president’s two senior special assistants
on legislative matters, Ita Enang (Senate) and Suleiman Kawu (House of
Representatives). READ ALSO: Change! How President Buhari Saved Billions Of Naira
President Buhari was also joined by some of his assistants comprising
the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari; and the special adviser on media and
publicity, Femi Adesina.
The meeting commenced with Buhari’s arrival at about 3.01pm. After
the ceremonial presentation of the list to the president, all security
and political aides excused the two leaders who met behind closed-doors
before coming out for group photographs.
The Nigerian Senate has concluded the screening of ministerial
nominees sent to it by President Buhari last week when the leader of the
nation was in India.
Buhari is likely to inaugurate his cabinet tomorrow, November, 4.
Popular transgender, Caitlyn Jenner has a surprise for her fans!
caitlyn
The 66-year-old reality star is reportedly planning a nude photoshoot for an upcoming coffee table book.
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“Caitlyn knows she needs to push the envelope. She loves coming
up with creative ways to capture people’s attention and insists it’s all
in aid of drawing more awareness towards transgender causes,” a source tells OK! magazine.
Working
days start early in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic,
and they end early too because of a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
The
country has been in turmoil since a loose alliance of mainly Muslim
rebel groups, operating under the name Seleka, left their strongholds in
the north and marched south and seized power in March 2013 from
then-President Francois Bozize.
Their main leader, Michel Djotodia, briefly took over before being replaced by an interim head of state.
Since then, the CAR has lived under a shadow of fear, uncertainty and violence which has left some 6,000 people dead.
And the unrest has not gone away, far from it.
As
we arrived in the capital, we were told that several people we had
agreed to meet in the centre of town would not be able to make it.
It just was not safe anymore, they told us.
Three Seleka officials had been abducted and had disappeared; their bodies still have not been found.
The
tit-for-tat response was immediate. The following day, three Muslims
were killed. An accusing finger is being pointed at the mainly Christian
"anti-balaka" vigilante militias.
News of the latest killings was broadcast for
everyone to hear on Radio Ndeke Luka, one of the most listened to radio
stations in the CAR.
Even the journalists there have had to adapt
to the changing situation, with staff getting in to work later and
leaving earlier because of the insecurity in Bangui.
"It's a small
price for us to pay if we want to continue reporting on events," the
morning show presenter, Ingrid Sandanga, told me.
And she points to a large, plastic-covered, sign on
the table - the station's mission statement: "Ensemble, combattons la
division dans notre pays", meaning "Together, let us fight division in
our country".
Religious leaders are at the forefront of reconciliation efforts, with representatives of different faiths working hand in hand.
One of them is imam Abdoulaye Ouasselegue, vice-president of the CAR's Islamic Council.
As
if to highlight what he is trying to achieve, he made a point of
meeting us not at his mosque but on the grounds of Bangui's Catholic
archdiocese, an island of tranquillity on the banks of the Ubangi River.
He
is hopeful that stability will return, but says that he no longer wears
anything that may identify him as a Muslim because it is too risky.
CAR's religious make-up
Population: 4.6 million
Christians - 50%
Muslims - 15%
Indigenous beliefs - 35%
Source: Index Mundi
When
asked about the importance of the international military presence in
the country under the flags of the UN and France, he lets out a long
sigh of resignation, before answering: "What's the point of having
peacekeepers here if there is no peace to keep?"
Father Xyste Mbredjeze-Ngasha is also hoping to build bridges.
But
this Catholic priest faces a huge task - he has just been put in a
charge of a new parish in PK5, Bangui's now notorious fifth district.
Home to many of the capital's Muslims, it has become a flashpoint in the current conflict.
The first time Father Xyste entered a Muslim neighbourhood in his parish, he had to be escorted by armed UN peacekeepers.
"I fear for my safety, but I must do God's work," he says.
'I don't feel safe'
As the afternoon begins to draw to a close, anxious Bangui residents head for home.
But for some, beating the curfew is the last thing on their minds.
They have no homes to go to. They are the thousands of people living in the capital's 28 camps for the displaced. Keeping the peace in CAR
A 10,000-strong UN force took over a peacekeeping mission in September 2014
France has about 2,000 troops in its ex-colony, first deployed in December 2013
At
the Benzvi camp, half of the tarpaulin tents are in bad need of repair,
there is little sanitation, limited access to clean water and the camp
becomes a quagmire of mud with each heavy rainfall.
A few months
ago, the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres, who provide much-needed
medical assistance and food relief there, were hoping to close it down.
But then violence broke out again in September and terrified Christians rushed to the camp.
More than 2,500 people survive in dire and cramped conditions, too afraid to venture beyond the camp's gates.
"Even here, I don't feel safe, I'm scared that the
Seleka fighters will attack us again," one young woman now living in
Benzvi told me, echoing the thoughts of many.
With peace still a
long way off, the transitional government led by the interim President,
Catherine Samba-Panza, is pressing ahead with plans to hold elections.
They have already been postponed once.
But President Samba-Panza still hopes to see the country go to the polls before 31 December, when her mandate expires.
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Media caption' Elections will happen this year ' - C A R interim President"We have no other choice - our priority is to secure the electoral process," she says.
"When the time comes, we shall see if we are really able to go ahead."
As the president speaks, Rwandan soldiers from the UN's Minusca force look on.
They have been tasked with guarding the presidential compound.
It is a sobering reminder that security in the CAR cannot be guaranteed without outside help.
Army Spokesman, Colonel SK Usman, revealed that the “joint intelligence community investigated and authorized”
the release of these prisoners. He added that the release was part of
Nigeria’s National Army Day, which was held on July 6th to commemorate
the first shots of Nigeria’s Civil War at Garaken, Cross Rivers State.
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has won the hearts of Ekiti people in many ways.
Fayose is a man of the people and does not fail to show the people that he is a man just like them.
Yesterday, November 3, the governor attended to two aged women in the state.
Fayose stopped his convoy to interact with an old woman at Oja Bisi
area of the state. The woman t0old him she will be burying her mother on
Friday and invited him.
There’s hardly a day that goes by without Fayose being involved in
one drama or the other and he is not bothered about the criticism that
trails his actions. He does as he pleases and says what he feels without
fear of who gets hurt.
Yesterday, he apologised to primary school teachers in Ekiti state over the mix-up in the payment of their September salary. The governor assured the teachers of the state government’s continuous support as soon as the state finances improve.
Viral footage has emerged of an Indian man who was
apprehended on Saturday, October 31 in Satellite Town, Lagos, for
allegedly stealing a commercial motorcyclist’s manhood.
The Indian man reportedly stole the Okada rider’s manhood at Satelite Town, Lagos.
Sources say the disturbing development took place at about 5pm on the said date.
Witnesses, most of whom were motorists themselves, claimed
the unnamed Indian alighted from a bus which was headed to mile 2 and
asked the okada rider for directions to some place in Satellite Town. READ ALSO: HORRIBLE! Read What Policeman Did To 3-Year-Old Girl In Ebonyi
The okada rider, whose name is withheld, had asked to take the accused to his destination, and they agreed on a fee.
Ladunliadi News reports that on getting to the gate just before Navy
town, the Indian instructed the okada rider to stop as he had arrived at
his destination.
On getting off the bike, the suspect paid the local bike rider far more than was due for the distance covered.
Just after being paid by the Indian man, the biker said he realised his private part was missing.
The bike man was reported to have discovered just at the moment of exchange that his private part had gone missing.
He then ran after the Indian man who was already on his way, shouting to draw the attention of people.
His fellow bike riders joined the chase and stopped the Indian man.
Fellow bike men were instrumental to apprehending the Indian man who had briskly left after over paying the victim.
Witnesses at the scene posted photos and videos of the incident. See footage below:
At the time of this report, there was no information as to what became of the Indian and the commercial motorcyclist.
In our series of
letters from African journalists, Sola Odunfa in Lagos considers what
makes one of Nigeria's many kings so special.
For the last week
there has been great excitement in Ile-Ife, the centuries-old city in
south-west Nigeria that ethnic Yoruba people regard as their spiritual
home.
Residents have been celebrating the appointment of a
successor to the throne of Ooni of Ife, which became vacant in July on
the death of the incumbent, Oba Okunade Sijuwade.
Political,
religious and social leaders from across the country have been sending
congratulatory messages to Ile-Ife on this new epoch.
And on 28
October the people of Ile-Ife turned out in their hundreds of thousands
to receive their son Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, who left home for Lagos
several years ago in pursuit of economic opportunities.
He
returned not only as a real estate tycoon but also as Ooni of Ife -
their paramount ruler and the spiritual leader of all Yoruba people at
home and in the diaspora.
The Yoruba are the second largest ethnic group in Nigeria.
As
I watched that event on TV I found the communal joy infectious and I
swayed in my seat to the beat of gangan drums and, especially, the
voices of old women chanting the praise of the forebears of the
king-elect and the founders of Ile-Ife.
I was happy for them and, as we say in Yorubaland, for myself. Ooni of Ife:
The Ooni of Ife's kingdom is in present-day Osun state in south-west Nigeria
The monarch should be a direct descendant of Oduduwa, who is a Yoruba god
Practice of burying someone alive with a king who dies has long been abolished
But for the Ooni-elect the public fanfare has now ended.
He is in total seclusion, being attended to and spiritually strengthened by traditional priests.
When,
after 21 days, he emerges, after meekly following secret religious
rites, he will be another being - the Ooni proper, second in rank to the
Yoruba deities.
State employees
But
I can only hope that the obeisance being paid to him as Ooni Ogunwusi
by Nigeria's high and mighty will not lead him to really believe all he
might hear about his "highness".
Indeed the Ooni of the 21st Century is not comparable in power and majesty to the Ooni of the days of yore.
Today
the Ooni and other traditional rulers nationwide are, when push comes
to shove, senior employees and under the authority of state governments.
They are paid salaries and allowances from the public purse. Country of kings:
They
vary in hierarchy and importance; some like the Ooni of Ife and the
northern emirs rule large areas, others are traditional rulers of a
village or town
If in doubt about the
traditional king's place in the modern scheme of things in Nigeria,
drive down to Onitsha in the south-east and talk to the Obi, who was a
close friend and confidant of his own predecessor Ooni Oba Okunade
Sijuwade.
The late Ooni and his two friends - the Obi and the
then-Emir of Kano in the north - took a holiday to Israel at their own
expense; when they returned for their trip they were suspended from
office for travelling without obtaining government permission.
They were lucky - they could have been sacked from their gilded thrones.
Up to a few decades ago an Oba, the Yoruba word for a
king, could send his servants or chiefs to summon any woman - young or
married - and when that woman reported to the palace, the king would
pronounce her one of his wives and that would be the end of the matter.
These days hardly any of Nigeria's hundreds of kings would attempt that.
These monarchs do perform useful functions.
They
hold court in their palaces daily, settling matrimonial issues, land
matters, minor chieftaincy disputes and other not-too-serious matters
among their people.
They are also very useful for the vanity of
their subjects and friends as they award chieftaincy titles at their
discretion - though at times these are given on inducement, meaning such
honorary titles perhaps do not garner the respect they once did.
In our series of
letters from African journalists, Sola Odunfa in Lagos considers what
makes one of Nigeria's many kings so special.
For the last week
there has been great excitement in Ile-Ife, the centuries-old city in
south-west Nigeria that ethnic Yoruba people regard as their spiritual
home.
Residents have been celebrating the appointment of a
successor to the throne of Ooni of Ife, which became vacant in July on
the death of the incumbent, Oba Okunade Sijuwade.
Political,
religious and social leaders from across the country have been sending
congratulatory messages to Ile-Ife on this new epoch.
And on 28
October the people of Ile-Ife turned out in their hundreds of thousands
to receive their son Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, who left home for Lagos
several years ago in pursuit of economic opportunities.
He
returned not only as a real estate tycoon but also as Ooni of Ife -
their paramount ruler and the spiritual leader of all Yoruba people at
home and in the diaspora.
The Yoruba are the second largest ethnic group in Nigeria.
As
I watched that event on TV I found the communal joy infectious and I
swayed in my seat to the beat of gangan drums and, especially, the
voices of old women chanting the praise of the forebears of the
king-elect and the founders of Ile-Ife.
I was happy for them and, as we say in Yorubaland, for myself. Ooni of Ife:
The Ooni of Ife's kingdom is in present-day Osun state in south-west Nigeria
The monarch should be a direct descendant of Oduduwa, who is a Yoruba god
Practice of burying someone alive with a king who dies has long been abolished
But for the Ooni-elect the public fanfare has now ended.
He is in total seclusion, being attended to and spiritually strengthened by traditional priests.
When,
after 21 days, he emerges, after meekly following secret religious
rites, he will be another being - the Ooni proper, second in rank to the
Yoruba deities.
State employees
But
I can only hope that the obeisance being paid to him as Ooni Ogunwusi
by Nigeria's high and mighty will not lead him to really believe all he
might hear about his "highness".
Indeed the Ooni of the 21st Century is not comparable in power and majesty to the Ooni of the days of yore.
Today
the Ooni and other traditional rulers nationwide are, when push comes
to shove, senior employees and under the authority of state governments.
They are paid salaries and allowances from the public purse. Country of kings:
They
vary in hierarchy and importance; some like the Ooni of Ife and the
northern emirs rule large areas, others are traditional rulers of a
village or town
If in doubt about the
traditional king's place in the modern scheme of things in Nigeria,
drive down to Onitsha in the south-east and talk to the Obi, who was a
close friend and confidant of his own predecessor Ooni Oba Okunade
Sijuwade.
The late Ooni and his two friends - the Obi and the
then-Emir of Kano in the north - took a holiday to Israel at their own
expense; when they returned for their trip they were suspended from
office for travelling without obtaining government permission.
They were lucky - they could have been sacked from their gilded thrones.
Up to a few decades ago an Oba, the Yoruba word for a
king, could send his servants or chiefs to summon any woman - young or
married - and when that woman reported to the palace, the king would
pronounce her one of his wives and that would be the end of the matter.
These days hardly any of Nigeria's hundreds of kings would attempt that.
These monarchs do perform useful functions.
They
hold court in their palaces daily, settling matrimonial issues, land
matters, minor chieftaincy disputes and other not-too-serious matters
among their people.
They are also very useful for the vanity of
their subjects and friends as they award chieftaincy titles at their
discretion - though at times these are given on inducement, meaning such
honorary titles perhaps do not garner the respect they once did.
Such madness! A pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, New
Anointing Chapel in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, Mark Christmas, has been kidnapped
by unknown gunmen in his hometown.
The pastor’s wife, Evelyn Christmas, said her husband was kidnapped with two other persons on October 18.
She said the incident happened in their hometown, Biseingbene,
Ekeremor Local Government Area, Bayelsa. Mrs. Christmas said her husband
was invited to the community for a meeting by unknown persons on the
fateful day.
“When he got to the community, he found out that the invitation was not only false but a devilish plan to kidnap him,” she said.
Mrs. Christmas said the pastor had stayed over two weeks in their
custody as they demanded N200, 000 for all their phone calls and N300
million as ransom.
“It is over two weeks and I have not heard or seen my husband but
some of our family members, who live in the village, told me that they
spoke with them.
“I planned to contact the police, but the family members said that I
should not involve the police to avoid incurring more danger.
“The reason is that my husband might be killed by the hoodlums if the police is involved in the matter,” she said.
Mrs. Christmas described the situation as ”very painful”.
She said she prays her husband comes home alive.
The Police Public Relation Office in Bayelsa, Asinim Butswat, said the family had not reported the matter to the police.
“They have not reported the incident to us, but if they come to us, we are ready to mobilise ourselves,” Mr. Butswat said.
- See more at:
http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/11/03/gunmen-in-bayelsa-kidnaps-pastor-demands-n300m-as-ransom-n200k-as-money-for-phone-calls/#sthash.T4esIBqq.dpuf
A cargo plane has crashed on take-off near the international airport in South Sudan's capital Juba, with at least 25 killed.
Some reports put the death toll as high as 40.
It is unclear how many of the victims were on the plane and how many were on the ground.
The Antonov An-12 plane was heading to Paloch in Upper Nile State and crashed just 800m (half a mile) from the runway.
Presidential
spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Reuters news agency that there were at
least two survivors, a crew member and a child.
A spokesman for
Russia's diplomatic mission in Uganda said they were in contact with
South Sudanese officials over the plane crash, following reports that
the dead included the five-member Russian crew, AFP news agency
reported. Africa Live: BBC news updates
Cargo planes to remote parts of South Sudan often carry passengers too.
The plane's first flight was in 1971, the Aviation Safety Network reported. It was being operated by Allied Services Limited, a logistics company based in South Sudan.
The Antonov State Company is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing company.
Image copyrightAFP
Artiste Of The Year For Headies 2015!! Who Would You Vote For?
1. Olamide
2. Davido
3. Wizkid
4. Yemi Alade
5. P-Square
- See more at:
http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/11/04/artiste-of-the-year-for-headies-2015-who-would-you-vote-for-see-list/#sthash.XIXnkq1R.dpuf
An African army that can quickly respond to crises on the continent is about to become a reality, 13 years after its conception.
From
January 2016, the African Standby Force (ASF) will be able to intervene
in cases of war crimes, genocide or crimes against humanity if an
African Union member state requests assistance or if the AU itself
considers the situation serious enough.
It will also be able to
provide humanitarian assistance and undertake peacekeeping and observer
missions, although any deployment would be subject to donor funding.
This
multidisciplinary force will be made up of five brigades - each with
police, military and civilian components that could be deployed within
14 days in their own regions.
The Cameroonian city of Douala will
host the logistics base, where equipment will be stored, but the
ultimate power remains in Addis Ababa, at the AU headquarters in the
Ethiopian capital.
The force was initially expected to be ready by 2008, but AU members have dragged their feet over its creation.
It was part of Muammar Gaddafi's vision for his United States of Africa.
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Media captionZimbabwean medic Sergeant Chanetsa Gift on the challenges of working on the front line with military forces in South AfricaRegardless of the late Libyan leader's intentions, it was
clear that the continent needed an improved response to its continuous
conflicts.
At
the moment, 5,000 troops from around the continent are taking part in
an ASF field training exercise in South Africa to help evaluate how
ready the force is to deploy.
The number of personnel is expected to rise to 25,000 by the time the force is operational in January.
But
Africa does have experience in mounting special response operations,
and has already begun taking responsibility for its own peacekeeping,
even providing most of the troops in the UN missions on the continent -
more than 8,000 troops from Ethiopia alone.
Image copyrightAFPImage caption
The force will be ready to be deployed on a mission within 14 days
Under the AU's own auspices, South African troops
were deployed to Burundi in 2001 to oversee a peace process, while in
2008 Tanzanian-led forces quelled a rebel uprising in the Comoros.
"There's
been a positive experience of African contributions to keeping peace on
the continent," says Peter Pham, director of the Africa Centre of the
Atlantic Council.
Fighting Islamist militancy
The
nature of conflict has evolved from being primarily armed intra-state
conflicts - mostly rebel groups fighting for control of natural
resources or to topple governments - to the increasing threat of
Islamist militants.
It means that the role of the intervention
forces has also changed from traditional peacekeeping to engaging in
active combat like the AU troops fighting al-Qaeda-linked militants in
Somalia.
The force which has grown from initial deployment of
8,000 troops in 2007 to more than 22,000 has managed to recapture all
major towns and cities from al-Shabab.
This change strengthens the cause of the ASF, says Ben Payton from the risk analysis firm Verisk Maplecroft.
"The
rise of cross-border terrorist campaigns in Africa potentially
increases the usefulness of the standby force, since African governments
will be more willing to use the force to counter what is seen as a
common threat."
The 2012 crisis in Mali presented a good example
of where the ASF could have intervened but the initial poor response by
African nations meant France stepped in to drive away the Islamist
militants.
Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Air power is one of the weaknesses of the force
With the escalation of violence by the Boko Haram
group in areas bordering north-eastern Nigeria - the insurgents' base -
yet another AU-backed multinational force was created.
This one took seven months to become operational - and is still not fully funded.
The existence of the ASF would eliminate the need to set up a fresh force for every conflict.
While the troops should be in place, the force still faces several issues.
The biggest one is funding - the AU says it still needs $1bn (£650m) to properly finance the force.
Without donor support it will be difficult for a mission to actually be deployed.
Home-grown
financing could prove a problem, especially as countries with larger
budgets might prefer to invest in countering their own domestic threats
rather than contributing to a force they have little control over.
Militarily there are weaknesses too - air power and solid intelligence gathering are poor across the continent.
Image copyrightAFPImage caption
The ASF's role in fighting Islamist militancy may help it raise funds from donors
"The concept of specialisation has largely not occurred in Africa," says Mr Pham.
"For
example, it's harder to co-ordinate infantry brigades from five
different countries that are trained to do the same thing, than having
five different units that do five different tasks that learn to operate
together and complement each other.
"The latter is more efficient in terms of resources and operation."
Some of the contributing nations also have armed forces that lack training, equipment and discipline.
Another major challenge is that of political will - getting a timely reaction from AU member states when a crisis erupts.
An ASF intervention also has to come with the approval of the UN Security Council, which could further delay the response.
Despite
these hurdles, come January, the AU member states do not have much
holding them back should troops need to be deployed to trouble spots
speedily.
Court Orders FG To Release Dasuki’s International Pass
A Federal High court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Federal
Government to release the international passport of embattled former
National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. The presiding judge, Justice
Ademola Adeniyi in his ruling this morning, said counsel to the Federal
government has failed to prove why Dasuki should be denied access to his
passport.
The Federal Government yesterday denied an application by Dasuki
asking that his passport be released so he can travel abroad for medical
treatment. Dasuki is facing a five-count charge bordering on alleged
illegal possession of firearms and money laundering.
