News
Alli Set for Coronation as Ibadan Oba Amid Government Bid
The Oyo State Government has approved the elevation of Senator Sharafadeen Ali, who represents Oyo South Senatorial District, along with High Chiefs Bolaji Adewoyin and Kola Babalola, to beaded crown-wearing Obas in Ibadanland.
They are promoted to Ekerin Olubadan, Ekaarun Balogun and Ekarun Olubadan.
Following their promotion, the high chiefs will ascend to obaship status and attain an elevated rank within the state traditional council.
According to reporte agthered that Alli was being considered as a consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 governorship election.
Other APC aspirants eyeing the Oyo governorship seat on the APC platform include the 2023 governorship candidate of the party, Teslim Folarin; senator representing Oyo North, Abdulfatai Buhari; Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu; former Oyo Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan; lawyer, Akeem Agbaje; former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu; former Oyo Health Commissioner, Azeez Adeduntan; Saheed Oladele, Gbenga Adegbola, and Kunle Busari, the son of the late Ibadan strong politician in the First and Second Republic, Chief Busari Adelakun, popularly known as Eruobodo.
On Thursday, the government approved the promotion of Alli in a memo authorised by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Ademola Ojo, titled: “Re: Request for the list of High Chiefs who are due for elevation to wear beaded crown in Ibadanland,” with registration number CB,211/10Vol IT/67 dated March 26, 2026, a copy of which was obtained by Journalists.
The letter was addressed to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
The letter read, “I have the directive to refer to Your Majesty’s correspondence ref no L/ADV/Co/1242/843 dated 23rd March, 2026, in respect of the above and to inform Your Majesty that while making arrangements for the compilation of the High Chiefs and Baales who are due for beaded crown wearing in Ibadanland as requested.
“It is traditionally necessary and very essential at this point in time that the newly elevated Chiefs in Olubadan in Council, i.e. High Chief Akeem Bolaji Adewoyin, Ekeerin Olubadan, High Chief Sharafadeen Ali, Ekaarun Balogun and High Chief Kola Babalola, Ekaarun Olubadan, should be immediately conferred with beaded crowns in order to avoid unnecessary insinuation that the delay is deliberate and political.
“This is necessary in order to protect the Ibadan traditional institution. To this end, Your Majesty is hereby informed that the coronation/crown-wearing programme for the above-mentioned High Chiefs has been fixed for Friday, April 3, 2026, at the Mapo Hall, Ibadan.
“The promotion of the affected High Chiefs is in line with the 2024 Chieftaincy law as amended. With the promotion, the affected High Chiefs have become members of the Olubadan Advisory Council,” the letter stressed.
The PUNCH reports that in 2024, the Oyo State Government gazetted the new Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration, showing the new amendment.
The new Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration, which was passed by the state House of Assembly and signed into law by Governor Seyi Makinde in 2025, revised Section 4 of the 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration.
The original version stated: “The person who may be proposed as a candidate by the line whose turn it is to fill a vacancy in the office of the Olubadan shall be the most Senior (High) Chief in that Line.”
Section 4 of the amendment, titled “New Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration,” replaced “the most Senior (High) Chief in that Line” with “the most Senior Beaded Crown Oba in that Line.”
Section 4 of the new law states: “The person who may be proposed as a candidate by the line whose turn it is to fill a vacancy in the office of the Olubadan shall be the most Senior Beaded Crown Oba in that line.”
When contacted the media aide to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Adeola Oloko, on Thursday, he confirmed the receipt of the letter from the state government.
He said, “The palace has received the letter confirming the promotion of the three high chiefs to the status of the beaded crown-wearing Obas.
“The letter has been forwarded to the beneficiaries, and we are expecting their responses at the appropriate time.”
When also contacted, the Public Relations Officer of APC, Wale Sadare, said, “It is not party affairs. The media aide to the senator will respond accordingly.”
Reacting to the development, a legal practitioner, Muideen Olagunju, said there was no constitutional provision barring a traditional ruler from contesting elections.
“In my opinion, this is unprecedented in Oyo State. There is no express provision in the law that stops a monarch from contesting elections. It is more of a moral issue rooted in tradition than a legal restriction.”
He added that while traditional rulers were expected to be politically neutral, history has shown instances where monarchs participated in politics without legal consequences.
A close ally of Senator Alli, however, told The PUNCH that the lawmaker would not attend the coronation as fixed by the government.
The ally, who preferred anonymity because he was not authorised by the governorship aspirant to respond, said efforts by the Makinde-led government to stop the governorship aspiration of the senator would end in futility.
He said it was clear that Oba Ladoja was not ready for the promotion, as the palace was still compiling a list of other chiefs due for promotion.
Borrowing from the English poet, William Shakespeare, he said: “No amount of water in the rough, rude sea can wash the balm off from a man on whose shoulders it will please God to place the mantle of leadership of the state come next year.”
“Makinde can go ahead with the coronation. By the grace of the Almighty God, Alli will attend his coronation on May 29, 2027, when he will, Deo Volente, be crowned the governor of Oyo State.”
Entertainment
Kate Henshaw Explains Fallout With Genevieve Nnaji
Seasoned actress Kate Henshaw has opened up about her fallout with colleague Genevieve Nnaji.
Appearing on the Tea with Tay podcast, Henshaw reflected on the end of their friendship, saying it faded quickly.
Henshaw who could not identify the exact cause of the breakdown, stated they may have grown apart or that some level of mistrust existed, but she remains unsure of what happened.
“We grew apart. Maybe she had some kind of mistrust about me… I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what came over her but I’ve moved on,” Henshaw said.
The actress did not give further details on when the fallout occurred.
Both actresses are icons of Nollywood and have featured in several notable films since the late 1990s.
News
Court Orders FG Take Over Of Ogun Illegal Mining Site
Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of properties recovered from Chinese and Nigerians involved in illegal mining activities in Ogun State to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The forfeited assets include a mining site located behind the Baale’s Palace on Ileposo Street, adjacent to 59 Street, Ode-Remo, Ogun State; a Toyota 4Runner SUV with registration number AWE 261 AE; two trucks laden with substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones; and a 40-foot container containing substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones.
The judge made the order, following a motion filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ikoyi, through its counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, seeking an order for the custody and disposal of the properties pursuant to Section 330 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and other relevant laws.
The Commission also sought an order empowering the EFCC, in collaboration with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and court officials, to dispose of the forfeited assets and deposit the proceeds into an interest-bearing account pending the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.
According to an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC operative, intelligence reports revealed that several individuals, including Chinese and Nigerians, were involved in the illegal mining and trade of mineral resources, particularly mica and lithium stones.
The affidavit further revealed that the syndicate mined and transported the mineral resources from various locations across Nigeria to a site in Ode-Remo Local Government Area of Ogun State, where the minerals were sorted, processed and prepared for export through Apapa Wharf and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
It was also revealed that operatives of the Commission carried out a sting operation in the early hours of Friday, May 9, 2025, leading to the arrest of two Chinese alleged to be kingpins and six Nigerians at the mining site.
Items recovered during the operation included the Toyota SUV, three trucks loaded with substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones, as well as a 40-foot container containing 3,210 bags of the mineral resources.
According to the affidavit, the properties listed in the schedule were at risk of rapid deterioration due to the rainy season and were already losing economic value.
It was also stated in the affidavit that the principal actors involved in the illegal activities had already been arraigned before the court on charges relating to the unauthorised dealing in mineral resources.
After reviewing the affidavit evidence and submissions by the Commission, Justice Osiagor granted the application and ordered the final forfeiture and disposal of the assets.
The judge also directed that the proceeds be paid into an interest-bearing account pending the criminal trial of the defendants.
Business
MTN Adamant As Airtime Lending Restored By Telecom Operators
Telecommunications subscribers across Nigeria have regained access to emergency airtime lending services as major operators, Airtel and Glo, quietly restored the platforms following the suspension of the controversial Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending, DEON, Regulations 2025 by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC.
The development comes amid mounting legal pressure on the Commission after a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered a halt to the enforcement of the regulations pending the determination of a suit challenging its powers over telecom-based airtime advances.
Confirming the restoration of the services, Chairman of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria, WASPAN, Ayo Stuffman, disclosed on Monday that the platforms had resumed operations on both networks.
“As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” he said.
The return of the services has brought relief to millions of subscribers who depend on emergency airtime credit for daily communication and small-scale business operations.
Industry estimates put the annual airtime lending market at over ₦400 billion.
The FCCPC had earlier moved to regulate airtime lending platforms under the DEON Regulations 2025, insisting that such services fall within the scope of digital consumer credit and therefore require oversight to protect users from alleged abuses, including data privacy violations and unfair lending practices.
The Commission claimed it had received more than 11,000 consumer complaints linked to digital lending operations.
However, the enforcement triggered resistance from stakeholders in the telecommunications ecosystem, particularly WASPAN and other operators, who argued that airtime advances are telecom value-added services and not conventional consumer loans.
The legal dispute escalated after Justice A. Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, issued an order restraining the FCCPC from enforcing the framework, while Form 49 contempt proceedings were reportedly initiated against the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello.
As at the time of putting this story together at about noon on Tuesday, MTN was yet to comply with the court order.
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