There was jubilation at the command headquarters in Port Harcourt on Saturday as men of the Rivers State Police Command arrested the most-wanted armed robber and kidnapper popularly known as Bobisky.
Bobisky, whose real name is Honest Digbara, was arrested early Saturday at Korokoro in the Tai Local Government Area in a sting operation led by the Divisional Police Officer of Bori, Superintendent Bako Angbashim.
He was paraded at the headquarters of the command on Mosco Road, Port Harcourt.
Bobisky, a terror to many residents in the Ogoni area of the state, has been linked to most of the criminal activities recorded in the area.
Governor Nyesom Wike had earlier placed a N30 million bounty on Bobisky’s head, saying he will reward any member of the public who can provide useful information that will lead to the arrest of the criminal.
As an opposition political party the All Progressive Congress had claimed that fuel subsidy was a fraud perpetrated by the Peoples Democratic Party-led administration. Its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), had promised to stop such fraudulent subsidy.
He also promised to make the comatose refineries work and build new ones if elected by Nigerians. Being a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Nigerians believed the APC flag bearer as he spoke so authoritatively while flaunting his record of performance in the management of the petroleum industry in the 1970s.
But as soon as the APC won the 2015 general elections, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was made to change fuel subsidy to “under recovery” of petroleum products. After 5 years in power the APC-led government has neither fixed the ailing refineries nor built new ones. Having run out of ideas like other factions of the ruling class the Buhari administration has decided to impose economic hardship on the Nigerian people through a rash of increases of VAT, stamp duty, bank charges, interest rates, electricity tariff and fuel hike.
UNPROVOKED ATTACK ON ACTIVISTS
For daring to challenge the recycling of neo-liberal policies which have continued to increase poverty, unemployment and insecurity in the land the federal government has declared a war on the Nigerian people in general and activists in particular. Thus, in his closing address at the first ministerial performance review retreat held at Abuja on Tuesday, September 8, 2020, President Buhari said inter alia “I have to charge all of you to defend the government vigorously and not allow irresponsible and politically motivated activists to keep spreading patent falsehoods about this government. Information to the public should be better packaged. Go on the offensive…”Despite the official threat oozing out of the presidential villa we have a decided to join issues with the federal government over its decision to make the masses of our people bear the brunt of the IMF-inspired neoliberal policies which have continued to promote poverty in the midst of plenty of human and natural resources.
Since President Buhari once said that “we have no other country than Nigeria” we are going to stay here and fight the mortgaging of the sovereignty of the nation through questionable local and foreign loans as well as the implementation of the conditionalities attached to the IMF palliative loan of $3.5 billion.
Having handed over the fixing of prices of goods and services to the so called market forces the Federal Government has turned round to blame “irresponsible and politically motivated activists” for pointing out that the duty of fixing the prices of petroleum products has been imposed on the Minister of Petroleum Resources by section 6 of the Petroleum Act. We have been accused of spreading falsehood for citing the case of Bamidele Aturu v Minister of Petroleum Resources (2015) 1NHRLR 73 where the Federal High Court declared the deregulation of petroleum products illegal, null and void pursuant to the combined effect of section 6 of the Petroleum Act and section 4 of the Price Control Act.
Unlike in the past when fuel hike was blamed on the criminal activities of smugglers, privatisation or deregulation the Federal Government has pointed accusing fingers at the coronavirus pandemic. But contrary to such escapist rationalization we insist that the latest fuel hike was instigated by the devaluation of the naira via the dollarisation of the neo colonial economy by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Since the naira is being rendered increasingly worthless because it is said to be over valued by the IMF the Federal Government has openly declared that the prices of PMS will continue to increase.
Having provoked the Nigerian people to anger and fury the Federal Government should be told that no amount of intimation will cow the people to submission.
I salute the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) for organising public protests against economic policies that are considered inimical to the interests of the Nigerian people. In spite of the official campaign of calumny against activists we have decided to challenge the Federal Government for implementing anti people’s policies and programmes.
FRUSTRATION OF MIGRATION FROM PMS TO CNG
Upon the realization that it could not fund the N450 billion set aside for “under recovery” in the 2020 budget of the Federal Government the Buhari administration opted for compressed natural gas to power vehicles in the country. Thus, in a well attended press conference held in Abuja on January 16, 2020, the Minister of State, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr Timpere Sylva disclosed that the introduction of CNG as an alternative fuel would crash the cost of transportation and play a crucial role in eliminating the huge burden of subsidy payment as CNG would be sold at between N95 and N97 per litre unlike PMS that was then selling at N145 per litre.
While announcing that the Federal Government had put necessary infrastructure in place for the project to commence in September 2020 the minister said that “Already, there is a pilot programme in Benin City, which has worked for a long time. About 4,000 vehicles are already on CNG in Benin. We want to expand that CNG programme across the country and we believe it is going to create a lot of opportunities for Nigerians and also give Nigerians a new lease of live because the commodity would be accessible”.
About a month later, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) started awareness campaign on the usage of CNG as an alternative to PMS which was putting pressure on the Naira on daily basis. The DPR urged Nigerians to embrace CNG as it iscleaner, cheaper and more eco-friendly than PMS. Shortly thereafter, it was disclosed that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources had secured partnership with NIPCO Gas Limited and Green Fuels Limited for immediate conversion of petrol-consuming vehicles to compressed natural gas-fired ones, building CNG retail outlets across the country.
According to Wikipedia, “CNG is used in traditional gasoline/internal combustion engine automobiles that have been modified or in vehicles specifically manufactured for CNG use, either alone (dedicated), with a segregated gasoline system to extend range (dual fuel) or in conjunction with another fuel such as diesel (bi-fuel). Natural gas vehicles are increasingly used in Iran, Pakistan, India and other large cities. Its use is also increasing in South America, Europe and North America because of rising gasoline prices.”
In the past two years Cote d’ivoire has acquired over 700 Crossway Low Entry and 50 Crealis buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) which are currently running in Abidjan.
However, in response to high fuel prices and environmental concerns the Olusegun Obasanjo administration had adopted CNG as an alternative to PMS in 2006 when it gave licences to three companies- Nipco Plc, Contact Global and Global Steel for the development of compressed natural gas for vehicles. When a team of Nipco Pls visited him at Abeokuta, Ogun State on June 12 this year, former President Obasanjo recalled that “When I gave the licence in my time, the idea was to use what we had and by now, we could have put half of all the vehicles on gas.”
A former Special Assistant on Petroleum Resources to President Obasanjo, Dr. Muhammed Ibrahim who was on the delegation of Nipco Plc said that he was a member of the team of experts that initiated the full concept of development of gas for vehicles and other applications in the country.
At the material time it was disclosed by the Managing Director of the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi that Nigeria could save about N474.5 billion annually if all the gasoline consumption in the country was replaced by CNG. But the programme has been sabotaged for the past 14 years due to official gridlock and unfavorable policies of the Federal Government influenced by the cabal of fuel importers.
Hence, instead of switching to CNG in September as promised by Mr. Sylva on behalf of the Federal Government the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company Limited announced the increase of the pump price of PMS from N145 to N151 per litre. To add insult to injury the federal government has said that henceforththe prices of fuel would be dictated by market forces. Instead of handing over the Nigerian people to market forces, albeit illegally, I call on ASCAB to mount pressure on the Federal Government to implement the policy of switching from PMS to CNG without any further delay.
CONCLUSION
No doubt, Nigeria is the only oil producing country without functional refineries. Even though the four refineries have collapsed the Federal Government has been spending billions of naira on their so called turn around maintenance. Instead of insulting the Nigerian people for protesting against fuel hike the Federal Government ought to apologise for its failure of the federal government to fix the collapsed refineries and build new ones.
Having consulted the labour movement and civil society organizations and other stakeholders in the the country the ASCAB should not hesitate to proclaim the National Day of Action within the next few days.
In exercise of our fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression we are going to embark on public protests within the COVID-19 regulations. We call on the police and other security agencies not to attack the planned peaceful protests, marches and rallies.
Let me end this address by warning those who want to rule a dead people to be prepared to be hunted by their ghosts!
Is the text of an address by Femi Falana (SAN), co-chair of Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), at the emergency webinar meeting of ASCAB held on Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that Nigeria was fast drifting into a ‘failed and badly divided state’ under President Muhammadu Buhari.
This, he said, were products of recent “mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of our country”.
According to Daily Trust, Obasanjo spoke while delivering a paper titled “Moving Nigeria Away From Tipping Over’ at a consultative dialogue in Abuja.
The dialogue took place between September 9 and 10.
He, however, called for concerted efforts of all stakeholders towards “moving Nigeria from tipping over”.
He said, “Old fault lines that were disappearing have opened up in greater fissures and with drums of hatred, disintegration and separation and accompanying choruses being heard loud and clear almost everywhere.
“I do appreciate that you all feel sad and embarrassed as most of us feel as Nigerians with the situation we find ourselves in. Today, Nigeria is fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state, economically our country is becoming a basket case and poverty capital of the world, and socially, we are firming up as an unwholesome and insecure country.
“And these manifestations are the products of recent mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of our country. Old fault lines that were disappearing have opened up in greater fissures and with drums of hatred, disintegration and separation and accompanying choruses being heard loud and clear almost everywhere.
“It would appear that anybody not dancing to the drum beat nor joining in chorus singing would be earmarked as ethnically unpatriotic or enemy of its tribe or geographical area. In short, the country is fast moving to the precipice. But happily, I observed that the five socio-cultural political groups gathered “here have been getting together to find common ground, areas of agreement or accord for moving Nigeria away from tipping over.
“Before continuing, let me say that we must remind those who are beating the drums of disintegration and singing choruses of bitterness, anger and separation that if even Nigeria is broken up, the separated parts will still be neighbours. And they will have to find accommodation as neighbours or they will be ever at war. And those who prevent justice to be done, invite violence to reign.”
Peru’s Congress on Friday voted to open impeachment proceedings against President Martin Vizcarra for “moral incapacity” over accusations he tried to obstruct a corruption probe against government officials.
The motion was approved by 65 votes, with 36 against and 24 abstentions. Fifty-two votes were required to open the proceedings early next week.
To remove the president, who lacks a party, 87 votes are required. After Vizcarra appears in Congress next Friday to defend himself, the plenary will debate and vote.
Six out of nine parties — representing 95 of the 130 seats in Congress — have backed the motion.
“I’m not going to quit. I do not run,” Vizcarra said in a televised address ahead of the vote in which he denied any wrongdoing.
“We are facing a plot against democracy,” he said, adding that he had nothing to hide but that lawmakers should act “with caution, with responsibility, and to take the decision they deem necessary.”
Vizcarra, in power since 2018, came under fire after leaked audio recordings in which he is heard telling aides to hide details of his office’s controversial hiring of a popular singer as a paid cultural advisor.
In the event of impeachment, legislative speaker Manuel Merino will act as interim leader until the current presidential term ends in July 2021.
Vizcarra has won popular support for an anti-corruption crusade that has put him at loggerheads with opponents in Congress, including over a reform banning convicted criminals from standing for election.
The impeachment motion is reminiscent of the one that forced the resignation of his predecessor Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in 2018, after he became embroiled in the Odebrecht bribes scandal.
It comes as the country is in the throes of an economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen Peru’s second-quarter GDP slashed by 30 percent.
“The dismissal is very dangerous in these circumstances,” political analyst Fernando Rospigliosi told AFP, warning against a change of government in the middle of a crisis and with only seven months to go until a general election.
Prime Minister Walter Martos on Friday denounced the move against the President.
“What Congress is doing right now is to stage a coup d’etat, because it is making an arbitrary interpretation of the Constitution,” Martos, a retired army general and number two in the government told radio RPP.
The case exploded in May when the press discovered that, at the height of the pandemic, the Ministry of Culture had hired singer Richard Cisneros, a little-known local artist who boasted in the media that he had been an advisor to the government, as a speaker and entertainer.
Parliament opened an investigation into the alleged irregular contracts for which Cisneros received $10,000.
Garba Shehu, the Special Assistant on President Buhari on Media and Publicity, says contrary to public opinion, the prices of foodstuff across the country are coming down.
Garba said this when he appeared on Channels TV on Friday September 11, to discuss the recent directive President Buhari issued to the Central Bank of Nigeria to henceforth stop the release of forex for food and fertilizer importation.
A senior lecturer in the Department of Economics, University of Abuja, Dr Ahmed Adamu, faulted the directive of the President. According to him, it was a bad time to issue such a directive given that there is high inflation already in the economy.
“It is also a wrong time because we have not built the right infrastructure and not supplied the right agriculture facilities and we have not built the entire agriculture value chain. We are also facing insecurity and a lot of farmers have been displaced from their farms and they cannot produce much. And now the government is discouraging cheap importation from other countries. It is going to create a lot of food scarcity in the country.
“Now we are seeing a high rise in the prices of food items in the country and this measure is going to increase the prices of food items further at a time when we just came out of COVID-19 lockdown.”Adamu said
While responding to the lecturer’s position, Garba said
“To say the cost of food items is connected to the closure of the borders is absolutely wrong. And to say that the prices of food ain’t coming down, I think the scholar has detached himself from the market because we sat through the meeting of the National Food Security Council and we heard presentations by experts – people who had surveyed the markets.
As of yesterday (Thursday) in the morning of the meeting, go and check the index in markets. For instance in Kano, millets that had gone up to N24,000 has now gone down to N12,000, N13,000. Rice that had been N25,000 is now N20,000. Corn, maize is now N18,000 for the old stock and N14,000, N15,000 for the new stock.
So, to say that there is no change in the prices is to show one is completely detached from what is happening in the country.”
Responding to comments that his position is not the reality of many Nigerians, Garba said
“As the Germans say, if you want to get the best of the weather, open the windows. My suggestions to the journalists who sit and write all of these numbers is, send your correspondents to the streets, go to the markets and find out.
I didn’t say that all of the prices, the changes had crashed completely. They are coming down because the harvested items are coming into the market. Prices are coming down, they will continue to go down as more and more food items are harvested. It’s a seasonal thing and we are going to see through this as well.”
The Department of State Services has extended the third invitation to a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia.
Mailafia, who was the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, said this during an interview with The PUNCH on Friday.
“It is true. I have been invited to their office in Jos. I was asked to appear at 11 am on Monday,” he said.
Mailafia, who is also being investigated by the Nigeria Police Force, got into trouble with security agencies for his interview on Nigeria Info 99.3FM wherein he claimed that a repentant terrorist told him that a northern governor was a Boko Haram commander.
The former deputy governor of the apex bank had also claimed that during the lockdown, weapons were distributed to several parts of the country, adding that terrorists had infiltrated Lagos.
He later withdrew his comment, stating that he got the information from a third party.
Last month, Mailafia had approached a High Court in Plateau State for the enforcement of his fundamental rights to personal liberty and fair hearing in a bid to prevent the police from arresting him.
However, it was learnt that the security agents were being prodded by the Federal Government to ensure that the economist is arraigned in court.
Mailafia said it was unfortunate that two security agencies were investigating him at the same time.
“This is one of the reasons why I am in court. I am being invited by the DSS and the police at the same time. It is an abuse of my rights,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has confirmed that over 5000 Smart Card Readers were on Thursday destroyed during a fire incident at the organisations’s office in Akure, Ondo State.
Mr Festus Okoye, INEC’s National Commissioner and Head of Information and Voter Education, disclosed this on Thursday.
Okoye said the fire, which started around 8:00pm, gutted a container placed in a confined area at INEC containing Smart Card Readers.
He said, “We already have 4000 of the Smart Card Readers inside the container but additional 1000 was brought into the state for the purpose of the election.
“So, we have close to 5100 cards that have been affected by the inferno.”
He confirmed that there was no fatality but refused to disclosed the real cause of the fire.
Firefighters had a tough time putting out the inferno.
Nigerian musician, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido has hit another milestone in his career as his new song FEM broke a record currently held by his other song, Blow My Mind.
FEM Has now become the fastest ever Nigerian music video to hit one million views on YouTube. Davido’s “BLOW MY MIND” formerly held the record at 11 Hours.
Bolanle Aseyan who triggered rounds of controversy months ago after accusing popular UK-based Doctor and Twitter influencer, Dr Olufunmilayo of rape has reportedly been arraigned in a Lagos court over ”false rape allegation.”
Recall that after Aseyan petitioned the UK police and medical authorities, and also sought for the withdrawal of Olufunmilayo’s licence based on the allegations, he was cleared of the allegation in the UK and a false accusation complaint was also filed against her.
#EndSARS activist, Segun Awosanya a.k.a Segalink confirmed the arraignment of the female doctor in Nigeria by sharing a photo of the charge sheet on Twitter. He also disclosed that Aseyan was remanded in police custody pending the perfection of her bail conditions after being arraigned before the Yaba Magistrates’ Court on five counts bordering on false accusation and extortion on Wednesday September 9.
One of the charges read;
“That you, Bolanle Aseyan, and others currently at large between June 29, 2020 and July 1, 2020, at No. 12a Molade Okoya Thomas Street, Adeniyi Jones, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire with others now at large to cause injury to the person, reputation and profession of Dr Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya by your false publication on the social media tagging him as a rapist, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 413 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
Segalink tweeted;
There is a trend on Twitter that is ruinous. Idle souls seeking a vicarious adventure through the life of another sit back and play Judge rather than observe. After all, intelligence demands doubting, questioning & not being impressionable or biased when cases arise
Evidence & patterns show vividly that everyone is still healing from things they rarely speak about but if keen attention is paid to their actions you can’t but see the projection of personal failings. Let me walk you through a popular allegation that once shook the Twitterspace.
A certain Bola Aseyan, who barely got out of medical school with tons of misdemeanors & other public disturbance allegations, and recently took a trip to the UK just to record another, in the bid to incriminate a popular Dr Olufunmilayo as evidence clearly shows.
Twitter was engulfed by her false rape allegation and premeditated attempt to assassinate the character of a young UK based Doctor whose major crime was his naivety & kindness. Audio evidence of a phone conversation between the aggressor & her trusted friend reveals that she deliberately plotted everything from Nigeria with the enumeration of her objectives with a checklist which included but not limited to; the procurement of seductive clothes & the narration of her seductive intent as gathered. It was a gory script too unsettling to repeat.
Upon achieving her aim to have an intercourse on foreign soil with her target, she probably missed some plots that may fit into her planned incrimination & she did all that she could to try again, leading to another consensual sexual episode which she’s failed to mention.
Again, these sexual episodes were missing vital ingredients for her plot and she got desperate. Records show her conversation with her trusted ally on the entire incidents especially how she actively/desperately seduced Dr Olufunmilayo to the point where he had to run for safety.
In her account to this ally, who voluntarily presented his statement to the investigation in Lagos, she deemed Dr Olufunmilayo uncooperative and possible gay for avoiding her entreaties & seductive approaches. Another witness physically present in such occasion corroborated this.
I want to believe it was at this point that she felt frustrated and decided to weaponize all that transpired as premeditated. She deployed any and every trivial matter to suit the narrative of her plot and proceeded on a diabolical journey to ruin the career & life of her target.
As backed by a few drama queens on Twitter, she went to the UK Police & GMC to lodge a complaint painting a grotesque picture of violent sexual assault. Unfortunately for her & those rooting for her, UK Police are not as gullible. They investigated & cleared Dr Olufunmilayo.
She had expected that the Police would make an arrest based on her falsehood & that they GMC will seize the license of Dr Olufunmilayo but none of her evil intentions came to pass. The GMC carried out their investigation in collaboration with the police & sat twice.
Like any ethical professional organization, they had to do something. When they received the police report on the matter that there is no criminal offense on the allegation brought forward as they have discontinued the chronomicide (bloody waste of time).
The GMC also felt this has nothing to do with professional misconduct but decides to still follow up on the allegation till the lady retraces her steps. But as the investigation later found, Dr Funmi filed a suit against her and she sneaked out of the UK to Nigeria.
Suffice to say that she evaded justice in the Uk & crept out like a fugitive. Court papers, UK police emails and all evidences to back up the above are before @SIAF_NG . Upon, the alert that she eloped from the UK, reports were filed in Lagos with the Police.
All attempts of the @PoliceNG to invite her over was rebuffed as she kept giving excuses even after official invitation were extended to her. She eventually showed up with her lawyer at the Bar Beach Police Station where all the evidences were presented to her.
To any sane individual, this would have been a turning point where all demonic acts could have been tamed for peace to resign but she called the bluff of the police authorities and insulted them even against the advice of her counsel. The Police had no choice than to escalate.
The case was bumped to State Criminal Investigation in Panti, and she continued to twist the system and play in the intelligence of the Police until they had to detain her for her unruly behavior despite the glaring evidences. She was later granted bail & given directives none of the conditions given to her at Panti were met. She kept on throwing tantrums and making attempts to incriminate the investigation officers amidst attempts to twist the system with a few corrupt souls within. She stopped reporting at Panti after lying against the IPO
She accused the IPO of damaging her phone as an excuse to stall the investigation. She absconded and deployed a rogue team at Zone 2 to obstruct justice in the attempt to move the investigation there. Unfortunately for her the AIG at Zone 2 is just & Professional.
This was an AIG that was formerly a CP at Ogun State I own for his attention to details.@SIAF_NG has huge records of several successful investigations void of human rights abuses including murder cases solved by this individual. But I digress
The plot to obstruct justice failed and a radio signal was sent for Panti to continue the investigation which was due to be charged to court last Friday but for her deliberate absence having been assured that the investigation will be disrupted based on her false petition to Zone 2 claiming Assassination attempt by all the witnesses, petitioner’s lawyer & even the entire Panti investigating officers. It wasn’t long before the police formation realize how diabolical this character is, having also read the litany of accounts from other victims.
When she realize she has failed on all grounds and may likely be declared wanted publicly. She made herself available yesterday night and was apprehended and charged to court this morning. She has since been remanded in the Prison custody of Panti until bail conditions are met.
She will undergo COVID19 test before being taken to prison if she fails to meet her bail conditions. This however is just the State Vs Bola Aseyan in a criminal investigation and I believe a civil suit may follow concurrently given that she is a flight risk & criminal minded.
One thing is certain though in all this. It will be difficult for anyone to jump in front of any allegation forthwith without due diligence. I pray this doesn’t discourage others with genuine claims. We need to protect our men as much as we do the vulnerable women out there.
Let Justice take its course. As far as she’s concerned now she is trying hard to create an impression that Twitter is boring to justify her disappearance. Know that she has been canned. She is being processed now to be remanded in prison. Learn from this.
It should be noted that there are several suits running concurrently in this matter including the UK suit served her via mail as approved by the courts since she absconded from the UK. She received the mail and deliberately refused to respond. This has consequences also.
There are many twists and turns even an attempt to influence the charge of the case to her preferred court where her contacts can influence judgement but this failed as well. If time permits I may highlight a few incidents on her UK trip especially her hunt for weed on UK streets
All evidence available and live witnesses volunteered their statements and proof of claims to the investigating officers of the State. We all need to learn from this “For the Night is dark and full of Terror.”
I probably won’t be surprised if she makes bail in a few weeks after incarceration before the next hearing on October 14th and gets re-arrested because the Police department she falsely accused of “Assassination Attempt” as well as others may be filing separate suits against her.
Just in case she paints a picture that she had a normal day, here’s this character in Court and here are the charge sheets. She may have exploited the system again using corrupt elements in the system by circumventing the court order but Justice will surely prevail.
Lagos police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi also confirmed that Aseyan was released after she met her bail conditions. He said;
“She was taken to court and granted bail, and she was released after the bail terms were met. So, it is not true that she was not arrested.”
The manner in which Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress greeted the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi at the coronation of the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Omogbolahan Lawal has been raising dust on social media.
In a video which had gone viral, Tinubu remained seated as he greeted the Ooni, a position, which many social media users consider to be disrespectful to the Ooni and his throne.
Social media users unearthed videos of late Western region premier, Obafemi Awolowo, who had stood up at the entrance of the then Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II at an event.
Also, the instances where the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, prostrated for the Ooni, and the monarch of Gbagura, Ogun State, Oba Sabur Bakare have been shared several times.
Apart from social media users, Yinka Odumakin, who is the spokesman for the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, said that the Tinubu should have stood up as a sign of respect for the first class monarch.
Odumakin said, “We are still Yoruba people. With due respect to our royal fathers, we should not say because we are in a modern age, we should not give the proper respect that we give to our oba. You saw the time former President Obasanjo prostrated before the Ooni. So, it is still our culture and we must sustain our culture and give the respect that is due to our monarchs.”
Former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, also slammed Tinubu for disrespecting Ooni by not standing up.
Via his Twitter handle; Fani-Kayode said, “That the Asiwaju of Bourdillon refused to stand up to greet the Ooni of Ife speaks volumes. This was not only deeply insulting to every Ife and indeed son and daughter of Odua but it is also a crying shame. Would a northern political leader refuse to stand up for his traditional ruler?”
There are, however, those who believe that Tinubu didn’t disrespect the first-class oba, that the APC national leader wields more power than the Ooni, thus, there was nothing wrong in the manner of greeting.
A Twitter user, Prince Dagus @Dagusprince tweeted, “You people insulting Tinubu over this greeting matter. What’s your problem? Did Ooni complain to you? There are some people in Yoruba land that doesn’t prostrate for kings. I’m sure Ooni understood such.”
Retired Activist @streetprince007 said, “Tinubu is not a Yoruba man. A Yoruba man knows what to do. That’s all I can say.”
Mafe Sunday @mafe_sunday said, “For a typical Yoruba man to defend this disrespecting act shows that we are fast losing it, if Obasanjo, a former president and an older man than Tinubu, can prostrate before Ooni, he has no excuse not to prostrate. This is us, this is who we are, this is our culture, our identity.”
Ayobami Ayobami @dondekojo, “The Ooni walked to Tinubu to greet him, please. It’s a non-issue. Tinubu is bigger than the Ooni. You people should rest, next time Ooni should prostrate to Asiwaju.”
Benjamin Amaechi 2 @2_amaechi sharing a photo of Obasanjo prostrating for the Ooni, said, “Baba bowed before the Ooni. Is Baba less a Yoruba man than Tinubu?”
Chuks.Chinyere (jj) @chukschinyere tweeted, “In today’s political setting, Tinubu wields more power than the Ooni of Ife. Traditional leaders are subject to the democratic set up which means (someone) like Tinubu wields so much control over (them). This is not 1688.”
