After 300 days in office, it is imperative to see whether your employee has discharged his duties efficiently and to see what areas he has excelled at and the ones he has struggled with.
After careful evaluation, these are my findings on President Buhari's 300 days in office.
45 Foreign Trips
Arrests of "corrupt" PDP loyalists (only)
Detention of Nnamdi Kanu (gross violation of human rights)
23 Country Tour in 9 months (Beetles, Rolling Stones and One Direction put together didnt)
Incessant fuel crisis and endless queue
Divided Country along ethnic lines
Violent Elections
Fulani Herdsmen on rampage
Power Outage
Perpetual blaming of the former administration
Killing of pro-Biafra demonstrators
Killing of Shites
Anti-Christian laws in Kaduna
Collapsed Economy
Overwhelmed Presidency
Incompetent Ministers
Inflation
Disobedience to court injuctions
Unemployment
Retrenchment
Apologies
Lack of communication, except when abroad
No Economic policy
And ofcourse Boko Haram is still alive and kicking.
So...from a managerial stand point, I would describe this employee as dreadful and would be issuing an official warning, with another supervision scheduled for the next 3 months (let's give Baba 6 months) after which if things do not improve, a more decisive action will be required.
Until then, the Jury is out.
Monday 28 March 2016
A Presidential Disgrace
Just like his principal, bungling Femi Adesina show no sign of awareness or full grasp of the economic situation in the country. His body language lacked empathy, cold as ice, zero personality and basic at best in his delivery and analysis of issues, showing no spark or any form of enthusiasm. Just like his boss, Femi looked bored and out of sorts...a huge dissapointment for a presidential spokesperson.
Then i ask myself, how on earth is an officer of this magnitude so bland? why so ordinary, with the bread and butter English, no details, no facts nor figures, only a "tomorrow will be better" rhetoric...disgraceful.
The job of a presidential spokesman is to provide information on behalf of the president. To calm people's nerves and address salient issues, get to the nitty gritty and put in some image work on behalf of the president. Femi Adesina did the exact opposite...he did a Doyin Okupe, he managed to infuriate Nigerians more on this matter of fuel scarcity and the horrendous queue.
"If some people are crying that they are in darkness, they should go and hold those who vandalised installations" really Femi? that is how a presidential spokesman talks on air? after your boss was given a mandate to fix things, now you complain that Nigerians want magic...as if your boss didnt promise magic or can we at least have a miracle considering our vice president is a pastor, but my goodness can you stop insulting the emotions of Nigerians with your collective incompetence.
I reckon when president Buhari chose Femi who was a newspaper columnist and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Newspaper and president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, his plan was to use Femi to control his peers, afterall no article will appear in any newspaper without the say so of the Editor in Chief, so with Femi as the captain of all newspaper editors, president Buhari must have thought he made a tactical appointment...well NO.
It's noteworthy to mention that Mr Adesina has done some great work in areas of making sure that a lot of the ineptitude of this administration is under reported, so a lot of Nigerians are not opportuned to really feel the impact of the helplessness of this administration to fulfill all the promises it made prior to the election.
Mr Adesina should take this as a wake up call and next time you come on air to talk about National issues, please do some homework...do your job and come on air with answers or intelligent discussions. Do not add insult to the injuries of Nigerians Mr Spokesman.
By the way, where is that other one Bashir Ahmad? what is his Job? and Tolu Ogunlesi needs to crack on, cos this task is going to be ardous. It's not about defending the president, it's about being proactive and offering as much information on these multiple platforms as possible and being ready to engage in a robust debate, because Nigerians will not settle for mediocrity...not after you made such boisterous promises.
Then i ask myself, how on earth is an officer of this magnitude so bland? why so ordinary, with the bread and butter English, no details, no facts nor figures, only a "tomorrow will be better" rhetoric...disgraceful.
The job of a presidential spokesman is to provide information on behalf of the president. To calm people's nerves and address salient issues, get to the nitty gritty and put in some image work on behalf of the president. Femi Adesina did the exact opposite...he did a Doyin Okupe, he managed to infuriate Nigerians more on this matter of fuel scarcity and the horrendous queue.
"If some people are crying that they are in darkness, they should go and hold those who vandalised installations" really Femi? that is how a presidential spokesman talks on air? after your boss was given a mandate to fix things, now you complain that Nigerians want magic...as if your boss didnt promise magic or can we at least have a miracle considering our vice president is a pastor, but my goodness can you stop insulting the emotions of Nigerians with your collective incompetence.
I reckon when president Buhari chose Femi who was a newspaper columnist and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Newspaper and president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, his plan was to use Femi to control his peers, afterall no article will appear in any newspaper without the say so of the Editor in Chief, so with Femi as the captain of all newspaper editors, president Buhari must have thought he made a tactical appointment...well NO.
It's noteworthy to mention that Mr Adesina has done some great work in areas of making sure that a lot of the ineptitude of this administration is under reported, so a lot of Nigerians are not opportuned to really feel the impact of the helplessness of this administration to fulfill all the promises it made prior to the election.
Mr Adesina should take this as a wake up call and next time you come on air to talk about National issues, please do some homework...do your job and come on air with answers or intelligent discussions. Do not add insult to the injuries of Nigerians Mr Spokesman.
By the way, where is that other one Bashir Ahmad? what is his Job? and Tolu Ogunlesi needs to crack on, cos this task is going to be ardous. It's not about defending the president, it's about being proactive and offering as much information on these multiple platforms as possible and being ready to engage in a robust debate, because Nigerians will not settle for mediocrity...not after you made such boisterous promises.
Sunday 27 March 2016
The Pagan Origin of Easter and it's impact on Africa
It's that time of the year again, the commemoration of the ressurection of Jesus, an annual season which we have come to know as Easter and is celebrated all over the world amongst Christians. A lot of Africans would have gone to church this morning, wishing each other happy easter, without a clear understanding of what Easter really means. Many Africans say stuff like "he is risen" "Jesus is the reason for the season" but does Easter have any bearing on Jesus at all? the answer is NO.
A little History about Easter
Easter is a pagan festival which the early Church fathers adopted and cleverly too, in their attempt to make Christianity acceptable to the very pagan Europe of that time, hence the secular celebration of the Spring Equinox has been syncretised into this religious celebration which we now call Easter from it's original name Ishtar...a pagan godess of fertility and sex and the mother of Tammuz, another pagan god whom was supposed to have risen from the dead and ascended to his father baal in heaven (ill come to that later) all in their efforts to make it easier to transition from paganism into Christianity.
The death of the son of God and his ressurection is actually a copy work and an adaptation of a compilation of symbolic narrative from ancient Babylonian, Assyrian and Sumerian religion. The death of the Sun god (not Son of God) because these were sun worshipers, how he triumphed over evil, the story of the Crux (check the constellation of the Southern cross) and various Pre-Jesus crucifiction and ressurection story are pointers to the fact that not only is this ressurection story not unique nor genuine but is also completely pagan and has been padded and repackaged into what we now celebrate today as Easter.
Let's go back to Ishtar. According to the mythology, Cush was the son of Ham...grandson of Noah and he married a woman called Semiramis and they bore a son called Nimrod, the one who built the infamous tower of Babel. When Cush died, Nimrod married his mum Semiramis and Nimrod was like a god-man during his reign. Eventually he was killed by one of his many enemies but his wife/mother Semiramis proclaimed that Nimrod has risen from the dead and has ascended to the sun as the sun-god known as Baal.
She declared that Baal would be present forever on earth in the form of light or fire (and that is why people light candles during religious worship back then)
She then declared herself a goddess, she declared that she was descended from the moon through a giant egg and changed her name to Ishtar (Easter/Easter eggs anyone?) she went further to proclaim that her pregnancy was as a result of the sun rays from her sun-god husband Baal, therefore she was immaculately conceived and her child Tammuz is a son of Baal the son god (this is where son of God narrative came from)
Tammuz was fond of rabbits and rabbits were sacred during the times of these ancient religions, way before the time of Christ.
When Tammuz died Ishtar proclaimed that he has risen and ascended to join his father Baal and together they will be both be worshiped along with the spirit. The concept of trinity is a pagan initiative as is many more which you are about to find out.
The myth further proclaimed that although Tammuz was killed by a wild pig, his blood fell on a tree stump which grew overnight due to the blood of Tammuz, therefore the sign of T should be made in honour of this incident and a 40 day mourning period is to be observed, during which no one is allowed to eat meat. Welcome to the lenting season and the fasting exercise.
Dying and ressurecting on the third day before ascending into heaven is a consistent re-occurence in European pagan religion and it was only until Christianity became the religon of the state, through Constantine did all the pagan practices blend into the new religion to form a hybrid which the locals would readily accept as it does not completely deviate from their former practices.
Let's examine a few deities with Christlike narratives...Horus was born 25th of December, Mithras born on Christmas day, Dionysus was also born of a virgin on the 25th of December, he was killed and ressurected after 3 days.
What about our own Religions?
Here is my issue with the Easter celebration, the Jesus narratives and the history of Christianity in general especially as it affects Africans.
A lot of Africans continue to perpetuate the mythology of the west and parade it as facts, to the detriment of our own folktales, oral history, heritage and culture.
The pagan practices of Baal and Asyrian cults have evolved into modern Christianity and European heritage festivals of fertility, drunkeness, sex and food have managed to syncretise into a modern and acceptable version called Chritianity in the form of Xmas and Easter celebrations, with gift giving, eggs, rabbits, food, wine and other ancient practices intact albeit modernised.
Africans on the other hand, shun their own ancient religion, shun their heritage, shun their culture but embrace the foreign ones, including all its fettish and sinister past. They wave it aside and concentrate on the now without caring about the history of these western religions.
If you can embrace Christianity in spite of its ritualistic pagan past, why dont you spare a thought to the religion of your ancestores...and help it to evolve...the same way Baal, Tanuum and Ishtar have evolved into the Easter you celebrate today.
Africans kill themselves daily by posining their children with the same poison they were fed as kids. Many Africans will tell their impressonable children today that Jesus died for our sins and rose to heaven but will not bother to research the truth behind the story of the ressurection. Many Africans carry Infornmation in their purses and pockets, with the advent of the latest sophisticated devices, but will not use it appropriately to get information and learn to separate facts from fiction.
As you return from church...do some research and educate yourself. Easter has nothing to do with Jesus and you as an African need to find ways to improve your own ancestral religion.
A little History about Easter
Easter is a pagan festival which the early Church fathers adopted and cleverly too, in their attempt to make Christianity acceptable to the very pagan Europe of that time, hence the secular celebration of the Spring Equinox has been syncretised into this religious celebration which we now call Easter from it's original name Ishtar...a pagan godess of fertility and sex and the mother of Tammuz, another pagan god whom was supposed to have risen from the dead and ascended to his father baal in heaven (ill come to that later) all in their efforts to make it easier to transition from paganism into Christianity.
The death of the son of God and his ressurection is actually a copy work and an adaptation of a compilation of symbolic narrative from ancient Babylonian, Assyrian and Sumerian religion. The death of the Sun god (not Son of God) because these were sun worshipers, how he triumphed over evil, the story of the Crux (check the constellation of the Southern cross) and various Pre-Jesus crucifiction and ressurection story are pointers to the fact that not only is this ressurection story not unique nor genuine but is also completely pagan and has been padded and repackaged into what we now celebrate today as Easter.
Let's go back to Ishtar. According to the mythology, Cush was the son of Ham...grandson of Noah and he married a woman called Semiramis and they bore a son called Nimrod, the one who built the infamous tower of Babel. When Cush died, Nimrod married his mum Semiramis and Nimrod was like a god-man during his reign. Eventually he was killed by one of his many enemies but his wife/mother Semiramis proclaimed that Nimrod has risen from the dead and has ascended to the sun as the sun-god known as Baal.
She declared that Baal would be present forever on earth in the form of light or fire (and that is why people light candles during religious worship back then)
She then declared herself a goddess, she declared that she was descended from the moon through a giant egg and changed her name to Ishtar (Easter/Easter eggs anyone?) she went further to proclaim that her pregnancy was as a result of the sun rays from her sun-god husband Baal, therefore she was immaculately conceived and her child Tammuz is a son of Baal the son god (this is where son of God narrative came from)
Tammuz was fond of rabbits and rabbits were sacred during the times of these ancient religions, way before the time of Christ.
When Tammuz died Ishtar proclaimed that he has risen and ascended to join his father Baal and together they will be both be worshiped along with the spirit. The concept of trinity is a pagan initiative as is many more which you are about to find out.
The myth further proclaimed that although Tammuz was killed by a wild pig, his blood fell on a tree stump which grew overnight due to the blood of Tammuz, therefore the sign of T should be made in honour of this incident and a 40 day mourning period is to be observed, during which no one is allowed to eat meat. Welcome to the lenting season and the fasting exercise.
Dying and ressurecting on the third day before ascending into heaven is a consistent re-occurence in European pagan religion and it was only until Christianity became the religon of the state, through Constantine did all the pagan practices blend into the new religion to form a hybrid which the locals would readily accept as it does not completely deviate from their former practices.
Let's examine a few deities with Christlike narratives...Horus was born 25th of December, Mithras born on Christmas day, Dionysus was also born of a virgin on the 25th of December, he was killed and ressurected after 3 days.
What about our own Religions?
Here is my issue with the Easter celebration, the Jesus narratives and the history of Christianity in general especially as it affects Africans.
A lot of Africans continue to perpetuate the mythology of the west and parade it as facts, to the detriment of our own folktales, oral history, heritage and culture.
The pagan practices of Baal and Asyrian cults have evolved into modern Christianity and European heritage festivals of fertility, drunkeness, sex and food have managed to syncretise into a modern and acceptable version called Chritianity in the form of Xmas and Easter celebrations, with gift giving, eggs, rabbits, food, wine and other ancient practices intact albeit modernised.
Africans on the other hand, shun their own ancient religion, shun their heritage, shun their culture but embrace the foreign ones, including all its fettish and sinister past. They wave it aside and concentrate on the now without caring about the history of these western religions.
If you can embrace Christianity in spite of its ritualistic pagan past, why dont you spare a thought to the religion of your ancestores...and help it to evolve...the same way Baal, Tanuum and Ishtar have evolved into the Easter you celebrate today.
Africans kill themselves daily by posining their children with the same poison they were fed as kids. Many Africans will tell their impressonable children today that Jesus died for our sins and rose to heaven but will not bother to research the truth behind the story of the ressurection. Many Africans carry Infornmation in their purses and pockets, with the advent of the latest sophisticated devices, but will not use it appropriately to get information and learn to separate facts from fiction.
As you return from church...do some research and educate yourself. Easter has nothing to do with Jesus and you as an African need to find ways to improve your own ancestral religion.
Wednesday 16 March 2016
Gender Parity and Prohibition of Crime Against Women??? No thanks!!!
As Nigerians begin to come to terms with the fraud of the "change" mantra, with the president hardly recognisable these days (as he's never around) and the judiciary in shambles, the legislators ought to be the one tier of Government that Nigerians can rely on, especially as these are supposed to be the elected representatives of the people.
Sadly, the Nigerian senate is the most hopeless and useless congress in any democratic dispensation the world over. This gathering of strange bed fellows just threw out a bill advocating for gender equality and the right of a widow to be the sole carer of her children in the event of the demise of her spouse and to have access to his assets for the benefit of the children left behind and herself.
This bill was aggressively objected by a mojority of the senators, arguing that it was against Sharia law which the Nigerian Constitution recognise, therefore when put to vote, the bill went straight out the window.
Now this brings me to the chief protagonist of this Bill Sani Yerima (God knows i cant even refer to this thing as Senator) the same man that implemented sharia law in Zamfara state when he was governor, chopped people's hands off for petty stealing, had people whipped in public, married a 13 year old girl under the guise of sharia...is the same person going against gender equality in 2016 in a senate with the likes of Ben Bruce and Lanre Tejuosho but yet again this pig Yerima succeed in forcing his caveman medieval agenda down everyone's throat.
The Nigerian senate has exposed itself as not fit for purpose in a modern day democracy...it has shown itself to be a beer parlour group of socially irresponsible and politically incorrect bunch of chancers, known for draconian laws, what with the 14year jail term homophobia laws, to the ammendments that allow the marriage of a minor and recently a failed attempt to gag social media freedom and now a chauvinistic archaic caveman behaviour.
Two weeks ago during International women's day, these disgraceful men joked about marrying more wives to commemorate women's day. Dino Melaye even stood up to say Nigerians must not marry women from abroad, so that the ones at home can be made useful in the "buy Nigeria" campaign or some nonsense along that line. No surprises then that an equal rights for women bill went straight into the bin.
It's safe to describe the Nigerian senate as a congress of Chauvinists, Paedophiles, Narcissists, Perverts, Extremists, Chancers, Rogues, Showmen, Illiterates, Cowards, Selfish and Clueless waste of space and some just turn up to raise their hands, nod off to sleep and share money...while Ben Bruce just wants to make videos.
These Senate needs a complete overhaulage and Nigerians need to flush them out. We need a clean bill and when we get to that bridge...we must cross it for good.
Pix Courtesy Pointblank News
Sadly, the Nigerian senate is the most hopeless and useless congress in any democratic dispensation the world over. This gathering of strange bed fellows just threw out a bill advocating for gender equality and the right of a widow to be the sole carer of her children in the event of the demise of her spouse and to have access to his assets for the benefit of the children left behind and herself.
This bill was aggressively objected by a mojority of the senators, arguing that it was against Sharia law which the Nigerian Constitution recognise, therefore when put to vote, the bill went straight out the window.
Now this brings me to the chief protagonist of this Bill Sani Yerima (God knows i cant even refer to this thing as Senator) the same man that implemented sharia law in Zamfara state when he was governor, chopped people's hands off for petty stealing, had people whipped in public, married a 13 year old girl under the guise of sharia...is the same person going against gender equality in 2016 in a senate with the likes of Ben Bruce and Lanre Tejuosho but yet again this pig Yerima succeed in forcing his caveman medieval agenda down everyone's throat.
The Nigerian senate has exposed itself as not fit for purpose in a modern day democracy...it has shown itself to be a beer parlour group of socially irresponsible and politically incorrect bunch of chancers, known for draconian laws, what with the 14year jail term homophobia laws, to the ammendments that allow the marriage of a minor and recently a failed attempt to gag social media freedom and now a chauvinistic archaic caveman behaviour.
Two weeks ago during International women's day, these disgraceful men joked about marrying more wives to commemorate women's day. Dino Melaye even stood up to say Nigerians must not marry women from abroad, so that the ones at home can be made useful in the "buy Nigeria" campaign or some nonsense along that line. No surprises then that an equal rights for women bill went straight into the bin.
It's safe to describe the Nigerian senate as a congress of Chauvinists, Paedophiles, Narcissists, Perverts, Extremists, Chancers, Rogues, Showmen, Illiterates, Cowards, Selfish and Clueless waste of space and some just turn up to raise their hands, nod off to sleep and share money...while Ben Bruce just wants to make videos.
These Senate needs a complete overhaulage and Nigerians need to flush them out. We need a clean bill and when we get to that bridge...we must cross it for good.
Monday 14 March 2016
The King, His Bride and the Lebanese...The House of Odua in Disrepute
"When a man loves a woman...she can do no wrong" except if the woman in question is famous in Dubai, Lebanon and Abuja for the wrong reasons and the man in question is a king, but not just any king...the Arole Odua...Ooni Adimula of Ife kingdom.
I feel it is a disservice to the throne of Ife everytime i use these superlatives for Oba Enitan because any mortal who wears the crown of Odua ought to reverence the crown he wears and put the crown first ahead of any personal interest or passion. The throne and crown first...your libido last.
This brings me to the not so royal wedding over the weekend between Oba Enitan and Wuraola Obanor or is it Itohan or Zainab, cos its easier to keep up with the Kardashian than to keep up with the new Olori Wura Zainab Itohan. I say not so royal because despite the fact this wedding was held at Benin in Edo State, the Oba of Benin did not attend and no representative was sent either, which to me speaks volume about the approval rate of this suposed royal wedding.
But why is this an issue? that two grown consenting adults want to marry each other, regardless of the rumours of an adventurous past of the olori...why should that bother anyone? we all have our adventurous past and people change, so kini big deal people ask albeit naively except you have no clue what the protocol, the tradition and sacredness of the throne of Ife signify.
From a Yoruba religion/cultural stand point, the Ooni is a spiritual leader, the custodian of the Yoruba norms and practices as it were, but once again it appears Oba Enitan didnt get the memo. We have barely recovered from the kneeling down to white Jesus drama and Oba Enitan raises the bar by marrying a lady who is allegedly still married to her Lebanese husband called Elie Khouri, but not only that, being married to Saminu Turaki a former Governor of Jigawa state before finally settling down on the throne of Odua on the right hand side of Oonirisa...leaving behind unpaid debts and a trail of negative press is rather unfortunate for the house of Odua.
The bloodline of a prince of Ife...a potential future Ooni must not be tainted with controversy.
The lineage must be pure, unadulterated, devoid of dirt or negativity but sadly this union has not had a good approval rating and i ask myself, why would Oba Enitan put himself in a situation where he becomes the laughing stock on social media, the butt of peopls's jokes and sexual innuendos.
Its sheer ignorance to say "what is the big deal" about bloodline or somebody's past. When you are royalty, there are certain things you are not supposed to be invloved with...case in point Princess Diana. The thought of the future King of England having a half brother and his bloodline diluted is perhaps the reason she is no longer with us. Bottom line, this is a serious matter.
As a Yoruba man, to see people call the Ooni of Ife "oko asewo" on the internet is unbearable for me. This is the disrepute that has befallen the throne of Ife and i am livid and saddened by it. I am fed up with people supposed to be preserving this dying heritage dragging it in the mud and making mockery of it.
As an advocate of human right, I would like to state that Oba Enitan has the right to love and marry Wura (or Zainab) and Wura (or Itohan) deserve a clean break from her past and has the right to marry whoever she wants, but unfortunately, you can't have your cake and eat it and you can't insult the intelligence of everyone, but above all you can't bring the throne of Ife into disrepute just because of your personal life.
When you are king, you are public property and continously under scrutiny (somebody remind Oba Enitan this) you are no longer a private citizen but an institution, therefore, Oba Enitan should have done this union quietly and privately in the inner sanctuary of his enormous palace, especially because of the controversy that this marriage was bound to cause.
And what about Elie? has anyone stopped to ask what his plans are or how he feels. Some people say an Oba can marry any woman he wants and doesn't need permission...in 2016? are you serious.
What happens if Elie releases intimate photos of the olori on the internet, then what?
I fear that the Ife throne is under siege and I reckon Oba Ognwusi may have bitten more than he can chew in the process of wanting to be Ooni at all cost. When you look at the photos beneath, you'll see Daizy Danjuma at the right hand side of the Ooni sitting as Yeye Olori...and that ladies and gentlemen speaks volume about how Oba Enitan became king and how Itohan ended up in his palace.
You do the maths at your own time.
If you are one of those gullibles who bought into the hype of the Rolls Royce and fleet of jeeps, the supposed thriving real estate money etcetera, then i pity you. The Danjumas are the billionaires pulling the strings. Yes I said it.
I write this piece not just as a concerned and aggrieved Yoruba man, but also as an investigative journalist. Take a good look at the wedding photos and look at the body language of both the Ooni and his new wife. You can see strain and worry in the background behind the fake smiles.
Its either they are both suddenly aware of the weight of their venture or some higher powers arrangee this wedding. If you look closely to the man Enitan Ogunwusi, you will see an ordinary man who perhaps can't deal with all these drama, but when you go above and beyond yourself to be king at all cost, then you must do as your sponsors say.
I smell a rat. I think this wedding may be some elaborate arrangee of some sort, but hey what do i know.
Let us spare a thought for Olori Adebukunola the enstranged ex wife of the Ooni who put up a brave face at the coronation to support her ex on his big day. I wish her well.
To the sons and daughters of Ife, its all in your hands, and to the afobajes...e ma se ibaje...do not mock the Orisas and do not ridicule the Irunmales. To the Ooni...its time to reign it in a little bit and get the necessary tuition. I feel that the shady manner in which the selection was made and the speed at which the installation was done, did not leave enough room for the kabiyesi to get proper knowlege of the roles and responsibilities of an Arole Odua.
I feel it is a disservice to the throne of Ife everytime i use these superlatives for Oba Enitan because any mortal who wears the crown of Odua ought to reverence the crown he wears and put the crown first ahead of any personal interest or passion. The throne and crown first...your libido last.
This brings me to the not so royal wedding over the weekend between Oba Enitan and Wuraola Obanor or is it Itohan or Zainab, cos its easier to keep up with the Kardashian than to keep up with the new Olori Wura Zainab Itohan. I say not so royal because despite the fact this wedding was held at Benin in Edo State, the Oba of Benin did not attend and no representative was sent either, which to me speaks volume about the approval rate of this suposed royal wedding.
But why is this an issue? that two grown consenting adults want to marry each other, regardless of the rumours of an adventurous past of the olori...why should that bother anyone? we all have our adventurous past and people change, so kini big deal people ask albeit naively except you have no clue what the protocol, the tradition and sacredness of the throne of Ife signify.
From a Yoruba religion/cultural stand point, the Ooni is a spiritual leader, the custodian of the Yoruba norms and practices as it were, but once again it appears Oba Enitan didnt get the memo. We have barely recovered from the kneeling down to white Jesus drama and Oba Enitan raises the bar by marrying a lady who is allegedly still married to her Lebanese husband called Elie Khouri, but not only that, being married to Saminu Turaki a former Governor of Jigawa state before finally settling down on the throne of Odua on the right hand side of Oonirisa...leaving behind unpaid debts and a trail of negative press is rather unfortunate for the house of Odua.
The bloodline of a prince of Ife...a potential future Ooni must not be tainted with controversy.
The lineage must be pure, unadulterated, devoid of dirt or negativity but sadly this union has not had a good approval rating and i ask myself, why would Oba Enitan put himself in a situation where he becomes the laughing stock on social media, the butt of peopls's jokes and sexual innuendos.
Its sheer ignorance to say "what is the big deal" about bloodline or somebody's past. When you are royalty, there are certain things you are not supposed to be invloved with...case in point Princess Diana. The thought of the future King of England having a half brother and his bloodline diluted is perhaps the reason she is no longer with us. Bottom line, this is a serious matter.
As a Yoruba man, to see people call the Ooni of Ife "oko asewo" on the internet is unbearable for me. This is the disrepute that has befallen the throne of Ife and i am livid and saddened by it. I am fed up with people supposed to be preserving this dying heritage dragging it in the mud and making mockery of it.
As an advocate of human right, I would like to state that Oba Enitan has the right to love and marry Wura (or Zainab) and Wura (or Itohan) deserve a clean break from her past and has the right to marry whoever she wants, but unfortunately, you can't have your cake and eat it and you can't insult the intelligence of everyone, but above all you can't bring the throne of Ife into disrepute just because of your personal life.
When you are king, you are public property and continously under scrutiny (somebody remind Oba Enitan this) you are no longer a private citizen but an institution, therefore, Oba Enitan should have done this union quietly and privately in the inner sanctuary of his enormous palace, especially because of the controversy that this marriage was bound to cause.
And what about Elie? has anyone stopped to ask what his plans are or how he feels. Some people say an Oba can marry any woman he wants and doesn't need permission...in 2016? are you serious.
What happens if Elie releases intimate photos of the olori on the internet, then what?
I fear that the Ife throne is under siege and I reckon Oba Ognwusi may have bitten more than he can chew in the process of wanting to be Ooni at all cost. When you look at the photos beneath, you'll see Daizy Danjuma at the right hand side of the Ooni sitting as Yeye Olori...and that ladies and gentlemen speaks volume about how Oba Enitan became king and how Itohan ended up in his palace.
You do the maths at your own time.
If you are one of those gullibles who bought into the hype of the Rolls Royce and fleet of jeeps, the supposed thriving real estate money etcetera, then i pity you. The Danjumas are the billionaires pulling the strings. Yes I said it.
I write this piece not just as a concerned and aggrieved Yoruba man, but also as an investigative journalist. Take a good look at the wedding photos and look at the body language of both the Ooni and his new wife. You can see strain and worry in the background behind the fake smiles.
Its either they are both suddenly aware of the weight of their venture or some higher powers arrangee this wedding. If you look closely to the man Enitan Ogunwusi, you will see an ordinary man who perhaps can't deal with all these drama, but when you go above and beyond yourself to be king at all cost, then you must do as your sponsors say.
I smell a rat. I think this wedding may be some elaborate arrangee of some sort, but hey what do i know.
Let us spare a thought for Olori Adebukunola the enstranged ex wife of the Ooni who put up a brave face at the coronation to support her ex on his big day. I wish her well.
To the sons and daughters of Ife, its all in your hands, and to the afobajes...e ma se ibaje...do not mock the Orisas and do not ridicule the Irunmales. To the Ooni...its time to reign it in a little bit and get the necessary tuition. I feel that the shady manner in which the selection was made and the speed at which the installation was done, did not leave enough room for the kabiyesi to get proper knowlege of the roles and responsibilities of an Arole Odua.
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