Open letter to the Osun State governor : Do not allow injustice and impunity under your watch
Everyday, we write history with our actions and inactions. History does not forget, more truly so in this age of social media. The event unfolding right now in Ikirun in respect of the process to nominate and install the new Akirun is fraught with fraud, irregularities and manipulations that could set off a series of avoidable litigations and create needless tension under your watch.

Your Excellency sir, you are in a pole position to stall the descend to impunity and write your name in gold. It is common knowledge that there are three ruling houses in Ikirun; the Oba Ara ruling house, the Adedeji ruling house and the Gboleru ruling house. The past two Obas came from the Oba Ara and the Adedeji ruling houses respectively. It is no brainer therefore that it is the turn of the Gboleru ruling house to present the new Akirun. Irrespective of the mumbo jumbo by some characters whose stock in trade is to hijack what does not belong to them and create confusion, you as the state governor who is the elected arbitrator should not watch while ignominy is being perpetrated.

The so called vote conducted for the Oba Ara family to elect the new Akirun on November 19th was a total neglect of the order of succession and if allowed to stay will be a triumph of illegality. Your government should not legalize illegality under your watch. History will not be kind to the offsprings of those who close their eyes when impunity reigns supreme. Mr governor, we appeal to you to do the needful and invite the Gboleru family to present their candidates for the Akirun stool immediately. Eran ti ko yi loro yi, ko wa obe.

We rest our case as we plead with you Mr Governor to use your good offices to ensure justice and not impunity dictates who becomes the next Akirun. You should act swiftly sir.
Global Intelligentsia for Justice

GBOLERU RULING HOUSE CRIES OUT, ALLEGES INJUSTICE IN SELECTION PROCESS

The Gboleru Ruling House of Ikirun which is the next to produce the next Akinrun of Ikirun has raised alarm that the State Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs wanted to pick the new Oba from Obaara Ruling House against the existing rotation arrangement.

The development caused confusion in Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State.

The traditional ruler of the town, Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba AbdulRauf Olawale Adedeji who mounted the royal stool in 1991 died in February after a brief illness.

With the death of late Oba Olawale of Adedeji Ruling House, it was the turn of the Gboleru Ruling House to produce the new traditional ruler of the town, according to the rotation system as specified in the Ikirun District Chieftaincy Declaration and Gazette of 1959, approved in 1960, re-registered in 1970, which were done during the reign of late Oba Lawani Adeyemi from Obaara Ruling House

However, the selection process was generating tension in the town as Gboleru Ruling House said the state government wanted to appoint new Akinrun from another ruling House known as Obaara instead of Gboleru Ruling House.

The Head of Gboleru Ruling House, Prince Olatunji Mudasiru, appealed to the state Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola to intervene in the matter and ensure that the appointment of new Akinrun follow the existing rotational arrangement.

He said, “Obaara Ruling Family produced the last Akinrun before the immediate past Akirun from Adedeji Ruling Family and it’s the turn of Gboleru Ruling House to produce the next Akirun in accordance with our rotation arrangement.”

He debunked the insinuation that Gboleru Ruling House was unable to nominate candidate for the stool. He said the misunderstanding amongst members of the Gboleru Ruling House had been resolved and that the family is ready to present candidate for the stool.

Olatunji also said that none of the family members instituted the court process that government used as the reason for inviting Obaara Ruling House to nominate candidate for the stool.

He said, “But we were surprised that the state government, through a letter from the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs requested Obaara Ruling House to nominate candidate for the vacant stool. We appealed to the Governor to intervene”.

Oba Lawani Adeyemi Oyejola, from the Obaara ruling house, ruled between 1945 – 1989 after which late Oba Olayiwola Adedeji II, came to the throne from 1991–2021.

It is therefore crystal clear that Gboleru Ruling House is the next in line to produce the next Akinrun of Ikirun.

Olatunji said it is unfair for Gboleru Ruling House to be unfairly treated and sidelined in its right to occupy the throne which was due to it.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Chieftaincy Affairs, Rasaki Adeosun confirmed that the state government has commenced the process to pick next Akirun from Obaara Ruling House.

Reference: The Eagle online

Any other update yet on the recruitment

Senior56:

Have confirmed there is nothing like cancellation of recruitment invite is soon going to be rolling in

Congratulations to all the participants of the just concluded FREE 2-WEEKS SKILL ACQUISITION TRAINING FROM THE PLATFORM OF ADEJANE FOUNDATION.

Over and over again Prof Adeolu Durotoye and his wife have shown their goodwill services to the society in different ways and various forms. Another result of this goodwill is the new set of graduands from the just concluded training.

We understand primarily that one of the best ways to solve problems in our society is human empowerment and this has been the practice of Prof Adeolu Durotoye and Mrs Jane Durotoye over the years.

We can only pray to the creator that their zeal and strength never wanes. Amen.

Student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Omoyemi Samson Ayobami have won the Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria (CAAN) essay competition.

Samson Omoyemi also known as omoyemi_da_lagos on Twitter and Instagram who is a second year student of the department of civil engineering at the University of Lagos. 

Organisers of the essay competition, which is backed by the British High Commission (BHC) Chevening Alumni Programme Fund (CAPF), announced the three students as winners out of a total of nine finalists selected.The order in which the nine finalists emerged is Samson Ayobami Omoyemi of UNILAG, Folaranmi Oluwanifemi Wande of OAU, Chidubem Okwo of the UNN, and Olusegun James Ogunwole of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).Others are Victoria Jonah of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Omolara Oluwaseun of the Ekiti State University, Florence Nnake David of the University of Calabar, and Temitayo Fajobi of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).The ninth candidate enlisted is Wisdom Nnadozie Onwunmetu of the Alex Ekwueme University in Ebonyi state.The first who is Omoyemi Samson will be declared the winner while the second and third will be runner-ups.

The prizes for the first, second and third winners are a laptop, tablet, and smartphone respectively, although others will receive consolation prizes.Prizes will be given in an Abuja event to be hosted by Catriona Laing, British high commissioner to Nigeria, on February 25.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLeZB2dlIYd/?igshid=1s43bl394s7yh

A tribute to Late Senator Bayo Ayoade Hamzat Salami by Prof. Adeolu Durotoye

“Bayo Salami from New York”, a voice ricocheted through the zoom platform. I had organized a virtual gathering for that day to discuss issues bordering on “Finding Your Way Forward during the Pandemic” in which I invited a Harvard professor and a former Law Enforcement officer in the US as guest speakers. Senator Bayo Salami had attended upon my invitation and he introduced himself to all as the meeting was about to kick off. Exactly a month later, on December 21, Senator Salami had called me at exactly 8:36 in the morning (EST). I missed his call. He then sent me a text message in response to my earlier text message “Still in NY. I called just now, I guess you are busy”, he wrote. We eventually spoke that day. Since he arrived New York just as Covid 19 entered the nomenclature of our daily vocabularies in March 2020, we did not cease to discuss public affairs issues at least every fortnight. From Nigerian politics to the US politics, we were usually saddled with dissecting the political developments of both countries and world affairs in general. My last message to him was on Sunday January 3rd. He did not respond but the WhatsApp was read or at the very least opened on his phone. I did call as well but his phone was switched off. I had no inkling that he was indisposed. To my utmost shock, a friend from Nigeria sent me a message at 3:18pm on Thursday January 7th “Prof sir, I just heard about the demise of our own senator Bayo Salami. This is a very hard one to take sir. A very lovely person to be with sir”. That was the message that shook me to the core. Could this be a rude joke or what? I was visibly shaken with my wife by my side at a shopping plaza. I did not utter a word. I wished within me it was fake news. I tried to call his first son but could not reach him. I then called his last son who was in New York. He confirmed the worst news of 2021.
Senator Bayo Ayoade Salami was a senior friend, a senior brother and a mentor. Our path crossed for the first time sometimes in 1991 when he became the first chairman of the newly created Olorunda Local Government, Olonkoro, Osogbo. He had come from Kaduna where he was a businessman. I was then a young political reporter with The Guardian newspaper. Alhaji Salami, as he then was, was a veritable source of scoops for a young reporter to feed on for his stories. The relationship endured ever since. I was part of his team when upon the creation of Osun state, he decided to venture into the race for the governorship of Osun state. He was to many, a small fry that would not go far in the race. He proved the bookies wrong when he came tops at the first NRC party primaries. However, he did not fulfil the requirements to be declared a winner. Then a run-off was called. The leaders of the party in Osun state led by the late Chief Olaniyan Alawode had called a meeting in Alawode’s house to request that Bayo Salami, a young but dynamic political rising star, should step down for another older aspirant. At that meeting, Alawode had started a political rhetoric tending towards the leaders’ agenda. Before he could conclude, Bayo had walked up to Alawode and told him something that would change the course of event that day “I am Babangida’s candidate”. Being an experienced politician himself, Alawode understood that whoever was the military ruler’s candidate at the time would stand a good chance of winning the general election. The tide turned in Bayo’s favour and the leaders declared that the run-off should go ahead. Bayo won and became the party’s governorship flag bearer, even though the General election was lost due to some other undercurrents I was privy to which would not be appropriate for this piece. Talk of the ability to think on one’s feet and Bayo Salami would score high.

Fast forward to 1999, Bayo Salami had indicated his intention to be the governorship candidate of AD. The political undercurrents of the time schemed him out of the race, but he was compensated with the Senatorial ticket of the party. He won and became a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1999.
As busy as he was, Senator Bayo Salami, would not forget his “kid brother” who was in Germany for his PhD at the time. He found time to attend my doctoral defense at the University of Leipzig in Germany on June 26, 2001. He came with his wife to cheer me up at the public defense that is the German academic tradition. In my autobiography titled “My first 50 years: People, Politics and Poverty”, I had written as follows; “In the course of my work at The Guardian, I got to meet Alhaji Bayo Salami during the period. He was the Chairman of the newly created Olorunda Local Government in Osogbo…. Later Bayo Salami became a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a relationship ensued between us and has endured till today. My relationship with many Local Government chairmen helped me to break many stories for The Guardian. The Newspaper became a reference point in Local Government reporting. Of course, The Guardian has always been the flagship anyway and my breakthrough in Local Government reporting was just an icing on the cake”.

Senator Salami would later invite me to consult for the Senate Committee saddled with the task of investigating the mysterious bomb blast that shattered Lagos in January 2002.
One afternoon in 2006, Senator Salami had requested that I joined him in Chief Abiola Morakinyo’s house in Gbongan. On getting there, he had introduced me to Rauf Aregbesola who then was a governorship aspirant of the ACN party in Osun state. I later became part of the think tank of Aregbesola prior to the 2007 election. Just like he did in 1992 in Alawode’s house, Bayo Salami pulled a similar stunt in Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun’s house in 2007 to see Aregbesola emerge the ACN governorship candidate. To clear the path for Aregbesola, his preferred candidate, Bayo Salami had insisted that all aspirants should be made to pay a fee to be considered serious aspirants of the party. Many aspirants dropped off in the process. Bayo Salami’s commitment to Aregbesola’s cause would see him locked up in Ilesa prison in the aftermath of the 2007 governorship election in Osun state. He would also miss his daughter’s graduation in Ago Iwoye on the day the ACN governorship candidate would be decided in Alhaji Oyedokun’s house in Inisha. His GRA house was also attacked by unknown gunmen for the same reason. Bayo Salami was not one to back off once he believed in a cause. He would even nominate me as one of the two initially nominated to be Aregbesola’s running mate. Neither of us was eventually picked as Aregbesola preferred a female deputy.
Even though I had decided to run my political race on a different political platform in 2018, Bayo Salami remained a source of political tutelage. He would call me intermittently to encourage me and appreciate my political moves. One afternoon after the PDP primaries, he had called me on the phone that I should expect a call and be prepared to attend a meeting in his house later that evening. As it turned out, the meeting was arranged for me to meet the ADP governorship candidate, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who proposed at the meeting that I should be his running mate for the 2018 governorship election on the platform of ADP. It was not an easy discussion based on my notion and experience of the unsavory manner many governors treated their deputies. I was not prepared to be a “spare tyre”. Bayo Salami would leave me to take my own decision at the meeting, but he advised that I should consider the implication if no Osogbo indigene is on any ballot on election day. He was a lover of his people and even though a nationalist, he would stand up for Osogbo whenever necessary. His contribution to the choice of Osogbo as the capital of Osun state could not be ignored. Through his friendship with Dr. Tunji Olagunju, Babangida’s special adviser, he got a clue that the Emir of Minna would be a go to person to influence Babangida. He was in the entourage led by the immediate past Ataoja, Oba Oyewale Matanmi to the palace of the Emir of Minna to curry the Emir’s support. This is without prejudice to the roles played by several others. Senator Salami’s political network cut across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Through his political sagacity, the ADP became a political force in the politics of Osun state in the 2018 governorship election. He was the brain behind ADP’s political foray during the period.

Bayo Salami also carved his niche in the world of business and property development. To the best of my recollection, he built the very first 3-storey building (4 floors) called Ayinke house (now Oranmiyan house) in Osogbo in 2006.
In one of our discussions before his demise, he had told me of his plans for his 70th birthday, which was to come up in July this year. What a loss! Bayo Salami was a family man truly so called. He was close to his children and his two wives. Despite the 19-year age difference, he made me his confidant. I saw him not only as a friend but a destiny helper. Despite his age, Bayo Salami was comfortable in any gathering, among the young and the old. On his 69th birthday in July 2020, he had gone on a bicycle ride around his neighborhood in New York. He was passionate about keeping fit.
He was also an avid reader. He would pick up a book and would not drop it until he was done reading. The latest book on his shelf was the book written by Mary Trump “Too Much and Never Enough”.
When the COVID-19 Vaccine was released, I had told him to take advantage of his senior citizen status in the US to get the vaccine. He was ready for it, but his age bracket was not among the first recipients. He was preparing to go back to Nigeria this January.
Born in 1951 to Busari Oladiti Salami, a Sanitary inspector, and Rafat Ayinke Salami, a business woman, Bayo Salami attended Ifeoluwa Grammar school Osogbo and Yaba College of Technology where he studied Accountancy. He later procured an MBA from the University of Ibadan.

Even though you died at a most unexpected time, you were by no means a loser. You were an achiever by every inch. You came, you saw, and you conquered. Sleep on my brother, mentor and destiny helper, Bayo Ayoade Hamzat Salami.

Sen. Salami's Demise: Adeoti commiserates with Family, Progressive Movement.

A chieftain of the ruling-All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State and former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti has described the death of Senator Adebayo Salami as a big blow to the State in general and the progressive movement in particular.
This was contained in a statement personally signed by the APC chieftain and made available to journalists in Osogbo, the State capital.
According to Alhaji Adeoti, Senator Salami succumbed to the cold hands of death when his services are mostly needed by his supporters, admirers and the progressive movement in the state in general.

While commiserating with members of his immediate and political families, the former SSG admonished all to take solace in the fact that the deceased lived a fulfilled life worthy of emulation.
He then charged all to see Senator Salami's demise as an avenue for all to see death as an inevitable end of all mortals.
Alh. Adeoti however called on the State Government to name a public monument after the deceased senator.

"I want to use this opportunity to call on the State Government to name a public monument in honour of the departed," Alhaji Adeoti advised.

A tribute to Late Senator Bayo Ayoade Hamzat Salami by Prof. Adeolu Durotoye

“Bayo Salami from New York”, a voice ricocheted through the zoom platform. I had organized a virtual gathering for that day to discuss issues bordering on “Finding Your Way Forward during the Pandemic” in which I invited a Harvard professor and a former Law Enforcement officer in the US as guest speakers. Senator Bayo Salami had attended upon my invitation and he introduced himself to all as the meeting was about to kick off.

Exactly a month later, on December 21, Senator Salami had called me at exactly 8:36 in the morning (EST). I missed his call. He then sent me a text message in response to my earlier text message “Still in NY. I called just now, I guess you are busy”, he wrote. We eventually spoke that day. Since he arrived New York just as Covid 19 entered the nomenclature of our daily vocabularies in March 2020, we did not cease to discuss public affairs issues at least every fortnight. From Nigerian politics to the US politics, we were usually saddled with dissecting the political developments of both countries and world affairs in general. My last message to him was on Sunday January 3rd. He did not respond but the WhatsApp was read or at the very least opened on his phone. I did call as well but his phone was switched off. I had no inkling that he was indisposed. To my utmost shock, a friend from Nigeria sent me a message at 3:18pm on Thursday January 7th “Prof sir, I just heard about the demise of our own senator Bayo Salami. This is a very hard one to take sir. A very lovely person to be with sir”. That was the message that shook me to the core. Could this be a rude joke or what? I was visibly shaken with my wife by my side at a shopping plaza. I did not utter a word. I wished within me it was fake news. I tried to call his first son but could not reach him. I then called his last son who was in New York. He confirmed the worst news of 2021.

Senator Bayo Ayoade Salami was a senior friend, a senior brother and a mentor. Our path crossed for the first time sometimes in 1991 when he became the first chairman of the newly created Olorunda Local Government, Olonkoro, Osogbo. He had come from Kaduna where he was a businessman. I was then a young political reporter with The Guardian newspaper. Alhaji Salami, as he then was, was a veritable source of scoops for a young reporter to feed on for his stories. The relationship endured ever since. I was part of his team when upon the creation of Osun state, he decided to venture into the race for the governorship of Osun state. He was to many, a small fry that would not go far in the race. He proved the bookies wrong when he came tops at the first NRC party primaries. However, he did not fulfil the requirements to be declared a winner. Then a run-off was called. The leaders of the party in Osun state led by the late Chief Olaniyan Alawode had called a meeting in Alawode’s house to request that Bayo Salami, a young but dynamic political rising star, should step down for another older aspirant. At that meeting, Alawode had started a political rhetoric tending towards the leaders’ agenda. Before he could conclude, Bayo had walked up to Alawode and told him something that would change the course of event that day “I am Babangida’s candidate”. Being an experienced politician himself, Alawode understood that whoever was the military ruler’s candidate at the time would stand a good chance of winning the general election. The tide turned in Bayo’s favour and the leaders declared that the run-off should go ahead. Bayo won and became the party’s governorship flag bearer, even though the General election was lost due to some other undercurrents I was privy to which would not be appropriate for this piece. Talk of the ability to think on one’s feet and Bayo Salami would score high.

Fast forward to 1999, Bayo Salami had indicated his intention to be the governorship candidate of AD. The political undercurrents of the time schemed him out of the race, but he was compensated with the Senatorial ticket of the party. He won and became a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1999.

As busy as he was, Senator Bayo Salami, would not forget his “kid brother” who was in Germany for his PhD at the time. He found time to attend my doctoral defense at the University of Leipzig in Germany on June 26, 2001. He came with his wife to cheer me up at the public defense that is the German academic tradition. In my autobiography titled “My first 50 years: People, Politics and Poverty”, I had written as follows; “In the course of my work at The Guardian, I got to meet Alhaji Bayo Salami during the period. He was the Chairman of the newly created Olorunda Local Government in Osogbo…. Later Bayo Salami became a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a relationship ensued between us and has endured till today. My relationship with many Local Government chairmen helped me to break many stories for The Guardian. The Newspaper became a reference point in Local Government reporting. Of course, The Guardian has always been the flagship anyway and my breakthrough in Local Government reporting was just an icing on the cake”.

Senator Salami would later invite me to consult for the Senate Committee saddled with the task of investigating the mysterious bomb blast that shattered Lagos in January 2002.
One afternoon in 2006, Senator Salami had requested that I joined him in Chief Abiola Morakinyo’s house in Gbongan. On getting there, he had introduced me to Rauf Aregbesola who then was a governorship aspirant of the ACN party in Osun state. I later became part of the think tank of Aregbesola prior to the 2007 election. Just like he did in 1992 in Alawode’s house, Bayo Salami pulled a similar stunt in Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun’s house in 2007 to see Aregbesola emerge the ACN governorship candidate. To clear the path for Aregbesola, his preferred candidate, Bayo Salami had insisted that all aspirants should be made to pay a fee to be considered serious aspirants of the party. Many aspirants dropped off in the process. Bayo Salami’s commitment to Aregbesola’s cause would see him locked up in Ilesa prison in the aftermath of the 2007 governorship election in Osun state. He would also miss his daughter’s graduation in Ago Iwoye on the day the ACN governorship candidate would be decided in Alhaji Oyedokun’s house in Inisha. His GRA house was also attacked by unknown gunmen for the same reason. Bayo Salami was not one to back off once he believed in a cause. He would even nominate me as one of the two initially nominated to be Aregbesola’s running mate. Neither of us was eventually picked as Aregbesola preferred a female deputy.
Even though I had decided to run my political race on a different political platform in 2018, Bayo Salami remained a source of political tutelage. He would call me intermittently to encourage me and appreciate my political moves. One afternoon after the PDP primaries, he had called me on the phone that I should expect a call and be prepared to attend a meeting in his house late that evening. As it turned out, the meeting was arranged for me to meet the ADP governorship candidate, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who proposed at the meeting that I should be his running mate for the 2018 governorship election on the platform of ADP. It was not an easy discussion based on my notion and experience of the unsavory manner many governors treated their deputies. I was not prepared to be a “spare tyre”. Bayo Salami would leave me to take my own decision at the meeting, but he advised that I should consider the implication if no Osogbo indigene is on any ballot on election day. He was a lover of his people and even though a nationalist, he would stand up for Osogbo whenever necessary. But his political network cut across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Through his political sagacity, the ADP became a political force in the politics of Osun state in the 2018 governorship election. He was the brain behind ADP’s political foray during the period.

In one of our discussions before his demise, he had told me of his plans for his 70th birthday, which was to come up in May, this year. What a loss! Bayo Salami was a family man truly so called. He was close to his children and his two wives. Despite the 19-year age difference, he made me his confidant. I saw him not only as a friend but a destiny helper. Despite his age, Bayo Salami was comfortable in any gathering, among the young and the old. On his 69th birthday in May 2020, he had gone on a bicycle ride around his neighborhood in New York. He was passionate about keeping fit.
He was also an avid reader. He would pick up a book and would not drop it until he was done reading. The latest book on his shelf was the book written by Mary Trump “Too Much and Never Enough”.
When the COVID-19 Vaccine was released, I had told him to take advantage of his senior citizen status in the US to get the vaccine. He was ready for it, but his age bracket was not among the first recipients. He was preparing to go back to Nigeria this January.
Born in 1951, Bayo Salami attended Ifeoluwa Grammar school Osogbo and Yaba College of Technology where he studied Accountancy. He later procured an MBA from the University of Ibadan.

Even though you died at a most unexpected time, you were by no means a loser. You were an achiever by every inch. You came, you saw, and you conquered. Sleep on my brother, mentor and destiny helper, Bayo Ayoade Hamzat Salami.