Governor Seyi Makinde’s recent mockery of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, over his trending video may have been intended as political banter, but it raises a bigger question about the quality and direction of political discourse in the state. When political conversation becomes fixated on the amusing, the petty and…
As Governor Makinde Introduced Bimbo Adekambi. In Yoruba Land, there is a process of divination done with the tossing of pieces of kolanuts. ( Obi dida). Sometimes, when the pieces didn’t turn out as expected, the diviner may arrange the kolanuts by himself and when they do, they claimed that they had decided to take…
The Oyo State National Assembly Reconciliation Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for greater unity, internal democracy, fairness and inclusion within the party, saying these are critical to its prospects in the 2027 general elections. The committee, chaired by Chief Akin Oke and co-chaired by Prince Niran Adeyoju, made the call after…
The statement reads PRESS RELEASE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE MEDIA BRIEFING Gentlemen of the Press, I warmly welcome you all to this media briefing of the National Assembly Reconciliation Committee, under the distinguished chairmanship of Chief Akin Oke and the co-chairmanship of Prince Niran Adeyoju. Following the reconciliation meetings held across the various Federal Constituencies…
OYO’S DEVELOPMENTAL PARADOX: HOW THE PACESETTER BECAME A SECOND FIDDLE By Timilehin Kolade There is a paradox at the heart of contemporary Oyo State. It is a state whose identity is inseparable from the idea of being a Pacesetter, yet it increasingly appears to be struggling to produce the kind of new ideas, institutions and…
Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential ambition raises a fundamental question that cannot be answered by political rhetoric alone: what exactly is the national value proposition of the administration he seeks to export to Nigeria? Ambition is legitimate in politics, but presidential aspiration should invite scrutiny of the political record behind it. Before Nigerians are asked to…
In this piece, I will try to respond to a couple of write ups by Dr. Peter Akande and another one by Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Governor Seyi Makinde’s Special Adviser on Media. I will take Dr. Akande’s first. I read his response to my piece titled ” Resetting Nigeria Goes Beyond Hypocrisy”. I decided not…
027: A Case for Continuity and Competent Leadership — Aligning Oyo’s Progress with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope AgendaBy Aderogba Taofik, mni 2027: A Case for Continuity and Competent Leadership — Aligning Oyo’s Progress with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope AgendaBy Aderogba Taofik, mni History rarely turns on accident; it turns on the alignment of vision, capacity, and timing….
Seun Olufade’s ” Billboard” Comments: Ta Lo Fenu Aja Gunko? I read the comments credited to the Chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, Seun Olufade yesterday. I had wanted to respond to the funny fellow, but I prioritized my response to the ” Arobafin” over and above that of one of his foot soldiers. Now,…
History sometimes speaks through the fate of individuals, but its deeper purpose is to instruct institutions. Few episodes in Yoruba political history illustrate this better than the confrontation between Chief Bode Thomas and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeniran Adeyemi II, in 1953. Thomas was a brilliant lawyer, nationalist and prominent political figure of the…
