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Akintoye Resigns As Yoruba Nation Leader, Gives Reasons

Published

3 years ago

December 22, 2022

Eric

The leader of the apex body of the Yoruba self-determination struggle, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, also known as Yoruba Nation. Prof. Banji Akintoye, has resigned his position.

Akintoye handed the baton of leadership to his former Deputy, Prof. Wale Adeniran, citing old age and a weakened body system as his reasons for stepping down.

In a letter addressed to Adeniran and sighted by The Punch on Thursday, Akintoye explained that he did not resign from the position to evade responsibility over the crisis rocking the self-determination group.

Akintoye’s resignation letter in full:

“Dear Wale, I write this letter to you in your position as Chairman of Ilana Omo Oduduwa to congratulate you and the newly elected Executive Council of Ilana.

“I also hereby inform Ilana through you of my departure from further responsibilities in Ilana. I urge you and all others not to think that this step is a consequence of recent difficulties in Ilana. As you know better than any other person, I have been seeking for over a year now to take my leave from Ilana because combining the duties of Ilana with the duties of the greatly elevated demands of the Self-determination Struggle has been too heavy for me at my age. I am greatly honored that you as the closest person to me in Ilana, most Ilana members, and all Ilana committees, have for months been urging me not to leave Ilana because, according to you all, Ilana is my special ‘baby’ in the whole Self-determination Struggle. But you would remember that in a special meeting of leaders of the Self-determination struggle from all over the world about a month ago, you and all the other meeting participants agreed graciously that I should give up my duties in Ilana because of my heavy accumulation of duties to the higher levels of the whole struggle.

“As for our current difficulties in Ilana, I am sure you would testify that I am not leaving because of them, and that, in general, even the greatest of difficulties never make me quit. I am imbued with God-given confidence that I can bear all things and solve the most tortuous complications among men, because God in His mercy has given me the gift of a heart that loves all persons in all situations.

“Still, I must ask you to forgive me for leaving Ilana to you in its current condition. I had wanted to leave Ilana immediately after the special meeting of worldwide leaders about a month ago, but I decided to help you to iron out some of the ongoing difficulties before leaving. Unfortunately, things have not improved as quickly as I expected, and you now have to face a situation in which some of our extremists are still compounding the difficulties. However, I have much confidence in you – including confidence that you will find ways to steer our Ilana back to the path of compromise, unity and strength.

“Finally, I must congratulate and thank you for your very high quality of leadership in this struggle for our embattled nation. I must congratulate and thank you, particularly for your bearing with strength and fortitude the frequent vilifications and false accusations. We who have stepped out bravely to liberate our Yoruba nation and to save it from being destroyed by the destructive forces of Nigeria are going through a lot of fire from our own people. No doubt, we shall soon be hearing from some habitual detractors that it was you who disloyally plotted against me and made me to leave Ilana, but we must not let such talk bother us in any way. By the grace of God, we shall win this war and liberate our Yoruba nation, and thereby giving our nation the freedom it desires to develop into a greatly respected modern country in the world.

“Of course, you know that I shall always be available to you – to you personally as a friend and close associate in the higher levels of the Self-determination Struggle, and to Ilana as Patron and Mentor in the way that I am Patron and Mentor to other Self-determination Organizations.

“I thank God for His leadership qualities in you and thank you for giving yourself so unstintingly to our struggle for our nation. Accept my best wishes for you and your family.”

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TEF Entrepreneurship: Tony Elumelu Foundation Sets March 22 to Announce 2026 Cohort

Published

5 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Eric

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs will announce the 12th cohort of the flagship TEF Entrepreneurship Programme on Sunday, March 22, 2026.

In 2026, the Foundation will empower a total of 3,200 entrepreneurs across all its entrepreneurship programmes:
1,751 entrepreneurs through Heirs Holdings Group: Heirs Energies, Transcorp Power, Transcorp Hotels, and United Capital; 1,049 entrepreneurs in partnership with the European Commission, OACPS, BMZ and GIZ; 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with Sèmè City Development Agency; 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with DEG, the German Development Agency; 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with the IKEA Foundation, UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited and the Dutch Government; and 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with UNDP and the Rwandan Ministry of Youth and Arts.

Applications to the flagship programme were received from over 265,000 young Africans, representing all 54 African countries, underscoring Africa’s vibrant entrepreneurial sector and the funding challenge for entrepreneurs. The new cohort will join the TEF Alumni community of more than 24,000 entrepreneurs.

The selection process is conducted by Ernst & Young, ensuring an independent and rigorous assessment of applicants.

Each selected Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur will receive $5,000 in non-refundable seed capital, access to world-class business management training on TEFConnect, one-on-one mentorship, and entry into a powerful network of investors, partners, and other entrepreneurs.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation has empowered over 2.5 million young Africans with access to business management training on our proprietary digital hub, TEFConnect, and disbursed over US$100 million in seed capital to more than 24,000 selected entrepreneurs. Collectively, these entrepreneurs have generated $4.2 billion in revenue and created more than 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs. Through our support for African entrepreneurs, TEF has lifted 2.1 million Africans above the poverty line, and positively impacted more than 4 million African households, with 46% of supported entrepreneurs being African women.

Ahead of the upcoming announcement, Tony O. Elumelu, C.F.R., Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, reiterates his unwavering belief in the potential of Africa’s entrepreneurs:

“The future of Africa will be built by Africans who create businesses, generate jobs and solve the challenges of our continent. At the Tony Elumelu Foundation, we believe that empowering entrepreneurs is the most sustainable path to Africa’s economic transformation.

I look forward to announcing and congratulating the 2026 cohort of Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs and look forward to witnessing the impact they will create across our continent.”

The general public is invited to join, virtually.

Featured

Eid-El-Fitr: Glo Felicitates with Muslims, Urges National Unity, Compassion

Published

6 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Eric

High premium Technology Company, Globacom, has felicitated with Muslims across Nigeria as they celebrate Eid-el-Fitr festival which marks the successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

In a goodwill message released in Lagos, the company commended the resilience and devotion shown by the faithful during the 30 days of spiritual reflection, sacrifice, and abstinence.

Globacom emphasized the importance of love, sacrifice, and community, encouraging Nigerians to embody these values.

The company explained that the end of Ramadan should serve as a springboard for continued personal growth, urging Nigerians to “use Eid-El-Fitri as a moment to reflect on their spiritual journey, promote the spirit of being one’s brother’s keeper, regardless of faith or background, and make sacrifices towards building a more prosperous and peaceful nation for all”.

Globacom enjoined its millions of subscribers to utilize the network’s innovative and affordable data and voice offerings to enhance their festive experience. It reaffirmed its commitment to providing seamless connectivity and ensuring that family and friends can stay in touch, share moments of joy, and exchange Sallah greetings throughout the holidays and beyond.

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Reno, Fani-Kayode’s Brains Configured to Say Anything and Delete – Dele Momodu

Published

2 days ago

March 18, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Renowned journalist and a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Dele Momodu, has come down hard on two loyalists of President Bola Tinubu, Reno Omokri and Femi Fani-Kayode, who were ambassadors-designate, before being posted to Mexico and Germany respectively.

Momodu, in a statement titled Reno Omokri and Femi Fani-Kayode: A Tale of Two Shameless friends, and posted on his verified social media handles, including Instagram, noted that the two men have proved themselves as very ‘shameless’, with brains configured to say anything and delete immediately.

While referring to Reno and Fani-Kayode as two perpetual agents of perfidy’, Momodu informed that his statement was in other not to give the ‘two…friends’ the impression to think they could bully him into silence and submission.

“No. They can’t. They both have no credibility whatsoever. Together, they’ve expressed the worst views ever about BOLA TINUBU that they will never be able to erase, or clean up, in a million years, except the world finally comes to an end,” he said.

While maintaining that he stands by his qualification of President Tinubu as a dictator, he clarified that the duo of Rwno and Fani-Kayode has disparaged and said worst things about Tinubu in the past, with whom they are hobnobbying with at the present.

Momodu revealed that his suspension of his weekly column on ThisDay and The Boss Newspaper was out of respect for some Yoruba elders, for Tinubu, and not to be critical of him as he did to his predecessors, saying that he has nothing against the president except for his consistent dive into the world of dictatorship and tyranny.

The Ovation Magazine publisher berated the duo of Reno and Fani-Kayode for severally reaching out to him privately for publicity. He also boted that he is not a victim of poor upbringing as the two men constantly portray. He further contrasted himself from the two men, saying he does not fight like pigs, and unlike the duo, has a job.

Read the statement in full

RENO OMOKRI & FEMI FANI-KAYODE: A TALE OF TWO SHAMELESS FRIENDS…

I was going to ignore these two perpetual agents of perfidy but later decided to respond to them just in case they think they could bully me into 🔕 silence and submission.

No. They can’t. They both have no credibility whatsoever. Together, they’ve expressed the worst views ever about BOLA TINUBU that they will never be able to erase, or clean up, in a million years, except the world finally comes to an end.

The only reason I could adduce for Tinubu’s tolerance of both irritants is desperation and his inability to find better people to do the dirty jobs. The brains of these ones have been configured to say anything and delete immediately.

I have never disparaged TINUBU in my life. I have never called him a murderer. I have never called him a drug baron or addict. I’m intelligent enough, not to say what I have no proof of. Only morons talk without thinking. I thank God for good upbringing. I do not fight like pigs. And I have a job and manage my modest income. I’m not seeking government appoints. I know how many times Femi and Reno have reached out to me, privately, either begging for publicity or apologizing for attacking me publicly.

All I have accused Tinubu of is DICTATORSHIP and I stand by it with my full chest. I oppose tyranny because I once suffered under it. Chief Moshood Abiola won an election but dictatorship deprived him of his victory. Why should we replace military dictators with civilian slavemasters. That’s my only grouse against TINUBU. Because of our past association, I have been partial and generous to him by not being as critical of him as I did to his predecessors.
Because of TINUBU, I stopped writing my PENDULUM column on the Backpage of Thisday and The Boss newspapers. Also, out of respect for Yoruba elder statesmen, including retired Generals who pleaded that we give him time to stabilize. They are alive to bear me witness.

How Femi and Reno can continue to harass people on behalf of a TINUBU they’ve permanently damaged and sent to the cleaners really baffles me.

But this is Nigeria…

– AARE BASORUN AKINROGUN DELE MOMODU