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Exit of an Awujale Indeed! Tributes to Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona 65 Years of a Distinguished Mornarchy

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By Hon Femi Kehinde

“Ninu offii, ati olaa ni Omo Pandoro n’ dagba” is a Yoruba aphorism that may not be easily captured in English interpretation, without losing its essence, context and philosophy.

But, nevertheless, one may say in the face of adversity and visisitudes, the Pandoro tree thrives!

Pandoro is an unplanned plant, “o’ la le hu.”

These perhaps may capture the life of Awujale Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Ijebu Kingdom potentate, from the 4th of January,  1960, (date of appointment) to date, and better known as Alaayeluwa Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba II, the Awujale of Ijebu Ode.

Sikiru was born on Thursday, the 10th of May 1934, to Omo Oba Rufai Adetona and Wulemot Ajibabi Adetona (Née Onashile) of Ijebu Igbo, a year after the ascension of Daniel Richardson Otubusin Adesanya, to the throne of Awujale of Ijebu Ode.

Daniel Richardson, the 56th Awujale of Ijebu Ode, starting from Awujale Olu Iwa, was a Tailor and Draper in Lagos, before his ascension to the exalted throne of his fore fathers as Awujale of Ijebu Ode, and Gbelegbuwa II. He succeeded Awujale Alli Ogunaike, who reigned between 1929 and 1933.

He was on the stool till 1959. He witnessed the political evolution and transformation, that visited the position of traditional rulers, as a result of the Macpherson constitution of 1951. Awujale Adesanya was regarded as a highly cultured Oba, who demonstrated humility and devotion.

Hitherto, Obas were real Kaabiyeisis, who had political power and authority.

As if undergoing leadership training, Sikiru attended various Primary Schools, Baptist school Ereko Ijebuode, Ogbere United Primary School,  Ijebu Ode. Ansarudeen Primary school Ijebu Ode between 1943 and 1950. In 1951, he was admitted to Olu Iwa college (now Adeola Odutola college Ijebu Ode), and left school in 1956 . In 1957, Sikiru left Ijebu Ode for Ibadan and was in the employment of the Western Region Ministry of Finance, where he worked in the Audit department. It is interesting to note that around this period, Ibadan, being a melting point of the Yoruba Nation and even Nigeria, had so many of Sikiru’s age grade,  beginning to navigate their lives and future. Olusegun Obasanjo, also around this period, moved to Ibadan, after the completion of his secondary school education at the Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta, and worked as a class room teacher, at the African Church Modern School, Odu-Ona, Ibadan.

Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, also an ex-student of the Baptist boys high school, Abeokuta, relocated to Ibadan, where he worked at the Barclays Bank,  Dugbe Ibadan and later the Finance department of the Western region government.

Olusegun later enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1959, and Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, also secured a Western Regional scholarship, to study Accountancy at the Glasgow University, Scotland, United Kingdom, in 1960.

In later years, their paths were later to cross.

Towards the end of 1958, Sikiru left the services of the Western Region Government and moved to Port Harcourt, to travel to the United Kingdom, to study Accountancy. From Port Harcourt, he travelled by sea, on the popular passenger vessel, MV Aureole, to begin a new life. He arrived in the United Kingdom early in January, 1959.

He had settled down and began to savour the new life of a student in the United Kingdom. As a young man, he had all the thrills and frills of the student life and looked forward to the journey back home, as a qualified Chartered Accountant, in no distant future.

However, destiny lurked in the corner to change the tide of events for Sikiru, who was already in England, fond of dressing impressively and impeccably, in a three piece suit. Sometime in September 1959, the 56th Awujale of Ijebu Ode Oba Daniel Richardson Adesanya, who had been on the throne since 1933 joined his ancestors, and thus the frenetic race for a worthy successor, from the next ruling house – Anikinaiye Ruling House.

Naturally, there were about five aspirants from the ruling house, including Sikiru’s  father – Rufai Adetona, who, as if a star gazer, surrendered his aspiration for his son Sikiru, who was already studying in the United Kingdom.

Interestingly, Sikiru’s father, gave him “the crown which would have been his,  thereby, according to Sikiru – “setting him on the path of destiny”.

Chief Adeola Odutola, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode, became the Regent of Ijebu Ode, in the absence of an Awujale. The Anikinaiye Ruling House, formally presented Sikiru Adetona to the Odus – the kingmakers, for endorsement, approval and recommendation for appointment.
Chief Samuel Olatunbosun Shonibare – the Asiwaju of Ijebu Ode and Chief Honourable Emmanuel Okusanya Okunowo, the Damask merchant and Honourable member representing Ijebu Ode Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, were also involved in the process to pick an Awujale, that would be young, charming and literate.

The experience of having a highly literate, dynamic, intelligent, charismatic and extremely handsome Joel Adeboye as the Orumolusi of neighbouring Ijebu Igbo, was a sufficient guide.

Joel Adebiye had trained as a Nurse in the Ogbomoso Baptist Hospital and School of Nursing, and thereafter worked with various government agencies, before ascending the stool of Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo in 1947. This vantage opportunity, made Joel Adeboye to be elected as the first Chairman of the Ijebu Divisional Council in 1955, as against Daniel Richardson Adesanya, the then Awujale of Ijebu Ode.

Unfortunately, Joel Adeboye died in a plane crash (BOAC Argonaut Aircraft) in Tripoli, Libya, on the 21st of September, 1955 on his way back home, after attending the Cocoa Allied Conference, which held in London, between September 13-15th, at the Grosvenor House, London. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, then Premier of the Western Region, at the grave side of Adeboye, in a funeral oration, described him as “one of the most progressive and enlightened natural rulers in Nigeria. He was a class by himself, a benevolent and constitutional ruler”. He died at the age of 46 years.

Samuel Olatunbosun Shonibare, founding member of the Action Group in 1950, former employee of the UAC in Ibadan and Ijebu Ode, Managing Director of the Amalgamated Press Limited, with head office in the United Kingdom, under the Chairmanship of Mr. Thompson, a very wealthy Briton, was given the responsibility to travel to London and unofficially search Sikiru out, evaluate his comportment, character and readiness for the stool, and report back home.

In England, Shonibare was not dissapointed with what he saw in Sikiru, as a ready occupier, of the exalted stool of the 57th Awujale of Ijebu Ode.

On the 4th of January, 1960, the Permanent Secretary of the defunct Western Region Ministry of Local Government, in a letter with reference number, CB. 41/333, conveyed to the Local Government Adviser in Ijebu Ode, approval of the Western Region Governor in Council led by Olola Sir John Rankine, the appointment of Sikiru Adetona, as the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode and thus the beginning of a Royalty, that has traversed 65 years, in glory, splendor, turbulence, defiance and glamour.

The king-elect, flew back home on the arrangement of Chief S. O Shonibare, who lodged him in his Mary Land Estate Ikeja, Lagos, and on the 18th of January, 1960, Sikiru was introduced to the Ijebu nation, by the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode- Chief Adeola Odutola and immediately moved to traditional seclusion at the “Odo,” for three months.

On Saturday the 2nd of April, 1960, Sikiru Adetona was formally installed as the Awujale of Ijebu Ode and Ogbagba II, amid pump, pageantry and glamour. He was presented with the staff of office by Premier SLA Akintola.

On this memorable day, the new Premier of the Western Region, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, who had assumed office on the 15th of December 1959 and the former Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, now, leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives, Lagos, with their wives; HID and Faderera, were cynosures of eyes, centres of attraction and attention.

The power dynamics had changed. There were shouts of the usual “Awo! Awo!! Awo!!!” and splinter shouts of “SLA!  SLA!!”
Awolowo had earlier been used to an undivided share of power and Leadership, having been Minister of Local Government and leader of Government Business from 1952 to 1954, Leader of the Action Group, and Premier of the Western Region from 1954 to December 15, 1959.

The wife of the new Premier, Faderera, was certainly not comfortable with a divided share of attention.

On Tuesday, the 5th of April, 1960, the new Awujale of Ijebu Ode, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, was introduced to the Western Region House of Chiefs as a new member of the House, with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Tadeniawo Adesoji Aderemi as President.
Unlike the other Regions, the Western Region had a bicameral legislature; the House of Assembly and the House of Chiefs.
From the House of Chiefs, Sikiru Adetona became a Minister without portfolio, in the Western Region Government, alongside five other equally distinguished mornarchs –

1. The Hon. Oba Isaac Babalola Akinyele-The Olubadan of Ibadan.

2. Hon.  Oba Tewogboye II,  the Osemawe of Ondo

3. Hon.  Oba S. O. Abimbola, the Oluwo of Iwo.

4. Hon. Oba Obiaka A.  Gbennoba, The Obi of Agbor
5. His Highness, the Hon. Erejuwa II, the Olu of Warri.

He became a member of the Regional Executive Council of the Western Region Government alongside 20 Regional Ministers.

The 26 year old monarch and the 57th Awujale of Ijebu Ode, now began to see what fate and destiny had thrust on him and how to hold that office, without lack.

Shortly after his ascension as Awujale, the cracks in the Action Group, began to unfold and the crisis reached its crescendo, at the Annual Conference of the Party in Jos, in February 1962.

SLA Akintola was dismissed from the Party, Ayo Rosiji was removed as National Secretary of the party and replaced with S. G Ikoku, and Bola Ige became the Federal Publicity Secretary.  There was a wide gulf, that snow balled into a major crises, that perhaps, began the end of the First Republic and the sack of the Western Region Government  by the Federal Parliament.

This led to the appointment of Dr.  M.A Majekodumi as the Administrator of the Western Region from May 29 1962 to 31st of December 1962. Capt. Muritala Mohammed, who later became the Head of State of Nigeria, between July 29 1975 and February 13, 1976 was his Aid-de camp (ADC).

The new Administrator, upon assumption of office, also appointed the young Sikiru Adetona as a commissioner without portfolio, during the Emergency period. Modele Odunjo Née (Akintola) was a dotting daughter and first child of Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola. She was alleged to be friendly with the young Awujale.

Modele was a very active participant in the crisis of the Western Region, and ran her father’s errands, as a trusted ally, on several occasions. She was her father’s envoy to the United Kingdom, in 1962, to deliver her father’s letter, personally to Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of England, following the political lock-jam in the Western Region.

Reality soon dawned on Awujale  Sikiru, that he needed a secured means of financial life line, to enable him entrench his foothold in office and also prevent him from being an indegent monarch.

He went into merchandise.  He was fully involved in the business of transportation and haulage and that at a point in time,  he had about 50 trailers in his fleet of vehicles. He also set his mother up, in the business of beer distributorship
As a result of this crisis, Awolowo had been jailed for treasonable felony and lost his son, Olusegun, in a ghastly motor accident, on his way to Lagos, from Ibadan to be part of his father’s Attorneys at the Coker Commission of Enquiry, on the 10th of July, 1963. Modele, SLA’s daughter, also died in 1965. Magistrate Dapo Aderemi- first son of Ooni Adesoji Aderemi, had also died in 1964.
Chief Olatunbosun Shonibare the man with the Midas touch, had also died in 1964, at the age of 44 years and Chief Okunowo had gone to the opposite side of the political divide of Obafemi Awolowo.

In fact, on the 29th of May 1962, at a Plenary Session, to formally pass the Emergency Rule Act, 1962, Honourable Okunowo had implored Prime Minister Hon. Tafawa Balewa, to “find something to do about Awolowo” whom he had derided uncomplimentarily, insinuating, that the insanity of a mad man, may not be easily discernible. Awujale Adetona was also at this period, seen as being perhaps, not supportive of the Awolowo cause and political tendency.

As a result of the military putsh of January 15 1966, Colonel Yakubu Gowon, who would have been the first Aid De Camp (ADC) to Sir Adesoji Aderemi, as Governor of the Western Region, became the new Head of State and Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces, after the sack of the First Republic
He granted Chief Obafemi Awolowo pardon released him from the Calabar Prison,  made him Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council.
Awolowo later became the Asiwaju of Yoruba land in 1968.
Oba Sikiru Adetona at this point in time, was also fully entrenched in his position as the Awujale of Ijebu Ode, but political old wounds did not heal.

Oba Sikiru was fingered as being supportive of the “Demo”, cause of the NNDP, of the Akintolas, as against the UPGA cause of Obafemi Awolowo in the First Republic.
This political divides, percolates  in defining Awujale’s political position in the First and Second Republic.

In 1977,  a strong member of the Awolowo political machine, brilliant and cerebral journalist who had been Editor of the Daily Service newspaper and founding member of the Awolowo committee of friends, became the Chairman of the Ijebu Ode Local Government following the Local Government Reforms of the Obasanjo Government in 1976.

Chief Victor Olabisi Onabanjo, born in 1927, attended Baptist Academy Lagos, studied journalism at the Fleet Street School of Journalism in London, between1950-1951.
He was the popular Columnist of Ayekoto in the Daily Service Newspapers. He writes in sweet prose. As evidence, in the Daily Service Newspaper Column of the 3rd of March, 1954, editor and columnist Bisi Onabanjo Alias Ayekoto wrote;

“Mr. Awolowo, leader of the AG Government in the West will be 45 on Saturday, March 6. I understand he does not normally celebrate his birthday elaborately. It is usually limited to his immediate family, and as a rule; he always likes to have the day to himself and rarely receives visitors. But on Saturday, there may be a break with the normal practice. He is bound to receive visitors and if there will be no celebration, it is likely that iced water and orange squash will be served. Mr. Awolowo himself is a teetotaler”

Onabanjo and Adetona, despite suspected political divides, were initial jolly good fellows. Sikiru Adetona had at some point, assisted in taking care of some of Onobanjo’s needs, most especially, in his failing health and also in his business.

In 1979, Chief Obafemi Awolowo lost election to Alhaji Sehu Shagari as President of Nigeria on the platform of the UPN, but Onobanjo won election on the same party platform to be Governor of Ogun state on the 1st of October 1979 and was sworn into office for a second term in office on the 1st of October, 1983.
Onobanjo from 1979, as Executive Governor of Ogun State, became a man with immense power and there was a cat and mouse relationship, between the governor and his king- the Awujale of Ijebu Ode. Shortly after assumption of office as governor, he wrote a letter to the Chief Imam of his town, Ijebu Ode, that he would be joining the Muslim faithfuls on a Friday Jumat service, for a thanksgiving service to commemorate his election as Governor of Ogun state.
Upon receipt of this letter,  the Chief Imam, bewildered that a Christian could pick the Ijebu Ode Central mosque for a thanksgiving service, informed the Awujale,  who foiled this arrangement.
The Chief Imam wrote back, that his Excellency, the Governor,  could not be accommodated.

Onobanjo felt slighted, embarrassed and insulted. On the scheduled date, he simply did not turn up.There was a strained relationship between the royal stool and the executive office of the Governor of Ogun State.

As if waiting for a pound of flesh, that came actually in August 1981, the Awujale wrote to the Governor, informing him of his proposed visit to the United Kingdom, for medical vacation and also left his oversees address and phone contact, in case the Governor may wish to speak with him.
The governor thus siezed opportunity, to reply the Awujale, by requesting for further information about the trip, to enable him make his decision.

The Awujale upon receipt of this letter, fired back that he was not seeking his permission to travel, but was only informing him, of his contact address during the vacation.
The Awujale travelled, nonetheless, without waiting for a further reply from the governor.

Onabanjo felt slighted and insulted by this action of the monarch of his home town-Ijebu Ode. He asked emissaries to inform him to quickly come back home.
The Awujale, rather than being bothered by this request, thoroughly enjoyed his vacation, and also, changed his contact address and phone numbers.

After vacation, he came back home, and was on the 23rd of November 1981, suspended from office as the Awujale of Ijebu Ode and a Justice Sogbetan Commission of Enquiry, was set up, to probe the Awujale’s  defiance, non chalance, audacity and indiscretion.

Justice Sogbetan was appointed a Judge of the Ogun State High Court in 1977. The panel of Enquiry, hastily constituted also came out with its decisions in haste, to recommend the deposition of Adetona as Awujale of Ijebu Ode in 1982.
The governor, almost immediately, summoned the meeting of the Executive Council and approved the deposition of Sikiru, as the Awujale of Ijebu Ode.

As would be expected, Sikiru Adetona filed an action against the government of Ogun State, to challenge his deposition.

His legal team was ably led by the legal titan Chief FRA Williams, and also assisted by Chief Sina Odedina, a prominent Ijebu Lawyer.

The case was on. Adetona was deposed and Onabanjo was re-elected and sworn in as Governor of Ogun State on the 1st of October, 1983.

For Adetona, fate and destiny still lurked in the corner.

On the 31st of December 1983, the Second Republic was aborted by a military putsh, announced by Brigadier Sani Abacha of the Second Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, Ibadan. The civilian government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari was replaced by Major General Mohammed Buhari as Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

Brigadier Oladipupo Diya, another Ijebu son from Oduogbolu, became the new Military Governor of Ogun State.

Justice Kolawole of the Ogun State High Court delivered a land mark Jugdment in 1984, that upturned the decision of the Sogbetan Commission of Enquiry and ordered the immediate restoration of Sikiru Adetona back to his stool as Awujale of Ijebu-Ode.

The Military Government of Oladipupo Diya, did not appeal this judgment, but rather, enforced the judgment. Sikiru Kayode Adetona went back to the stool as the Awujale of Ijebu Ode and Ogbagbao II.

Now, being unencumbered, the Awujale went back to his stool like a cat with nine lives and thus, another fresh journey in the last 36 years.

As a re-invigorated monarch, he now has  a settled mind, to think of giant developmental strides, for Ijebu ode and the ijebu nation. He continues in his independent mindedness.

He has always enjoined monarchs to be stubborn, independent minded in whatever they set their hearts to do and also be non partisan, whatever that may mean.

In childhood and adolescence, Sikiru Adetona acknowledged the pivotal role of his maternal aunt, Chief Mrs. Oyin Adenuga, who, according to him, was the “force behind his mother in her determination to see me educated.”

In his growing up years, Sikiru had lived at various points in time, with Chief Mrs. Oyin Adenuga in Ibadan. She was the mother of the wealthy business man, OIL and telecommunication giant, Mike Adenuga.

In reciprocating this motherly love and affection of his mother’s younger sister, in his early up bringing, Sikiru has always been protective of her interest and that of her children.
On the 9th of July, 2006 according to the Awujale “the EFCC had come calling brusquely on Mike Adenuga, Chairman of Globacom. They broke his gate and swarmed into his house and kept him under house arrest.

The Awujale swung into action and raised a legal team to defend him. Consequently, Mohammed, son of Ibrahim Babaginda, former Head of State, was also quized because of an allegation, that Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria and Chairman of Petroleum Trust Development fund had placed some of PTDF’s fund in Mike’s Equatorial Trust Bank which had assisted Mike in paying for the globacom licence.

Mike debunked this and showed evidence of payment for the licence through a loan from the BNP Paribas Bank of France. Former President Ibrahim Babangida, was also suspected to be a shareholder in Globacom.
Mike subsequently went on exile to London, and whilst in London, went on vacation with the Awujale to France…

Coincidentally, President Olusegun Obasanjo was also in France to attend a conference of African Presidents, on the invitation of President Chirac of France.

Awujale used this opportunity, to visit Chief Obasanjo to further explain Mike’s case and how he was just being a pawn in a political chess game and connundrum.

At the lobby of the Embassy hotel, where Mike had waited for the Awujale, who had gone for a private meeting with Chief Obansanjo, he told Mike that he had nothing against him, and a clever Mike, replied back to the man of power, “Your Excellency, I  understand, thank you!”

Through thick and thin, Awujale fought for Mike’s cause until it was finally resolved.
Awujale also accused Obasanjo of being enstranged with his friend and former Minister of Defence Theophilus Danjuma. He told Obasanjo of his rumoured interest in the Obajana Cement Factory of Aliko Dangote, and also accused him, of being an ingrate, and advised him, to mend fences with some of his friends who had assisted him at one point or the other, to be in office in 1999, as he was approaching the end of his tenure.

A good example, according to the Awujale “was chief S. O. Bakare. (Oluwalogbon), who “gave everything to support Obasanjo, when he was down. Inspite of Obasanjo’s condemnation by the populace, Bakare still stood by him. I had forewarned Bakare that Obasanjo would eventually dump him.  Notwithstanding, he stood by Obasanjo. In the end Obasanjo walked away. A few months in the office,  they separated as friends.”

Obasanjo’s only response to the Bakare issue, in his latest response to Awujale, was that he had asked Chief Tony Anenih, as Minister for Works and Transport, to patronise Chief Bakare’s Pegeout Automobile Delearship Business. Chief Stephen Olukunle Bakare is the Babalaje of Ijebu Land.

He also, in his response accused Awujale of being “a serial liar.”

His auto biography – Awujale the Autobiography of Alaiyewa Oba S. K Adetona Ogbagba II, published in 2010, to mark his 50th year on the throne is a Magnus Opus on the Awujale story.

To him, nobody could tell his story better than himself and thus the 17 chapters book.
According to him “Chief Bayo Kuku, the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu Land, who believed I had a story to tell, commissioned a biography to be done some 10 years ago.
When I read the draft, I knew it was not my story. One night in a dream, I saw the book, my book, with the title and the various chapters. I woke up in the morning and started to write. Here is the book.”

Sikiru Adetona has blended tradition with modernity. He has resuscitated the Ijebu age grade system (Regberegbe)
He has given Ijebu Ode a new altra modern palace – Ojude Pavilion.

He encouraged the creation of the Ijebu development board on poverty reduction which has assisted in no small measure the indigents in the society.

He is Chancellor of a Federal University and has also endowed a professorial chair on good governance at the Olabisi Onabanjo University.

Oba Johnson Adebayo Okubena, the Elerunwon of Erunwon Ijebu – a first class monarch and Attorney at law, has eulogized the Awujale as “a quitenessential monarch, moderniser and excellent leader.” To him,  Sikiru Adetona is “certainly non pariel”.

There is no gainsaying, the fact Awujale Adetona has brought prosperity, class, elegance, glamour, grandeur, panache and exceptional grace to the exalted throne. At 86, 60 years on the throne, and still bubbling, it is certainly Igba odun,  Odun kan!

Hon Femi Kehinde, a legal practitioner and former Member, House of Representatives, National Assembly Abuja, represented Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State (1999-2003)

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Trump’s Envoy, Riley Moore: There’re over 600,000 Christians Languishing in Benue IDP Camps

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December 13, 2025

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United States Congressman Riley Moore has alleged that more than 600,000 Christians are currently living in internally displaced persons’ camps across Benue State, following years of violent attacks that have forced communities from their homes.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Moore recounted testimonies he said were shared with him during a visit to several camps in the state.

The congressman said he met “dozens of Christians” who had survived deadly assaults and were now seeking refuge in makeshift shelters.

According to him, the displaced residents described “horrific violence” that wiped out families and emptied entire villages. Moore cited the account of a woman who, he said, “was forced to watch as they killed her husband and five children,” escaping with her unborn child.

Another woman, he added, told him her family “was murdered in front of her and her baby was ripped from her womb.”
He also referenced a survivor who claimed “his family was hacked to death in front of his eyes,” leaving him permanently injured.

Moore described the scale of displacement as alarming and accused “genocidal Fulani” of driving indigenous Christian communities from their ancestral lands. He said the situation demands heightened international attention.

“There are more than 600,000 Christians in IDP camps in Benue State alone.

“These Christians should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear of genocidal Fulani,” he said.

During his visit, Moore also met Tiv and Catholic leaders, including Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop Isaac Dugu, and Tiv traditional ruler, His Royal Highness James Ioruza. He said discussions centred on what he called an “ongoing genocidal campaign” in Benue.

The congressman noted that his trip to Nigeria included meetings with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and other senior officials. He said the talks focused on terrorism in the North-East, the killings in the Middle Belt, and security priorities he shares with President Donald Trump.

Moore added that both sides reviewed possible steps to improve security cooperation, pointing to what he described as an already established joint Nigeria–US task force as a sign of progress. But he emphasised that “openness has to translate to concrete action,” insisting there is still significant work to be done.

Ribadu confirmed meeting the US delegation, noting that the discussions followed earlier engagements in Washington and covered counter-terrorism, regional stability, and efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership between both countries.

President Donald Trump had on November 30 redesignated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations, while warning of possible US military intervention.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims of systemic persecution of Christians, arguing that insecurity affects Nigerians of all faiths and ethnic groups.

Moore, meanwhile, commended recent security operations, including the rescue of more than 100 abducted Catholic schoolchildren, and said US concerns had been “positively received” in Abuja.

He maintained that the experiences shared by displaced communities “will not be ignored,” and vowed to brief the White House as ordered by President Trump.

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There’s No Govt in Nigeria, Tinubu is the Person in Power – Dele Momodu

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December 13, 2025

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Media entrepreneur and former presidential aspirant, Chief Dele Momodu, in this interview by SAM NWAOKO, does a thorough examination of the Nigerian polity and comes to the conclusion that the country is on the cusp of a one-man rule.

Some people have said that the issue involving Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was a convivial episode between two former colleagues in the Senate. Do you agree with this contention by some observers of the matter?

You know that spin doctors will spin anything no matter how unreasonable it is. Everybody, including Mrs Tinubu, acknowledged that what happened was wrong. Whether she now apologised or not, I am not aware, but she herself said it was a minor misstep and that we should not escalate it. So let us not debate what is not debatable.

When my favourite writer, Uncle Dare Babarinsa, said that the video of the incident in Ile-Ife was AI-generated on Facebook, I replied to him and said it was not. I gave them the original video that was shot by Ovation TV and said: “This is an original video that was shot by Ovation TV and not AI-generated, Sir. The governor was clearly disrupted and momentarily lost composure.”

The whole saga looks like it is not going away. What would you advise the First Lady to do at a time like this?

It is not going away because we are all prone to mistakes – nobody is perfect, I am not perfect, the First Lady is not perfect and when we are wrong either knowingly or unknowingly, we should just apologise. That is all. The thing would have gone down immediately. However, the thing is that her spin doctors are busy trying to window-dress the incident which is ordinarily a scandal because you embarrassed Governor Adeleke in his own state because you momentarily got him confused. If you look at the video, you will see that she disrupted him and the governor was momentarily confused. The governor was flustered because he was not expecting such an intrusion during his speech. Even if you were in a hurry to leave the palace and all that, you could have sent someone or just asked someone to write something on a small paper that ‘We are running late, please hurry up’. It is not that you will now stand up on your own. The First Lady stood up, and we saw her conversing with the Ooni of Ife before then, reporting that ‘I want to go and tell this man to stop singing’.

However, I know the reason she is angry, because she used to enjoy his singing and music when they used to dance together in Osogbo and all that. I have video evidence of that. She is angry because the governor refused to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). You know, APC has this entitlement syndrome afflicting it. APC believes that every governor should be in APC. The only thing that will give them joy and comfort is for every governor in Nigeria whether from the North, or from the East or from the West – wherever – should join APC. Then Tinubu can become an emperor in word and indeed. That is what they seek to do. They succeeded in Lagos and they wish to succeed at the national level. That is what is going on. Anybody who does not join them is considered an enemy.

Don’t you think that he has succeeded in doing that in many other places too because we only have one governor of PDP left in the South, so to say?

To me, this does not matter. Some people will choose to be voluntary slaves while some people will choose to act like freeborn. Everybody has a choice, that is what democracy is all about. Some people are coerced; some people are cajoled. When they get there, I hope they get whatever they are looking for.

Could this thinking be the reason Governor Ademola Adeleke did not go to APC but chose to go to Accord instead?

They tried to woo him into APC but he decided that he would rather leave his fate in the hand of God instead the hand of man. He didn’t get to where he is today by himself, it is God that made it possible. In his first attempt, he claimed that they stole his votes. He went away quietly. He didn’t destroy Nigeria, he didn’t destroy anything. He didn’t even fight Tinubu. He went away and he came back stronger. In fact, this Mrs. Tinubu incident has played to his favour because he has been trending since Sunday. Governor Adeleke has been trending because of this “little mishap” according to Mrs. Tinubu. And, can you imagine that it coincided with the time he was joining his new political party, Accord. Everything in life works perfectly once God has a hand in it. I see Governor Adeleke as a very lucky man and that is why he is always singing. He said nobody can stop him from singing and praising his God.

Now that the PDP has all its flanks broken, what would you advise the party as an observer, when you remember what it used to be in the Peoples Democratic Party?

I left the party much earlier because we already saw where it was headed. It is not the fault of the party, it is the fault of the fifth columnists within the party who sought to keep the party in ICU and hope to switch off the ICU machine and kill the party if it is no longer useful to them, or keep it alive in the ICU until the day they will need the party. So, what those people have been doing is to gradually kill the party on behalf of Tinubu, because it is Tinubu that has that kind of power. It is not people like Nyesome Wike that are wielding that kind of power.

From your thinking, you seem to agree with Nigerians who are of the opinion that the problem with PDP and the other opposition political parties is the handiwork of the government, Tinubu himself and his people?

There is no government in power. Tinubu is the person in power, no other person is in power. Tinubu does not share power with anybody. I had predicted in 2022 that if he gets power we have a potential dictator in our hands. This was in October 2022, I said it on a TV programme and it has come to pass. When I speak, people would react and abuse me but I don’t mind. My body is that of a porcupine, nothing worries me that much, I don’t even bother. I saw this because I was trained in Ife on how to conduct research and I am conversant with how to go about postulations, permutations and all that. I might not be able to use it effectively for myself to win elections because I don’t have the resources, but I can tell you what will happen in 2027 and give you different scenarios.

So that is what is going on right now. Tinubu is a one-man mafia and all the other people under him are afraid because of that. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian author, wrote “The Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” in which he contends that the oppressed man respects and loves only one man: his oppressor. So, it is a theory in political psychology. So, all the people you see rushing to Tinubu are doing so out of fear in advance. Tinubu does not even need to tell them that if you don’t join me something is going to happen to you because of the reputation of Tinubu as a one-man mafia. So nobody wants to cross the line and even dare to try. So, it is in the nature of the oppressed to be fearful in the presence or in front of the oppressor. The oppressor does not need to say anything, just his eye-look alone is enough to scare them, so they are all scared and you know that the average Nigerian does not joke with power, position and wealth.

So, this second term nonsense is as if, if you don’t have a second term, you will die. That is the attitude of an average politician. But Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden. He went away. Is he not back today? President John Mahama was defeated by Nana Akufo-Addo in Ghana. Is he not back today? So, I don’t know why people are so desperate. If Tinubu will not allow you to come back, for as long as you have life there is hope. You can go away and come back later.

So, the fear of a one-party Nigeria is real – the fear that Nigeria is drifting into a one-party state is not unfounded?

We are not drifting, we are there already. The situation in which the entire South-South has been captured by one man… and a lot of them who didn’t even need to go there are running into the APC. Look at Akwa Ibom State. Akwa Ibom has no business in APC, Akwa Ibom is a traditional PDP state. It can survive on its own, it does not even need the Federal Government. Akwa Ibom is so blessed with resources that every governor of the state has always been considered very important in Nigeria. But when you have a man who was brought in by PDP and he ran away from the PDP even by the second year… What is chasing him? And now he is saying that only APC people can get jobs in Akwa Ibom, it is unprecedented. History is awaiting all of us. Was it APC that worked for him to become governor? If he wanted to give everything to APC, then he should have waited for APC to vote him for a second term then he can transfer everything to APC. But for, what he is enjoying is from PDP, it is not from APC, so why are you now shutting out those who brought you to power? And he is a pastor, he knows that God will judge him. I know it is his democratic right to go wherever he chooses but he cannot use what you have gained from someone else to give to another person.

Look at my home state, Edo State. There, if you are not a member of APC, you are declared a persona non grata. That is not right. The governor is free to choose his friends and so on, at least there the APC brought him to power unlike Akwa Ibom, where PDP brought him to power and suddenly you want to kill PDP in your state. I think that is ungodly.

The contention out there is that you are for Atiku Abubakar and not for any political party, including the ADC. How true is this and can you throw light on this assumption sir?

I have always chosen candidates that I admire and believe can deliver. I am not one of those who would do otherwise because of some parochial considerations. I have been very fortunate because God brought me from different backgrounds, my father came from Edo State while my mother came from Osun State. So I am very detribalised and I am a full Nigerian. I fought the military alongside other people for Nigeria to remain one. So, I would not allow any politician to brainwash me into seeing any Nigerian as my enemy. This is a ploy by some politicians to use us, and use divide and rule to continue to dominate the country and dominate our life, I am not involved in it. If I like you, I like you. I see Atiku as a shining star and I saw it from 1993 when he stepped down for Chief Abiola at the SDP convention, I have always admired him since then in 1993, it is not because of today. To me, whether he becomes president or not is not the issue, if I wanted a president as my friend then I would have chosen Bola Tinubu because I am one million times closer to him than to Atiku. But I am a principled man, I have chosen to support Atiku. If you don’t like him, support your own candidate. I cannot force anybody to support Atiku. There are democratic traits which I see in him, he is a thorough democrat, a man who will never promote thuggery, a man who had been Vice President and delivered outstandingly and spectacularly. When he was the Vice President, he was able to assemble some of the brightest stars in Nigeria wherever they came from. He did not populate his office with Fulani or Hausa or any tribe in particular. A man who left governance in 2007 and till today he is successful as a businessman investing in education, in agriculture, in health and so on and so forth. If every politician has a job or a business like Atiku, we will not be where we are as a country today. An average Nigerian politician has no job, has no business, and has nothing doing other than to feed on the government. That is part of my admiration for Atiku. Atiku has been able to elevate and upgrade himself intellectually by going back to school as a student. He has been able to maintain and carry himself gracefully at his age. So, Atiku’s experience is not something that we can throw away and he is one of those people who have contributed to the growth and development of Nigeria. So, why should I not express my support for him if he chooses to run?

Is he going to run in 2027 or is he going to back a candidate?

Definitely, he will run if he gets the ticket of the party. If he doesn’t get the ticket of the party then he will have to join someone else and support the person. He has always been a very forthright person and he was the first person to bring Peter Obi on the national platform, but people forget that.

But the ADC seems to have been largely quiet. It might be strategic, but the party is seeing the onslaught on the PDP and has been quiet. What would you say has been happening in the ADC and what should Nigerians expect in the near future?

ADC has not been quiet. They are working from state to state. Even in Edo State where the governor did not expect any opposition, we have worked hard in Edo State and we are gaining ground. In Adamawa, and I saw how people from different walks of life are joining ADC. Recently, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar went to Jalingo to launch ADC with them there. So, we are working and I am sure a lot of people who are leaving PDP now to join APC, when they finally get frustrated by especially Tinubu, they will come over to ADC. ADC is the only national platform that is available and it offers Nigerians better and credible options.

So what would be your advice to Nigerians considering the changing political landscape of the country?

They must resist a one-party dictatorship in the country and they must resist Tinubu. Tinubu’s ambition to have Nigeria entirely to himself the same way he has Lagos should not be allowed. I assure Nigerians that if he is allowed to get away with it then we shall all end up in servitude.

But he is said to be managing the economy better, and that the security situation is improving under his administration. Don’t you see these?

When people love you they will love you blindly; that is what is happening with those saying that Tinubu is performing and that the economy has improved. The situation in Nigeria now is far worse. What we have seen are statistics; statistics that do not have effect on the people or reflect in their standard of living. We have removed the petroleum subsidy which has thrown most homes in Nigeria into the worst poverty, yet we are not seeing what they have done with the money and they said the economy is improving. They should come out and tell us what they are doing with the money. Now, we have incurred unprecedented debts globally and we are still acquiring more almost on a daily basis. What exactly are we doing with the money? So, those who are talking about the economy improving don’t know what they are saying, they are just talking for the sake of talking or because, maybe they hope they will also benefit from the largesse of the government.

Culled from The Trubune

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2027: Nigeria Sliding into ‘Fanatical Governance’, Momodu Blasts APC, Submissive Legislature and Weak Opposition

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6 days ago

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December 12, 2025

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By Eagle Radio

Journalist and politician Aare Dele Momodu has raised alarm over what he calls Nigeria’s drift into “a fanatical, unrestrained form of governance” where oversight institutions have become subordinate to the executive.

Momodu made the remarks during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current afairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM Ilese, Ijebu, on Wednesday, where he discussed national security, the wave of defections to the APC, internal party crises and the build-up to the 2027 elections.

Momodu reviewed recent political events including the Senate’s swift approval of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to Benin Republic, the removal of police escorts from some VIPs, the widespread collapse of opposition structures and the ongoing tug-of-war within the PDP and Labour Party.
Momodu said the chamber’s unanimous and speedy approval of the president’s request did not surprise him, arguing that the National Assembly now operates as an extension of the presidency.

“There is no request President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sends to the National Assembly that they will not promptly approve. Even if it goes against national interest, they will approve it. Nigeria is virtually running a fanatical government the way we operate today. Checks and balances are gone. “I wasn’t expecting anything new from the Senate. They are not confrontational to a ruler. Some people are coerced, some cajoled, and some just cannot place the interests of the country above their own personal interests.”

He noted that while some Nigerians worry that the military is overstretched due to internal security operations, he disagrees.

“Our military is not overstretched. I’ve seen them in action in different countries from Liberia to Zimbabwe. We have some of the best officers on the continent. What is troubling is the politicisation of their work at home. That is the real danger.”

Gale of Defections: ‘Opposition is in the ICU’

Speaking on the wave of defections that has hit opposition parties, including the high-profile defection of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the APC, Momodu said the ruling party has strategically crippled rival platforms.

“I cannot blame all the people defecting. Some of them did not leave voluntarily. They were coerced. The ruling party made sure the PDP was crippled, tied down and kept in the ICU. The Labour Party is battling factions everywhere. The opposition has never been this weak.”

According to him, this systematic collapse is part of a grand strategy for the 2027 elections.

“The plan is simple: keep the opposition in a permanent coma. If the PDP or Labour tries to rise, another crisis will erupt. You can see the pattern.”

“I Am ADC Not Official Yet”

Momodu confirmed that although he has not completed his formal registration, he now aligns politically with the ADC.

“Yes, I am ADC. Not officially yet, but I am with the party. I still need to go to my village to register formally. But politically, that is where I am standing now.”

He explained that the current political reality makes the APC the most dominant platform heading into 2027.

ADC’s Internal Strength and Why He Believes APC Will Lose Members Soon

Responding to a caller who asked whether the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is facing internal crises similar to the PDP and Labour Party, Momodu disagreed.

ADC is growing stronger every day. Some of the most seasoned politicians in Nigeria are part of it. Once it becomes obvious that there are no more appointments in government, you will see politicians leaving the ruling party in droves.”

“The interest of the president now is all about him. We are frustrated because this is not the democracy we envisaged. Leaders are too focused on their image and position rather than serving the nation.”

He suggested that the defections into APC are largely transactional and may reverse as soon as people realise appointments are limited.

Insecurity: ‘Our Military Can End Banditry If Allowed to Work’

On Nigeria’s worsening security situation, Momodu insisted that political interests, not military weakness, hinder progress.

“The Nigerian military can end this insecurity in months if allowed. They know where the bandits are. We have videos of bandits riding on motorcycles in convoys. Why can’t they be stopped?”

He referenced Nigeria’s successful peacekeeping records abroad.

“In Liberia, our soldiers controlled 10 of the 15 regions under ECOMOG. They were called the backbone of the mission. How can the same military now be helpless at home? Something is wrong.”

“Everything is politically motivated. Our army can enter forests, flush out bandits, and achieve results in days or weeks. I’ve seen them operate in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The challenge at home is politics, not military weakness.”

He accused government officials of playing politics with national security.

Ambassadorial List, Global Perception and the President’s Legacy

On questions about President Tinubu’s international reputation, especially following debates over the ambassadorial list and restructuring of foreign missions, Momodu said he is not convinced the president prioritises global perception.

“I don’t know if the president cares about perception or legacy right now. The focus seems to be proving political strength, not building institutions. But the world is watching.”

He expressed concern that Nigeria’s diplomatic system is losing credibility due to political interference.

‘Politicians Have Abandoned Service for Personal Luxury’
Momodu criticised political elites for living extravagantly while ordinary citizens struggle.

“Politicians behave as if they are in a permanent entertainment state. Someone who had nothing yesterday suddenly flies jets and lives in luxury. People will naturally ask questions.”

He said Nigerians feel deeply betrayed by leaders who appear disconnected from the reality of poverty.

“People are bitter because leaders are not serving them. They lord over them. When citizens are hungry and insecure, leaders shouldn’t be gallivanting everywhere.”

‘Silence from Leaders Is Killing Democracy’
Momodu noted that prominent elders who once spoke boldly now remain silent due to fear or personal interest.

“During Obasanjo’s time, Yoruba leaders criticised him. They were not afraid to speak truth to power. Today, many people are too scared or too benefitted to say anything. That silence is dangerous.”

He warned that history will judge those who fail to speak up.

“Tomorrow will come. What will we say we stood for? This is not the democracy we fought for.”

A Call for Courage and National Renewal
Momodu urged citizens, elites and opposition politicians to find the courage to rebuild democratic values.

“Nigeria needs courage right now. Courage to criticise. Courage to correct. Courage to rebuild institutions. If we lose that courage, we will lose our democracy.”

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