Some people were seen smoking blunts at the Fela Shrine in 1978; one of the people in the photo looked to be high on smoke. Fela’s American lover Sandra Izadore, one of Fela’s wives, and Mabinuori Kayode Idowu, Fela Kuti’s close friend and manager at the Fela Shrine, are among those featured.
How many of us recall the well-known trio of statues near Ojodu-berger called “ARO META” (THREE WHITE CAP CHIEFS) in Lagos. In Lagos, Nigeria, there is an Art Deco statue called Aro Meta that depicts three white-cap chiefs from Lagos. The three sculptural chiefs, towering over 12 feet tall and designed by Bodun Shodeinde in 1991, were erected to greet visitors to Lagos State. The mascots in this image stand in for the Lagosian royal and chieftaincy families. The Idejos, Ogalades, and Akarigbere are the three white cap chiefs. The Olumegbon (Olori Idejo), Oluwa, Oniru, Ojora, Onilado, and other members of the Idejo, often known as the Landowners, have historically owned Lagos. The native priests of Lagos are known as the Ogalades, and they are led by Obanikoro. Other members of the group include Onimole, Onisemo, Opeluwa, and others. The first class of Chiefs, known as the “Akarigberes,” is led by a number of people, including Eletu-odibo, Kosoko, Ologun-Agan, Ologun-Atebo, and Ologun-agbeje. It was said that these group of chiefs had followed Adokome, the First Oba of Lagos, when he arrived in Iddo, Lagos, from Benin. We plan to write a series of articles detailing the history of the Lagos State royal house, starting with Oba Adokome (Ado), the first king of Lagos, and ending with Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the current king.
Nigeria was first exposed to Islam in the eleventh century via two different geographic routes: the Senegalese Basin and North Africa. Islam’s beginnings in the nation are connected to its growth throughout the greater West African region. Islam was mostly introduced into Nigeria through trade. Islamic historians and geographers from the Middle Ages, such Al-Bakri, Yaqut al-Hamawi, and Al-Maqrizi, wrote the first accounts of Islam in Central Sudan. Later writings by Ibn Battuta and Ibn Khaldun provided additional information about Islam in West Africa. Due to trade between the Kanem kingdom and the Northern African provinces of Fezzan, Egypt, and Cyrenaica in the eleventh century, Islam spread throughout North-East Nigeria, and especially inside the Kanem empire. Northern Muslim traders would occasionally settle in towns along trade routes, where they would subsequently spread Islam to the local populace. When Mai Ume Jilmi of Kanem was converted in the eleventh century by a Muslim teacher whose successors thereafter held the hereditary title of Chief Imam of Kanem, it was the first known conversion of a traditional king. Written works by Imam Ahmad Fartua, who lived during the Idris Alooma period, gave readers a peek of Bornu’s bustling Islamic community. While religious records revealed that, under Mai (king) Idris Alooma’s reign (1571–1603), the majority of the prominent persons in the Borno Empire had converted to Islam, even if a sizable portion of the nation continued to practice traditional religions. By creating mosques, Islamic courts, and a dormitory for Kanuris in Makkah, the Islamic pilgrimage site, Alooma promoted Islam throughout the nation. Islam is said to have entered Hausaland, especially Kano, in the fourteenth century by Muslim traders from the Mali Empire and West African traders who were converted by Tukulor Muslims from the Senegalese basin. In Hausaland, Muhammad Rumfa (1463–1499) was the first king to convert to Islam. Sheik Jamiu Bulala By the 16th century, it had reached the nation’s principal cities in the north before making its way into the countryside and the MiddleBelt uplands. There are, nevertheless, some assertions of an earlier arrival. Sheikh Dr. Abu-Abdullah Abdul-Fattah Adelabu, a Muslim scholar who was born in Nigeria, has maintained that Islam has spread throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, during the rule of the Arab conqueror Uqba ibn al Nafia (622–683), whose Islamic conquests under the Umayyad dynasty, during …
A famous open space landmark on Broad Street in Lagos Island, Lagos State, Nigeria is called Tinubu Square, formerly known as Independence Square. It bears the name of Madam Efunroye Tinubu, a female aristocrat and merchant. Before officials of the First Nigerian Republic renamed it Independence Square following Nigeria’s independence, it was known as Ita Tinubu. Later, it was renamed Tinubu Square. This image exudes a very pleasant sense of tranquility and quiet.
The years from the early 2000s until 2007 were among the worst in Nigerian political history. It was a time when, as in the 20th century, evil strolled the streets of Nigeria unchallenged and wined and dined with the political elite. Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), a late human rights attorney, called the period of political assassinations in Nigeria “the darkest and saddest event in Nigerian history.” Fawehinmi stated: “What we have been seeing lately is not democracy on the part of politicians, but rather a thoughtless outburst of insanity by some in the political class, and if checked promptly, the democratic structure will undoubtedly fall, and we will be responsible for the extraordinary bloodshed that ensues. About thirty incidences of assassinations and attempted assassinations were reported in various locations of Nigeria between 1999 and 2006. Ayo Daramola, a candidate for governor of Ekiti State, Alfred Dikibo, the National Vice-Chairman (South-South) of the PDP, Bola Ige, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in office, and Engineer Funsho Williams, who many thought would succeed former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu, were among the numerous politicians who were brutally killed. Williams received both his elementary and secondary school in Lagos, where he was born on May 9, 1948. He purportedly prevailed in the Alliance for Democracy’s (AD) 1998 governorship primary against Tinubu, but party officials urged him to resign so that Tinubu, who went on to win the governorship in 1999, could run. This is thought to be because Williams was a part of the repressive military regime, while Tinubu was involved in the June 12, 1993, struggle He changed to the PDP to challenge Tinubu, but he complied and let Tinubu run as the AD candidate. Prior to that, he belonged to the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), the ruling political party, which had supported General Sani Abacha, the previous head of state of the armed forces, to run for president in the August 1998 election. However, this election was never held since Abacha passed away in June 1998. Williams, a 2003 PDP candidate for governor when Tinubu sought a second term, was defeated by the incumbent after receiving 725,000 votes to Tinubu’s 910,000. Williams graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree in civil engineering and a second degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the United States. He had served as an engineer in the Lagos Civil Service for seventeen years until his political career called. In 1991, he retired from the Ministry of Works as a Permanent Secretary. In addition to managing his own business, he was a board member of other organizations, including Cappa and D’Alberto Plc, Ajaokuta Steel Company, and Julius Berger. Later, during Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s military rule (1993–1996), he would return to Lagos public service to serve as Commissioner for Works. …
On October 25, 1975, exiled General Yakubu Gowon, his wife Victoria, and their two children, Saratu and Ibrahim (right), were seen on their patio garden in London. General Yakubu Gowon was banished in 1975 following his overthrow by Murtala Mohammed. As a result, Gowon was Nigeria’s head of state for the longest amount of time, holding the position for nearly nine years until Brigadier Murtala Mohammed overthrew him in a coup in 1975.
He was charged with two counts of conspiracy and obtaining money with the intention of defrauding Remmy Hendrick Iniqi Cima of Germany of $1,698,380 in June 2003. He was falsely accused of representing the money as payments that were supposed to be made to government officials in exchange for $18 million for a contract. He was arraigned separately on these counts. He was detained in May 2003 and charged with a crime alongside a Chief Olafemi Ayeni (born in Ilesha, Osun State; 43 years old in October 2003), who claimed to be the owner of a multinational corporation named Worldwide that was in control of US dollars. Attia allegedly gave Ade Bendel and Ayeni money to purchase the alleged chemicals when they arrived at his office, only to discover later that there were none and that he had been duped. Ade Bendel and Ayeni claimed they needed the money to buy chemicals to clean the security covers from the notes in the box. While in court, the Egyptian general also showered the EFCC and the court with plaudits for a job well done. Ade Bendel initially entered a not guilty plea, but he then changed it to a guilty plea and promised to reimburse the EFCC for the money. In the end, he was housed in a private cell at Block 2 of the Kirikiri Maximum Prison to serve out his sentence. Ade Bendel maintained constant access to a copy of the Bible while he was incarcerated, claiming to have been visited by a spirit from above and to be a “born-again” Christian. All I can hope for is that the stories of people who were duped will surface once more. Additionally, he was alleged to have operated a tiny “church” inside the jail where he shared the gospel with other prisoners and even turned unexpectedly charitable by feeding them. It is important to note, however, that in 2002, before to his actual arrest, he allegedly told his pals that he was permanently leaving the company because the Holy Spirit had “arrested” him following a church service. After being freed, Ade Bendel organized a number of religious crusades including Nigerian musicians like Dbanj, where he preached in March 2008 to people who were open to hearing his particular style of gospel. On March 24, 2008, at Eleko Beach in Lagos, he held his first major crusade. He told the story of how he “met” God while incarcerated and spoke about other commonplace things like old people dying away. Some people think that Dbanj has truly turned into a better person and will stand up for the recently appointed angel. Dbanj was rumored to have sobbed during Ade Bendel’s press conference when he recounted what Nigerians call “testimonies.” Some people also said that he should be given another chance at life, but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t include the people who lost their lives—or worse—to his exploits. These people, sadly, will never get another chance. And all right, I’ll take this one in. He announced in March 2008 that the old things had passed away and that he was now a preacher. He declared that bringing more individuals to the Kingdom was the main goal of his life at the moment. In any case, how about giving back a portion of the victims’ money, or just that one? he announced the news and gave his evidence at a press conference at Terra Kulture. It was said that several in attendance, including D’banj, a Nigerian musician, were brought to tears.…
Okoye Pericoma “. He was most well-known in Igboland for his musical taste and his fervent devotion to Obeah, the traditional religion of the Igbo people. Under the alias “Arusi Makaja,” he is said to have accomplished a number of exploits that disregarded the laws of physics. A sizable portion of his community, Arondizuogu, regarded him as a small god. According to certain reports, he hails from the Anambra State community of Ifite Mgbago Umuoji. North Idemili. After winning competitions back-to-back and showcasing his “supernatural powers,” or “sorcery,” as it was commonly called, he was given the moniker “Lion of Africa.” He costarred with Nollywood icon Pete Edochie in the film Lion of Africa. His early life was the subject of the two-part biographical film. Speed Darlington, a singer and internet celebrity, is descended from him. If everyone looks at the very bottom left of the image below, one of his children, young Darlington, is visible. On a devoted day, he was delayed by tax collectors at the then-famous Upper Iweka on his approach to Onitsha. He disregarded the tax collectors’ demands for his tax receipts when they asked to see them, not knowing who he was. He was picked up by one of the goons, who put him on his shoulders and took him to their office. He didn’t say anything or voice any complaints. He unexpectedly gained so much weight on the journey that the men carrying him tried to set him down, but he was unable to do so. They pleaded with him to come down for several hours, but he refused, saying that the gods had to be appeased before he would come down. He asked for a number of things, one of which was money. After a few hours,…
In Tripoli, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is greeted by Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi. The two leaders of state convened to talk about the Organization of African Unity’s extraordinary summit, which is set to take place in Tripoli from September 6–9.
Following the Itsekiri king’s death in 1848, there was a nearly ninety-year period of interregnum during which the kingdom’s old governmental structure essentially vanished. Dogho Numa (short for Omadoghobone), a well-known member of both the royal and senior commoner “Houses,” was transferred to become the Warri Kingdom’s Paramount Chief following the turmoil surrounding Nana Olomu’s defeat in 1894, a decision that the British government politically supported. Despite being a “Political Agent,” Dogho assisted in opening up the River Niger to British trade and backed the British invasion of Benin in 1897. He served in that capacity until his death in 1932. The British recognized him as the Paramount Chief of the Warri division in southern Nigeria in 1917. Image Info: Chief Dogho Numa wore ceremonial wear, as did his spouse. She is holding a wide-brimmed hat adorned with her husband’s name, NUMA, and is dressed in a long dress with elaborate jewelry. He bears a staff and is dressed in a long wraparound skirt and a military-style jacket adorned with medals.