An image from the 1967 Daily Times top page of Judge Kayode Esho sentenced Prince Adeleke Ademiluyi, a former chairman of the Western Nigeria Development Corporation, and the 68-year-old Oba C.D. Akran to 14 years in prison for stealing £504, 750 that belonged to the Nigersols Construction Company Ltd., Ibadan, in 1967.
Picture from 1954 of an affluent, traditional wedding Miss Christie Bola, a stunning Nigerian bride, is pictured here with her husband, Mr. St. Matthew Daniel, at their London wedding ceremony. The bride is being symbolically wished a calm and happy marriage by the bridesmaid (right) who sprinkled the water, a crucial custom in traditional Yoruba marriages.
The Nwodo family’s patriarch was John Ugwuamakofia Nwodo.He was the father of Chief John Nnia Nwodo, the charming and amiable President-General of “Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo.” He was the wealthy individual who purchased the Mercedes bus. Premier Michael Okpara of the erstwhile Eastern Region appointed him Minister of Local Government following his appointment as Minister of Commerce. Later on, at Enugu, he would be crowned Igwe of Ukehe. Three sons of Igwe J.U. Nwodo entered the political sphere. – Attorney Joe Nwodo was a former candidate for governor of Ghana and the presidency who was disqualified by General Babangida’s military regime due to a bitter battle with his challenger for the position. But Joe was ousted, and his younger brother went on to win the contentious race. – Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, who served as the Third Republic’s governor of Enugu State, went on to become the PDP’s first national secretary and then its national chairman. –Chief Nnia Nwodo, who served as President Abdusalami Abubakar’s minister of information and President Shehu Shagari’s minister of aviation. The ninth President-General of the social and cultural organization “Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo” is Chief Nnia at the moment.
https://youtu.be/YLLz0cGBDJU An uncommon film capturing the formative years of Bishop David Oyedepo, one of Nigeria’s most well-known pastors. In the 1987 video, a youthful Oyedepo is seen giving the benediction and announcements during a church session. This film provides evidence of the modest origins of the man who would start Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners’ Chapel, and serve as its presiding bishop. David Oyedepo started the Living Faith Church in Kaduna, Nigeria, with a tiny congregation in 1981. The church grew gradually but steadily because of Oyedepo’s unshakable faith and dedication to sharing the gospel. The church started to gain traction by the middle of the 1980s, drawing more members with its message of faith, prosperity, and the power of spoken word.
Falolu succeeded Oba Eshugbayi Eleko as the Oba of Lagos from 1932 till his passing in 1949. Falolu was a fisherman before he became Oba. He belonged to the Lagos-based House of Dosunmu, a royal family. The succession to Oba Eshugbayi Eleko was a contentious issue upon his death in 1932. There were two primary groups that surfaced: one sided with Sanusi Olusi, who had been Oba for a short while before resigning to allow Eleko to return, and the other with Falolu Dosunmu. Falolu’s backers, which included members of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), the Ilu Committee, and the Jamat Muslim group, moved swiftly to ensure his installation as Oba. Consequently, Falolu Dosunmu was formally acknowledged and installed as the Oba of Lagos on November 3, 1932. Protests broke out because Sanusi Olusi’s followers were not satisfied with Falolu’s victory. Governor Donald Charles Cameron responded by establishing the Ward-Price Commission in 1933 to look into the selection procedure. At first, the panel discovered that the different groups of Lagos chiefs were not clearly in order of selection. But in response to popular unrest, a Selection Committee was established, and in the end, a majority vote recognized Falolu Dosunmu as the legitimate Oba of Lagos. Oba Falolu Dosunmu implemented a number of reforms during his rule to bolster the authority and self-sufficiency of the Obaship, or the Oba institution. He created official archives for the Obaship, which included records of native laws and customs as well as meetings between the colonial authority, the Oba, and his chiefs. Falolu likewise refused to submit to the colonial commissioner’s authority, preferring to hold talks at his palace, Iga Idunganran, or through middlemen. This declaration of independence played a crucial role in preserving the Obaship’s independence during the colonial era. Oba Gabaro was the third Oba of Lagos, the son and heir of Oba Ado, and the grandson of Oba Falolu Dosunmu. He passed away on September 2, 1949, and was interred at Iga Idunganran, the royal palace that Oba Gabaro erected.
A few months after their father’s murder, Nigeria’s first prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, left his sons Saddik and Mukhtar, who are pictured in this historical photo from the mid-1960s with their minister, Yusuf Maitama Sule. Before entering the realm of filmmaking and helping to expand the Nigerian film industry, Saddik Tafawa Balewa played a major role in Nigerian academics. He eventually became a drama faculty at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria. Choosing a different route, his younger brother Mukhtar Tafawa Balewa entered politics and ran for governor of Bauchi State in 2019.
Sanusi Olusi, who passed away in 1935, was a well-known character in Lagos history who was well-known for his fortune as a trader as well as for his involvement in the stormy period of the city’s monarchy. Following the death of Oba Ibikunle Akitoye in 1928, he came to the throne. This period was also notable for the exile of the then-reigning Oba, Eshugbayi Eleko, also referred to as “ELEKO of EKO.” Oba Dosunmu was his dad. Interestingly, given the religious variety of the area at the time, Oba Sanusi Olusi was the first Muslim to hold the title of Oba of Lagos. Prior to ascending to the throne, Sanusi Olusi unsuccessfully ran for the position of Oba in 1925, losing to Prince Ibikunle Akitoye. His residence, 25 Bridge Street in Idumota, was subsequently purchased by the British colonial authority for the building of Carter Bridge. Olusi’s short but significant reign as Oba of Lagos began with the installation of Akitoye following his death. But with the return of the overthrown Oba Eshugbayi Eleko, his reign came to an end. The British colonial authority forced Oba Sanusi Olusi to leave the royal residence, Iga Idunganran, in 1931. He received a £1,000 property on Broad Street and a £400 yearly stipend in return. Eventually, he was given permission to live in Oke-Arin on his own, which became known as Iga Olusi. After Oba Eshugbayi Eleko passed away in 1932, Sanusi Olusi ran for the Obaship again, this time against Prince Falolu Dosunmu. Even though he lost the competition, Sanusi Olusi’s ongoing use of royal insignia and his actions, which were seen as an attempt to hold onto the title of Oba, caused problems between him and the recently appointed Oba Falolu. As a result, Oba Falolu filed an official complaint with Governor Cameron, who gave Sanusi Olusi the order to stop acting in this way. After his death in 1935, Oba Sanusi Olusi was buried in Okesuna Cemetery. His reign and life continue to be an important part of Lagos’ history, serving as a reminder of the difficulties of traditional governing systems under colonial rule as well as the intricacies of leadership.
The illustrious Vivour family’s patriarch is William Allen Vivour (1830–1890). Garnet Rhodes-Vivour was his daughter, Chief Judge Akinwunmi R.W. Rhodes-Vivour was his grandfather, Olawale Rhodes-Vivour was his great-grandfather, and Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes-Vivour, popularly known as GRV, was his great-great-grandfather. William Allen Vivour’s large and thriving cocoa plantation in Fernando Po (Equatorial Guinea) made him the most successful planter in Africa throughout the 19th century.His father was a recaptive of Yoruba descent from what is now Lagos. The British West Africa Squadron resettled him in Sierra Leone until he eventually made his way to what is now Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria. In the period preceding the Jaja-Ibeno War, W. A. Vivour’s interest in palm oil became so great that it put him in direct conflict with King Jaja of Opobo. The term “Survivor,” which refers to the events that preceded his father’s arrival in Sierra Leone, is abbreviated as “Vivour.” Born in Sierra Leone, William Allen Vivour had four siblings—two brothers and two sisters—including Jacob and Sally Vivour, Robert Wellesley Cole’s grandparents. William Allen Vivour left Sierra Leone in 1855 to establish himself as a base in Fernando Po, Nigeria. Britain seized control of Sierra Leone in 1807, renaming the country’s capital Freetown, and abolished the trade in African slaves. All Africans who had been rescued from attempted enslavement at sea were settled and taught there. About fifty thousand Africans were freed and set free in Freetown between the year the slave trade was abolished in 1807 and the year the last slaving ship was captured in 1863. While many went back to their homes, many more stayed in Freetown. Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther and Crispin Curtis Adeniyi-Jones were notable among them. The forebears of football player Curtis Jones, who plays for the Liverpool football club, are Thomas Babington Macaulay (founder of CMS grammar school), Samuel Johnson (author of the History of Yorubas), and Christopher Sapara Williams. They all had access to education, spoke English as a common tongue, were Christians, and enjoyed freedom. The Krios, or Sierra Leone Creoles, were the new name for these African immigrants. Above all, they considered white people as equals and demanded to be treated as such when they rose to prominence as the leaders and developers of western Africa. They established a higher education institution by 1827, and a grammar school for both boys and girls by 1845. Their first English bishop was consecrated by 1864. Amelia Barleycorn, a member of a well-known Fernandino family, was married to W. A. Vivour. Among their many offspring was Garnet Vivour, who became the father of Justice R.W.A. Rhodes-Vivour and Bankole Vivour, an RAF pilot. In the period preceding the Jaja-Ibeno War, W. A. Vivour’s interest in palm oil became so great that it put him in direct conflict with King Jaja of Opobo. At the time, Vivour had agreements with the Ibeno hierarchy to enable him to build trading factories on the Kwa Ibo and engage in direct trade with Liverpool. Ibeno sovereignty existed apart from Opobo in Jaja. “Mr. Vivour would not have the right to trade there, even though I had no claim to the territory near the mouth of the Qua Eboe River, since any oil which he could get would either be bought in or drawn from my markets,” declared Jaja, who was aware of this. Finally, there was no conversation between the Opobo and the Ibeno. Jaja was not amused to find the same …
Fawehinmi lost her battle with lung cancer in September 2009, following a protracted and valiant fight. His passing signaled the end of a life dedicated to the unwavering pursuit of democracy, justice, and the protection of Nigeria’s oppressed people. Even after receiving a lung cancer diagnosis in 2008, Fawehinmi persisted in his campaigning in spite of his deteriorating health. Known for taking a courageous stand for social justice and human rights, he continued to speak out despite being ill. Many were astonished to learn that he had cancer because he had never smoked. Being an outspoken person, Fawehinmi expressed his dissatisfaction with the Nigerian healthcare system and his profound need to travel outside for treatment due to the lack of proper medical facilities in his home country. At the age of 71, Fawehinmi passed away on September 5, 2009, after a protracted battle with the illness. On September 15, he was buried in his native Ondo City, Nigeria. Fawehinmi passed away a disillusioned man, profoundly unhappy in the situation of his country at the time of his death, despite his enormous contributions to the country. His rejection of the greatest national accolade bestowed upon him, in a potent final act of defiance, expressed his dissatisfaction withthe administration and the country he had worked so hard to better.
The legendary song “SENSIMILIA” was launched by the dynamic pair “Mad Melon” (Oghenemaro Emeofa) and “Mountain Black” (Jimoh Olotu) in 2003, precisely 21 years ago. But the song that launched them to fame, “I am a Danfo Driver, Suo,” is what made them most famous. Both Mad Melon and Mountain Black were greatly impacted by the local Galala music genre, which developed from the streets and expressed the difficulties and hopes of the community, while growing up in the colorful but difficult slums of Ajegunle, Lagos. They had to juggle driving danfos, or commercial buses, to make ends meet during their early years, but music was always their love. Their lives would not shift drastically until Cornerstone Music realized how talented they were. Their 2003 single “I Am a Danfo Driver, Suo” struck a chord with Nigerians all throughout the nation and quickly became a classic. The song became an anthem due to its distinctive sound, catchy beat, and streetwise lyrics—especially in Lagos, where danfo buses are an integral part of everyday life. Their popularity from the song helped promote the Ajegunle sound both domestically and abroad in addition to bringing them notoriety. Their selection of “I Am a Danfo Driver, Suo” and Tuface Idibia’s “African Queen” for the soundtrack of the Hollywood film *Phat Girlz* was one of their most noteworthy accomplishments. With this acknowledgment, Mad Melon and Mountain Black were the first Nigerian musicians to have their songs included in a Hollywood production, marking a significant turning point for Nigerian music internationally. Their rise from the streets of Ajegunle to global acclaim is proof of the strength of perseverance, originality, and sincerity in music. They left a lasting impression on Nigeria’s musical history by bringing the challenges and victories of the country’s streets to the world. Five years ago, Mad Melon went away.