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Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Dies at 83, Burial Rites Begin
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, has passed on.
He was 83 years old.
The top Yoruba monarch died in the late hours of Friday, according to palace officials.
Adeyemi died at the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, The PUNCH was told.
The late Alaafin’s first son, Prince ‘Tunde, and other children had received the monarch’s remains at Idi-Igba, Oyo town early Saturday morning.
Palace sources confirmed that traditional rites had begun without giving details about his burial arrangement yet.
Adeyemi ruled for 52 years before his demise, making him the longest-reigning Alaafin.
By tradition, the head of the Oyomesi, Basorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Ayoola, would take over pending the appointment of a new Alaafin.
Basorun is also expected to brief the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, before an official announcement.
The late Alaafin of Oyo was from the Adeyemi branch of the Alowolodu family. He was born on October 15, 1938.
During his late childhood stage, he lived briefly at Iseyin.
Adeyemi III was the son of Oba Adeyemi II, the former Alaafin of Oyo who was deposed and sent into exile in 1954 for having sympathy for the National Council of Nigerian Citizens.
He succeeded Alaafin Gbadegesin Ladigbolu II in 1970 and was crowned on January 14, 1971.
He was a lover of boxing.
Adeyemi’s death came after the demise of the Soun of Ogbomoso, Jimoh Oyewumi, and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Saliu Adetunji, who died on December 12, 2021, and January 2, 2022, respectively.
Foremost Yoruba socio-cultural organization,the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has condemned the position of the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele on regionalism, saying the lawmaker has lost the trust of the people he’s representing.
Recall that Senator Bamidele had at the National Assembly hearing on constitutional review rejected the bill to return Nigeria to regionalism saying if the lawmakers should allow regional system in Nigeria, it would automatically give the Easterners Biafra
The Publicity Secretary of the OPC, Barrister Yinka Oguntimehin, in a press statement on Tuesday noted that it’s unfortunate that Bamidele who was once a respected activist had also clamoured for a national conference to address the fundamental issues of restructuring in this country suddenly changed and became a centralist- minded person that is now rejecting the bill to return Nigeria to regionalism.
Oguntimehin said the lawmaker has failed to realize all the advantages inherent in regionalism, stating that Regionalism will allow cohesion, healthy competition and regional autonomy.
“It’ll enhance regional and internal security among the regions.
“Even a country with over 10 million people with such a multi-ethnic composition like Nigeria must have a federating unit that allows regional autonomy, regardless of the name you wish to call it, either regions or provinces. That is the normal thing all over the world.
“For instance, 50 states in the U.S are like a region. Also Ghana, a prominent country in Africa with a population of less than sixty million has a region. Even South Africa allows its provinces to develop at their own pace.
“It’s unfortunate that a man of Opeyemi Bamidele’s position, background and antecedents decided to go against the position of many Nigerians and selfishly narrow his thinking to play politics with such a sensitive issue and also believing that regionalism may later in the future give a particular ethnic nationality a country as he was referencing the Eastern region with the Biafra.
“He didn’t even see the wisdom in looking beyond his nose to see the possibilities and importance of regionalism as a potential tool for a successful federating unit.
“I wondered how an activist, a former student union leader, a Senate leader like him with a history of activism suddenly showed how political position and power can easily change his person.
“As far as we’re concerned, OPC condemns his position in totality and it’s unfortunate that he’s one of the representatives in Yoruba land.
“However, we urge him to change his views and position on this because as a foremost Yoruba socio-cultural organization, OPC is monitoring the events in the parliament and history will always judge whoever that goes against the wishes of Nigeria and Nigerians.
“I remember in the beginning of the OPC’s struggle, Senator Bamidele was one of the activists that was at the vanguard of the call for a national conference. He stood by the people then and now like a chameleon he suddenly changed.
“Let it be said that the only way Nigeria can move forward as a nation is to embrace regionalism where the regions develop at their own pace.
“Let it should also be said that for those whose position was that if we have regionalism, the central government will be weakened. That is not true, because the issue of the percentage of the resources to be allocated to the government at the centre will be addressed between the regions.”
Source: Independent
The Israeli military has said Iran has launched missiles at the country.
It added that sirens have sounded all across Israel and urged citizens to move to marked safe spaces.
The attack comes a short while after the US announced that it had received intelligence that Iran was planning an attack against Israel.
IRNA, Iran’s state-run news agency, confirmed that Tehran’s military has started launching ballistic missiles towards Israel.
Footage shared by media houses showed dozens of missiles flying across the sky towards Tel Aviv.
The missiles came as Israeli police said they received a report about a shooting attack in the Jaffa neighborhood of the city.
Police said the initial suspicion of motive is terror.
Multiple casualties were reported due to the attacks.
Iran said it targeted Israel in response to the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader, and other leaders.
“In response to the martyrdom of Martyr Haniyeh, Seyed Hassan Nasrallah and Martyr Nilfroshan, we targeted the heart of the occupied territories,” a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said.
“If the Zionist regime reacts to Iran’s operations, it will face crushing attacks.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged Israelis to “remain alert and precisely follow the home front command’s instructions”.
“Upon hearing a siren, you must enter a protected space and remain there until further notice”, it added.
Meanwhile US President Joe Biden convened a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and top national security officials to discuss the Iran ballistic missile attack on Israel.
The US and Israel had warned that any attacks from Iran would have grave repercussions.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a gang of zombies
Sowunmi, while mocking the APC, said the ruling party would be traveling on a lane of deception to think that it is a political party.
Featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today, the PDP chieftain wondered when last the APC conducted a congress.
He said: “The PDP just did Congress all over the country. I can’t remember when last our rivals – APC- said anything like that.
“We are struggling to keep to the principles of democracy, it’s not a graveyard peace. People will have options and go to court.
“APC must be deceiving itself if it thinks it’s a political party, it might be in government and a special purpose vehicle for contesting election but it will be laughable for them to wake up in the morning and somebody threw away the Chairman, ordered to go and recruit another. It is a gang of zombies.
“With due respect, the APC must be deceiving itself if it thinks that it is a political party,” he further said.
