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OAU Honours Ayodele Adewale with Award of Excellence
By Eric Elezuo
The immediate past Executive Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Comrade Ayodele Adewale, has once again been honoured with an excellence award for meritorious services. The award, this time is courtesy of the National Association of Public Administration Students of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo, University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The award, presented on behalf of the students’ association and department by Dr. O. O. Popoola, followed a well-defined lecture presented by the seasoned administrator on the topic 21st Century Democratic Governance: The Inevitable Roles of Administrators, as the guest speaker
The event, which was presided over by the Head of Department, Dr. O. O. Popoola, also had in attendance the Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Dr. T. A. Olaiya, who functioned as the Chairman of the occasion and Dr. (Mrs.) P. I. Igbokwe, a senior lecturer, in the department who moderated the proceedings.
Also in attendance were representative of the Osun State Commissioner of Education, Barr. Folorunsho Oladoyin Bamiseayemi; Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Hon. Biyi Odunlade; Chairman, Ife East Local Government Area, Representative of Hon. Babatunde Desmond Ojo, Member representing Oria Ade LGA in the State House of Assembly and Senior Tax Consultant, PWC, Mr. Vincent Adeoba.
In his speech, Comrade Adewale, who exemplified leadership during his six years tenure as local government chairman, buttressed with references from his grassroots administrative and governance experiences to drive home salient points.
The students who were thrilled with his performance followed him up with questions and he was equal to the task with copious answers and verifiable references.
Accepting the award, Comrade Adewale thanked the President of the Association, Mr. Gbadebo Moses Oluwaseun and his team for considering him worthy of the award even as he had no prior relationship with the department or the school.
He recalled that the last time he related with the school was some 20 years in the past as a students’ union leader while mobilising against some unacceptable policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria with Dr. Dipo Fashina.
“This award today underscores the importance of leaving good footprints in the sands of time and living a worthy and meaningful life which would always be a beacon of light for others to emulate,” Adewale said.
Comrade Adewale with VC, OAU, Prof. Eyitope
He dedicated the award to God Almighty and to the memory of Comrade George Iwilade aka Afrika, a 400 level law student who was murdered in his sleep by suspected cult members on July 10, 1999 in Awo Hall of the University. Late George Iwilade was the General Secretary of the Students’ Union Government of the university at the time he was killed.
The event also provided an opportunity to meet with the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Eyitope O. Ogunbodede as facilitated by the Alumni’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Gbolahan Ogunajo.
After the prolific tete ‘a tete, Comrade Adewale resolved to sponsor the award of employment opportunities to the best three overall graduating students of the department as a result of his overwhelming goodwill in both the private and public sectors. The award, after due consultations, was agreed to be called Comrade Ayodele Adewale Employment Opportunity Award, in honour of late Comrade George Iwilade aka Afrika.
The benefiting students will be selected based on character, academic excellence (1st class or 2nd class upper) and a letter of endorsement from the Vice Chancellor.
Expressing his profound joy and acceptance, the Vice Chancellor promised to embed the award as an annual programme worthy of mention at every convocation ceremony of the university.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, declined a request by the Department of State Services (DSS) to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, in his ongoing defamation trial.
Sowore is being prosecuted over comments made on social media in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The Federal government argues the statement contravenes provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, as well as sections of the Criminal Code, and is capable of inciting public disorder.
Director of Public Prosecutions, M. B. Abubakar, told the court that Sowore’s remarks amounted to cyber harassment and criminal defamation under Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act and Sections 59 and 375 of the Criminal Code.
He insisted the activist must be held accountable for using digital platforms to malign the President.
During proceedings, counsel to the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, urged the court to issue a bench warrant, arguing that Sowore had been duly served with the charge and hearing notice but failed to appear.
He described the absence as a clear disregard for judicial authority.
According to Kehinde, allowing such conduct to go unchallenged could undermine the court’s authority — particularly in politically sensitive matters involving state institutions.
He also dismissed a letter submitted by activist Deji Adeyanju seeking an adjournment on Sowore’s behalf, describing it as an attempt to delay the case.
However, presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, declined the request. He ruled that it would be premature to issue a bench warrant because the second defendant in the matter, X Corporation (formerly Twitter), had not been properly served with the charge sheet.
The judge held that due process in serving all defendants must be completed before any coercive orders can be considered.
Counsel to X Corporation, Christabel Ndiokwelo, confirmed that although her client received the hearing notice, the formal charges had not yet been served.
Counsel to META (Facebook), Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), was also in court.
He aligned with the government’s position, describing Sowore’s absence as deliberate. He also dismissed Sowore’s claims that social media companies were collaborating with the DSS to censor him as “baseless and diversionary.”
Justice Umar adjourned the case to December 2, 2025, for proper arraignment, and directed that fresh hearing notices and charge documents be served on all parties to prevent further delays.
Following US President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), US Senator Ted Cruz has declared that the next step is to hold Nigerian officials accountable.
Cruz is championing the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a bill designed to protect Christians and other religious minorities from widespread persecution in Nigeria.
After the CPC designation, Trump also warned of possible military action in Nigeria if its leaders failed to protect Christians in the country.
Reacting in a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, Senator Cruz said he has been pushing legislation to designate Nigeria as a CPC and to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials responsible for religious persecution.
He thanked President Trump for the designation and for “fighting to stop the murder of Christians in Nigeria.”
According to Cruz, the next step is to hold Nigerian officials accountable, promising to publicly identify them in the coming weeks.
His post reads: “I’ve been pushing legislation to designate Nigeria a CPC and to impose sanctions on the Nigerian officials responsible.
“Thank you to President Trump for his leadership in imposing the designation, and more broadly, for fighting to stop the murder of Christians in Nigeria.
“Now we should take the next step and hold Nigerian officials accountable. I intend to be very explicit about who they are in the coming days and weeks.”
Last weekend, Trump declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged killings of Christians.
In a statement posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday, Trump said Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria, describing the alleged killing as a “mass slaughter.”
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.
The US president added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and directed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to investigate the matter.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims of Christian genocide in the country.
In September, the Federal government described claims of a systematic genocide against Christians as “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive.”
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said portraying Nigeria’s insecurity as a religious conflict was a gross misrepresentation of reality.
“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is inaccurate and harmful.
“The federal government strongly condemns and categorically refutes recent allegations by certain international platforms and online influencers suggesting that terrorists operating in Nigeria are engaged in a systematic genocide against Christians,” he said.
Idris stressed that extremists have attacked citizens of all faiths, noting that Muslims, Christians, and even non-religious Nigerians have suffered alike.
Between May 2023 and February 2025, he said, security forces killed over 13,500 terrorists and rescued nearly 10,000 hostages.
He added that the recent capture of top Ansaru leaders and over 700 convictions of Boko Haram suspects reflected Nigeria’s progress in the fight against terrorism.
“These criminals target all who reject their murderous ideology, regardless of faith,” the minister stated.
The Oyo State High Court has granted the Peoples Democratic Party approval to proceed with its elective national convention scheduled for November 15–16, 2025, in Ibadan, the state capital.
The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to attend and monitor the exercise, Channels TV reports.
Delivering the ruling, Justice A. L. Akintola issued an interim order permitting the party to continue its convention plans without obstruction.
The decision came after an ex-parte motion filed by Folahan Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; Governor Umaru Fintiri, who heads the National Convention Organising Committee; and the INEC.
In his ruling on Monday, Justice Akintola held that the claimant presented a compelling case that warranted immediate judicial intervention.
“The motion ex-parte has merit and succeeds as prayed,” the judge ruled, granting temporary reliefs that safeguard the party’s schedule and direct all parties to allow the convention to proceed as planned.
The judge subsequently adjourned the hearing of the substantive motion for an interlocutory injunction till November 10, 2025.
The interim order, issued on November 3, 2025, was sealed by the Oyo State High Court and endorsed by its Principal Registrar, S. O. Hammed.
