Personality in Focus
Renowned Civil Rights Activist, Rev Jesse Jackson Dies at 84
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the legendary civil rights activist and two-time presidential candidate, has passed away Tuesday aged 84, his family has said in a statement.
A cause of death was not immediately given but Jackson’s family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said.
“We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
Jackson was hospitalized in November for treatment to regulate his blood pressure, having been under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy, CNN reported at the time.
PSP is “a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements,” according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Prior to that, Jackson’s struggles with his health prevented him from attending his 84th birthday celebrations in Chicago last October, which, CBS reported, was nevertheless attended by city mayor Brandon Johnson, former congressman Bobby Rush, and Jackson’s sons — current Illinois Democratic Rep. Jonathan Jackson and former representative Jesse Jackson Jr — among many others.
He announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017.
Also in their statement, Jackson’s family expressed their “profound sadness” at his passing and paid tribute to “his unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity.
Culled from Independent.co.uk
Senator Barinada Mpigi, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the Senate, is dead.
He was 64 years old.
Family sources and close associates confirmed that the lawmaker passed away after a brief illness. However, details surrounding the nature of the illness and circumstances of his death remained unclear as of press time.
Until his death, Mpigi was a prominent political figure in Rivers State, noted for his grassroots mobilisation and sustained engagement with constituents across the senatorial district.
The Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom in Enugu State, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Tuesday disagreed over the existence of a southern traditional rulers’ council.
Agubuzu had while addressing participants at the National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit On Health in Abuja, attended by President Tinubu, said there was “nothing like a Southern Traditional Rulers’ Council”.
He also urged the Federal Government to be wary of those who claim to be members of the council, especially in the disbursement of funds.
“Now, again, they were talking about the Southern Traditional Rulers Committee on Health, and the eminent Professor Pate was saying that this will become an annual event—what we are doing today—if I heard him correctly.
“The truth of the matter is that there is nothing like a Southern Traditional Rulers’ Council. If you come here, Pate, and give money to people on that basis, it’s not correct,” Igwe Agubuzu said.
“The South is not the North. We have our system. We need unity in diversity. So, if you want to deal with us, deal with us in the South-East. If you have resources for us, give them to us. Don’t give it to people who come and say, ‘We’re Southern Traditional Rulers’ Council.
“Democracy is representative government, and anybody who goes to present himself without his people is not democratic or traditional. So, get it. We think that we will do our best. Mr. President, please listen to our cries,” he added.
But the Ooni of Ife countered the position of the Enugu monarch, saying that the membership of the council was optional.
“Southern Traditional Council is very optional. You don’t need to join us if you don’t want to join us, but it’s a force, a formidable force among traditional institutions for us to come together.
“And we are all reputable in all our domains. You can see all of us because one of us made a speech that there’s nothing like that. We don’t agree to that, but our President is there; we don’t want any impression that there’s division,” Oba Ogunwusi told journalists during an interview.
The Osun monarch said the council was not limited to traditional rulers from the South-West.
He also pledged its support for President Tinubu.
“We don’t want to take out South-East. We have Eze Aro here. Eze Arochukwu is one of the very prominent traditional rulers in the South-East. We have a lot of southeastern traditional rulers with whom we are working together for the betterment of the country.
“So for us, it’s something that is key to let the whole world know that if you don’t want to be part of us, you can option your suggestion out. And please, we implore each and every one of us to focus more on news that is of quality, not social media and rumours. This is one of the major things affecting our country,” he added.
Similarly, the Eze Aro of Arochukuwku Kingdom, Eberechukwu Oji, who also identified himself as the publicity secretary of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers’ Council, described the council as a movement.
“As the Ooni said, the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers’ Council is a movement. It’s a journey comprising members from across the entire southern part of Nigeria. The Ooni is our chairman.
“We have King Jaja of Opopo, who is from the South-South, and we have eminent traditional rulers from across the southern parts of Nigeria who have come together to advance the cause of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers’ Council,” the Abia monarch said.
He also disclosed that the council was recognised by the Federal Government.
“So let us put it on record and put it on record very clearly. The President was part of the inauguration of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers’ Council. It happened in Owerri, and we have representatives of both the press, the government, and stakeholders in that inauguration,” Oji told journalists.
Nigerian academic, literary critic and Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo, is dead. He was 80.
Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of the foremost scholars of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.
His passing was announced by the President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Andrew Haruna, in a statement on Wednesday, saying the scholar passed away on 11 February.
The Nigerian Academy of Letters expressed condolences to his family and the academic community, describing his passing as a significant loss to literary scholarship in Nigeria and beyond.
In January, an international scholarly gathering was held at the MUSON Centre in Lagos to mark his 80th birthday.
The event drew academics, writers and cultural figures in recognition of his lifelong contributions to literary studies and intellectual life.
Colleagues have often described Mr Jeyifo’s writing as both intellectually rigorous and accessible, blending critical depth with clarity of expression.
Beyond Soyinka studies, he was known for his wide-ranging engagement with world Anglophone literature, cultural theory and postcolonial thought.
Born on 5 January 1946, Mr Jeyifo was a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and a prominent public intellectual whose career spanned several decades of teaching, research and mentorship across Nigeria and the United States.
