The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Govs

  • Glamour as UNILAG honours Osinbajo, five govs

    Glamour as UNILAG honours Osinbajo, five govs

    Last Saturday was different at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). The array of exotic cars, presence of heavy security operatives and the buzz around the Multipurpose Halls, were signs that high-level dignitaries were on campus.

    It was the institution’s Alumni Homecoming programme, which the Vice Chancellor, Prof Rahamon Bello, described as “historic”.

    Bello was glad that at his request, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Governors, Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa-Ibom) and Willie Obiano (Anambra) as well as the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Sir Ude Chukwu, all alumni of the institution, came together under one roof to mingle as alumni of UNILAG.

    It was a night of reminisce, which left nostalgic feelings in the minds of the dignitaries, who were decorated with the distinguished alumni award of the university.

    In the words of the Vice President, “Of course it is only the University of Lagos that can bring us all together as we are today, from different political ideas and platforms.”

    Speaking in the red and gold themed hall, Osinbajo, said UNILAG moulded him into his current status.

    He said: “There is nothing nobler; nothing that gives one greater joy than the recognition of one’s colleagues, friends and associates and I think that this particular recognition is one that is very dear to my heart. The University of Lagos has been a place, which has in so many ways defined my life. I started to teach here in November 1981. And from that time, till 2013, practically every step of the way, the university has influenced my life in one way or the other; and I dare say that even today, the first thing that is known about me is that I am, not was, a University teacher.”

    The Vice President also expressed his value for tertiary institutions as a place of great inspiration and ideas that build the nation.

    “It (being a teacher) is a place of great pride for me because I very well believe that the university is a multimedia place of ideas and inspiration and whatever it is that we can contribute to making that the case, we must do it. In the years when I was here as a lecturer in the 1980s, those were the years when there was great inspiration and ideas.

    Of course they were the years of the dialectical tension between the Materialist School and the Ajere School and the great thinking and the great debate that went on in political philosophical terms. You had to be defined one way or the other in those days. You could not be neutral. You had to belong to one side or the other of the argument. If you were a law teacher and you presented a paper, the socialist school, the materialists would attack the paper, not just on its merits or by way of argument but the philosophical foundation would be questioned; its whole thinking would be questioned and by the time many of them would be through with you, you would rethink several of your ideas.

    “The University must continue to be a place of ideas. The future of the nation depends on the thinking of those in the university. It depends on the great ideas that emanate from a place like this… and the importance of great teachers. I remember an evening in 1977 when I walked in to a jurisprudence class and this was the first time I was coming across the gentleman called, at the time, Dr Akin Oyebode, now Prof Akin Oyebode.  There he was teaching on the sociological school and as I recall the occasion, he did not have any prepared notes, though he reminds me that he had cue cards which I do not remember seeing. But he spoke for about an hour and half on the sociological school of jurisprudence. By the time he was through, I made up my mind that I would teach law and that for me was the inspiration that led to my coming to the University to teach law four years after,” He said.

    Also, representatives of the UNILAG Students’ Union chanted solidarity songs to usher his decoration.

    Speaking after his own decoration, Ambode recalled values he learnt while studying Accounting at Unilag.

    “My commitment is such that every day of my life is dedicated to the service of Lagos State based on what I have learnt in UNILAG,” said Ambode.

    Obiano on his part promised to help their alma mater.

    He said: “Of all the awards I have received in my life, this is the best and I promise this will spur me to do more. I also promise to assist the university in any way I can when I am approached… I also appeal to all of us that let the word that opens all doors be ‘UNILAG.’ From today, anytime you want to see me and you say UNILAG, the door would be opened to you.”

  • Govs, Ooni, storm Abeokuta as Tinubu becomes ‘Field Marshall’

    Govs, Ooni, storm Abeokuta as Tinubu becomes ‘Field Marshall’

    GOVERNORS, former Heads of States and prominent Yoruba monarchs will converge in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, tomorrow to witness another feather to the cap of former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    Tinubu, the National leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, will be conferred with the Chieftaincy titles of Aare Ago (Field Marshall of Supreme Eminence) and Yeye Aare Ago of Egbaland by His Royal Majesty, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo(CFR), Okukenu IV.

    Aare Ago (Field Marshall of Supreme Eminence), an established war title, began originally as Aare Ona – Kakanfo.

    The Balogun Ika from Gbagura area of Egba, late Chief Anoba, was given the consent to import the title from Ibadan by the Aare of Ijaiye, late Chief Kurunmi.

    Anoba became the pioneer bearer of the title of Aare Ona – Kakanfo of Egba nation in 1845.

    When he died years later, the title was modified to Aare Ago of Egbas.

    The late Chief Saibu Balogun from Egba – Alake was then appointed the first Aare Ago of the Egbas.

    But since Balogun passed on in 1910, the title of Aare Ago of Egbaland remained vacant.

    Palace sources said the 102-year interregnum was due to the “enormous power and responsibility” associated with the title, stressing that it cannot be conferred on lesser mortals.

    It was gathered the visitations and consultations leading to the appointment of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the Aare Ago of Egbas began in 2011.

    Sources said it took almost two years to convince Asiwaju to accept the title of Field Marshall of Supreme Eminence of the Egba nation.

    An Alake Palace source said Oba Gbadebo arrived at the choice of Tinubu for the highly revered office in recognition of his “invaluable service to Egbaland, the entire South West geo-political zone and our country.”

    The Regent of the Alake of Egbaland, Chief Alani Bankole, said the choice of Tinubu was predicated on the need to continually recognise and compensate the Tinubu’s family for their vital roles in the sustenance and growth of Egba nation.

    Tracing the contributions of the Tinubu family from the famous woman trader and merchant, late Madam Tinubu, who later became the first Iyalode of the Egbas, Chief Bankole, who equally doubled as a kingmaker, said the Tinubus assisted the Egbas economically, especially in prosecution of their many inter – tribal wars.

    He stated further: “A lot of people do not know that the Tinubus are actually from Egbaland. Late Madam Tinubu and former Police IG, Late Kafaru Tinubu have root in Egbaland.

    “That is why Alake conferred the title on the highly- respected Asiwaju Bola Tinubu first to compensate the family because of the contribution of the late Madam Tinubu to the development of Egbaland.

    “She was the first Iyalode(king of women) of Egbaland, she supported the Egba soldiers, buying arms for them and supplying them food as they engaged in the series of wars to defend Egbaland from the external invaders and other inter – tribal wars of that era.

    “And being a successful trader, she developed Egbaland economically even more than some of our men.

    “Now we are calling another descendant of Tinubu family to contribute in like manner towards the defending of the interest of the Egbas. Tinubus are Egbas and they are part of Yoruba nation by being Egbas. They are Egba heroes and heroines.

    “We are looking forward to him(Asiwaju Tinubu) to defend the institution of the cultural heritage of Egba dynasty as a nation. That is the implication of the title,” Chief Bankole said.

    Bankole, a frontline politician and father of the former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, said Aare Ago is for Egbaland but also of value to the Yorubas in a way because of the place of Egbaland in Yoruba culture.

    He added:” The importance of Egbaland in Yoruba culture is that the mother of the Yoruba obas, Omonide, was buried in Alake Palace in Egbaland.

    “Omonide is also mother of all kings in Egbaland. Most Yoruba obas always come to Alake Palace to pay homage to the tomb where their mother was buried because they believed Omonide followed Alake, her beloved son, to Abeokuta and she died here.”

    The ceremony will coincide with the 7th Coronation Anniversary of Oba Michael Aremu Adedotun Gbadebo.

    A palace source confided: “We are expecting the crowd to be like the kind witnessed during the coronation of Alake on November 19, 2005.

    “Asiwaju is a man of crowd. We wanted to have a low key ceremony but when we learnt that he had accepted, we changed the venue to the Cathedral of St. Peter Ake to mark the 7th coronation anniversary.”