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Tag: Nigeria News

  • Fasoranti’s daughter’s death probe ‘poor’

    Yoruba group Afenifere spokesman Yinka Odumakin, has criticised the police over what it called poor handling of investigations on the murder of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, daughter of its leader, Chief Rueben Fasoranti.

    According to the Publicity Secretary of the group, Yinka Odumakin who spoke with reporters after a meeting at the Akure home of Fasoranti, the inability of the police to fish out the killers of Mrs Olakunrin by now showed that the matter was poorly handled by the police.

    He said, “It is now over two months that Mrs Olufunke Olakunnrin, the daughter of Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti was murdered around Ore  in Ondo State and we are compelled to speak out over the lackadaisical attitude of the police over the gruesome assassination.

    “The younger brother of the deceased, Kehinde Fasoranti had stated openly a day after the incident that the police in Ore told him his sister was killed by Fulani herdsmen when he went to collect her body the day she was killed and challenged the police to bring out the statement he wrote at their station.

    Read Also: ‘Fasoranti daughter’s death, catalyst for national rebirth’

    “They have not contradicted him till date.

    “The first sign we got that there was no attempt to launch any serious investigation into  the murder was when the car in which she was killed was released to the family from Ore police station the day after the murder without any forensic investigation into the most prized evidence at the scene of the crime.

    “It was when we engaged the police high command that they came to pick the car six days later. The car has now been returned to the family with no report on the examination report.”

    The group emphasised that there was no attempt to carry out any autopsy on the corpse until they demanded it from the police before the burial, saying,  ”only that was carried out and only that report was given to the family when they went to collect the car.

    “Beyond this, the police have not made any  briefing to the family on their investigations into this dastardly act.

    “There are other bizarre developments that worry us on police investigations into this murder .

    “For instance, the driver of the car in which Mrs Olakunrin was killed has not been asked a question by the police till date.”

    “All the above put together suggest to us clearly that the police have not done any serious investigations into this murder .And it worries us that we are seeing all the signs of lethargy that usually attend high profile murders with powerful masterminds in our country”.

    Afenifere therefore called on all  those who respect human lives in Nigeria and across the world to join  in asking the police where are the killers of Mrs Olakunrin.

  • UPDATED: Messi wins 2019 FIFA Best player award

    Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi has been named 2019 The Best FIFA Men’s Player

    The Argentine beat Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo to scoop the prize.

    Messi sealed the victory after leading Barcelona to yet another La Liga title last campaign, his 10th since breaking through with the club.

    He scored 51 goals across 50 appearances for the Catalan side, marking his 10th consecutive season with at least 40 finishes.

    Monday’s ceremony signalled the fourth time the prize had been presented, having previosuly been merged with France Football ‘s Ballon d’Or, with Real Madrid’s Champions League successes dominating the award’s early history.

    Ronaldo had won the award in 2016 and 2017, having led his team to Champions League crowns, with Messi finishing second in the voting in each season.

    Luka Modric then took home the trophy in 2018 following yet another Champions League triumph, the club’s third in a row, as well as a run to the World Cup final with Croatia in Russia.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Lionel Messi crowned FIFA best player for 2019

    There was no stopping Messi, this year, though, as he was also named to the FIFA Men’s World XI alongside Van Dijk, Ronaldo, Modric, Alisson Becker, Marcelo, Matthijs de Ligt, Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappe.

    It wasn’t all successful for the Barca star, though, as 18-year-old Hungarian Daniel Zsori topped Messi’s strike against Real Betis to claim the Puskas Award.

    In the women category, Megan Rapinoe won the player award – ahead of fellow American Alex Morgan and England’s Lucy Bronze.

    Rapinoe, 34, claimed the Golden Ball for being the best player at the 2019 Women’s World Cup as she helped the United States win the competition.

    Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also won the men’s coach of the year.

    Klopp beat Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino to win the prize, after leading Liverpool to winning the 2019 UEFA Champions League final in June, and finisghing second place in the English Premier League

  • OPC can tackle security in Southwest, says Gani Adams

    Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Otunba Gani Adams, has assured the police of his support in strengthening the security architecture in the Southwest geo-political zone.

    Adams also pledged to consolidate on the confidence reposed in him by state governors in the Southwest and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

    Adams, who spoke during a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, at the weekend, commended the force for extending a hand of fellowship to the Oodua Peoples Congress, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group under his watch.

    He noted that the partnership between the police and OPC was beginning to yield positive results, with other relevant groups coming on board as partners in progress.

    Adams said he had received the nod of the Inspector General of Police on security matters within the Southwest axis, adding that efforts were underway to map out effective security modalities to fight insecurity in the states.

    Part of the efforts, Adams said, was the convocation of the Southwest Security Stakeholders’ Group (SSSG), a meeting comprising all relevant security groups across southwest and the unveiling of a roadmap towards achieving set objectives.

    Read Also: OPC lost over 2,500 lives during June 12 struggle, says Gani Adams

    Adams said: “So far, we have made significant progress since the IGP had expressed the readiness of the police to work with OPC under my leadership. It is on this note that I said OPC and the Nigeria Police are partners in progress. We have started work in earnest and everybody can attest to the fact that our efforts are beginning to yield positive results.

    “It is obvious that the rate of insecurity in the Southwest has reduced tremendously in the past few weeks. We have set the pace and the signs are there for everybody to see that we are ready to secure the Southwest and make the region safe for Nigerians.”

    In his response, Muazu, noted that the foundation laid by his predecessors had helped in working out a synergy between the police and the people at the grassroots.

    The Lagos police boss said: “In recent times, the spate of insecurity has taken the centre stage across the country. However, I want to assure you that we are committed to providing the best security to Lagosians. We are committed to making the state safe for residents, and in doing our job, we are ready to partner with individuals or groups that can help the police curb the spate of insecurity in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.

    ”We all know that information dissemination is key at all times, and the police are in the best position to dissect the information gathered. So, I think Gani Adams’ visit is timely and a sign that things are taking good shape in the country.”

  • Nigeria launches battle to quash $9.6b verdict in UK

    A spirited assault to set aside the $9.6 billion arbitration judgment against Nigeria has been launched by the Federal Government.

    A government’s high-powered team is in London ahead of Thursday’s court session in the matter against Process and Industrial Development (P&ID).

    Besides, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which secured conviction and forfeiture order against P&ID Nigerian affiliate, has filed charges against two firms linked to P&ID.

    The anti-graft agency is also set to put James Nolan, an associate of the owner of P&ID, the late Michael Quinn, on trial.

    The three suspects may forfeit all their assets in Nigeria to the Federal Government.

    The firms are Goidel Resources Limited and  ICIL Limited.

    It was also learnt that the Federal Government may seek the extradition of  Adam Quinn.

    Those on the high-powered delegation has been sent to London are the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele;   Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu; Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu and Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, among others.

    Malami on Sunday said the Federal Government had not ruled out the possibility of filing a new case in the UK against P&ID.

    He confirmed that a Nigerian delegation had left for London to discuss with the legal team on strategies of  dealing with the case.

    The minister said: “The Nigerian delegation has left for the United Kingdom to discuss with the legal team on strategies dealing with the recent development regarding the P&ID contract judgment.

    ”All cards are on table but it all depends on the potency for setting aside the award having regards to the applicable law in the circumstances.

    Read Also: Nigeria to earn fresh $6.35b in taxes, royalties

    “No possibility is ruled out, including possibility of filling new case and or using existing proceedings to seek relief of setting aside the award (of the contract) cannot be ruled out”.

    Some of those on the Federal Government team to London for the legal battle, might present documents and reports;  swear to affidavits on the investigations conducted on P&ID and the outcome. They might also serve as witnesses.

    It was gathered that the Federal Government delegation will weigh all options, either to build on existing case or file a new case against P&ID.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that, although the charges against the three suspects were filed on Friday, no date has been fixed for hearing.

    It was gathered that more Nigerian suspects and companies will face trial in the next few days.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We have a long list of suspects linked with the Gas Supply and Processing Agreement (GSPA) between the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and P&ID.

    “On Friday, we filed charges against two companies (Goidel and ICIL) and one James Nolan, who was an associate of the owner of P&ID,  the late Michael Quinn.

    “We are awaiting a date for the hearing of the charges against the two firms and James Nolan. We hope their arraignment will come up any moment from now.

    “This is the second time James Nolan will be charged to court in Nigeria. In 2006, Michael Quinn and James Nolan were charged with six others before a Federal High Court on some charges bordering on arms trade challenges and alleged  spying for the Russian embassy.

    “The charge sheet then indicated that they were contractors to the Federal Ministry of Defence.”

    The top source added: “We resorted to this option in order to enable us initiate extradition process for Adam and Cahill because they were vital to P&ID operations in Nigeria.”

     

     

  • Shekarau, others in fresh trouble over N950m PDP fund

    The Former Kano State Governor and Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial District, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau is in fresh trouble over N950m Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fund.

    Details shortly…

  • Trial of Sowore runs against progressive philosophy, says Shehu Sani

    Former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debt, Senator Shehu Sani, yesterday said that the charges filed against the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, contradicts the philosophy of progressivism being practiced by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Sani who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate told The Nation that the country’s democracy is being hampered by the growing culture of intolerance and opposing opinions.

    He added that the President’s desire to build and leave behind an anti-corruption legacy should not be cited in the “Human rights graveyard”

    He appealed to the government to drop the charges of money laundering and treasonable felony filed against Sowore.

    Sani said “Sowore’s trial is unnecessary and uncalled for. It would only further stain the human rights record of this administration and diminish and dent the moral standing of our country.

    READ ALSO: ‘Sowore may assume status of Prisoner of Conscience’

    “There is a climate of fear, intimidation and intolerance in the country and this contradicts the philosophy of progressivism the ruling establishment purports. The nation’s democracy is imperiled by a growing state culture of intolerance of dissent and opposing opinions.

    “The President’s desire to build and leave behind an anti-corruption legacy and tower should not be cited in the Human rights graveyard. If the ruling establishment is confident of its moral standing and support base, it should defeat Sowore with superior ideas and not persecute him.

    “Sowore’s charges amounts to electrocution of freedom. The Democratic credentials of any elected Government is not simply about the legitimacy of its mandate, but about the degree of its tolerance to dissent and its compliance with the fundamental principles of freedom.

    “I appeal to the Federal Government to drop the charges filed against Sowore. Our Democracy is becoming inhabitable and inhospitable to its ideal content. When a state equates dissent to disloyalty, it progressively decays under the weight of its courtiers.”

  • Malabu: don’t use us as excuse not to give account, Abacha family tells Adoke

    The family of the former military head of state, Gen. Sani Abachi Monday hit back at the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, over his claims that the Abachas went to court because they have sympathizer in government.

    The former first family stated that they were not the one in court over OPL 245 but the legal entity MALABU OIL and GAS LTD.

    The Abachas in a statement urged the former Attorney General of the Federation not to use the name of their family as an excuse for his inability to give account of his stewardship.

    A statement issued by Mohammed Sani Abacha, the family said it won’t have respond to the “baseless allegation” but for the falsehood.

    The said allegation was contained in his book “Burden of Service – Reminiscences of Nigeria’s Former Attorney General”.

    The Abacha family accused the former Chief Law Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of embarking on cheap falsehood.

    In blaming the Abacha family, Adoke alleged that; “the Abacha family decided to go to court and make claims on the OPL 245 otherwise known as Malabu because the Abacha family has sympathizers in the Muhammadu Buhari Government.”

    Responding to the allegation, Mohammed stated, “The Abacha family is not in court over OPL 245 but the legal entity MALABU OIL and GAS LTD is in Court over OPL 245 as distinct and separate from the Abacha family. How cheaper can it get for a former Chief Law officer to think and say that for Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd to seek justice through the constitutional, legal and Judicial process requires the Abacha family having influence or sympathizers in Muhammadu Buhari’s Government and a conducive political environment.”

    “This is not only unfortunate, but a manifest reflection of the kind of justice system over which Mohammed Adoke SAN presided as the Minister of Justice, influence peddling and sympathizers for Justice to reign. The Abachas are citizens of Nigeria and have rights like any other Nigerians but no influence or sympathizers in Buhari’s Government as a requirement for them to seek justice in court through the legal process.”

    He further pointed out that the company, Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd has consistently engaged the legal judicial process to seek redress under previous administration.

    Read Also: Adoke has case to answer on Malabu Oil Block scandal, says EFCC

    “For example, Malabu went to court in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/420/2003 against the Federal Government of Nigeria over the revocation of the license of OPL 245 during the administration of President Obasanjo and which case ended in an out of court settlement at the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/A/99/M/06 in which OPL245 was restored to Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd by the administration of President Obasanjo.”

    “It was under the Administration of President Jonathan in which Adoke SAN served as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice that the said out of court settlement was actualized through the restoration of the license OPL245 to Malabu under the hand of the then Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources after the legal advice of Adoke SAN.”

    “The Abacha family and/or Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd has always engaged the constitutional legal process in seeking redress and does not need any political sympathizers or conducive political environment to seek justice. Malabu is presently in court not because of any sympathizer(s) in Government. It has no such sympathizers and does not need one like the Adoke’s sense of justice of influence peddling would want the world to believe.”

    “It is therefore unfortunate and totally false for Adoke SAN, a former Chief Law Officer of the Federation to have been quoted or credited as saying that:

    “For the eight years that president Obasanjo was in power, the Abacha’s never came out to make a claim to OPL245. They never tried it under President Yar’adua. Under President Jonathan, they never came out boldly to assert any claim.”

    The statement further added, “It will be recalled that in 2010 Alhaji Mohammed Sani Abacha instituted an action at the Federal High Court, Abuja in suit NO. FHC/ABJ/CS57/2010 before Hon. Justice Kolawole asserting his 50% ownership shares in Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd.

    “It was during the pendency of this action that the purported re-allocation of Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, and Nigeria Agip Exploration (NAE) was carried out under the watch of Mohammed Adoke (SAN) in 2011.

    “Also, Mohammed Sani Abacha asserted his ownership of 50% before the House of Representatives Committee on Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 2014. The report of the committee confirmed Mohammed Abacha’s 50% ownership in Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd.

    “It will also be recalled that when the report was challenged at the Federal High Court Abuja before Hon. Justice A. R. Mohammed, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Abacha instructed the law firm of R.O. Atabo & Co. to file an application for him and Pecos Energy Ltd to participate in the case as interveners in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/816/2014.

    “After the unauthorized alteration on the shareholding structure as well as Directors of Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd was carried out at the Corporate Affairs Commission, I instructed the law firm of R.O. Atabo & Co. to write a petition to Corporate Affairs Commission informing her of such alterations.

    “Again, when the shares of Mohammed Sani Abacha was completely wiped out by filing of form CO2 by Barrister Ademola at the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja during the pendency of his case before Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole (now a Justice of the Court of Appeal), Mohammed Sani Abacha through his Counsel wrote petition to the Director General of the Corporate Affairs Commission after which the share structure was reversed and the matter referred to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for investigation. Notwithstanding the reversal of the share structure, Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd was purportedly sold and re-allocated to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep (SNUD) and Nigeria Agip Exploration (NAE) under questionable circumstances for a consideration of $1.3billion.

    “Furthermore, the sum of Eight Hundred and One Million Five Hundred and Forty Thousand US Dollars ($801,540,000) was transferred from the Federal Government Escrow Account to Key Stone Bank and First Bank of Nigeria Plc accounts controlled by Dan Etete who is neither a shareholder nor Director of Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd and without appropriation of the funds by the National Assembly – all these happened when Mohammed Adoke SAN was holding office as the Attorney General of the Federation – a legal practitioner who has been conferred with the highest honour in the legal profession by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee to uphold the rule of law and the ethics of the legal profession.

    “The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) provides that all monies accruing to the Government of the Federation shall be appropriated by the National Assembly,” the statement said adding that there is no shred of evidence that the sum of $801,540,000 was appropriated by the National Assembly with a directive that same be paid to a private account control by Dan Etete.

    “The sum was never considered during any of the budget proceedings of the National Assembly. It will be recalled that after the transfer of the funds, the money disappeared into various accounts of private individuals and companies to the knowledge and supervision of Mohammed Adoke SAN

    “From the above, it can be seen that Adoke (SAN) is allergic to the truth, which does not surprise us as this attitude appears to be in his makeup. Only truth heals and he needs that healing,” the statement added.

  • Tribunal reaffirms Sanwo-Olu as Governor

    The Lagos State Gubernatorial Election Petition Tribunal on Monday reaffirmed the victory of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the Governor of Lagos state in the March 9 polls.

    The three-man tribunal led by Justice T. T Asua, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the Petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its Candidate, chief Ifagbemi Awamaridi, declaring that the petition failed.

    It held that its earlier decision to dismiss the Petition which was later appealed by the petitioners was still valid because the petition was not filed according to the laws governing the electoral laws.

    The tribunal further described the petition as a “futile and wasteful exercise”.
    It noted that the petitioners could not prove their allegations of mental incompetence against Sanwo-Olu in their evidence placed before the tribunal.

    The panel held that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations of election malpractices against Sanwo-Olu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “The Petitioners have failed to meet the requirement of the law. The Petitioners have failed in our humble view to discharge the onus of proof which would have been placed on the Respondents.

    “We confirm the return of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the duly elected Governor of the State,” Asua said.

    Earlier the tribunal had struck out the names of the fourth to seventh respondents from the petition.
    They are the Resident Commissioner for Lagos State INEC, the Returning Officer for Lagos State Governorship Election, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State and the Nigeria Army.

    It held that there were no ties linking them to the allegations contained in the petition.

    During the hearing of the petition, the petitioners had called six witnesses, including Awamaridi and three other witnesses who were subpoenaed by the tribunal.
    The respondents, on the other hand, did not call any witness.

    The tribunal held that there was no newspaper evidence nor medical evidence from the Gbagada General Hospital was presented by the petitioners to support their allegation of mental illness against Sanwo-Olu.

    Read Also: How Sanwo-Olu allegedly rescued Mike Dada’s AFRIMA

    ” PW5 openly stated in court that ‘the evidence does not exist’. That portion of the petition remains abandoned and I so hold,” Asua said.

    The Tribunal noted that Awamaridi, the LP gubernatorial candidate while testifying during the hearing of the petition had said that he did not cast a vote during the March 9 gubernatorial polls because he was certain his Permanent Voters Card (PVC) was cloned.

    The Tribunal said that Awamaridi in his testimony could not pinpoint where the alleged irregularities took place but rather asserted that he was informed of everything within his knowledge by his agents.

    “The journey of this Petition has been a futile and wasteful exercise.
    PW1 (Awamaridi) as a witness, dumped the evidence on the tribunal and expected it to go on a voyage of discovery.

    “Each document has to be related to the case, PW1 did not tie any of the evidence to the case.
    “Since the petitioners didn’t link exhibits P18 to P20 to their case, the evidence lacks probative value and are not relevant to their case.

    “The Petitioners have failed to structure the case within the parameters set by the apex courts. PW1, PW2 and PW4 testified in relation to polling units but could not ties their allegations to any specific polling unit,” the tribunal held.

    Mr Bola Aidi, the counsel to the petitioners, in his response, told the tribunal that they would study the judgment.

    “We are grateful for the time of the judge on the judgment, we shall look at it and do the needful,” Aidi said.

    The counsel to Sanwo-Olu, Mr Victor Okpara thanked the tribunal for the judgment.
    He described the doggedness of the petitioners as “the beauty of democracy”.

    Mr Tunde Falola the counsel to the APC also expressed appreciation to the panel members for the time spent putting the judgment together.

  • Report: 43% of Nigerians buy smartphone based on social media campaigns

    A new study by the Research and Intelligence Unit of the omni-media group, RED | For Africa, indicates that about 43 per cent of Nigerians with active social media accounts have been influenced to buy smartphones based on brand focused online marketing campaigns.

    The research study was undertaken by RED | For Africa to analyze and give insight into the impact and effectiveness of social media marketing campaigns in influencing consumer choices and driving sales of phone devices in Nigeria.

    Speaking on the study, Head of Research and Intelligence, Isime Esene, said, “People do not buy things by chance, and even for technology brands that provide both functional and social value, consumers need products that will not disappoint, fail, or crash when they are needed.

    “As a rapidly growing sector in Nigeria, marketing technology devices and properties on social media is an important business activity for all major brands in the industry. But if it is to be done effectively, it is important to understand what exactly drives the choices and decisions for targeted consumers,” he added.

    Mr. Esene explained that the research data is designed to help smartphone brands position themselves to understand their customers better, and also improve their bottom-line. More research reports are expected to be released, covering contemporary issues and topics in media and communication, church culture, politics, and governance.

    Read Also: Five ways to increase your social media followership

    The research report is built on an extensive survey conducted with 1,007 respondents between ages 18 – 60 years across Nigeria, and further supported by three focus group discussions to assess buying decisions and major interests of smartphone product consumers.

    A sizeable number of the participants (83 percent) are resident in Lagos, with others covering Oyo, Kano, FCT Abuja, Enugu and Osun state. Also, the age division between participants is 18-25 years (61.07 percent); 26-35 years (26.42 percent); 36–40 years (8.15 percent); 41-50 years (2.78 percent) and 51-60 years (2.68 percent).

    Results from the research study indicate that while 78.57 per cent of respondents between ages 26 to 35 years have been exposed to communication materials from social media mobile phone campaigns, more than half (60.38 percent) of respondents, say they have never been influenced to buy a phone by a social media campaign.

    Likewise, only 42.7 percent of those aged 18–25 years have previously bought a mobile because they were convinced of its value by a social media campaign.

    The report said top three priorities for those looking to buy a smartphone are Features & Specifications, Price, and Brand Reputation. Although the price consideration is really high among those who earn less than N100,000 monthly.

    Also, about 52 per cent of the respondents say they “probably would” be influenced to buy a phone due to a social media campaign, 13.7 per cent say they “definitely would not”.

    “Social media campaigns appear to be effective for increasing awareness, but cannot be fully dependable in driving action for those who want to buy phones. This assertion was further supported by brand managers in surveyed phone wholesale stores. To drive action, messaging for phone campaigns on social media should focus more on the phone features and price indication, depending on the target customers and selected platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others),” the report added.

  • UPDATED: 17 days after celebrating birthday Oba Oniru dies at 82

    Lagos State Government mourned the passing away of a first-class monarch in the state, the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Idowu Abiodun Oniru.

    Oniru died in in the early hour of today in Lagos after a brief illness.

    He was 82.

    The monarch’s 82nd birthday was celebrated last September 6 at the palace.

    He was survived by wives, children among are former Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Adesegun Oniru, On-Air personality Tolu Demuren (a.k.a Toolz), grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

    Tweeting via his twitter handle @jidesanwoolu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu commiserated with the royal family.

    He tweeted: “On behalf of the government and people of Lagos, I commiserate with the Oniru Royal Family on the transition of HRH Oba Idowu Oniru who joined his forebears. His service to the state and country at large will remain his enduring legacy. Adieu.”

    Former Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule described the late Oniru as a great monarch.

    Read Also: Oba Oniru celebrates 80th birthday in style

    Dr Adebule said he was a peace-loving monarch.

    “He was always bringing people together to live in peace and harmony. He demonstrated a great passion for the development of Lagos State. He was indeed a peace-maker,” she said.

    The Waziri Nupe, Senator Isa Mohammed also condoled with the royal family.

    Senator Mohammed prayed to God to grant the family of the late monarch the strength to bear the loss.

    “My family and I wish to commiserate with you and the entire Oniru Royal family on the passing away of Oba Abiodun Idowu Oniru, the 14th Oniru of Iruland, Victoria Island, Lagos. May Allah grant him peaceful repose, mercy, forgiveness, eternal rest and reward him with Al-Jannah Firdaus. May Allah also be with you and the children and grant you the strength and fortitude to bear this great loss,” he said.

    The Chairman of Iru-Victoria Island Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Princess Rasheedat Abiodun Adu described the late monarch as a great father.

    Princess Adu said the late Oba Oniru’s reign brought greater development to Iruland and environs.

    “Kabiyesi’s reign ushered in unprecedented political and socio-economic development to Iruland and beyond. The late monarch’s demonstration of integrity is matchless,” she said.

    Wife of former Chairman of Iru-Victoria LCDA Chief. Funmilayo Daramola said the late Oniru was a great monarch.

    Chief Daramola, the Alaje Wura of Iruland said: “Kabiyesi was truly a great person. He was a nice man who was after the development of the community and Lagos state as a whole. He sacrificed a lot to ensure Iru-Victoria Island is developed,” she said.

    Oba Oniru succeeded his father in 1995.

    He was born on September 6, 1937, the 12th of the 15 children of the long-reigning Oba Yesufu Oniru, who died at the age 120.

    The late Oba Oniru attended St David’s Primary School and Araromi Baptist School on Lagos Island and then went to Eko Boys High School for his secondary education.

    In 1965, he left Nigeria to study civil engineering at the British Institute of Engineering Technology in Slough. He returned to Nigeria in 1968, to join his father run the family business.