View This Interesting Image of Charlie Boy from the 1980s
An image from the 1980s showing young Charlie Boy
Danafojura – Egun (Danafojura Masquerade)
One of the earliest masquerades in the Yoruba Kingdom is the Danafojura. No matter how big the fire is, this Egungun will not burn because its fire resistant. He also possesses the ability to knock people out and bring them back to consciousness. A formidable and age-old masquerade, he is regarded as an “elder” by his contemporaries. He performs his dance performance amidst a massive conflagration while donning the costume of fire. During its outing, Danafojura tells his handlers to “Set me ablaze on fire,” which is the literal meaning of his name. This extremely old Egungun Danafojura ignites an enormous fire without suffering any harm. One of the few Egungun who appears in public during Oyo Kingdom’s “Ose Sango Festival.” According to historical traditions, this masquerade Danafojura fought in elite fights when Shango (an Orisha), the son of Oranmiyan, was Oyo’s Alaafin during the Old Oyo Empire. Alaafin Ajaka and Oba Eweka of Benin were brothers. The Egúngún masquerade is described by scholars as the spirits of the dead, or “ará òrun kinkin,” or the inhabitants of heaven. They are a unique entity that interacts with both humans and the Orishas, acting more as a go-between for people and their ancestors.
Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro Sentenced to Death by Maj. Gen. Aguiyi-Ironsi Government
The first secessionist from Nigeria, known as “Boro,” was an Ijaw soldier from the Niger Delta and a nationalist. He is credited with starting the movement for minority rights in Nigeria. On February 23, 1966, he proclaimed the “Niger Delta Republic” to be independent: He uttered: “This is an important day in the history of the Niger Delta as well as in your own life. It might turn out to be the best day in a very long time. This is not because we intend to put the sky to an end, but rather to show the world our thoughts and feelings on oppression. Remember your impoverished folks; remember your 70-year-old grandma who still farms before she eats; remember your petroleum that is being pumped daily from your veins; after that, struggle to be free.” He was born in the little village of Oloibiri in Ogbia LGA, which is in Bayelsa State, in the eastern Nigerian Niger Delta. In Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, Oloibiri is a historic town. On January 15, 1956, Shell Darcy made the first commercial oil discovery in Nigeria, in the village of Oloibiri. Odumegwu-Ojukwu received an instruction from Aguiyi-Ironsi to find Boro. Federal troops surrounded Mbiama and its surroundings. Since they didn’t discover Boro and his boys right away, they claimed to have received intelligence that he was hiding underwater at Mbiama. They were informed that the Ijaw man could survive for days underwater, so they decided to bomb the river at Mbiama in an attempt to kill Boro or force him to emerge from the water. Actually, somewhere in late February 1966, there was a bombing of the Engenni river at Mbiama. The Ijaw locals were startled as the air force plane went extremely low, all the way up the river to Joinkrama and the surrounding bushes. The majority of Nigerians have not benefited from the oil discovery in Oloibiri; instead, it has mainly caused environmental degradation and the eradication of the Niger Delta’s indigenous population’s way of life. Additionally, with a starting daily production of 5,000 barrels of oil (which would eventually increase to 2,000,000)
“Rising Sun of Biafra is set forever.”- Major General Yakubu Gowon Declares
1970 saw the capitulation of Philip Effiong, the Chief of General Staff of Biafra during the Nigeria-Biafra War, to Major General Yakubu Gowon, the Head of State Odumegwu Ojukwu. The January 1970 Civil War Victory Message from Major-General Yakubu Gowon, the Head of State of Nigeria: The alleged “Rising Sun of Biafra” is set forever. Anybody who continues to refer to any region of the East Central State of Nigeria as Biafra is doing a grave disservice. The violent chapter has now come to an end. The era of national reconciliation is just beginning. We have the chance to create a new nation once more.