Love in the Air: Professor Yemi Osinbajo’s Wedding in 1989
A picture of professor Yemi Osinbajo, the former vice president, and his wife Oludolapo on their 1989 wedding day.
King Ahebi Ugbabe, the Only Female King of the Colonial Era
In Nigeria, King Ahebi Ugbabe held the positions of warrant chief and Eze (king) of Enugu-Ezike. She was the only female Igbo ruler in colonial Nigeria history. Born in 1880, she ascended to the throne in the mid-1920s and died in 1948. Nwando Achebe explains how her life has affected: She worked as a sex worker, a warrant chief, a headman, a runaway, and finally a female king. In addition, she was a “Slave” wed to a god. She was both an effective collaborator who benefited from and worked for Nigeria’s British colonial administration and a capable leader of her people. The late 19th century saw the birth of Ahebi Ugbabe in Umuida, Enugu-Ezike, by farmers and palm wine tappers Ugbabe Ayibi and Anekwu Ameh. She has two brothers but no sisters. Before returning to Umuida, she lived short with her mother’s relatives in Unadu. After her return, she did not linger long before departing. She had to escape to what is now Benue, Igalaland. Ahebi was dodging a decree that said she had to marry a female deity to make up for her father’s sins. Igo ma ogo was the term used to describe it (to become the in law of a deity). Her family faced a series of unfortunate events when she was thirteen and fourteen years old. Trade was slow, illness spread swiftly, and the farm produced little. Her father had gone in search of a diviner—someone who was supposed to know things that cannot be known. This man had connected the events to the goddess Ohe’s wrath because of his transgression. During her exile, Ahebi pursued a career as a professional sex performer, and she made the most of this decision by allying herself with powerful men like as the Igala monarch and British colonial authorities. While traveling, Ahebi picked up a number of language talents, such as “Igala, Nupe, and Pidgin English.” Because of her achievements and independence, sex work is now less of a slave trade and more accepted in Igbo society. Because of her sex work and language skills, she was able to become close to the British divisional officer and the Attah-Igala (king), who not only allowed her to return to Enugu-Ezike but also backed her aspirations to become headman, warrant chief, and eventually Eze. Ahebi took the throne a few months after her exile and return to Igbo nation. Ahebi directed the British invasion of Igboland into her native province of Enugu Ezike, taking advantage of the situation at the start of the 20th century.…
Shocking Death of Dipo Dina Leaves Many Controversial Unanswered Questions, Read Below
On Monday, January 25, 2010, Dipo Dina, also known by his nickname, DD, was traveling to his home in Dolphin Estate Ikoyi. He had just attended a political gathering in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, and was sitting at the “owner’s corner” of the vehicle with his driver and two other passengers. A few kilometers outside of Abeokuta, as they neared Sango-Ota, an unidentified car sped by, forcing the driver to halt. Two armed men then emerged from the car and told the otunba to get down from his SUV, Otunba Dipo Dina, a gentleman, got out of his vehicle. “We have been paid handsomely for your life and we are here to take it,” they stated. The otunba was hit by bullets and died instantly before he could utter any word. The Dipo Alapo Ekun family of Iyanro, ljebu Ode, Ogun State, welcomed Adedipupo Akanni Dina into the world on July 15, 1960After completing his secondary school at the Baptist Academy in Lagos, he proceeded to the University of Lagos, where he earned an M.Sc. in Finance and an initial degree in accounting. After earning his chartered accountancy in 1984, he started Dele Dina & Co. and served as Senior Partner there till his passing. As head of the Ogun State Bulk Purchase Commission from 1997 to 1999, Dipo is said to have given his salary and benefits to the School of the Handicapped in Ijebu Ode. He entered the political scene in 2003 and, after leaving the now-defunct Action Congress (AC), ran for governor of Ogun State in the 2007 election. Approximately 400 students in the state were said to receive bursaries from him each year, and during his 2007 governorship campaign, the state’s elementary, secondary, and university institutions received roughly four million free exercise books. He established the non-governmental organization “Ogunnet” in order to carry out his political agenda. He was brutally murdered by unidentified gunmen who may have been hired assassins; the cause of his death is still unknown.His killers have not yet been apprehended. Former governor Ibikunle Amosun dedicated the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium in ljebu-Ode in his honor.
Unaccounted Murder of Chike Akunyili, Husband to Late Dora Akunyili
The late Dora Akunyili’s children, a former minister of information and communication, claim their family has not yet received justice for their father’s murder. September 28, 2021, saw the assassination of Chike Akunyili, their father in Umuoji, Idemili north LGA, Anambra state. One of the youngsters, Obumneme Akunyili, addressed at a public hearing on violence and deaths related to violence in Anambra, held by the Anambra Truth, Justice, and Peace Committee. According to Obumneme, the family is still “waiting for answers” and struggling to deal with their father’s death. “The way my father died was violent, inhumane, and senseless. As a family, we’re still working through it,” he remarked. “There are rumors but no answers, no trials, and I don’t think anyone has gone to court to answer for that murder. We are still waiting for answers to that killing.” He mentioned that there were rumors circulating on social media that “unknown gunmen” killed their father, but the claim could not be utilized as proof to identify the killers and hold them accountable. It is impossible to ignore the reality that it was a highly sensitive time and that many killings occurred under the cover of unidentified gunmen, hence the allegations predicated on social media will be untrue,” he declared. “I believe that everyone escaped the responsibility due to my father’s demeanor; no one desired to be connected to his murder and to be recognized as the individual who murdered Dora Akunyili’s spouse. “It’s all conjecture; none of these theories have hard evidence that can be used in court; prosecution works well when there are facts and knowledge, but these are not what we want right now. “We were in the hospital with my mother when she passed away, and others implied that she had been, even though she had cancer. Obum reported that there was no attempt to get his father and his driver to the hospital so they could have a chance of survival, and as a result, they bled to death. “My father’s chances of surviving were only about 10%.” He didn’t make it to the hospital before passing away, despite having a severe injury that needed extensive care, he said. “We would have known there was an attempt and that they tried everything to rescue him, but nothing like that, if he had made it to the hospital. “There was no attempt, despite the hospital being seven minutes away and Borromew being fifteen minutes distant. “The driver’s case was worse; he was shot, and people were trying to make viral videos while they asked him his name and where he was from. He was also bleeding to death.” He spoke highly of his father as a kind man who committed his life to…