ReportersAtLarge

13/01/2026

US labels Muslim Brotherhood orgs in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan as ‘terrorists’

13/01/2026

Badagry: Historical Facts about the Akran Stool

Badagry, an ancient coastal town in Lagos State, Nigeria, holds profound historical significance as one of the key ports in the transatlantic slave trade, a cradle of early Christianity and Western education in Nigeria, and a vibrant center of Egun (Ogu) culture. The town's traditional monarchy revolves around the revered stool of the Akran of Badagry (also known as De Wheno Aholu), the paramount ruler and paramount head of the Badagry Kingdom.

Historical Facts about the Akran Stool

- The Akran stool is one of the oldest and most respected traditional institutions in Lagos State, symbolizing authority, continuity, and the rich historical identity of Badagry as an ancient coastal kingdom.

- The monarchy traces its roots to migrations around the 15th century, when groups including the Egun (Ogu) people settled in the area, forming a decentralized system of eight quarters (wards) each led by autonomous white-cap chiefs. The Jegba quarter serves as the ruling house for the Akran.
- From the lineage starting from earlier rulers like De Wheno Aholu Akran Gbafoe, the stool has produced at least 17 Akrans (as documented in historical accounts up to recent times), with the Akran serving as paramount ruler over Egun land and chairman of the Badagry Divisional Chieftaincy Committee, overseeing numerous Obas, chiefs, and quarter heads.
- Badagry's political structure supported trade (including the unfortunate slave trade era from the 1700s–1850s) but also led to conflicts, such as the sacking of the town in 1784 by forces from Ouidah, Oyo, and Lagos.

The stool represents a blend of pre-colonial governance, adaptation through colonial times (Badagry was ceded to Britain in 1863), and modern cultural preservation.

The Late Oba Akran: De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi I (Oba Babatunde Akran)

The most recent holder of this exalted stool was Oba De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi I (born Babatunde Akran on September 18, 1936), who sadly passed away on January 12, 2026, at the age of 89 after a brief illness.

Key facts and figures from his remarkable life and reign:

- He was the fifth child of the 17th Akran, De Wheno Aholu Ajiyon-Kanho.

- Before ascending the throne, he had a diverse career: He began as a teacher in various schools in the Badagry Division, later becoming a respected journalist with contributions to publications like the West African Pilot, Morning Post, Daily Sketch, and New Nigeria.

- He was appointed by the Lagos State Government Executive Council on October 7, 1976, and crowned on April 23, 1977, assuming the royal title De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi I.

- He reigned for **nearly 49 years** (over 48 years), making him one of the longest-serving traditional rulers in Lagos State history.

- As a first-class monarch, he served as Permanent Vice-Chairman of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, where he advocated for cultural preservation, inter-ethnic harmony, and development.

- His reign was characterized by peace, stability, unity, and socio-economic progress across Badagry and its environs. He was widely praised as a stabilizing force, compassionate father figure, and apostle of inter-ethnic cohesion, tolerance, and cultural cooperation.

- Leaders like President Bola Tinubu, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu mourned him, highlighting his role in preserving Badagry's heritage as a former slave port while promoting tourism, festivals, and global cultural exchange.
- He received national honors, including Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (**OFR**), and held titles like Jerusalem Pilgrim (JP).

Oba Menu-Toyi I's legacy endures as a bridge between Badagry's ancient history and contemporary Nigeria, embodying wisdom, selfless service, and unwavering commitment to his people's heritage and progress. His passing marks the end of an era for the historic Akran stool, but his contributions continue to inspire the kingdom and beyond.

13/01/2026

The Medical and Health Workers Union Oyo State Council (MHWUN) has strongly rejected the recent increase in health insurance deductions from worker’s salaries to 7.5% of basic salary.

Speaking on behalf of members across the state, the Chairperson of MHWUN Comrade Olumide-Lawal Bolanle said the union remains committed to health insurance as a tool for protecting workers hence, the scheme should not introduce another hardship to workers, it should be universally affordable.

The Medical and Health Workers Union Oyo State Council (MHWUN) has strongly rejected the recent increase in health insurance deductions

13/01/2026

Geography makes the injustice even more glaring. Oyo State’s landmass is larger than the combined landmass of Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi. Yet, under the current federal structure, Oyo operates with one governor, one state assembly, and one administrative bureaucracy, while those five states operate with five governors, five assemblies, and five independent administrative systems. Section 14(2)(c) of the Constitution states clearly that participation by the people in governance shall be ensured in accordance with democratic principles. When a population and territory of Oyo’s scale are compressed into a single administrative unit while far smaller territories enjoy multiple layers of governance, participation is not ensured—it is diluted.









Wale Ojo Lanre

Nigeria has perfected one political deceit better than any other: the claim that the Yoruba are privileged. It is repeated

13/01/2026

The University of Ibadan (UI) has signed a Deed of Gift for the donation of a research facility and a Memorandum of Understanding for the institution of a scholarship scheme and an annual lecture for the development of teaching and learning with the International Energy Services Limited (IESL).

The Chairman of IESL and a UI @ 75 Ambassador, Dr Diran Fawibe who was in the University for the signing was received by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Professor Peter O. Olapegba, FNPA, fspsp on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode O. Adebowale.

The University of Ibadan (UI) has signed a Deed of Gift for the donation of a research facility and a

13/01/2026

Wife Of Second Republic Ogun Governor Olabisi Onabanjo, Lucia Dies At 100

13/01/2026

NOT EVERY HAND SHOULD BE SHAKEN: Kudos to Oba Ladoja | By Wale Ojo Lanre

Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadan, did not refuse a handshake. He refused contamination—and, more profoundly, a breach of order.

He is a wise king, and a wise king understands that intent travels faster than courtesy. He is neither a pretender nor a hypocrite—one who harbours malice while displaying polished civility. He despises hypocrisy and knows, from experience and wisdom, that some greetings are not gestures of peace but invitations to moral and spiritual negotiation.

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There is a dangerous confusion in our public space—the lazy belief that every extended hand deserves acceptance. It is a

13/01/2026

NOT EVERY HAND SHOULD BE SHAKEN!

Kudos to Oba Ladoja

By Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq.

There is a dangerous confusion in our public space—the lazy belief that every extended hand deserves acceptance. It is a confusion born of fear, superstition, and performative morality, where public gestures are mistaken for virtue and optics replace order. But wisdom says otherwise.

“Ọwọ́ tí a kò mọ́, kì í bọ́ mọ́ni lójú.” (A hand whose intent you do not know must not touch your face.)

Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadan, did not refuse a handshake. He refused contamination—and, more profoundly, a breach of order.

He is a wise king, and a wise king understands that intent travels faster than courtesy. He is neither a pretender nor a hypocrite—one who harbours malice while displaying polished civility. He despises hypocrisy and knows, from experience and wisdom, that some greetings are not gestures of peace but invitations to moral and spiritual negotiation.

“Kì í ṣe gbogbo ẹ̀rín ni ayọ̀ ń bẹ nínú rẹ̀.”
(Not every smile carries joy.)

This understanding is deeply rooted in Yoruba civilisation, where greeting is never a casual reflex. It is a ritual governed by age, hierarchy, restraint, and respect.

The rule is ancient and unambiguous:

The elder initiates the greeting.

Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja is over eighty years old—an age that commands reverence in Yoruba cosmology. An octogenarian is not rushed with gestures or pressured by optics; he is approached with caution, humility, and decorum. He is old enough to bless, to correct, and to instruct.

For a significantly younger Oba to initiate a handshake toward such an elder is therefore not courtesy. By Yoruba standards, it is a cultural violation.

This is not opinion. It is custom.

Beyond age, there is the equally important matter of posture, rank, and protocol.

Across Yoruba land—and indeed across the world—it is a settled rule of etiquette that one does not remain seated while offering a handshake to a person who is standing. To do so is universally read as dismissive or ill-mannered.

In this case, the breach was compounded:

Oba Ladoja was standing.
The other Oba was seated.
Oba Ladoja is senior in age.
Oba Ladoja is senior in rank, being the Oba of Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State.
Both monarchs are Co-Chairmen of the Oyo State Council of Obas.

Protocol, hierarchy, royal order, and global etiquette all converge on a single conclusion: the seated monarch ought to have stood first.

To offer a hand while seated to a standing senior is not greeting; it is discourtesy disguised as familiarity.

It is therefore important to understand why Oba Ladoja’s response was neither impulsive nor theatrical. He is a noble Oba who knows that a king’s hand is not a common utensil. It carries authority, legacy, imprint, and consequence.

He will not allow his royal essence to be placed in a palm only for it to be wiped away later with a spiritual handkerchief after the cameras are gone.

For he knows what the elders have always taught:

“Ohun tí ọwọ́ bá fi ọwọ́ ṣe, ọkàn ló máa gbà.”
(What the hand agrees to, the soul accepts.)

Ladoja therefore refused to permit his aura to be polluted by a handshake burdened with malice, ego, bitterness, fakery, envy, suspicion, and unresolved personal crisis. He would not soil his hand engaging a temperament defined more by turbulence than tranquility, more by drama than dignity.

This decision must be properly named.

It was not arrogance. It was discernment. It was not disrespect. It was self-mastery.

“Ọmọ ọlọ́gbọ́n kì í fi ara rẹ̀ sínú ìjà tí kò ṣe é yọrí sí.” (A wise person does not enter a conflict with no noble end.)

Oba Ladoja remains noble. He remains sensible. He remains an Oba of impeccable integrity—one who understands that silence can be cleaner than greetings, and restraint more royal than reflex.

In Yoruba philosophy, the hand is never innocent. It blesses. It binds. It betrays.

That is why the elders warned:

“Ọwọ́ kì í gbé ẹni ga ju ọkàn lọ.”
(The hand must never outrun the conscience.)

Let those who fetishize handshakes keep their anxiety. Let those who see curses everywhere continue their trade in fear.

As for Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja, he chose clarity over choreography, integrity over intimidation, and wisdom over noise.

He acted well—and perfectly so.

Ẹ pele o. Ẹ kú àpérò.

12/01/2026

Political functionaries across the country have been charged to always perform their official responsibilities according to the constitution of federal

12/01/2026

US Revokes Over 100,000 Visas Since Trump's Return

Learn why the US has revoked over 100,000 visas since Trump's return, citing crimes and protests as part of a stricter immigration policy....

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

12/01/2026

The Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Service Commission, Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, has congratulated the newly appointed Secretary to the Oyo State Government (SSG), Professor Musibau Babatunde.

In a congratulatory message, Bashorun Akinwole described the appointment of Professor Babatunde as well-deserved, noting that it reflects Governor Seyi Makinde’s commitment to appointing competent and experienced technocrats into key positions.

The Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Service Commission, Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, has congratulated the

12/01/2026

This is the age of tyrants, domestic and international. Nothing confirms that this world is in trouble more than last week’s Donald Trump interview with The New York Times. Two Saturday’s ago, Trump, like Saddam in Kuwait, invaded Venezuela and took its president as war b***y. Yesterday, Trump is shown to have posted an image of himself online captioned ‘Acting President of Venezuela.’ Did he really do that? Audacious. His worst is yet to come.

In the interview with The New York Times, Trump refused to agree that what he did with Venezuela violated international law. “I don’t need international law,” he told his interviewers.

To the north of Ibadan, on the way to Iseyin, is a village perpetually wearing mournful, forlorn looks. You must