Gbénró Adégbolá ن Profile picture
Educational Books Publisher & tech enthusiast, (especially its application in Education). Works with @FirstVeritas Tweeting increasingly about Nigerian affairs.
Oct 11 6 tweets 3 min read
Received an email from the record label earlier today informing me that it’s the 50th anniversary of Fela’s Album Alagbon Close this year!

The song is about his first major run-in with the police, ending in a 3-day detention in the cells of the Criminal Investigation Dept, CID. Image The song, decrying police highhandedness, is named Alagbon Close, from the location of the dreaded CID station on that close in Ikoyi.

It’s memorable chorus: “uniform na cloth, na tailor dey sew am,” is probably the beginning of the progressive demystification of NPF in Nigeria. Image
Jun 2 5 tweets 3 min read
30 years ago today, my wife started a secondary school, The Vale College, Ibadan.

Actually commencement wasn’t till November 7 that year, but she designated June 2, the birthday of her late brother, the Founders’ Day.

She started off with 13 students, including my twin nephews. Image Initial teacher/student ratio was like 2 teachers to a student!

We were both quite young then, & frankly, I don’t know where she found the courage. I myself had only just started my entrepreneurial journey, 4 years before. Image
May 31 7 tweets 3 min read
It’s Egungun season in Abomey Calavi in Benin Republic.

Abomey and surrounding towns is an area where 4 cultures mix; Fon, Gun, Yoruba & French. And it’s evident in the festivities.

Fon is widely spoken, and Gun to a lesser extent. But the festival rituals are in Yoruba. The Egungun are accompanied by a musical ensemble that use Western brass instruments (French influence) to say, or in this case, accompany what the lead Dundun drummer would normally be saying.

That’s a very warm local innovation. I have no idea how old the innovation is.
Apr 1 20 tweets 8 min read
Let’s look at one of the most fascinating Senegalese Muslim sects, who helped partly to bring President elect Bashirou Faye to power.

Have you ever heard of the dreadlocked Senegalese Muslims known as the Baye Fall, a movement within the powerful Mouridiyya Brotherhood?

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The Mouridiyya Brotherhood is one of the two most powerful Islamic sects in Senegal.

It is not just a Sufi Islamic movement but a cultural and nationalist phenomenon.
Jan 12 7 tweets 4 min read
“No gree for anybody o!”

How can a wisecrack encouraging people to stand up for themselves, to not allow anyone bully them, to refuse to give in to high-handedness, to stand firm on their convictions etc, be possibly seen as ‘dangerous talk’ that could cause chaos?
🤷🏾‍♂️ Cartoon published in Leadership Newspaper With that needless announcement, “no gree for anybody” will only now take on a totally new life of its own, in defiance.

In any case the horse has already bolted: T-shirts and other mementos have been branded with it for sale!

StreetChurch on insta is using it. And many more.


Grevo T-shirts marketed with accompanying Bible passage: Joshua 1:9: Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
StreetChurch’s daily devotional.
StreetChurch’s daily devotional showing the instance of blind Bartimaeus not greeing to be silenced!
StreetChurch’s daily devotional listing instances of ‘no gree’ for inside Bible.
Sep 3, 2023 12 tweets 4 min read
Prompted by the redundant arguments camcassed since the announcement of the pastor selected as the new Soun of Ogbomoso, I decided to do a post on precedents.

It seems many Yoruba ‘culture activists’ have never heard of the 16th century Christian Ooni of Ife, Oba Thomas John. Image Of course Christianity came to a sorry end in Ife after Thomas joined his ancestors. But that’s not the point.

Proponents of arguments against the new Soun are probably also unaware of the 19th century Owa of Ilesa Oba Frederick Adedeji Haastrup, Ajimoko I, a fervent Wesleyan. Ilesa Oba Frederick Haastrup, Ajimoko I, as a Lagos professional, before he attained the throne.
May 6, 2023 14 tweets 7 min read
The coronation of Charles III was quite a deliberately inclusive event.

But beyond that, a number of British-Nigerians were fairly closely involved in the ceremonies by virtue of their positions.

Here are some of them. ImageImageImage Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, a nurse, professor & medical scholar. She was UK’s first nurse to specialise in the care of sickle cell patients.

She is the daughter of a Nigerian late Lawrence Anionwu of Onitsha, first Perm Sec in Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1960-1963… Image
May 5, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
The wealth and power inequality and disparity between you, Ike Ekweremadu and ‘C’ could not be more marked.

You were a part of the legislature that had introduced the law that made such conduct a criminal offence in Nigeria.

You are a senator in Nigerias National Assembly. Image You have held high political office. You have many staff; maids, chefs and drivers.

You own multiple properties around the globe. There is evidence of as many as 40. More than £400,000 went into your bank account over a six month period. Image
Mar 10, 2023 8 tweets 6 min read
The unfortunate train accident in Lagos yesterday 9th March, has introduced the public to an important principle of emergency response in multi casualty disasters or accidents.

Let’s look at the process of disaster triage. Disaster Triage: an emergency process of assessing/sorting of casualties in a multi casualty incident.

Helps medics determine the urgency of patient’s need for treatment & the type of treatment required.

Ultimate aim is to give the severely wounded a better chance of survival.
Feb 12, 2023 6 tweets 4 min read
The Turkish city of Antakya (the Biblical Antioch) has apparently been completely wiped out by last Monday’s massive earthquake.

“Our city is finished” a city official is quoted as saying, in translation.

Thousands of people still remain buried under collapsed tall buildings. Survivors are camping out in the open, in sub zero, freezing weather, keeping warm by burning debris.

Although a few houses remain standing, it is certain that they have been damaged irreparably and risk future collapse. They will ultimately have to be pulled down.
Jan 1, 2023 18 tweets 6 min read
A stunning political welcome back and fitting farewell is taking place in Brazil as Lula da Silva takes over again as president and Edson Arantes do Nascimento better known as Pelé is being given a well deserved farewell. Lula da Silva is soon to be sworn in today as Brazilian president.

His predecessor Jair Bolsonaro has left town, snubbing the event.

Leftist Lula is making a remarkable political return soon after being jailed on controversial corruption charges.
Jan 1, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
Valuable international academic opportunities 2023.

Obama Foundation Scholars Program 2023/24 at Columbia University. obama.org/scholars/ via @ObamaFoundation Yale Young Global Scholars. How to Apply.

Hurry! Closes January 10. globalscholars.yale.edu/how-to-apply
Nov 22, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
At least 600 health workers have left the services of the University College Hospital Ibadan in the last 1 year.

About 15 nurses, doctors & pharmacists resigned on a weekly basis.

This was revealed by the Chief Medical Director himself at the hospital’s 65th anniversary event. “Every week, I sign resignation letters of 15 health workers at the institution, who are mostly clinicians, that is, nurses, doctors & pharmacists, among others.”
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Time there was when UCH was one of the top hospitals in the entire commonwealth!
Nov 21, 2022 5 tweets 3 min read
Pope Francis literally took the day off last Saturday to travel to northern Italy to celebrate the 90th birthday of his older cousin Carla Rabezzana at her modest home in the town of Portacomaro on Saturday.

They were joined by Nella Bergoglio 4 other relatives & their families. ImageImageImage He ended up after the lunch party, in the home of another cousin, Delia Gai and her husband, in the nearby little town of Tigliole.

After the private family visits he visited a nearby home for the elderly where he spent time with residents. He also visited a local church. ImageImage
Sep 26, 2022 10 tweets 5 min read
I saw the obvious Nigerian name of Sir Kenneth Aphunezi Olisa, OBE, in the order of procession for the Queen’s funeral last week & was intrigued.

Had a little time on my hands today and did a bit of a search. Sir Kenneth Olisa was born in the UK in 1951 to a Nigerian law student father and British mother. He never met his father.

He is High Bailiff & Searcher of the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey, a lay role by which he was connected with the funeral, to which he was appointed 2021.
Sep 25, 2022 7 tweets 4 min read
Do you know that Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral wasn’t the first English sovereign’s funeral in recent time?

In 2015 there was the burial of King Richard III (reigned 1483-1485).

Richard of course died more than 500 hundred years ago but his body was only just discovered in 2012. What happened was that Richard had died in battle & it was thought that his body had been thrown into a river.

In actual fact, he’d been secretly buried in an unknown grave by Franciscan friars.

In 2012, newly found records identified the location of the long demolished Friary.
Sep 17, 2022 20 tweets 8 min read
British Queens & Kings from the 19th Cent, the era when the Nigerian link really began.

George III’s 59 year reign spanned the 18th & 19th, with 20 of it in the 19th.

He was King of Great Britain & Ireland, & later, first King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland. Image George IV 1820-1830.

He succeeded his father George III. He reigned for 10 years, although he had been regent for 9 years prior, due to his father’s ill health.

He had a difficult marital life, having fist illegally married a Catholic, then had an unsuccessful other marriage. Image
Sep 13, 2022 12 tweets 4 min read
Bola would have been 92 today.

Just last Saturday, we laid his life long friend Akin, to rest in Ijebu Ode after a full week’s obsequies. He died at 91.

The two will have long, joyfully reunited by now!

We remember them & other loved ones, & bless their memory today & always. Both flank another friend l... Akin & Bola were both sent down south from Kano & kaduna respectively by their parents for secondary education in Ibadan.

They both got admitted into Ibadan Grammar School. Both spoke only a smattering of Yoruba & making friends was somewhat challenging, but they coped superbly.
Aug 21, 2022 26 tweets 11 min read
Do you know that an incident which happened in Ibadan in 1956, was one of a series that led to reconsidering & scaling back the use of the open roof limousine as a means of transportation for Kings/Queens and heads of state, all over the world? Image The open roof car has been a prized power apparatus since the mass manufacturing of motorised vehicles began.

They give the illusion of closeness to the people, which many state personages enjoyed. ImageImage
Jul 6, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
Sitting languidly chitchatting supposedly ‘inspecting’ a high security prison attacked embarrassingly overnight.

300 hardened inmates ran off. Boko Haram casually extracted their 64 prized fighter inmates

Why’d they appear so unconcerned?

Because there’ll be zero consequence! Their body language? So eloquent: “What’s all this nonsense inconvenience?”

Really? Why should they care?

Baba already concluded, giving them a pass mark; they’re leaving Nigeria better than they found it. So why should they be bothered?

Their place in history; firmly assured.
Jul 3, 2022 5 tweets 2 min read
A group of 10 teens mostly of Yoruba Nigerian extraction have been jailed long sentences, in Manchester UK, for conspiracy to commit violence.

The conviction is based purely on messages they shared on social media, after the murder of another friend. None of those they named in the chats was ever attacked. But the fact that they discussed it seemed enough.

In reality, it’s a more complex case, but what you say on social media can always be used against you.

Activities on SM have real life consequences.

Be guided always.🙏🏾