Why would a man dead since 1946 be recipient of a state pardon?

That’s a puzzle which the list of the recent beneficiaries of presidential prerogative of mercy, raises.

It has the name of the nationalist, Hebert Macaulay, famed as the ultimate godfather of Lagos politics on it. To really understand this puzzle and its deep significance, we must revisit Macaulay’s life and career.

For almost forty years, Herbert Macaulay was the main issue in Lagos public life, in the first half of the 20th century, even though he never once stood for election.

The Life & Legacy of Mama Ruth Elton (1933–2025)

Ruth Elton died yesterday at 91 in her home in Ilesa in Osun.

Her story is one of rare devotion, coming to Nigeria as a child in 1937 & never really leaving.

She gave up citizenship, comfort, and family to make Nigeria her home.

She was a three year old only child when she arrived in Ilesa with her parents.

Her father Pastor Sydney G. Elton, later aka Pa Elton had left England to support the ministry of Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola whose great revival had swept through Yorubaland from Ilesa in 1930.

Decided on a follow up breakdown of the St. Lucia visit for the sake of a few people who honestly didn’t seem to know and asked.

Although I enjoyed myself engaging insolents last night, (I normally don’t) that ends now.

It’s a very sad commentary on the state of public debate. It makes an even sadder commentary on the abject level of awareness of common currency social & political goings on in society by people who claim to have gone to school!

Abeg, let the savages stay savage! For those inclined to learn, here goes. It’s very short.

Do you know how special the small island nation of Saint Lucia, currently hosting President Tinubu, is?

With a population just below 200,000 it has the highest number of Nobel laureates per capita in the world!

It also has a long history of association with Nigeria. It has two Nobel laureates: Sir Arthur Lewis (Economics, 1979).

And

Sir Derek Walcott (Literature, 1992).

So it has one Nobel laureate for roughly every 100,00 people!

Nigeria in contrast has one for about 200 million people.

Remarkable.

Sir Frederick Forsyth, Aug 25, 1938–June 9, 2025.

I never met Frederick Forsyth in person, but he unwittingly altered my life in ways he could never have imagined.

This is my story of Frederick Forsyth, Emeka, and an accidental journey into book publishing. In 1982, Emeka Ojukwu returned from exile in Côte d’Ivoire after receiving a presidential pardon.

Within weeks, a manuscript for a slim, fast-moving biography by Frederick Forsyth was also delivered to an Ibadan publisher.

It was simply titled Emeka.

The foregoing selections are examples of melismatic chant styles.

If you listen very closely, elements of the same technique is found in modern Yoruba Fuji.

The Fuji genre of course is born from Yoruba indigenous Islamic devotional forms like Wéré & Ajísààrì. The Yoruba always had a similar indigenous melismatic form.

So the Islamic/Arabic (and by extension Christian) variation of it was quite familiar when the Yoruba first encountered Islam via trade and scholarly interactions with the Sahel.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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?



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.

“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?
🤷🏾‍♂️ 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.

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. 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.

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. 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…

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.”
————

Time there was when UCH was one of the top hospitals in the entire commonwealth!

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. 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.

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.