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SUCCESSION OF THE AWUJALE: CHIEFTAINCY FAMILY OF AWUJALE CAUTION POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS’ AGAINST RECOGNIZING FAKE FAMILY HEAD
The attention of the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family (Four Ruling Houses declared in the Chiefs Law of 1959), has been drawn to a meeting held on Tuesday 16th September, 2025 between the Chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government, Mr. Dare Alebiosu, one Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi and traditional rulers of some Ijebu communities including; Idowa, Irete, Isonyin and Oke Ako. The visitors of the Ijebu Ode Local Government falsely presented themselves as representatives of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House alleging the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family orchestrated a division.
Ordinarily, being a public office holder, the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family is unconcerned about who the Ijebu Ode Local Government Chairman meets. However, his prompt acknowledgment of his visitors’ claims and subsequent casting of smear on the integrity of the entire Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family, not only betrayed our trust but of the good people of Ijebu Ode Local Government Area.
The Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family disapproves of the Chairman’s provocative remarks and caution against any further inflammatory statements from his office. The Honorable Chairman’s actions are viewed as meddling in the Awujale’s succession, suggesting his involvement in recent attempts by his visitors to infiltrate the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family. As law abiding citizens of Ogun State and traditional owners of the Awujale stool, we are compelled to inform the general public to reject the Chairman’s visitors’ false claims and interference in the affairs of the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family. We wish to state as follows;
The Chiefs Law of 1959 declares that the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family comprises four Ruling Houses; Anikinaiya, Fusengbuwa, Fidipote and Gbelegbuwa.
The Chiefs Law of 1959 declares the order of rotation in which the four Ruling Houses comprising of direct descendants of the patriarchs of the Ruling House are entitled to provide candidates to fill successive vacancies in the chieftaincy. Specifically;
Anikinaiya: descendants of Awujale Anikinaiya (1821 – 1854).
Fusengbuwa: descendants of Awujale Fusengbuwa (1790 – 1820)
Gbelegbuwa: descendants of Awujale Gbelegbuwa (1780 – 1790) and,
Fidipote: descendants of Awujale Fidipote (1854 – 1885).
The Chiefs Law of 1959 declares that the Ruling House whose turn is to present candidate(s) to fill a vacancy may only present person(s) who directly descend from the patriarch of the of the Ruling House (i.e., persons who are direct descendants of children birthed on the Awujale stool – Abidaagba). In this case only the direct descendants of Awujale Fusengbuwa.
While the four Ruling Houses jointly address any deviation from the Royal tradition of Ijebuland, they do not interfere in the internal affairs of a Ruling House whose turn it is to present candidate(s) to fill a vacant Awujale stool.
Contrary to the Chairman’s visitor’s deceptive victim-blaming, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House is located at Ile Nla Agunsenbi Quarters, Ijebu Ode, within Ijebu Ode LGA, Ogun State, and nowhere in Idowa, Oke Ako, Isonyin, Irete, or Odogbolu LGA.
The general public is hereby informed that Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi and some Ijebu traditional leaders, having visited the Ijebu Ode Local Government Chairman, have no familial ties to the Awujale Fusengbuwa Ruling House. These individuals recently put forth baseless assertions, such as Awujale Jadiara (1680-1695) being a descendant of Awujale Fusengbuwa (1790-1819), which is chronologically impossible.
We respectfully challenge the Honorable Chairman to request his visitors to avail the public of any precedent to their claims in the entire Yorubaland where at the vacancy of a Chieftaincy stool, claimants citing descent from a distant past monarch were allowed to vie for the stool in opposition to a legally recognized Ruling House.
It is a generally acknowledged fact that in Ijebuland, a claim of connection to a distant Awujale is not entertained in the selection of an Awujale. The Chiefs Law of 1959 regulating the selection of the Awujale of Ijebuland chieftaincy codified the native laws and custom of Ijebuland regarding the selection of the Awujale and any deviation therefrom is not only illegal but sacrilegious.
Furthermore, what the impostors are promoting has never existed in the history of Ijebuland. During the appointment of the late Awujale Sikiru Olukayode Adetona, Indigenes and traditional rulers from Ibefun, Ikorodu, Okun-Owa, Iperu, Odo Mase, Imodi, Imosan, Ikangba and other places connected to the Awujale Anikinaiya dynasty never claimed to be members of the Anikinaiya Ruling House.
The Ijebu Ode Local Government Chairman’s unfortunate endorsement of a visitor’s claim—that the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family’s recognition of the legitimate Fusengbuwa Ruling House (the Ile Nla Agunsenbi Quarters, led by Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba) is interference—exposes his incomplete knowledge of Ijebu royalty and traditions.
It is our firm view that political office holders’ sworn duty is to protect of law and order which includes preservation of the lawful native laws, tradition and custom of their people.
Notwithstanding the Chairman’s claim that his guests provided documents for his examination, he is respectfully counseled, for the sake of societal harmony, to uphold the autonomy of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and the collective Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family, which requires ceasing the endorsement of illicit activities and avoiding further strain on the patience of the Ijebu community. The exclusive authority to determine the membership and leadership of any Awujale Ruling House is vested solely in the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family, given that these four Ruling Houses have never existed in isolation; our ancestors held periodic meetings, fostering mutual recognition, and thus, external political office holders will not be permitted to arbitrarily appoint individuals to establish an Awujale Ruling House.
For the record, Prince Fasasi Adebisi Adeyemi Obanlefa, a direct descendant of Awujale Fusegbuwa’s 1st Abidagba, headed the Fusengbuwa Ruling House as ‘Olori Ebi’ for over 25 years, until his 2013 death. His son, Prince Adeleke Adeyemi, serves as General Secretary for the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family. The late Otunba Subomi Balogun’s attempt to seize control of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House led to legal action. At the trial, the late Awujale Sikiru Olukayode Adetona testified against Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi, who was chosen as the Fusengbuwa Family head to oppose Otunba Subomi Balogun. The Awujale stated in court that, by tradition, only Ijebu Ode natives, not those from Idowa or elsewhere, may serve as family heads. He further explained Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi, originating from Idowa and Ikoro village in Ekiti State, has no royal family ties in Ijebu, a point Alhaji Owoyemi admitted.
Acting on legal counsel, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, comprising eight units, named Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba as their new Family Head in 2023 after Otunba Subomi Balogun’s death. Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi never opposed this until the late Awujale Sikiru Olukayode Adetona GCON died in 2025.
In the first half of 2025, near the late Awujale’s passing, one Dr. Adekunle Hassan began falsely claiming leadership of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House. The Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba-led house sued him for his fraudulent claims, and Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi made no claims.
It was after the death of the Awujale that Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi with the support of certain traditional rulers and other persons outside Ijebu Ode began to parade himself as Head of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House on the false pretext that a 2024 court of Appeal judgement reinstated him as the Family Head of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House. In fact, the Court of Appeal judgment of 28th November 2024 had the limited effect of restoring Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi’s status as a member of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and noting his 2013 appointment as Olori-Ebi. It does not displace the family’s 2023 appointment of Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba, which remains valid and subsisting until set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The Honorable Chairman is urged to examine the November 2024 Court Judgment cited by Otunba Lateef Owoyemi. He should confirm and validate Otunba Lateef Owoyemi’s basis for his claims, especially in the face of a March 2018 High Court of Ijebu-Ode ruling that rejected him as Olori Ebi.
We hereby make a general public statement that Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba leads Fusengbuwa Ruling House, located at Ile Nla Agunsenbi Quarters Ijebu Ode, which remains the true house following late Prince Fasasi Adebisi Adeyemi Obanlefa’s leadership and to disregard any political endorsements favoring people from Idowa, Irete in, Odogbolu Local Government and other places outside Ijebu Ode.
Signed,
Prince (Alhaji) Toheeb Mabadeje Alaga
Olori Ebi, Anikinaiya Ruling House & Head, Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family.
For and on behalf of the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy Family both at home and in the diasporas.
Energy experts in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector have defended the pricing structure of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, accusing some fuel markers of attempting to blackmail the refinery and mislead the public over the recent increase in petrol prices.
The experts said reports suggesting that the refinery’s latest adjustment is solely responsible for the recent hike in fuel prices were misleading, noting that importers are also bringing in petrol at almost a N1,000 per litre, while the refinery’s coastal price is N948 and the gantry or ex-depot price stands at N995 per litre.
They stressed that public comparisons fail to consider the differences in pricing structures and supply channels.
According to the experts, N948 per litre represents the coastal delivery price, which refers to petroleum products transported by marine vessels or barges from the refinery to depots along the coastline. On the other hand, N995 per litre represents the gantry or ex-depot price, which is the rate paid by marketers who load petrol directly from the refinery into tanker trucks at the loading gantry for onward distribution across the country.
The experts explained that the two figures should not be interpreted as conflicting prices but rather as different logistics arrangements within the petroleum distribution chain.
Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, energy expert David Okon said the pricing adjustments were inevitable given prevailing market conditions.
According to him, Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals operates in a deregulated market and procures crude at international prices, which have risen sharply due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
“The refinery is already absorbing part of the cost to cushion the impact of the crisis on Nigerians. We can see what is happening in other parts of the world where shortages and scarcity are being reported despite higher prices, yet the Dangote Refinery has continued to guarantee domestic supply,” he said.
Okon explained that when the refinery previously sold petrol at N774 per litre, crude oil was landing at about $68 per barrel. However, with crude now arriving at roughly $95 per barrel, the cost difference of about $27 per barrel translates to nearly N40,000 per barrel when converted to Naira.
“You cannot expect a refinery to continue selling at the old rate under those circumstances,” he added.
“If imported products were truly cheaper, importers would still be selling at the previous prices.”
He warned that without local refining capacity, Nigeria could have faced severe fuel shortages, long queues at filling stations and a resurgence of black market sales.
“Without the Dangote Refinery, many filling stations would likely shut down, queues would return across the country and black market traders would exploit the situation, hawking four litres keg at N20,000 or more. The refinery has effectively prevented that scenario,” he said.
Another analyst, Mohammed Ibrahim, also faulted narratives circulating in some quarters suggesting that the refinery’s pricing adjustment was responsible for worsening economic hardship in the country.
Accusing some importers of attempting to manipulate public perception, he said, “What we are seeing is nothing but deliberate blackmail by some fuel importers who feel threatened by local refining.
“They are twisting the pricing structure to mislead Nigerians and create unnecessary panic in the market.
“By exaggerating the refinery’s gantry price and ignoring the comparable costs of imported fuel, they are trying to make it appear as though Dangote Refinery is the cause of rising prices and economic hardship. This is a calculated attempt to protect their import businesses and undermine local refining, which is meant to reduce our dependence on imported petrol.”
Ibrahim added that such narratives were aimed at portraying the refinery as the reason Nigerians were struggling with higher petrol prices.
He stressed that petrol pricing in Nigeria is largely influenced by global crude oil prices, exchange rate fluctuations, and distribution logistics, noting that these factors affect both locally refined and imported fuel in the country’s deregulated market.
Afolabi Olowookere, Managing Director and Chief Economist at Analysts’ Data Services and Resources (ADSR) Limited, explained that although Nigerians expect refined products from the refinery to be significantly cheaper, prevailing market realities such as global crude oil prices, the cost of crude supply and refining margins make substantial price reductions unlikely in the short term.
“Therefore, improving domestic crude allocation to the refinery would strengthen supply stability and enhance the long term benefits of local refining for the economy,” Olowookere noted.
Recent conflicts in the Middle East and disruptions along key shipping lanes have tightened global oil supply, pushing crude prices past $90 per barrel, a development that directly raises the cost of both imported and locally refined petrol in Nigeria.
The unrest has pushed up fuel costs and transportation in several countries, including Ghana, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, and Japan, as rising crude prices increase the cost of refining, distribution, and logistics globally.
CHETACHI NWOGA-ECTON EMPOWERS 300 WIDOWS IN IMO
A renowned humanitarian and proud daughter of Mbaise in Imo State, High Chief (Dr.) Princess Chetachi Nwoga-Ecton, has empowered over 300 widows and vulnerable women across the Owerri Zone, in a remarkable demonstration of compassion and service to humanity.
The empowerment programme, which took place at the Palace of the Eze of Ngor Okpala, HRH Eze Engr. Fredrick Nwachukwu, brought together community leaders, traditional rulers, women groups and beneficiaries from different communities within the zone.
During the event, the widows received food materials and cash support, aimed at helping them meet basic needs and strengthen their small-scale businesses.
The initiative was widely applauded as a timely intervention to support women who often face severe economic hardship after losing their spouses.
Many of the beneficiaries expressed heartfelt appreciation to High Chief (Dr.) Nwoga-Ecton, describing the empowerment as a lifeline that would help them take better care of their families.
Some widows, while offering prayers for the philanthropist, noted that the gesture had restored hope and dignity in their lives.
Fondly known as Ada Imo and Adaure, High Chief (Dr.) Princess Chetachi Nwoga-Ecton has earned widespread admiration for her consistent humanitarian efforts both within Nigeria and internationally.
Through her philanthropic activities and foundations, she has continued to support widows, children, and vulnerable communities with interventions in healthcare, welfare and economic empowerment.
Community stakeholders who attended the programme commended the Mbaise-born philanthropist for her generosity and dedication to uplifting the less privileged, noting that her actions reflect true leadership and compassion.
Observers say the initiative further reinforces her growing reputation as one of the most impactful humanitarians of this generation, whose commitment to humanity continues to inspire hope across Imo State and beyond.
UNITED KINGDOM OF ATLANTIS ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF ACTING ADMIN KING OF THE UKA THRONE
March 6, 2026 – In a landmark royal decree, the Office of the Minister of Information & Culture of the United Kingdom of Atlantis (UKA) has announced the appointment of His Imperial Royal Eminence, King Sir Benny Terry Danson, as the Acting Admin King of the UKA Throne. The nomination was issued through an official directive from the UKA Throne and is intended to pave the way for King Sir Benny Terry Danson’s eventual ascension to the title of Official Emperor Admin of the Throne, subject to the completion of necessary formal and constitutional processes.
The UKA Throne emphasized that the appointment underscores its unwavering commitment to competence, dedication, and integrity as the guiding principles for all administrative functions within the government structure. Officials stated that the decision is a strategic move to reinforce national leadership and accelerate the kingdom’s vision of becoming a more efficient, progressive, and unified nation.
The new Acting Admin King will oversee initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable growth, improving public service delivery, and promoting collective national development among citizens and followers of the UKA. The government expressed deep appreciation for the continuous love, loyalty, and support shown by the populace, noting that public engagement is essential for the kingdom’s shared prosperity and advancement.
Further details regarding the formalization of the appointment, including ceremonial schedules and administrative timelines, will be released to the public in due course through official communication channels.
Report Highlights:
– Nominee: King Sir Benny Terry Danson, Acting Admin King.
– Objective: Transition toward becoming Official Emperor Admin of the UKA Throne.
– Focus: Strengthening governance through competence, dedication, and integrity.
– Impact: Expected to drive national efficiency, progress, and unity.
– Next Steps: Official ceremonies and constitutional procedures to follow.
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