celebrity radar - gossips
The Forgotten Heroes Who Built Nigeria
The Forgotten Heroes Who Built Nigeria.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com
They gave us a nation, we gave them silence. It is time to remember.
History is never neutral. It is either remembered with honor or buried with neglect. In Nigeria today, too many of our NATION-BUILDERS – men and women who labored, sacrificed and sometimes died to give us a country, have been reduced to footnotes in dusty textbooks, if mentioned at all. We celebrate political survivalists and forget the visionaries. We elevate temporary rulers and ignore those who laid the bricks of our independence, our institutions and our unity.
Yet, as the historian John Henrik Clarke once said: “History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is also a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography.” When Nigeria forgets her heroes, she loses both her clock and her compass.
Who Built Nigeria?
The popular narrative reduces nation-building to a few familiar names ie Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa. Indeed, they were towering figures. But Nigeria was not the handiwork of four men. A longer roll call reveals activists, journalists, unionists, women leaders and intellectuals who carried the heavy stones of struggle.
Herbert Macaulay, often called the father of Nigerian nationalism, ignited the fire long before independence was in sight. Through the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) and later the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), he planted the seed of self-rule.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, one of Africa’s most fearless women, led protests against colonial taxation, founded women’s organizations and fought for suffrage decades before feminism became a fashionable word. She was so effective that the colonial government once described her as “a danger to the British Empire.”
Margaret Ekpo, through unionism and politics, championed women’s rights and national liberation. She turned markets into platforms of resistance and inspired countless women to join political action.
Michael Imoudu, the labor leader, shook the colonial economy by organizing strikes that proved the Nigerian worker was no longer a silent tool. His defiance weakened the colonial state more effectively than many speeches.
Alvan Ikoku, an educationist, made sure that independence would not only be political but also intellectual. His relentless push for free and compulsory primary education laid the foundation for Nigeria’s intellectual capital.
Anthony Enahoro, who, at just 30 years old, moved the historic motion for Nigeria’s independence in 1953. Few Nigerians today even know his name.
These are not just names. They are the scaffolding without which Nigeria’s house would never have been built.
Why We Forgot Them.
Why does Nigeria forget its heroes?
First, politics of convenience. Our political class has always preferred personalities who fit their regional or party narrative. Thus, textbooks and public discourse highlight “ACCEPTABLE” figures while downplaying others.
Second, lack of historical infrastructure. Unlike Ghana with its Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum or South Africa with its Apartheid Museum, Nigeria has no serious national museum of independence, no well-curated memorials, no state-driven national archive accessible to students. Memory has no monuments, so it fades.
Third, deliberate amnesia. Leaders often prefer citizens who cannot connect past failures to present misrule. If you do not remember that corruption scandals derailed the First Republic, you will not notice the rhyme when it happens again.
Finally, our cultural weakness in record-keeping. We celebrate birthdays and burials but neglect institutional memory. The result is a nation where an entire generation may know more about foreign celebrities than about their own freedom fighters.
Why Remembering Matters.
Forgetting heroes is not just disrespect; it is dangerous. When young Nigerians grow up without knowledge of the sacrifices that secured their citizenship, they become cynical, rootless and easily manipulated.
The Nobel laureate Chinua Achebe warned: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Nigeria today is dangerously rootless. Our youth consume imported histories while their own heroes gather dust in silence.
Remembering matters because:
It instills pride. Heroes are mirrors. When citizens see that ordinary Nigerians achieved extraordinary things, they believe in their own agency.
It teaches lessons. Funmilayo Kuti’s defiance, Imoudu’s organizing, Ikoku’s persistence; these are models of civic courage.
It builds unity. Heroes came from every region, every tribe. Their collective story undermines today’s poisonous tribalism.
A Nation’s Debt.
What do we owe the forgotten heroes? We owe them more than monuments. We owe them integration into our civic life. That means:
Curriculum reform – Every Nigerian child should know these names before they learn about foreign presidents or monarchs.
National Heroes’ Day – A public holiday dedicated not to a single leader but to all freedom fighters. Ghana celebrates Founders’ Day; why not Nigeria?
Memorialization – National monuments, renamed streets and scholarships that keep their legacy alive.
Public storytelling – Documentaries, films, plays and books that bring their struggles into popular culture. Nollywood spends billions telling fictional stories but often ignores the real drama of our liberation.
Lessons for Today.
If the heroes taught us anything, it is that nations are built by sacrifice, not slogans. Herbert Macaulay risked imprisonment; Funmilayo Kuti risked her life; Imoudu risked his livelihood. Compare that with today’s politicians, who risk nothing but the inconvenience of defending ill-gotten wealth.
Nigeria’s new generation must recover that spirit. Without heroes, we will remain a country of spectators waiting for miracles. With heroes, we will once again believe that history bends when people push.
The late Nelson Mandela once said: “Courage is not the absence of fear – it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.” Our forgotten heroes inspired, moved and gave us a nation. Now it is our turn to remember, honor and emulate.
Final Verdict.
A nation that buries its heroes is digging its own grave. Nigeria’s crisis is not just economic or political; it is also mnemonic – a crisis of memory. Until we reclaim the forgotten heroes who built Nigeria, we will continue to stumble, rootless and rudderless.
The call is simple but urgent: teach their names, tell their stories, build their monuments. Because if we forget the builders, the building will collapse.
Let the children of tomorrow never say of us: they inherited a nation, but they betrayed its memory.
Oba Ara Releases Emotional Tribute to Late Taiwo Adegbodu
Taofik Afolabi
The gospel music community continues to grieve the painful loss of Taiwo Adegbodu, a beloved figure whose sudden departure left a deep void among fans, colleagues, and loved ones. In response to this loss, renowned gospel minister Rotimi Onimole, popularly known as Oba Ara, has released a moving tribute song that captures both the sorrow of the moment and the enduring legacy of the late singer.
Oba Ara, a proud son of Isale Eko, channels raw emotion throughout the song, using heartfelt lyrics and soul-stirring melodies to reflect on his personal connection with Taiwo Adegbodu. In the tribute, he openly expresses how deeply the news of Adegbodu’s passing shook him, describing it as a painful and unexpected loss that is difficult to come to terms with.
The song goes beyond mourning, it celebrates the life, ministry, and impact of Taiwo Adegbodu. Oba Ara highlights the late artist’s dedication to spreading the gospel through music, his inspiring voice, and the spiritual influence he had on many within and beyond Nigeria. Through powerful verses, he paints a picture of a man who lived for God and touched countless lives through his ministry.
Listeners have described the tribute as both comforting and deeply emotional, as it resonates with the collective grief of the gospel music community. It serves as a reminder that although Taiwo Adegbodu is no longer physically present, his music, message, and legacy will continue to live on.
In honoring his late colleague, Oba Ara not only pays his respects but also offers a source of healing for fans and fellow ministers, using music as a tool to process grief and celebrate a life well lived.
celebrity radar - gossips
Buratai, Fagbemi , Shagaya, Olofa, Others Eulogise Olowu Kuta’s Olori On 60th Birthday, Foundation Launch
Buratai, Fagbemi , Shagaya, Olofa, Others Eulogise Olowu Kuta’s Olori On 60th Birthday, Foundation Launch
Eminent personalities across the Nigeria stormed the TFK Event Centre, Bala Mohammed Way, Guzape, Abuja, to celebrate the 60th birthday of Olowu Kuta’s Olori, Queen Jumai Amoke and her Foundation Launch on Saturday 28, March 2026.
From former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen TY Buratai rtd, to the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi; Olofa of Offa, HRM Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi. Even top businesswoman and socialite, Chief (Mrs) Bola Shagaya, was in attendance.
Other dignitaries were newly promoted Deputy Inspector-General of Police and former AIG Zone 2 , Lagos , Adegoke Fayoade, Major General Abdumalik, Major General Samuel Adebayo rtd (Fmr CDI);
Major General Anthony Omozoje rtd (Fmr Copp);
Alhaji Tajudeen Owoyemi (Asiwaju of Offa and CEO Radisson Hotel Nigeria;
Dr Waheed Olagunju, former managing director of Bank of Industry, Oniba of Iba, Lagos State, HRM Oba Dr Suleiman Raji ;
Justice Falola, Olu of Ile-Ogbo , Oba Adetoyese amongst many traditional rulers and captains of industry too numerous to mention.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chief Host, Olowu of Kuta, HRM Oba Dr Adekunle Oyelude Makama, CON , Tegbosun iii, who is also the husband of the celebrant commended Queen Jumai for ‘ her slender arms full of kindness’ to establish such humanitarian Foundation, ‘Amoke Children and mother in Need Foundation’ at a time Nigerians are going through economic crisis occassioned by the global meltdown.
Olowu also commended her steadfastness and love for the less privileged and downtrodden.
The monarch refrenced the task before his wife’s humanitarian gesture said her best is yet to come.
” Olori Amoke Jumai, I celebrate you. You will celebrate 70, 80, 90 and continue to shine as you continue to put a smile on people’s faces. I love you, “Olowu Kuta added.
To Lt Gen Buratai, a former army chief and former Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic, the reward of hard work is more work.
Buratai, who also doubles as Balogun Agba of Owu Kuta, a chieftaincy title reserved for a generalismo congratulated Queen Jumai for attaining the age of 60 in good health.
The retired army General said he’s not surprised by the turn out of eminent personalities across the country to celebrate the Olowu Kuta’s Olori because she merited it through her hospitality to all, adding that Allah the most merciful, most beneficial would accept all her act of ibadah.
The minister of Justice, Prince Fagbemi, was full of praises for Queen Jumai for deeming it fit to have a place in her heart to accommodate the needy and less privileged in ‘our society.’
Prince Fagbemi urged the guests to contribute generously to support the Foundation in order to continue to alleviate poverty and put a smile on the faces of the people.
” I congratulate you on your 60th birthday and Foundation Launch. I wish you many happy returns of the day and many more fruitful services to the country and motherland”, Prince Fagbemi added.
The celebrant, Queen Jumai who was grining from ear to ear thankfully said she was excited by the turn out and the response of the people to her foundation.
Queen Jumai, however, promised to continue to use her resources and donations received for the good of the needy and less privileged in the society.
” I want to appreciate my own Kabiesi Olofa of Offa , for his presence and im I’m using him as a point of contact to all other Kabiesis present here, the minister of justice and Attorney-General, you’re welcome, sir; Mrs Bola Shagaya, I salute your enterprise, Lt Gen Buratai, I’m grateful, sir; DIG Fayoade, Justice Falola and other dignitaries too numerous to mention, I thank you, all. To my darling husband, Kabiesi Olowu , I thank you immensely for your support. And to my family and friends, I thank you , all. E se pupo!”, she said.
celebrity radar - gossips
Adron Homes Elevates Cultural Pride as Dignitaries Grace 39th Lisabi Festival in Abeokuta
Adron Homes Elevates Cultural Pride as Dignitaries Grace 39th Lisabi Festival in Abeokuta
The ancient city of Abeokuta came alive in a grand display of culture, history, and unity as dignitaries from across Nigeria converged at the iconic Ake Palace Ground for the 39th edition of the Lisabi Festival, an annual celebration deeply rooted in the Egba people’s heritage.
The event, proudly supported by Adron Homes and Properties Limited, witnessed an impressive parade of distinguished personalities, traditional rulers, government officials, business leaders, and cultural enthusiasts, all captured in vibrant pictures that tell the story of a people united by history and pride.
From richly adorned monarchs in regal attire to elegantly dressed guests reflecting the depth of Yoruba tradition, the images from the festival encapsulate moments of honour, reverence, and celebration. Each photograph portrays not just faces, but influence, leaders, and stakeholders who continue to shape cultural preservation and community development.
At the heart of the celebration was the revered Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, whose presence underscored the festival’s significance as a symbol of Egba resilience and identity. Surrounding him were eminent dignitaries whose attendance further amplified the prestige of the event.
Adron Homes and Properties Limited stood out prominently, not only as a sponsor but as a key driver of cultural sustainability. Through its strategic support, the company reinforced its commitment to preserving indigenous heritage while fostering community engagement. The brand’s visibility across the venue and within the pictorial highlights reflects a deliberate alignment with culture, tradition, and people-centered development.
Beyond real estate, Adron Homes has continued to position itself as a cultural partner, investing in platforms that celebrate history and strengthen communal bonds. Its involvement in the Lisabi Festival is a testament to its broader vision of building not just homes, but legacies rooted in identity and pride.
The 39th Lisabi Festival, as captured through the lens of dignitaries in attendance, is more than an event, it is a narrative of continuity. And through its unwavering support, Adron Homes has once again set the pace, demonstrating that corporate institutions can play a vital role in sustaining the cultural heartbeat of a people.
As the echoes of drums fade and the colours of the festival linger in memory, one thing remains clear: the story told through these images is one of unity, heritage, and the enduring partnership between tradition and progress.
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