The ancient city of Ilorin came alive with pomp and grandeur as the 2025 Durbar Festival unfold today, marking a breathtaking fusion of tradition, royalty, and community pride.
The event, held at the newly expanded central parade ground, drew thousands of spectators from across Nigeria and beyond.
The highlight of the festival was the majestic arrival of the Emir of Ilorin, His Royal Highness Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, who was ushered in with traditional fanfare, royal praise singers, and a stunning procession of horsemen clad in regal attire. The Emir’s entrance at exactly 1:00pm signaled the formal commencement of the grand parade, to the cheers of an enthusiastic crowd.
“This is cultural pride in motion. From the traditional drummers to the warriors’ dance, the energy was incredible. It shows that Ilorin is deeply rooted in heritage”.
Other highlights of the day included:
Hawan Daushe where horsemen performed thrilling gallops and salutes to the Emir.
A display of traditional cavalry formations symbolizing the ancient military organization of Ilorin. Cultural troupes performing Yoruba, Fulani, and Nupe dances, reinforcing Ilorin’s unique multicultural heritage.
Security was tight, with combined teams from the Nigerian Police, Civil Defence, and local vigilante groups ensuring a peaceful event. Vendors, artisans, and local fashion designers reported brisk sales, as tourists and locals patronized everything from woven caps to handmade leather sandals.
This year’s Durbar, organized in collaboration with the Kwara State Government and the National Tourism Development Authority, is being hailed as the most successful in recent memory.
As the horses return to their stables and the music fades, one thing remains clear the Ilorin Durbar is not just a festival. It is a proud echo of history, a celebration of unity, and a royal salute to a vibrant cultural identity.
Chairman, Southern Nigeria Council of Traditional Rulers(SNCTR) and Ooni of Ife, Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,CFR, Ojaja II, has visited the Nigerian President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his Queen’s Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos on Sunday for the first time since Tinubu was elected in 2023 to lead Nigeria as president.
During the meeting which held privately, Ooni Ogunwusi who is also the Natural Father and Leader of the entire Oduduwa race worldwide and Mr President had important discussions touching on the peace and tranquility in the South West part of Nigeria. The discussions at the meeting also enabled the Ooni to brief Mr President on his recent visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan invited by the country’s president Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev where he had participated as Africa’s Royal Delegate and gave a speech during the Astana International Forum on the necessity for Kazakhstan to form strategic partnerships with Nigeria and Africa at large.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Otunba Yera Olafare.
“I just came back from a strategic trip to Kazakhstan on the special invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan where I went to showcase business and economic potentials of Africa, Nigeria in particular. I in my speech, I asked the business community in Kazakhstan come and invest in our country Nigeria and that of the entire Africa.
So, I came here today to brief Mr President on my recent trip to Kazakhstan. The good thing is that Tinubu is opening Nigeria to foreign investors that were hitherto so scared and unwilling to do business with Nigeria and I think we traditional rulers should capitalize on this opportunity by going outside Nigeria to attract foreign direct investments to our country complementing efforts of Mr President who has made lots of audacious progressive economic policies which has now opened our economy to so many developed countries around the world who were hitherto so scared and unwilling to invest in Nigeria. But by virtue of what he has done in terms of policies and reforms, he has opened up Nigeria to many countries to look the way Nigeria for their investments.”
The world is watching us, as a nation and we don’t need to leave everything to the government, we traditional rulers should lead by example by working to complement government to give hope to our youth. Here is another testimony to the youth, so many companies are coming to Nigeria to open businesses which will create massive employment opportunities for the Nigerian youths. Kazakhstan is the largest economy in the Central Asia with very large land for farming, they have huge production for chocolate while Nigeria has cocoa raw materials for chocolate, it is a country between China and Russia and they are very similar to us in the areas of Natural resources, they have Oin and Gas, they manufacture Armoured vehicles and other war artillery equipments needed to combat our insecurity, very large land for farming to train and work with our youths not only in Yorubaland but also across Nigeria. So, I needed to come and brief Mr President because he is also being expected to visit Kazakhstan before September this year. The hope is actually real and I am so proud of our president for these reforms.”
The Ooni, it will be recalled, had sent his own delegation to Kazakhstan in early February 2025 to engage with investors, government officials, and business stakeholders with the goal of attracting investment to Nigeria. The delegation included his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Otunba Moses Olafare, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria – Kazakhstan Business Council, chief Kehinde Adeniyi Akepe and the Honourary Consul of Kazakhstan to Nigeria, Mr Bruce Ayonote met with key figures including Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, business leaders, and representatives from various industries such as agriculture, mining, IT, and manufacturing. They explored opportunities for bilateral trade and cooperation, particularly through the Nigeria-Kazakhstan Business Council, which has Ooni Ogunwusi it’s chairman. This visit was part of broader efforts to strengthen economic ties following a meeting between Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev earlier in the UAE.
The delegation’s work paved the way for a 30-member delegation from Kazakhstan to Abuja in February this year to attend the Nigeria-Kazakhstan Business Council International Conference held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja and hosted and funded by the Ooni of Ife, also attended by some top Federal Government functionaries such as; Minister for Agriculture and Food Security….. Central Bank of Nigeria…..The summit aimed to strengthen economic collaboration between Nigeria and Kazakhstan, focusing on trade, investment, and food security during which Ooni Ogunwusi praised President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, highlighting improvements such as the closure of the gap between parallel and official exchange markets, which has created a more investor-friendly environment. During the summit in Abuja, leader of the delegation and Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alibek Kuantyrov, called for the establishment of a Nigerian embassy in Kazakhstan to facilitate trade. The event featured Nigerian government officials and business leaders, and followed a recent Nigerian delegation visit to Kazakhstan to explore investment opportunities. The summit marked a significant step in deepening bilateral economic ties between the two countries.
Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,CFR, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife is an astute international business magnate and strong promoter of Youth Development. He is the Natural Father of all the members of the Oduduwa race worldwide, Permanent Chairman, Osun State Council of Obas and Chiefs, Permanent Chairman, Southern Nigeria Council of Traditional Rulers(SNCTR), Co-chairman, National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria(NCTRN), owners of the OJAJA Park and Residences, Akure, Ondo State, OjajaMore shopping outlets in Akure, Ile-Ife, Lagos, Osogbo and other cities in Yorubaland, Inagbe Grand Resorts in Lagos and Ife Grand Resorts and Industrial Hub in Ile-Ife. He is the Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsuka(UNN) and Founder, OJAJA University located in Eyenkorin near Ilorin in Kwara state, Nigeria.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has urged the Supreme Court of Nigeria to order the Osun State Government to refund the 8 month allocations due to the 30 local governments in the state which the Adeleke government collected from July 2024 to February 2025.
The FG stated this in an affidavit deposed to by the Special Assistant to the President, Taiye Hussain Oloyede in response to Suit No: SC/CV/379/2025 by the Osun State Government against the Federal Government.
According to the Federal Government, “the only way to vindicate the authority of the Supreme Court is to order the plaintiff ( Osun State Government) to pay back to the Minister of Finance all the money due to the local governments of Osun which the plaintiff claimed it had collected from July 2024 to February 2025. The Minister of Finance will then pay the money to the owners of same ( the local governments of Osun State.”
A check at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federal indicated that from July 2024 and February, 2025, N84 billion was disbursed to the 30 local governments of Osun State, the money which the state government cornered and appropriated without legal authority.
A further check showed that in July and August 2024, N9.7bn and N8.8bn were paid respectively. In September, N9.4bn was paid while N10.5bn was disbursed for the month of October.
However, in November, the net allocation went up to N11.5bn while in December, N10.3bn was paid. For the months of January and February 2025, N12.2bn and N12bn were paid in that order.
The FG explained that only those elected in the local election conducted by the immediate past government of Osun State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress that are in charge of the affairs of the local government and only banks account details supplied by them to the office of the Minister of Finance could be recognized for the direct receipt of the LG’s monthly allocation.
The FG argued that the Court of Appeal in February 2025 legalized the local government election conducted under the administration of ex-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and only the officials produced by the election are legally mandated to appropriate the monthly allocation due to the local governments in the state.
The FG clarified that the Supreme Court judgement of 11th July, 2024 has made it illegal for a state government or its governor or other agencies to keep, control, manage, or disburse in any manner allocations from the Federal Account to Local Governments.
President Bola Tinubu on Sunday met with Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu at his private residence located in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu’s visit to Tinubu followed that of foremost Yoruba Monarch and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, who had departed the residence, after he told Newsmen that his visit was primarily to mark the Sallah break with the President and to personally debrief him following his recent trip to Kazakhstan.
The Lagos Governor hopped into a waiting, high capacity coaster bus (White) and departed the residence along with the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) in a convoy.
The Advisory Council, is a powerful political body within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The GAC is widely recognized as the apex decision-making organ of the APC in Lagos, wielding significant influence over the state’s political direction and governance.
Moments later, his Deputy Governor, Femi Hazmat, also departed amid cheers from onlookers as he waved in acknowledgement.
However, emerging from the closed door meeting, Sanwo-Olu dismissed any rift with President Tinubu, describing speculation in the media as “people crying more than the bereaved”.
Dismissing the alleged notion between them with humour, Sanwo-Olu described the reports of it as baseless and misleading.
The Lagos State Governor who firmly denied the rumors of a discord, further clarified that the Ikoyi meeting was a traditional courtesy visit by the GAC, a long-standing practice during festive periods.
The governor emphasized that the visit was also an opportunity to pray with the President, offer well wishes and continued support, while acknowledging the impact of Tinubu’s leadership over the past two years.
The Kwara State Fire Service has recovered the lifeless body of a 43-year-old man from a domestic well at Ile Alapo, Edun area of Ilorin.
The distress call was received by the Fire Service control room at about 10:29 hours, reporting that a man had fallen into a well. Firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene, where they successfully recovered the body from the well.
The victim, identified as Kazeem, reportedly jumped into the well under the influence of a hard substance known as Colo (Colorado) shortly after returning from Eid prayers.
The body was handed over to Inspector Babatunde Amos of the C Division Police Station, Ilorin. The Ministry awaits formal identification and claim of the body by the victim’s family.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John Olumuyiwa, expressed deep sadness over the incident. He used the opportunity to admonish residents of the state to stay away from drug abuse, warning that such acts often lead to tragic outcomes.
A large fragment of weathered rock broke off from Iyamopo Hill in Igbeti, Olorunsogo Local Government, Oke-Ogun Area of Oyo State on Saturday, June 7, 2025, drawing the attention of residents and visitors.
The incident, which occurred around 4:30 pm on June 7, 2025, was captured by a resident, Muneef Alawode, who shared a video of the detached rock on his Facebook page. No casualties or damage to property were reported.
The rock breakage has been attributed to natural weathering, a geological process where rocks weaken over time due to exposure to environmental factors such as rainfall, intense heat, wind, and biological activity. In Nigeria’s tropical climate, high temperatures and moisture are common causes of rock expansion and erosion, eventually leading to fragmentation.
Reacting to the development, the Onigbeti of Igbeti, Oba Engr. Bashir Olamilekan Abioye Siyanbola IV, said a similar event occurred in April 2024, though on a smaller scale.
According to him, geologists who examined the site at the time concluded that prolonged heat during the dry season contributed to the expansion and weakening of the rock’s internal structure, causing cracks that eventually led to the detachment.
The monarch noted that some of those cracks remain visible and warned residents to maintain a safe distance from the affected section of the hill and other nearby rock formations.
He urged the public to go about their activities peacefully but remain cautious around the area.
A tragic event unfolded yesterday at the Celestial Church of Christ, Olorun Majemu Parish 1, located opposite ERO Dam in Ikun Ekiti, when heavy rain coupled with strong winds led to the collapse of the church building.
The structure, still under construction, fell down at approximately 7:50 PM as congregants were in the midst of prayer. Reports suggest the rainstorm lasted close to an hour, which resulted in the building’s failure. At least ten people were affected and suffered significant injuries.
The parish’s spiritual leader, Mr. Ogunjobi Samuel Abha, has appealed to kind-hearted Nigerians for assistance, highlighting the church’s financial constraints in dealing with the damage.
Panic and outrage have gripped residents of Mushin as hoodlums launched a fresh attack on the Idi-Araba area during the Eid celebrations, destroying several cars and looting properties in broad daylight. The violent incident has sparked renewed fears among locals and calls for urgent intervention from the Nigerian Army.
The attack, which took place on Eid day, has once again exposed the fragile security situation in Mushin, just days after Mushin Local Government Chairman, Bamigboye Emmanuel, issued a press release claiming that peace had been restored in the area.
According to eyewitnesses and community members, the hoodlums stormed Idi-Araba in large numbers, smashing windshields, vandalizing shops, and carting away valuables from terrified residents and traders.
“This is not the first time, and it clearly won’t be the last if nothing is done,” a resident who witnessed the attack told Oduduwa News. “They came in broad daylight during a festive celebration and turned everything into chaos. Where are the police? Where is the government?”
Residents say they feel abandoned by local authorities and accuse Chairman Bamigboye of misleading the public by concealing or downplaying the persistent and worsening insecurity in the area. Many believe the local government has failed in its primary duty to protect lives and property.
“This is exactly why people no longer believe what our leaders say. Just a few days ago, the council chairman said peace had returned. Look at us now still living in fear, still being attacked,” another resident lamented.
The recent wave of violence has also raised questions about the capacity and commitment of the Nigeria Police to tackle the recurring threat of criminal gangs in the area. Many locals have now issued a passionate call for the deployment of military forces to restore order.
“We need the Nigerian Army now. The police have tried but clearly cannot handle this situation. If nothing is done soon, it could escalate into something more deadly,” a community leader warned.
With Mushin residents now living in fear, there is growing pressure on the Lagos State Government and federal security agencies to step in and bring the situation under control before it spirals further.
The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has announced his decision to adopt the title Alaafin of Iwo, stating that he will formally notify the Osun State Government of the change.
The recent revelation by Oluwo was made amid the renewed supremacy battle between Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi Adeyeye and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade.
The notable traditional ruler in Oyo State has been in moodswings occasionally adopting the title of Emir after marrying a Fulani wife.
The monarch made this known on Tuesday while receiving the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade I, who paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Iwo.
Oba Akanbi said he considers the title “Alaafin” to be of the highest prestige within the Yoruba traditional hierarchy and intends to adopt it in line with historical legacy.
“I don’t know any other title in Yorubaland that is superior to the Alaafin. Alaafin will continue to be Alaafin because that is the title that Oramiyan adopted and I will also adopt the saying,” he said.
“Henceforth, I will also want to be called Alaafin of Iwo and we will inform the government about it,” he added.
The Oluwo also expressed confidence in the leadership of Oba Owoade, praising his humility and exposure as qualities that would usher in peace and significant progress for the Oyo Kingdom. He reaffirmed the strong historical ties between Iwo and Oyo, noting that the bond between the two ancient towns would continue to thrive.
Earlier in his remarks, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Owoade, who was accompanied by his wife, Olori Abiwumi, and Oyo chiefs, said the visit was to appreciate the Oluwo for attending his coronation ceremony in April.
“I came to see Oluwo because he was at my coronation ceremony in April. Even when my name was mentioned as Alaafin-elect, Oluwo called to congratulate me. It is also good to come around to pay him a courtesy visit,” he said.
He emphasized the longstanding cordial relationship between Iwo and Oyo and expressed his commitment to sustaining it during his reign.
