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Lagos Govt, Akran endorse Olokun World Festival

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..as Iba Gani Adams, Olowu restate commitment to cultural promotion

The Lagos State Government, Akran of Badagry, Oba De-Wheno Aholu Toyi 1 and prominent Diaspora organizations on Tuesday, endorsed Olokun World Festival as a major cultural fiesta in Lagos state.

 

The endorsements were made at the grand finale of the 2024 edition of Olokun Festival held in Badagry, in recognition of the foundation’s efforts at sustaining the festival in the last 22 years.

 

The annual festival, according to the organizers, attracted over 50,000 participants, with 50 monarchs in attendance from Republic of Benin, Badagry and other parts of the southwest.

 

Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) Council for Arts and Culture, Mr.Idowu Johnson, who stood in for the Lagos State commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs.Toke Benson, said it is interesting to note that the Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF) has been sustaining the celebration of the annual festival now for 22 years, adding that the best is to support the foundation by making it a World Festival with global appeal.

 

“Though, Osun Osogbo festival is celebrated in Osun state, it is very much recognized by UNESCO.

“But we are part of the success story of Osun Osogbo. Today, we are celebrating Olokun Festival’s consistent efforts in promoting the cultural fiesta for 22 years. And that is why we are endorsing the fiesta as Olokun World Festival, as part of the efforts of the Lagos State government to promote culture and tradition in the state.

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The Akran of Badagry, Oba De-Wheno Aholu Toyi, in his remarks, praised
the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams for transforming the annual fiesta into a global event, saying Badagry and Yoruba obas will continue to support any idea or initiative that is tailored towards the ensuring the progress of Yoruba land.

Meanwhile, the royal father of the day, who is also the Olowu of Owu Kuta, Osun state, Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama, urged all the six governors in the South West to support the cultural evangelism crusade embarked upon by the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland.

 

The foremost monarch, added that many of the festivals and cultural events celebrated in the developed countries are not bigger and better than what Iba Gani Adams is doing in Yoruba land and Nigeria as a whole.

“It is interesting to tell you all that what we are doing today can be done in a more advanced way and that is why I am appealing to all the south west governors and even the Federal Government to support Iba Gani Adams in driving this initiative.

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“Yorubaland and Nigeria will be the greatest beneficiaries if we support Adams in pushing Olokun World
Festival and other festivals to the global state.”

Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, in his speech, went down the memory lane, highlighting the spiritual and economic gains of celebrating Olokun festival in the last 22 years in Badagry.

He pointed out that the projection of the organizers of the Olokun World Festival is to locate a permanent site in Badagry that will be close to the Beach as it was done with the Papaya Tourists’ site in Thailand.

“Olokun Festival has brought more spiritual gains to Badagry. Every year, we lent our voices appealing to the Federal Government to complete the Lagos Badagry Express road.

 

“The road is almost completed now and we can feel the luxury as we ply the road to Badagry.

 

“Today, Badagry has turned out to be an oil-producing area, with the discovery of crude oil in five locations across the ancient town.

 

“It was the Jonathan administration that had the vision to locate the largest Sea Port in Africa here in Badagry. The sea port where Ship would be repaired. But the project is yet to be executed.

 

“Untill recently, the number of Obas and traditional rulers in Badagry was six or seven. But the number has increased tremendously since we started celebrating Olokun Festival here in Badagry.Now,we have no fewer than 25 prominent traditional rulers in Badagry.

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“It is a big record of success and complete transformation of the traditional institution in Badagry.

“As we celebrate these milestones, we would be unveiling the Olokun World Festival that will catapult us to the global community.

“Today, it is our projection to explore the tourism potentials of Badagry.
We intend to build a mini-stadium here in Badagry.It is our plan also to have our permanent site here in Badagry, where we build a world standard hotel near the Olokun. It will be an hotel of global standard with over 300 rooms for accommodations and luxuries as well as three different halls for conferences and even.It will certainly be a replica of Papaya tourism site (Beach) in Thailand. All these are our projections and future plans in Badagry”,Iba Adams stated.

Other prominent Obas present at the festival include the
Oniladaba of Ladaba Kingdom, Oba Nureni Ebudola Odedina Alugbin,the Onirokun of Irokun Kingdom, Oba Buhari Ola Balogun, the Onimapara of Mapara Kingdom Oba Lateef Amodemaja.

Members of the Aareonakakanfo Chiefs in Council,National Executive Council (NEC)National Coordinating Council (NCC) and OPC members were all present from across the country.

 

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JUST IN: NSIB locates wreckage of crashed helicopter in Port Harcourt

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says its search and recovery teams have successfully located the wreckage of the ditched Sikorsky SK76 helicopter.

In a statement on Thursday, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, NSIB’s director of public affairs and family assistance, said the wreckage was identified during recovery dives conducted on Wednesday night.

Details later…

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Don’t Patronise Fake Oil And Gas Bodies, NUPENG Cautions

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The leadership of our Union has identified fraudulent advertisements from individuals falsely claiming to represent a dubious association of Transporters and Oil and Gas Marketers.

The association urge the public and government institutions to be vigilant against these unscrupulous figures, who seek to exploit the current economic landscape following the removal of fuel subsidies. The Union reaffirms its support for recognized associations in the industry and urges all stakeholders to reject these miscreants and their deceptive practices.

The open letter below:

The attention of the leadership of our great Union has been drawn to some advertisements on news media of some unscrupulous and dangerous individuals claiming to be members of one amorphous association they claim is both Transporters and Marketers of the Oil and Gas at the same time, and we wish to state that this association is nothing but assemblage of failed Rent Seekers in the Subsidy Regime and Irredeemable Smugglers of Petroleum Products disguising as businessmen and women.

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The general public and government institutions are hereby warned and strongly . advised to be very wary of these individuals who are desperately seeking ways and means to continue to exploit Nigerians and collecting rents in other manners since the current administration removed subsidy from petroleum products and make
smuggling unprofitable for them.

 

The leadership of our great Union recognizes National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) as the legitimate umbrella body of Transporters in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry and Employers of Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) of which our Union has Collective Bargaining Agreement with on behalf of Petroleum Tankers Drivers.

We also recognize Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) as well as Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) as legitimate marketers of Oil and Gas products. These are associations of Marketers that are well known and respected in the downstream sector of the Nigeria oil and gas industry.

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There is also no ambiguity in the fact that the Nigeria Labour laws only recognize Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as the umbrella bodies
for oil and gas Workers in Nigeria. These are the two organizations that represent and protect the job interests of the Nigeria oil and gas workers including Petroleum lanker Drivers (PTD) as prescribed in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Niger
AFFILIATED TO THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC) & Industrial Global Union
Ref:
SUPPORT OUR DREAM

GAS WORKERS

We implore all well-meaning Nigerians and government officials whose names these Usurpers and Rent Seekers are dropping to urgently disregard any invitation from them and publicly denounce them because they are purely mischief-makers, names Droppers and unscrupulous business individuals that can sell their families and country for money and are unfortunately part of those that plunge the country into the current economic woes and hardship that the country is currently battling and struggling with. Following numerous failed attempts to coerce our Union into collecting money for them at various petroleum depots, they have now resorted to these names-calling and cheap blackmail to further their insidious rent-seeking schemes.

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Our Solidarity remains Constant for the Union makes us strong!!!

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Finally, Joseph Wayas, ex-senate president, to be buried November 30 — three years after his death

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November 30 has been fixed for the burial of former Senate President Joseph Wayas, who died three years ago.

 

Wayas, who served as senate president from October 1, 1979, to December 31, 1983, died on November 30, 2021, at a London hospital after a protracted illness. He was 80 years old.

 

On July 10, his remains arrived in Nigeria after several controversies that followed the repatriation of his corpse.

 

Speaking on Thursday at a press briefing in Calabar, the capital of Cross River, Dorn-Cklaimz Enamhe, secretary of the central planning committee for Wayas’ burial, thanked Bassey Otu, governor of the state, and other individuals for repatriating Wayas’ body.

 

Enamhe noted that the committee, in collaboration with other authorities in Nigeria and the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK), worked together to ascertain the authenticity of the body.

 

He also appreciated the media for constantly reminding the nation that the body of the former senate president was yet to be buried.

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“Unfortunately, the body has been kept this long due to issues and disagreement among members of his family,” he said.

 

“We had to wait for these issues to be resolved, and as of today, they have been resolved; that is why we are going ahead with the burial.”

 

Nsa Gil, the chief press secretary to the governor of Cross River, added that the funeral would be held at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar and later at the deceased’s hometown in Bassang, Obanliku LGA.

 

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and many other dignitaries are expected to attend the burial.

 

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