Connect with us

News

Britain and the world bid adieu to Queen Elizabeth II

Published

on

A Bearer Party of The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards places the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard, onto the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy outside Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster in London on September 19, 2022, where it has been Lying in State since September 14. AFP

Britain said farewell to Queen Elizabeth II on Monday at a state funeral attended by world leaders, before a historic last ceremonial journey through the streets of London packed with sorrowful mourners.

Huge crowds gathered in near silence to watch as the queen’s flag-draped coffin, topped with the Imperial State Crown, her orb and sceptre, was carried slowly to a gun carriage from parliament’s Westminster Hall where it had lain in state since Wednesday.

To the tune of pipes and drums, the gun carriage — used at every state funeral since Queen Victoria’s in 1901 — was then drawn by 142 junior enlisted sailors in the Royal Navy to Westminster Abbey.

The thousand-year-old church’s tenor bell tolled 96 times at one-minute intervals — one for every year of her life — stopping a minute before the service began at 11:00 am (1000 GMT).

In his funeral sermon, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby praised the queen’s life of duty and service to the UK and Commonwealth.

“People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer,” he told the 2,000 guests, who included US President Joe Biden and Japan’s reclusive Emperor Naruhito.

“But in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered,” the Anglican leader added, before the coffin was borne on another procession towards her final resting place in Windsor Castle, west of London.

The longest-serving monarch in British history died at Balmoral, her Scottish Highland retreat, on September 8 after a year of declining health.

Her eldest son and successor, King Charles III, dressed in ceremonial military uniform, followed the solemn processions, alongside his three siblings.

‘She was my boss’

Charles’s eldest son Prince William accompanied them alongside William’s estranged brother, Prince Harry, and other senior royals.

William’s two eldest children, George and Charlotte, who are next in line to the throne, also walked behind the coffin inside the abbey.

Late Sunday, Charles, 73, and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, said they had been “deeply touched” by the public’s flood of messages.

“As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you,” he said.

Britain, a country much changed since the queen’s coronation in the same abbey in 1953, has dug deep into its centuries of tradition to honour the only monarch that most of its people have ever known.

“It’s once in a lifetime,” said student Naomi Thompson, 22, camped out in the crowds at London’s Hyde Park.

“It’s a moment of history… She’s everyone’s granny,” added engineer Alice Garret, 28.

Others unable to be in London gathered in cinemas and churches around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to watch the service and procession on big screens.

Auto engineer Jamie Page, a 41-year-old former soldier, stood on Whitehall to observe the funeral procession, wearing his military medals from service in the Iraq war.

“Sixteen years old, I swore an oath of allegiance to the queen. She’s been my boss. She means everything, she was like a gift from God,” he said.

Two minutes of silence

But on Charles, the oldest person yet to ascend the British throne, Page added: “Who knows, time will tell.”

The funeral lasted just under an hour, brought to an end by a bugler playing “The Last Post”, before two minutes of silence and the reworded national anthem, “God Save the King”.

After an hour-long procession that was to go past Buckingham Palace, the coffin was to be taken west by road to Windsor Castle, where thousands had lined the route since early morning.

Some 6,000 military personnel have been drafted in to take part in proceedings in what Britain’s highest-ranking military officer has called “our last duty for Her Majesty the Queen”.

The queen will be buried alongside her father king George VI, her mother queen Elizabeth and sister princess Margaret, reuniting in death the family who once called themselves “us four”.

The coffin of her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99, will also be transferred to lie alongside her.

Elizabeth’s funeral could not be more different from Philip’s at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in April 2021.

Coronavirus restrictions limited mourners to just 30, led by the queen, a solitary figure in mourning black and a matching facemask.

The contrast was profound on Monday, the abbey packed with dignitaries and some ordinary Britons who were honoured for their military or community service, especially during the Covid pandemic.

Biden’s tribute

“You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years; we all were,” Biden said on Sunday after signing a book of condolence. “The world is better for her.”

In the abbey pews was Liz Truss, whom the queen appointed as the 15th British prime minister of her reign just two days before her death, in her last major ceremonial duty.

All of Truss’s living predecessors were there plus her counterparts and representatives from the 14 Commonwealth countries outside Britain where Charles is also head of state.

Whether they remain constitutional monarchies or become republics is likely to be the defining feature of Charles’s reign.

The queen’s death has prompted deep reflection about the Britain she reigned over, the legacy of its past, its present state and what the future might hold, as well as the values of lifelong service and duty she came to represent during her 70-year reign.

Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to have queued, sometimes for up to 25 hours and overnight, to file past the queen’s coffin as it lay in state.

Chrissy Heerey, a serving member of the Royal Air Force who joined the marathon queue twice, was the last person through the doors and described the experience as “amazing”.

“When they came to me and said, ‘right, you’re the last person’, I said, really?!” she told AFP, before heading off to join the crowds for the coffin’s procession through London.

Big Ben tolls

Throughout the procession after the funeral, Big Ben, the giant bell atop the Elizabeth Tower at one end of the Houses of Parliament, tolled and military guns fired at one-minute intervals.

At Windsor, the Sebastopol Bell — captured in Crimea in 1856 — and the Curfew Tower Bell also sounded.

A vast television audience was expected to watch the funeral worldwide and live online, in a sign of the enduring fascination with the woman once described as “the last global monarch”.

Those lining the streets of London — already jammed at sunrise on Monday — said they had to bear witness.

“I will talk about this moment to my children,” said Jack Davies, 14, camped out for the procession with his parents at Hyde Park Corner, where the coffin will be transferred from the gun carriage for the drive to Windsor.

“I’ll say: ‘I was there!’”

At Windsor, the queen’s crown, orb and sceptre will be removed and placed on the altar.

The most senior officer of the royal household, the lord chamberlain, breaks his “wand of office” and places it on the coffin, symbolising the end of her reign.

The lead-lined oak casket, draped with the queen’s colours, will be lowered into the Royal Vault as a lone bagpiper plays a lament.

A private interment ceremony will take place at the adjoining King George VI Memorial Chapel at 1830 GMT.

Comments

News

Oseni Donates Boreholes, Transformer, Solar Streetlights to Ibadan Community

Published

on

The House of Representatives member for Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and Chairman of the House Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Aderemi Oseni, has donated four boreholes, a 500KVA transformer, and solar-powered streetlights to Fatokun Itesiwaju Community, Iyana Tipa, Bako, in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The donation, made during the community’s 5th anniversary celebration last Sunday, aims to improve access to clean water, reliable electricity, and safer streets for residents. Oseni urged community leaders to strategically locate the projects to ensure that every household benefits.

Speaking through his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, the lawmaker said the gesture reflects his commitment to delivering on electoral promises and bringing tangible development to his constituents.

“This is about improving lives. Clean water, electricity, and well-lit streets are essential for the community’s growth and safety. I want every household to feel the impact of these projects,” the APC chieftain said.

Oseni, who is also the APC senatorial candidate for Oyo South, highlighted several  projects and initiatives in the constituency. These include a ₦1 million youth entrepreneurship empowerment scheme benefiting 100 youths – over 60 of whom have already benefited, programmes for traders and artisans, free WAEC and JAMB examination sponsorships for indigent students, and the construction of schools, health centres, bridges, and roads, among others.

“Development is not just about infrastructure; it’s about empowering people. Giving our youths opportunities, supporting local traders, and improving community facilities are all part of a larger vision to uplift every household in the federal constituency,” he added.

The lawmaker also commended the community for its support in the last elections, which contributed to his overwhelming victory and that of APC candidates, including President Bola Tinubu, in the federal constituency. He assured residents that ongoing road projects would be completed and other promises fulfilled before the end of his tenure, noting that many of the initiatives have been included in the approved budget.

Community leaders, speaking separately, described Oseni as a “lawmaker who listens and acts, not just talks.”

“We have seen promises made by many before, but Engr. Oseni has shown real commitment. This is not the first time, and it has earned him the title of ‘Mr. Talk and Do.’ These donations will truly change lives,” one of the leaders said.

Continue Reading

News

Adelabu family aide supplied kidnappers with intelligence on sister’s movement, twins’ abduction – Police 

Published

on

The Oyo State Police Command has alleged that a personal assistant attached to the family of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, provided critical information that enabled the abduction of his sister, Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, and her 12-year-old twin sons.

The command said the aide, identified as Shehu, allegedly fed the kidnappers with details of the family’s daily routine, movement patterns and vulnerability, which were used to execute the operation.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s

The Morning Brief, where he provided updates on the ongoing investigation.
Mrs John-Paul and her twin sons, Peter and Paul, were abducted on June 3, 2026, at the Elewura axis of Ring Road, Ibadan, while she was taking them to school.

They were later rescued alive during a coordinated operation on June 6, which also led to the death of two suspected kidnappers.

Ayanlade said the rescue mission was carried out on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police and coordinated by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police in conjunction with operatives of the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT).

He explained that one of the principal suspects, known as Ololu, had long been on the command’s watch list before his eventual arrest.

“Of course, one of the perpetrators by name popularly called Ololu has been on the command’s watch list. The operatives continued to trail him until his eventual arrest,” he said.

According to him, intelligence obtained from Ololu led investigators to another suspect, identified as Dare, also known as Solution.

Preliminary findings, he added, indicated that Shehu, who worked closely with the family, was approached and allegedly recruited to provide insider information about their movements and routine.

“The one who was with the family, who happened to be a personal assistant by name Shehu, was one of those who we picked. He was the one that was first approached to give them inside information of how the family lives, their lifestyle, their routine and all,” Ayanlade said.

The police further alleged that the kidnappers initially planned to abduct the children’s mother after monitoring the family’s pattern of movement.

However, the plan changed when they realised that a driver usually took the children to school. On the day of the incident, the mother reportedly drove them herself, prompting the abductors to strike.

“The initial plan was to kidnap the mother. However, they realised that it was the driver who usually takes them to school, and they changed their plan to go for the kids. Unfortunately, that day it was the mother who drove them to school, and they swung into action,” he added.

Ayanlade said the victims were traced to a hideout in Ibadan on June 6 at about 7:30 p.m., following sustained intelligence-led operations.

He disclosed that during the rescue attempt, a suspect identified as Kelechi, who reportedly travelled from Lagos for the operation, opened fire on operatives.

“They opened fire on the operatives, and then the operatives professionally and with tactical precision neutralised him and the second, who was also there to give a covering fire for him,” he said.

The police confirmed that arms and ammunition were recovered from the suspects, while the rescued victims were found unharmed.

Ayanlade added that investigations were still ongoing, with efforts intensified to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang.

“I would not want to preempt the investigation. The investigation is still ongoing. The suspects are in custody. We are still on the trail of the rest of them that escaped,” he stated.

Continue Reading

News

Tinubu Swears in Tegbe as Minister of Power

Published

on

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday evening officially swore in Joseph Tegbe as Nigeria’s new Minister of Power at the Exco Chambers of the Presidential Villa. The ceremony was attended by Tegbe’s wife and senior government officials.

An indigene of Oyo State, Tegbe is a seasoned fiscal and economic reform expert with over three decades of experience spanning both public and private sectors.

Until his latest appointment, he served as the Director General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership, coordinating critical bilateral development initiatives between the two nations. He also previously led as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, driving fiscal policy reforms, governance frameworks, and institutional transformation.

Tegbe’s portfolio includes chairing the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee, inaugurated by the Federal Government in 2025 to oversee the execution of Nigeria’s revised tax policy.

He has also been involved in regulatory and institutional reforms in the power sector, collaborating with agencies such as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company.

A statement from the presidency noted that “the President expects the Minister to leverage his extensive expertise to advance critical reforms and deliver improved outcomes for Nigerians in the power sector.”

Tegbe succeeds Chief Bayo Adelabu, who resigned in March 2026 to pursue his ambition to contest the 2027 Oyo State governorship election.

Adelabu’s exit followed President Tinubu’s directive that political appointees intending to run for elective positions must step down.

Commenting on his departure, Adelabu stated that his resignation “aligns with due process and party guidelines as I prepare to return to active partisan politics ahead of the 2027 elections.”

Continue Reading

Advertisement

Entertainment

Advertisement

MegaIcon Magazine Facebook Page

Advertisement

MEGAICON TV

Advertisement

Trending