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September 30 | By Olawale Sadare
Published
6 years agoon
I was a small boy in 1979 but there was a particular day in that eventful year which I can never forget in my life. It was a day I got maltreated and manhandled by an elder cousin as a result of my own innocence and childishness. Over 41 years after, I still feel an emotional pain as the experience refuses to escape from my memory. I wish I could do away with the urge to avenge the wrongdoing of a person who had long forgotten about the whole event.
Auntie Lutfat (now Prophetess Omonike), is the first grandchild of my paternal grandmother who took care of many of us in the 70s and early 80s. Tall, elegant and brilliant, Asake was equally tough and she would never take nonsense from anybody as a young lady. She had a good knowledge of Ibadan municipality and anybody she chose to take out would be overwhelmed with joy in those days. For some natural reasons, I was not always lucky to be considered for her town cruising serenades but my own luck shone on 30th day of September, 1979.
It was the eve of change of government from the military leadership of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo to the newly-elected civilian administration of Alh. Sheu Shagari. Apprehension, uncertainty and palpable fear had enveloped the whole of the country and Ibadan, the capital of the young Oyo State was not an exception. Ibadan was also an epicentre of the bloodshed which characterized the January 15, 1966 first military coup in the country and only a few people trusted the military boys to hand over to Shagari on October 1, 1979 as promised.
This explained the frenzy situation on the eve of that date.
My family relocated to the city in early 1978 from our remote settlement in Owobaale via Erunmu and our new site was somewhere around Bishop Phillips Academy, Iwo Road, Ibadan. Family Houses in Oke-Adu, Ita Baale and Ile Emu at Oje were the places we use to visit once a while up till the time we became adults.
However, it used to be a thing of joy anytime an older person wanted to take us to see life in the central parts of the metropolis. Baba Liadi Adesokan Alao was the second son of my paternal grandma who meant so much to me. He was a security guard at St. Mary Catholic Primary School, Ratibi until his death in 1982 and he lived (with his family of six) around Oke’badan area.
My joy knew no bound on that fateful Sunday (30/9/1979) when Auntie Molara take me and another cousin, Folasade (of blessed memory), along as she planned to visit Oke’badan. Maami, maami… Anti Monike ni ki n kalo si odo Baba l’Okebadan. I rushed down to my mom to break the good news to her and pronto, she quickly dressed me up. She bathe me in the public glare for all I cared, mopped up the droplets of water on my body and then ‘painted’ me with our cherished Pomade body cream. I put on my best Alokowe dress which was a flexible ‘bosikoro’ round neck long sleeve butter colored shirt and a pair of trousers on a rubber sandal… Igboro’badan ya!
I cannot possibly remember how we managed to get to Agodi Gate from Academy-Monatan. Auntie carried Sade on one hand and used her second hand to hold me tightly as we navigated through the crowd of people who were in a haste to reach their respective destinations in time before any eventuality as anticipated ahead of the October 1, 1979 inauguration of a civilian government in the country. We later got to a place called Idi Ogungun and Auntie had to release my hand as she wanted to point to a tree under which my father was plying his trade as a Watch repairer.
“Wasiu, nibeun ni Baa-mi-re ti n se Aago”, Auntie Monike echoed as she pointed her finger towards the direction of the tree. I could not be satisfied with a look at that direction and I continued to behold the sight of the whole place having been given an opportunity to look round round.
Unfortunately, my elder cousin who had released my hand felt I was following her from behind after the ‘looking opportunity’ and she continued to trek towards the mini park where commercial Liteace buses plying Oke’badan were lined up. She got to the bus ‘on turn’ and tried to lift me up into it but I was nowhere to be found. Immediately, she began to scream; ” Omo-olomo da? Omo-olomo da?” With heavy teardrops rolling down from her eyes, she headed back to where she had asked me to look at the tree. She met me at the same point where I was still enjoying the opportunity to watch a mammoth crowd live. Auntie got to me and in annoyance, she descended on me with some dirty slaps and military kicks. I fell flat on my face and she began to drag me on the sandy floor… May God never subject me to such torturous experience again in my life. It was since then I have learned never to be carried away in the midst of a crowd again.
At a point, she decided to allow me stand on my feet and we continued our movement towards Oke’badan while sobbed repeatedly as she would not stop twisting my earlobes and knocking my head every 120 seconds.
Eventually, we got to Uncle’s house and as it was his practice when he saw me, he starting chanting our lineage panegyrics thus; “Adeyemi n le… Omo Aresa, dudu l’egbon pupa l’aburo… Omo s’eni-un-o-s’eni ni b’Iresa nnu, bo’le o bu’po ni ya’mode l’ara… Ara’lu òpe, omo amúronà s’aju eegun, omo ol’ode àjígbá, omo abesin kan kóri, omo asojetan s’oloosa… Abbl. Uncle drew me closer to himself and observed something was wrong.
He asked; “Monike, se o na omo yi ni?”… “Rara o, o subu funra re ni o”, Auntie replied and I could not stand it at this juncture… I bursted into tears uncontrollably. Uncle who he was and castigated her heavily. He could not trust her again and had to return me home by himself.
About 27 years after (precisely on April 7, 2006), Auntie played into my hands and I was able to take my own pound of flesh. She dared me in the public and received the worst beating of her life. Before you would pass any judgment on me for being ‘vindictive or unforgiving’, pray to have a personal experience what she did to me the second time. However, we have since reconciled and we are now good friends. But I’m grateful to her for teaching me never to be lost into a crowd again in my life.
Wasiu Olawale Sadare, Journalist and Media Consultant writes from Ibadan, Oyo state
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APC Secretariat Violence: Oyo Lawmaker Denies Assault, Alleges Smear Campaign
Published
1 day agoon
April 21, 2026By
Mega IconThe lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency of Oyo State, Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of violence at the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat, describing claims that he assaulted a party member as false and politically motivated.
An online platform, IMPARTNEWSNETWORK, had alleged that Akinmoyede assaulted one Gafar Oyebade during a meeting convened by the state chairman of the party, Alake Adeyemo, to resolve issues surrounding the executive list of the APC in Lagelu Local Government Area.
However, Akinmoyede, in a statement on Tuesday, said the meeting was peaceful and attended by key members of the state executive, including the chairman, deputy chairman, and secretary, who witnessed the proceedings.
He clarified that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the state leadership recognised him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to the lawmaker, following the clarification, the state executive directed the Lagelu Local Government chairman, Fatai Awoyoola, to proceed with the swearing-in of other party officials.
Akinmoyede also faulted attempts to link the incident with the 2019 killing of a former federal lawmaker, noting that a court of competent jurisdiction had already ruled on the matter.
He said, “In Suit No. I/70c/2019, delivered by Justice Mufutau Adegbola on January 23, 2020, all those accused were discharged and acquitted.”
The lawmaker expressed concern over what he described as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, alleging that Oyebade, a public school teacher under the Oyo State Government, should not be involved in partisan politics.
He described the allegation as a “recycled script” aimed at tarnishing his image ahead of political activities, urging constituents to remain calm.
Akinmoyede also called on journalists to verify information before publication and urged security agencies to take action against individuals who file false reports.
“These tactics surface every election cycle. Those behind them should learn to accept the outcomes of political processes. They failed before and will fail again. Power comes from God,” he added.
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Oyo Reps Member Denies Assault, Dares APC Chieftain to Prove ‘Hospitalisation’ Claim
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2 days agoon
April 20, 2026By
Mega IconThe lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of assault levelled against him by a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagelu Local Government Area, Mr. Gafar Oyebade.
Akinmoyede described the allegation as “false” and “a lie taken too far,” insisting that no physical altercation occurred.
The denial was contained in a statement issued on Monday by his Legislative Aide, Dr. Isiaq Akintunde.
Oyebade had alleged that he was hospitalised following a confrontation during a meeting held at the office of the state party chairman in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, convened to resolve a leadership dispute in the local government.
But the federal lawmaker maintained that the meeting was peaceful and attended by top party officials.
“The meeting was convened to clarify Mr. Oyebade’s position within the local executive, and it was attended by the State Party Chairman, his deputy, the secretary, the publicity secretary, and other key state executives, all of whom witnessed the peaceful proceedings,” the statement read.
He added that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the Lagelu Local Government Party Chairman, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, identified him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to Akinmoyede, the state executive thereafter directed Awoyoola to proceed with the swearing-in of the remaining members of the local government executive.
The lawmaker accused Oyebade of fabricating the allegation to advance political interests.
“I wonder why Mr. Gafar Oyebade, a secondary school teacher, would claim he was assaulted in the presence of the State Executive. This is an attempt to justify money allegedly collected from an aspirant to tarnish my image,” he said.
Akinmoyede further claimed that Oyebade was seen walking freely after the meeting and was not hospitalised as alleged.
He also raised concerns over Oyebade’s involvement in partisan politics, noting that civil servants are restricted from active participation in political activities.
The lawmaker called on security agencies and the media to investigate the incident at the party’s Oke-Ado office to ascertain the veracity of the claims.
Efforts to reach Oyebade for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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2027: Oseni kicks off Oyo South Senate bid, rallies support for one million Tinubu votes
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April 20, 2026By
Mega IconThe lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Aderemi Oseni, has declared his intention to contest the Oyo South Senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.
Oseni made his aspiration known during a high-level meeting with the Ibarapa APC Elders’ and Leaders’ Forum, comprising the G9 and the expanded G64 caucus, held at the party secretariat in Eruwa, Ibarapa East Local Government Area, over the weekend.
The G9 and G64 groups consist of influential stakeholders drawn from Ibarapa East, Ibarapa Central, and Ibarapa North local government areas.
In a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker expressed appreciation to the forum for their support and confidence in his leadership and vision.
He said his ambition to represent Oyo South Senatorial District was anchored on a determination to consolidate and expand his record of performance.
Oseni said, “This aspiration is not built on mere rhetoric, but on the continuity and expansion of a proven track record of quality representation and grassroots-oriented governance.”
While soliciting the support of party leaders, he described his ambition as a divine call to serve the people with renewed dedication.
According to him, “This is not a time for self-glory but a sacred responsibility to intensify efforts towards real development, bring more relief to our people and ensure inclusive governance.”
He pledged not to betray the trust reposed in him by party elders and faithful, stressing that his aspiration is rooted in progressive ideals and a genuine commitment to the development of the district.
Oseni also urged leaders in the zone to mobilise support towards delivering one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
Speaking at the meeting, a leader from Ibarapa East, Chief Michael Morawo, lauded the lawmaker for delivering democratic dividends and strengthening the party structure. He added that Oseni has demonstrated commendable leadership through his performance, noting that his impact in stabilising the party within the constituency is evident.
Similarly, a former council chairman in Ibarapa Central, Chief Theophilus Adenrele, commended the lawmaker for not betraying the trust reposed in him. Also, a chieftain from Ibarapa North, Chief Francis Babalola, described Oseni as a humble leader committed to progressive ideals, dismissing speculations about his possible defection if he does not secure the governorship ticket.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the forum, Chief Timothy Jolaoso, said the lawmaker enjoys widespread grassroots acceptance that cuts across political divides.
Jolaoso said, “All indicators consistently point to Oseni as a candidate with acceptance that transcends party lines. He is not only capable but a man of deep faith with proven empathy for the downtrodden.”
He added, “He possesses the goodwill, financial strength, and public trust required for leadership.”
The elder statesman further noted that Oseni’s performance in the House of Representatives, alongside his role as Chairman of the FERMA Committee, underscores his competence and commitment to development.
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