Events

US Ambassador Signs MOU For The Conservation Of The Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove

Published

4 years ago

November 10, 2021

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Ambassador Mary Leonard’s speech at the ceremony…

Hello everyone, I am Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard. I am pleased to participate in today’s signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to launch this new Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation Grant to preserve the Busanyin Shrine within the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.

I want to first recognize our esteemed guests from CyArk: Director of Conservation Programs Kacey Hardick and her colleagues Chris Milbern and Avidan Fernandez.

I would also like to acknowledge Professor Abba Isa Tijani, Director General of the Nigerian Commission of Museums and Monuments, and Robin Campbell, Co-chair of the Management Committee of the Adunni Olorisha Trust. The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding demonstrates the United States’ commitment to partner with Nigeria to preserve its rich history and culture.

The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (or the AFCP) grants program is administered through annual competition by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The grants support the preservation of major ancient archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, and major museum collections that are accessible to the public and protected by law in a host country.

Through the AFCP, the U.S Mission has partnered with the Nigerian government to preserve cultural landmarks and sites for over a decade. As we celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, the United States is proud to say that we have funded projects worth over a million dollars across Nigeria.

Prior to this project, the U.S. Mission funded the conservation of the late 14th-Century Sungbo’s Eredo (ER RAY DOE) monument, the famed system of fortifications designed to protect the ancient Ijebu (EE JAY BU) Kingdom in Southwest Nigeria. Starting earlier this year, the $400,000 AFCP project is using three-dimensional laser scanning technology to generate a precise topographic map covering a thousand square kilometers of the area occupied by the monument. This 3-D map will be the most detailed map of any archaeological/architectural feature in Nigeria.

Today, we are proud to announce the launch of our 2020 AFCP award to digitally document and conserve the Busanyin Shrine located within the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove. CyArk and its local partners were awarded a $125,000 grant under the AFCP small grant program to help document a series of shrines within the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove and provide training to local professionals to build capacity in digital documentation skills and cultural heritage management.

The Busanyi Shrine has been significantly damaged throughout the years due to extreme flooding. The 3D digital documentation of the shrine is the necessary first step to provide the most accurate record of the current conditions of the site to effectively plan a restoration project to increase resilience of the site during a natural disaster or extreme weather conditions. This will allow for the Busanyi Shrine to remain intact as a cultural landmark for many years to come.

Through projects like the one in the Sacred Grove, the United States and Nigeria are actively cooperating on means to protect Nigeria’s cultural heritage. We’re also initiating new ways as well, including discussion of a bilateral agreement that would establish restrictions against the import into the United States of prohibited items of cultural property. The agreement would also encourage public and private cultural institutions and law enforcement agencies in both countries to work together on repatriating trafficked objects and fostering the cultural exchanges. In this way, the U.S. would demonstrate its commitment to protect and preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage and Nigeria’s rich religious and ethnic diversity. I am looking forward to many more opportunities like this to strengthen our combined efforts in the future.

In closing, I look forward to meeting you this evening as we celebrate our partnership with the signing of this very important Memorandum of Understanding to launch the project.

-Ayotunde Ayanda

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Tunde Ednut Earns $5,000 Per Day! -Report

Published

1 month ago

September 22, 2025

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“Tunde Ednut earns $5,000 average per day, ISWIS made approx $200,000 from live events in one month” — Chude Jideonwo unveils creator economy data at Digital Creator Africa Summit

At the inaugural Digital Creator Africa Summit, media entrepreneur and #WithChude host Chude Jideonwo unveiled new data positioning the Nigerian creator economy as one of the most commercially powerful industries on the continent.

Highlighting explosive growth and overlooked business models, Jideonwo revealed that:

• Tunde Ednut, the former musician turned Instagram media mogul, is estimated to earn over $5,000 a day through his platform — with a business model based on affiliate promotion, Instagram advertising, and music amplification.

• The hit podcast “I Said What I Said” (ISWIS) reportedly made approximately $200,000 in gross revenue from live events alone in a single month, drawing thousands of fans across there US, the UK and Canada.

• “What these numbers show,” Jideonwo said, “is that creators are no longer just influencers — they are media companies, and increasingly, nation-builders.”

The summit, held in Lagos and attended by creators, investors, and media leaders, was designed to shift the conversation from virality to value — reframing content creation as infrastructure, not just entertainment.

As part of his address, Jideonwo announced his $500,000 personal commitment to the FourthMainland Creator Fund — a catalytic investment vehicle to back high-potential African creators with funding, IP support, and platform distribution.

“We’re building the Mavin Records of storytelling,” he said. “Not just with fame, but with financial tools, ownership, and a full studio system that lets creators scale across the continent and diaspora.”

The Creator Fund is part of the broader FourthMainland ecosystem, a creator commerce platform set to launch in 2026. The platform will offer monetization tools, subscription infrastructure, and joint-IP models built around African content — positioning it as the first at-scale infrastructure for the continent’s growing $100B creator economy.

Jideonwo, whose ventures include Joy, Inc., #WithChude, and YNaija, closed with a call to funders and policymakers:

“If music had Mavin Records and tech had CcHub, then creators now have their studio systems — their Mavins — and they’re building billion-dollar value chains without waiting for permission.”

The keynote, titled “Overtaking is Allowed,” argued that Africa’s most important civic and cultural shifts today are being led by independent creators, and that media-tech infrastructure for creators is now one of the biggest opportunities for economic growth across the continent.

Entertainment

Excitement, Joy as Lagos Guber Hopeful, Jandor Marries in Qatar

Published

2 months ago

September 17, 2025

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It was a weekend of glamour, joy and excitement as Lagos politician and businessman, Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, tied the knot in faraway Qatar.

The destination wedding which took place at the Fairmont Hotel, Doha drew close friends, family and political associates, was nothing short of magical. With the exotic backdrop of Doha’s luxury setting, Jandor and his bride exchanged vows in an intimate but elegant ceremony that had the air of class, style and exclusivity.

Guests, many of whom jetted in from Lagos and Abuja, were treated to a blend of traditional Nigerian warmth and Middle Eastern splendour. From the lavish décor to the exquisite cuisine, it was an affair that reflected both cultures in perfect harmony.

For Jandor, who has continued to attract attention on the Lagos political scene, the wedding to his heartthrob, Bukola was a refreshing moment of happiness, away from the hustling pulse of politics. His bride, radiant in her flowing attire, was the toast of the evening, with cameras capturing every dazzling smile.

As the couple began their journey together, family and well-wishers showered them with prayers, gifts and best wishes. The event, insiders say, will be remembered for its intimacy, its class, and the joy it radiated across the circles of Lagos high society.

Events

Celebrating Oba Sikiru Adetona’s 64 Years As Oba; The King Many Monarchs Wish To Be

Published

2 years ago

April 2, 2024

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Celebrating Oba Sikiru Adetona 64 years as Oba; The King Many Monarchs Wish To Be

Oba Sikiru Adetona 64 years on throne

Blessed By God And Honoured By Men

Oba Dr Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland is the kind of king monarchs aspire to be, and at 64 years on the throne, that prestige has not waned a bit.

Installed as king on April 2, 1960, just a few months shy of Nigeria’s Independence, Awujale’s reign is currently older than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As it stands, he is the longest-reigning first-class monarch in Nigeria. These are not mere statistics, they are hard facts that prove that Oba Adetona is a king blessed by God and honoured by men.

A cursory look at the life of this esteemed ruler is proof that when there are kings who are not limited in wisdom, power, goodness, and love for their subjects, then monarchy would be the best of all systems of government.

Every year, at the Ojude Oba festival, multitudes of Ijebu citizens throng home from all around the world to celebrate and felicitate with their beloved king. They do this not out of duty or an enforced obligation, but out of a deep-seated love for their king and their land.

But Awujale’s path to the throne was not one paved with velvet and inlaid with a thornless bed of flowers; no, it was rough, the journey was tough, and the experience could sometimes be bitter, as with that of men with great destinies. But these only served as stepping stones to his future, unanimously given, the throne.

Ọba Sikiru Olukayọde Adetọna, Ọgbagba Agbotewole II, was born 90 years ago on May 10, 1934, into the Royal House of Anikinaiya of Ijẹbuland in his father’s house in Imupa, Ijebu Ode.

As a prince from the line of Oba Adeleke, Ọgbagba Agbotewole I (c. 1825–1906), who was the Awujalẹ of Ijẹbuland from 1895 to 1906 and a descendant of Olu-Iwa, the legendary first Awujalẹ and Ọbanta, another founder of the Ijẹbu kingdom, Oba Sikiru was born to greatness.

After attending various Baptist Schools, Ereko, Ijẹbu-Ode; Ogbere United Primary School, Oke Agbo, Ijẹbu-Igbo; and Ansar-Ud-Deen School, Ijebu-Ode between 1943 and 1950, he attended Olu-Iwa (now Adeola Odutọla) College, Ijebu-Ode from 1951 to 1956. Between 1957 and 1958 he took up an appointment with the then Audit Department of the Western Region, Ibadan. From there on he resigned his appointment in 1958 to pursue further studies in accountancy in the United Kingdom.

By a letter dated January 4, 1960, referenced CB. 4 1/333, the Permanent Secretary in the Western Region Ministry of Local Government conveyed to the Local Government Adviser in Ijẹbu Ode approval of the Western Region Governor in Council, the appointment of Prince Sikiru Kayode Adetona as king, and his confirmation as the new Awujale of Ijebuland with effect from that date (January 4, 1960).

Prominent Ijẹbu sons like the late Ọgbẹni-Ọja, Chief (Dr.) Timothy Adeọla Odutọla, Bọbasuwa I, Chief Emmanuel Okusanya Okunọwọ (MBE, KFNM); and Aṣiwaju, Chief Samuel Ọlatubọsun Ṣhonibare began to arrange for the home-coming of the King-elect, and on January 18, 1960, the Head of the Ijẹbu Ode Regency Council, the Ọgbeni-Ọja, Chief Timothy Adeọla Odutọla formally presented the new traditional ruler to the whole world.

A man of tradition, he embarked on the customary traditional seclusion at the Odo for three months.

It would be remembered that even though Oba Sikiru Kayọde Adetọna had earlier been nominated along with five others by the ODIS, his great destiny prevailed and he was unanimously selected by the kingmakers in conformity with Section 11 of the Chiefs Law of 1957 applicable in Western Region. The then Governor signed the Instrument of Office approving Prince Sikiru Kayọde Adetọna as Awujalẹ of Ijẹbuland, and the formal coronation took place on Saturday, April 2, 1960.

But in the midst of all these, he had many documented and undocumented trials and travails.

Looking back, Oba Adetona’s extraordinary destiny serves history in preservation. His is a life to be wished for, a legacy that must be preserved, and a story that must continue to be told for generations to come.

Not many kings want their life story in the public domain, instead, as second-in-command to the gods, they prefer that air of mystery to ensure that their rule remains absolute and their personal affairs secret. But Awujale is a different kind of king – an erudite. He authored his biography, laying his cards bare and ensuring that many can learn the lessons of history through his life’s story. This is what formed the basis of the soon-to-be-released biopic, ‘Awujale’ by Ultimate Communications, as directed by Tunde Olaoye.

Currently gearing for an Ijebu premiere later this month, the film follows the life of Oba Sikiru through the ages in an unfolding story. This documents through film the life of one of the greatest obas in Yoruba Land.

As he marks his 90th birthday, it is only fitting that one should say ‘Kabiyesi O! Long may the crown sit on the head, long may the shoes fit the wearer, and long may you reign.” But in prayer, many would secretly say to the creator “May I be as great as the king, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu Land.”

Seun Oloketuyi Producer of the biopic writes from Lagos