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CHIEF SOLOMON AREMU ISHOLA: A Year Gone Without a Savant Leader

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By Ishola Gbenga As someone who is now in the fatherless league, losing a father is a pain unlike any other. Today makes it a year that my beloved father, Chief Solomon Aremu Ishola, the Ajagungbade IV of Elesinmeta had gone to be with the Lord. It is a memory that no words can fully ease, but we pray that the memories of his love, wisdom, guidance and selfless service to God and humanity bring us comfort in the days ahead. However, we found strength in the remarkable life he lived and the values he instilled in the entire family. No doubt! Fathers are precious. Fathers are wonderful. Every Father that dies, leaves a message. It is therefore expected that every orphan or fatherless child must seek the meaning of that message and navigate this troubled world more carefully. For me, the resting place on a father’s shoulder is the most personal, intimate, and original heritage that we all share. Life is indeed about memories. ‘’Fading away like the stars of the morning, losin...
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RAAMP Aligns with the FG Renewed Hope Agenda- Minister...... Kwara Gov. Commended for Prompt Counterpart Fund Payments.

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By Gbenga Ishola  The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, has emphasized the importance of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project(RAAMP), project just as he declared that it aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope agenda.  Dr Abdullahi made this known during the state's presentation of participating states progress reports at the 10th Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) Implementation Support Mission, held at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja, between May 4th and May 6th, 2026. He further pointed out that the RAAMP projects had evolved beyond road construction into a national reform programme aimed at institutionalizing sustainable rural infrastructure management nationwide. The Minister further highlighted the importance of the projects to rural dwellers which he said included; provisions of year-round farm-to-market access, market infrast...
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Segun Babajeje: Is it really a goodbye?

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By Gbenga Ishola  "We lost Segun Babajeje this morning". I got the above terse message from Samson Adeniyi, the immediate younger brother to late Olusegun Jospeh Adeniyi aka Babajeje, on Sunday morning while preparing for church. Samson had earlier called several times to reach me but to no avail. When later he called the second time, he broke the sad news of Segun's demise and it was as if the whole world stood still. "Babajejeoo! I screemed. "What happened?" I asked. Unfortunately, no one to offer me an honest answer till now.  That I am still not in the right frame of mind to pen this tribute for a long time brother and friend is a point I can not deny myself. However, I have decided to avoid any temptation of going into details of how that popularly name, "Babajeje came to existence over several decades ago. I do not have that liberty. The nickname, according to history, was given as a result of the calm nature of his late grandfather ...
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PRINCE ADEDOKUN JAMES OLADOJA: Is it truly time up?

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By Gbenga Ishola anipr Life is about memories! It is the only thing we are left with when flesh and spirit departs the earthly plane and we can do no more than remember the life of the departed, through times and memories shared, especially their deeds in their lifetime, and this brings to mind, the death, on Wednesday 11th, March 2026, at officially, 60, of Prince Adedokun James Oladoja, which undoubtedly robbed many of us of a professional and a kindhearted fellow. Not surprisingly, there have been an outpouring of tributes from everywhere just for a man who earned the respect of many. Little wonder, this world is fleeting, ephemeral, will-o’-the-wisp. What is man that thou art mindful of him? Man, whose breath is in his nostrils, the good book says. For me, I think there are some people who ordinarily should not die, because of their goodness, their humanism, the great impact that they make within the community, family and colleagues. The death of good men or women dimin...
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Left Behind: But Not Forgotten

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By Simon Kolawole One regular morning in 2024, Mrs Oluwatosin Adeniyi was standing in front of her make-shift school at Kpaduma Hills, Asokoro, Abuja, when a group of eight boys — all in their preteens — passed by, chatting away in Hausa. It was around 10am. The sight of so many young boys roaming the streets so early in the day gave her some concern and she found herself issuing them a query on the spot. “Why are you guys not in school?” she asked, motherly. It turned out that they could not speak English. Only one of them could communicate with her — but in a lower version of Pidgin English. The rest simply looked on. “No money for school,” the boy replied. “So where are you guys going this morning?” she fired the second query. The “head boy” said they were moving from one construction site to another to scavenge for disused cement bags. They would gather about 50 of the bags and sell them in order to raise money to buy their breakfast. How much would they sell those litt...
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Kwara RAAMP: Governor AbdulRahman commended for leadership

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By Ishola Gbenga  The Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) has reached another remarkable milestone with the completion of 273.33 kilometers of rural roads across participating states in Nigeria — a major stride toward improving rural connectivity, enhancing agricultural productivity, and boosting economic opportunities for farming communities. This landmark achievement was disclosed by the National Coordinator of RAAMP, Engr. Aminu Mohammed Bodinga, during the 9th Implementation Support Mission (ISM) held at the Golfview Suites and Conference Center, Lagos. The mission brought together representatives of the World Bank, French Development Agency (AFD), and State Project Implementation Units (SPIUs) to assess progress, share experiences, and realign strategies for greater impact. Engr. Bodinga noted that the 273km milestone reflects the project’s steady advancement across the 19 participating states, describing it as “a demonst...
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OPINION | Saka Laaro, Can You Write for Me One Last Time?

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By Nicholas Uwerunonye He probably knew the end was near. Saka Laaro had survived two collapses—once at the University of Ilorin during a convocation ceremony, and another time at a law chamber in Ilorin while trying to mediate in the crisis plaguing the state’s NUJ Council. At 73, such episodes are more than just medical events; they are ominous signals, whispers from the edge. So when he called me aside at the NUJ Secretariat in Ilorin one afternoon to share a story—his story—I listened carefully. It felt like a man tidying up the last lines of a long, well-written article. But before that, let me say something that used to unsettle me. Laaro, old enough to be my father, would always greet me with a warm, “Oga mi o!”—Yoruba for “my boss.” I would plead with him not to call me that. It made me uncomfortable, especially given our cultural norms around age and respect. He would just laugh in that unforgettable, affectionate way of his. That day at the NUJ, he finally told me...
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