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By Festus Alenkhe In an era where development is borderless, governance must also be borderless. It is in this context that *Governor Monday Okpebholo’s "SHINE Agenda Across Borders"* event in London deserves not just attention, but commendation and support. This was not a ceremonial gathering. It was a strategic economic diplomacy mission — one that recognizes a fundamental reality: *Edo State cannot develop in isolation.* We endorse this initiative because it is timely, practical, and rooted in data. 1. THE CASE FOR GOING ABROAD: FACTS AND FIGURES Edo State has one of Nigeria’s largest diaspora populations. The UK alone hosts an estimated *250,000+ Edo people*, with heavy concentrations in London, Manchester, and Birmingham. According to the *World Bank and CBN 2023 data*, Nigeria received *$20.1 billion in diaspora remittances*. Edo consistently ranks among the top 5 states in remittance inflow. Yet for decades, that inflow has gone largely into consumption — school fees, ...

 TUESDAY FLAT OU  By Suyi Ayodele (Published in the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, July 28, 2026) https://tribuneonlineng.com/osobas-short-spoon-dinner-with-obasanjo/ Two Yoruba ‘living ancestors’ are at each other’s throats at the moment. The two personages have made great and indelible marks in life. They are giants in their own ways, and both are supposed to be close relatives like the proverbial ìyekan Alábahun (close-knitted relatives of Tortoise). They hail from the same town and are both answerable to the same Oba. The underpinning axiom that established their common domain says: Ègbá méjì kìí ja ara won níyàn: bí ìkan bá ní bai sí, ìkejì  á ní báa wà (two Egba men don’t argue on any matter; if one asks ‘is it not so?’; the other will respond: ‘it is so’). So, what is the matter with the former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, and his kinsman, the former military Head of State and two-term civilian President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo? Let me co...

TUESDAY FLAT  By Suyi Ayodele (Published in the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, July 21, 2026) https://tribuneonlineng.com/minister-umahi-and-the-woman-from-oke-ohun / A few years ago, a man was rushed to the family pharmacy. It was late at night. He had contracted the Yoruba’s response to promiscuity, Mágùn, known in the modern parlance as thunderbolt. About four elderly men brought the ‘patient’ in a very bad shape. He was said to have started exhibiting the symptoms earlier in the day. But those around thought it was something else until one ‘wise’ elder ‘diagnosed’ Mágùn. Yours sincerely was asked to administer the ‘prescribed’ dosage of the antidote. After about one hour, the ‘patient’ became stable. He was asked where he went to, and he mentioned the woman involved. You can as well guess: she happened to be the wife of a stranger who had come to the community to farm. I whispered to one of the elders that that would be the third time the ‘patient’; a familiar face, wo...

By Osariemen Idiaghe  As part of efforts to seek divine intervention in Nigeria's growing security challenges, economic instability, and rising violent crimes, Canaanland Deliverance Ministry International will host the Edo State Prayer Conference on Friday, August 14, 2026, in Benin City from 9am to 2pm. The conference, which is expected to attract thousands of worshippers, religious leaders, and residents from across Edo State and beyond, is being organised under the leadership of the ministry's presiding Bishop, Apostle Silver Wealth Iyamu. According to Apostle Silver Wealth Iyamu, the prayer conference is aimed at uniting people from all walks of life to seek God's intervention for lasting peace, security, economic recovery, and national transformation. They noted that the event comes at a time when many Nigerians are concerned about insecurity, economic tension, inflation, and other social challenges affecting communities across the country. Apostle Iyamu urged Christi...

Thousands of worshippers, Party faithfuls , Loyalists, Supporters, friends and family members of DPIF dressed in white  atires  converged in Cathela Hall, Benin City, over the weekend for the Oredo White Worship Extravaganza, organised by the Dr. Paddy Iyamu Emmanuel Foundation, in a spirit-filled worship that featured some of Nigeria's leading gospel music ministers. Delivering a message at the event, the Zonal Pastor of Christ Embassy, Pastor Olayemi urged Nigerians to continually pray for those in positions of authority, irrespective of their personal opinions about them. According to him, praying for Political leaders is a divine responsibility that invites God's wisdom and guidance upon them, enabling them to make policies and decisions that positively impact the lives of the people. He advised Nigerians to desist from cursing or speaking negatively about their leaders, stressing that sincere prayers would produce better results for the nation than criticism and condemnat...

In a bid to strengthen security operations, enhance the fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes within the council area, the Executive Chairman of Egor Local Government Council of Edo State Hon. Osaro Eribo, has donated 12 motorcycles to the Nigeria Police Force, Ugbowo Division, and personnel of the Edo State Security Corps. The chairman while  speaking during the presentation in Benin City said the intervention formed part of his administration's unwavering commitment to protecting lives and property and ensuring that residents of Egor live and conduct their businesses in a peaceful and secure environment He said the motorcycles would improve the mobility of security operatives, enabling them to respond promptly to distress calls, intensify patrols and effectively police communities, especially areas that are difficult to access with conventional patrol vehicles. "Egor Local Government will not be a safe haven for kidnappers, bandits, cultists or any other criminal...

  TUESDAY FLAT  By Suyi Ayodele (Published in the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, July 14, 2026) https://tribuneonlineng.com/oriire-pupils-makinde-and-the-children-of-orunmila / Among the Yoruba, an enduring proverb echoes through generations: “Ọmọ Ọ̀rúnmìlà kò lè sọnù” - the child of Ọ̀rúnmìlà can never be lost. It is a declaration rooted not merely in folklore but in the vast treasury of Ifa, where countless verses uphold the conviction that the offspring of the sage who witnessed destiny can never wander beyond the reach of providence. Yet, hidden within the same sacred corpus, lies a haunting paradox. Ifa preserves the painful account of a time when the child of Ọ̀rúnmìlà was not only lost but, in a cruel twist of fate, was sacrificed in error. That tragedy became the watershed that ended the practice of human sacrifice in Yorubaland. So, whenever anyone hastily labels the Yoruba—or indeed the Black race—as practitioners of human sacrifice, this ancient narrati...