Okowa mourns Delta-born gospel singer, Sammie Okposo

Ajagbe Adeyemi Teslim

Sponsored by: H&H

The late Okposo hailed from Ivori-Irri, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta. He reportedly passed on in the morning of Nov. 25, in Lagos. He was 51.

Okowa, in the condolence message by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba, expressed sadness over the passing of the “Wellu Wellu” crooner, saying that it was a big loss to the deceased’s family, Deltans and lovers of gospel music across the world.

According to him, the passing of the popular gospel artiste is a big blow to music lovers, his family, Ivori-Irri community and Isoko nation, considering his immense talent and outstanding contributions to the growth of gospel music locally and globally.

The governor described the late Okposo as a “gentleman gospel artiste”, who contributed to the growth and development of modern entertainment industry in Nigeria.

He said that as one of the scions of the gospel genre of the music industry, Okposo would be greatly missed by his colleagues and fans.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I mourn the passing of an illustrious son of our state and a great minister in gospel music.

“The news of his death was shocking and it is  indeed, a great loss because he was a valued asset to Deltans and Nigerians, especially as his songs continue to inspire many to worship God,” he said.

Okowa prayed to God to accept the deceased’s soul and grant fortitude to the family and friends to bear his exit.

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

Sponsored by: H&H

The Leader Of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has sent a condolence message to popular musician, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido over the sad demise of his son, Ifeanyi Adeleke.

In a statement released on his social media page, Primate Ayodele expressed his grief over the sad happening while describing it as an occurrence that should not even happen to one’s enemy.

He prayed for the family of the musician, while asking God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.

‘’Losing one’s child under any circumstance has never been a good feeling. My heart goes out to the Adeleke family, David Adeleke and Chioma Rowland over the unfortunate incident that led to the demise of their beloved son, Ifeanyi Adeleke.’’

‘’ This should never happen to one’s worst enemy, it’s definitely not a good time for the family.’’

‘’I pray God grants the family the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss and that sad occurrences like this ends in the family, Amen.’’

It would be recalled that Ifeanyi Adeleke died after spending too much time under water at his father’s private residence in Banana Island, Lagos state.

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

Sponsored by: H&H

The play is a unique documentation of the story of Òkehò, the headquarters of Kajola Local Government area of Oyo State, South West, Nigeria.

This is a dramatic documentation of a specific episode in the story of Òkehò, the regicide of Ońjò Olúkìtìbí, in 1916, an incident that changed the Òkehò story drastically.

After the unfortunate incident, the British colonial administration stepped in to restore law and order in its way.

Its ultimate order was for Okeho to relocate from its nature-endowed refuge in the hills of Òkehò-Ahoro to its present site from which it had been forced to flee the Fulani and Dahomey invaders. It is this part of the story of Òkehò that is effectively captured in this drama.

The Òkehò Exodus has been receiving several praises ahead of its release, Professor Segun Gbadegesin, Aṣíwájú of Òkehò who wrote the foreword to the play, noted that, “Ìrántíọ́lá has woven seamlessly the goals of truth-telling and entertainment and has demonstrated fidelity to historical accuracy while also achieving artistic excellence.”

According to him, “through this drama, he has effectively presented, not an unhistorical entertainment, but an entertaining history. It is my fervent hope that this volume will generate the interest of serious cultural enthusiasts and the play will be staged in theatres across the country and the world in no distant future,” he added.

Also, Mr. Dípọ̀ Adéṣidà, the Chief Operating Officer of Verdant Zeal Group stated that “the story began on a romantic note, goes through the unprecedented labyrinth of divide and rule, infighting, intrigue and myopia, the genesis of bloodletting and eventual loss of a kingdom and by extension, an entire nation’s identity. Sadly, this story is still reminiscent of many African communities today who cannot see the bigger picture beyond the immediate economic or political benefits of personal gain in exchange for building a legacy of worthy governance structure for posterity.

Making a comment on the drama, the playwright, Olútáyọ̀ Ìrántíọlá, said, “I am delighted to bring this work of art to life. Writing this play is a dream come true for me and I am excited that Nigerians will read and appreciate some occurrences that happened during the colonial intrusion in Yoruba land.

I hope that this play will form the basis for which we will identify who we are as an ethnic group and revitalize the profound ingenuity in us beyond the identity given to us by the colonialists.”

Ìrántíọlá debut play titled ‘With Our Uniform’, a satirical stage play that showcases societal decadence and the ruthless use of force by uniformed men was staged during the Lagos Fringe Festival in 2022 at Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Nigeria and the SOS Theatre Festival International in the United States of America in 2021. Also, to his credit, he has an anthology of poetry in English and Yoruba languages and a biography.

The book release coincides with the 2002 Lagos Books and Art Festival and the Okeho Day celebration slated for November 14- 20 and 20-26 2022 respectively.