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Why Kwam1 Want The Awujale Throne- Details
The contest for the vacant stool of the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland has taken a dramatic turn with the formal entry of Fuji music legend and long-time ally of President Bola Tinubu, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate.
At 67, K1 brings a rare combination of cultural influence, national recognition, and political connections to a succession process closely watched across Yorubaland.
According to a now-circulating letter dated December 3, 2025, addressed to the Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, his candidacy is formally guided by the provisions of Ijebu customary law and the Ogun State Chieftaincy Laws.
“I, Otunba Wasiu Ayinde Adewale Olasunkanmi Omogbolahan Anifowoshe, MON, hereby formally notify the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of my intention to be considered for the vacant stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland, subject strictly to the provisions of Ijebu customary law and the Ogun State Chieftaincy Laws,” the letter partly read.
K1 emphasised his ancestry as a key qualification, citing his royal lineage.
”I was born on 3rd March, 1957, and I am a bonafide son of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Agunsebi Quarters, tracing my ancestry to the Oba Jadiara lineage, which qualifies me to present myself for consideration in accordance with established tradition,” he wrote.
The Oba Jadiara lineage is a historic branch of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, which has the exclusive right to present candidates for the Awujale stool, according to rotational custom.
Beyond lineage, K1 highlighted his decades-long service to Ijebuland and Yoruba culture.
have devoted over five decades to the promotion of Ijebu, Yoruba, and Nigerian culture through music and cultural enterprise,” Kwam 1 said.
He noted that his music career and public engagements have been instrumental in promoting the identity and heritage of Ijebuland nationally and internationally.
K1’s letter also referenced key honours that underscore his prominence.
“I have devoted over five decades to the promotion of Ijebu, Yoruba, and Nigerian culture through music and cultural enterprise,” Kwam 1 said.
He cited his installation as Mayegun of Yorubaland in 2020, the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger in 2022, and his conferment as Olori Omo-Oba and Otunba Afidipotemole of Akile Ijebu in 2023 by the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona.
These titles, according to him, demonstrate recognition of his cultural and civic contributions.
K1’s declaration followed a formal request from the Ijebu-Ode Local Government, signed by the LG Secretary on behalf of the chairman, Oke Adebanjo, for the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to commence the selection process.
“You are hereby requested to submit the name(s) of nominated candidate(s) within 14 days from the date of this letter to the Executive Chairman’s Office through the prescribed traditional procedure,” he said.
The council also outlined a succession ritual, saying, “On Tuesday, 2nd December 2025, the Ogbeni Odi will officially carry the Awujale’s Staff of Office along with the undersigned as the next phase of the succession rite.”
The letter reminded the ruling house to conduct the exercise “peacefully, transparently, and in line with the traditions of Ijebuland.”
Before K1’s entry, the race had already attracted notable candidates, including a 45-year-old prince from the Adeberu lineage of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Olaseni Ottun, and prominent engineer and entrepreneur Otunba Babatunde Alatise.
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House is expected to submit its nominations within the stipulated 14 days, following the rotational and customary guidelines governing the Awujale stool.
NELFUND has rejected allegations that the Federal Government’s student loan scheme is being used to favour supporters or children of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, dismissed the claim as “completely ridiculous.”
Moreover, he said the structure of the application system does not allow political affiliation to determine who receives the loans.
Sawyerr spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
He explained that the loan scheme is operated through an electronic application process.
Applicants are required to provide personal and academic information, including their names and matriculation numbers.
According to him, the system is designed to establish whether an applicant meets the requirements for the programme.
It does not collect information that would enable NELFUND to determine whether a student belongs to the APC or supports another political party.
“I have not heard this allegation, but I can tell you that it’s a completely ridiculous idea that the administration of Bola Tinubu is focused on trying to fund people who support the party. We are talking about students; many of them are yet to vote, some of them are going to be voting for the first time, [and] many of them are not party members.
“How, in any event, do we determine who is a party member and who isn’t? Even if you are running a manual process, how do you do that? You can’t. It’s unlikely to yield you any result.
“It is a process you have to apply for this loan electronically. If you don’t have a name, you can’t apply for this loan. You provide your matriculation number; you have to be in a public institution,” he said.
The NELFUND boss said the allegation also failed to take into account the nature of the beneficiaries targeted by the programme.
He noted that many students accessing the loans are young people who have not yet participated in an election. Some are also not members of any political party.Executive Branch
Sawyerr therefore maintained that using political affiliation as a basis for deciding beneficiaries would be impractical under the existing system.
He said NELFUND’s focus is on Nigerian students who meet the conditions for the loan and are enrolled in eligible public tertiary institutions.
Sawyerr described the demand for the scheme as “overwhelming”, saying many students and their families were struggling to meet the financial demands of tertiary education.
“The demand has been overwhelming, because clearly a lot of people have struggled to get into these institutions,” he said. “They are hanging on by the skin of their teeth to stay in the institution, and this programme came as a rescue for them.”
He disclosed that NELFUND had so far disbursed about N162 billion in upkeep allowances to students.
The fund is also examining application and disbursement figures as demand increases, with the agency seeking to understand the financial requirements needed to sustain the programme.
The student loan initiative was introduced by the Federal Government as part of efforts to reduce financial barriers to higher education.
President Bola Tinubu signed the Student Loans Act into law in April 2024, paving the way for the current NELFUND structure. The scheme provides interest-free financial support to eligible Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions.
It covers approved institutional charges and upkeep support for qualified beneficiaries.
The programme was designed to give students access to funding without requiring them to depend entirely on their parents or guardians to remain in school.
NELFUND has repeatedly stressed the importance of an electronic process in managing applications and disbursements.
The system allows applicants to submit their information for verification before their applications are processed.
Sawyerr further insisted that the system does not discriminate based on religion, ethnicity or gender.
“We have a system that is focused on people who are Nigerians and meet the standard. The system doesn’t recognise your gender. There is no bias in the system at the front end or the back end.
“This is a system that doesn’t care whether you are of one tribe or the other. This system does not have a view or an opinion on whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, or an African traditional religionist; it doesn’t want to know.”
The NELFUND chief also spoke about the impact of the scheme on student retention.
He said available figures indicated that the programme had contributed to a reduction in the number of students dropping out of tertiary institutions, with the reduction put at about 20 per cent.
Sawyerr also addressed concerns surrounding repayment of the loans.
He maintained that beneficiaries would not be subjected to an unreasonable repayment burden, noting that repayment would be tied to their ability to pay after completing their studies.
Under the current structure, repayment is expected to commence two years after beneficiaries complete the National Youth Service Corps programme.
The NELFUND boss also disclosed that funds President Tinubu announced would be recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and channelled into the student loan scheme had not yet been received by the fund.
The UK Government has appointed Alastair Long as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa, with a mandate to deepen economic ties and expand commercial partnerships between Britain and the continent.
The UK Department for Business and Trade welcomed Long to the position, according to a statement issued on Monday by the British Deputy High Commission.
The mission said Long would work with African governments, investors, businesses and institutions to strengthen economic relations between the UK and African countries.
It added that his responsibilities would include expanding commercial partnerships, supporting UK and African businesses, attracting investment and helping to build sustainable, resilient and productive economies across the continent.
“Long returns to a region he knows well, having previously served as Deputy Trade Commissioner and then HMTC for Africa between 2019 and 2022.
“Before taking up his current position, he served as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain from August 2023,” the mission said.
Long said he was thrilled to resume his work in Africa.
He described Africa as the future, saying he had witnessed the continent’s “boundless energy and ambition” during his previous assignments.
“The UK is committed to being a partner that supports African and British growth by listening to African priorities and bringing the very best the UK has to offer.
“I look forward to engaging across the continent, with the UK business community, and with the UK Government team, to realise as many mutual opportunities as possible.”
Long succeeds John Humphrey, who had served as the UK Trade Commissioner for Africa since June 2022.
The British Deputy High Commission said Long inherited strong UK momentum in Africa and would bring extensive trade expertise to the role, as well as the focus and energy required to deepen partnerships and unlock further opportunities for mutual benefit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the HMTC leads the UK’s overseas efforts to promote trade, investment, export opportunities and trade policy objectives.
The Commissioner works closely with the wider diplomatic network and other government officials to coordinate Britain’s overseas efforts to promote UK trade and prosperity.
The office also has responsibility for the Department for Business and Trade’s work in Africa, including growing the overall trade and investment relationship, improving market access for British companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, and developing trade policy.
Long joined the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in 2002 and has held previous postings in the Middle East and North Africa.
He was educated at Clare College, Cambridge University, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
NAN
The Federal Government has indicated that the review of Nigeria’s national minimum wage will be addressed through fresh negotiations with organised labour, amid growing pressure for an upward adjustment of the current ₦70,000 wage.
The development comes as workers and labour unions intensify calls for a new wage structure, arguing that rising living costs have significantly eroded the purchasing power of the minimum wage introduced in 2024.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had earlier announced plans to commence negotiations with the Federal Government on a new minimum wage in 2026. The unions said the review was necessary because of increases in the cost of food, transportation, housing, healthcare and other essential services.
The Federal Government had also acknowledged that the current ₦70,000 minimum wage no longer fully reflects prevailing economic realities. Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the government would approach the next wage review as a partner to labour, while stressing that workers’ welfare should also be addressed through measures covering housing, healthcare, transportation and other social interventions.
The latest development has been accompanied by renewed demands from federal workers. The Federal Workers Forum recently asked the government to increase the minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦300,000, citing the rising cost of living and what it described as inadequacies in the implementation of the existing wage structure.
However, the demand for ₦300,000 has faced opposition from sections of the Organised Private Sector. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other business groups warned that an abrupt increase to that level could fuel inflation, increase production costs and potentially result in job losses if businesses are unable to sustain the higher wage bill.
The debate is therefore expected to centre on finding a balance between workers’ demand for improved wages and the ability of governments and employers to sustain any new wage structure without worsening inflation or threatening employment.
The current ₦70,000 national minimum wage was signed into law in July 2024 following negotiations between the Federal Government, organised labour and the private sector. Labour has since maintained that the rapid increase in the cost of living has made another review necessary.
As the fresh negotiations gather momentum, workers are awaiting a formal framework and timeline for the talks, while government, labour and employers are expected to negotiate a wage level that reflects current economic realities and remains sustainable for the Nigerian economy.
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