The Ogun State Government has formed a State Burial Committee for the Awujale and Paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who died on Sunday, July 13, 2025, and was laid to rest the next day.

In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, the committee has been given the duty of organising and coordinating all official activities to honour the late monarch with a dignified burial, recognising his impact on Ogun State and Nigeria as a whole.

The members of the committee are:

1. Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, Secretary to the State Government – Chairman

2. Mr. Dapo Okunbanjo – Chief Economic Adviser/Commissioner for Finance – Member

3. Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat, Commissioner for Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs – Member

4. Mrs. Kehinde Akinola, Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Protocol & Ceremonials – Member

5. Hon. Damilare Alebiosu, Chairman, Ijebu-ode Local Government – Member

6. Oba Lawrence Adebajo, Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo and representative of Ijebu traditional council – Member

7. Otunba Giwa Adesanya Yusuf, representative of Council of Otunbas – Member

8. Chief Oluwaranti Lekan-Osifeso, representative of Council of Chiefs – Member

9. Otunba Adegboyega Adesoye, representative of Balogun (Eleshins) – Member

10. Chief Tunde Odulaja, representative of Heritage Group – Member

11. Otunba Kunle Ogunade, representative of regberegbe – Member

12. Dr. Rotimi Akinlesi, Permanent Secretary, Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs – Secretary

At its first meeting held on Thursday, July 17, 2025, the committee stated it would collaborate with the family of the late Kabiyesi, who attended the session, as well as with other stakeholders to deliver a fitting set of programmes in memory of the monarch, especially in light of the expected presence of President Bola Tinubu.

The United States Mission in Nigeria has confirmed that Rick Swart has arrived in Lagos as the new Consul General.

Swart, who landed on Wednesday, will serve as the US government’s representative in 17 states across southern Nigeria.

This was revealed in a statement issued on Friday by the Public Diplomacy Section of the US Consulate General in Lagos.

His responsibilities include expanding trade, building stronger connections with Nigerians, and promoting key U.S.-Nigeria objectives in the region.

“I am honoured to serve in Nigeria. I am excited about the opportunity to travel across the region, meet the people, experience the culture, while advancing the shared goals of making our two countries safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” Swart was quoted as saying.

He takes over from JoEllen Gorg, who had served in an acting role since November 2024 after Will Stevens’ departure.

Swart acknowledged Gorg’s contributions, saying, “I thank JoEllen for her remarkable leadership and for the outstanding work she has done to promote our close partnership with the Nigerian people in the region.

“I look forward to working closely with Ambassador Mills and the team at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, to further advance the shared objectives between Nigeria and the United States.”

Swart is a seasoned diplomat who previously held the position of Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Chad.

His career has included postings in Congo, Burundi, Iraq, Geneva, London, Manila, and Dubai, among others.

Before joining the State Department in 2002, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stated that the party is working on strategies to bring Peter Obi back into the party.

He referred to the former Anambra State governor as someone shaped by the PDP and said he holds significant value for any political organization.

He pointed out that despite alleged rigging and manipulation during the 2023 elections, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate still secured over six million votes.

Peter Obi, who was once the PDP’s vice presidential candidate, left the party for the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 general election.

He secured the Labour Party’s presidential ticket and ran against Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.

Obi emerged victorious in twelve states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, but placed third behind Atiku and eventual winner Tinubu, according to the final results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Thursday night, Abdullahi noted that the PDP is making efforts to welcome Obi back into its ranks.

“Peter Obi is our product, and the PDP indeed wants to get him back. He is a very great capital for any political party, and any political party that will have him will be to their advantage,” he said.

“The truth of the matter is if he had not gone the way he did in the last dispensation and proved that mettle to generate over six million in spite of the rigging and frustration of his chances in many of the states. Peter Obi is truly a political capital no doubt about it,” he added.

Recently, Peter Obi said he remains a Labour Party member but intends to collaborate with a new Coalition formed under the African Democratic Congress.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and the PDP’s presidential candidate in the last two elections, has left the party.

Atiku is among several political figures forming a coalition aimed at unseating the current president in the 2027 elections through the ballot box.