New York City and Ibadan City

By
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth
London, England

There are some interesting developments common between New York State and  Old Oyo State comprising now  Oyo State  and Osun State. New York City in New York State is the largest city in the United States of America while Ibadan City in Oyo State, the largest city in Nigeria. 

   New York has a mayor presently in the person of  Bill  de  Blasio and   Ibadan has instead, the traditional title basorun currently being held by Chief Kola Daisi, founder, Kola Daisi University, Ibadan.

  In addition to this   basorun  title, mention must be made of Iyalode of Ibadanland   which could be translated as the matriach of Ibadan city. The Iyalode - elect of Ibadan City is High Chief  (Mrs.) Theresa  Laduntan Oyekanmi .

New York City is the cultural capital of the U.S. and Ibadan City used to be the cultural capital of Nigeria. New York City is the publishing capital of the U.S. and Ibadan the publishing     capital of Nigeria.        In New York,  you have a well known monument to liberty – The Statue of Liberty. In Ibadan was also a well known monument to liberty – The Liberty Stadium (now Obafemi Awolowo Stadium). Over 60 million people visit New York every year. What about  Ibadan City?. Why not Ibadan city?

New York State and Oyo State have the best places for agricultural research of their respective countries.
In the U.S., it is the Cornell University, Ithaca, and in Oyo State, it is the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).       At Ibadan, precisely University of Ibadan we have the best programme in History in Nigeria also known as the Ibadan school of History. In New York City, precisely at Columbia University is the best programe in History in the U.S.    State University of New York, the largest in New York State, was founded in 1948 and 1948 also saw the founding of University of Ibadan, the largest university in Oyo State.
In New York State and Oyo State, we had Franklin Delano Roosevelt and James Ajibola Ige respectively. Roosevelt was Governor of New York State and Ige was Governor of Old Oyo State. Both of them served as governor for four years.

Roosevelt became President of the United States while Ige was a presidential aspirant. Franklin Roosevelt’s father, James Roosevelt, invested in the railway business whereas Bola Ige’s father, Solomom Ige, was a railway officer.

Roosevelt and Ige both studied at the premier degree-awarding institutions of their respective countries: Harvard College Cambridge and University College, Ibadan, respectively. Roosevelt and Ige were both lawyers. They both have been described as orators. What is more, they both died in office.

The seat of the Office of the Governor of New York is at Albany whereas the seat of the Office of the Governor of Oyo State is at Agodi. Indeed, what interesting coincidences!

Michael Bloomberg and Michael Faborode

  by
 Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth,London,England


 What is it that Michael Bloomberg knows   that Michael Faborode does not know?
Michael Bloomberg is the World's 9th richest man and Faborode  had served as 9th Vice- Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Nigeria.  Bloomberg and Faborode are both engineers.
Bloomberg an electrical engineer  and Faborode an agricultural engineer.
Faborode shares the same birthdate   September 22 with Michael Faraday the fore-runner of the electrical engineering profession. Faraday was born in 1791  and Faborode was born in 1956.
 Bloomberg who was an ex mayor of New York city, U.S.A. has 325,000 subscribers to his    Bloomberg Terminal. How many units are there of Faborodes Innovation.He won the Nigerian Innovation Prize
  I was just wondering as I saw Faborode in the THISDAY Newspaper on Feburary 13,  2019  the next day, Feburary 14, 2019      it was Michael Bloomberg featured in the  Times of London. It was his    77th birthday anniversary and   and the wedding anniversary Source Prabook) of the head of department to Professor Faborode  ex- secretary general of the Committee of  Vice-Chancellors which like Oliver Twist, was always calling for more.
 On November 2018, John Hopkins University announced a gift of  1.8 billion dollars from Bloomberg making it the largest private donation in modern history to an institution of higher education making his contribution to Hopkins in excess of 3.3 billion so reveals Wikipedia.
 I gathered  also  from the Nigerian Tribune that Professor Michael Ologunde was installed vice- chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso in Nigeria on Feburary 14, 2019. Ologunde himself, a food scientist and  food technologist like the wife to Faborode's  Head of Departmet, Professor Banjo Aluko

OYEKANMI IYALODE-ELECT OF IBADANLAND MAKES MAIDEN OUTING

High Chief (Mrs.)Theresa Laduntan Oyekanmi, a.k.a. 'Arilewola Atobatele' the Iyalode-elect of Ibadanland has made her maiden official outing on the occasion of the formal installation of four new Mogajis and Baale which took place at the  palace of His Imperial Majesty. Oba Saliu Adetunji, Aje Ogubgunniso I, the Olubadan of Ibadanland recently.

The four newly installed Mogajis are:
1. Chief Muritala Lawal of Open Agbe Omiyale Family in Omiyale area of Ibadanland
2. Chief Wahab Sanusi Adelowo of Asunmo Family in Inalende area of Ibadanland
3. Chief Ismail A bass Adebukola Bioku of Bioku Anikulapo Family in Oranyan area of Ibadanland
4. Chief Akeen Lawal Agbara if Agbara Family in Oke-Ado area of Ibadanland

The newly appointed Baale Asanike Village in Oluyole Local Government Area of Ibadan is Chief Sulaimon Amoo Gbadamosi Asanike

Here:
Kabiyesi Olubadan of Ibadanland,Oba Saliu Adetunji,Aje Ogungunniso 1, is being flanked with the Iyalode-elect of Ibadanland,High Chief (Mrs.)Theresa Laduntan Oyekanmi(left), Olori Rashidat Aje Ogungunniso 1,Asaaju Iyalode of Ibadanland and Oloye 'Lekan Alabi the Agba Akin Olubadan of Ibadanland

Engineering, and Innovation

A Call for partnership towards publishing for a prosperous Nigeria  and Africa  by Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth,London,England  atogonub@yahoo.com


Without Engineers we are told, we would all be living in caves  and Nigerians are metaphorically cave dwellers,

Kelvin Doe,   John Magiro and William Kankwamba   three  africans from sierra leone,  Kenya and Malawi  became internationally recognised inventors, Innovators and Engineers   as teenagers when barely out of secondary school. Dear Reader I would not want to spoon feed you so I urge you to look up the names I have mentioned.

  William Kankwamba saved his   Village from Famine after reading a book he found in the library.  He constructed a windmill. Note it’s a Book not  36 books or   the latest Scientific Journals. What have Nigerian Engineers  in or out of Academia done with all the Engineering Books and journals found in Nigerian Libraries?  Nigeria has  so many Engineers and she  is as well the poverty capital of the world

 John experienced  a  problem  and found a solution- a solution that is transforming the lives of  his community. He built a mini hydro electric power station. And Kelvin Doe Built a Radio Station. Doe was even invited as a Practitioner to MIT which we used to know as the best place in the world to study physics and electrical Engineering.

    Rather than focusing on Government, Celebrities, crime    sex and violence the Nigerian and African Newspapers should spend more time asking” what s happening by way of Engineering and innovation in Africa  or why things are not happening at all”, I am quite sceptical about all the noise been made about ICT, which  seems to be about  sitting in front of a computer screen or eyes glued to a smart phones , playing around with  a Key Board and hoping to make lots of money.. Maybe ICT would make a few millionaires but what Africa needs is not more millionaires or  but millions of Jobs.

   There are opportunities in problems. For instance after writing about a collapsed building or Inadequate Housing or dilapidated housing for Students maybe the journalist in question should go out to ascertain the state of Building Research and innovation in Nigeria. Mind you , you would not have to wait for  President  Muhammad Buhari to sign a Bill on the research and innovation council  because councils do not achieve anything in Nigeria or Africa. To a large extent you have to look to the  the private sector   and civil society to solve Nigerias problems and by extension Africas  problems. In many cases Government has enough intelligence but Government is over burdened.

OLOYE LEKAN ALABI ,CHILDREN OF IYALODE IBADAN-ELECT VISIT GOVERNOR-ELECT OF OYO STATE

The Olubadan of Ibadanland,His Imperial Majesty,Kabiyesi Oba Saliu Adetunji,Aje Ogungunniso 1, has sent a message of congratulations to the Governor-elect of Oyo State of Nigeria,Engineer Seyi Makinde.
The royal message of Olubadan Adetunji,Aje Ogungunniso 1,was delivered by  Oloye 'Lekan Alabi,the Agba Akin Olubadan of Ibadanland,today on behalf of Olubadan Aje Ogungunniso
 at his Agodi GRA,Ibadan home.

In the royal message,the Olubadan,on his behalf,the  Chiefs,indigenes and residents of Ibadanland,congratulated the Oyo State Governor-elect,Engineer Makinde,on his victory at the polls. He praised Engr.Makinde for his tenacity,sagacity and magnanimity in victory.
The Royal Father recalled past charity and developmental deeds of Engr.Makinde. He enjoined the Governor-elect of Oyo State,Engr.Makinde,to continue being godly, humble,honest, diligent, hardworking, respectful and kind.
Olubadan Aje Ogungunniso 1, prayed that God would enable the Governor-elect and his in-coming government to make life more secure and abundant for the citizens and residents of Oyo  State.
In his response,the Oyo State Governor-elect,Engr.Makinde, thanked the Olubadan,indigenes, residents of Ibadanland and the people of Oyo State in general, for their prayers and  support,which he said contributed to his victory at the state governorship election last Saturday.
He promised to deliver on his party's electoral promises,emphasising that his government would accord traditional rulers and the citizens of Oyo State their rights and privileges.

PHOTOGRAPH CAPTION
The Governor-elect of Oyo State,Engineer Seyi Makinde(3rd from the left) Oloye 'Lekan Alabi,Agba Akin Olubadan of Ibadanland (3rd from the right)Mr Jide Oyekanmi (right)Mr Bankole Oyekanmi (2nd from the right)Mrs Folasade Adebayo(nee Oyekanmi)all children of the Iyalode-elect of Ibadanland,High Chief(Mrs)Theresa Laduntan Oyekanmi. On the left is Mr Yomi
Agarawu,an associate of the Oyekanmis.

Of Michael Faraday, Obafemi Awolowo and Michael Faborode

By Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth

 Michael Faraday and  Michael Faborode were born on September 22  1791  and  1956  respectively .Faraday, a British chemist ,physicist and forerunner of the electrical engineering profession  and Faborode, a Nigerian Professor of agricultural engineering.
Faraday rejected the presidency of the Royal Institution  the Nigerian equivalent which is the Nigerian Academy of Science whereas Faborode  a farm machinery  and processing  expert   and a  fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering served as the President of the West African Association of Agricultural Engineers and is the incumbent secretary  - general  of the Commitee of Vice Chancellors.
 Its been said that if Michael Faraday had lived in the 20th Century, he would have won six Nobel Prizes for 'revolutionary discoveries in the area of physics and chemistry' so opined Sir John Thomas, former director of the Royal  Institution of Britain
Faborode has won   three prizes so far.  These include: joint  1st  prize, NOTAP National Innovation Award 2002; Joint  4th Prize Winner  RMDC processing plant design 2005 and 1st Prize Winner RMDC Plant Design 2008.
 On September 22 1978,the 22  Birthday  Anniversary of Faborode, the Unity Party of Nigeria was founded by Obafemi Awolowo and coincidentally, Faborode was appointed  as the  9th vice- chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU). Ile, Ife Osun State.
  On September 9,  1980, coincidentally, the 49th birthday of  the late  Profesor  Ojetunji Aboyade a noted economist   and university of Ife(Now OAU)  vice- chancellor, in a  foreword to a book, 320 worked examples in mechanics by   Professor Ayodele Awojobi,  Obafemi Awolowo wrote, 'One of the badges of Poverty is the inability of men to invent and maintain machines'.The Economist's Pocket Book of Figures of year 2019, reveals that Nigeria spent  10 Billion Dollars on importing machinery  and transport equipment in 2018. The Business Agro section of The Guardian August 6, 2018  had a report by  Femi Ibirogba captioned, Agric equipment fabricators seek end to job, wealth exportation. The report states Nigeria is import dependent on agricultural equipment and technologies despite colleges of agriculture and universities.