HistoryVille

#OnThisDay, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m., President John F. Kennedy of the United States is assassinated. He was 46. Kennedy remains the youngest American president to be elected at 43, the last to be assassinated and the youngest to die in office.

Full story: https://youtu.be/ggQlT_e9Rag

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 8

HistoryVille

For the first time in its 65-year independence history, Nigeria has been threatened with an invasion by a foreign government. #HistoryVille

1 month ago | [YT] | 53

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In 323 B.C., King Alexander the Great suddenly fell ill in Babylon, and within days, the greatest empire builder in history was dead. But was it poison, disease, or political betrayal that ended his reign? #HistoryVille

Full story: https://youtu.be/PM2fG4tffWo

1 month ago | [YT] | 8

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In 336 B.C., Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, was struck down at his daughter’s wedding in a shocking assassination that changed the course of ancient Greek history.

But who killed the king? Was it a jealous lover, a political rival, or his ambitious son, Alexander? #HistoryVille

Full story: https://youtu.be/Xg4ZnEI8vbc

1 month ago | [YT] | 16

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English evangelist, Pastor Sydney Granville Elton (April 16, 1907 - January 14, 1987), with his wife, Hannah Catherine Elizabeth (February 25, 1894 - March 25, 1983), and daughter, Ruth (September 7, 1933 - August 30, 2025), in traditional Yoruba aso-oke, Iléṣà, Western Nigeria, c.1937.

S.G. Elton was the missionary who prophesied that the Nigerian government would pay its university students to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ across Nigeria. Head of State General Yakubu Gowon would fulfil that prophecy with the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1973.

After arriving in Nigeria from England on March 11, 1937, S.G. Elton spent about 50 years doing missionary work in Nigeria, where he and his wife both lived and died. Hannah (who arrived in Nigeria on July 29, 1937) died on March 25, 1983, while Sydney died four years later on January 14, 1987. They were both buried in their Iléṣà home.

Before his death, Elton had always said, "If I die, dig a hole...bury me. Tomorrow, continue the work." He then instructed his daughter to take his place and carry on with the missionary work.

Thus, their only daughter, Ruth, who never married, renounced her British citizenship, became Nigerian, acquired the Nigerian passport, and continued the missionary work among the indigenous people (Igbira, Igala, Yoruba) of Kogi State and its environs.

Sister Ruth Elton, who passed away at 91 in her Iléṣà home on Saturday, August 30, 2025, could speak English, Ebira, Pidgin English, and Yoruba fluently. She could also passably speak the Bassa language. #HistoryVille

3 months ago | [YT] | 211

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On November 23, 1981, Governor Victor Olabisi Onabanjo of Ogun State signed a formal order suspending Oba Sikiru Adetona from office as the Awujale of Ijebuland until further notice. However, it soon turned to a deposition, and the removal was scheduled to take effect on January 2, 1984.

But the Muhammadu Buhari coup of December 31, 1983, which toppled President Shehu Shagari's civilian government, halted the plan. Buhari’s intervention inadvertently preserved the Awujale’s reign for the next 41 years.

By the early 1980s, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, and Governor Victor “Bisi” Onabanjo, both sons of Ijebu, had entered a tense phase. The foundation had been set years earlier, when Adetona had generously assisted Onabanjo during his illness and even provided accommodation and support while he studied in London. Yet as politics took centre stage, friendship gave way to rivalry, and personal ire would lead to a constitutional crisis.

In August 1981, Oba Adetona wrote to the governor notifying him of his upcoming trip to London for medical reasons, including his overseas address and phone number, purely informative, not requesting permission. Onabanjo replied, demanding more details of the trip and the health grounds, apparently implying that it needed his approval.

Oba Adetona bristled, reminding him that his letter was purely a courtesy update and that, as a traditional monarch, he did not require permission to travel. Defiant, he departed anyway, changing his phone number to avoid further contact.

On November 23, 1981, Governor Onabanjo issued a proclamation suspending the Awujale from office, an unprecedented move. He established a Commission of Inquiry under Justice Solomon O. Sogbetun to investigate Oba Adetona’s perceived insubordination and administrative conduct.

True to the governor’s intentions, the commission reported unfavourably, and by early 1982, the Awujale was formally deposed by the Ogun State Executive Council.

Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona mounted a legal challenge against the Ogun State Government, contesting the validity of the Sogbetun Commission of Inquiry, which had recommended his deposition. His legal team was formidable, led by none other than Chief F.R.A. Williams, one of Nigeria’s greatest legal minds, and supported by Chief Sina Odedina, a prominent Ijebu lawyer.

As the case made its way through the courts, political events moved with dramatic speed. Governor Bisi Onabanjo, the man who had orchestrated the deposition, was re-elected and sworn in for a second term on October 1, 1983. For a time, it appeared that the Awujale’s fate had been sealed.

But destiny, always patient, waited quietly in the wings.

Just two months and 30 days later, on December 31, 1983, the Nigerian Second Republic collapsed in a swift military coup. In a broadcast, Brigadier Sani Abacha announced the takeover of the government by the military. The democratically elected administration of President Shehu Shagari was overthrown, and Major-General Muhammadu Buhari assumed the role of Head of State.

In Ogun State, Brigadier Oladipo Diya, a fellow Ijebu son from Odogbolu, was appointed the new Military Governor. The terrain had shifted.

Then, in 1984, the defining moment arrived.

Justice Kolawole of the Ogun State High Court delivered a landmark judgment. The court nullified the findings of the Sogbetun Commission and ruled that Oba Adetona’s deposition was unlawful. It ordered his immediate reinstatement to the stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland.

The military administration of Brigadier Diya, rather than appeal the ruling, respected the court’s decision. Without drama or delay, the judgment was enforced. And thus, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona returned to his throne in Ijebu Ode—restored, vindicated, and unbroken.

The monarch who had been deposed returned not in disgrace, but in quiet triumph. Like a cat with nine lives, he resumed his place not only as a custodian of tradition, but as a symbol of endurance, dignity, and the power of lawful resistance.

From that moment, a new era began: an era that would span decades, as Oba Adetona continued to reign with wisdom, courage, and conviction. The scars of 1981 remained, but they became part of a larger story, one of resilience in the face of injustice, and of a king who refused to be cowed.

Over the next 41 years, until his transition on July 13, 2025, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona would go on to become one of Nigeria’s longest-serving monarchs, revered across the nation not only for his longevity, but for the strength of his character and the example he set. #HistoryVille

4 months ago | [YT] | 24

HistoryVille

On July 13, 2025, Nigeria bade farewell to a pillar of tradition and unity, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, who joined his ancestors. He was 91. His transition came on the very day the nation also mourned former President Muhammadu Buhari, marking a profound day of national loss.

Born on May 10, 1934, in Imupa, Ijebu-Ode, Prince Adetona was heir to the royal House of Anikinaiya. Educated at Baptist and Ansar-Ud-Deen schools locally, he later trained in accountancy in the United Kingdom, exhibiting both tradition-rooted upbringing and modern aspiration.

At just 25, he ascended the throne on April 2, 1960 (the very year Nigeria gained independence) and would reign for 65 years, among the longest-serving monarchs in Nigerian history.

His age-long stewardship witnessed the transformation of Ijebuland through political change, economic development, and social evolution.

Ọba Adetona was known for his unwavering commitment to his people’s welfare. Under his reign, Ijebuland saw enhanced educational opportunities, improved healthcare services, and significant infrastructure development, earning the region recognition as a model of progress within Ogun State.

He revitalised the Ojude Oba festival, elevating it into a major cultural event that drew admirers from across Nigeria and beyond. Through tradition and pageantry, he wove unity and pride into the fabric of his people’s identity.

Renowned for his moral compass, Ọba Adetona was a respected adviser, not just to his subjects but to Nigeria’s leaders. He shared a notable friendship with ex-President Buhari, whose coup on December 31, 1983, ended an order to depose the monarch on January 2, 1984, an act that preserved his reign.

His Royal Majesty also garnered esteem on the national stage. President Tinubu conferred upon him the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) in 2024, recognising his lifetime of service to governance, unity, and national development. #HistoryVille

4 months ago | [YT] | 20

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On a quiet November afternoon in 2000, 10-year-old Damilola Taylor walked home from the local library in Peckham, South London, but he never made it home.

Ambushed by a group of youths, he was stabbed in the leg with a broken bottle. The injury severed an artery. Alone and bleeding, he collapsed and died, just one month before his 11th birthday, in a grimy stairwell, only a short walk from his home. He was found too late. Britain was shaken to its core.

He bled to death alone on a stairwell. His death shocked the nation and sparked a soul-searching conversation about youth violence, race, and the lives of Black British children in inner-city communities.

For years, justice seemed out of reach. The first trial in 2002 collapsed due to unreliable testimony. The pain of public failure only deepened the grief of the Taylor family. But in 2006, after a painstaking reinvestigation, new forensic evidence finally identified two brothers, Danny and Ricky Preddie, aged just 12 and 13 at the time of the murder, as responsible for Damilola’s death.

They were convicted of manslaughter, not murder, and sentenced to eight years in youth custody. For many, it was a painful compromise—justice, but not full accountability. One of the brothers, Ricky Preddie, have since been in and out of prison for other crimes, including violent offences and breaches of parole, leading many to question how the justice system handled their rehabilitation.

In the face of unimaginable loss, Richard and Gloria Taylor, Damilola's parents, became symbols of strength. Rather than retreat into private grief, they stepped forward, determined to ensure their son's life had not been in vain.

In 2001, they established the Damilola Taylor Trust, dedicated to giving young people in deprived communities the opportunities and support they need to thrive. The trust launched projects around education, youth leadership, anti-violence campaigns, and partnerships with schools and police forces.

Tragically, Damilola’s mother, Gloria Taylor, died in 2008 from a heart condition. She had never truly recovered from the grief of losing her son.

Richard Taylor, however, continued their mission with quiet dignity and fierce commitment. He travelled across the UK, speaking to young people and politicians alike, campaigning against knife crime and urban neglect. For his efforts, he was honoured with an OBE in 2011.

On March 23, 2024, after nearly a quarter-century of advocacy, Richard Taylor passed away after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. He was 75. #HistoryVille

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HistoryVille

Muhammadu Buhari was the first Nigerian President/Head-of-State to die abroad. The retired Major-General died in a London clinic in the United Kingdom on Sunday, July 13, 2025. He was 82. #HistoryVille

4 months ago | [YT] | 16

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In Lagos, a teacher restrains a crying little girl because she cannot see the Queen of England during Her Majesty's royal tour of Nigeria, February 3, 1956. #HistoryVille

Photo: Historical Images

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