By Olusegun Rapheal
It was celebration of culture and journalism last Sunday May 5, 2024, as Alhaji Gboyega Jelil Alaka of The Nation Newspapers and his amiable wife, Blessing Barakat Alaka were honoured with the chieftaincy titles of Onigege Ara and Yeye Onigege Ara of Ishaga Akiniyi Kingdom in Ogun State.
According to the traditional ruler of Ishaga Akiniyi Kingdom, His Royal Eminence, Francis Femi Akiniyi, the Onigege Ara (Man with the wonder pen) title was in recognition of Alaka’s journalism exploits, which have seen him win several journalism awards across several categories of the Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA), including the coveted Newspaper Reporter of the Year Award 2019 and Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME) UNICEF prize for Child-Friendly Reporting (2015), as well as his contributions towards the development of Ishaga Akiniyi Kingdom.
The honour for his wife, HME said, is “for a steadfast woman and strong pillar behind a successful man of the pen.”
Himself a graduate of English at the Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile- Ife, Akiniyi said, “It is high time the traditional institutions started honouring accomplished intellectuals among us, to celebrate them and to encourage them to do more.”
Gboyega Alaka is also the current chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (The Nation Chapel).
Also honoured were Elder (Barr.) Olugbenga Omiwole, who was conferred with the title of Baamofin of Ishaga Akiniyi Kingdom, alongside his beautiful wife, Engr (Dns) Foluke Oluwakemi Omiwole, who got the title of Yeye Baamofin.
Omiwole is an accomplished legal luminary and founder of Omiwole & Omiwole (Orayinka Chambers) with offices in Ile-Ife, Lagos and Abuja.
Mrs Yetunde Teleola Oladapo, an Assistant Director, Admin/Human Resources in the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, was conferred with title of Yeye Arilesoro of Ishaga Akiniyi Kingdom.
Chief Mrs Oladapo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria and a member of the Association of Human Resources Practitioners of Nigeria.
Also honored were Kolawole Emmanuel Ogunlewe, a real estate practitioner who was honoured with the title of Maiyegun.
HME Akiniyi also recently honoured the Zambian Ambassador to Nigeria, Adama Njie, with the title of Borokini, while businessman, Olatunde Thomas Oni was honoured with the title of Aare Akinmoyela.
