The Week: Ooni Of Ife’s Troubled Marriage And More

There’s a thin line between love and hate. Three perfect examples, the troubled marriage between the Ooni of Ife and Wuraola, Omarosa and Aso Ebi. Love, suffering and putting on a show are bed fellows. Here are the stories that made our week…

They think it’s all over.
It isn’t yet.

Ooni of Ife and wife

Splashed across the Internet has been speculation about the abrupt collapse of the 17-month marriage between the Ooni of Ife and his Olori, Wuraola. It is authoritatively true, screamed the pages of Linda Ikeji’s blog with the certainty of one who changes their bed linen. Other media have also gone with the view that the Kingdom has fallen but the Kingdom has responded with a strong denial saying they have a happy marriage.

The rise of the Neo Nazis

White people chanting “White lives matter” at Charlottesville

A woman was killed by a white supremacist during days of rioting as they protested the proposed taking down of the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at a Charlottesville Park close to the University of Virginia. These symbols of slavery and the Confederacy (Deep South states that opposed the North during the American Civil War) have started to come down in recent times but the far right, emboldened by the Trump Presidency has been more vocal.

Aso Ebi Beelzebub

Aso ebi at a wedding

We all love to flip through pics of gorgeous women in aso ebi but the sad truth is these often-obligatory wedding uniforms have ruined marriages, blighted friendships and left people destitute. The expense of the cloth and tailoring plus the pressure to outdo others in the fashion stakes leaves many wishing there was a way out. Now a church has said enough is enough. The Redeemed Christian Church of God has banned aso ebi and called it sinful (except in special circumstances). The wife of the General Overseer claimed the aso ebi requirement was being used to pressure and exclude.

Oh my, Omarosa!

Omarosa Manigault

Her name sounds like a sad Latin love song and Omarosa, former The Apprentice contestant and outspoken devotee of President Trump during his election campaign, finally got a clue as to how disliked she was when she appeared on the panel at a National Association of Black Journalists event. Newman, whose father is Nigerian, refused to answer questions about the Trump administration despite being director of communications for Trump’s office of public liaison. Several journalists turned their back on her, while others heckled or booed. She eventually stormed out.

Crisis in Sierra Leone

People inspect the damage after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone

A national emergency has been called following flash flooding and mudslide in and around Freetown, Sierra Leone. Over 400 are dead with another 600 missing, and thousands are displaced. The President addressed the devastation saying entire communities had been wiped out and pleading for support.