THE ORIGIN OF UDOKO PEOPLE

One very fundamental historical fact is that udoko people settled in what is now known as Ondo town much before the founders of ode-ondo town arrived. Udoko is one of the ancient towns in ondo and in Yoruba land. The Ondos met the Udokos on the present site. In relevant areas all over the world the ABORIGINES, which the Udoko people are, are not usually very many in number but they do not in consequence lose their identity but they are recognised in the scheme of things. Ondo and Udoko are conglomeration of two (communities) towns in which ode-ondo is the seat of Osemawe as a part, while Udoko the seat of Oludoko is also another part
The Udokos are the original setters, the aborigines of ondo kingdom and they are autonomous of the people of ode-ondo. One of the many indisputable authorities on this issue is “IWE ITAN ONDO” LATI OWO S.O. BADA, ONDO, NIGERIA 1962 Ed. (Page 27, 28, 29, 30, 31,34 and 37 are very relevant);and all Yoruba land law by Lloyd at pages 99 and 107 as well as page 74 of kingdom of the Yoruba by Robert Smith. The history of the Yoruba’s by Rev. Samuel Johnson 1976 ed. Page 25 and 108 and a book written by High chief Olabanji A. Akingbule titled “The Great Reawakening at page 6 in honour of Oba Festus I.A. Adesanoye, Intelligent Report of ondo 1934 and series on towns in ondo page 3 .
The Udokos have their own separate gods, shrines and a distinct facial mark which is a one vertical stroke on each cheek called “ila udoko” which is different from ondo “Gombo” facial mark as worn by the first Ondos who arrived at the present site and settled with the udoko aborigines. Even though it may appear to an outsider that udoko has almost fused with ode ondo, it still has its own historical and cultural identities, its identifiable population and territory, separate customs, distinct set of chiefs, its traditional markets. Its hierarchy of chiefs, its festivals, its shrines and its traditional gods
THE HISTORY OF UDOKO AND ITS LOCATION
Udoko is a community in ondo west local government Area and Oludoko is the traditional ruler and Oba of udoko. Long ago, udoko used to be a separate settlement located between ode-ondo, Okeigbo and Epe towns. As a result of population growth and general development ode-ondo has almost fused with the southern part of udoko. The boundaries are however still very clear.
Udoko community land starts from River Oyenrin where it has boundary with ode-ondo community. At the eastern side, udoko has boundary with Epe town and with Ondos on the west a well. In northern side, the boundary is at Oke-orun-oga with Oke-igbo along ondo-Ife road. Some of the stated areas are now developed while the other parts are yet to be developed.
History has it on records that the Udokos migrated from Ile-Ife under the leadership of Prince Oludoko Adega. They made some stops in various place before Oludoko and his followers finally settled at the present site which was then a jungle with no one within the vicinity of the area. It was many years later that we learnt of the arrival of a hunter/blacksmith known as Ekii who settled at the western side which is now called IFORE. Later more people started coming to settle within and around the area including the Ondos
For many years, the Udokos lived together and has many things in common with the Epes, Ode-Ondos, Ifores. The Oludoko was the head of the Udokos for many years and not until the arrival of the foreigners/expatriates and missionaries that all the communities were joined together and Oludoko was re titled Oloja Doko in line with those of other surrounding towns and villages. Oludoko Adega, the founder migrated from Ile-Ife. He was so strong and powerful medicinally and spiritually that people had to appeal to him (Oludoko Adega) to go and found his own place, a new town to settle and practice his powers and means.
When leaving Ile Ife, he was given a ceremonial crown, a tall wooden staff, now known as “OPA JONFA”, two swords, horse-tails and some followers to carry his loads and serve him as messengers and warriors. The crown and staff are usually kept in the small house built at the shrine “Igbo Oro” where women, children and un-matured men, those who have not been initiated into the cult and manhood are not allowed to enter and see any of the special items kept at the shrine. The first palace Oludoko settled is now known as Oke-Doko which is now a street in udoko land.

TRADITIONAL FESTIVALS AND SHRINES OF THE UDOKOS
Udoko people have their own traditional festival and these include Odun-ogun, Odun Jonfa, Odun Oro, Odun Moko, Odun Ibeji, Odun Ifa, Oranfe and Sango etc. each of which is celebrated within Udoko as distinct from ode-ondo community. We have our own age-grade system as it is the Udokos that usually perform the rites of initiation of young men into manhood, ritual for family of any one that hangs himself and those that committed abomination or women that died with pregnancy or at child birth or the burial of the hunch-back are performed in line with our peculiar tradition. Please see Iwe itan ondo by S.O. Bada at pages 27, 28 and 29
As recorded in a book of authority “The Kingdoms of Yoruba” by Robert Smith at page 74 “The Idokos are a people who still form a separate group in Ondo with their own gods and who do not participate in the ondo festivals”. Accordingly, there are nine (9) Shrines in Udoko (Idoko). They are scattered all over udoko-land. Therese shrines are;
Jonfa shrine (Male, ako): usually identified with akoko tree
Jonfa shrine (Female, abo) usually identified by Peregun tree.
Ogun shrine
Igbo-Oro (for initiation to Apon male group)
Oro – God of wind
Esu shrine (Esugbin)
Oranfe
Baba Loosadoko (Umale)
Lomi (god of water).

In 1931, Christianity was really introduced and accepted by the Udokos and the then Oludoko (Akintomowo) was baptised at Saint Stephen’s church, Oke-Aluko, Ondo. The articles in the shrines were buried and the very strong ones were carried into the bush, leaving few behind. Many of the inhabitants of udoko became Christians and were also baptised.

OLUDOKO TITLE
Oludoko is the original name we call the head of udoko but when the colonial administrators came, they changed the title to Oloja-udoko in line with their practice in the surrounding towns and villages. I confirm the Oludoko title has been restored by approval and appointment of Oludoko chieftaincy as an Oba. Furthermore, “UDOKO” and “IDOKO” means the same thing. UDOKO is the native and local pronunciation of the word, while IDOKO is the Yoruba version
THE OLUDOKO TITLE HOLDERS
Records of various historians show fifteen among many others that have reigned previously before the present Oludoko of udoko. We believe that there are many more. However, the names of the fifteen easily remembered and known ones are as follows;
Oba Oludoko Adega
Oba Oludoko Ureju
Oba Oludoko Adekoru
Oba Oludoko Ademimikanmi
Oba Oludoko Ade Akin
Oba Oludoko Adegun
Oba Oludoko Akinlose
Oba Oludoko Adegbonmilo
Oba Oludoko Adifagbade
Oba Oludoko Ogunmola
Oba Oludoko Oni
Oba Oludoko Age Akinmusire
Oba Oludoko Akinmusire
Oba Oludoko Akintomowo
Oba Oludoko Ayoade Akinmusire- 1950-1979.
Oba Adeyemi Akinmusire (The incumbent February, 1986 till date)
KINGMAKERS
The Oludoko, just like other Obas in Yoruba land has his own set of hierarchy of High Chiefs within the udoko community
However, there are only six Kingmakers and they are;
Chief Lisa(Chairman)
Chief Ojomu
Chief Aogbo
Chief Sasere
Chief Odofin

UDOKO TRADITIONAL MARKETS
The udoko people have their traditional markets including Igboye,Okutaila, Obunfe,Ogbe and Ojadoko etc. some of the markets are patronised daily, some every five days and others at nine days interval. Ojadoko is usually held every day in front of the palace Aatudin, Igbo-Olojo.
TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN UDOKO LAND
The following are the towns and villages in udoko land. They include:
Udoko township
Omilegun
Esugbin
Onigbo
Ighoyi
Ogbe/Onipele
Okeorunoga
Ligbata
Kokumo Camp
Ogbebiti
Aboba
Lisa camp
Aratundin
Onigate
Aimasiko camp
Okeorisa
Obado
Tekile
Irowa
Ajebambo
Temidire1&2
Onisoosi
Ajegunle
Aratu Olojo or Aratu Akinnagbe
Matil
Oluwabasirimi
Adebanjo
Aba koona
Alaguntan
Gbagenha-Oja and Gbagenha-ile
Igbokuta
Yooye
Laje 1 & 11
SOME STREETS IN UDOKO IN ONDO WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Oke-Doko street
Okelisa street
Our Saviour’s Road
Titilayo street
Owode street
Gbajumo street
Akiwande street
Surulere street
Wasimi street
Wasimi lane
Aiyeferere street
Ayetoro street
Akinlosotu street
Leruru street
Ayetoro street
Hospital road
Ayoade street
Ayoade lane 1
Ayoade lane 2
Ayoade lane3
Victoria street
Ondo/Ife road to Oloruntele
Ondo/Akure road
Ondo/Ore road
Ifeolu street
Upper Udoko
Arigbabola street
Emmanuel street
Funmbi Fagun street(road 1 to 17)
Esugbin road
Ogbe road
Onigbo road
Okuta ila road
Akinsiku road via Ogbe
College road
Oke Aluko street
Igbo oro road
Igolobun road, ilupeju Avenue road 1-7
POPULATION
Udoko as an ancient community and the aborigines of Ondo is made up of towns, villages and settlements. The inhabitants of Udoko comprises of Natives and non-natives. Due to modern day expansion and development greater lot of people have found sufficient reasons to settle down permanently on udoko land.
Based on the number of schools and other institutions located on udoko land, the population of udoko is estimated in the present date at about 750,000(seven hundred and fifty thousand) and this population keep increasing on daily basic as more people are settling down in both Udoko towns and villages.
UDOKO’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ONDO
It may be relevant to point out here that udoko community has contributed immensely to the development of ondo-land in general by freely donating large pieces of its own land for community and government uses. Such lands include but not limited to the following area in ondo;
St. Stephen’s Anglican Cathedral Church, Ondo.
Jubilee Anglican Secondary School, ondo
Ondo Boys High School, ondo
St. Andrews school, Idimoge, Ondo
General Hospital, Ondo
Federal College of Arts and Science, Ondo (now Adeyemi College of Education Secondary School Ondo)
St. Andrews grammar School, ondo.
Our saviours Anglican Primary School, ondo.
St. Helens community grammar school, ondo.
St. Helens teachers college, ondo (now St. Helens unity secondary school)
St, Monica’s girls grammar school, ondo
St. josephs college ondo
I.D.H
Ondo Abattoir, Lisaluwa, Ondo.
Ondo grammar school, ondo
Anglican Bishops Court, ife road ondo
Old water corporation Headquarters, ondo (Ministry of Agric).
Ondo local government secretariat.
Ondo Ife road Motor Park.
Ministry of works, Ademulegun road, ondo
Cemetery for St. Stephen’s church and that for the strangers.
Okelisa shopping centre.
Igo Lobun to lobun family
Mother and child Hospital, laje road, ondo
Gani fawehinmi Diagnostic centre, Laje road, ondo.
Osemawe and his High chiefs and some individuals
GEOGRAPHICAL EXPRESSION
Several years ago, Udoko was a small town of about 10 kilometres from ode-ondo (from Osemawe’s palace). But today, because of the rapid growth of ode-ondo and udoko as well, the two areas have fused together at the southern part of ondo. It should be noted that such is not peculiar to our area alone, similar instances have occurred World-wide. E.g. Ugbe in Akoko has fused with Ikare, Oba-Ile has almost fused with Akure, Oda is almost fused with Akure and even two larger towns in some areas have completely fused together E.g. Abeokuta where we have Ibara,Ake,Owu and Oke-Ona and Ikire and Apomu in Osun State. Never-thee-less, each town retains its customary institutions and identities.

REFERENCES AND BOOKS OF AUTHORITY:
Yoruba Land Law by Lloyd (at pages 99 and 107).
Kingdoms of the Yoruba by Robert Smith(page 74)
Intelligence Report on Ondo, 1934 by Weir (page3)
History of the Yoruba by Rev. Johnson (pages 25 and 108
Iwe Itan Ondo by S.o. Bada (pages 27, 28, 29,30,31,34 and 37).
The Great Re-awakening by High Chief Olabanji A. Akingbule, The Odunwo of Ondo Ondo (page 108,109,110,111,112).

Chief Amọdu Tijani – The Yoruba Chief who snatched victory from the jaws of the imperialist lion in its own den.

Chief Amọdu Tijani – the Oluwa of Lagos was an Idẹjọ Chief who controlled a series of villages and towns in the Lagos area. A great Yoruba nationalist who was very proud of his nationalist views.

Unlike king Dosumu of Lagos who signed away (under duress) the vast native land of Lagos to the British for free in the so called treaty of 1861, Chief Oluwa argued consistently with the British that the colonial government and sued the British colonial government for using legal tricks in taking over Lagos lands.

When he lost the case at the Lagos high court, in 1920 Chief Amọdu Tijani and great Nigerian nationalist, Herbert Macaulay, who was then serving as Oluwa’s secretary and interpreter visited the Privy Council in London to defend Chief Oluwa’s right of ownership to land the colonial government had appropriated.

The Council ruled in their favour. This case proved to be a landmark in Nigerian history as it recognised the Chiefs as absolute owners of the land. Songs and poems were later composed in Oluwa’s honour. [1]

Professor Bonny Ibhawoh provides an in-depth exposition of this landmark case is his brilliant book [2]. He penned the following:

“The British imperial justice reached a milestone in 1921. In that year the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), the final Court of Appeal for all legal disputes throughout the British Empire, passed a landmark case (the Amọdu Tijani case) that was to reverberate across the empire because of the precedent it set on the question of Indigenous land right.

The appeal was brought to the Privy Council by an African Chief, Chief Oluwa, against the Colonial government in Nigeria demanding compensation for the illegal expropriation of his ancestral land.

At the heart of the matter was the Treaty of Cession signed between Britain and King Docemo [Dosumu], in 1861.
The colonial government claimed that, under the terms of that treaty, the British Crown has acquired ownership of all lands in the colony of Lagos, including lands claimed by Chief Oluwa.

Indeed, the 1861 states that King Docemo [Dosumu] agreed to transfer to the Queen of Great Britain, her heirs and successors forever, the land of Lagos, ‘freely, fully, entirely, and absolutely”

Photos of Amodu Tijani, Chief Oluwa of Lagos taken 12 July 1920. (Credit: National Portrait Gallery, London)

References:

1. NPG (https://www.npg.org.uk/…/amodu-tijani-chief-oluwa-of-lagos)
2. Ibhawoh, B: Imperial Justice: Africans in Empire’s Court (2013)

Olobe Yoyon Page

The Ancient Walls of Kano

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The Ancient Kano City Walls were ancient defensive walls built to protect the inhabitants of the ancient city of Kano. The wall was initially built from 1095 through 1134 and completed in the middle of the 14th century. The Ancient Kano City Walls were described as “the most impressive monument in West Africa”.

West Africa had walled towns and cities in the pre-colonial period. Winwood Reade, an English historian visited West Africa in the nineteenth century and commented that: “There are thousands of large walled cities resembling those of Europe in the Middle Ages, or of ancient Greece.”

Lord Lugard, an English official, estimated in 1904 that there were 170 walled towns still in existence in the whole of just the Kano province of northern Nigeria.

Gates of Hausa kingdoms are gates (Hausa: kofa) or walls (ganuwa) that formerly enclosed Hausa kingdoms.in ancient times, each kingdom was enclosed with a wall that contained various gates. During battles, the gates were closed as a war strategy. Each gate has a name and a gatekeeper (Sarkin Kofa, lit. “King of the Gate”). In the past, especially at night, the gatekeeper was in charge of a single gate at all time. All of the gates are assigned to a single person today.
In ancient times, every gate was allocated to one person. It is his duty at all times to protect and maintain it by providing administrative records of every movement of people passing through the gate along with foreign record affairs for self-defense. Every gate has a key for closing and opening it; the keys are allocated to Sarkin Kofa. Usually, there is a fixed time for closing and opening of every gate, but today the gates are open without the need for keys. Traditionally, during wartime, orders only came from either the emir of the kingdom or his war counselor, the Sarkin yaki’. Out of wartime, orders and control of the gate are left to the Sarkin Kofa. It is an order that entry into the city may only be done through those gates. When the gates are closed at night, they do not reopen until dawn. The post of Sarkin Kofa is inherited generationally.

Once in a lifetime experience (A ship with different parts in different days and years)

Once in a lifetime occurrence

The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain John DS. Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo’s position was LAT 0º 31′ N and LONG 179 30′ W. The date was 31 December 1899.

“Know what this means?”

First Mate Payton broke in, “We’re only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line”. Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.

He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship’s position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed. The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor. At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line!

The consequences of this bizarre position were many:
The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.
The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.
The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899.
In the bow (forward) part it was 1 January 1900.

This ship was therefore not only in:
Two different days,
Two different months,
Two different years,
Two different seasons
But in two different centuries – all at the same time!

Origin of ‘Dundee’ joke in Nigeria

In 1972, Dundee United, a Scottish football team, embarked on a pre-season tour of Nigeria. The tour turned out to be disastrous, with United struggling against local teams. Dundee United secured a 2-2 draw against Stationery Stores on May 27, 1972. The pinnacle of this misfortune was a 2-0 loss to Enugu Rangers in front of a sizable crowd. Many already placed their bet on the big Scottish team winning all matches against a lower tier Nigerian teams.

The phrase “Dundee United” likely stems from this challenging tour, becoming embedded in the Naija lexicon as a word for a ” Fool”, even till date.

Source: Maximum

Origin of The Name EUROPE

THE NAME EUROPA WAS THE NAME OF AN AFRIKAN WOMAN WHO WAS CALLED YOUROPA, BEFORE BECOMING THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT.

EUROPE IS NAMED AFTER THE BLACK PHENICIAN GODDESS YOUROPA!! First of all, the Phoenicians were BLACK!!!
Europe was inhabited by the Moors before the current EUROPEANS and was named Europe in honor of Princess Youropa, a Moorish sister (black Phoenician goddess) Youropa is commonly associated with a bull, this doesn’t make much sense if you don’t know the history Kemetics. She was a Phoenician princess and goddess who Zeus, the Greek god, fell in love with because she was so beautiful. Then he transformed himself into a bull and carried her to Crete, a Greek island.
Europa is the Greek version of the Kemetic Goddess Hathor symbolically. Youropa’s father is the Phoenician king Agenor of Tyre. King Agenor was born in ancient Egypt (Kemet), the son of Poseidon and Libya.
This would make her the granddaughter of Poseidon. Maybe they never told you this truth in their schools, but today you know that nothing exists in the history of planet Earth that does not have Afrikan origins.
💯

How God suspended Winter in Colorado for Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jan 2017

So I’ve seen that video of Pastor Adeboye flying around about what God did while he traveled to Colorado some years back. I have nothing much to say about it but I asked myself a few valid questions…

1. Did the events he narrated true? I DON’T KNOW & NO ONE CAN CATEGORICALLY TELL EXCEPT GOD
2. Is God Almighty capable to do what He actually described? YES, & even much more
3. Could God have done it for him if He had legitimate grounds for such a request? YES, it all buoys down to his relationship with God.

I decided to look further to see if there was any incidence like that in January of any year in the past that this event Pastor Adeboye described could have occurred; and I came up thus far with one that happened in January 8th – 10th 2017. Now I do not know what year Pastor Adeboye traveled to Colorado as per the video flying around.

According to the attached, snow fell in the mountains of Colorado from 8th – 10th Jan 2017, but strangely due to warmer temperatures blowing through the lower plains & valleys, the snow turned to rain during this period & immediately after the 10th, heavy snow began. And according to the National Weather Service, this was a strange anomaly.

Baal was the god of the weather & was in charge of the weather through the region of Israel as introduced by Jezebel. But there was a man who stood before God, by the name Elijah, & decreed that there shall be no rain whatsoever for 3.5 years; thereby establishing the almightiness of God over weather, thereby defying & shaming the god of weather, baal.

Dr Paul Enenche was in an Africa country earlier this year where there had been no rain for over a year or so. As he landed at the airport & was received, all the hosts were clamoring for was that he should please pray for rain to fall. He only said they shouldn’t worry, rain would fall; no prayers, nothing.
Few hours before the crusade began on that same day, heavy rain like they’ve never seen fell.

All of these things all buoy down to relationship with God who has power over EVERYTHING including weather, & a legitimate grounds for the request.

So whosoever did that video mocking Pastor Adeboye, did it for clout, for engagements & unfortunately he is getting it; because, lately Christianity has been an easy target for massive engagements, and fellow Christians make it happen. But that was unwarranted & ridiculously mischievous.

Copied.

“Who was Constantine the Great?”

Answer: Constantine the Great (AD 280—337) was one of Rome’s most powerful and successful emperors and the first to self-identify as a Christian. He is known for his economic, political, and military achievements, as well as his religious reforms. Medieval writers praised him as the ideal ruler, against whom all kings were measured. Over time, his reign was viewed with waning enthusiasm. Historians also began to debate how committed Constantine was to Christianity or how devoutly he actually followed it. Constantine was influential in Christian history for his personal faith, religious politics, issuing the Edict of Milan, and calling the Council of Nicea.

Constantine was the son of a Roman official and his Christian concubine. This placed him in line to succeed the throne of the Western Roman Empire. At age 31, he prepared to attack his chief rival with an army outnumbered 4-to-1. Before the battle, Constantine claimed to have seen a vision of Jesus, with a specific symbol, telling him, “By this sign, conquer.” Constantine ordered his troops to mark their shields with this symbol, the Chi-Rho, then a symbol commonly representing Christianity. The Chi-Rho combines the first two letters in the Greek word for “Christ” and resembles a capital P with an X drawn through the spine. Constantine’s forces routed the enemy, and he became emperor. The Chi-Rho symbol would be part of Constantine’s personal signature for the rest of his life.

As emperor, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which declared Roman citizens free to worship whatever gods they chose. The Edict of Milan ended longstanding persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. At that time, Constantine did not (yet) claim to be a Christian himself, nor did he advocate for an official state religion. Based on his continued use of certain pagan symbols, scholars believe Constantine’s early religion was generally theistic, rather than specifically Christian. His boldness in using Christian language grew during his reign. After assuming control of the entire Roman Empire, he built lavish churches and came to openly espouse Christianity.

During Constantine’s reign, controversy arose over the teachings of Arius, who denied the full divinity of Jesus. Constantine called a meeting of Christian bishops, the Council of Nicea, to settle the dispute. Contrary to popular myth, this meeting did not discuss the canon of the Bible, nor was Constantine influential in the council’s decisions. Emperors saw themselves as responsible for promoting “correct” forms of worship; Constantine’s interest was not to declare orthodoxy but to let the bishops determine it so that he could enforce it. Further, Constantine was not known for his philosophical ability and found himself lost in deeper discussions of theology. Rather, he acted as the council’s mediator and host, roles at which he excelled.

Constantine’s Christian faith has frequently been critiqued, if not questioned outright. On one hand, he made great strides in securing political and social rights for Christians and initiating general humanitarian reforms. He poured time and money into building churches and publicly supporting Christianity. Particularly toward the end of his reign, Constantine vocally professed faith in Christ and credited his success to God. He was baptized shortly before his death, according to the common practice of his time.

On the other hand, Constantine continued many pagan practices, including veneration of the sun. His interest in Christian orthodoxy was motivated primarily by a desire to maintain social order. There are also reasons to suspect that Constantine was as ruthless toward rivals as prior emperors had been. One of his sons, a brother-in-law, and his second wife were executed for reasons still unknown. He freely blended pagan practices with Christian beliefs, leading scholars to suggest his public adoption of Christianity might have been a savvy political move, linking him to a rising social force in the Roman Empire.

Ultimately, whether Constantine was a committed Christian, a shrewd, Christian-friendly politician, or something in between is an open question. Without doubt, he ended centuries of persecution and greatly enhanced the social standing of Christianity. He committed resources to churches and Christian education, and his leadership helped to clarify important Christian doctrines. However, Constantine’s actions resulted in some negative complications. Free from persecution, the church naturally attracted more false converts. The melding of Christian themes with secular politics set a pattern that contributed to later disasters such as the Inquisition and the Crusades. Constantine’s blending of pagan, building-and-priest-centered worship with Christianity also contributed to the rise of Roman Catholicism.

Constantine’s legacy is complex and not wholly understood, but he stands as one of the dominant figures in Christian history. Without doubt, his influence transformed Christianity from a persecuted minority into the eventual state religion of the Roman Empire and the most widespread faith in history

Compiled by ©Temitope Akintola

“What occurred at the Council of Nicea?”

Answer: The Council of Nicea took place in AD 325 by order of the Roman Emperor Caesar Flavius Constantine. Nicea was located in Asia Minor, east of Constantinople. At the Council of Nicea, Emperor Constantine presided over a group of church bishops and other leaders with the purpose of defining the nature of God for all of Christianity and eliminating confusion, controversy, and contention within the church. The Council of Nicea overwhelmingly affirmed the deity and eternality of Jesus Christ and defined the relationship between the Father and the Son as “of one substance.” It also affirmed the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were listed as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons.

Constantine, who claimed conversion to Christianity, called for a meeting of bishops to be held in Nicea to resolve some escalating controversies among the church leadership. The issues being debated included the nature of Jesus Christ, the proper date to celebrate Easter, and other matters. The failing Roman Empire, now under Constantine’s rule, could not withstand the division caused by years of hard-fought, “out of hand” arguing over doctrinal differences. The emperor saw the quarrels within the church not only as a threat to Christianity but as a threat to society as well. Therefore, at the Council of Nicea, Constantine encouraged the church leaders to settle their internal disagreements and become Christlike agents who could bring new life to a troubled empire. Constantine felt “called” to use his authority to help bring about unity, peace, and love within the church.

The main theological issue had always been about Christ. Since the end of the apostolic age, Christians had begun debating these questions: Who is the Christ? Is He more divine than human or more human than divine? Was Jesus created or begotten? Being the Son of God, is He co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, or is He lower in status than the Father? Is the Father the one true God, or are the Father, Son, and Spirit the one true God?

A priest named Arius presented his argument that Jesus Christ was not an eternal being, that He was created at a certain point in time by the Father. Bishops such as Alexander and the deacon Athanasius argued the opposite position: that Jesus Christ is eternal, just like the Father is. It was an argument pitting trinitarianism against monarchianism.

Constantine prodded the 300 bishops in the council make a decision by majority vote defining who Jesus Christ is. The statement of doctrine they produced was one that all of Christianity would follow and obey, called the “Nicene Creed.” This creed was upheld by the church and enforced by the Emperor. The bishops at Nicea voted to make the full deity of Christ the accepted position of the church. The Council of Nicea upheld the doctrine of Christ’s true divinity, rejecting Arius’s heresy. The council did not invent this doctrine. Rather, it only recognized what the Bible already taught.

The New Testament teaches that Jesus the Messiah should be worshipped, which is to say He is co-equal with God. The New Testament forbids the worship of angels (Colossians 2:18; Revelation 22:8, 9) but commands worship of Jesus. The apostle Paul tells us that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9; 1:19). Paul declares Jesus as Lord and the One to whom a person must pray for salvation (Romans 10:9-13; cf. Joel 2:32). “Jesus is God overall” (Romans 9:5) and our God and Savior (Titus 2:13). Faith in Jesus’ deity is basic to Paul’s theology.

John’s Gospel declares Jesus to be the divine, eternal Logos, the agent of creation and source of life and light (John 1:1-5,9); “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6); our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1-2); the Sovereign (Revelation 1:5); and the Son of God from the beginning to the end (Revelation 22:13). The author of Hebrews reveals the deity of Jesus through His perfection as the most high priest (Hebrews 1; Hebrews 7:1-3). The divine-human Savior is the Christian’s object of faith, hope, and love.

The Council of Nicea did not invent the doctrine of the deity of Christ. Rather, the Council of Nicea affirmed the apostles’ teaching of who Christ is—the one true God and the Second Person of the Trinity, with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Compiled by ©Temitope Akintola

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Poor Dino

Poor Dino.

Despite all his loud and boastful rantings, puerile noise-making, clownish behaviour, crude bum-fuckery, infantile court-jesting, nauseating gorilla-dancing, gratutious insults, foul-mouthed bluster, tough guy “gra gra” and area boy antics and in spite of his membership of the ‘Bugger Me Stiff United Football Club’, he received the flogging and trouncing of his pitiful life in the Kogi state Governorship election.

Out of the 751,000 votes that were cast he could not even muster up to 47,000. That is approximately 5%.

Worst still he came in a very distant third in the race and some have even said fourth! How sad!

This is a man that was once elected as a House of Reps member and a Senator!

This is a man that mocked PBAT for his age, called him a drug dealer, accused him of being a drug addict, threatened to violate the honor of the First Lady, rolled all over the floor during the presidential campaign rallies in the name of depicting our President as an invalid and geriatric and threatened us with hell, fire and brimstone if Asiwaju won.

Well today he is where he is and politically its all over for him. How are the mighty fallen!

It appears that the White Lion of Kogi made good his promise and has retired him from politics permanently.

My heart goes out to him.

~ Femi Fani Kayode