From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Odo-Ape community in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi state came alive last Saturday as indigenes at home and abroad gathered for the 2026 Annual Day Festival, a celebration themed “A Celebration of Heritage and Progress” with a call for unity and development of the area.

The event drew a mix of traditional rulers, political leaders, and community members, alongside Mrs.

Folashade Arike Ayoade, Secretary to the Government of Kogi State, who represented Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.

In his address, Jethro Kehinde Ologbonyo, National President of the Odo-Ape Development Association, described the day as both a cultural showcase and a fundraising platform for community development.

He highlighted the community’s rich heritage, pointing to traditions such as the Egungun festival, the Amoja song, the Egunda festival, and the traditional marriage system.

Ologbonyo stressed the need to safeguard institutions like Iyeolofosi and Iyeolughonle, which he said embody Odo-Ape’s core values of unity and mutual respect. While commending Governor Ododo for his support through donations and infrastructure projects, he also urged the government to tackle pressing socio-economic challenges, including poor roads, limited healthcare and education access, and persistent insecurity.

He reaffirmed the community’s backing for the APC’s _“Renewed Hope”_ agenda and called on attendees to contribute generously to the fundraising drive aimed at driving local development.

Speaking on behalf of the state government, Ayoade praised Odo-Ape for its resilience despite security challenges in Kogi West. She noted that the Ododo administration is working deliberately to eliminate insecurity and restore peace across the state.

She urged the people to continue supporting government initiatives and to rally behind Hon. Durosinmi Meseko, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC and a son of Odo-Ape, described him as a proud representative of the state at the national level. “Your support for him is support for the party and for Kogi State’s success,” she said, while promising sustained government backing for the community.

In his keynote address, Hon. Durosinmi Meseko emphasized that cultural preservation must go hand in hand with progress. He described the festival as proof of Odo-Ape’s resilience, wisdom, and potential, and called on the people to embrace unity, hard work, and collective responsibility.

“The event is a call to action,” Meseko said. “We must pool our resources to drive development, equip our children with modern tools, and support one another in the pursuit of progress.” He urged the community to be ambassadors of peace and to keep the flame of culture burning for future generations.

The traditional ruler, Oba Meseko, also expressed gratitude for the peace and unity within the community, praying that the celebration would inspire stronger collective efforts toward a brighter future.

Asiwaju Prince Dr. Olatunji Olusoji, the Asiwaju of Ayere Kingdom and Chief Launcher of the event, was represented by veteran journalist Chief Olugbemi Femi. He emphasized that unity and collective effort remain the foundation for positive change, and commended Odo-Ape for showcasing the rich cultural identity of Okunland.

The celebration featured vibrant cultural displays, traditional music, and colorful attire that reflected the heritage and pride of the Odo-Ape people — a reminder that while the community looks forward to development, it remains firmly rooted in its history.

Spain will deploy more than 13,000 police officers to stave off “Multiple” potential threats to Pope Leo XIV’s visit from June 6 to 12, the interior minister said on Monday.

The pope is due to draw huge crowds in the historically deeply Catholic nation when he travels to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that the highest level of a special security plan would be activated throughout the visit, the first by a pope to Spain since 2011.

More than 11,000 police officers and 2,200 Civil Guards would be deployed, while the contribution of additional local forces in the northeastern region of Catalonia that includes Barcelona was to be established, Marlaska added.

Marlaska reeled off a list of “multiple” potential threats, including terrorism, “but also radicalism, other movements such as social movements, which may naturally seize the opportunity to make themselves heard”.

After staying in the capital, Leo will inaugurate the newest and tallest tower of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Basilica, 100 years since the death of its Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.

The Catholic Church declared Gaudi “venerable” in 2025 — the first step on the path to sainthood.

The American pope will then travel to the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the northwestern coast of Africa that is a major route for Europe-bound migrants.

Leo is a vocal defender of migrants, an issue which was also dear to his predecessor Pope Francis.

The fact that the visit “takes place in different territories obviously creates greater complexity for ensuring that it unfolds normally”, as all locations are “very different”, Marlaska said.

Simultaneous major events, such as a series of concerts in Madrid by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, “do not make it easy”, but Spain “has the resources” to secure all the sites, Marlaska said.

The process for the 2026/2027 tertiary admissions cycle is set to begin in earnest as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has fixed May 11 for its annual policy meeting, where minimum cut-off marks for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination will be decided.

The development, disclosed in a statement by JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, signals the start of critical decisions that will shape admission processes across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education nationwide.

According to the statement, the meeting will take place at the Body of Benchers Auditorium, located within the Institute and Research District in Jabi, Abuja, and will bring together key stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector.

It is expected that the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, will outline major policy directions guiding the upcoming admission exercise.

 “The Board’s annual policy meeting on admissions is a crucial annual gathering where stakeholders decide minimum tolerable UTME marks, admission guidelines, and policies for tertiary institutions.

“Furthermore, the meeting is expected to, in particular, formally set the tone for the 2026/2027 admission exercise while impressing on attendees the need to adhere strictly to stipulated guidelines.

“Attendees at the 2026 meeting would include critical stakeholders such as vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, registrars and their admission officers.

Others are regulatory bodies ranging from the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), among others.”

The gathering is also expected to attract goodwill messages from major agencies within the education ecosystem, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and the National Youth Service Corps, alongside other stakeholders.

In addition to policy deliberations, the event will feature the sixth edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Awards (NATAP-M), aimed at encouraging strict compliance with admission regulations and improving standards across Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

With stakeholders set to converge, the outcome of the meeting is expected to provide clarity on admission benchmarks and reinforce guidelines that will govern placements into higher institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session.