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Roland Olubukola Olomola – The story of BABA ARA and how he died

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Baba Ara is also known as Evangelist Roland Olubukola Olomola was a Nigerian Gospel musician and also a music producer from Ilesha in Osun State Nigeria.

Baba Ara was born on the 2nd of July 1962, and he died on the 31st of August 2004. Baba Ara’s first recorded song was titled “Covenant” which was recorded together with the choir of Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Okiki Imole Parish, Sagamu, Nigeria. His last recorded album is titled “Last Advice”.

Roland Olubukola Olomola, the ace gospel musician popularly called Baba Ara died on August 31, 2004. His death had all the hallmarks of mystery. He died at the height of his popularity and was just 42 years old. TAYO ADELAJA met Adedapo James Fasanya, known as Bengho 2, Baba Ara’s childhood friend, producer and manager

Gospel musician, Roland Olubukola Olomola, popularly called Baba Ara, died, the rumour mill was agog with the probable cause of his death. Among the rumours then were that he took ill from a burst of the cocaine sachet that he had ingested and with which he was planning to travel out of the country. Others said that he must have sold his soul to some occult groups to gain fame and wealth, and to die the way he did.

Yet, to another group his death was as a result of the strong feud between him and his bosom friend who is a shepherd in the Celestial Church of Christ. A decade after his death, a lot of people still hold on strongly to these even as his albums still hold sway in the market.

Adedapo James Fasanya known as Bengho 2, is Baba Ara’s childhood friend. He is also the producer and manager of Baba Ara from his first foray into music to his demise. Fasanya recalled that he met Baba Ara in 1990 when he joined the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Okiki Imole Parish, Sagamu, Ogun State.

Before then, he said that Baba Ara was living in Kano and usually came to Sagamu whenever there was a special programme. Looking back at how they first met, he said simply that, “it was the choir master that introduced me to him. I was an instrumentalist at the church”. He recalled how young and vibrant the choir of CCC, Okiki Imole Parish was then.

He said that the opinion of the choir then of Baba Ara at the time was that he did not know much about music, although they also identified that he had talent and could sing very well. “At first, maybe because of their impression about him, they had problems with him. As an instrumentalist, we used to correct his style of music as he leaned more on percussion than the instrument. It is not a traditional way of playing,” Fasanya added.

Baba Ara other than heeding to their advice insisted on having his way. Adedapo spoke further, “his concept and style of music were totally different and that created rift between us initially. We were forced at that time to go along with him because he was an active member of the church’s choir. At a point in time, we just tolerated each other for the progress of the choir”. The formation of the Baba Ara Band started from the choir and it consisted of four core members of the choir.

At the formative stage, the band comprised of Baba Ara, Dimeji Shodunke, Hassan Bankole and Fasanya. Speaking on the formative stage, he continued, “we had to sit down and agree on a lot of issues about the church because we were the nucleus of the church choir. Fortunately, the four of us always met on Fridays and Saturdays every week for rehearsals. During rehearsals, we had several disagreements due to the fact that we were from different backgrounds and had different ideas about how the music should flow.

“His concept then was totally new and we tried to modify it in vain. Somehow then, I knew he had a vision” He recalled again that, “the peculiar thing about the man, Baba Ara, was that he received messages from the church to go into full time music. He declined the various messages then. He used to ask aloud, “how can I abandon Food Technology and become a musician?”.

He actually did not want to take to full time music due to the stigma attached to the profession. “During that period, Baba Ara was living with the Shepherd of the Church (CCC, Okiki Imole Parish) as he had left his job in Kano. He served and worked briefly in Kano.

“At a point, Dimeji and I moved in with Baba Ara and we lived together for some time. Our staying together actually built our relationship and understanding of one another. “The first record that is credited to him titled ‘Covenant’ was actually done by the choir of CCC, Okiki Imole Parish.

It was recorded in 1993. After the record of Covenant for the church, Baba Ara sat down with me and Janet Abel who is now in the United Kingdom, he told us about his vision and dreams. We prayed about the forming of a band. That took place in 1994. By then, we had gone with him to record his first personal record, entitled, “The Call and the Anointing”.

Speaking on the core issues discussed at the meeting, he said that the plan was to launch the record, and as at that time he needed a band to support his musical career which led to the meeting that was held by the three foundation members and Baba Ara. The name Baba Ara according to Adedapo was given to him in Kano because whenever he sang, he would start with the lyrics, “Baba Ara, Baba Mimo”.

However, he had a band in Kano before resettling in Sagamu, and the band was known as “Baba Ara and Happy Souls”. When the band was formed in Sagamu was discussing on the issue of name, he wanted them to continue with the same name but they eventually agreed on ‘Baba Ara and Divine Voices International’ in 1994.

After his first record, it was common to see Baba Ara in a tailor’s shop at Eleja Area of Sagamu. He was always at the shop of Baba Hassan, the tailor because he was jobless and that man was his close friend as at that time.

The band faced the challenges of acceptance, because people find the style of their beat strange and different from what they were familiar with. The psychology in that is what people know, they destroy; and what they don’t know, they fight. Even in Celestial circle, the acceptance problem was there as their brand of music was quite different from that of the popular Boroboro, Imole Ayo and others. It was tough for the group due to the low level of acceptance.

Adedapo recounted that, “Indeed, it was a great challenge. The level of acceptance was low and that affected us financially. We had to tax ourselves to fund the band and save money for shows. It was very tough financially.”

Gradually acceptance came. People who listened to the first record, “Covenant” loved it. When asked how the record was promoted, he smiled and said, “we did not have money to market it, neither did we have the financial capacity to push it into the market.” Their second album brought them more fans and the third album- ‘let the world know-Je kaye le mo’ was well received, but they were still grappling with the fan base.

The album that actually launched him was ‘Master Key’. Adedapo spoke on that album, “A lot of people thought that ‘Master Key’ was Baba Ara’s first album, which was very wrong. It was just that, that album was a smash in terms of public acceptance. Our style of music in terms of acceptance was gradual.

“Due to paucity of fund, only audio CDs were initially produced without any picture of Baba Ara on them. When we started, we recorded only audio. There was no picture of Baba Ara on the album and a lot of people did not really know him”, Adedapo spoke about their humble beginning.

“When we shot the first standard video in 2001, that was when people began to know who Baba Ara really was. We started with Z-plus as our marketer and that was in 1996. He was a member of the Celestial Church of Christ. We recorded seven albums with Z-Plus before moving to Galaxy Music”, Adedapo added.

He noted that they had to change marketer because they were not satisfied with the distribution of their former marketer. The late Gbenga Adeboye played a major role in their cross over from Z-Plus to Galaxy Music when they recorded “Master Key”. Galaxy Music did a good video for the “Master Key” tape and also gave it good publicity with Gbenga Adeboye opening his popular weekly shows with the music of Baba Ara. “Probably, that may account for the reason for saying Master Key is Baba Ara’s first CD”, Adedapo said.

His latter days and the rumours surrounding his death even made him more popular after his death than when he was alive. It is apt to say that there is a lot of wrong information being dished out to people in this part of the world. “It is a certainty that everybody will die one way or the other. Jesus Christ lived for 33years.

His ministry on earth spanned just only three years and all his disciples died in different ways. It is sad that when any celebrity dies in our country, stories of all sorts will spring up about the person”.

Fasanya looked the reporter straight in the eye and said, “I’m aware that there is a version of the story that he is a cocaine pusher. You know that cocaine pushers are always rich. As at the time of his death, he had only N300,000.00 in his bank account.

At least that can be verified. N200,000.00 of that sum was the money paid into his account a few days before his death for a show we were to perform. People alleged that he was a cocaine pusher, yet that man struggled for three years to build the only house he had.” In a sad and low tone, Fasanya said, “can you believe that before his death, his band did not have musical instruments neither did we have a bus like other musicians? Musicians that came after him had instruments and band buses; we had to rent instruments and bus whenever we had any show.

That was a man who had been in music for over a decade! Do you mean that a cocaine pusher will work and struggle for three years to build a common four flat house in Sagamu and not in Lekki or Ajah?

The reason for going to Galaxy Music was because of the house project he started in 2001. “In 2003 he travelled out of the country for the first time since the band started in 1994. He travelled with his band to Germany on a musical tour. We travelled in April and August, 2003 to Germany.

We were together during the trip and we slept in the same room. He went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem in December same year and returned in January, 2004.” In a changed tone, he said, “I want any doctor to prove to me that anyone with burst cocaine in his stomach as alleged by rumour mongers could work weekly and as hard as Baba Ara and lived for the period he did.”

Speaking further, he said, “The Sports Utility Vehicle, SUV, he had was as a result of the sales from his album. I went with the marketer to Cotonou to buy the jeep for him. Imagine a drug peddler using tokunbo car?” Another set of people believed that his death was due to pledge to occultism.

Fasanya’s response to that was sharp, “That’s rubbish. Arrant nonsense! How can you say that somebody who had been in the music industry since infancy only became popular at late 30’s because some occult forces helped him gain fame and then took his life? “I met him in 1990 and from his life history that I am aware of, he had been singing from age six at the Methodist Church, Ago-Oko, Abeokuta. My be-lief is that if you have a vision and you are talented, if you stand firmly by it, you will surely get to your peak.

Indeed, Baba Ara paid his dues as a musician!” he said. When confronted with another rumour linking the cause of his death to the feud between him and the Shepherd of a Celestial Church of Christ Parish. Fasanya sighed and said, “I heard about that story too that the Shepherd who was his bosom friend confessed in London that he killed Baba Ara.

I met the Shepherd when he came back from London after the so-called confession. It is unfortunate that the man too also died about six years ago, but the whole story is totally false.

I have challenged anybody to prove it by providing evidence of the alleged confession. At this age, somebody somewhere would have recorded that confession if it was actually true” He declared that, “for those that peddle the rumours, it is always somebody told me or I heard from someone. Nobody was a living witness of that rumoured confession.

The little I know about that shepherd is that he was a good shepherd and a good fan as well as Baba Ara’s bosom friend till his death.” Some fans of this great gospel musician believed that he had premonition of his death. The belief was hinged on his music messages and lyrics during his lifetime. The producer of Baba Ara did not agree with this school of thought. To him, Baba Ara used his song to remind us of our end as mortals. He said, “The problem people have is due to the message coming from Baba Ara.

If you read the Bible, you will discover that each prophet has his own message. Baba Ara believed that one day, you would die and you should be prepared for it. He was fearless and did not fear death. He used his song as a reminder of the end of us as human beings.

His songs were not about death alone but about praises and wisdom. People often refer to the album ‘The Word’ as their reason for saying so, but he got the message and inspiration from the Bible passages that he read” What can be the cause of Baba Ara death?

Why did he die so young? Why did he die when he was just gaining prominence as a gospel musician? Fasanya disclosed that, “the years we were together, he was always having malaria. He could hardly go for two months without a bout of malaria. In one of his ministrations, he said that death could come through any means. He said it could come through sleep, accident or whatever means. The owner of our soul whenever He needs it, He gets it, no matter where you are.

“The Late Gbenga Adeboye used to say that one who died peacefully while asleep, you cannot really say he died peacefully neither can you say someone who died in an auto accident died terribly because he might have been dead before the crash.

It was time for Baba Ara to die when he did about 10 years ago. He was a man who worked tirelessly and very hard too despite his frail health. Most times, when he was down with malaria, we would still go ahead to perform either at party or other functions. I am sure that you are aware that stress too can kill easily?” He concluded that, “his death did not have anything to do with all the rumours. Rather, it was destined that he would die when he did”.

Published in National Mirror on Feb 15, 2014

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Profile: Major General Akomaye Parker Undiandeye, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Intelligence

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On October 24, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reappointed Major General Emmanuel Akomaye Parker Undiandeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence, reaffirming confidence in his leadership and expertise in strengthening Nigeria’s defence intelligence operations.

Major General Undiandeye first assumed command as the 17th Chief of Defence Intelligence on June 23, 2023, and continues to serve with distinction in the nation’s security architecture.

Born on September 2, 1968, in Bedia, Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State, Southern Nigeria, General Undiandeye hails from the family of Mr. Sylvanus and Mrs. Maria Undiandeye.

He began his military career at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, and later proceeded to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom, where he completed his cadet training.

Major General Undiandeye has attended several professional military and strategic courses both locally and internationally, including the Nigerian Army College of Logistics, Lagos, and the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, for his Junior and Senior Courses.

His quest for advanced military education took him to the National Defence University (NDU), Washington DC, USA, and the National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, where he earned a Master’s degree from the University of Ibadan.

Major General Undiandeye also attended the Senior Executives National and International Security Programme at the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Administration, USA, and the International Intelligence Directors Course in Chicksands, United Kingdom.

He holds a B.A. (Hons) in History and a Master of Arts in Strategic Security Studies. He is an International Counter Terrorism Fellow (ICTF) of the NDU’s College of International Security Affairs, Washington DC.

Throughout his distinguished career spanning over three decades, Major General Undiandeye has held several command, staff, and instructional appointments, contributing significantly to national and global security.

His notable positions include;

Chief of Staff, Headquarters Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps

Director, Lessons Learnt, Army Headquarters Department of Transformation and Innovation

Director, Foreign Liaison, Defence Intelligence Agency

Director, Psychological Warfare, Defence Headquarters

Deputy Commandant, Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre

Commandant, Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji

Internationally, Major General Undiandeye has served as; Deputy Chief Operations Officer, United

Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL); Deputy Chief of Assessments, UN Headquarters, New York; and as a pioneer seconded officer to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), where he contributed to preventing full-scale conflict between South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan.

His professional excellence has earned him several awards and decorations, including;

Grand Service Star (GSS), Defence Meritorious Star (DMS),

Defence Administration Medal (DAM), Field Command Medal (FCM),

Training Support Medal (TSM), and the

United Nations Headquarters Medal (2013).

Major General Undiandeye is a Fellow of the National Defence College (fdc), Fellow of the National

Defense University, Washington DC (fndu), Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Administration (FCAI),

Fellow of the International Institute of Professional Security (FIIPS), and Fellow of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (FNARC).

His vast experience in intelligence, operations, and strategic leadership equips him with a strong foundation to coordinate the nation’s defence intelligence architecture effectively.

Major General Undiandeye is happily married to Mrs Jane Ekor Undiandeye, and their union is blessed with three children. His hobbies include reading, golf, photography, and nature watching.

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Meet Admiral Idi Abbas, Nigeria’s New Chief of Naval Staff

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On October 24, 2025, the Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as the new Chief of Naval Staff, following the retirement of Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.

A statement from the Nigerian Navy described Rear Admiral Abbas as a seasoned officer who “brings a distinguished record of service and leadership to the Nigerian Navy.”

Early Life and Education

Rear Admiral Idi Abbas was born on September 20, 1969, and hails from Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State in North-West Nigeria

He began his early education at Gwagwarwa Primary School, Kano, and proceeded to the Air Force Military School, Jos, from 1981 to 1986, before gaining admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 1987.

Rear Admiral Abbas was commissioned Sub-Lieutenant on September 10, 1993, as a member of NDA 40 Regular Course, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry.

Military Courses and Qualifications

Rear Admiral Abbas is an Above Water Warfare (AWW) specialist who has attended several military courses both in Nigeria and abroad.

His training includes:

Sub-Lieutenant Technical Course at NNS QUORRA (1994)

Junior and Senior Staff Courses at Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji (2001 and 2005)

Officers’ Long Course (OLC XII) at NNS QUORRA, Apapa Lagos (2003)

United Nations Military Observer Course in Tanzania (2009)

National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, Course 23 (2014)

Appointments Held;

Over the years, Rear Admiral Abbas has served in various key positions across the Nigerian Navy.

He started his career onboard several naval ships as a Watch-Keeping Officer, including NNS ARADU, NNS DAMISA, and NNS AYAM.

He later held positions such as:

Naval Assistant to the Deputy Commandant, Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji (1998)

Staff Officer III, Marine Services, Naval Headquarters (2004)

Gunnery Officer, NNS OHUE (2006)

Instructor, NNS QUORRA (2007)

Commanding Officer, Burma Battalion, NDA (2008)

Base Administrative Officer, NNS PATHFINDER

Naval Contingent Commander, Joint Task Force, Operation SAFE HAVEN (2010–2012)

Maritime Guard Commander, NIMASA (2015)

Commander Task Group, Operation TSARE-TEKU (2017)

Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command (2022)

In July 2023, Rear Admiral Abbas was appointed Chief of Naval Safety and Standards (CNASS) at Naval

Headquarters, and in February 2024, became Chief of Defence Civil-Military Relations (CDCMR) at Defence Headquarters.

Before his elevation as the 25th Chief of Naval Staff, he served as Senior Research Fellow, Nigerian Army Heritage Centre, in January 2025.

Promotions

Rear Admiral Abbas rose through the ranks with dedication and excellence;

Midshipman – 1996

Lieutenant – 2001

Lieutenant Commander – 2006

Commander – 2006

Navy Captain – 2011

Commodore – 2016

Rear Admiral – September 10, 2020

Awards and Honours

His distinguished service has earned him several honours, including;

Passed Staff Course (PSC)

Fellow Defence College (FDC)

Forces Service Star (FSS)

Meritorious Service Star (MSS)

Distinguished Service Star (DSS)

Grand Service Star (GSS)

Defence General Staff Medal (DGSM)

He is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and the International Institute of Professional Security (IIPS).

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All You Need to Know About Nigeria’s New Chief of Defence Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede

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Lieutenant General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede (N/9318) NAM CMH GSS psc mni FCM FCMH TSM COM CCA

1. Family background: General Oluyede was born on 21 June 1968 in Ikere-Ekiti in Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

2. Education: He attended Holy Trinity Primary School, Ikere-Ekiti, and proceeded to Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, for his secondary education. Thereafter, he gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1987 as a member of 39 Regular Course. On completion of his cadet training, he was granted Regular Combatant Commission on 19 December 1992 in the rank of second lieutenant with seniority in the same rank effective 12 September 1987. He is of the Infantry Corps.

3. He became the 29th indigenous Chief of Army Staff, Nigerian Army, first in acting capacity with effect from 30 October 2024 and substantively, in November 2024.

4. Military career: In the course of his meritorious military career, he has attended several courses both at home and abroad where he distinguished himself creditably. Some of these courses include the Young Officers’Course (Infantry) and Regimental Signal Officers’Course as well as Commanding Officers’ Course, all at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji.

He also attended the United Nations Logistics Officers’ Course at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Centre, Ghana and the United Nations Military Observers’ Course at the now renamed Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, among others.

Similarly, he attended the prestigious Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, for his Junior and Senior Staff Courses, and he is a member of the national institute and a proud alumnus of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), where he did his Senior Executive Course. He also attended the Strategic Leadership Course at the Nigerian Defence Academy.

5. Qualifications: He holds both Bachelor and Master of Arts Degrees in Economics from the Nigerian Defence Academy among others. He has also attended and participated in several workshops, seminars and conferences in the course of his career which contributed in preparing him for the highest appointment in the Nigerian Army.

6. Appointments: General Oluyede has served in several formations, units and training institutions where he held command, staff and instructional appointmentswithin his illustrious years of service. Some of these appointments include Platoon Commander and Company Second in Command in 65 Mechanised Battalion and 177 Guards Battalion respectively. He was Platoon Commander and later Officer Commanding in 2 Amphibious Battalion. For his initial instructional experience, he was Instructor and later Senior Instructor at the Nigerian Defence Academy.

He held the appointment of Staff Officer Grade 1 in Charge of Personnel and Welfare Services as well as Logistics and Operations at different times while serving at Headquarters Joint Task Force (Operation RESTORE HOPE) and Headquarters 82 Division respectively. He also served as Deputy Director Examinations at Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command.

He was Chief of Staff at Headquarters 13 Brigade before attending the Senior Executive Course at NIPSS. He was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff Civil-Military Cooperation at Headquarters 1 Division and later Director at Army Headquarters Department of Army Standard and Evaluation. He was Commandant of Amphibious Training School. He was appointed Commander 27 Task Force Brigade under Operation LAFIYA DOLE in the North East Theatre from where he was made the Acting Commander Sector 2 in the same theatre.

On his promotion to the rank of Major General, he was appointed substantive Commander Sector 2 Operation LAFIYA DOLE. Thereafter, he was posted to Nigerian Army Resource Centre and appointed Senior Research Fellow after which he was moved to Army Headquarters Department of Army Policy and Plans and appointed Director Plans.

After a brief stint at the Army Headquarters, he was appointed the General Officer Commanding 6 Division. He was later posted to the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, Directorate of Inspection and Compliance and appointed the Director.

7. International/local operations: The seasoned Infantry General has also participated in a number of operations both home and abroad. His posting profile traverses considerable deployments and participation in several Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Operations as well as Internal Security Operations across the country.Indeed, his military exploits began as a young platooncommander in 65 Mechanised Battalion from where he moved with the unit to participate in the historic Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG).

During the ECOMOG operations, he was reported to be full of initiatives and was saddled with the onerous assignment of providing security for the Presidential Lodge, a task he discharged admirably.

He was GOC 6 Division, Officer Commanding in 2 Battalion during the initial militia crisis in Rivers State and also successfully led his company to curb the nefarious activities of the Niger Delta Volunteer Peoples Force,a formidable militant group that threatened the peace and security of Niger Delta region.

8. Awards: He is a recipient of the prestigious Chief of Army Staff Commendation Award in Year 2018,
the Nigerian Army Medal (NAM), Forces Service Star (FSS), Meritorious Service Star (MSS), Distinguished Service Star (DSS) and Grand Service Star (GSS).Others include, Passed Staff Course (psc), Member of the National Institute (mni), Field Command Medal(FCM), Field Command Medal of Honour (FCMH), Training Support Medal (TSM) and General Operations Medal (GOM). He is also a holder of the coveted Corps Medal of Honour (CMH) and prestigious Chief of Army Staff Commendation Award (CCA).

9. Hobbies: Gen. Oluyede enjoys travelling, playing basketball and volleyball. He is married and blessed with children.

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