President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HS Media Group, Taye Ige, has described journalist and author, Tomi Falade, as an emerging custodian of Yoruba history and cultural memory following the presentation of her two new books in Lagos.

The books, Aláyémọ̀rẹ: The Twice-Crowned King and Orompotoniyun: 12 Nights for a Crown, were unveiled at Tomi Falade’s Book Party 2.0 recently.

In his goodwill remarks at the event, Ige said the new publications confirmed that Falade was “steadily and deliberately building a distinct body of work” around history, royalty, leadership, female agency and Yoruba cultural heritage.

Reflecting on Falade’s earlier publications, Ige said Dates from Hell revealed her witty and perceptive engagement with contemporary relationships, while ỌLỌ́BÙN: Matriarch of Ondo, Mother of Legacy demonstrated her ability to recover.

He described Aláyémọ̀rẹ: The Twice-Crowned King as particularly significant because Falade hails from Efon-Alaye, Ekiti State, which is also his birthplace.

Ige, who provided some assistance while the author was sourcing materials for the book, described it as “an act of cultural preservation and reclamation.”

He also drew a parallel between the book’s twice-crowned ruler and Nigeria’s contemporary political history, citing former military heads of state, Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, who later returned to power as elected civilian Presidents.

According to him, their experiences demonstrate how leadership can return “in a different age, under altered circumstances and with an entirely different source of legitimacy.”

Ige, who, like Falade, is a journalist and graduate of English and Literature, commended her for producing four books while meeting the demanding responsibilities of journalism.

“Amid the daily pressure of recording and interpreting the present, Tomi has found the discipline to interrogate the past and preserve it for the future,” he said.

He expressed the hope that the books would reach readers across generations, stimulate greater interest in Nigerian history and eventually find expression on stage and screen.