28th June, 2019
The monarch of Oyo, Alaafin Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111 has assured the Yoruba nation that the hostility between him and the Ooni of Ife should be considered a thing of the past.
The highly revered king said this was imperative to move the Yoruba nation forward, vowing that, “from now on, Alaafin and Ooni will no longer fight”.
Oba Adeyemi delivered this heartwarming message at the gathering of Yoruba leaders and Presentation of the translation of ‘Awo’, the autobiography of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, held on Thursday June 27, 2019, at the International Conference Centre, ICC, University of Ibadan, UI.
He also appealed for calm over rising tensions in the country and the perceived docility on the part of governors in the South-West to rise to the occasion as expressed by earlier speakers at the event.
The Oba appealed to the Yoruba not to lose hope in their governors and promised to talk to President Muhammadu Buhari on the way out of the worrisome security situation in the region.
He also said that for Nigeria to continue to exist, true federalism has become necessary to be adopted for the running of the affairs of Nigeria.
He, however, expressed disappointment in the current political office holders who, he said, did not follow the footsteps of their forefathers, saying that he might have problem with Chief Awolowo when he was alive, but that would not stop him from acknowledging the good things the late sage did for the Yoruba nation.
According to him, Awolowo fought for the Yoruba and brought development to the region.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Publisher of Alaroye Newspaper, Mr. Alao Adedayo, who was the brain behind the event, set the agenda saying, “You are invited to talk about Yoruba”.
Adedayo, who lamented the state of the South West said, “When Nigeria started, Yoruba was at the forefront in everything: education, commerce, infrastructure and others. In 1952 when politics started, Yoruba was making robust laws. Yoruba was the first to establish a bank, Agbonmagbe, which later became National Bank. In 1952, the foundation laid by Yoruba was being followed. In 1966, things started deteriorating and it is so surprising that things can be this bad. We the first have become the last because we are now divided. If we are organized and united, we can’t be enslaved in our land. Now Fulani has started destroying us. How can we rebuild? This is the reason for this gathering”.
He stated further: “Politicians are behind the problems Yoruba is facing. Why do we turn politics to business? Why is it not possible for the Yoruba to come together to move South West forward? Why can’t we work together irrespective of the political party affiliation? We look at who can bring us together and we believe that it is only Awolowo that can bring us together and that is why we have used Awolowo to bring us together”.
Also speaking in the same vein, Awolowo’s daughter and former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr. Olatokunbo Ayoka Awolowo-Dosunmu, emphasised unity among Yoruba sons and daughters, saying “Yoruba has to come together to build the region and ensure that the legacy the forefathers, especially Awolowo, left behind is not destroyed”.