70 wisemen committee set to be inaugurated for Gani Adams

Aimed at ensuring that the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams takes the right decisions and makes the most appropriate proclamations at all times, a 70-man advisory committee is set to be inaugurated.

Men and women with a rich history of Yoruba culture and tradition, native knowledge, vast experience across various fields in life have been pencilled down to form the committee that will be inaugurated on January 12, in Lagos State.

Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Chapter, Dr Qasim Akinreti, made this known when he led members of the Aare first installation anniversary committee on a courtesy visit to Managing Director/Editor in Chief, African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc, Mr Edward Dickson, at Tribune House, Ibadan, on Friday.

Though Akinreti noted that the Aare Onakakanfo had been fully empowered at his installation as a warrior for the Yoruba land, he said the 70 ‘wise men’ only served as the platform that Iba Gani Adams can have recourse in for informed and guided actions.

Akinreti listed other activities to mark the first year anniversary of Aare’s installation to include the launch of two books written by the NUJ in honour of the Aare titled: ‘Voice of Media, Voice of People and ‘Iba Gani Adams: Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land’ on January 9 and launch of a book on Yoruba proverbs, on January 11.

While ‘Voice of Media, Voice of People’ chronicled the role of the media in the making of Iba Gani Adams, ‘Iba Gani Adams: Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land’ details Gani Adams’ lifetime, the peculiarity of his hometown, Arigidi-Akoko in Ondo state and unravels the name ‘Ige’ that Gani Adams also bears.

Chairman of the anniversary committee, Dr Adebiyi Philips added that the publications were being launched to educate people on the powers of the Aare Onakakanfo as leader of the Yoruba army as well as revive a sense of history in Yorubas.

Noting that Iba Gani Adams went through all traditional rites, he said the Yorubas had to be educated on the powers of the Aare Onakakanfo to install chiefs and ensure that all Yoruba Obas do not abort her culture and tradition.

Other members of the delegation were Chairman, media committee, Mr Dotun Oladipo; committee members, Mr Ajibola Abayomi and Mr Adegbola Kolawole; Vice President, B-zone of the NUJ, Mr Cosmos Oni; and Chairman, Oyo NUJ, Mr Adewumi Faniran.

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The host, Dickson, in his remarks, prayed that the books get to schools and form part of the history curriculum so that the younger generation of Nigerians do not totally lose their sense of history.

In particular, he beckoned on the author to make the online version of the books available to aid access.

While noting that Iba Gani Adams boasted of an enigmatic personality as Aare Onakakanfo, Dickson described as interesting the fact that the Aare was being democratic by subscribing to having a committee for consultation.

Describing Iba Gani Adams as a creation of the media, Dickson lauded the Aare for allowing his rightful owners, the media, to write about his personality and lifetime.