A pan-Yoruba group, under the aegis of Think Yoruba First (TYF), has charged the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakukehin, to abolish the Sarkin Sasa dynasty in Sasa, insisting that the title had no legal or historical basis.
The group made the call in a statement issued on Saturday by its President, Mr. Oladimeji Bolarinwa, expressing deep concerns over the purported appointment of a new Sarkin Sasa following the demise of Alhaji Haruna Mai-Yatsin Katsina.
TYF, while also calling on the Oyo State Government to take decisive action in ensuring that only legally recognised traditional leadership structures were permitted within Ibadan, said retaining Sarkin Sasa’ stool amounted to an attempt to establish an Hausa-Fulani ruling dynasty in Ibadanland, describing such move as unacceptable which must be resisted to protect the rights and heritage of the indigenous Yoruba people.
This was just as TYF recalled a letter to the Olubadan and signed by Mr. Jelili Isiaka and Mr. Bamidele Isaac on behalf of the concerned youths of Sasa, to protest against Alhaji Haruna Mai-Yatsin Katsina, who they alleged was unlawfully installed in 1979/1980 as the Sarkin Hausawa of Sasa, and exerted undue control over Sasa community and its market.
The group, therefore, maintained that the appointment of the biological son of the late Alhaji Haruna as the new Sarkin Sasa was a deliberate attempt to institutionalize Hausa-Fulani hegemony in Sasa.
“Sasa is said to have been formed following the displacement of 33 Ibadan villages due to the construction of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in 1977.
“The Sasa market was established during the same period, and the role of Hausa settlers was initially limited to trade. However, Alhaji Haruna Mai-Yatsin Katsina wrongfully expanded his influence, claiming rulership over the land, with no regard for the traditional structure of the Baales installed by the Olubadan-in-Council.
“We recall the order given by past Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji in 2021, that Alhaji Haruna under whatever title is under the Baale of Sasa, Chief Amusa Akinade Ajani.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE :Â Tinubu mourns late Sarkin Sasa
“TYF takes a stand with the concerned youths of Sasa. We urge the Olubadan, Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakukehin, to stop the attempt to establish a dynasty in Sasa by abolishing the ‘Sarkin Sasa’ title as it has no legal or historical basis.
“We call on the Oyo State Government to take decisive action in ensuring that only legally recognized traditional leadership structures are permitted within Ibadan.
“We suggest a renaming of Sasa (Structural Adjustment Settlement Area) to ‘Abuledoja’ reflecting the culture of Sasa, or ‘Fijabi’ in honour of the first Baale of Sasa,” the group said.
and then