Akintoye, Osibogun, others push for Yoruba rebirth

Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, last Thursday, played host to a delegation of eminent personalities in Yoruba land, led by the Yoruba leader, Emeritus Professor of History, Senator Banji Akintoye, to discuss how to protect Yoruba land from invasion and launch a book titled ‘A Treatise for Peace in a Multi-Religious State’ which chronicles how Yoruba land may be captured through religious metamorphosis.

The book written by Victor Olu Taiwo, founder of Oodua Redemption Alliance, the first self-determination organisation in Yoruba Land and author of a globally acknowledged work of art published twenty five years ago and titled: Nigeria on Gunpowder: The Climax of Misrule, had predicted that there would be an era in Nigeria when religion and ethnicity would be the major instruments that those at the corridor of power would unleash to maintain hegemony and determine who get what, when and how in the polity.

Taiwo, in his book, opin’s that the people of Yoruba land have remained indivisible. He posited that today, despite the large number of Christian worshippers in Yoruba-speaking zone of Nigeria, it is only in western Nigeria that you would see an elected Christian governor would appoint an Islamic believer as his Chief of Staff.

He further state that in Yoruba land, there’s no Muslim, Christian or traditional worshipper when it is time to celebrate one another and that, unlike other regions, inter-religious marriage is common in Yoruba land. He holds that whenever an aged Christian parent dies, friends of his children across all religious  circles would troop into churches for the funeral services, adding that it is only in Yoruba land that a senator would do thanksgiving in the mosque, church and also attend cultural festivals because there are not extremists.

Taiwo, the convener of the August 22, 2019 event that produced Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye as the new leader of Yoruba race, holds that virtually in every Yoruba house hold, there are people of different religious faiths: Christians, Muslims and traditionalists, living together in harmony and doing things in commo.

The foreword of the book was written by Chief Dr. Tola Adeniyi, an award-winning journalist and former chief executive officer of the Daily Times conglomerates. Adeniyi, the Jagun Oodua of Yoruba land, set the tone for the literary work at the event when he submitted that each chapter of the book is rich and good enough to be a book on its own.

Elucidating on the submission of Adeniyi, the book reviewer, Otunba Deji Osibogun, the founder and chairman of an Ibadan-based private radio Space FM, affirmed the submission of Adeniyi on the contribution of the nine-chapter book to knowledge, stating that Chapter One is titled ‘God and Man’.

The author talks about the creation of the world, history of the world and how religions came into being. Chapter Two titled ‘the Yoruba Race’ is a treatise on the group of people for and about whom the author wrote the book, the Yorubas – although the book is for the people of the world to read and utilize the content for the betterment of everybody.

He said further: “Chapter Three is titled ‘Religious Wars’ where the author list some wars that were religiously induced, the destructions they caused and why it is important, nay imperative, to curtail such. Chapter Four focuses on the Yoruba race again, But this time, on various practices in the Yoruba nation. The author hints succinctly at how there religious harmony in Yoruba land and how it is important that this harmony is not broken. ‘frican Befuddled Psyche’ is the title of Chapter Five in which the author laments how the black race allows its psyche and worldview to be negatively affected by religions – especially those whose origins are from outside the African continent.

“The need to nip the monster of religious wars in the bud is what is underscored in Chapter Six titled ‘Nipping the Monster in the Bud’ while Chapter Seven titled ‘My Lamentation’ is a systematic work of art that chronicles the crossroads and challenges we now face as a people in Yoruba land.

The last chapter ‘My Homily’ sums up the raison d’etre for writing the book and the need to respect each other’s faith and let peace and harmony reign in Yoruba land.

Simply put, the objective of the book is that Yoruba people should not allow any external forces to divide them through religion, praying that as a people, we should ensure that we live in peace and enjoy live in abundance.”

Present at the book presentation with Senator Banji Akintoye were Dr. Tola Adeniyi, Otunba Deji Osibogun, former editor of Daily Sketch Newspaper; Chief Areola Oyebola, University of Ibadan Islamic scholars; Professor K.K Olosho and Dr. Aleem Akintunde.

Others present were the Baale of Ekotedo;  Dr. Taiye Ayorinde; Professor Femi Olagoke, Founder of Federal Road Safety Corps of Nigeria, Major Rasaq Salawu Rtd; University Don, Lateef Ajibite; founder of Movement for Oduduwa Republic (MOFORE), Arc. George Akinola; parents of the author and many delegates of self-determination groups in Yoruba land.

Speaking on why he wrote the book, Taiwo stated that “in 1994, I discerned into the future of Nigeria, saw the revelation of the looming termination of the Nigerian country someday and later received the divine mandate of actualising the freedom of Yoruba nation into sovereign state. The focus now absolutely changed to preparing Yoruba Land for the task ahead. Thus, all my writings, namely speeches and books, have been solely dedicated to the cause of the Yoruba nation, or the projected National Republic of Oodua.”