Groups canvass for better ethnic representation

It was an evening of much conviviality, laughter mixed with frank talk. Various groups had converged at the Batten Hall, in Alausa, within the Lagos State capital of Ikeja. Groups with such representations included the Oodua Progressive Union and the Yoruba Youth Council (the youth arm of the Yoruba Elders’ Forum, with a clear cut demand for better representations for the ethnic group of the Yoruba stock.

Chief among those in attendance included leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, Aare Ayandotun Oyelakin, who represented the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Mr Eric Oluwole, among many others had insisted that the Yoruba nation must take its rightful pride of place in the country.

“We are blessed as an ethnic group; we have all it takes to guarantee a better future for us and our children. It is very crucial that we must ensure that things are done as they should so that we no longer mortgage the future of our children. We must ensure that our people are no laid to waste particularly in the dispensation of our god-given talents and leadership acumen,” he said.

But Aare Oyelakin took the guests by surprise when he touched on the need to have a more representative leadership of the Yoruba people on a larger, more embracing platform. This, he pinned, to the need to have the seat of the Aare Ona Kakanfo occupied. He took delight in telling his audience that there are considerations of bestowing the coveted position on Otunba Gani Adams.

In Yorubaland, the Aare Ona Kakanfo is the highest military title. In times past, the Kakanfo was the field marshall and Supreme Generalissimo of the dreaded military of the Oyo Empire. In the modern era, the title has become largely ceremonial. The 13th and 14th holders Aare Ona Kakanfos– late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola and Chief MKO Abiola – were politicians.

It will also be recalled that at the Annual Festival of Wealth (Odun Aje) held by the Olokun Festival Foundation in Agege, Lagos, Bashorun of Oyo, Chief Ayoade Olawuyi, who represented the Alaafin, informed the guests that God had already perfected the conferment of the Aare Ona Kakanfo title on the OPU founder and culture promoter. The Bashorun of Oyo, the traditional prime minister of Oyo, leader of the Oyomesi and next in command to the Alaafin, urged people at the event not to exercise doubts on the proposed conferment, noting that Otunba Gani Adams had displayed an indescribable passion for fighting the cause of the Yoruba race over the past two decades.

While pouring encomiums on Adams, Chief Olawuyi noted that God had been promoting the OPC leader as a result of his commitment to the progress of the Yoruba nation. He urged all members of the OPC to be focused and loyal to the organisation, asserting that anyone involved in treachery would never go far in life.

Zaki of Arigidi-Akoko in Ondo State, Oba Yisa Olanipekun in his remarks for better representation stated that “For what he has been doing for the Yoruba race, he totally deserves it. This is man that has been fighting for the Yoruba race for over two decades now. He has suffered a lot of personal deprivations as a result of his struggles for our race. He has been arrested by the police and detained in police cells. He has been detained in prison cells, all because of his passion for the race. This is a man that has never committed any crime.

“Otunba Gani Adams has also been promoting the Yoruba culture all over the world. Show me any Yoruba man, living or dead, that has promoted the culture more than Gani Adams. Look at the number of festivals that the Olokun Festival Foundation promotes across Yorubaland, from state to state every year. Then he founded the Oodua Pogressive Union (OPU) for the Yoruba people in the Diaspora. Right now, OPU is in 78 countries of the world. And he has been doing all this with his own money, without government sponsorship. No other Yoruba man has done this. And it has been paying off. In some European countries now, there are schools where the Yoruba language is being taught. Through the activities of the OPU, our children in the Diaspora are being taught the values of Omoluwabi.

“Look at the issue of pipeline vandalism. When the contract for pipeline security was given to the OPC, there was no issue of vandalism. Gani Adams knows his onions. He’s passionately committed to the cause of the Yoruba race.”

Sharing the same bent, the Owa Ajero of Ijero Kingdom, Oba Joseph Adewole stated that “I feel very happy that Baba Alaafin intends to confer the prestigious Aare Onakakanfo title on Otunba Gani Adams. I thank the Alaafin for his deep research. Of course, the Alaafin remains a repository of wisdom, experience and knowledge in Yoruba history, folklore, culture and tradition. He certainly knows who the cap fits.

“Otunba Gani Adams is most deserving of this great honour because as leader of the OPC, he has been a dogged fighter in defense of the Yoruba race and he has remained highly committed and consistent for many years now. Secondly, with his OPU, Gani Adams has been championing the unity of Yorubas worldwide preaching the message of the supremacy of Yoruba language and culture. Thirdly, he has been promoting and sponsoring many traditional festivals throughout the length and breadth of Yoruba land. And, it is remarkable that he has been doing all these with his own personal resources. He is young, energetic, highly intelligent, articulate, humble, level headed, and well connected to be able to use the position and office of the Aare Onakakanfo to enhance and promote the cause of the Yorubas worldwide.”