Chief Sehinde Arogbofa is the outgoing Secretary General of the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere. In this interview by HAKEEM GBADAMOSI, he speaks on the 70 years of existence of the group, its ideals and fears for Nigeria.
What exactly is there to celebrate about Afenifere’s 70 years of existence?
We are celebrating maturity. We have got to that level. We are celebrating the group’s ability to continue to offer leadership to the Yoruba people. We are elebrating the group’s ability to offer quality opinions and leadership. We are also celebrating the respect the nation has for Afenifere. The nation has respect for us. Any time we speak, they listen, so we are celebrating this. We are also celebrating our ability to stick to our philosophy and ideology despite apparently insurmountable problems. In particular, we are celebrating the quality leadership the Afenifere has been providing for this nation, in the times of Awolowo, of Ajasin, of Adesanya and of Fasoranti. All this things were celebrating.
Seventy years into the existence of Afenifere, the Yorubas are still not speaking with one voice, and some say this is responsible for the unfair treatment they think is being meted out to the Yorubas in the scheme of things in the country. Do you think Afenifere has done enough for the race?
Thank you for that question. The Yoruba race is a beautiful race. Very sophisticated, very enlightened. You can’t take the Yoruba people for a ride. You just can’t lead them by the nose. They have different opinions on issues and we don’t expect such a people to be just in one common pool. It is difficult. We are very intelligent. Even when Chief Awolowo was here, the election that made him the Premier of the Western Region, I am not sure he had more than 50 per cent of the populace on his side. He won because of his progromme, his philosophy. So, we don’t expect everybody in the land to be ‘follow follow’ because of the social and economic problems in this country, and because of our own intelligence and ability not to be held down unnecessarily. Despite the problems we have as a race, and there are problems of intelligent people trying to outwit one another, Afenifere has been able to give effective leadership not only to the Yorubas but also to Nigeria. Despite that, we don’t control the greatest percentage of the populace.
For example, a few years a go, when this problem of marginalisation was becoming too much, Afenifere brought Yoruba leaders together in Ibadan. All the other Yoruba socio-cultural groups were there. We extended the invitation beyond the Yoruba circle; the Ohanaeze and some other groups were there. So, we are offering effective leadership.
A section of the Yoruba has been agitating for self-determination in Nigeria and this has sparked controversy within the race. What is the position of Afenifere on this?
Afenifere sees itself as the father of all Yoruba groups. It also sees itself behaves as the conscience of the nation. These two have to be blended. We have been talking about restructuring of the country. It is not a new thing. Baba Awolowo said it and ever since, it has become a singsong; restructuring the country to gain true federalism. We believe that if this country is restructured, problems will be solved. Afenifere is still on restructuring. As to secessionist tendencies, we are being very cautious because of the outcome of secession. But restructuring, that is what we fully support.
If there are those calling for secession, it maybe because of their recent experiences which are not good. Look at what is happening all over the country, especially down south: kidnappings, rape, killings, herdsmen’s atrocities, general insecurity of lives and property. It appears the Federal Government is becoming powerless and our people are being denied a lot of things. If the younger ones see things from this angle and they see themselves being driven away from their lands or being harassed on their lands or the Fulani herdsmen want to take away their lands by force, they are right to seek redress. I think all these things are now pushing the younger ones to talk of secession. Yorubas have suffered a lot in the recent past but we in Afenifere are of the opinion that restructuring will be the better thing for us than secession.
The report of the 2014 confab is still on the table of the president, unattended to. Some are of the opinion that if the president doesn’t want that report, he should organise his own constitutional conference. Will Afenifere participate in such a conference?
Well, some of us don’t feel the need for that because all we need to make this country work is already in the 2014 confab report. What are the problems facing us in this country? Insecurity of lives and property. Ways of addressing them are there. For example, the need for state police, we said it there. There is talk of unemployment, in that report, there is solution to the issue of unemployment. Another problem we are facing in this country is lack of development. We made a recommendation that every state should be allowed to develop on what it has. Apart from giving a competitive orientation, it will make every state more responsible to their citizens because as members of the confab, we were very well briefed on the fact that every state has mineral deposits abundant enough to make everybody in the state happy, but this is not being done. We have held so many confabs, so many meetings to do this kind of thing and if there is the need for any confab or whatever, let the presidency bring together all these reports and harmonise them. That will solve the problem.
It is unfortunate that the present government started on the false note of not having the courage to look into the 2014 confab report. I think this is most unfortunate. The theory of continuity of governance is being breached. It must be about continuity. Whatever lapses that might have been contained in that report should have been separated and those things that are good for the country should have been implemented. After all, it is not foreigners that sat at that period, it is us, Nigerians, brought together from different parts.
Another election is around the corner, will Afenifere still throw it’s weight behind whoever supports the implementation of the confab report?
As regards 2023, things are still dicey. Afenifere is of the opinion that until two things are put in place, one might find it difficult to stake his neck. Restructuring is one of them. Look at the issue of terrorism, killings, attempts by some groups to drive others away from their possessions and things like that. The constitution is faulty and was foisted on us by the military. All these are problems. Life insecurity, property insecurity. Unless all these things are addressed, how can you have a successful election? These are our anxieties about 2023. So, we want a situation where some of these things are addressed, so that whenever we are going to have an election, you and I will be alive and safe. With the way things are going, unless some drastic measures are taken, who knows who will be alive by that time. So, let us see how much of the problems now we can clear before we go into 2023.
Yes, people are on the field talking about 2023, but they should also address the issues on the ground. So, that is the way Afenifere looks at it.
From Ajasin to Adesanya and Fasoranti to Adebanjo. The transmission of leadership seems to be seamless. But there is the criticism that leaders of Afenifere are usually of old age. Why not try and inject fresh blood and admit younger people as well as women into the organisation?
Afenifere is an old socio-political organisation. We are celebrating age, maturity, doggedness. We are also celebrating experience and we feel that all these qualities are best in the hands of the elderly ones.
Papa Awolowo crossed the 70 years barrier before he died. Of course, Baba Ajasin, I think, 80 years barrier. Adesanya, too, and Chief Fasoranti, 95. You can’t buy experience in an old organisation like that. As the Secretary, I am 82. I am also an old man. It is only those who have experience that can manage such an organisation but there are places and positions for other groups.
As an organisation, we leave the field to the younger ones and if you look back, you will see that it is the younger ones who have been governors, commissioners, ministers and so on. Look at when Chief Adefarati was there, he was a relatively young man and his commissioners were young people. What about Mimiko? A young man was there. His commissioners were young people. Also, if you go to Lagos when Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was there. He was a young man and his commissioners were also young people. Afenifere as a political organisation stayed at the back to give them experience, ideas, to call them when they were going astray. Afenifere is a party with principles. Afenifere is mature, it is not a young organisation.
You have signified your intention to step down as the Secretary General of Afenifere. How has it been in the last 10 years in that position?
It has not been easy, but I thank God. I took over during a domestic crisis but the association was able to pull itself back from the instability it was going into by bringing me in as the Secretary General. This was in 2011. I was able to mobilise the few members I inherited. Now it is a multitude, despite very many problems. For instance, we now run state branches effectively which was not so then. Afenifere consists of all manner of characters: politicians, local and national leaders in their rights, coming from different backgrounds but meeting on the Afenifere platform. It also consists of different sexes, ages and religious backgrounds. The fact that the membership is daily increasing is a pointer to my effective management and harmonisation of all these differences.
Again, very many members must have been able to learn something from what they refer to as my level-headedness and the way I handled issues when they were at breaking points.
I served the leaders to the best of my ability but I had to serve the association better. Serving the leader to the best of my ability but serving the association better for continuity, and, of course, mine is a peaceful and smooth handover of power, no rancour, no acrimony, no altercations despite dealing with human beings, different characters, different orientations. It has been 10 years of brain tasking all the time because of what we stand for in this country, as the conscience of the nation. And, of course, as the Secretary, the live wire of any organisation, there were problems but because of skillful management, we were able to overcome all these problems, by the grace of God and the cooperation of other members.
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