Yoruba are original settlers in Ile-Ife, group replies Obi of Onitsha

A Yoruba youth group, the Igbimo Odo Yoruba (IOY), has insisted that Yorubas are the original settlers in Ile- Ife, expressing displeasure at a recent statement credited to the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, where he claimed that the Igbos were the first tribe to settle in in the ancient Yoruba town.

Convener of the group, Mr Olufemi Lawson, gave this reaction in Lagos State, describing the statement as a joke taken too far, even as it contended that Ile-Ife was globally known as the source of the Yoruba race.

It further expressed its displeasure that the false claim was coming at a time when credible intelligence report showed attempts by some foreign forces to infiltrate Yoruba land, starting with the use of false claims and propaganda.

The IOY, while recalling that it had a common knowledge that the South- East and its people had over the years largely depended on the goodwill of the Yoruba people for their economic prosperity and exploits, said it was unimaginable that the best that some statesmen could consider to repay the kindness of the Yoruba was to distort history of the race.

“We strongly advise that, this is a futile mission that will bring disgrace to the Igbo race,” the group warned.

“Firstly, the position of Igwe Alfred Achebe can be set aside as a cultural and historical opportunism as well as a distortion of history.

“However, his words cannot be swept under the carpet because it is devoid of logic and empirical evidences. It is founded on a sinister plan to take advantage of the historical gap in Yorubaland which the Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, alongside other eminent Nigerians have been striving to fill, regarding the original settlers of Ile Ife.

“The claim of Igwe Achebe is baseless, laughable and it is high time we straightened all those who are bent in disrupting the authentic history of Yorubaland, including the horde from the South East of Nigeria.”

“It is also instructive to admonish Nigerians, particularly the Yoruba people, to disregard claims from some quarters that the Igbos of the South East and not the Ugbos of the Ilaje Coastal areas of Ondo State, are the aborigines and the original settlers of Ile Ife.

“It must be stated categorically that the term Igbo in relation to South East, Nigeria was not in existence until after the period of the Nigerian Civil war. Igwe Alfred Achebe must be aware that linking of the Igbos originating from Ile Ife has failed all empirical tests.”

While urging all Yoruba institutions in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to condemn this raging attempt to distort the history of the Yoruba race, the group averred that its intervention its for posterity sake.

“According to Professor Isola Olomola, ‘there is no confusion anywhere because the history being discussed here were events of several centuries and the Igbos were never called Igbo until after the civil war. There is no authentic research work that traced the history of Igbo people to Ile- Ife. Some of their scholars claim they are part of Jews that did not follow Israelites to the Promised Land.’

“Also, Emeritus Professor of History, Anthony Asiwaju from the University of Lagos said, ‘I think the claim of Ugbo being the indigenous inhabitants of Ile- Ife in the pre-Oduduwa narration is derived from the Moremi legend. The reference is to Ugbo but it does not mean the Igbo of Eastern Nigeria, and I am happy that some books have clarified that,’

“We also encourage, Igwe Alfred Achebe to lead his team of Eastern academics to study the works of Professor I. A. Akinjogbin, Professor J.A. Atanda, Professor J.A. Ademakinwa, and other professors of history who unanimously assert that the Ugbo people of coastal Yorubaland are the original settlers of Ile Ife who Oduduwa met at his arrival in Ile Ife,” the group said.