- The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams has raised an alarm over what he calls “a desecration of Yoruba culture and tradition.”
- The revered Yoruba leader was reacting to the alleged installation some Yoruba Obas in diaspora by Oba Obateru Akinruntan in Ugboland
- Adams called on south-west governors and traditional rulers to call the Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom to order
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams has called on south-west governors and traditional rulers to call the Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan to order.
Adams was reacting to the alleged installation some Yoruba Obas in diaspora by Oba Akinruntan in Ugboland.
In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Monday, April 29, the revered Yoruba leader described Oba Akinruntan's action as, “a desecration of Yoruba culture and tradition.”
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Part of the statement read: “As the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, I swore during my installation in January 2018, to always protect the name and project the image of Yorubaland. That is exactly the purpose of my intervention at this moment.
“What Akinruntan did (he was even arrogant about it by referring to himself as the number one king in Yorubaland) is a complete desecration of our culture, tradition and value and I urge south-west governors, especially Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state, and Yoruba monarchs to please call him to order immediately before it is too late.
“This impudence is fraudulent, a clear and present danger that can destroy our tradition if something urgent is not done immediately.
“What Olugbo did, he did it single-handedly, against the wishes of all the Yoruba Obas in Nigeria as a whole.
“A good example of this historical hiatus happened not long ago, when some surrogates came from France, asking the Oluwo of Iwo land, Oba Abdul Rasheed Akanbi to install them as a Yoruba Oba in France.
“But rather than toeing the path to perdition as Olugbo just did, the Iwo monarch resisted, saying he will never go against the wishes of the Yoruba Obas. Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi knew what was right from what was wrong. As a royal father, he does not want to go to Golgotha.”
He warned that no one has the audacity to distort Yoruba history, stressing that the culture is rich in all ramifications
According to him, in Yoruba history, Ile Ife remains the cradle of the people's existence, with over 99 percent of the race migrating from Ile Ife.
He added that apart from Ile Ife, Oyo has always been a foremost institution in Yorubaland, with Oranmiyan being the great progenitor. The two ancient towns, he said, occupy the most prominent position in Yoruba history and not Ugbo land.
“As the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, I want to tell Akinruntan that he only crowned these characters as chiefs in his domain, not as Yoruba Obas in the diaspora, because he doesn't have the power. It is fraudulent, it is an affront on our history and we will not allow anybody to distort our history.
“In the same vein, I think all the socio cultural groups in Yoruba land, including Afenifere, Yoruba Council of Elders, Yoruba Unity Forum and other notable groups in the south-west should raise their voices against such fraud. It is our responsibilities to protect our history, and put our records straight.
“More importantly, I will like to tell some of the professors Olugbo is using to desecrate the traditional institutions to desist from such acts as that can later hunt them in the future.
“I want to tell Akinruntan that nobody can buy the Yoruba, at home and abroad.You cannot gain respect by attacking other Obas, especially those senior to you,” he concluded.
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Adams recently urged the federal government to work on policy programmes that can alleviate the suffering of Nigerians at the grassroots.
He made the comment as a guest at the 2nd annual Public Lecture of Freedom Online in Ikeja, Lagos, stressing that from all indications, the present situation in the country shows that majority of Nigerians are suffering, with little or no hope.
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