*THE YORUBA NATION UNRAVELS IN IFE: TROUBLES AT OAU*
by
*Moses Oludele Idowu*
“It is an insult on us that after 61 years, they deemed it unfit to nominate or to elect any of our sons. We are usually not explicit about Ife. Ipetumodu, Lorigbo, Modakeke, and wherever within the land.
“We are telling you (staff and college students) right this moment, don’t come to work tomorrow (Friday). We gained’t conform to something. We might be right here with charms, we might be right here with masquerades, we might be right here with deities.
“We are appealing to you, don’t come to work tomorrow. We will allow you to go now but don’t come to work tomorrow.”
That was a declaration of warfare, sure warfare. Not from the Fulanis or Igbos or Hausas however from natives of Ife and environs, Yorubas and little children of Oduduwa, in opposition to different Yorubas and workers of Obafemi Awolowo University protesting the appointment of Professor Bamire because the twelfth Vice Chancellor of the Institution.
Bimbo Afolabi who spoke on behalf of Ife and environs was very explicit and particular. They weren’t saying that an Ife indigene must be appointed, however somebody no less than from the district similar to Modakeke, Ipetumodu, and many others.
They take into account it unfair that in 61 years no Ife indigene has made it to the highest place within the University. The Ibadan individuals too have related argument sometiylast hear when the put up was to be crammed that since inception of UI, no Ibadan native has made it.
My curiosity on this piece shouldn’t be the benefit of native individuals to occupy places of work in Government services of their area particularly academic establishments since there are standards normally employed; though for the sake of peace I feel there must be a proviso infrequently that indigenes too must be allowed to ascend the topmost place within the Institutions sited of their area as a approach of compensation. Especially in a nation the place for more often than not standards apart from benefit are sometimes used for choice.
What I wish to look at on this essay nevertheless is the precarious nature of Yoruba nationalism.
I’ve been saying this for someday that Yorubas are usually not as united as they declare inspite of all demonstrations to similar to seen within the current Yoruba Nation activism. This is my constant place as rigorously canvassed in my essay – AGAINST SECESSION: MEMO TO YORUBA LEADERS AND PROMOTERS ODUDUWA REPUBLIC.
This is the sort of factor I steered would occur in a Yoruba Nation when established. It is instructive that the individual elected as VC can be a Yoruba man probably from Ilesha or Ekiti or Oyo or Ibadan or Egba or Ijebu. Yet the Ifes are promising to deliver charms and masquerade to stop him from working in a Yoruba land and to cease the work and easy operations of a college! Thus, a son of Oduduwa can’t be VC and can’t perform,- we’re being informed, – within the very cradle of Oduduwa.
This is what I do know and have recognized about Yorubas for lengthy.
And please do not blame Ife individuals in anyway. It is deep-seated in every single place.
Ibadan would do the identical. ijebus too would do even worse in their very own land. They wouldn’t even have been affected person for 61 years for others to rule over them.
Likewise the Egbas, Oyos, Ekiti and Ijeshas too and many others. What is understood right this moment as University of Ado- Ekiti was initially named Obafemi Awolowo University by the Michael Ajasin administration who established it. It was racism largely which compelled a navy authorities to do the title change as some Ekitis kicked in opposition to their college been named after an Ijebu man someplace.
This factor is actual and is endemic amongst Yorubas.
I’ve lived and labored with nearly all Yoruba tribes and I do know Yorubas too effectively. ( See YORUBAS ARE NOT BETTER THAN THE REST)
In the Second Republic there was a movement on the Oyo House of Assembly simply earlier than the collapse of the Republic when Omololu Olunloyo an Ibadan man took over as Governor of Oyo, to the impact that each one Ijebus ought to depart Ibadan. ( The headline of the paper the subsequent day was SEND IJEBUS AWAY)
Are Ijebus not Yorubas? Are Ibadans and Oyos not Yorubas?
This is my grouse about Yoruba Nation as a result of the tendency in the direction of ethnic hegemony won’t go away; no they are going to be accentuated much more by forces of dissiparity and self- looking for so endemic within the Adamic creation.
Lagosians at the moment are saying they do not wish to be a part of Yoruba Nation as a result of they know that it’s higher for them to be alone and stand alone as a result of these different poor Yoruba states are coming to cut their assets within the Yoruba Nation if it turns into a actuality. ‘Gedegbe leko wa’ ( Lagos stands aside).
Even if the individuals haven’t mentioned so their elites have spoken that they will not be a part of “schemers”- that’s how they known as Yoruba Nation activists.
Why is there a lot division and rivalry and self looking for and enmity amongst Yorubas in the direction of one another? It is just too deep to state right here and the house shouldn’t be there.
As I typically say from my very own bitter expertise “the enemy of a Yoruba man is a Yoruba man.” What the the Lord Jesus mentioned: ” A man’s enemies are the men of his own house”- significantly applies to the Yorubas greater than to probably some other individual. In level of truth I feel He was referring to.the Yorubas.
Only a Yoruba man sees himself or herself as superior to a different. The Ijebus really say they’re higher and superior to the Yorubas even of their fraudulent literature and origin tales.
The Oyos believed really they’re the “proper Yorubas”, which they put on with aristocratic vanity. ( Ajise bi Oyo laari, Oyo use bi enikookan) i.e., ” You can only aspire to be an Oyo man, an Oyo man can never act like another.”. Rev Samuel Johnson took this to a ridiculously low stage in his magisterial basic on HISTORY OF YORUBAS as a result of he was an Oyo man and he took that bias into scholarship.
The Egbas believed they’re brothers to different Yorubas solely that they’re senior brothers – ” the first to see civilization”. And so on.
It was this self- hatred that brought about the Yorubas to lose their maintain of the previous NEPA: they fought one another so completely and undermined one another so fully that the Hausa- Fulanis assisted by the Igbos solely got here for the sharing as a result of the Yorubas had executed job ending themselves. “Se bo omo Ina la nran sina” ( It is the kid of fireplace that you just ship on the errand to fireplace). That story might be informed one other day.
Only among the many Yorubas I’ve seen this contest for supremacy and ethnic hegemony.
A European Jew inspite of his sophistication doesn’t look down or despise even an Ethiopian Jew inspite of his poverty and ignorance. Read how the Jews took and resettled their kinsmen in America within the wake of Nazi onslaught in opposition to Jews in Europe within the 1940’s and you’ll weep for the Yorubas. Yet some Yorubas have informed me with attribute impudence and stupidity that they do not regard my individuals from the North Kwara and Kogi as correct Yorubas. How about that? And they not solely say in order that they act so. I can cite a number of cases in my very own life.
The hatred Yorubas displayed in opposition to one another is a thriller however a thriller that may be decoded and deciphered.
It is an extended and deep story and the thriller might be unfolded some day.
Although the Ife individuals say they do not thoughts even when the VC comes from Modakeke or Ipetumodu or any of the encompassing cities it’s only a ruse. They will certainly thoughts if an indigene of Modakeke is most well-liked earlier than an Ife indigene. In level of truth if we depart the complete Osun state to be shared by Ife and Modakeke amongst themselves there’ll nonetheless be a bitter warfare.
Even throughout the identical city there may be drawback to a Yoruba man and this ethnic hegemony rears its ugly head. Even among the many Egbas there may be nonetheless argument as to which is extra genuine Egbas between the Alakes, Gbaguras, Owus and Oke- Ona Egbas. In the identical city!
Witness the grotesque approach the late Iyalode of Egbaland, Madam Bisoye Tejuoso was murdered?
Witness how these forces rose in opposition to M.Okay.O Abiola inside his personal Egba cosmos, deconstructed him and robbed him of his mandate, then supplanted him. Within the identical city and among the many identical ethnic group and kinsmen. Kinsmen or swordsmen?
This is why I don’t help the Yoruba Nation activism. These issues will not go away in a Yoruba Nation; by no means. They might be worse since you at the moment are nearer and the variations hitherto unknown and unrecognized will now turn out to be magnified whereas the enmities and bitterness buried for interminable generations will now come to mild and to the open asking for vengeance. That a wound was coated doesn’t imply it has been healed.
If the Bimbo Afolabi group of Ife indigenes perform their threats to deliver out Oro masquerade and charms to cease work at OAU then outsiders, the Fulani hegemonists, Igbo irredentists, northern oligarchs and many others have a possibility to snicker at Yorubas.
The image of a Yoruba group from the cradle of Yoruba land taking charms and masquerade to combat the appointment of one other Yoruba man, a son of Oduduwa presents a contradiction; however then, life is all about contradictions.
Yorubas evolve from Ife based on all Oral and written accounts; it will likely be a factor of sorrow that the concept of Yoruba Nation so powerfully enunicated and canvassed by many can be witnessing its unravelling in the identical cradle. Indeed, the purpose of miracles can be the purpose of catastrophe.
©️ Moses Oludele Idowu
March 18, 2022
All Rights Reserved
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