November 01, 2024
By Samuel Ogunsona
In a blistering opinion piece, Dr. Olusegun B. Abejide has lambasted Afenifere, a group claiming to represent the Yoruba people, for its recent stance on inclusivity.
Abejide argues that Afenifere attempt to align with ethnic groups historically antagonistic toward Yoruba interests is a betrayal of the Yoruba legacy and a deviation from the principles of revered leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola.
“Preservation of Yoruba heritage is not a choice, but a necessity” Abejide emphasizes.
“The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola epitomized the values of Omoluabi, a philosophy of integrity, respect, and dedication to one’s people. Their legacy serves as a guiding light for true Yoruba leaders” he said.
Abejide criticizes Afenifere actions as harmful, pretending to represent the Yoruba while forging ties with external powers.
He said Afenifere has isolated themselves from the Yoruba core, likening them to a bat, neither fully committed to the Yoruba nor welcomed by those they seek to appease.
Abejide urges the Yoruba people to reject Afenifere misguided alliances and reaffirm their commitment to the principles of Awolowo and Akintola. Only by anchoring themselves to these legacies can the Yoruba build a future free from betrayal and ignorance.
This controversy highlights the ongoing struggle for the Yoruba legacy, with Afenifere’s actions seen as a conquest of ignorance.
He said, “The Yoruba people must remain vigilant in preserving their heritage against external influences that seek to dilute or weaken their cultural and political standing
“The Yoruba legacy is at stake, and it is crucial for the community to unite against forces that seek to undermine their heritage.
He wrote “Conquest of conquest is a conquest of no remorse. There is one such conquest. It is a conquest of ignorance.”* – Confucius
The survival of any race is built upon the pillars of preservation and cultural fortitude. The Yoruba, a people rich in history and pride, understand this well. Preservation is not a choice; it is a necessity, the very foundation upon which every ethnic group builds its future. Giving it up would be to expose it to erasure and to forces that have no regard for or love for the Yoruba people.
Two names, “Jagunlabi” and “Omooba,” are emblematic of the Yoruba spirit. Rooted in the values of Omoluabi—a philosophy of integrity, respect, and dedication to one’s people—these titles represent the legacy and character expected of true Yoruba leaders. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the late Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola epitomized these virtues. Awolowo is celebrated as the architect of modern Yoruba development, and Akintola, a political strategist unmatched in Yoruba history, left legacies that continue to guide and inspire. These leaders knew that true progress for the Yoruba lay in self-reliance and a clear, unapologetic focus on the Yoruba cause.
Thus, any Yoruba organization or figure claiming to speak for the Yoruba people must invoke the visions of these two iconic leaders. Ohanifere, a group that claims to represent the Yoruba, has recently taken a position that is at odds with the preservationist principles that Awolowo and Akintola advocate. In a recent article, Ohanifere suggested a vision of inclusivity, aligning with ethnic groups that have historically been antagonistic toward Yoruba interests. This universalist, conciliatory approach to groups like the Igbo, who have often been a source of friction within Yoruba territories, or the Fulani, whose leaders have historically sought domination, is simply not the vision Awolowo and Akintola envisioned for Yoruba survival and progress.
If Afenifere believes that Awolowo’s vision of inclusivity should extend to those who have repeatedly shown aggression and condescension towards the Yoruba, then this is a deviation from the foundational Yoruba philosophy. We, the Yoruba people, reject this misguided ideal. The Yoruba legacy must be guarded against external influences that would seek to dilute, compromise, or otherwise weaken our cultural and political standing.
It is here that Chief Akintola’s approach shines. Akintola understood the need for the Yoruba to stand apart, to be vigilant in preserving our heritage against any who would do us harm. His vision was one of strength and strategic alignment, always mindful of threats from both neighboring tribes and distant outsiders. Akintola saw that the Yoruba cannot afford to be everyone’s ally, especially with those who have shown a willingness to exploit or undermine Yoruba autonomy.
The estrangement between Afenifere and contemporary Yoruba leaders like Bola Tinubu is telling. Tinubu, who once aligned with Afenifere, ultimately distanced himself upon realizing that the organization’s agenda was increasingly out of sync with Yoruba interests. Afenifere has adopted a stance akin to that of a bat: claiming alignment with Yoruba interests while simultaneously playing to external powers. The Yoruba need leaders who stand firmly and unambiguously for the Yoruba cause, not figures who flit between alliances, appeasing those who are not vested in the Yoruba future.
Ohanifere’s duplicity is harmful. To pretend to represent the Yoruba while forging ties with groups that have historically been antagonistic toward us is to betray our heritage. They are like bats—neither fully committed to the Yoruba nor welcomed by those they seek to appease. In the Yoruba proverb, the bat, unable to find a place among either birds or animals, lives in solitude as an outsider. So it is with Ohanifere: in aligning with those outside Yoruba interests, they have isolated themselves from the Yoruba core.
In reality, Ohanifere has aligned more with external interests than with those of the Yoruba people. Their actions are a poison, not a remedy, for our community, as they continue to embrace outsiders while casting out Yoruba individuals who are steadfast in defending our heritage. To truly support the Yoruba, we must reject Ohanifere’s misguided alliances and reaffirm our commitment to the principles of our revered leaders, Awolowo and Akintola.
Only by anchoring ourselves to their legacies can we continue to build a future for the Yoruba, a future free from the betrayal and ignorance that Ohanifere’s actions would invite. Let this be a call for Yoruba unity and a rejection of influences that seek to dismantle our heritage under the guise of inclusivity. For it is not only the Yoruba survival at stake but the legacy of all that the Yoruba have achieved and will yet accomplish.
Hence,Afenifere is a conquest of ignorance here”
