A leading socio-cultural group, Yoruba Council of Elders, has expressed its misgivings over the statement credited to a Yoruba rights activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Sunday Igboho, saying that passing derogatory comments on elders is alien to the culture and tradition of the Yoruba people.
The elders’ group spoke on Wednesday through its Secretary General, Dr Kunle Olajide, in reaction to a viral comment which Igboho passed to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi; the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bola Tinubu; and the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, describing Tinubu and Makinde as slaves to the Fulani oligarchy.
Olajide said, “I was thoroughly embarrassed in the sense that no Yoruba patriot would, for whatever reason, support public denigration of our monarchs and leaders.
“Let me admit straightaway that I supported and I still support Sunday Igboho’s vehement opposition to these criminal herders for the simple reason that the Federal Government has been so dumb to our complaints over three years. And, our governors too, everybody is trying to please the master in Abuja.
“For me, Sunday Igboho came as a blessing but for him to have denigrated our revered monarchs and our governors should not be supported by any Yoruba patriot.
“However, I want to seize this opportunity to advise our leaders and governors too that they should stop pandering to transient political office holders. No matter at whatever level, at most, they would spend eight years in government.
“An Oba would remain in office for a lifetime if there is no serious misdemeanor. They were enthroned primarily to protect the interest of the people in their domains, not pandering to any political overlords anywhere else. I am very uncomfortable to what appears to be a patronising attitude of some of our monarchs and our governors to the Fulani oligarchy.
“But, to that extent, I would have expected Igboho to meet them privately and express his discomfort with them. This Federal Government, in my opinion, has not done anything to curb or punish the criminal herders. A total of 300 children were abducted in Katsina. We were made to understand that government paid ransom and negotiated with kidnappers in order to release them. Not one person has been prosecuted.
“It appears that the government at the top is very patronising to criminals which is very unfortunate. We can’t go on like this. Our monarchs too should be careful and watch their backs. The masses are watching everybody now and everybody should be very mindful and careful.
“Nevertheless, everything must be done to preserve the dignity of our institutions, our monarchs and our cultural values but they should be very careful.
“In the days of old, our monarchs never left their thrones and domains except for very critical things like signing of treaties and so on. They remain in their palaces. This Abuja everytime is demeaning to the revered thrones of our Yoruba land.”
