TUSSLES AMONG YORUBA OBAS: A CLARION CALL ON MAYE OF YORUBALAND TO WADE IN

Maye of Yorubaland, Ramon Adegoke Adedoyin

An appeal has gone to the billionaire business mogul and philanthropist, His Royal Eminence (Dr) Ramon Adegoke Atobatele Adedoyin to use his position as the Maye of Yorubaland to wade into the current seniority tussle and ancestry claims among key royal fathers in Yoruba land to prevent disintegration among the Yorubas.

In a release by a pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Yoruba Concerned Citizens signed by the Secretary General, Prince Adetunji Adegboye, the group noted that the raging royal battle bothering on superiority claims among some revered Yoruba Obas is a matter that calls for concern.

“Without prejudice to existence of hierarchical pedestal vis a vis trado-cultural relationship amongst our royal fathers, what all must be mostly preoccupied with is the indispensability of techno-economic development of the Yoruba race.”

The group said that Adedoyin as the MAYE of Yoruba land, being the trado-spiritual anchor of the Yoruba Kingdom derived his preeminence from the era of Oduduwa by holding aloft the sacred throne from "falling” and the kingdom from utter "disintegration".

According to the group, The MAYE is not only seen as a brave and invincible warrior but a PEACEMAKER whose infallible advice and natural witticism not only salvaged the epoch making reign of Oduduwa, the progenitor of Yoruba nation, from mere tricious intrigues but also propel same towards global greatness.

“Maye, naturally possesses the THUNDEROUS MOUTH AND TRUMPHETIC VOICE in Yorubaland. Therefore we most majestically call on the Maye of Yoruba Nation to put a final stop at the seeming endless rifts among our revered royal fathers, Ooni of Ife, Alaafin of Oyo, Olugbo of Ugboland, and most especially the trado-cultural cul de sac in which they are historically entangled.”

“We also implore him to hearken unto the clarion call of Oduduwa and quickly intervene in the fiercely wind of discord and animosity blowing across the most respected thrones and temples of the Yoruba kingdom for a stitch in time saves nine.”

It would be recalled that the Yoruba nation has been embroiled in a supremacy bouts between some of its key royal fathers with claims and counter claims of superiority, ancestry and even wealth.

In one of the controversies, frontline traditional ruler and the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi in series of statements had claimed that the Yorubas and Igbos of Nigeria shared a common ancestry.

Not only that, he went ahead to ascribe Yoruba’s ancestry to the Igbos. He bluntly referred to them as the lineage of Obatala—a venerated figure in Yoruba mythology and legend.

Also recently while playing host to a cross-section of traders who came to pay him a visit at his palace the Ooni reiterated this in his address, “There were different clans of Igbos that left from Ife to establish their kingdoms. One of them rebelled back and started coming to cause mayhem in Ife (where they originally came from) and that is the Olugbo kingdom. We should all come together and forget what happened in the past”.

These claims by the Ooni did not go down well with the Olugbo of Ugbo in Ondo State, Oba Fredrick Akinrutan Obateru. He came out all guns blazing and lambasted the Ooni for playing fast and loose with Yoruba history in a bid to score cheap points with certain quarters. The irate Oba Akinruntan claimed Oba Ogunwusi, in an effort to avoid admitting the status of the Ugbo indigenes as the original aborigines of Ile-Ife, substituted Ugbo with Igbo.

In a statement issued by the Olugbo-in-Council, the Olugbo said: “We, the Olugbo–in–Council, found such unguarded statements and historical fallacy disturbing, particularly when such emanated from a monarch who is expected to be a custodian of history, customs and traditions of Yorubaland. We hereby state categorically that we are Ugbos, the aboriginal settlers and owners of Ile-Ife.

“Our forefathers descended from heaven that is why we are called ‘Ugbo Atorunwo’.

“We are not Ibos (Igbos), who are from the South-East, and who have their own clearly researched and defined ancestry. To set the record straight, Moremi remains a traitor. She was a slave captured by Ugbo warriors during one of their many raids on Ile-Ife. She later became the wife of Osangangan Obamakin, the son of Oranfe, who was the paramount ruler of over 13 aboriginal communities of ancient Ugbomokun, which later came to be called Ile- Ife”.

The statement further read: “Oduduwa came to Ugbomokun as a stranger and was welcomed in Ilero, the aboriginal palace of Osangangan Obamakin, which is still in existence in present-day Iremo, in Ile Ife. During the dynastic struggles, Osangangan Obamakin was directed by the oracles (Ifa and Osanyin) to leave Ile Ife.

Also the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba (Dr.) Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III in a letter or response published in the Nigerian Tribune, debunked the linkages between the two ethnic groups and narrated the Yoruba and Igbo’s path in history.

Oba Adeyemi reasoned that the Igbo with a record of highly respected origin will not feel comfortable after tracing their origin to ancient Israel with lineage to Eri, the fifth son of Gad who was the seventh son of Jacob, who was the youngest son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

Alaafin repeated the history of Igbo origin: “Eri, the son of Gad was said to have entered the present Egypt, journeying down Africa, crossing the Nile to Ethiopia (present day Sudan) and finally into the present day Enugwu Aguleri Certainly, the Igbo people who are proud of their origin will not feel comfortable with any pseudo history that will make them superior to Israel.

“I am not aware of any business relationship between the Yoruba and the Igbo until the 19th century, leading to the amalgamation of the Southern Protectorate and Northern Protectorate that resulted into Nigeria in 1914. In other words, we are related as fellows Nigerians who have been enjoying mutual relationship for each other. Culturally, linguistically, traditionally and historically, we are basically different. We have always striven to promote harmonious understanding in our diversities.”