It is good that reality is beginning to unfold, and the true picture behind the recent scheming in Oyo State is becoming clearer by the day. People can now see the real reasons the Governor is bent on enthroning weakness over strength and popular legitimacy so as to ensure his tradition-destructive agenda targeting the institution of the Alaafin. He wanted those that would owe to him alone their ascendancy, making them unable to speak up of when they and their heritage are hurt. For a long, some people have tried to turn our rich history and tradition into a personal estate. But Yoruba history is not for sale just as Gov. Seyi Makinde once asserted.
This whole matter about who chairs the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs is not something that should even be a topic for debate. It is a structure that has worked for centuries, long before many of those currently in power were born. There’s no controversy about who is the supreme head of all Yoruba Obas and Chiefs. It is the Aláàfin of Oyo. Except for selfish or political reasons, nobody has any business tampering with such a sacred arrangement.
I read a revealing article this morning on OyoInsight.com, titled “Controversy As Oyo Moves To Strip Alaafin Of Permanent Chairmanship Of Obas’ Council — Okeogun Monarchs Fume.” The story confirmed what many of us suspected: that the leadership of Oyo State under Emperor Oluseyi Makinde is determined to alter the traditional leadership structure of Yorubaland for personal gain. Yoruba history is deeply rooted, structured, and not something anyone can distort or manipulate for politics.
The question is: what kind of legacy is Governor Seyi Makinde trying to build by tampering with a structure that has worked for centuries? What does he intend to achieve by attempting to rotate a chairmanship seat that has naturally and traditionally belonged to the Aláàfin of Oyo? This is not progress at all. This is not reform. This is a reckless attempt to rewrite history with ink that won’t last.
The Aláàfin of Oyo is not just an Imperial Majesty. He is the king of kings in Yorubaland. That’s the truth, as old as Oranyan himself, is not negotiable. Go to Ife, go to Iseyin, Kishi, Iwo, Ila, go to Ogbomọ̀sọ́, go to Ibadan, go to Ekiti, ask our fathers, they will tell you this. The late Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III wasn’t powerful because of politics; he was powerful because of tradition, history, and divine mandate. His voice echoed because he sat on a sacred stool established by our ancestors.
Now, to the shameful part, those leading this plot to amend the Council of Obas and Chiefs Law including Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin (Speaker, Ibarapa East), Hon. S.A. Onaolapo (Leader of the House, Ogooluwa/Surulere), Hon. A.E. Olajide (Lagelu), Hon. B.O. Adeola (Iseyin/Itesiwaju) and Hon. B.G. Adebayo (Ibadan North II). I ask them, what moral or historical justification can you offer for attempting to desecrate an institution that has served as the symbol of Yoruba unity for centuries? Is it money? Is it political survival? Ẹ̀yin ọmọ Yorùbá, ẹ má ṣe bẹ́ẹ̀. A kì í dá ìtàn rọ́. (Yoruba sons, don’t do this. One doesn’t rewrite history carelessly.)
I must also directly address the honourable member representing Oyo Metropolitan Communities in the Oyo State House of Assembly. This is not the time to be silent or indifferent. History is being made. Your position today will either place you among the defenders of culture or among those who betrayed their people for temporary power. Where are those who once occupied the seat you hold today? Many are gone, some are alive without relevance, few are respected but their names remain — some honourable, some dishonourable. Nobody rules forever, but a good name is everlasting, they even said is better than affluence. We your constituents are watching.
We must all rise to condemn this subtle attack on our heritage. Ọmọ́ kì í jẹ́ kó sẹ́lẹ̀ nílé ẹni kó má wí. (A child must not watch evil happen in his father’s house and keep quiet.) This is no longer about politics or personal sentiment; this is about protecting the sacred identity of the Yoruba race.
I call on elder statesmen, respected politicians, administrators, cultural groups, community leaders, civil society organisations, and especially our royal fathers across Yorubaland to speak now. Ẹ jẹ́ ká sọ pé, o tó gẹ́gẹ́. (Let us say it’s enough.) The Aláàfin stool is not an ordinary title. It is the symbol of Yoruba power, pride, and unity. To remain silent in the face of this insult is to endorse it.
Our forefathers and ancestors are watching. The coming generations will ask questions. Tí a bá fọ́mọ lọ́́wọ́, a kì í f’ọmọ l’ọ́kàn (When you rob a people of their identity, you kill their spirit). This is not just about today, it is about what we will leave behind.
And as it has always been — history will surely keep records.
Hassan Popoola
08138600490 | popoolahassan89@gmail.com
Kishi, Oyo State, Nigeria.
