Since the beginning of time, peoples across generations have being, at the most of times, in dire need of leadership. Societies have risen and fallen to the amazement of history as a result of this fundamental principle of sociology. The destiny of a people shall be shaped by their aggregate moral linage and collective values. The rule has never changed from generations to generations. A people is well-off when their character and values are adequate to earn them respect from their enemies, potential enemies and competitors in yet another natural rule of life; that a race
shall struggle to dominate another.
How much willpower and character strength a nation brings to the negotiation table of racial-struggle will not only determine what the race takes away from the negotiation but also determines how much respect such race enjoys in the near and far future in subsequent negotiations. In truth, there are no subsequent negotiations but consequent ones. Every new negotiation shall be based on assumptions birthed by the previous ones. A respected nation enjoys its dignity for as long as its character and values are sustained over generations. Enlightened nations have therefore taken it as sacred the responsibility for a generation to hand over richer values and stronger character to the younger generations as a way of sustaining its dignity. The keenness with which this sacred duty is being protected by sane societies makes its leaders to appear crude, over-aggressive and sometimes oppressive in the committee of nations nay to weaker nations.
I therefore rather than just scold Sunday Igboho for his insult to the supreme deity of the Yoruba Nation – The Ooni of Ife, wish to assume the responsibility to straighten the crookedness in the thinking pattern of the generality of Yoruba’s. Characters and values are of course products of thoughts. When thinking gets crooked, character and values wane and human dignity and the respect it attracts are lost. The current status of Yorubas as the endangered race in the Nigerian federation can only be changed if we seize to look without but within for solutions. And, in looking
within, we must look first at our thinking pattern with probing concerns to identify where we have failed ourselves as a people and consequently reduce ourselves into the nonentity race that musters the list dignity and
therefore attracts mean respect.
Today, the Fulani is the problem. Yesterday, it was Hausas. The day before, it was Igbo’s. We would not forget the days in which it was colonialists who took our forefathers into slavery. The fact that, as educated as we are today, we still remain vulnerable is a clear indicator that our problem is fundamentally inherent in our thinking. In the days of
slavery, it was our own Madam Efunroye Tinubu, a slave merchant who was mid-wiving gun and gun-powder supply for slave between European slave merchants and internecine warlords. In most recent history, it was Gani Adams who emerged from no-where to usurp the OPC leadership of Dr. Frederick Faseun. Faseun, the NADECO elite chief was relegated and the entire OPC project, a reaction to Hausa domination and federal Government’s ineptitude to security concerns, was
derailed and it became another victimizer of our people rather than the rescuer it was meant to be. The outcome of the June ’12 struggle is history today but it affirms that the Yoruba’s character strength is in question.
Moreso, it further lowers our profile as a people. The question on the degree of determination of Yorubas was answered in a manner not dignifying for a race that arrogates knowledge and intelligence. The roles played by Yorubas in the death of both MKO Abiola and the June 12 struggle were dirtier than the ones played by other races. Yet, the Abiola’s
Aare-Onakakanfo was auctioned with little regards to our dignity. The outcome of the recent EndSARS protest is still fresh. Our heritages in Lagos were denigrated and Igbos was fingered. Shall we continue to pretend of ignorance of the fact that our lands and properties were been bought and owned by Igbo traders in major cities of Southwest? Is the
Igbo to be blamed for exploiting our collective character weakness? Or, are our leaders working hard preparing for a “Reclaim Our Lands” campaign? Is every race not having an inalienable right to perpetuate itself on earth?
Can a people with a weak character, essentially materialistic values, poor sense of cooperation, chronic scarcity mentality driven competition raise its head in the committee of nations? In a strategic effort to salvage our situation and put us back on the path of remedy, the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II., upon ascension of throne, took it as his very first assignment to tour Yorubaland and bid for peace, mutual respect, re-invention of our lost values and the fusing of our human-potentials. The Ooni’s move was informed by an adequate understanding of the troubles with our race and his efforts were geared towards a sustainable mind-resetting and bridging
of gaps.
This same path was the path toed by His Imperial Majesty on His visit to Mr. President. His visit did not only void the clamp-down on Sunday Igboho but also stemmed what would have translated into something similar to ‘wetie’ in Yorubaland. Whereas, the intent and purpose of His Imperial Majesty was not misunderstood by any quarters; The deliberate misinterpretation was simply the furtherance of the character ailment of our people and the denigration of the Ooni’s stool by Sunday Igboho was an attempt by the disgruntled elements within the race to truncate the achievements of His lmperial Majesty in healing these ailments. Of course, “those who benefit from a wrong situation will always want it to persist.” Hence, the crude efforts of these elements to bastardize the Ooni’s efforts, found an opportunity in the self-anointed effort of Igboho. It then became the collective will of the Yoruba youths, to say emphatically that the Ooni of Ife remains the symbol of Yoruba unity, the flag-bearer of our rebirth and last hope. His approach is not only the realistic but the well-informed path to the restoration of our lost dignity. A vehicle cannot be driven by two drivers simultaneously and successfully. Providing a vehicle with two steerings and gears would have been disaster embedded into it from conception.
The Yoruba’s cannot have two leaders. It remains a character weak-point and this has been resolved through a collective
resolution of Yoruba youths to accept the divine choice of leadership upon us. This is informed not only by the need not to abuse history but also the realization of the fact that divine guidance can only descend through the divine link. This fact has been demonstrated by the strategic restoration of leadership dignity, trust and loyalty by the Ooni through people-centered leadership style that the Yoruba’s have been denied for decades under the auspices of the me alone leader. The wanton destruction of our collective destiny over the past five decades is enough evidence that their leadership and its purpose and intent are not divinely ordained by our ancestors.
Yoruba’s are in a dire need of a leader with not only an unalloyed loyalty to our collective interest but also one with requisite selflessness that guaranty sound judgement on matters that affect our interest. The setbacks we have suffered as a people in these dark decades have been results of a leadership devoid of honest and sincere purpose and what the Ooni has
given us is a departure from this. The fundamental truth is that there are only two groups of people on earth. The Winners and The Losers. For Yoruba race to be a winner, we must tow the path of Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
Amb. Habeeb Whyte Esq.,
Member – Royal Court of Ife Kingdom,
65 th Ecowas Youth Ambassador
whyte287@gmail.com
