…Prays for Gani Adams’ success
By AYO ALONGE[email protected]
In the face of the dust raised by what some have dismissed as needless controversy over the appointment of the leader of the Oodua People Congress, OPC, Chief Gani Adams as the Aare Ona Kakanfo by the Alaafin of Oyo, the son of the late acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola, who last held the position of generalissimo of Yorubaland, Jamiu Abiola bares his mind on the conferment of the title on the OPC leader.
What is your general impression about the economy and the polity, as they are today?
Well, the Nigerian economy is like any other economy that is vulnerable to other countries’ economy given that the Nigerian economy is not an independent economy. So, whatever happens in the global economy affects her because most of our revenue comes from crude oil. If there is glut in production across the world, it will lead to a fall in the demand for crude oil; so any difficulty faced by the global world will reflect on the Nigerian economy; but I believe there is room for improvement since the agricultural development programme put in place by the federal government is yielding results.
In your opinion, what should people do to sustain themselves, considering the fact that the economy is not doing well, as you have said?
I think people have to become more self-reliant. They have to tap into their talents. For example, I do a lot of translations for companies around the world. I translate Japanese, Spanish, Italian and Arabic. There are a lot of opportunities to explore; so, I think they should explore professional courses and training. People should start looking inwards.
Between the period your father was alive and now, what do you think has changed, politically and economically?
The population of the country is increasing on a daily basis and rural-to-urban migration is on the high side. So, it is very difficult for the government to keep up compared to those years. So, the people have to change their primitive ways of thinking since the government cannot meet all our needs. Family planning should be encouraged and also self-employment. People have a huge role to play.
What is your view on the appointment of Chief Gani Adams as the new Aare Ona Kakanfo, stepping into the shoes of your late father?
Well, you know my father was a mixture of a lot of things. All that he was cannot be summarised in that title. It is a great title and I am happy that someone has been honoured with the title. The Alaafin of Oyo is a very intelligent monarch that I respect a lot. I also respect Chief Gani Adams a lot. I have known him for a long time and I know the honour is well deserved. I can also thank the Alaafin for bestowing him with such honour.
You mean you don’t share in the popular opinion of people saying that the cap does not fit Gani Adams?
Chief Gani Adams is a man that means well for this country in a lot of ways. He is a good man. Anytime we organise our events in honour of our father, he comes and does not just come there like the rest would come. Abiola did not become all he was overnight. He (Adams) is still growing and can do things better. All I can say is that he is a good person, and the Alaafin is also a good and wise monarch who would not appoint just anybody. I applaud Gani Adams’ appointment and I pray he ends well so that he can prove his critics wrong. The title doesn’t come with any inducement or any traditional parlance.
Do you think Gani Adams can really prove his critics wrong?
Yes, I know he can. We should hope he succeeds. When one succeeds, we all have succeeded. People should stop pulling others down and pray he succeeds.
Going by the myth that the Aare Ona Kakanfo always dies in an unnatural way, do you think the title led to your father’s misfortune in life?
A lot of people have been insinuating that but he held the title and the late Samuel Akintola held it too. I can say that he and Akintola are the only ones that ended that way. Others did not. Before concluding on that, people should go and investigate what was the case for others that held the title. Then, you will know that only two among the past holders of the Aare Ona Kakanfo title died unnaturally and the rest died in good ways. On the overall, I don’t think people should be concerned about that. We should talk about more important things.
