“The current system is not working and will not work until there is genuine restructuring of the system. That is the truth.”
Tope Adeboboye
Between Wednesday, January 9 and Sunday, January 13, Lagos will be a beehive of activities. Several eminent Nigerians, including Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, are expected in Lagos as the 15th Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Adams, celebrates the first anniversary of his installation.
Alaafin and the Oyo empire
On Saturday, January 13 last year, Oyo, the capital of the old Oyo Empire, was agog as the Alaafin crowned Adams as the supreme war chief for the Yoruba race. The event attracted scores of eminent personalities from Nigeria, Europe, North America and Asia. In attendance were serving and past state governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives, past and serving state lawmakers, commissioners, clerics and hundreds of Yoruba Obas from Nigeria and Benin Republic.
At an encounter at the weekend, Aare Adams said the past year had been challenging,
with killer herdsmen spreading their menace to some parts of Yorubaland.
“When you take a title, it takes as many as two to three years for you to settle down, no matter how small such a title is. You could then imagine what it is like to hold such a revered title as the Aare Onakakanfo. People expect so much from you. You know the last two holders of the title – Aare Ladoke Akintola and Aare MKO Abiola. So many people would want to compare Aare Gani Adams to those two leaders. But it’s been an honour to serve the Yoruba race in the past year,” he said.
He explained that the anniversary would feature a line-up of activities, including the presentation of two books and the installation of members of the Aare Onakakanfo council.
“That had been the standard over the years,” he said. “If you look into history, all the past Aare Onakakanfos, except Akintola and Abiola, had their council of chiefs. That was the situation over many centuries, so I’m not doing anything new.”
He explained that the wearer of the Kakanfo crown should have some knowledge of goings-on in all parts of Yorubaland, informing that the chiefs that would constitute the council are usually the eyes and noses of the Aare in other parts of Yorubaland.
“Even when the opinion of the Aare Onakakanfo is sought, sometimes the council might need to agree on what the Aare would say, because the Aare Onakakanfo cannot afford to be flippant. We’re also trying to constitute the Aare Advisory Council, which will comprise elderly Yorubamen and women who will advise the Aare Onakakanfo on several issues.”
He said all he had done in the past 25 years had been the promotion of Yoruba culture and ethos and his present office had given him a better platform to continue treading that path.
Since his installation, how has his relationship with Yoruba traditional rulers been? “Cordial, very cordial,” he replied. He recalled that, at his coronation, at least 783 Obas were in attendance, including
Obas from Benin Republic and other parts of the country. He said he had always been respectful of all royal fathers, adding that his position as Aare Onakakanfo would never stop the relationship.
The anniversary commences on Wednesday with the presentation of two books at the Sheraton Hotels in Lagos. The books are Gani Adams: Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, and Iba Gani Adams, Voice of the Media, Voice of the People. There would be a football match the following day, while the third day would feature a quiz competition and the presentation of a book on 1,000 Yoruba proverbs. On January 12, 22 persons would be conferred with different traditional titles by the Aare Onakakanfo and made members of the Aare Onakakanfo-in-Council.
“Aare Latoosa, the 12th Aare Onakakanfo, was the last man that had the council,” Aare Adams recalled. “He died about 1890. His two successors never constituted any cabinet. But right now, we need to constitute the council again. Since I became Aare, there is no week I don’t get between 40 and 50 invitations to programmes. Even if you don’t attend, they want to see a representative. Members of the council would be representing the Aare Onakakanfo.”
Aare Adams said he still maintains his apolitical stance, even though the Aare Onakakanfo has always been at liberty to be fully partisan: “Within the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and the Oodua Progressive Union (OPU), there has not been any agreement that we should go into politics. That is why we will continue to maintain political neutrality.”
Aare Adams insisted that only the genuine restructuring of the country would make Nigeria work. He regretted that Nigeria still lacks electric power, which is taken for granted in some far smaller nations, and expressed worry that everyone in the country blames the President for their woes while leaving the state governors and local government administrators.
“That is also because the President himself is carrying too much load. It is because the centre is where everything is happening. That explains why we should devolve power to the federating units. The current system is not working and will not work until there is genuine restructuring of the system. That is the truth.
“In Catalonia in Spain, the country has no fewer than 10,000 companies, so the people believe they will survive as a country if granted independence. But here, factories cannot even work because there is no power. There is no accountability here at the different levels,” he said.
He regretted that several efforts made by him to get South West governors to convene a security summit did not work, as some of the governors did not show interest. He noted that the police, working in collaboration with the OPC and Onyabo vigilance group, were able to stop the deadly Badoo cult in Ikorodu.
“But that was possible because the current commissioner of police, who was deputy commissioner then, Imohimi Edgal, is a serious and courageous man. He was even determined to lay down his life if need be, all in the bid to conquer the Badoo.
“I wrote letters to the governors, made calls to them. I wanted us to see how we could help in tackling insecurity in the South West. We can do it, but we must get official support. We cannot do anything without working with the director of the DSS, the commissioner of police, local government chairmen and the royal fathers. That is why we want to follow the normal procedure.
“Just recently, I met with the Afenifere leader, Chief Fasoranti, in Akure. The old man was asking me what I could do about the insecurity in Yorubaland. I already told him my efforts and frustrations.”
The culture activist also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that the forthcoming elections are credible and transparent.