ON October 14, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, appointed the National Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams, as the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo (Generalissimo) of Yorubaland. The office was last held by the late business mogul and winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief M.K.O Abiola, who died in detention in 1998 after refusing to renounce his call for the affirmation of his presidential mandate which was annulled by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida.
News of the appointment of the 47-year-old, Ondo State-born OPC leader has been received with both applause and bewilderment, in part because of the larger than life image of the immediate past holder of the title, Abiola, and his (Adams’) pedigree as a militant. However, while a few commentators expressed reservations about the appointment citing Adams’ pedigree as the leader of a militant group often accused of perpetrating acts of violence against the Nigerian state and its perceived foes, nearly every Yoruba leader of note has hailed the appointment, acknowledging the recipient’s contributions to the promotion of the Yoruba interests and the Yoruba cultural heritage. For instance, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, noted that the choice of the Aare Ona Kakanfo-designate was the result of his antecedents as a fearless fighter for Yoruba interests. And as pointed out by the Alaafin, whose prerogative in appointing holders of the title is not in question, “The choice of Adams was well thought out before a decision was taken. You may not place him beside Abiola in terms of wealth and other great achievements of the former Are Ona Kakanfos among the Yoruba people and beyond, but Adams has shown enough charisma to deserve the honour.”
The decision has also drawn accolades beyond the South-West. For instance, the Ijaw Monitoring Group, in a congratulatory message by its national coordinator, Comrade Joseph Evah, said: “The enthusiasm shown by the Yoruba across the South-West and beyond following the announcement by the Alaafin is proof that Otunba Gani Adams is the right man for this historic and divine assignment. The giant strides of Adams during the June 12 struggle and his vision to make Yoruba the leading culture in Africa and in global affairs, after that struggle, are today clearly inscribed in the hearts of every Yoruba man and woman.” While the new Aare Ona Kakanfo is indeed a lesser mortal compared to his predecessors, it is fair to note that he has, especially in the past few years, demonstrated a firm commitment to the promotion of Yoruba culture. He has traversed the globe promoting Yoruba festivals and seeking to forge a greater cultural awareness among the Yoruba people. Speaking on one of his initiatives, Adams recently noted that “the move to establish Olokun Festival foundation was really actuated by the rate at which we were fast losing the value of our festivals and culture. I was provoked to inaugurate Olokun Festival when our people were being overrun by the terrible indoctrination that our festivals were fetish, diabolic and of no economic value. So, we decided to inaugurate the foundation and the promotion of these 18 festivals in Yoruba land.”
In a similar vein, it is disingenuous to pillory the OPC’s activities in the aftermath of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the emergence of the sadistic government of General Abacha without considering the pragmatics of that choice. For not only had the ethnically unbalanced and decidedly sectional federal military government committed intolerable acts of violence against the democratic quest of Nigerians, it had evolved grand strategies to literally silence and neutralise the Yoruba nation, deploying the repressive state apparatuses to crush the widespread dissent that emanated from the June 12 imbroglio. The point being made is that resistance to an oppressive state cannot be a valid basis for deploring the choice of the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo.
As the new Aare Ona Kakanfo must realise, however, the position comes with enormous responsibilities. The Oyo empire, one of the largest West African states, is widely acknowledged as epitomising the organisational and administrative skills of the Yoruba people, holding sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin. At the head of its military set up was the Aare Ona-Kakanfo, the supreme military commander who was required to live in a frontier province of great importance to checkmate the enemy. Today, while the Aare Ona Kakanfo is not expected to fight a literal war, he must be at the vanguard of the advocacy of Yoruba interests within the larger Nigerian framework. We therefore urge Adams to carry himself with the dignity and poise that the position requires while steering clear of anything capable of blighting the dignity of the office.
In the same vein, as noted by the Ooni, the “war he has to wage this time is the war for the unity of Yoruba.” In this regard, he must work assiduously with other eminent people in the South-West to actualise a common front on the issues that can advance both the Yoruba and national interests. In this connection, it is cheering news that he is committed to the restructuring of the country. We salute the new Generalissimo of Yorubaland and wish him a successful tenure.
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