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bishopbode@hotmail.com Atlanta, GA, USA

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‘YORUBA RONU’ AND “YORUBA: THE HOMO SEQUEDUM”

n illustrious Igbo author in the name of Dilibe Onyeama from the great Igbo family of Onyeama wrote a very educative book some years back. The book titled: ‘The Nigger at Eton’ is highly recommended for all Africans ,particularly Nigerians who still do not get it over in matters of pejorative thoughts. The same Dilibe Onyeama has written many profound articles published in magazines and newspapers all over the world which are very educating and elucidating about the Yoruba. His several articles as an Ibo man of great distinction will suffice to understand the great liberalism and principle when ever Yoruba are on stage whether over one of their ethnic stock or any other.

Dilibe is one of the many Igbo who could see beyond their noses and in the group of people who can go beyond primordial vision of tribalism to create a Nigeria of patriots in the mould of United States of America.

Dilibe wrote a piece in the Guardian Newspapers way back in 1987 and was re- published again in the Nigerian Tribune in 1989 . It was titled: ‘Yoruba: The Homo Sequedum ‘ He told of his experience in Lagos where a Yoruba taxi man refused to give in to a passenger who wanted to cheat him out of their pre-agreed fare for CMS-Ojuelegba drive. The story was of three people in the said taxi but with different backgrounds. Dilibe praised the Yoruba for never giving in to negative character even from their kith and kin and at the risk of their lives. There were various examples in the political history of Nigeria particularly in Fajuyi who gave his life for his Ibo guest in mid-sixties. This writer has actually requested for some friends in the Newspapers in question to get the article posted in the Nigeriaworld for all to enjoy. The guy went ahead to show his admiration for the strong principles of Yoruba leaders .

There is no doubting the presence of many ‘Judases’ amongst the Yoruba but when the chips are really down, you find most Yoruba standing for the conscience of the Nigerian nation. The piece by Godson Offoaro in the Nigeriaworld lost me because the heading does not really relate to the body of the apologetic essay in support of third term. It seems to me that the author is not really convinced about his ‘make-believe’ support for the third of Obasanjo and is almost hiding behind the scene to take some ‘below the belt’ jabs at the Yoruba.

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The author needs to understand why Hubert Ogunde sang the ‘Yoruba Ronu’ song in the past and to check whether what most Yoruba intelligentsia are saying today conforms to the positive expectations of Ogunde or not. From his very wrong typology of the Ogunde song, he does not seem to know the import of the time or the song.

It is necessary to remind all that in Nigeria of today, the Yoruba are as Bola Ige named them, a proud people who will do a thorough appraisal of whoever is representing them before pushing them out to the entire nation. It is easier to feel the pulse of the Yoruba nation than some others where money shuts all mouths. The Yoruba will fight against any injustice be it against their own or any other tribe in Nigeria. It is only in this nation of Yoruba that the negative sides of their son who is the President could get the strident criticism as being done in Nigeria by Yoruba themselves. There are instances where prodigal sons or daughters of Yoruba nation are consigned to the dust-bin of history whereas in some other places these type of people come back to be policy makers or decision governors.

The Gani Fawehinmis or Wole Soyinka in their opposition to Obasanjo’s ambition to become the Secretary-general of the world Body in the past did not concern their heads about his being their Yoruba brother. Soyinka in particular did not worry his head about Obasanjo being his very good friend. These two typify exactly the stuff Yoruba are famous for.

Remember Obafemi Awolowo once put his hat in the ring for Alvan Ikoku instead of an Ijebu man like him. This is the joy of objectivity and the threshold of a nation unlike where people feel straightforward talk should take a back seat because their kith or kin is in the picture. The liberalism of the Yoruba is to the advancement of Nigerian nationhood because it is one way to eliminate the scourge of ethnicism which has always bedeviled the most populous black nation in the world. You will find out today that there are non-Yoruba people making great waves in Yoruba land by doing great business and feeling free in their own personal buildings without any hindrance or discrimination. The same can not be said of some other places where they are yet to believe in the Nigerian nation and do almost everything to frustrate people from outside their ethnic region.

At the time of June 12, there was great euphoria in some quarters over the great evil committed by Babangida in his retrogressive annulment of the election adjudged by all as the freest and fairest ever held in the country of Nigeria. Some people totally missed the point on the ‘war’ over June 12 thinking it was because of Moshood Abiola who happened to be a Yoruba man. It was not.

It was a battle in the words of that great man who was assassinated in United States Martin Luther King: ‘…..injustice anywhere to anyone is a real threat to justice everywhere and to everyone’.

The bastardization of the June 12 by some folks as a Yoruba war was futile. The failure on the part of some who saw it as a Yoruba war and expectedly, foresaw a great waterloo did not come to be. There were great country men and women who saw the vision in creating a real nation out of the election won by a non-Ibo man in Igbo land and a non-Hausa man in the whole Northern part of Nigeria. It is instructive that Abiola contested and won against an Hausa man in the whole Hausa or Fulani Nigeria . The election also broke the religious barrier in the Muslim North or Christian South of Nigeria. The harm done to Nigeria by the annulment is innumerable because the country lost a positive reference point which could have created a real Nigerian nation. History will never be kind to those who just annulled the election as if they owned Nigeria.

Great Igbos, Hausa men, Ogonis and many others spoke up during the time even though Abiola was not of their ethnic origin. These were men of honor who knew what happened to Pastor Martin Niemoller in the hands of Hitler in WWII for not speaking early enough against Hitler. Abubakar Umar, Anthony Enahoro, Ndubusi Kanu, Arthur Nwakwo, Emeka Anyaoku and other non-Yoruba people who fought for the de-annulment of June 12 election were trying to stand as nationalists who saw the annulment as an injustice and not as a Yoruba problem. These people are the real patriots who should always stand up for recognition.

It is a shame that some people perceived to be enlightened usually miss good points by hiding behind their inability to ignore ethnic colorations or undertones. The basic fact in the selfless acts of Yoruba leaders in Nigeria today is worthy of emulations by all Nigerians . Olusegun Obasanjo is a Yoruba man who is both the Executive President and Commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. The struggle of Yoruba against any third term by Obasanjo is in the defense of the Nigerian Constitution. Again, it shows the abundance of selfless principle in Obasanjo’s own ilk telling him the naked truth that he should not sit tight in office. Take note that the Yoruba are aware that they are not going to produce the next President of Nigeria after Obasanjo’s exit.

The Constitution of any country should be more important than business patronages or crumbs from the master’s table which sometime make some to lose their common sense. The stance of the Yoruba should be encouraged by all men of reasonableness and be emulated by all to build a nation in which there will be total trust. The present argument in Nigeria is that the country is not united because there are several divisive acts and tendencies from the East to the North and to the West. The so-called North has monopolized the control of power for more years than any other while power, some have maintained needs to stay for extra years in the South. The objective and national sense of the Yoruba concur. This is why they have been telling their own - Obasanjo to leave the Constitution as it is, get out of office to become a statesman and let posterity say good things about the Yoruba.

It is easy to rationalize that if Obasanjo is allowed to sit tight as Ahmadu Alli - PDP Chairman is preaching or some other usurpers have suggested, the coast will be clear for future Presidents to torpedo the Constitution to favor them. The silly argument that Obasanjo is the only one who could hold the country together or continue his policies are balderdash. There are millions of people in Nigeria who can do better than Obasanjo and this writer feels that the beauty of fixed number of terms is to allow new hands to bring changes to bear on the mistakes of old hands. There are people who can continue with Obasanjo’s good programs and to correct his bad ones. It is an insult to several Nigerians of different age brackets that Obasanjo should continue because he is the only one who could do it. Mr. President briefly slept in self-conceitedness when he told some South African journalists that he could not find quality people who could take over from him!

With due respect to Mr. President, the whole world is yet to hear from him that he wants to continue. Although the Gbenga Obasanjo’s Verses tell us that he is tired and would not go for another term. If the body languages of Obasanjo are anything to go by, the third term proposal is seems to be on the table. It is hoped that Obasanjo will remember the Yoruba folk tale about how some devils convinced the powerful elephant to become a King just to push him into trouble. In his own case, the thieves, political jobbers, the special interest people, the Ministers who have a lot to hide, the State governors who have stolen people’s wealth and his visionless party are behind the push. The deceit is obvious and it is to hide their secrets which another man in the Aso Rock may not cover.

The piece in the Nigeriaworld about Yoruba Ronu is not only misdirected but a disservice to the great principle behind the stance of all Yoruba men and women asking their brother to leave when the ovation is okay. It looks more to this writer as an attempt at jabbing at the Yoruba whose several sacrifices for the nurturing of a Nigerian nationhood is highly commendable.

The song: ‘Yoruba Ronu” was against some very few Yoruba who were in the sinking boat of Northern People’s Congress led alliance with the then unpopular government of Western Region in the sixties. These people later metamorphosed into the National Party of Nigeria in the Second Republic and they are presently found amongst others in the present day People’s Democratic Party. It will be apposite to inform the writer that Hubert Ogunde was till his death a firm believer in the progressive ideals laid down by Awolowo and being carried on by his political followers all over the world.

Some one needs to educate more on the song: ‘Yoruba Ronu’. It is important not to allude to stories which one does not know its origin. The song by the late great dramatist Hubert Ogunde was against the rigging of elections in the defunct Western Region of Nigeria while all reasons were ignored by the unpopular people backed by the Federal Government of the late Tafawa Balewa. The refusal of the power that be to heed Ogunde’s warning led to the downfall of the then Republic. The song has no relevance to the current opposition of the Yoruba leaders and intelligentsia in heeding the national interest instead of parochial to say that Obasanjo should let two terms as enshrined in the Constitution stay. ‘Yoruba Ronu’ was a clarion call on the Yoruba in early sixties not to betray their fatherland when some were hell bent to destroy the Action Group/Awolowo.

It is very important that people perceived to be enlightened will drop all toga of ethnicism (or tribalism) when real issues are being tackled so that others yet to be healed of untoward grudges of the past can join in building a real Nigerian nation where all are free. Nigeria needs to keep emulating great democratic cultures all over the world particularly the United States from where the Presidential system of government is borrowed. The former President Clinton did two memorable terms in office but could not stay a day longer because the Constitution abhors it. Mr. President in Nigeria is never a saint nor infallible and should be encouraged to take a respectable bow out of office by 2007 for another capable Nigerian.