Describing
the development as depressing, disparaging and disrespectful to the
Yoruba people, the YCW urged Obasanjo to apologise or face untold
traditional and legal consequences.
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The Yoruba Council Worldwide has condemned the act of former
President Olusegun Obasanjo, who instructed traditional leaders in Oyo
State to rise and greet Governor Seyi Makinde during a project
inauguration in Iseyin on Friday, deeming it as disrespectful to
traditional customs and norms.
The PUNCH reports that a short video of Obasanjo, who spoke in Yoruba
language, had surfaced on the Internet, expressing displeasure to the
monarchs for not rising to greet Makinde, describing the action of the
royal fathers as disrespectful to the office of the governor.
Describing the development as depressing, disparaging and
disrespectful to the Yoruba people, the YCW urged Obasanjo to apologise
or face untold traditional and legal consequences.
The YCW President, Oba Oladotun Hassan, made the development known on
Saturday during a press conference held at the secretariat of the
Nigeria Union Of Journalists, Jabi, Abuja.
Hassan said, “The recent weeks have witnessed a barrage of
monumental embarrassments, ridicules and brazen abuse of traditional
royal Obas and most shocking to grasping with this well intended
orchestrated embarrassments by chief Olusegun Obasanjo who dropped the
biggest bombshell taboo in the history of Yoruba land, perhaps most
disturbing sacrilege in Iseyin, Oyo State when he addressed arrays of
first class royal fathers and other leading Obas like toddlers or a
village headmaster or Army General talking profusely at his foot
soldiers in a most depressing, disparaging and disrespectful manner.
“Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has since left the corridors of honour,
while we reiterate as the leading vanguard voice for all Yoruba
indigenous people globally, we have eternal duty to preserve the
aesthetic distinct Omoluabi ethos, royal stools and ancestral customs
and traditions of the Yoruba Obaship, precipitating our demand for
immediate apologies by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo within the next three
days or face untold traditional and legal reprisal consequences, not
limited to filing action at a court of competent jurisdiction for
defamation and scandalous libel, while we shall call for stripping him
off of all chieftaincy titles conferred on him by any Yoruba monarchs.
“Furthermore, we shall mobilize all market women, youths and
leaders of thoughts against the Baba Obasanjo for desecrating the Yoruba
ancestral cultural heritage, norms, tradition and values. On this note
we wish to set the records straight that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is NO
longer the President of Nigeria, and he should stop parading himself
deceitfully and impersonating or creating a scenario to command such ill
motivated authority.”
Also speaking, the YCW Secretary General, Siyanbade Adekanmbi, called
on the President, Bola Tinubu to call Mr Obasanjo to order, as part of
ways towards preserving and protecting Nigerian royal Institutions.
Adekanmbi said, We have seen Omoluabi President Bola Tinubu accord
high level respect during his recent visits to the Awujale of Ijebu land
Oba Sikiru Adetona and Alake’s palace, as well as Governors like
Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State prostrate before kings and elders,
wherein at all times this standard practice should be emulated and not
the disrespectful manner done by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former
President of Nigeria.
“We therefore call on President Bola Tinubu to call Obasanjo to
order, and as part of way forward towards preserving and protecting the
Royal Institutions is to establish the National Council of Chieftaincy
and Traditional Affairs wherein other duties of grassroots security and
community policing, national economic planning and strategic growth,
granting of 10% special allocation funds from the federation account and
other roles as expected of Traditional leaders will be guaranteed by
the Federal Government accordingly.”