₦airaland Forum

goodnessme1:
Can you tell us the commendable efforts that was made?
What happened to the 3Rs nigeria promise to biafrans(reconciliation,rehabilitation
and reconstruction)

was there any reconciliation?

Was there any rehabilitation?

Did they reconstruct anything in east?

You should be asking your politicians these questions, not some random guy on NL

A lot has � done to fulfill the 3Rs.

Evangkatsoulis:
In america and other western countries exceptional(profoundly gifted) students do get perfect scores in such exams, some as early as 10 years or 11. I don't think 86% is high enough. Maybe 390+ to account for small errors. But still to me, there is nothing stopping any candidate from getting 400.

You have to put in perspective what we have to work with. I think the best westerners would probably be able to score a perfect score on Jamb. Even moderately smart Americans and Asians should score a perfect score on Jamb. Jamb is not a really difficult exam and the answers are not even that close, they are obvious if you have an idea of the topic.

The problem is that the typical Nigerian education is sub standard, and coupled with our low IQ, it's easy to see why a 347 is incredible. Anything above 250 is top 3 percentile and that ain't something to sniff at in Nigeria.

Also, JAMB is a knowledge based exam, so people with good/eidetic memories would probably do better.

In addition, the exam is written in a foreign language. Even though, we speak English in Nigeria, most of us still think in our native language and something is lost during translation to English.

I agree, giftedness cannot be determined, in the Nigerian context, based on Jamb score.

We have a gifted school in Suleja, and none of the students do very well in Jamb.

When you look at the west, there is consistency. The same gifted students in primary school, do well in secondary school and go on to the Oxbridges, Williams, Swarthmores of this world. And there is correlation between parents income and academic achievement; in Nigeria, there is an inverse relationship. I don't understand how people with little resources can out do people with money and access. I think the answer is obvious; massive cheating in rural areas.

In Nigeria, there is no consistency; you see malnourished poor students veith uneducated parents doing well in Jamb, and these same students do horribly in WAEC, and these students have no antecedents at the secondary and primary School level.

It beats me how poor students from no name schools do better than folks from places like Kings college, Loyola etc.

The system is effed up and I personally do not think the kids with 347 can reproduce it. Doesn't take anything away from him though.

Fool I quoted nobody. Just mentioned a name I dropped. It would be best if I could talk to you in person in order to knock some sense into you. Right now you are being very irrational. You are calling me emotional while I made no emotions statement. You are deliberately as usual confusing the mere quotation of others as proof. I have already told you what history means. Providing proof requires your claim to be true which is not the case and which is why your new strategy (old really) is to redefine the word proof. Troll, now talk alone or with your other two Yoruba who saw it fit for three Yoruba to simultaneously engage just one Edo. The truth is powerful and you Yoruba guys are going to need to engage in a 50 million vs 1 fight in order to not get completely obliterated by the truth and your slave passed.

The academic papers we provided were based on extensive archeological and anthropological research. The papers were taken through a rigorous scientific process before they were accepted for publication, unlike the beer parlour tales you have provided as support.

You are dumber than I first realized! You are probably even dumber than I am realizing right now.

TAO11:
Thank you oo my brother. That boy is just been unnecessarily emotional. The fact speak for itself.

So this is Katsumoto?

Thanks for not ignoring him. Sometimes when you ignore them, they begin to believe their poorly constructed tales of the fantastic and
phantasmagoric.

On a lighter note . . . Hmm, just the way we defeated their forefathers, we have beaten him senseless, our children will one day defeat future Edo children, and , I am sure, our grand children will do the same to future Edo grand children.

No Igbo person was in the top three last year. Yoruba always in the top three year in year out

The Yeibo boy probably cheated

prolog311:
People, please ignore the troll above. Benin Kingdom has been in contact with European kingdoms since the 15th century and in that time the Europeans wrote a lit about Benin. They wrote what they saw and even though the eyewitnesses died hundreds of years ago, their written work survived and are exposed in museums around the world. Benin history didn't start with 1897. That is actually the year Benin lost a war to Britain. But ignorant people don't need to know all this.
And please Mr Yoruba liar, try to be more original than singing the praises of yoribacentric liars who were pushing the narrative which you desperately want all to believe. Nobody in Europe takes you people's trash seriously. You can only fool the fools and I am not one of them.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDquEWi3dXk

Yoruba have no history and desperately want to claim other people's. They believe that their majority status in nigeria should enable them take over Edo history. But history doesn't work like that. You can't change it just because you are many. Deal with it.

It seems you are troll. Funny though!!!

prolog311:
You exposed yourself as an emotional ethnic bigot with this comment. Discussing further with you is futile.

Yet even the members of the expedition, predisposed as they naturally were to believe in the foreign origin of the best in Benin culture, recorded a tradition (op. cit., p. 5) suggesting that Benin owed something to Ife, i5o miles away, whose Oni had exerted spiritual overlordship over Benin since the early years of the founding of the Yoruba kingdoms; and subsequent inquiries by Talbot and others leave no doubt that the Bini believe they learnt bronze- casting from Ife. An early Oba of Benin, Oguola, who reigned in the late thirteenth century, is said to have asked the Oni of Ife to send a craftsman to teach the Bini to cast in bronze. A certain Igue-Igha was sent, and is said to have become the first Ine, or head of the Brass-casters' Guild, to which a special quarter of the great city was exclusively allotted; the present Oba told me when I visited him recently that brass-casting has from the beginning been for- bidden at Benin except within the brass-casters' quarter.
Just outside the door of the Ine's house in that quarter there is a shrine dedicated to the deified Igue-Igha. The shrine it-self is a small mud alcove, which has no doubt been repaired and renewed many times, but the cult objects, on a mud shelf about 3 feet 6 inches from the ground, are a series of terra-cotta heads, some of which in my opinion cannot be much later than the sixteenth century. The Igue-Igha tradition therefore seems to be of long standing. It is these traditions, coupled with some stylistic affinities, which have led us to regard the Ife bronzes found in I938 and 1939 (seeMAN, I949, I) as ancestral to those of Benin


Source
A Bronze Figure in Ife Style at Benin
Author(s): William Fagg
Source: Man, Vol. 50 (Jun., 1950), pp. 69-70
Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
Accessed: 11-05-2019 11:28 UTC

It is not just in the area of administration/politics, Benin was subservient to Yoruba in the area of arts, culture, and technology as well

prolog311:
You exposed yourself as an emotional ethnic bigot with this comment. Discussing further with you is futile.

Modern Benin traditions were collected first by Roupnell in 1897 and then in the 1920s by Talbot, but the most thorough elaboration was by Chief Jacob U. Egharevba, who combined his personal knowledge of tradition with the earlier collections and some documentary evidence to produce a history of Benin in 1934. According to all these versions, the original Benin king-dom was a loose federation of elders, who tired of their kings and invited Oranmiyan, the son of the "Oghene" of Ife to come and rule them, which he did, remaining briefly before going on
to found the main Yoruba kingdom of Oyo. To this core of infor- mation from tradition, Egharevba added some circumstantial detail (including information about art history) to solidify the idea that the centralized monarchy was founded by a scion of the house of Ife.29 The similarity between the title Oghene, by which the Oni of Ife is known in Benin, and Ogane of the texts has been the core of the modern interpretation of the Ife-Benin relationship.




Source
Traditions, Documents, and the Ife-Benin Relationship
Author(s): John K. Thornton
Source: History in Africa, Vol. 15 (1988), pp. 351-362
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Accessed: 11-05-2019 11:18 UTC

prolog311:
You exposed yourself as an emotional ethnic bigot with this comment. Discussing further with you is futile.

The Yoruba of Western Nigeria have large, dense, permanent settlements, based upon farming rather than upon industrialization, the pattern of which is traditional rather than an outgrowth of acculturation. They are undoubtedly the most urban of all African peoples, the percentage living in large communities being comparable to that in European nations.

Earlier historical materials can be found in the accounts of Benin, to the east, and Dahomey, to the west, which indicate that both were subject to some measure of political control by Yoruba cities as early as 200-500 years ago.

Source:
Urbanization Among the Yoruba
Author(s): William Bascom
Source: American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 60, No. 5, World Urbanism (Mar., 1955), pp.
446-454
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
Accessed: 29-04-2019 02:52 UTC

prolog311:
I have been avoiding making comments on social media and nairaland especially. I am well aware of the ethnic bigotry which goes on on nairaland. I am also aware of the lack of truthfulness of many commentators in nairaland. The person who comments above is a well known Yoruba liar who has spent years on nairaland perfecting his lies. I have engaged him several times and challenged him to provide proof for his claims. He has never been able to prove any of his claims. All his claims are yorubacentric propaganda aiming at claiming Benin heritage as a Yoruba belonging. I am saddened that some of my Edo brothers have chosen to engage this "tao" and other Yoruba history thieves into the fictional world of oduduwa and oranmiyan and ogisos. For the avoiding of any doubt those are mere stories like that of father christmas, Hercules, or even batman. I would forgive a child for believing such stories, but not a so called educated adult. But the level of nigerian education (I studied and live in France ) is so deplorable that you Nigerians are very dumb ... That is why Yoruba fake history peddlers go on almost unchallenged and even recently the ooni of ife tried to rewrite the history of the Igbo to magically make them originate from ife. The Yoruba national sports seems to be the rewriting of other peoples history.

Strawman argument. The guy provided first rate references, yet you say he provided no evidence.

You are the one being emotional here. Try to be logical.

Every objective historical account points to the fact that Yorubas helped establish the Benin Kingdom. Yorubas are the most civilized ethnic group in Africa. It makes sense that we exported the civilization to other parts of Africa.

I just got mine in the mail: 389

Thank God. When is post jamb?

Who is raping someone like this?

Freshmaxi:
Never.. Me as Anambra man don't have anything to do with dirty Yoruba's.. I hate Yoruba with passion.. Any thing Yoruba is fake.. Useless. Set of people.. You should thank igbos for developing Lagos.. Do you guys know how to build attractive house?? Brown roof region of the nation.. Foolish betrayers.. Chest beaters...

Bush boy calling Yorubas dirty

The "Yoruba" have long been the most urbanized of all sub
Saharan people and among the most urbanized people in the world.
Yoruba have been quite explicit in distinguishing between rural and
urban behavior. Peter Lloyd strikes a note of awe in describing
Yoruba towns as "unique phenomena."

She will be recalled soon for corruption

All yeeibos are thieves, until proven otherwise

Yeeibos and Yorubas do not have much in common

What we have in common is the same as what we have in common with other Africans:

1. Both peoples belong to the Kwa language family and both live in tropical forest areas, going from very wet coastal forest zones in the south to savanna grassland in the north.

2. Both depend upon a root crop economy, similar fruits and tree products, and use like kinds of traditional working tools.

3. Both are large groups, each probably having over ten million members, with high population densities for Africa; both have traditions of expansion along their borders.

4. Igbo and Yoruba were heavily involved in the European slave trade and have extensive market systems.

5. The two are characterized by pat-rilineality, the agnatic groupings forming the basic building blocks of their political system


Differences:

1. The Yoruba consist of a number of centralized states, once united under a large central state, while the Igbo have been made up of autonomous confederations of villages without strong centralization, except perhaps at Onitsha and through the Aro Chukwu network, as well as atIgbo-Ukwu in the archaeological

2. With Yoruba centralization and political hierarchy goes greater role specialization in all phases of life, from the political to the religious to the artistic. Further, the Yoruba mainly live in towns and cities, the Igbo until recently in villages, albeit densely populated rural

3. The Yoruba are also a more mythic people than the Igbo. Their pantheon of gods, with qualities not dissimilar to Greek and Scandinavian mythological figures, forms metaphors of past life and history that play important roles in present-day ritual and artistic activities, and there are
common myths and beliefs held by many or all Yoruba. The Igbo, in contrast, have more particularistic myths for individual villages and patrilineal groups, have less of a common sense of the past, and have religious beliefs that are less centralized, spreading over a host of spiritual forces. They are less historically oriented than the Yoruba

4. Yoruba sculpture forms a more coherent whole [than Igbo] because certain conventions are ac-cepted throughout the territory," while the Igbo "seem to have found little need for integrative influences in art above the level of the village and the district" (Fagg & Pemberton 1982:13).

5. It would be a mistake to assume, however, that repose in Yoruba art means that Yoruba are not interested in achievement, in striving; they are as en-trepreneurial as the Igbo, but their activi-ties tend, perhaps, to be less openly stated and more in terms of a structured hierarchical social situation

Oodua is probably rolling in his grave right now.

May Sango strike this Adeyeye guy before Sunday

We need a new Ooni

Idiots praying instead of working hard

Wallade:
Catholics also don't believe in sex before marriage but she has been doing sex, obviously from the message, without qualms.

Hence, I see no reason she could not do an abortion based on religious beliefs. She managed the rape in confidence, why not manage abortion in confidence too.

SHe was raped. We were not having intercourse

Ijawwomaninoyo:
Open your mouth for Arab to piss and shit inside then you collect dollars.

lots of dollars

An American did I write that. Lots of grammatical mistakes.

Fake story

It is an old video.

The person is Sarakis sister. Gbemisola

This is the Nigeria we inherited from people like FFK

Really, really shit situation.

2 months ago, my GF was raped. It was done in a park. She didn't want to report it and went into a full breakdown, wouldn't speak to police, go to hospital etc. I couldn't force her, so I just stayed with her.

She was, obviously, in a really shit state since, and I've been with her, by her side, listening to her, helping her. We went to therapy, and she knows I'm there for her. She has a history of depression, and I've been really worried.

Last week, we found out she was pregnant. I was abroad for 2 months before the rape on work, and can back early to care for her. So the baby definitely isn't mine. She is 100% sure it's the rapist's.

So we had a discussion. She is a devout Catholic. We initially decided on a abortion, but after she speak to her Mother, she has decided to keep the baby, saying that isn't the baby's fault.

I flat out told her that I would not help raise a baby of a guy who raped her. She cried and begged me not to leave. I told she is the one making the choice - either she keeps the baby and I leave, or she aborts the baby and I stay. I would not let this go.

She didn't want either of those things to happen, so I told her we were done...

I feel shit. Was i wrong?

Yiibo made phone?

Never trust Yiibos

Never rent to them in Nigeria

Never allow them to become president in Nigeria

There are no engineers in the whole of Yiiiboland to take care of the problem?

No Yiiiibo billionaire to finance the repair

No Yiibo Nairaland to post this trash on

SMH for Beeafraudland

These billionaires are kobo billionaires

Ojukwu wasted his own people

For the first time, I agree with Alaafin

This Ooni talks too much

https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2019/05/no-not-again-alaafin-of-oyo-tackles-ooni-of-ife/

By Ademola Adegbamigbe

When Oba Okunade Sijuwade was alive and reigning as the Ooni of Ife, he and Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo, were behaving like two recalcitrant cocks thrown into a pit or two male lions defending their own territories in the jungle against intruders who might want to claim their “wives”. The superiority contest between the two monarchs concerned who, between a political leader of Yorubaland or Oyo Empire (which spread up to Togo) and spiritual leader was superior.

While the Alaafin saw himself as the political leader, the Ooni, the scion of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba, regarded himself as the spiritual head. It was a war between the terrestrial and the celestial.

Consequently, the Yoruba nation was not able to benefit from the two Obas in the areas of trouble shooting and interventions at critical moments. Everyone threw his hands up in utter helplessness as the two old men carried on as enemies.

That situation changed, however, when Sijuwade joined his ancestors and Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi emerged as the new Ooni of Ife. He showed all who cared to observe that the status quo had changed and there must be a paradigm shift. Without anyone’s prompting, he made a beeline from Ife to the Alaafin’s palace in Oyo for a courtesy visit. To everyone’s relief, Oba Adeyemi received him with conviviality. Not long after this, Ogunwusi dashed off to Ilesha to visit Oba Adekunle Aromolaran. There was no love lost among the triumvirate. That changed…

Just as all Yoruba were settling down to enjoy the peace among these top Yoruba natural rulers, another issue has cropped up that disinterred primordial animosities between the Ooni and Alaafin.

Trouble started when Oba Ogunwusi spoke at his Ile-Oodua palace in Ile-Ife while receiving the Lagos State president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Solomon Ogbonna, who had, as a member accompanied the delegation of African Farmers And Cultural Organisation on a courtesy visit to the palace.

That day, Oba Ogunwusi enthusiastically told his guests: “This is your root. I said it recently, some of our Yoruba kinsmen with ignorance of our history came out with nugatory beratement of my position on the family ties between Yoruba and Igbo people. We have to say the truth and the truth must set us all free, we are blood brothers. We should be inseparable. Please feel at home in Yorubaland and respect your Yoruba brothers and sisters too.”

However, the Alaafin, in a letter or response published on a the Nigerian Tribune, debunked the linkages between the two ethnic groups and narrated the Yoruba and Igbo’s path in history.

Oba Adeyemi reasoned that the Igbo with a record of highly respected origin will feel comfortable after tracing their origin to ancient Israel with lineage to Eri, the fifth son of Gad who was the seventh son of Jacob, who was the youngest son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

Alaafin repeated the history of Igbo origin: “Eri, the son of Gad was said to have entered the present Egypt, journeying down Africa, crossing the Nile to Ethiopia (present day Sudan) and finally into the present day Enugwu Aguleri (for more details about this see: THE BOOK NIGERIA 2.O. CARAPACE PUBLISHERS NIGERIA LIMITED. Pg 46 ORIGIN OF THE IGBO: OBU GAD (HOUSE OF GAD) ANAMBRA STATE. Khartoum Street, Wuse, Zone 5, Abuja Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria or www.dayoadedayo.com). Certainly, the Igbo people who are proud of their origin will not feel comfortable with any pseudo history that will make them superior to Israel.

“I am not aware of any business relationship between the Yoruba and the Igbo until the 19th century, leading to the amalgamation of the Southern Protectorate and Northern Protectorate that resulted into Nigeria in 1914. In other words, we are related as fellows Nigerians who have been enjoying mutual relationship for each other. Culturally, linguistically, traditionally and historically, we are basically different. We have always striven to promote harmonious understanding in our diversities.”

However, Steve Aborisade, a writer, human rights crusader and Advocacy and Marketing Manager at AIDS Healthcare Foundation, argued that for Alaafin to set the record straight does not mean old hatred has been exhumed.

In the words of Aborisade: “I am not sure we can rightly claim that the old animosity between the two stools has been reignited with the response of the Alaafin. I think we should rather trace the two positions which holds true. There is so much misinformation, deliberately caused, for personal gains, in the public space. I think it was important enough to set records straight.

“I have read of our affinity with Benin people, but never of the Igbos. It is also true the Igbo have never pretended we are related. We don’t have to be brothers or sisters to have and demonstrate mutual respect and regard for each other. In the true sense, our history or a distortion of it, is not what is responsible for current bad blood between tribes. Even among the Yorubas, same animosity exists! Whereas, the bad politics we play is responsible.

“I think Alaafin’s argument is what we should engage, and not the fact that he responded to statements made by Ooni. Is Ooni’s position correct? Did he communicate clearly enough what he wanted to say? Alaafin has also shown enough fatherly maturity with the current Ooni. His ‘setting the records straight’ would not now mean he is taking a different stance in my view.”

Below is the full text of the Alaafin’s response:

SCRIPT OF THE LETTER PUBLISHED IN THE NIGERIAN TRIBUNE ON THURSDAY, 2 MAY, 2019 PAGE 9.

APO.13/VOL.68/02 27/04/2019

AJE: AN EARLY YORUBA DEITY WITH NO SECOND FIDDLE

In recent time, I have been inundated with calls and even visits to my Palace on a recent Video Tape showing His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife during the Aje Festival in Ile-Ife, Osun State. With all sense of modesty but candour, I cannot recall exactly the number of the video tapes that have been sent to me well-meaning Yoruba elders and patriots.

(2) In the same vein, the traditional rulers have not been left out of this concern and legitimate worries. All across Yoruba speaking areas of Nigeria up to Kwara and Kogi states, the situation to say the least, has been breathless. Even the Yoruba in the Diaspora; Republics of Benin and Togo, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada etc have also expressed indignation about the current issue.

(3) Initially, my reaction was to stand by my age long resolve, as the king and Head of Yorubaland, not to interfere in the running of the affairs of other Paramount rulers in Yorubaland of which the Ooni of Ife is one. But after listening thoroughly with meticulous assessment and analysis of the tape, I did not hesitate to come to the conclusion that the time for me to interfere was ripe and absolutely expedient less the cherished historical and cultural heritage of the Yoruba is wantonly dragged in the mud. My interference, therefore, is daintily anchored on the sanctity of Yoruba history, origin and custom which I am convinced the said video tape by Oba Enitan Ogunwusi did not observe.

(4) Yet, even in my response, one should be cautious enough against any inter ethnic hostility and malice within Nigerian context, especially between Yoruba and Igbo. But this should not be turned into historical fallacies. I doubt if any Igbo man familiar with the history of his origin will be happy with the fallacious claim that they originated from Obatala.

(5) Also I do not think the Igbo with a record of highly respected origin will feel comfortable after tracing their origin to ancient Israel with lineage to Eri, the fifth son of Gad who was the seventh son of Jacob, who was the youngest son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Eri, the son of Gad was said to have entered the present Egypt, journeying down Africa, crossing the Nile to Ethiopia (present day Sudan) and finally into the present day Enugwu Aguleri (for more details about this see:

THE BOOK NIGERIA 2.O. CARAPACE PUBLISHERS NIGERIA LIMITED. Pg 46 ORIGIN OF THE IGBO: OBU GAD (HOUSE OF GAD) ANAMBRA STATE. Khartoum Street, Wuse, Zone 5, Abuja Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria or www.dayoadedayo.com). Certainly, the Igbo people who are proud of their origin will not feel comfortable with any pseudo history that will make them superior to Israel.

(6) I am not aware of any business relationship between the Yoruba and the Igbo until the 19th century, leading to the amalgamation of the Southern Protectorate and Northern Protectorate that resulted into Nigeria in 1914. In other words, we are related as fellows Nigerians who have been enjoying mutual relationship for each other. Culturally, linguistically, traditionally and historically, we are basically different. We have always striven to promote harmonious understanding in our diversities.

(7) AJE Coming back to the origin of Aje – Commerce, the cowry (Owoeyo) had been the Yoruba medium of exchange long before the Europeans came. Hence the decoration of Sekere drum with cowries in appreciation and honour of Aje deity it is to say the least, instructively abominable for anybody, no matter how highly placed to put any tribe above the Yoruba race as far as legitimate trading business is concerned. This is because Aje remains one of the early deities of the Yoruba whose imagery creation is the popular Sekere music played everywhere in Yorubaland.

( Alaafin Onisile 1738 – 1750: Alaafin Onisile was remarkable for his indomitable courage and lion-hearted spirit. He was moreover very artistic, and was said to have made seven silver doors to the entrances of his sleeping apartment. During his reign, the Sekere (Calabash) drum was ornamented, not only with cowries, but also with costly beads e.g. Iyun (Corals), Okun (Stone beads, Benin), Erinla (stripped yellow pipe beads) and Segi (blue pipe beads), strung with silk thread dyed red; all of native manufacture. He was a great warrior and for his exploits was nicknamed “Gbagida! Wowo I’ewon ab’esin fo odi (Gbagida, an expression of admiration), a man with clanging chains (for prisoners) whose horse can lead over a town wall). The History of the Yorubas. Pg.176 by Rev, Samuel Johnson.

(9) Besides, some families in Yorubaland are classified adherents of Aje deity. Some of these families named their children in honour of their chosen deity, i.e. Aje. Such names include: Ajebandele, Ajewumi, Ajifowobaje etc not to talk of those who dedicate time to worship the deity.

(10) It is also a truism that some cognomen, lineage panegyric, such cognomen include: Aje ti so eru d’omo. Yet another is special request and plea to Aje such as “Aje dakun ma na mi ni pasan re ko se nani” and many others like that.

(11) Coming back to modern trade, I make bold to say that it was the imitative of Alaafin who opened the Yoruba to Trans-Sahara trade with West African Countries as early as the fifteenth century. This was especially between the Yoruba and the Hausa-Fulani across West Africa. Trade routes led from Timbuktu in Mali, Goa, Tuareg and Tripoli. Still as far as (Oceanic) Coastal trade was concerned, the Alaafin used the Port of Allada in Wema to control European shippers. “By the middle of the 18th century, when Oyo had grown into an empire in the full bloom of life, Oyo was bounded to the north by the Niger, to the West by Modern Togoland, to the east by its sister Kingdom of Benin and to the South by the Gulf of Guinea, and Porto Novo and Badagry were its main coastal outlets. Dahomey, it may be recalled, became a tributary state of Oyo in 1730 see: Topics in West African History, pg. 90 Paragraph 22 by Adu Boahen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History, University of Ghana. Published by Longman Group Limited, London 1966.

(12) One other imperative of Yoruba in the pursuit of commerce is that any such pursuit must be legitimate with norms of the society. It is on this note that Yoruba sweat and labour as necessary partners; Yoruba do not encourage cheating and unlaboured wealth. Yoruba work very hard to be wealthy.

“Ise ni Oogun ise

Eni ti ise nse

Ko ma bo orisa

Oro kokan torisa

Ibaa bo orisa

Ibaa bo obatala

O di ojo ti o ba sise ko to jeun”

“Work is the medicine for poverty

Who ever is poor

Let him not worship divinities

Nothing concerns the divinities

He may worship the divinities

He may worship Obatala

It is not until he does a profitable job that he would eat”

(13) The above quotations underscore the fact that the Yoruba are very industrious from the beginning with strong emphasis on legitimacy. We have such wealthy and successful businessmen in Lagos who invested heavily on the education of their children. Few examples would suffice. For instance, in 1884, Obadia Johnson, a Yoruba qualified as a Doctor of Medicine. John Randle, son of Thomas Randle an Oyo man who settled at Aroloya in Lagos qualified as a Doctor in 1888, followed by Orisadipo Obasa in 1891. Sapara Williams became the first Lawyer in Nigeria in 1888. In 1893, Herbert Macaulay, a Yoruba man, became an Engineer and A. Agbebi followed in 1911.

(14) Earlier on a Primary School had been established in 1842 in Lagos by the Missionaries. The CMS Grammar School was established in Lagos in 1859 by T.B Macaulay who is the father of Herbert Macaulay. The Methodist Boys’ High School followed in 1876 and in 1879 Methodist Girls’ High School, 1881 St Gregory’s College, Lagos and in 1885 the Baptist Academy (see J.F. Ade Ajayi “The Development of Secondary Grammar School Education in Nigeria, pg 523.

(15) It also on account of such entrepreneurship backup with distinguished scholarship that the Yoruba established the first Television Station in Black Africa, the first five-star Hotel – Premier Hotel, Ibadan, first Stadium, first dualised Road – Mokola – to State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, first Food Canning Industry, first Skyscrapper – Cocoa House, Ibadan, first farm settlement, First Free Primary Education, free Medical services for school children; all in the former Western Region of Nigeria under the premiership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The first African Bishop was Bishop Ajayi Crowther, who spoke twelve languages: English, Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa, Fulfulde (Fulani) Nupe, Kanuri etc, Bishop Ajayi Crowther discovered the first ever Igbo Alphabet ‘ISIOMA’ just as the first Newspaper to be published in Nigeria. These are just a few of the “firsts”.

(16) In summary, let it be stated that Nigeria, despite the multiplicity of its ethnicity has been together in harmony in spite of their heterogeneity. All of us leaders should guide against any utterance that can create an atmosphere of suspicion and rancor among the various ethnic compositions.

IKU BABA YEYE

_____________________________________

Oba (Dr.) Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, JP. CFR, LLD, SAP, D.LLTS, DPA

The Alaafin of Oyo and Permanent Chairman Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs

Chancellor University of Maiduguri, Borno State

Chancellor Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Pro-Chancellor Keisie International University South Korea Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Related