All roads lead to the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s premier university, on Thursday, where Yoruba leaders of thought would gather to deliberate on the appropriate response to the current menace of killer herders, kidnappers and sundry criminals currently ravaging Yorubaland.
The two-in-one event, which is being coordinated by Dr. Mrs. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu, daughter of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Aawolowo, and former Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, will hold at the International Conference Centre of the university.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, will co-chair the event; a release by Chief Alao Adedayo, publisher of Alaroye newspaper, a leading Yoruba tabloid.
The meeting, according to the release, is a two-prong event that would bring together Southwest Governors, eminent traditional rulers, eminent scholars and other leaders of thought, to discuss the security situation in the region and forge a strategy to assist the governments and the people of the area. Secondly, the Yoruba language version of the book, AWO (the autobiography of Chief Obafemi Awolowo), would also be presented to the public.
“We need to meet again; we just need to talk,” said Adedayo, the publisher of Alaroye Newspaper, the organiser of the conference. “The situation in Yoruba land now calls for the unity among our leaders because we cannot win this war against insurgents except we form a common front. That’s why we are invoking the name of the past leader of the Yoruba people, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, to bring all of us together, irrespective of our political affiliations.”
Adedayo expatiated on the reason for invoking Awolowo’s name, declaring: “Our major problem here is that our leaders are not united. They disagree and fight virtually on everything. And it is all about politics. Unfortunately, this is causing us a lot of damage. And when we remember that most of these politicians claim to be Awo’s political sons and daughters, there couldn’t have been a better name to invoke to bring all of us to the round table.”
Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, plays host to the other South West Governors, while the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, receives the royal fathers attending.
The book, AWO, in Yoruba language shall be presented by Chief Kessington Adebutu, while Professor Banji Akintoye opens the discussion on how to save not only the Yoruba people, but all Nigerians.