Yoruba Obas want Obasanjo to apologise for disrespecting traditional institution

By Richard Akintade, Osogbo

Traditional rulers, under the aegis of the Yoruba Obas Forum, have condemned former President Olusegun Obasanjo for humiliating some traditional rulers at a public function in Iseyin town.

According to the Obas, the show by the former general was highly condemnable, and the Yoruba Obas Forum demanded an apology for the open desecration, molestation and bringing down of the institution.

The Forum reacted to the incident in a statement jointly signed and made available to newsmen on Tuesday on behalf of the Yoruba Obas Forum by the President and Molokun of Atijere in Ondo State, Oba Samuel O. Adeoye and the General-Secretary who is also the Olukotun of Ikotun-Ile in Kwara State, Oba Dr. Abdulrasaq Adebayo Abioye.

The Yoruba Obas Forum which comprises traditional rulers in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi States called on former president Olusegun Obasanjo to apologize to traditional rulers in the zone without further delay, noting that the outburst was unwarranted and not expected from a Yoruba elder and traditional chieftaincy holder.

Recall that Obasanjo, who was a guest of Engr Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, had on Friday at the inauguration of the Iseyin campus of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, commanded the monarchs in attendance to stand up to greet the governor.

The Forum added that what Obasanjo did has caused global disrepute to the images of the monarchs and affected their collective psyche.

“On behalf of entire Yoruba Obas, we are using this medium to call upon the former President of Nigeria to immediately apologize to monarchs from Oke-Ogun zone for his undeserved remarks over his claim that they failed to stand up when the governor and himself climbed the podium at the inauguration of the LAUTECH’s College of Agricultural Science and Renewable Natural Resources, Iseyin” the Forum said.

The Yoruba Obas’ Forum, which explained that Obasanjo could never do that to the traditional rulers in other parts of the country, said he needed to prove himself as a core Yoruba man with an unreserved apology as “traditional rulers are not toddlers; we are fathers to all and community leaders.”

The Forum also noted that even if the Obas on the occasion acted in breach of The Act of Precedence of 1999, Obasanjo should have noted it in his speech rather than scolding them like pupils or military recruits

The Forum maintained that the outburst by the former President was an affront, an intentional desecration, and sacrilege against revered stools of Yorubaland.

“We think respect should be earned, not demanded. An injury to one is an injury to all. Yoruba traditional institutions are not uniform men anyone can command at will as we are condemning this dastardly act from Obasanjo in all totality and so, we call for his public apology to all the disgraced Obas and the entire Yoruba people by extension without further delay ” the statement said.