The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, yesterday, strongly condemned having Yoruba traditional rulers in the diaspora.
Adams, who threw his weight behind the Yoruba Obas Forum’s call against having a Yoruba Oba in the diaspora, said the forum’s reaction to the issue was timely and the best approach to stop the cultural infraction that has been affecting the image of Nigeria and Yoruba race.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, said it was illegal for anybody living outside the shores of Nigeria to parade himself as a Yoruba monarch.
He said: “Given my position as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, it is part of my duties and responsibilities to protect the sacred stool of our traditional rulers as well as the sanctity of the Yoruba traditional institution. It is illegal, unfortunate and uncalled-for for anybody living in the Diaspora to say he is an Oba in a foreign land.
“There’s a law that clearly explains the importance of the traditional institution as one of the most respected institutions in Nigeria and Yorubaland. So, the institution must be respected to retain its pride of place in the history of our race.”
“On the other hand, there is also a law that allows the government to install an Oba, and gives the state government the support of the state legislatures across the region. There is a law that also gives the Oba the responsibility of installing his chieftains.
“In Nigeria, there are other nationals like the Jews, the Arabs, Indians and Chinese, but none of these races have a traditional ruler in any part of Nigeria. More so, there are other tribes in Nigeria. We have the Hausa, we have the Benin and we have the Itsekiri or Fulani. However, none of these tribes have an Oba in the Diaspora. So, you cannot go to Europe, Italy, Holland or Germany and claim to be an Oba of Itsekiri, Benin or Hausa or Fulani or even Emir anywhere in Europe and in the world or outside the North.”
He said the Yoruba community and other apex organisations are what is obtainable abroad, and not an Oba, saying; “What is happening in a state like Dallas in the United States (U.S.) and countries like France, Holland and Ireland, Egypt and Gambia is a total denigration of Yoruba culture and tradition. With the information at my disposal, it is no doubt that the Yoruba communities in those countries are against the practice of installing a Yoruba Oba in the Diaspora.”
