JUNE 03, 2020 | EASTERN PILOT A friend of me invited me to what he described as a very important occasion. His name, Omolola Akinwum...
JUNE 03, 2020 | EASTERN PILOT
A friend of me invited me to what he described as a very important occasion. His name, Omolola Akinwumi asked me to come over to the Ikeja residence of Gani Adams, to see how my traditional rulers and leaders of my land would disgrace themselves and make mockery of their fake crowns.
I arrived the Abule Palace of the newly Are O Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Gani Admas and took a wait. Few minutes later, the following men wearing red caps arrived; Eze Ndigbo of Ikeja, Mr Uche Dimgba; the Eze Ndigbo of Gbogbo, Mr Livinus Chimezie; Eze of Coker/Aguda, Mr Jude Ezego; Eze of Ojodu, Mr Augustine Ebisi; Eze Peter Umeh of Mushin, Odiolowo, Iganmu land, Ejigbo, Agbado Oke odo and the Eze of Iba among others.
They came to pay homage to Gani Adams, pledging to work with him. They stood up before Gani. Each of these impostors talked grossly tracing his history and sojourn in Yoruba land and his various escapades. They came short of acknowledging that life would have been meaningless to them without Lagos and that Gani Adams's support was all they prayed for
I sat somewhere watching these men make mockery of the beads, the staff and the cap they adorned. I watched as adults struggle for bottles of Hennessy 2.0 and campari. I grieved when men who ordinarily would have known better reduced themselves before a celebrated tout. Gani, a street guy knew the game well well. He called each of the Ezes one after the other, to be sure that they came with their senses. He made each stood up for three to five minutes before him as he handed very strong instructions to them. I overheard Gani reeling out a code of conduct for his visitors. At the end, he told them that the Igbos in Lagos must support OPC!!!
Gani Adams was a cobbler; an opportunist who found his name during the long agitation that followed the June 12. He was a street guy; an omonile sort of, a locally brought up dude who became protected by the Yoruba intelligentsia. With half education and exposure, he became the leader of a terrorist group; the Odua Peoples Congress. Unlike Nnamdi Kanu, ani never went beyond JSS 3 and never traveled farer than Benin. His group is armed; declared her republic, adorns her offices with her flags; has her national anthems and other insignia; runs a parallel court, police and security. Odua People's Conference was twice listed by the United Nations Congressional Arms Inquiries as terrorist group. It was noted as a ;very dangerous group that resists government programmeS and activities in South West.
Odua People's Congress has been fingered in virtually all crises in Yoruba land. The group fights both the traditional and political structures in the land. They are either kicking against the policy of a given state government or working against one paramount Oba or the other. They burnt police stations, sacked Local government councils, intimidated the judiciary and ransacked public offices. In all these, neither the South West governors nor the Federal government has declared them a terrorist group.
The Ezes ndi Igbo, in Lagos visited this tout turned generalissimo!!! These Ezes pledged allegiance and loyalty to him. Is this not shameful?
The traditional leadership in Igboland abandoned Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB claiming that he disrespected them. Does OPC and Gani Adams respect Yoruba Obas?
The Alafin of Oyo who honored the terrorist, Gani Adams with the highest title in Yoruba land was a victim of his impunity. We know the incidence that took place at the Maro Hall, Ibadan in 2016, when thugs loyal to the OPC leader removed the crown of the Alafin. But Alafin played down the sad note in history and recognised the banditary in Gani!!! Yorubas know who Gani is. They know that he falls short of some finesses. Yet, they placed him where his capacity and talent would be of benefit to the nation. He was made the commander chief of Yoruba land!!! This position places him third in Yoruba traditional hierarchy. Gani , the troublemaker, the war monger was asked to protect his People from threats and attacks.
Back home, The Igbo elites criticise Kanu and accuse him of being self opinionated and pompous. What do we say about Gani Adams. I am yet to read from any Yoruba writer on the excesses of Gani Adams. Literature on Gani Adams is scanty. Compare him with his Igbo equivalents : Uwazurike and Kanu!!! Goggle these men. You would discover that Yoruba writers, elites and opinion moulders deliberately shelve their bad man from public discourse. Gani issue has always been a solemnised item. His crimes and inanities are discussed in hushtones. But we go public with our own zealots. We crucify in public, our hard men. That's the mark
The same Ibo leaders who abandoned Kanu have converged at the palace of Gani Adams. That gathering is not igbotic!!! These men with illegitimate positions, fake titles and crowns are the reason why igbos are taunted and ridiculed by their competitors. They have no iota of shame. Self seeking and self edifying, they are always quick to discard their fitting cloaks for a borrowed gown.
All these men, these hungry adults who made this journey to Abule, should be banished. These are the same group of people who will keep working against the interest of Igbos in Lagos State. They are ready to sell their people in order to get temporary favours in Lagos State. Without shame and with no subject; and some of them with no legitimate means of livelihood, they Lagos Ezes sniff around for any place where they can gulp down a bottle of Campari on any sunny day. You will see them adorning different kinds of mitre and crozziers like Orthodox prelates, warming verandas of Yoruba politicians , seeking for one contract or the other in Lagos state.
I am sure some irredentist fellows would begin to rationalise here on the appropriateness of the disdainful treatment Nnamdi Kanu is receiving in Igboland. Come to think of this : is there any mould that could fit the two ( Kanu and Adam?). Both are incomarable!!! Kanu stands heads and shoulders above his Western counterpart. IPOB holds a prudent distance away from OPC. Yet, while one is a legal structure that is entitled to statutory allocations, the other has been earmarked for destruction!!!
I keep asking: who did this to us?
Down here with us, our infant terrible governor-neighboir , Wike has decided to place a royal crown the most deraded militant in the Niger Delta, Tom Aleke. This warlord is now a Paramount ruler . Someone told me that he is likely to become the next Chairman of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers. What lesson did you get from Rivers?
Today, our villages are under threats. There are no mbubas and agavus to afford the required protection. We canonise agavus and mbubas in Lagos State and participate in the demonization of our agavus and mbubas in Igboland.
Quite a pity.
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