A group of analysts, National Association Public Affairs Analysts (NAPAA) has asked former President Olusegun Obasanjo to tender a public apology to Yoruba Obas over alleged ridicule of the royal fathers.
NAPAA made this known in a press statement on Sunday signed by its executives, Prince Seun Adelore, the President and Mr. Jare Ajayi, the General Secretary, in the wake of alleged ridicule of over a dozen monarchs at Iseyin, Oyo State at the weekend.
Recall that the former President, who was guest of Governor Oluseyi Makinde, commanded Obas (kings) to stand up and after they complied, he ordered them to sit down – in a manner that can be likened to a headmaster commanding primary school pupils or an army general commanding his troop.
The incident occurred at the ceremony to commission the College of Agriculture and Renewable Energy of Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), located at Iseyin, Oke Ogun area of the Oyo State.
While taking exception to the way the former president dressed down the kings, members of the public affairs analysts submitted that “the desecration of their core values and tradition has contributed and is still contributing in no small measure to the under-development being experienced even after independence.
NAPAA stressed that most countries that have made it in the world were those that didn’t jettison their cultural values. Among those mentioned were India, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The statement read, “Although some of these countries too were colonized at one time or the other, espousing their traditional culture has been helping them tremendously not only in sustenance but also uplifting their countries into the league of the advanced and respected nations.
“In our own case, our political leaders and elites have derided our languages, our religion, our culture and traditional institutions.
“The result has been the desecration of our values and collapse of most of the fabrics that used to keep the society on a sound moral ground where injustice and corruption were at the minimal level.”
The statement by the Analysts noted that Chief Obasanjo who always likes to flaunt his espousal of culture by prostrating himself before some monarchs, by wearing native dresses and even speaking (Egba) Yoruba language, allowed his ego to take the better part of him on Friday. “Otherwise, how can a person who is known to have a lot of chieftaincy titles including a high-ranking traditional title in Ibogun, Ogun State, be so disdainful of Obas in Yorubaland?
“Going by how Providence has been benevolent to the former President including the knowledge he has acquired, Obasanjo ought to act and speak more honourably,” NAPAA added.
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