The Council of Yoruba Elders (CYE) has demanded a public apology from former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to monarchs in Yorubaland for his utterance, regarded as blasphemous, to the royal fathers in Iseyin Town, Oyo State, on Friday, September 15, 2023.
It will be recalled that in a viral video which circulated wildly on Friday,Obasanjo lambasted all the royal fathers present at the commissioning of the Oyo-Iseyin Road newly constructed by the state government, and to which he was invited as a guest of honour.
Infuriated that the revered monarchs remained seated when he stood up to make remarks, Chief Obasanjo told them that whenever they are present at any occasion, they are expected to be on their feet when a president or governor arrives at any event or rises.
Castigating the kings for not recognising him by remaining seated, he barked: “E dide!”(stand up!), causing an embarrassment and forcing the monarchs to awkwardly be on their feet. He gave a following order: “E joko!” (sit down!), for them to retake their seats.
The CYE, in a statement issued on Saturday, September 16, and signed by its Secretary General and Publicity Secretary of the Council, Dr Victor Taiwo and Mr Lanre Ogundipe respectively, said: “We write with great pains of the heart and regret of immeasurable quantum to imagine the ugly incident that occurred at Iseyin, Oyo State yesterday 15th September, 2023 on the occasion of the road commissioning by the Oyo State Government where Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was invited as the Chief Guest of Honour.
“It was at this occasion that we saw, through a video which has gone viral, Chief Obasanjo acting like an adept overwhelmed by the spirit of Sango celt repugnantly vituperating and lambasting the large congregation of our Obas in attendance and commandeering them in the utmost contemptuous and denigrating manner to rise, and sit down like an Army General would his soldiers.
“When we saw this video, it initially occurred to us as a fictional movie. But when it dawned on us that it was a reality; lo and behold, it was a scene that could burst one’s lachrymal gland into rupture.
“For one thing, what Obasanjo did was infra dignitatem to our Yoruba culture and tradition. It was a taboo. It was an arrant display of megalomania and utter rudeness to our crowns in Yorubaland.
“The position of our Obas could be discerned from their appellation as the Igbakeji Orisa (Second in command to the deity). And so, that the desecration of our Obas has come from a person of the status of Obasanjo whose Yoruba identity is under question, and is a great shame and denigration of the Yoruba culture and tradition.
“We, therefore, condemn 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.
“While we condemn the arrogant act of Obasanjo, we also feel ashamed and let down as well by all the Obas in attendance who kowtowed to the command of the lesser mortal as pupil would their teacher.
“This organisation – Council of Yoruba Elders – has poised itself to protect the glory and dignity of Yoruba race in all ramifications.”
