Igbos in Lagos Pledge Allegiance to Gani Adams

By Dipo Olowookere

Since leader of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), Mr Gani Adams, was announced by the Alaafin of Oyo as the new Generalissimo of Yoruba, the Aare Ona Kakanfo, his Lagos home has been thronged by guests, who come to pledge their support for him.

The brave Yoruba ‘warrior’ has received several visitors and groups and one of such groups comprises the Igbos in Lagos, who visited him on Monday, November 20, 2017.

Business Post reports that the Eze Ndigbos in Lagos, during their visit, declared their support for the choice of Mr Adams as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land just as they declared that they were happy that the “title came to our own person.”

According to a statement released by the media team of Mr Adams, the leaders of Igbos in the local governments in the state, who paid the Aare designate a congratulatory visit in his Lagos home, promised to work with him politically and culturally.

Among the visiting Ezes were the 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.

Speaking on behalf of the Ezes, the Eze of Ojodu, Mr Ibisi, said the Igbos were in solidarity with the Aare designate, stressing that they will work with him politically and culturally.

The Ezes, who brought drinks, kolanuts and alligator pepper with them, which they used for an extensive prayer at the meeting, said the onus rests on the Aare to give them the direction that pleases him for them to follow.

Pledging that the Igbos would always work with the Aare, the Eze of Ojodu said “we will continue to be with you, we only pray that God will continue to give us life to continue to be part of you.

“We are delighted about your belief in culture and tradition. Our culture is who we are. But people now mix it with religion. Culture is older than religion. We are what we are already before religion.

“The time is gone when the impression people have about the Aare is to fight war. The Kakanfo of today is for progress not war and we are here to declare to you that we are partners in progress.”

Thanking the Ezes for their visit which he described as historic, the Aare Ona Kakanfo said he was not surprised because the Igbo community had always associated with him and his group.

The Aare Ona kakanfo said the title was the most prestigious in Yoruba land, adding that the title was not without history.

According to him, he is mandated as the Yoruba Generalissimo to defend the interest of the Yoruba and ensure unity of the race.

He added that, like the Igbos, the Yorubas crave their identity, even as he pledged that he would love to maintain the cordial relationship that had existed between him and the Easterners, submitting that Igbos never constituted any threat to Yoruba land.