When the Awujale of Ijebu Òde said sometimes ago that Ijebu are not Yoruba, and when the controversial Femi Fani Kayode said the same sometimes ago, many people thought Kabiesi and FFK weren’t right. The case of Awujale is very important here because of the reaction of Alaafin toward Awujale when the latter said; he and his Ijebu people plus some other part of the West are not Yorubas. Hearing this, Aláàfin Ọ̀yọ quickly went to visit Awujale, actually went with Danafijo, a popular Masquerade of Ọ̀yọ́ town to entertain Awujale, a smart move by Kabiesi Aláàfin.

My friend’s late father, (Olowoporoku) severally corrected him anytime he referred to himself as Yoruba; (Se ara Ọ̀yọ́ ni ẹ ni). Meaning, are you from Ọ̀yọ́ town? The father, (OLOWOPOROKU) will ask his son to correct himself of such nonsensical acclimation name. Baba Akintoye knows better, but because of the pertinent situations that are beyond the imaginations, vis a vis, capacities of the people of the west, he will rather t5oe the line of the multitude. He knows that the real meaning of the name YORUBA is DUBIOUS, CUNNING, and we are not.

Baba Olowoporoku told him that, Yoruba is the name the Gogobiri (Gambari of the North) called Oyo people during their relationship together, mostly on trading in the day of yore. The father said the name became popular during the era of Alaafin Abiodun Adegolu because of his peaceful and long reign. So, my son, Ọ̀yọ́ people are the Yorubas proper. It is an Alias, Appellational name given to Oyo people because of their meticulous trading system, untrustworthiness behaviors to the Gambaris’ at the time. But because the Oyo people didn’t reject such a ridiculous Appellation given to them, more so that they know the meaning, hence, the name stick with them till today.

How does the name become the generic name for the whole people of western Nigeria till today? It is because the Oyo people are more or less the ones representing the whole western Nigerian in those are at the time, and because of the evil powers of the British at the time, hence, the name stupidly sticks with us till today. Thank God Almighty, it’s not an INDELIBLE MARK OR NAME on us, hence, we rather be called the ODUDUWAS.

Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ifẹ̀, Rẹmo, ijesha, Èkìtì, Ondo, Ketu, Ùgbó, Ilorin, the Okun people of Kogi and Ibini people are not part of Yoruba, hence, they are not Yorubas. We are all connected to Ile Ifẹ, that’s why we speak the same language but we are not all Yorubas until 1919/1920.

THE ADOPTION OF YORUBA NAME WAS PART OF COLONIAL LEGACY

Between 1901- 1904, there was a war between Awujale of Ijebu Òde and Akarigbo of Isagamu. The war was serious to an extent that the British were unable to curtail it. The British always thought that Aláàfin was the head of all the Obas because it was the Aláàfin that invited them to Yoruba-land during the kiriji war. Hence, the British sent messages to Aláàfin for intervention between the two warring families. The Aláàfin sent his Staff of office to the seat of war, but the messengers were chased away.
The British were losing money and goods from the hinterland because of the war between the two major people to the Port, hence, the war was damaging the British economic interest. Goods can’t reach Lagos Port via Isagamu/Ikorodu and Ijebu Òde /Ẹpẹ.

THE ALÁÀFIN ADVISED THE BRITISH TO MEET THE ỌỌNI OF IFẸ INSTEAD

The British quickly ran to Ọọ̀ni to rescue the situation. But because it was a taboo for Ọọni of Ifẹ̀ to leave the palace or Cross water then, he couldn’t go to meet his warring siblings. After a long begins, the Iwerefa of Ifẹ̀ agreed to let the Ọọni set aside the tradition for peace to rein with a heavy fine for the sacrifices by Iwarefas to Ooni, the British agreed to be responsible for the fines. Then, for the first time in the history, Ọọni of Ifẹ̀ left his palace.

The day the Ọọni of Ifẹ̀ left his palace, all the Ọbas, and Baalẹs in WEST, including Ọba of Benin and Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́, vacated their palace to honor the tradition, the Awujalẹ, and Akarigbo order their army to seize fire when they heard the coming of Ọ̀ọni of Ifẹ̀. That was how powerful the tradition was.

After the war, the British started the process of weakening the so call Yoruba people and their traditions because they have never in their lives seen any tradition so cooperative and powerful like that before. They finally called the meeting of the first-class traditional rulers to adopt ‘YORUBA’ as a common name, but the Ewi of Ado, Awujalẹ of Ijebu ode, Ọ̀ọni of Ifẹ̀ and Oba of Benin rejected the name, but the British had their way.

THAT IS THE SMARTEST WAY TO CONTROL US AS A WHOLE

So if at any time the Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́ said he is the only King that has the power to confer title of Yoruba on anyone, he might be right because the Yoruba name belongs to Ọ̀yọ́ people only. It is Oyo’s inherited property/name, they can give it to who they like. As for me, OLUSEGUN ABEJIDE, I am not YORUBA. I am OMO EKEJISI AGBA. Ire o.

It’s part of a colonial hangover!

Iba àwọn àgbà!

Dr. Olusegun Abejide is my name.

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