IS OYO HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF?

[ajekigbe oke]

Dear Colleagues,

 

Some of us are aware of the Old Oyo Empire that flourished during the 17th - early 19th century as one of the important empires within the Guinea Savannah Region with her headquarters at Oyo-Ile now within the Old Oyo National Park.  In the history of the empire was a particular figure - Bashorun Gaha or Gaa. Bashorun Gaha terrified the said empire during the the reign of four Alaafins.  Gaha, was a tyrannical Boshorun of Oyo-Ile who saw to the enthronement of three Alaafins within a year and made two of them commit suicide - Alaafin Labisi (1750 for17 days) Alaafin Awonbioju (1750 for 130 days). With the death of Awonbioju, Gaa had an effective rule over the kingdom. The third - Alaafin Agboluaje (1750-1772) submitted to the rule of Gaa, therefore had a long reign of 22 years but was as forced to commit suicide by Gaa, (Robin Law had recorded the episode to have happened between 1754 and 1774), then installed the fourth one - Majeogbe (1772-1773). He marginalized all the above-mentioned Alaafins forcing all to commit suicide during their reign. He was also the Bashorun during the early part of the reign of Alaafin Abiodun (1774-1789). Hence, the period witnessed a great magnitude of constitutional upheaval in Oyo Empire. Tribute due to Alaafin’s palace was diverted to his palace.

 

With the above backgroun in mind, one tend to forsee history repeating itself in Oyo State with the strongman of Ibadan politics.  This man does not dodge the law but stamp on it to move to another level in the current politics of Oyo State.  The imposed local government caretaker committee pay homage to the strongman with tribute even when the voted chairmen were on the affairs of the local govenments in Oyo State.  He had since before the enthronment of the Olubadan and still rubbishing the authority of the Olubadan. The recent episode at the Sallah Pray Ground at Agodi is another tyrannical attitude forcing the representative of Olubadan out of the prayground, abducting one of the former directors of the Odua Group of Companies.  His recent atrocities has to do with the welfare of Oyo State People and more importantly the people resideing in Ibadan.  The NAFDAC sealed up a coldroom, he sent his thugs twice to force the store open thereby allowing the bad fish stocked to be sold to the populace. Why? Why?Why? What have we done in Oyo State to warrant such treatment from an individual.

 

In conclusion, I believe we now have another Bashorun Gaa of the Old Capital of Oyo Empire and I believe no sooner we shall have another ABIODUN to redeem our image.

 

Thanks

Ajekigbe.

---

Yahoo! Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Try it now.

[ajekigbe oke]

Dear Colleagues,

 

Some of us are aware of the Old Oyo Empire that flourished during the 17th - early 19th century as one of the important empires within the Guinea Savannah Region with her headquarters at Oyo-Ile now within the Old Oyo National Park.  In the history of the empire was a particular figure - Bashorun Gaha or Gaa. Bashorun Gaha terrified the said empire during the the reign of four Alaafins.  Gaha, was a tyrannical Boshorun of Oyo-Ile who saw to the enthronement of three Alaafins within a year and made two of them commit suicide - Alaafin Labisi (1750 for17 days) Alaafin Awonbioju (1750 for 130 days). With the death of Awonbioju, Gaa had an effective rule over the kingdom. The third - Alaafin Agboluaje (1750-1772) submitted to the rule of Gaa, therefore had a long reign of 22 years but was as forced to commit suicide by Gaa, (Robin Law had recorded the episode to have happened between 1754 and 1774), then installed the fourth one - Majeogbe (1772-1773). He marginalized all the above-mentioned Alaafins forcing all to commit suicide during their reign. He was also the Bashorun during the early part of the reign of Alaafin Abiodun (1774-1789). Hence, the period witnessed a great magnitude of constitutional upheaval in Oyo Empire. Tribute due to Alaafin’s palace was diverted to his palace.

 

With the above backgroun in mind, one tend to forsee history repeating itself in Oyo State with the strongman of Ibadan politics - Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu.  This man does not dodge the law but stamp on it to move to another level in the current politics of Oyo State.  The imposed local government caretaker committee pay homage to the strongman with tribute. The same happens even when the voted chairmen were on the affairs of the local govenments in Oyo State.  He had since before the enthronment of the Olubadan and still rubbishing the authority of the Olubadan. The recent episode at the Sallah Pray Ground at Agodi is another tyrannical attitude forcing the representative of Olubadan out of the prayground, abducting one of the former directors of the Odua Group of Companies.  His recent atrocities has to do with the welfare of Oyo State People and more importantly the people resideing in Ibadan.  The NAFDAC sealed up a coldroom, he sent his thugs twice to force the store open thereby allowing the bad fish stocked to be sold to the populace. Why? Why?Why? What have we done in Oyo State to warrant such treatment from an individual.

 

In conclusion, I believe we now have another Bashorun Gaa of the Old Capital of Oyo Empire and I believe no sooner we shall have another ABIODUN to redeem our image.

 

Thanks

Ajekigbe.

---

For ideas on reducing your carbon footprint visit Yahoo! For Good this month.

[Aribidesi Usman]

This is a very nice piece. I am wholeheartedly in agreement with you. But I don’t foresee a king doing this on his own. The solution to the problem is in the hands of Ibadan people.

 

 

aribidesi

 

---

[Remi Raji]

Thanks for the tempting historical connection, as teachers of History are always in search of the cyclic possibility of things in nature and in the affairs of men. The first time I heard about the possible existence of a Basorun Gaa in our Molete backyard, I did not forget to remember that many of us from that area actually have our wandering ancestry traced (back) to the old Oyo Ile geography. So could it be that our creative imagination has started  working faster than political action, if we have to succumb to the helplessness of History, where the modern State is under siege?
I want to believe that there are a thousand Gaas in our national loop, everywhere; that this particular one is so uncouth is the most counfounding and shaming...

R

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

[Olayinka_...@baruch.cuny.edu]

That's a remarkable historical parallel to point out, and it's something
I've thought about in the wider scheme of political godfathers in Nigeria.
Even though Gaa's subsersive tactics came to an end during the reign of an
Alaafin (Abiodun) that he installed, we would be expecting too much from
Alao Akala to recognize the rising danger posed by Adedibu. How many people
have the courage to say what Olubadan Odulana or Dora Akunyili of NAFDAC
are saying about him? The rank-and-file people of Ibadan are obviously not
in support of the man, but my fear is that we still have a long way to go
under this Adedibu-Gaa shroud before Ibadan and the rest of Oyo state is
liberated. As the leading city in western Nigeria and our old regional
capital, it should be a priority for all Yoruba and sympathizers to figure
out how to denounce and neutralize this ongoing tyranny. We've seen the ill
effects of this type of greed before, and it's not too much of an
exaggeration to trace the fall of Oyo and the century of civil war that
followed it to Gaa's actions. May we not see something similiar in
Yorubaland, Nigeria, Benin Republic and so on after Mr. Adedibu.





ajekigbe oke
<ajekigbeorun@yah
oo.co.uk> To
Sent by: yoruba...@googlegroups.com
yorubaaffairs@goo cc
glegroups.com

Subject
Yoruba Affairs - IS OYO HISTORY

10/22/07 06:05 AM REPEATING ITSELF?


Please respond to
yorubaaffairs@goo
glegroups.com

[jare Ajayi]

Good day/evening everybody,

Yes, it does look very much as if history inevitably repeats itself in the affairs of recalcitrant and docile human beings. Remember that the Persia (modern Iraq) was about 2000 years ago under foreign occupation that did what exactly America is doing to it today.

In Ibadan, we had, only a few hundred and something years ago, an Efunsetan Aniwura who attempted (and actually succeeded for a while) to rival (and surpassed) the authority of the then Baale Ibadan (what could pass as Olubadan in Council today).

The little consolation in what is going on in Ibadan and Oyo State today in the guise of Adedibu saga is that just as Bashorun Gaa and Efunsetan Aniwura after him fell ultimately so will, sooner than later, their 21st century incarnate. We, human beings, are always anxious that events that are not favourable to us pass away quickly - if they come at all. But, for some inscrutable reasons, such things only 'pass' after they have ran their course. What is not known is the duration of such a course and what could precipitate or expedite the incidence of such a course.

Finally, I believe though that although 'there is time for everything', human beings cannot be non-challant and expect socio-political matters to follow their desired path. They have to work for it.

The question is, are Nigerians, or more specifically Ibadans and Oyo State citizens work hard enough on the Adedibu saga?

Thank God for the new Olubadan - and courage of people like Akunyili. The hope is that the alarm raised by Prof Dora Akunyili would not evaporate like that of Nuhu Ribadu who, on coming to Ibadan late last year rubished Adedibu and Akala only for the presidency to put garland on the necks of the two gentlemen in pacification. Since then, no words (or action) of condemnation came from the EFCC to the two men - in spite of glaring actions that call for state intervention on their part.

God will bless Nigeria more when its people show by their own action that they are ready to defend the graces and blessings given to them beforehand.

Jare Ajayi

Olayinka_...@baruch.cuny.edu wrote:

That's a remarkable historical parallel to point out, and it's something
I've thought about in the wider scheme of political godfathers in Nigeria.
Even though Gaa's subsersive tactics came to an end during the reign of an
Alaafin (Abiodun) that he installed, we would be expecting too much from
Alao Akala to recognize the rising danger posed by Adedibu. How many people
have the courage to say what Olubadan Odulana or Dora Akunyili of NAFDAC
are saying about him? The rank-and-file people of Ibadan are obviously not
in support of the man, but my fear is that we still have a long way to go
under this Adedibu-Gaa shroud before Ibadan and the rest of Oyo state is
liberated. As the leading city in western Nigeria and our old regional
capital, it should be a priority for all Yoruba and sympathizers to figure
out how to denounce and neutralize this ongoing tyranny. We've seen the ill
effects of this type of greed before, and it's not too much of an
exaggeration to trace the fall of Oyo and the century of civil war that
followed it to Gaa's actions. May we not see something similiar in
Yorubaland, Nigeria, Benin Republic and so on after Mr. Adedibu.





ajekigbe oke

Tribute due to Alaafin�s palace was diverted to his palace.