PROF. ONIGBINDE REMINISCES ON ABACHA YEARS, JUNE 12 AND ỌBA OYEWUNMI AJAGUNGBADE, THE LATE ṢỌ̀ÚN OF ÒGBÓMỌ̀ṢỌ́
In 1994, in the hectic days of pro-democracy struggle by NADECO, there was this Committee put together by the deputy leader of Afenifere, Chief Bola Ige, under the chairmanship of the pre-eminent historian, Professor Ade Ajayi.The Secretary of the Committee,which comprised of top Yoruba sons and daughters in businesses, academia, media, amongst whom were Professors Bolanle Awe, Akinjogbin, Ogunseye and Mrs Ighodalo, to mention a few, was our own ‘dokzy’, Dokun Abolarin, now an important Oba in Yorubaland
The public face of the Committee was to ‘organise a cultural festival’ to celebrate yoruba cultural heritage and rich legacy.The one- week long festival was slated for Ibadan, the political capital of Yorubaland.But those of us from the ‘Ige group’, known as the ‘Alpha’, whose Secretary was a frontline journalist,Dare Babarinsa, then of TELL, a battalion in the pro-democracy agitation, knew of the ‘hidden agenda’ for the planned ‘festival of arts and culture’.It was to sensitise and prepare our people on what should be an organised response of the Yoruba people, should the gogled murderous tyrant, General Sanni Abacha, decided to rise as a civilian president of Nigeria, on the ashes of June 12
In one of our meetings which venue was the library of the former vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos, in Bodija, Ibadan, it was resolved that a tour of Yorubaland was needed to formally inform our frontline Obas, of our ‘festival of arts and culture’.Members of the Committee, headed by Chief Bola Ige, comprised of Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi(retd),former governor of the defunct Western state; Alagba Adebayo Faleti; Professor Oyediran, former vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan and Akinyemi Onigbinde, then of philosophy department at Olabisi Onabanjo university, Ago-Iwoye.As should be, we met with Soun of Ogbomoso, after receiving the counselling and blessing of Alaafin of Oyo
Yesterday, I was in Ogbomoso, in the palace, met with some of the eminent chiefs of the ancient town, and I recounted my cherished engagement with the amiable Soun which ended with kabiyesi giving to me a cultural calabash, full of kolanut.The calabash remains a cherished material in my archival collections, in Ilepa.Told of this special gift, the palace chiefs, led by the Abese, unknown to me, decided to make a repeat performance, but this time, ‘Obi abata’ was put in a very beautiful white bowl, the type that only grandmothers still possess
May the soul of Oba Oyewunmi, the departed Soun of Ogbomoso, find peace with his ancestors
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