Olusegun Adeyemo
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Wednesday, warned scholars against the tendency to fuel the embers of discord over their false narrative about the originator of Ile-Ife.
Afenifere’s decision came in the wake of a claim that Igbo people of South-East Nigeria founded Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba, saying “such a claim is not only false, but a violent attempt to turn history upside down.”
Recall that two Igbo scholars, Tony Duru and Ijeoma Duru, in a jointly authored book, asserted that Igbos were the original inhabitants of Ile-Ife before the acclaimed progenitor of the Yorubas.
However, a statement released by the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, decried what he called the predilection of some Igbo irredentists to instigate avoidable problems by making claims that are not only unfounded but highly provocative.
He quoted the two scholars to have said, “Oduduwa came to displace them and established Yoruba in Ile-Ife.”
According to him, their assertion, which was contained on page 62 of their book entitled: “Standard History Studies for Junior Secondary Schools– Book 1-3,” reads thus: “…the historical place of Ife in the history of Yoruba people is connected to the history of their settlement in Ife.
The book added that historical evidence proved that the area was originally occupied by Igbo people of Nigerian extraction. Later, Oduduwa and his armies invaded the land and chased the earlier settlers down…”
Ajayi said, “From all indications, buying land and property in Yorubaland does not seem to be enough for these people, as having official entitlement to Yorubaland seems to be the target, hence the narrative that Igbos were the original inhabitants of Ile-Ife, the origin of the Yoruba race!
“In this wise, the Yorubas tend to face the challenges of Fulani herders wanting to annex their land forcefully if possible, while easterners tend to do the same by laying claim to the very origin of the people!
“Yorubas are not engaged in territorial expansionism. It’s quite paradoxical that the Yorubas, accommodating with open arms, are the very ones trying to displace them from their land.”
The publicity secretary lamented that the dust raised by the unsubstantiated claims of the Igbo concerning Lagos is yet to settle.
“Among such claims were that the city of Lagos is no man’s land. And being no man’s land, anyone, including perhaps the Igbos, can lay claim to it. At another instance, some even claimed that it was Igbo wizardry that built the economy of Lagos.
“Claims such as these serve no useful purpose other than creating gulfs between two people who should explore ways of cooperating with a view to better serving the best interests of their respective populace,” he said
The Afenifere spokesman stated that the false claim contained in the book authored by the Durus would have been ignored, but for its reported endorsement by the Nigerian Educational Research Development Council, a Federal Government educational institution.
He continued, “To Afenifere, the Yoruba have always extended hands of fellowship to their neighbours in the South-East as well as others they come in contact with.
“Unfortunately, many of them abuse the friendly spirit of the Yorubas by trying to overwhelm them and take over their property, including their lands,” he added.