23/03/2016

Yoruba traditional rulers' naked dance of shame

Yoruba ObasTwo top class Yoruba traditional rulers are currently in a dispute over rank – The media war has pitched their subjects against themselves The Awujale of Ijebuland (left) and Alake of Egbaland have been brawling over seniority issues Our once revered traditional institution has since lost its awe. Needless to say
that the reverence once accorded the monarchy not just in Yoruba land but the entire country has been so eroded that some Nigerians have questioned the imperative of retaining this last vestiges of our per-colonial epoch. READ ALSO: Amaechi vs Wike: The Battle of the Titans A 2004 concept paper on the theme of ‘Governance for a Progressive Africa’’ by the Economic Commission for Africa had said: “The relevance of traditional institutions, especially chieftaincy, to the modern day transformation of African economies and governance systems is highly disputed in post -colonial literature.  At the risk of over- generalization, three strands can be identified in this discourse.  One highly skeptical component contends that chieftaincy is anachronistic; a hindrance to the development, undemocratic, costly and divisive.” The above  is apt for the Nigerian situation. In Nigeria, the concern over the relevance of traditional institutions is borne out of how the monarchs have conducted themselves. For many of our traditional rulers, their conduct has at various times desecrated the hallowed throne they occupy. While traditional institutions have been brought into disrepute by the occupiers, there is no doubt that they represent a critical segment of the society. The history of traditional institutions dates back in time. During the pre-colonial times, the monarchy performed the traditional role of government. With the coming of the British, traditional rulers acted as proxy rulers under the Indirect Rule system. At the time, traditional rulers were the tool used to perpetuate British hegemony. No doubt monarchical institutions have been relevant in the two epochs; their post-independence relevance is still subject of debate among Nigerians. According to the ECA concept paper: “Traditional authorities can play in the process of good governance which can broadly be separated into three categories: first, their advisory role to government, as well as their participatory role in the administration of their domains and  districts; second, their developmental role, complementing government’s efforts in mobilizing the population for the implementation of development projects, sensitizing them on health issues such as HIV/AIDS, promoting education, encouraging economic enterprises, inspiring respect for the law and urging participation in the electoral process; and third, their role in conflict resolution.” However, the argument against the retention or to put it mildly the re-assessment of the traditional institutions also resonate when juxtaposed with recent happenings in the country. READ ALSO: Is Nigeria heading for a second Civil War? In recent times, traditional rulers have behaved in certain ways that have changed the perception of them as the gate keepers of our cultural heritage. In many instances, we have seen how so-called traditional rulers have carried out actions that are at variance with the respect accorded the throne. In Yoruba land and across the federation, the throne of the monarchy is highly revered. In traditional African societies and even in modern day, the institutions are considered as the representative of the gods and ancestors. Their subjects worship, reverence and look up to them for wisdom and guidance. While many traditional rulers have continued to fulfill this role, the conducts of many others continue to provoke debate about the place of the institution in the modern day. There are genuine reasons to be worried when traditional rulers desecrate the hallowed chamber of their palaces. This is because they are considered as the mirror in the society. Their subjects take examples from them. How then does one explain the recent spat between two first traditional rulers in Yoruba land? It is still a shock how a needless spat over superiority between two first class rulers is allowed to de-generate into a public brawl that has pitch two sub-Yoruba groups against the other. I am talking about the current rift between the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo and Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona. The debate about who is superior between the two is a distraction and capable of causing disunity among their subjects. The Egba king had reportedly said that the Awujale is the least in the echelon of status among the Yoruba major traditional rulers. He had claimed that as the Alake, he is far superior to the Awujale. In subsequent statements, the Alake had insisted that listing of the Awujale as occupying the last position after the quartet of the Ooni of Ife, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba of Benin and Alake of Egbaland, “was supported by documentary evidence and therefore stands by his position.” The question one should ask is why all the fuss about who is superior over the other? How does that change or affect anything in present day Nigeria? To be sure, both Ijebu and Egbas have since emerged from the pre-colonial traditional setting where Obas sustain and prove superiority by waging war on themselves and claiming territories. I had imagined this was the pre-colonial era. The Alake’s comment would have attracted Ijebu warriors’ to invade Egba and vice-versa. So what does the Alake hope to achieve with I-am-more-superior-to-you rhetoric that has now pitched the two together in a media war. Let’s even agree both rulers have taken a voyage back in time and found out who is the first among equals, of what relevance is it today? Perhaps, it may be relevant in the distribution of largesse to the palace of the monarchs but how does it solve the socio-economic challenges bedeviling the country? The unnecessary feud has even led to the convening of a press conference to address the issue of superiority between the Obas. Before long, this debate will spread to all the traditional rulers in Yoruba land and even beyond. As an offshoot of the argument between Alake and Awujale, I foresee a situation where other Yoruba monarchs will begin to make statements about their superiority. Who knows? It may even spread beyond the South-west. That is the way we are as a people. We argue over nothing instead of looking for solutions to our problems. I am sure there are plenty of issues to be addressed by the two warring monarchs than this needless media war over superiority. As we have seen in the past, Nigerian monarchs don’t fight for nothing. When the feud broke, someone hard remarked that perhaps patronage was about to be dispensed and the Obas have to prove their superiority to be well placed above the other. The feud is also instructive. When monarchs misbehave, they drag the entire domain along with them. If one is not careful, an Ijebu man may begin to see an Egba man as the enemy and vice-versa. Only recently, another argument that evoked the war of the kingdoms was stoked when the subjects also debated who is superior between the Oni and Oba of Benin. This also dominated discourse in the media. Some years ago, a deposed Deji of Akure Prince Adesina Adepoju was accused of domestic violence and subsequently banished from his throne. In Osun state, another Oba, the Alowa of Ilowa-Ijesa, Oba Adebukola Alli, was charged for raping an NYSC member. Though, he was later acquitted of the crime, such infraction, and many others, which were hitherto unheard of exposed the institution to ridicule. Traditional rulers must recognize the importance of the institution in the society. Rather than engage in activities that bring their revered institution into disrepute, they must seek to unite the country. 

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