I will always defend Yoruba interest– Gani Adams

Adams said this on Saturday during his fifth anniversary as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland in Lagos.

He said, “My antecedent as a promoter of culture when I became Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland five years ago, hasn’t stopped.

“The other thing is the issue of response to things that pertain to Yourubaland, in my own little way, I always respond to anything that affects the land, even Nigeria as a whole.

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“At the same time, I have maintained good relationships with all the groups to which I belong. I will use this opportunity to let everyone including the royal fathers know that we have a lot of programmes in our calendar that we would achieve together.

“I also use this opportunity to thank the gentlemen of the press for their support and effort during my reign as Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and I thank all the leaders.”

Meanwhile, a Professor from the Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Akin Alao, said Adams’ appointment as the Aare Ona Kakanfo was peculiar, as he is the first person who hold the position who isn’t from Oyo land.

The professor, while presenting a book centred on the history of Aare Ona Kakanfo in Yorubaland, said Adams had a track record of being a protector of Yorubaland, hence his appointment.

He said, “The peculiarity of his appointment lies in the fact that he will be the first person that would be appointed from an area not directly under Oyo, being from Arigidi-Akoko. All previous Aare came from the Oyo culture area, but Adams will be the first to be appointed from a place outside the political and cultural influence of Oyo.

“When Alaafin Adeyemi decided to appoint him, he was being futuristic because Alaafin Adeyemi believed that Yorubaland must come under one umbrella irrespective of our various sub-ethnic groups. He found in him the right person. He looked at his CV, his contributions to Yoruba society and the depth of his conviction about the best interest of Yorubaland.

“That was why he did not go by popular demand, he decided to pick somebody who had established himself as a protector of Yorubaland in consonance with the best ideals and conditions of that office, adding that “we will be deceiving ourselves if we say there are no wars. We have different definitions of warfare, we are in the stage of intellectual warfare, ideological warfare and socio-economic emancipation of the Yoruba race.

“So, the choice of Adams could be as a result of his previous exploits as somebody who could bring people from diverse backgrounds together and from a formidable opposition to whatever is against the interest of Yorubaland.”