Professor Matthew Amusan, is a scholar and professor of Intercultural Communications at the Northwestern University, Minnesota, USA. He had earlier served as SA on Protocol Matters to the former Governor of Oyo State, late Alhaji Lam Adesina between 1999-2003. He was our guest on our Radio Show, Parrot Xtra/Ayekooto anchored by Olayinka Agboola on Splash 105.5FM, on Tuesday. During the interaction, he submitted that the Ooni of Ife is regarded as the supreme traditional ruler in Yoruba land. He also discussed politics among many other salient issues…Excerpts:
While introducing you to our audience and viewers, I mentioned that you are a lover of the All Progressives Congress, APC. How deep is your love for the party?
I am not a politician but I sympathize with the APC. In 1999, I was very close to Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, we campaigned throughout the Oke-ogun area with Chief Bayo Lawal. During the campaign for the local government election, it was clear the Alliance for Democracy (AD) had the majority in Oyo state but even with that, it was not clear that the party would win the governorship election. The APP then was a bride that even the AD and PDP needed to court. It was a known fact also that Baba Adigun Irawo and Baba Lamidi Adedibu were heavyweights in APP and they won some seats for the party in Oke –ogun area but lost out in Ibadan zone.
I had to use my influence with and closeness to Baba Adigun Irawo to convince him that the party should align with AD in the state. I was not very close to Alhaji Lam Adesina but because of my sympathy for Alliance for Democracy (AD) and progressive politics, we formed a coalition with the progressives within the AD. Since then, I have been sentimentally attached to Alliance for Democracy, APC…
What is your personal view about our politicians who pronounce themselves as members of the ‘progressive family’? How progressive do you think they are?
There is no politics of ideology in Nigeria. No political party in Nigeria can say it is made up of progressive elements. There are mixed multitudes in Nigerian politics today, the people in the newly formed ADC are the ones who drowned this country and now they are parading themselves as saints. It is unbelievable that Nigerians are believing their lie.
What is your reaction on the recently conducted Bye-Election in Ibadan North Federal Constituency where less than 15 per cent of registered voters came out to vote?
For years, I think there has been voter’s apathy in Nigeria. One of the problems is that people believed that their votes wouldn’t count. They believe that the result had already been written even before the election was conducted.
However, in the last three elections conducted in Nigeria, those election results counted and the will of the people prevailed. There were surprises and upsets in many states and it shows that the people’s vote counted. When people refuse to carry out their civic responsibilities, they have no right to complain about the non-performance of the government.
What is your thought on the challenges facing the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state?
Since the death of Alhaji Lam Adesina, APC has become a party without a navigator. Everyone thinks he is the leader and that is causing a vacuum in leadership.
The leaders are not in one accord on who should be the party leader in the state. I think the leadership of the party in the state is not getting it right, there is no known leader among the likes of Senator Teslim Folarin, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Sunday Dare among others.
There is nobody you can point to as the authentic leader in the state, and as for Chief Adelabu, is he even carrying out his responsibilities as a leader in the state?
APC has lost leaders with integrity; the current leaders are fighting for their pockets. There is no one the followers can regard as leader. If APC members do not get their acts right, they will continue to lose. The death of Lam Adesina, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala affected the fortunes of the party in Oyo state.
What is your assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration?
I understand the pain the people are going through. The pain the people are going through is not an easy one. When you are planning to build a house, it won’t look good until it is completed. When you want to repair something that has been destroyed for more than 60 years, it will take more than a year or two before it will bear fruit.
What is your view on the trending supremacy battle between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi?
The truth is that a son cannot be bigger than his father or his grandfather. There is a claim that Oyo was an empire, however, the Fulani warriors destroyed the empire in 1790 and Oyo people became wanderers with no homeland. It was when they got to Ago-Oja that the Ashipa gave them land to dwell in and cultivate. As at that time, the military prowess that they thought they had was transferred to Ibadan and Ibadan became the warlord to the extent that it was Ibadan who determined the next occupier of the Alaafin stool.
If Oyo is claiming military prowess, then Ibadan should be the one making the claim now. The power that Alaafin is claiming has been gone since 1790. The Ooni of Ife is the supreme traditional ruler in Yoruba land.
Alaafin Adeyemi was the only Alaafin who contested supremacy over the Ooni of Ife, and there is no record that any other Alaafin contested supremacy with the Ooni. Even the contest between Alaafin and the Ooni was on the pages of newspapers.
I remember in 1989 when the former Military President, Ibrahim Babaginda was to visit the old Oyo state on an official visit, the State Executive council and the two traditional rulers were to meet the military ruler at the Ibadan end of the tollgate.
The Military Governor of Oyo state, Col. Sasaenia Oresanya was standing and Alaafin was standing next to him with members of the Executive council. The Ooni had not arrived at that time, but immediately he came and got down from his limousine, the Alaafin created a gap, he moved away from his position beside Oresanya so that the Ooni would be able to stand next to the Military Governor. It shows that despite the hullabaloo, Alaafin Adeyemi usually made on the pages of the newspaper, he recognized the supremacy of the Ooni of Ife.
Packaged by Dare Raji
