Toba Owojaiye Reporting
The Yoruba Council Worldwide (YCW) plans to take legal action against former President Olusegun Obasanjo for publicly disrespecting Yoruba monarchs during an event in Iseyin, Oyo State.
In a letter titled “Pre-action Notice Final Warning/Demand For Apology,” sent on September 18, 2023, by Juriman Associates Chambers through the Palace of Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, they demanded an apology and urged Obasanjo to cease identifying as the Balogun of Owu Kingdom.
The YCW asserted that Obasanjo’s actions violated Yoruba culture and traditions, leading to the revocation of all his chieftaincy titles in Yoruba land, including that of Balógun of Owu Kingdom.
The pre-action notice stated that they represented the Yoruba Council Worldwide, acting on behalf of concerned Yoruba indigenous people globally, and the affected Traditional Leaders (Oba Alayeluwas) who were present at the Iseyin event.
After a prior call for a press conference apology, which went unanswered, this final warning was issued. It gave Obasanjo a limited period to apologize, failing which they would initiate legal proceedings and demand a remorseful apology through press conferences and publications in 20 national newspapers and ten TV and radio stations.
The YCW criticized Obasanjo’s disrespectful remarks towards Yoruba traditional rulers at the Iseyin event, likening his behavior to that of a venomous rattlesnake. They emphasized that the respect given to Yoruba Obas is a divine grant, not a human-made decree.
They found Obasanjo’s lecturing of traditional rulers on respect at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) campus inauguration in Iseyin highly offensive. The YCW stressed its role as the voice for Yoruba indigenous people globally, dedicated to preserving Yoruba culture, Royal traditions, and the reverence for Yoruba kings.
In Yoruba culture, kings are held in the highest esteem, embodying earthly sovereignty, maintaining peace, and acting as intermediaries between their subjects and cosmic forces. The YCW condemned any actions that undermined this tradition, considering it a sacrilege.
The former president has, in his defense, asserted that he only did that because he didn’t feel the monarchs gave the sitting governor the respect he deserved. This is surely not the last on this matter.