How Awujale destroyed Yoruba Culture
By Dr Oladoyin Odebowale
The late Oba Sikiru Adetona, Awujale of Ijebuland was an arrogant, conceited hypocrite. He created the fallacy that the Ijebu people migrated from Waddai in Sudan to rival the Ooni as the Spiritual Head of the Yoruba race. He impregnated two blood sisters and used his Islamic religion to justify it. He enjoyed immense benefits from his position yet he did all unimaginable things to destroy the tradition of his people. He used his influence to mobilise other impressionable simpletons called Oba to change the tradition of the Yoruba people to suit the Arab culture. All the lies told about Osugbo beating dead bodies or dismembering the corpse of an Oba are a figment of his corrupt imagination. Awujale Gbelegbuwa died in 1959. He was a student on scholarship when it happened. Could the Osugbo and the Ogbeni Oja have preserved the heart of the late king for him to eat? Was he around when when the late Awujale died to witness the dismembering of the body? He used traditional authority to curry favours from the governments and wealthy sons and daughters of Ijebuland. He downgraded the Agemo festival and replaced it with the Islamic Durbar known as Ojude Oba. While he was fighting for supremacy with the Ooni Sijuwade, he was taking instructions from the Sultan of Sokoto. He joined Zik, Akintola and Ahmadu Bello to send Awolowo to jail. He was disrespectful to the Government of Ogun State, hence his deposition by the late Bisi Onabanjo. He travelled without permission. It was the military coup which brought Diya that saved him. He was indicted by Justice Sogbetun Panel for insubordination, recklessness bordering on partisanship. He supported the defunct NPN, openly, against the ruling party, UPN. He was such an arrogant element who forgot how he was chosen. His father was not a man of means. The fact that he was studying abroad on scholarship made him the most qualified candidate from the Anikilaya Ruling House. The AG Government wanted an educated Oba after Awujale Gbelegbuwa. Sikiru Adetona negated all the positive values for which the Yoruba people are reputed. His fabled principled fight for June 12 was because of the late MKO Abiola, who was with him in NCNC, NNDP and NPN. He fought against Subomi Balogun, the founder of the FCMB, when he suspected that his growing influence might dim his own waning authority among the Ijebu. He accused him of nursing the ambition to succeed him. How could that have been his business? He promoted the Imams over traditional worshippers. He said Ifa was nothing. He was a Muslim from Sudan. Sikiru Adetona ku ni, ko wo Aja.
