By Ola Ajayi
THE Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Arisekola Alao-Azeez has advised Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala to apologize to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi for insulting his exalted authority.

Alhaji Arisekola did not mince words as he openly condemned the alleged demeaning the status of the highly revered monarch in Yorubaland by recognizing another traditional ruler and treating Alaafin with indignity which, he said, a true Yoruba man would not do knowing the enormity of the power of Alaafin especially in the old Oyo Empire.

Governor Akala and the monarch have been keeping each other at arm’s length following some irreconcilable differences which climaxed into open allegation that the former was allegedly plotting to kill the latter.

While giving the genesis of the rift between the monarch and the governor, the business mogul said, “the governor went to Oyo and he went to Isale Oyo and greeted the Mogaji or the Baale there. He didn’t go to Alaafin’s palace to pay homage. He didn’t greet Alaafin and in his interview, he said there was another traditional ruler in Oyo. I think that is killing. Any meaningful Yoruba person will fight against that because from time immemorial, over 150 years ago, we never heard that there are two kings in Oyo. We only heard of Alaafin’s empire up to Dahomey. So, where did he get another traditional ruler in Oyo?”

For quick resolution of the knotty issue, it would be in the interest of the governor to throw in the towel and apologize to the king.

His words: “The governor can settle the rift himself if he apologizes openly to Alaafin. For him to say that he can depose Alaafin, I think it is the exaggeration of the newspaper. But if he said that, a good Yoruba man does not say that to a traditional ruler of Alaafin’s status in Yoruba land”.

Still maintaining the statement was unbecoming of the governor, he lamented that it was a tug of war before anybody could be allowed to have audience with Alaafin in the olden days.

“If not for the politics of our forefathers, any Oba that wants to see Alaafin in those days, would have to rub sand on his body, if at all he would be allowed to see Alaafin. So, why should we want to kill our own tradition? Why should you, because you are in power today, a temporary position, say that? There have been so many governors that have gone. You will do your own and go. How can you kill the tradition?”, he fumed.

He went proverbial saying “Yoruba ni Omo aijeberi, ni i jabe aya meaning “ it is usually difficult for an opportunist to manage success. It is very unfortunate for him to have said a thing like that to the Alaafin. It is not nice, it is not good. A polished person will never say such a thing”.

On the endorsement of the presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan, he said even though he was not a politician, and that neither the president nor General Ibarahim Babngida was his enemy, he said he would prefer IBB because “we have been very close friends and I won’t deny him. Goodluck Jonathan is a very nice man. He is a gentle man is his own right but people that are surrounding him cannot carry him anywhere because they don’t know the history of this country.

In as much as he would not want to insult the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, he faulted his role in the endorsement of President Jonathan.

Pointing accusing finger at the former President, the industrialist recalled that he didn’t win in his ward in the 2007 election adding that it was the North that voted en masse for him to come back to power.

“What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. If the northerner can ask him to come and do another term after being the Head of State, so what is bad for the northerners to ask for the presidency after him?, he asked.

“But for him to now go against the North, ‘E get as he be’. He is our father, I can never say anything bad against him. He is my very good father but he has his personal interest. He and Babangida were both in the military. In military, they are very disciplined. He (Obasanjo) knows what he is fighting for and why he is going against IBB when Babangida did not go against him when he wanted to be president, Arisekola wondered.