Veteran journalist and frontline chieftain of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, has said that his preference for the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s style of handling important issues of national interest is being misconstrued for ‘sell-out’ by Chief Ayo Adebanjo.
Chief Adebanjo, a lawyer, elder statesman and also a respected member of the Afenifere group had, recently, accused Osoba of being a sell-out in the agitation for restructuring of the nation’s polity to achieve self-determination in the country.
Aremo Osoba, who was responding to the accusation of selling out at an interactive session with the newsmen in Lagos recently, explained that, issues of that magnitude need thorough planning and robust debate amongst the stakeholders to arrive at a commonly agreed stand.
The elder statesman vehemently cleared himself of any wrong doing by asserting unequivocally that, “I have not sold on restructuring,” reminding that, “I have consistently campaigned for a Canadian or Australian model of true federalism.”
According to him, the attitude of being rigid on issues without giving room for others’ views is contrary to the attitude of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo of whom he is a disciple, reminding that Chief Awolowo encouraged robust debates on serious matter of national interest.”
Speaking further, Osoba, who said he has always accorded Chief Adebanjo respect because of the difference in their ages as an elder brother, however, complained that, “his attitude is that you must always agree with his own definition of issues.”
The multi-chieftaincy tittles holder said it was on the basis of the respect he has for Chief Adebanjo as an elder brother that he has been cautious in dealing with him, vowing that, he would now come out forcefully, to reply him any time he speaks.
The veteran journalist and prolific author narrated a scenario where he was on a programme with chief Adebanjo where he accused him (Osoba) of being a sell-out and Osoba said he challenged him.
“I challenged him that he knows me long enough to know that I have an impeccable character in terms of integrity and he admitted that he did not say I am corrupt but that I am not reliable as I sold out on the issue of restructuring. It is the likes of Adebanjo that made Afenifere to break into different groups.
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“Let us first of all unite all the different groups within the Yoruba race. Can we go into war with these different groups? We have about 12 groups in Yoruba race today. Yoruba are intellectually endowed,” Osoba was reported to have voiced out against Adebanjo’s open accusation.
Concluding, he was reported to have submitted thus, “What is wrong in getting all the big brains in diaspora forming a strong intellectual group to write a paper on restructuring and the roadmap to arrive at self-determination?
“Who is against self-determination? Awolowo was able, through regional system, to create first class region in Nigeria.
“We should have sat together to organize an intellectual group to write different reports on Yoruba self-determination; that is what we should be doing.”
With this scenario, the house of Oduduwa, the Yoruba progenitor appears to have developed cracks through which the proverbial lizards can penetrate to cause havoc.
But National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, has assured that the frayed nerves would soon be calmed down and the matter amicably settled so that the seemingly divided house would become one again very soon.
