THE HON. SPEAKER OF KOGI STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY IS A BONAFIDE AND FIRST CLASS SON OF KABBA AND OWE LAND
Ordinarily, there would have been no need to dignify the mischievous, malicious and libelous write up by faceless individuals or groups with response. However, there is the need to respond in order to debunk the lies and negative propaganda embarked upon by the writers. Keeping quiet may be taken as acceptance of the issues in the fallacious presentation. He (the prominent Kabba Politician/Politicians) should bear in mind, the Mauritanian proverb which says “He who begins a conversation does not foresee the end”.
There is nothing political frustration and inferiority complex cannot generate. This is why a group of frustrated politicians from Kabba could call Rt Honorable Prince Mathew Kolawole, the incumbent (Second term) Speaker, of Kogi State House of Assembly denigrating names. This is a man who is the first in the political history of Kabba to win election into the State House of Assembly back to back, became Majority Leader of the House and eventually emerged as the Speaker for two terms. Prince Kolawole had never been a slave, he cannot be one, he will never be and he is not. He is a first class citizen of Oweland, to borrow the words of the sinking author of the write up. He is a bonafide and true son of Kabba from Omodo Family. The write up from the faceless author is nothing but “ruckus”.
At the beginning, Kabba (Oweland) was only occupied by two (2) groups or classes of people. The Omodo and Araoke Groups. Those occupying the plane and agrarian areas were called Omodo, while those occupying the hilly areas were referred to as Araoke. This was the prevailing situation until mid-1950s when Obaro Stool position, which became vacant was to be filled. Obaro Stool had been the monopoly of Ilajo family in the history of Kabba. The other families within Araoke Group sought the favour of Omodo Family to ensure Ilajo family did not fill the position. Capitalizing on the seeming misunderstanding between some of the Elders of Omodo and Ilajos families, other families within Araoke Group were able to convince Omodo Elders to join the struggle to make all sons of Oweland have the right to produce Obaro of Kabba. This was under Obaro Ologbonyo. Omodo leaders accepted to join the struggle. That led to the emergence of Aku Marun (Club of 5 Clans) in Kabba. It is instructive to note that Omodo clan was a member of this Club as a pressure group formed for the struggle of Obaro Stool. With Omodo on the side of the struggle, the Obaro Stool was lost by the Ilajo family for the first time in the history of Kabba, which led to the installation of Oba Daniel Gbadebo Aka.
The alliance between Omodo family and the other members of the Club did not last. Omodo family later pulled out of the alliance. That was the beginning of propaganda and name-calling against Omodo family. They held a meeting and resolved to engage in sustained smear campaign against Omodo family in order to reduce their power and influence in the appointment of Obaro of Kabba. Their conducts were in tune with Machievellian philosophy; “A king will kill a prince that makes him king, so that he will not remove him and make another person king”. However, after the demise of the Obaro that was appointed with the Omodo alliance, the Obaro stool returned to its rightful Clan as the Omodo were no longer part of the alliance. They had settled the seeming disagreements with the Ilajo Clan. Only a 1st class family can play these strategic roles in a community.
The return of Obaro stool in October 1985 to the Ilajo clan led to crises in Kabba. The other clans viciously fought back. Chains of these crises got to the peak when the Kwara State Government (under which Kabba was then) was compelled to set up a Panel of Inquiry to look into the crises in Kabba in 1987. The report of the Panel was in line with Omodo Family submission that Obaro stool resided in Ilajo Family. The Panel, after studying the indigenous groups in Kabba as one of its Terms of Reference, recognized 4 Groups indigenous to Kabba community. These were, the Katu Group, Omodo Group, Odolu Group and Kabba Group (dominated by the Ilajo Family Group). The Panel’s recommendations were accepted by the Kwara State Government. The Panel said the Aku Marun group was not indigenous to Kabba, as it was just a pressure group formed for the struggle of Obaro Stool. Hence, only the 4 Groups above were known to be indigenous to Kabba community. That was the end of the Aku Marun (Club of 5 Clans) in Kabba community and Oweland in general. Club 12 (Akumejila) as it is known today, was formulated and launched in October 1987 in Sabo-Gari, Kano, after the Kabba crises Panel report of 1987.
This was the situation in Kabba until 1991 when Kogi State was created. In 1994, an unprovoked physical assault was orchestrated on mainly Omodo family by the groups. It led to huge arson and large-scale destruction of properties. This was deliberately done to enable the other groups reopen the Obaro Stool case which was closed in Kwara State. They achieved their objective through injustice and perceived large-scale corruption. They were able to present a case for Club of 12 Clans for the first time in the history of Kabba community and Oweland in general to the Panel constituted by Kogi State Government in 1994. It should be noted that Club 12 (Akumejila) as it is known today, was formulated and launched in October 1987 in Sabo-Gari, Kano, after the Kabba crises Panel report of 1987. It was another pressure group formed for the struggle for Obaro Stool in a different form. This time, they made them clans, created cognomen (Oriki) and assigned them to each member. The Panel accepted Club of 12 Clans in their report. That was the emergence of Club 12 Clans in the history of Oweland.
So, the issue of Omodo Family not being recognized as the 14th clan does not arise in the first instance. How can Club of 12 Clans which was given recognition in 1994 be superior or senior to Omodo and Ilajo Clans that had been in existence for hundreds of years? The fact is that, some groups and individuals in Kabba community have proclivity for telling lies, mischievous in writing fake history, warped in their thinking and notorious for propagating slander. They are suffering from inferiority complex. Club of 12 clans are inchoate in Kabba community. Some of their members do not know which clan they belong and their cognomen. Yet, they are claiming first class citizenship.
In Kabba community, the indigenous people named their first place of settlement after prominent objects around them. Hence, you have names of quarters as, Odo-Akete, Idi Lemu (Lemu is orange), Idi Akitipa, Idi Ose, Odo Ero, Odo Koro, Idi Amori etc. These prominent objects were either rivers, lakes or trees. Omodo family occupied areas such as mentioned above. Odo Ero where the present Kabba Modern Market is situated, opposite St. Mary’s Catholic Church is one of the major areas mainly occupied by the Omodo family.
According to history, the Kabba Main Market situated in the heart of the town, was Egungun Shrine. It was when the missionary wanted to establish churches and schools around the location that the shrine was relocated. The Omodo elders gave condition for relocation of the shrine. The condition was that, the location must not be occupied by any individual or group, except as a market. That is why the only Kabba main market today is within Omodo family territory. Amori is a tree which bears edible fruits. Birds perch on it to eat the fruits and human beings also eat the fruits. It is one of the areas occupied by some Omodo family members and we refer to them as Idi-Amori people. Idi in Kabba dialect means buttom or under. That is what mischievous, malicious and slanderous people gave derogatory interpretation to mean Idi ti a o mori (people whose origin we do not know). Sincerely speaking, how can people who were the last to arrive, know the origin of the people they met on ground?
The mischief maker said to be prominent Kabba politician has no adequate and informed knowledge of Kabba Community. He must be one of those recently recruited and assimilated into some family groups to boost their population. This could be the reason he did not know that Omodo family members are the owners of all places they occupied in Oweland. No group can claim that they gave them the land. Omodo has large portions of land in Owe. An Omodo man was the Secretary of land allocation committee in Kabba up to 1978. What happened after then, is not meant to be discussed for now, as it is subjudiced. Omodo family own more than 60% of Owe total land area.
The faceless author said other groups do not inter-marry with Omodo Group. This is one of the most grievous lies the amorphous person ever told. Kabba groups inter-marry from time immemorial. The relations and couples involved cannot be mentioned here because they are too many. It is through inter marriage that some cognomen (oriki) are common among all groups in Oweland. This, the liar said, was traceable cognomen of “his imagined masters”. However, the politician who wrote the libelous piece should realize that marriage is a matter of mutual love between individuals involved. If groups do not marry themselves, what was the concern of the politician. Group A does not marry group B and B does not marry A, it is 50/50. Both groups have women to marry and no woman is superior to the other. Aside, one can marry anywhere in the whole wide world. The supremacist mentality of the author did not allow him/her remember that.
On culture and tradition, the writer had limited knowledge of Owe culture. There are many other deities apart from Egungun and Ebora. However, let us limit the discussion to the two. The Egungun Abo festival is celebrated every December of the year. It attracts worshipers from Okun land and even initiates from other surrounding tribes. However, in Kabba community, only Omodo family initiates can participate fully by entering the shrine. Other family groups cannot be initiated into Egungun cult. They can watch it at the open space called Ala in front of the shrine where various masquerades come out to dance.
Obaro of Kabba usually lead other high ranking Chiefs to Ala. He presents a white ram for prayers and spiritual blessings of Owe land. It should be noted that, all the Omodo family cultural heritages are prevalent in Okun towns and villages. Other groups in Owe are culturally isolated from neighbouring Okun people. Egungun is also a well known diety, not only in Yoruba land, but Africa and the world at large. Abo, is the prominent festival celebrated by the Omodo family in Oweland. Glamorous and entertaining. How can people who have a great diety as Egungun, as source of traditional power and entertainment wish to join one that is obscure?
Omodo family do not participate effectively in Ebora diety and other groups do not participate effectively in Egungun diety. No diety is superior to another in this regard. Both Egungun and Ebora worshipers used to visit all high-ranking Chiefs in the community until the struggle for Obaro Stool emanated. Ebora is not even a deity as such. In Yoruba land, Ebora is a generic term for anything that is spiritually scary, powerful and mystical. To that extent, Egungun is also Ebora. As a matter of fact, one of the Egungun’s cognomen is Ebora Uyi, meaning deity of honour.
On Kingship in Oweland, (Kabba community), the writer had no choice but to say the truth. He, however, tried to play it down when he said “Any King these so-called slaves do not announce will not be termed a proper King”. In Kabba community, whenever the Obaro Stool becomes vacant, all interested Princes statutorily paid traditional fee of a certain amount each to the head of Omodo family as Expression of Interests (EOI) to announce their intentions to contest and register their candidacies for the Stool of Obaro. Any candidate who failed, would not contest. After the registration procedures, three of the candidates are selected for final traditional screening. Only the head of Omodo family usually know the candidate chosen as the Obaro-Elect. A date would be fixed for the announcement. All members of Kabba community available to attend would gather at the foot of a particular hill called Okuta Okule/Olowo and the Head of the Omodo family or his representative would mount the top of the hill to announce the final choice among the three, after due and mandatory traditional rites. The final crowning is also done by head of Omodo family. It should be noted that, only Ilajo family group had the right to present candidates for Obaro stool, until 1957. What happened then had been discussed earlier. Therefore, only first class or bonafide group like Omodo, can play these roles in the selection of an Oba. The uninformed writer presented the issue briefly as if it were just a role of a Town Crier.
It is rather unfortunate that some people can tell lies just to achieve objectives. Joseph Goebels was Adolf Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda. He once said “Tell a lie persistently over a long time and people start to believe it to be the truth” . Using this on Omodo family will not work, because all lies will henceforth, be debunked forthwith.
In the write-up, it was said that the Omodo Chiefs are called Olu, while that of the so called indigenes are called Oba. Whoever wrote the paper had limited knowledge of Yoruba chieftaincy appellations. The Omodo family members take chieftaincy title starting with appellations, ‘Olu’ amongst others. Hence, they bear titles like Olukotun, (Otun), Olukohi (Osi), etc. ‘Olu’ appellation stands as a primary title in most cases, while ‘Oba’ stands as secondary. This is why in Okun land and indeed Yoruba land, many traditional heads have appellation Olu. So, the primary title ‘Olu’ comes before the secondary title ‘Oba’. For example ‘Olu’… of …, Oba (real name and title follows). How can someone in his right senses say that the appellation ‘Olu’ is inferior. A cursory look at the culture and traditions in Okun land shows that Omodo family has everything in common with all other neighbouring communities in Okunland (Yoruba Speaking part of Kogi State). Other groups in Kabba community are different in terms of culture and tradition. How can they turn round to say they are superior? Omodo family members are the aborigines and autochthonous people of Kabba. Whoever wants to contest this assertion should invite historians from Okun and indeed, Yoruba lands to come to Kabba and investigate openly.
OLU SESERE
General Secretary
Omodo Family