We thank the lord for making it possible for us to gather
together this day as one family to reflect and deliberate about things that has
to do with our community development and sustainable growth. May the name of
the lord be blessed now and forever! We equally appreciate the brains behind
this gathering, for bestowing on us this great honour to come render this very
important discourse that has been sinking under the heavy yoke of illusion. On
behalf of NAOSITES, we say thank you
to our fathers, mothers and everyone. God bless you all! Okeigbo oni baje o. Amin.
In his article “Okeigbo Community” Kehinde Ademeso,
described Okeigbo as a land of warriors. Also In the historical trajectory of
our dear Okeigbo kingdom, we were made to understand that, Okeigbo was firmly
established by Derin ologbenla and Kugbayigbe who were leading chiefs of their comrades.
They were renowned warriors during inter-tribal warfare which ranged fiercely
in the Yoruba kingdom in those days. History expresses that after conquering
Egba Agbehi, Derin became Balogun under Maye when Ibadan was founded after maye
was overthrown in revolt organized by the Oyos and Egbas. Based on this, Derin
left Ibadan for ile ife.
He built a strong army composed of stalwarts whose
stock in trade was to carry out war expeditions in aid of those who were being
unjustly attacked and were weak. His first war expedition was to aid Ijesa
against their Oyo enemies. Derin’s method of fighting war was so unique that
whenever he got to the war front, he would invoke charm and become invisible to
his enemies and began to apply his sword in such a miraculous way that people
began to see heads and bodies in hundreds lying on the ground and blood flowing
like water in the streets without seeing the people applying the cuts.
As a result of this, so many community leaders invited
him to help them in fighting their enemies; because of his various victories in
wars, his army decided to found a town in memory of their conquest and close to
the present Okeigbo site where they first pass the night. They named the new
settlement Okeigbo! that is (a hill in the bush). It was here Derin Ologbenla
became famous throughout Yoruba-land, due to the influence Derin wielded in
those days, many other immigrants from various places such as Abeokuta, Ijebu,
Ifewara, Ilesa, Ofa and many other towns too (numerous to mention) came to
settle in Oke-igbo.
In furtherance, Okeigbo people are essentially ife in
customs and traditions, the grouping of okeigbo with Ondo province at the
beginning was for administrative convenience of the British Government who
would not want their district officer to travel the distance from Ife to
Okeigbo, about 30miles away when one was stationed at Ondo 10miles away. The
people of Okeigbo then were farmers, prosperous ones at that, the largest
producers of cocoa in ondo province. Okeigbo-Ondo road was built in 1916-1919
and later 1950s Ife-Okeigbo road was constructed. Okeigbo that was a
cosmopolitan town was divided, one part moved to present Osun State, Ifetedo,
just a stone throw to Okeigbo and now the headquarters of Ife South Local
Government Council.
Christianity was introduced in the area in 1878 and
the first primary school was established in 1880. Education is the major
industry of the people of Okeigbo and many sons and daughters of Okeigbo are
occupying coveted positions in the civil service, educational institutions and
are today captains of industries. The first grammar school was established in
1957, the district is large, and there are more than eight towns, villages and
hamlets. Okeigbo host the popular evil forest called Igbo-olodumare where there are wild and dangerous snails with human
head and tortoise that was bigger than human being, said by the renowned
writer, D.O Fagunwa, the author of the evergreen and evercolourful book known
as Igbo Olodumare. Their culture is not
different from that of Ile-Ife, their Language, mode of dressing and tradition
are similar to that of ile-ife.
It is very sad to say, that Okeigbo today has become a
cinema of clowns. Every new week has a drama that occupies, engages and
sustains all of us till the end of the week. These dramas as if they have been
recorded and kept in a hard drive are played in such a manner that even though
they are serious issues, we all end up laughing about them and making them
sources of entertainment. Burning issues which should be frowned at or
dismissed are so painted stupidly that they are withdrawn from the category of
sensible matter then turned into laughable skits and clips for the public.
Meanwhile the community itself is daily losing its soul and driving itself to a
point of no return. The stories that flood our ears, timelines and whatsapps
astound us greatly that we think we have collectively become a generation of
idiots. We ask ourselves many questions that are not really rhetorical but of
which I cannot even present sensible answers to them. There are actually no
answers anywhere, a one-of-kind situation where everybody is grouping in
darkness. Such a thick darkness that it appears there is no light at the end of
the tunnel.
Where should we start from? Should we start from the
engagement of our youths in vices and worrisome practices, and those of our
leaders who swims in the massive ocean of corruption, with all the shady
ministerial lies, photo-shopped pictures, discordant reports, and dishonest
updates from supposedly trusted authorities, inconclusive statements, and
conspiratorial meetings, congregation of cliquish cabals, Quarters threatening
statements and undiplomatic utterances? how on earth, there will be a community
without king, obviously we have ranked ourselves so high but basically because
of the absence of unity and understanding, we have continue to wallow in the
journey of no end, fingering through a thousand creeds. When are we going to
have a leader? Beloved, we need a king?
What is my concern in all of these? My uttermost
concern is not even for the present time which is already swallowed in
atrocities, crises and decay. The dirt is so thick; the dung is so deep and
smelly that we cannot even see what we are scraping off. My fear is for the
future which is obviously desolate. I am so afraid that the future will be
worse than what we are experiencing today. The youths and children, the
supposed leaders of tomorrow are being bred into these muddy cultures and
traditions. And what they have even started doing…..only God will save us. If
Okeigbo continues like this, the future is not bright! Tell me, which of the youths will
get in power today and would not steal as his forefathers did? Even
children in the womb are already infested and infected. And what do we even
see? The children of these thieves are the ones succeeding their fathers-Yoruba
people will say: Omo ekun l’ekun jo-
the cub must resemble his father, the lion. What hope then do we have for our
future? What actually is the cause for this succession of evils?
The fear that things are going to be terribly messy is
truly imminent because our country is void of mentors. There are no leaders,
icons and mentors the youths can look up to. A society heading for ruin. In
other words, when there is no mentorship, there can never be a credible future.
The society is created in such a successive pattern for its continuity. The
continuity of excellence is in the fact that there are people who tried to be
excellent and others after them emulate such excellent virtue. However, in our
dear country, there is little or nothing virtuous our children are emulating.
It is mostly about the celebration of thieves, rogues, mediocrity and lack of
conscience. This is where our collective concern should be.
In the past, we talked about D.O Fagunwa, Obafemi Awolowo,
Derin Ologbenla and the rest, these men lived
not perfect lives but left some legacies that others can talk about and
emulate, we now even study them in history in higher institutions for the
perpetuation of their legacies. In this our dispensation, who are we talking
about? Who is leaving any legacy? What legacies are we celebrating? Legacies in
stealing? Or in bad politics? Or legacies in unpatriotic proclivities? What
exactly is this generation leaving behind for the future? These are the
questions we should continue to ponder upon. But I must strongly say my dear
people, that we should be proud of our community; we should do something great
to make it comfortable for her citizens; because, if we really understand the
meaning of a community, we would die not of fright but of love, because we are
like one family. In his Article:2016 titled “Okeigbo people and Culture” Tolulope Elusiyan made us to understand
that “we are Okeigbo people not because
we were born and brought up in Okeigbo, but we are Okeigbo people because
Okeigbo was born in us”, we must all allow Okeigbo to be re-born in us and
be renewed totally in love and unity.
My submission is this; we need an internal revolution
among the youths. This is an open letter, if you like, to all youths. Our
leaders have eaten sour grapes; our mouths should not suffer its pangs. Youths
must occasion an internal revolution among themselves to revive the soul of
this Okeigbo community. Recently, I spoke with a number of youths individually
and I saw that the future is not all together blind and bleak if we can
collectively do mental-attitudinal revolution among the youths. At every level,
in every group, at every association, there must be an ideological,
psychological, emotional and spiritual baptism. After all, it is not as if we
do not know that our fathers have failed woefully, we know! Then, we need that
revolution from inside and take back this community these wolves. We must
create mentors, we must change things, and we must save our community. It is
our responsibilities, it is our calls, and it is our works! Together let us
save Okeigbo kingdom before she dies, let us save our dear community. (Song) Okeigbo yii ti gbogbo wani, koma bodo baje,
tori kosi bomiran, ti ale lo, ajo ole dabi ile, eje ka so wop o………………………..
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