Nigeria will break up if it is not restructured —Alaafin

As the installation ceremony of the Aare Ona Kakanfo-designate, Otunba Gani Adams scheduled for January 2018 draws near, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi in this interview with TUNDE BUSARI, describes the post-selection reactions and factors responsible for picking Adams.

WHAT influenced your decision to select Otunba Gani Adams to succeed late MKO Abiola as the new Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland? Can you shed light on this?

There is nothing to shed light on again over the choice of Otunba Gani Adams. A decision has been taken and the decision was taken based on conviction and empirical evidence of suitability. The choice of Adams is to unify our people, the Yoruba people at home and in the Diaspora. At this crucial time, the unity of our people is essential to our growth as the pacesetter ethnic group among the black race. Having thought of what to do, I discovered that there was a vacuum that needed to be filled. The vacuum is the position of the Aare Ona Kakanfo, the only person who fits the crown is nobody except Adams. Can anybody successfully fault Gani’s contribution to the Yoruba cultural values and society? And with this title, he has been tasked to do more in the promotion of our culture.

You earlier said your choice of late MKO Abiola was challenged in court and judgment came hours before his installation in February 1988. Is there a similar reaction to your choice of Adams?

What we have now is quite different and it points to the love and respect the Yoruba people have for the Alaafin. From October till today, I have received over 570 letters from people applauding the appointment of Adams as the round peg in right hole. I must say that this development makes me happy. So, when he came on a ‘thank you’ visit, I told him again that the position is strictly for him to unify Yoruba people. I said, ‘your covenant with the Yoruba people is being placed on a daily renewal.

What else did you tell him?
When I challenged you here to also search for the qualified, what did you think I meant. I meant a Yoruba man of high quality. So, I told him to always be ready at a moment notice for every action or reaction to be taken. I also instructed him to work on the development of Yoruba tourism potentials. We are known to have rich cultural and traditional heritage which can be of economic advantage to us if properly harnessed. I want Yoruba culture to be a force to be reckoned with in the world. I impressed it on him that his position is a tool to enhance our cultural tourism.

Restructuring is a contentious issue among different ethnic groups in Nigeria. How desirable is the call for the restructuring of the country?
I made my position clear in the paper I presented in Ibadan during the zonal summit on the subject. I said if we did not restructure Nigeria, what happened in USSR may happen. USSR was divided with force. Romania also was divided through force. Their leaders were doing exactly what our leaders are doing now. In the speech, I referred them to how the First Republic was aborted when the political leaders were killed. That killing was regarded as sectional and unjust. General Ironsi scrapped the federal structure and replaced it with unitary, since then we have not come back to true federalism. He abolished the regional system through decree 34 of 1966. He also scrapped the term ‘Federal Republic’ and replaced it with ‘Republic of Nigeria.’The Northerners felt that with the new system, the Emirs would no longer be able to operate within a republic like before. Their belief was that Ironsi came from a culture that opposed their belief. This led to a counter coup of July 29, 1966. I am trying to tell you why we have to restructure Nigeria. Gowon that came later returned the term ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria’ but not the region. Lagos is about 20 million people going by the first census conducted and Kano was next. Within next 10 years, Kano was split into about 44 council areas but Lagos remains with 20 council areas. Jigawa was created from Kano and given 19 council areas. If we are in a region, the government of that region can create council areas but because we depend on a monolithic manner of financing the states, we are in a problem.We are concentrating too much power at the centre. The present state of things can only be resolved through restructuring. Our revenue has been taken over by the Federal Government. What the Federal Government collects in Value Added Tax in an area in Oyo State in one month is more than what it collects in Adamawa State in three months. Yet, the Federal Government takes all away. Too much of dependence on the center has reduced the powers of the states with rising spate of unemployment.

How do traditional rulers fare in this arrangement?
What do you expect? You are a journalist who should be able to analyze issues, what do you expect other than lamentation that it is difficult to pay the traditional rulers. But because we are not trade unions, we cannot go to the streets and carry placards.

During a convocation lecture at the Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti, I learnt you said something about Governor Ayodele Fayose. What did you say about him?
That was when I was observing protocol before my speech. I did not say what you don’t know about the governor. I made a reference to his person as the governor who is vocal, relentless and always put the federal government on its toes. Is that description not appropriate if you follow him? Look, the value of democratic government lies on the presence of a strong opposition to serve as watchdog to the ruling party. That was what Chief Obafemi Awolowo was noted for in the First Republic. He provided a strong opposition which kept the government permanently awake while the government lasted.
How did you emerge the pioneer Chancellor of the Uthman Dan Fodio University?
You really want to take me down memory lane. My belief is that there is no substitute to education. The only alternative to it is ignorance, which, you would agree with me, is more expensive. I was appointed the pioneer Chancellor of the University of Sokoto when the federal government in 1975 founded new universities. It was an experience I would always love to share because of the role the Alaafin played in laying a strong foundation for the university. The position exposed me to the university administration, an experience that helped me to understand the challenges on our campuses, especially when I come to the issue of the ASSU (Academic Senior Staff of the Universities) with the authorities. We started the University of Sokoto, now Uthman Dan Fodio University, from scratch; the first four years was very rough. We started from primary schools. There was paucity of fund and we went round the world to raise money. Aare MKO Abiola gave us money. Abiola was reputed for spending his money on education, sports and any other thing that has to do with improvement of humanity. Other Nigerians too supported us. We traveled overseas where people showed love to the Alaafin. I was to serve for four years but reappointed because I attracted funds to the university. By the time I completed 12 years, I had educated 120 graduates from Oyo. That was my benefit as one who traveled round to stabilize the institution. I can only urge the federal government to always respect its Memorandum of Understanding with the lecturers in order to prevent the strike action that we often witness. Future of our children should be most important to us via education.

What informed your recent visit to the only surviving wife of the late Oba Adeyemi II, your predecessor?
First and foremost, the Alaafin must always set good example in leadership for other traditional rulers to follow. This is the answer to your question. How often do we remember and take care of our father’s wives? How often do we see them to know how they fare? It is important we perform this duty. I want to see the visit as a challenge which I want every traditional ruler to take up.