By Ibukun Oritsewunmi
Aare Onakakanfo Iba Gani Adams has said the children of Oduduwa included Itsekiri and that the people are united in their determination to work together as one people with shared history and destiny.
His position was stamped by the Olu of Warri and the Chiefs in Council who said the Itsekiri and Yoruba would “swim the tide together in defence of Oduduwa Nation.”
The said any attack on Itsekiri is an attack on Yoruba people the two being blood bound and inseparable.
He said for centuries the Yoruba and Itsekiri have worked together as one people with the same ancestor and would defend the heritage will all the powers bestowed on the people.
The Aare Onakakanfo stepped on Warri soil on Monday. He was accompanied by several chiefs and representatives of Yoruba communities in Delta and Edo states who came in large numbers to welcome him.
Irohinoodua was informed that the visit of the Aare was part of his efforts to unite descendants of Oduduwa all over the world. The meeting between his Royal Majesty, Olu of Warri and the Aare took place at the Olu’s palace.
The Aare said he was happy to be in Warri because “our history in Yoruba land attested to the fact that the Itsekiri people are descendants of our ancestor.”
He said “Warri is blessed with a monarch that is brilliant,well- connected and humble. Our revered sage,the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his life,gave his all for the progress of the Itsekiri people because they are Oduduwa descendants and of our great progenitor, Oduduwa.
Speaking furthr he said “That was why you see great people of Itsekiri like the late Pa Alfred Rewane and a few others being great supporters of our common cause.”
He said “I remember how former President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnicks urged me to make sure I visit the Olu of Warri.”
He said he was abroad during the official coronation of the Olu of Warri but that he sent one of his chiefs to stand in for him at the grand event.
“The people of Itsekiri need us and we need them to keep the bond of our mutual ancestry. We cannot be separated. We are blood bound. Our history, our future, our shared values are the same. Awolowo and Itsekiri leaders left this milestone. It is our responsibility to sustain and nurture it,” he said.
The Olu of Warri His Royal Majesty Tsola Emiko, Atuwatse 11 who spoke through the Ogwa Olusan of Warri,High Chief Brown Mene, expressed great appreciation to Iba Iba Gani Adams for his sense of history.
Mene said the Itsekiri people have their roots in Ode Remo in Ijebu,Akure and Tapa, adding that Iba Gani Adams’ role in seeking unity,as well as the promotion of Yoruba culture and tradition, beyond the shores of Nigeria, is a worthy legacy that all descendants of Oduduwa are proud of.
The Olu said “Our language is very similar to that of the Yoruba than any other tribes in the world.We are Yoruba and our forebears came with from Akure, Ode-Remo in Ijebu and Tapa.
He said further “Our ancestors are the first settlers before the arrival of the Benin.We have our history and background as a people bonded by unique culture and traditions of the Yoruba.
“You cannot speak of Itsekiri people without remembering their ancestry as Yoruba.And I want to assure Iba Gani Adams that Itsekiri people are part of Yoruba.
He said “We shall swim together and fulfill the destiny of our race together”,the High Chief said.
The Olu entertainment the guests with cultural and traditional rites and dances which Iba Gani Adams said were displayed in the same agelong culture of Oduduwa descendants.
Members of the Aare in Council who came with him were Oosi Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland,Chief Gani Balogun, the Parakoyi Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land,Prof. Kolawole Raheem,Bameeto Aare Onakakanfo,Hon.Akeem Ademola Ige,Barejiro Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland,Chief Dauda Asikolaye, Delta State coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress,Akeem Agboola,his counterparts from Edo, Mr Mathew Uwagwe,South-South coordinator,Chief Babatunde Ajayi, Special Assistant on Media to the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Kehinde Aderemi, Special Assistant on Special Duties, Samson Oseni, Lukman Adenuga and the Director of Graphics, Ibrahim Koleosho among others.