Rejig Newly Adopted South West Anthem – Group Tells Govs

The recently adopted anthem by governors in the south west geopolitical zone of Nigeria has been urged to be rejigged by a group, Dee Osun Monitors.

In a statement on Tuesday by its Coordinator, Prince Jide Akinyooye, the group said the Osun anthem adopted by the governors of the region as the universal anthem, has a deficiency that requires to be addressed.

The group explained that the Oodua in line one of the last stanza of the anthem should be changed to Yoruba if it represents the interest of all Yorubas.

According to the group, not all Yoruba are descendants of Oduduwa, hence the need to rejig the anthem for posterity’s sake.

READ: How Aregbesola’s Promotion Of Awolowo’s Anthem Mirrored South West Govs Interest

It said, “It was plausible that the entire six Governors in the South-West part of Nigeria could come together and pass some resolutions that bind her people together as individuals and government.

“This is very commendable and history will be kind to the entire Governors who made the history, including former Executive Governor of Osun State; Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola who championed the initiative.

“Importantly, it is necessary to call the attention of the entire stakeholders in the South-West to the deficient part of the melodious Anthem in the last stanza that reads “Omo Oodua Dide, Bosi Ipo Eto re, Iwo ni Imole, Gbogbo Adulawo.” The deficient extract in line one of the last (4th) stanza; Omo “Oodua Dide” ought to be “Omo Yoruba Dide.”

It further added, “The simple reason is that the Yoruba race which comprises the South-West zone and is a part of Kogi and Kwara is a very complex descendant. Emphatically, all Oduduwa descendants can lay claim to Yoruba but not all Yorubas are Oduduwa descendants.

“It is unarguable that Ile-Ife is the common source of all Yorubas and the Yoruba group is assumed to have developed out of undifferentiated Volta–Niger populations by the 1st millennium BC.

“Settlements of early Yoruba speakers are assumed to correspond to those found in the wider Niger area from about the 4th century BC, especially Ile-Ife.

“It may not be common knowledge that there are some people (Yorubas) living in Ile-Ife but have no blood relationship with Oduduwa. However, it is interesting to mention that supernatural Obatala and Oran Ife were in Ile-Ife before the arrival of Oduduwa.

“This justifies that Yoruba is a composition of bonded descendants that includes Oduduwa, Obatala, and Oran Ife among others. For the record, the way Ọọni of Ile-Ife symbolises Oodua descendants among the Yoruba Royal circle is the same way Olufon of Ifon-Orolu Kingdom in Osun State is leading other descendants of Obatala that spreads across Ondo, Oyo, Kwara and other countries.

“One cannot do without commending the good spirits of our South-West Governors for making frank efforts to bind the Yorùbá race together. Notwithstanding, it will be most appreciated if they can make a perfect touch by substituting the word “Oodua” with “Yorùbá” in the interest of fairness and equity to accommodate all interests of Yoruba that we are all proud of.

“This is the only way of guaranteeing a decision that capable of standing the test of time and unborn generations of Yoruba will also appreciate this gesture,” the group said.