By KOLA OLOMIOJO
In recent times, some kind of arguments cropped up and it was about untenable criticism of the position of Sarkin Fulani or Sarkin Hausawa in states if Yoruba Land, especially Lagos. The question, however, is: must there be such question coming up at all? Answer to this we shall all be required to give, collectively, as we round up after having presented facts on how it is done in other climes.
This write up is deliberate and informed by the need to open the eyes of them that think it is demeaning or attempted overlord for there to be Sarkin Fulani or Sarkin Hausawa in any Yoruba Land community, per adventure they will learn lessons from the realities that I am about to unveil, should it be true that they do not know them before now.
Those who ask why there is Sarkin Fulani with Palace in Yoruba Land should now begin to be educated and rethink away from that uncivilized stand to accepting the facts that are steer them in the face but which they not only refuse to live with but, also, laboured hard to hook-wink innocent others not to follow.
Aside the opening of eyes, these realities will also make good national stability as a united country of Nigeria and will go a long way to clear all the pressure within our body system, incurred as a result of unnecessary hate and intolerance for members of other tribes.
Our eyes, as a matter of urgency, must be open to benefits of traveling from the confine of our own tribe or town to the tribes or towns of other people and see how more understanding and accommodating Hausa-Fulani communities of Northern Nigeria are, towards the Yoruba people and how they have been helped in that part of the country to organise themselves into what I call home-away-from-home: 1. The Yoruba community group, 2. The Yoruba traditional institution and even 3. Yoruba economic society, right there in the midst of Hausa-Fulani communities in Northern Nigeria. But this is what we query the Northerners for doing here in Yoruba Land. A change of attitude is cracked, therefore.
And this change of attitude will be better enhanced when we begin to see the place of Obaship of Yoruba, let’s use that as a case study, in Sokoto, Kano, Bauchi, and Katsina states. In Kano, the Oba of Yoruba (or Eze Ndigbo) is not only paid salary of N250,000 per month but, also, he is a member of the Kano State Emirate Council under the Chairmanship of Emir of Kano.
Sense in arrangement
The sense in this arrangement is not farfetched. There are hundreds of thousands of Yoruba people living in each of the states of the North. The easiest way to be able to capture them into effective administration of all residents (be they indigenes or non-indigenes and there are no non-indigenes in Sokoto but resident communities) is to have them arranged under a leader that is traditionally installed and coronated as their Oba, knowing that anywhere an Oba is the closest to his people and who they easily approach to confide in, on anything that bothers or affects them.
This Oba of Yoruba (or Eze or Oyinoyi of Ibira) helps either the given Emirate or political administration of Northern Nigeria to coordinate them who have been understandably accommodated to live and do business in the place for rights and duties to also be equitably shared among all. This is the reason many Yoruba (and more Igbo) living in Northern Nigeria have refused to accept calls from their own region or tribe of birth for secession into Oduduwa (Biafra) or whatever it is called as they say there is no better place that is more peaceful and more accommodating and more living to live than the North.
All that is needed for them (some Yoruba) who, because of their shortsightedness, have been agitating against a Sarkin Fulani or Sarkin Hausawa anywhere especially in Lagos, to begin to see things beyond their own lens alone.
In Lagos, like Oba of Yoruba in Funtua or Borno or Kano or Bauchi or Sokoto, the Sarkin Fulani or Sarkin Hausawa has his palace where he coordinates the affairs of his Fulani or Arewa people (all of who make up five million population of Northerners) within his limits in helping the Obaship and Government of Lagos administer all Lagosians equitably.
In Borno, the Yoruba traditional institution is well established that even the Oba of Yoruba held installation ceremony for Chiefs into his traditional Obaship-in-Council and the epoch making event was attended by Deputy Governor of Borno State accompanied by 10 Commissioners of the State Cabinet.
In Bauchi, Kano and others you see Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and other dignitaries paying homage to palace of the Yoruba Oba, who during the visit offers his advice to government and give royal blessings.
Like the one I witnessed in Sokoto, anytime an Oba is visiting from home kingdom in Yoruba Land, the Sultan has the Oba of Yoruba in the Palace, who joins him in receiving the visiting Yoruba Obas from South West.
If these are the realities, where is the issue with Sarkin Fulani of Lagos or of Oyo or Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos and so on and so forth? There should be none.
Now back to the question earlier asked, must there be such question – querying the position of Sarkin of Northern people in South West – coming up at all? The air is now clear for anyone that has the answer to give.
