Let’s live in peace, Ife tells Modakeke residents
Jeleel Olawale
The Great Ife Movement has called on Modakeke indigenes to live in peace with Ife indigines and farmers in rural areas under Modakeke.
This was made known through the President, Great Ife Movement, comrade Femi Oyeyinka in a chat with our correspondent.
He said war is not a solution to peace as it further aggravates state of things rather shelt their sword and embrace peace as nothing could be like peace and love.
According to him, “Recent activities of Modakeke suggests that they are still interested in crisis. It was surprised that Modakeke still lay claim to Urban Day Grammar School, a school situated under Ife Central Local Government whereas Modakeke is under Ife-East.
“This would have led to another crisis, if not because of maturity of Ile-Ife. They removed billboard erected bearing Ile-Ife as the owner of the school. There has been suspicion between the two communities and this is dangerous.
“We don’t want crisis in the communities again even the relationship is absolutely not cordial as expected. Modakeke should believe that they are part of Ife and if this is done, we are one family. Ife is accommodating and they should see themselves as part of us.”
Oyeyinka stressed that Osun State has intervened in the matter and there had been relative peace in the affected villages where there was crisis, lamenting that the issues have not been resolved.
He added, “The world press conference held recently which called attention of the State Government to the lingering crisis in the villages.”
The Osun State Boundary Commission had wade through invitation of the two communities for peaceful resolution of the lingering crisis and the Commission commended Ife for peaceful approach adopted by not taken laws into its hands.
Since the government’s intervention, there has been relative peace in the affected villages. Ife farmers were urged to distance themselves from the affected areas pending the resolution of the issues to avoid further crisis.
“They are attacking Ife farmers. The farmers are at receiving end but we have to obey government directive and give them benefit of doubt.”
He said that several panel of enquiries had recommended that Modakeke should be referred to as Modakeke-Ile Ife but was not implemented.
“They have not been cooperating and if they have been cooperating they would get more than enough from Ife,” he said.
“Modakeke should see Ife as her landlord but this, Modakeke is not ready to accept and they are not ready to embrace peace. They are the ones who are terrorizing Ife people on their farm lands.
“Modakeke does not respect Ooni of Ife and there are several evidences to proof this. Ooni is accommodating and peaceful, and had been appealing to Ifes to allow peace to reign in the affected villages despite provocative actions of the Modakeke.”
He noted that there have been inter-marriage relationship between the two communities from the time immemorial and this shows that they have been living together peacefully until few years back when things changed.
Oyeyinka called on Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi to be above board before it goes out of hands, saying Ife people are being killed on their farm land. He said families in Ife cannot go to their farms in Modakeke areas because of fear of being killed by Modakeke indigenes.
He said, “Ooni should work with the State Government to find lasting solutions to the lingering crisis in the affected villages. Modakeke should be paying tenancy to Ifes and allow Ife monarchs to return to their ancestral land.”
The GIM President, therefore, called on Ifes to allow Modakekes to return to their farms under Ife and be paying tenancy in the interest of peace and stop killing one another.
