OPC leader calls on Yoruba leaders to stop being self-centered
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
The President of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC New Era) Chief Rasak Arogundade has berated Yoruba leaders for being self-centered, saying that it was about time they began serving the interest of the people for whom they hold in trust their various political offices.
Chief Rasak Arogundade has equally lamented the state of the nation under President Muhammadu Buhari, explaining that the country’s disturbing challenges of bad economy, insecurity among others are making life so difficult for Nigerians such that many do not see reasons to be part of various celebrations that usually characterised this season of the year.
The OPC leader made this observation while speaking at the annual Ogun Ajobo festival held recently on Tuesday at Ansar-Udeen Primary School, Makun, Sagamu
He said it was unfortunate that the present crop of so-called Yoruba leaders are merely self-centred, egoists, opportunistic and non-empathetic to the plights and sufferings of the people they claim to lead saying that it was about time they change and began working for the progress of their people.
Arogundade said Yoruba from time immemorial are known to be champions and promoters of democracy for good governance but it is quite unfortunate that the current leaders are better described as dealers and opportunistic who care less about the welfare of their people just to please a particular segment of the country.
He warned that the Yoruba leaders must retrace their steps and begin to serve for the greater good of all to avoid another #EndSARS protest which was triggered off last year by the youth in their bid to stop police brutality.
Arogundade said, “Gone were the days when service to the community was the watchword. Those days when the Yoruba as the most enlightened and sophisticated nationality in the country, served as both a lighthouse emmiting light to guide other subgroups and as a barometer to guage the mood of the nation.
“The above qualities which our new set of political leaders have seemingly lost is what stood Ogun out amongst his colleagues.
“Ogun was the ideal leader. A warrior and the ‘god of war,’ he was also a farmer, hunter, innovator, craftsman and pathfinder/trailblazer among other qualities.”
He explained that the worship of the Ogun deity is not an unusual incidence among the Yoruba people in Nigeria and indeed in the Diaspora, as far away as the Caribbean islands, Latin America and even at the 27 acres Oyotunji community in South Carolina, United States of America.
The OPC leader disclosed that, “What distinguishes this celebration of ours is that, it is the inaugural edition to be adopted for joint celebration by the national leadership of our great organisation.
“As ambassadors and custodians of the traditional rites and practices of our ancestors, we owe it a duty to uphold, promote and successfully transmit these cultural objects and practices of our forefathers to prevent what our fathers warned against by saying that, the stream/river which forgets its source will without any doubt dry up.”
