THE AJAYI LIE THAT KEEPS HUNTING YORUBA PEOPLE

When the Portuguese came to Nigeria for business, they went to Benin to meet the Oba of Benin even though Lagos or Yoruba land would have been closer. When the British came to Nigeria and were looking for the large area to settle as well as getting land for the liberated slaves, they went to Attah Igala Kingdom whom the addressed in the agreement as the Attah Igala country. 

It was the agreement documents that they got from Attah Igala that the took to Berlin conference which gave them authority to colonise the present day Nigeria. In all these, no one remembers Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba because they had no gravity in the country then. Now, after Ajayi Crowther who was a slave boy was freed, and had to work for his masters, he started doing the way it pleases him especially to corruptly make his region more than other people in terms of population (you can check the population of Yoruba today). 

In achieving this, he left the tribes in middle belt the way they were but decided to fabricate stories that will link them to his region all in the name of gaining population for his area. First, Oyo was the only one with the name Yoruba or Yariba. Ajayi used that new nickname for all the tribes in the zone. The Itsekiri people in Ondo and Lagos, the Benin people in Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos. The Igala and Nupe people in Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, Oyo. The Ijebu people from Sudan who are in Ogun and had no link with Oduduwa. The descedants of Oduduwa from sky. The Okun people from Uhe in Kogi State. Even the librated slaves, all in the West of Nigeria were named by Ajayi Crowther who was a librated slave and didn't even know his real origin. After doing this, Ajayi Crowther went further to call Igala of Kogi State, Benin of Edo state, Nupe of Niger state, Itsekiri of Delta state, Idoma people of Benue State, etc as Yoruba. This manipulation went into the head of some Yoruba traditional rulers to a point of claiming sky Origin as they now have their ancestors under them through the useless work of Ajayi. Yoruba then became a majority tribe even though it was clear that it was a merger of different people. The origin of Yoruba in Ife is different from that in Oyo. Today, while Oooni said he is the first, Olugbo claim the same. Also, Alaafin has said that he is the real king of Yoruba and that others are just priests. Today, shame is so much to accept the truth of their origin from Benue confluence which is common in many research works but instead claims the bogus joke of Oduduwa fell from sky and Ile Ife being the beginning of the world not knowing that it is so ridiculous that an open lie with be accepted by a people knowing well that people Know the real truth. Or do you think that people didn't know it was a lie that Oduduwa didn't fall from any sky?

Even as Yoruba could not accept their origin or not even knowing their origin, they are busy claiming what they can not defend. The other day, Ooni said Igbo people were from Ile Ife. It was an embarrassing response that was given to him. He later said Benin was from Ife, it was another big embarrassment. The present one is the Eben and Ada. While Yoruba could not even tell how the got it, they are going further to claim that Benin people took it from them not knowing that there are documents which have exposed the establishment of Ife around 13/14 century AD while around 40BC for Benin. In this, I blame Ajayi Crowther for deceiving these elders to get into telling of our lies to another.

Credit: DRI