POSITION OF OKUN PEOPLE ON THREATS ON THE YORUBA FOR REJECTING SHARIA LAW BY AN ALLEGED OKUN SON
The attention of Okun People, currently in the Western Senatorial District of Kogi State, has been drawn a Sahara Reporter’s story, quoting from Facebook that an Okun man with a Fulani mother, has threatened Jihad on the Yoruba of SW Nigeria for rejecting Sharia Law.
Before our response we draw attention to the following facts in the report:
1. The man claims that his name is Abbey, an Okun man with a Fulani mother
2. He claimed to be an Okun man but NOT YORUBA
3. He claims that he identifies with the Fulani, his mother’s tribe, rather than Okun and
4. He, VERY CORRECTLY, STATED THAT THE OKUN ARE NOT ISLAMOPHOBIC.
A. From the foregoing, it is clear that Okun People don’t know him and by his own claim he identifies with the Fulani. He therefore cannot speak for Okun
B. His position on the matter at hand does not reflect or represent that of Okun People who wholeheartedly DISSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM THE THREATS HE ISSUED.
C. Okun People affirm that they are not Islamaophobic. Christians, Muslims and Traditional Religion Practitioners have always lived together happily and are mixed in most families. There has never been a crisis in their relationships.
D. On the matter of RELIGION, Okun People strictly adhere to the very clear position of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) that NIGERIA IS A SECULAR STATE where everyone has rights to practice any religion. This Constitutional provision means that any part of Nigeria that adopts a RELIGION as State Religion proclaims that it has exited from the Federation of Nigeria.
IS MR ABBEY IS OKUN BUT NOT YORUBA?
That is what the man claims BUT OKUN PEOPLE KNOW DIFFERENTLY AND HAVE STATED THEIR IDENTITY CLEARLY
The Okun People, under the umbrella of OKUN DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (ODA) reasserted their identity loud and clear when they addressed the Yoruba Summit, Ibadan on 07 September 2017 when they made the following DECLARATION:
“FUNDAMENTAL DELARATION OF OKUN PEOPLE
- Okun People are YORUBA PONMBELE (totally Yoruba in history, culture- language, customs, practices, dresses, diet, perspectives, social and moral laws, games, music etc etc)
- The land on which Okun People live is entirely and historically Yoruba LAND. IT NEVER BELONGED TO ANY OTHER TRIBE OR REGION.
- OKUN IS ISALE OYA (SOUTH) NOT OKE OYA (NORTH). OKUN HAS BEEN IN THE NORTH NOT BY THE VOLUNTARY WILL OF OUR PEOPLE BUT THROUGH BRITISH COLONIALISM
- OKUN was taken out of its traditional historical and cultural relationship and merged with other tribes in the North.with which they had no geographical, historical, cultural and economic ties. Worse of all, by enforced relationship, OKUN has ALWAYS BEEN A MINORITY IN ALL THE PLACES THEY WERE FORCED TO BE. OUR MINORITY STATUS HAS LED TO OUR ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL UNDERDEVELOPMENT TILL TODAY.
- TODAY, OKUN PEOPLE CALL FOR A REVERSAL OF THE INJUSTICE DONE TO US SINCE 1903. OKUN PEOPLE ARE DECLARING THE RIGHT TO BE WHERE WE WANT TO BE AND ASSOCIATE WITH THOSE WHO CAN PROMOTE OUR ECONOMIC, EDUCATIONAL, POLITICAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT.
- OKUN PEOPLE WILL DEVELOP NEW RELATIONSHIPS AND ALLIANCES WITH THOSE OF SIMILAR CULTURE, HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT. THE TWO CLEAR OBJECTIVES THAT WE DEMAND ARE:
- WORK FOR THE CREATION OF OKUN STATE
- RETURN OF THE SAID OKUN STATE TO THE COMMUNITY OF YORUBA STATES TO WHICH WE RIGHTLY BELONG
- TO THIS END OKUN PEOPLE DEMAND FOR A REFERENDUM TO GIVE EXPRESSION TO OUR NEW COURSE OF HISTORY”
THIS REMAINS THE UNIVERSAL POSITION OF OKUN PEOPLE – Traditional Rulers and all.
Mr Abbey, who issued a threat of Jihad may not know who he is, but Okun People know WHO THEY ARE. OKUN PEOPLE THEREFORE, DISSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM HIS THREATS
Amb. Akenson Rotimi
President General
Okun Development Association (ODA)