By Damiete Braide
The Yoruba Obas Forum (YOF) has congratulated the National Coordinator of Oodua People’s Congress OPC, Iba (Dr) Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland on the 30th anniversary of the Oodua People’s Congress existence as a formidable sociocultural formation.
In a release signed by the National Executive Council of the Yoruba Obas Forum, the monarchs congratulated the resilience, steadfastness and unwavering service to humanity, of the OPC formation and particularly to Aare, Gani Adams, the National Coordinator, who has held sway as the driving force of the formation.
YOF in its statement, extolled the virtue of Aare Gani Adams as a true leader and the Oodua People’s Congress as a formidable sociocultural entity that sees to the security and peaceful co-existence of the Yoruba people with other residents within the Yoruba land.
The monarchs also extended gratitude to Gani Adams’ led OPC for the concerted effort, in the fight against social injustice, insecurity and other local crimes within the neighbourhood.
“As a non-political organisation and a forum for cultural integration, the Yoruba Obas Forum congratulates Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams on this special day, marking a three decades of selfless service to humanity.
“OPC, under Gani Adams has gained prominence through its series of social interventions that include security checks and crime prevention within the neighbourhood, youth empowerment and humanitarian initiatives among others. We wish the formation well, and urge it to maintain collaborative engagement with Yoruba Obas Forum to forge progressive and developmental efforts in Yoruba land,” YOF stated.
Meanwhile, YOF as a non-profit and non-political organization consisting of and open to all traditional rulers from Yoruba-speaking States of Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Kogi and Kwara are duly certified and recognised by their respective State governments.
The forum, as a gathering for custodians of people’s culture and heritage, promotes Yoruba traditions and culture worldwide, fosters unity, peace, progress, and development among the Yoruba Obas and their communities and also identifies, discusses, and proffers solutions to matters affecting Yoruba Obas and Yoruba kingdoms.
With a series of conventions held in recent times, the forum has been able to achieve success in the area of cultural harmony among Indigenous people of Yoruba race both at home and in the diaspora. It has also voiced its demand to the government, seeking a constitutional role for traditional rulers in Nigeria among other things.