Lagos community agog, as OPC holds public awareness programme

The event was a special edition of the weekly National Coordinating Council (NCC) meeting of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), led by the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani

Abiodun Ige Adams.

It was a special event held as one of the strategies being employed by the group to sensitise the public to the activities of the OPC.

Speaking at the event, Aare Adams, who is also the national coordinator of the group, said the OPC had been totally rebranded to depict an organisation whose activities have become different from what they were in the mid and late 1990s when the OPC was newly formed.

He informed that the group, under his leadership had, within two decades, passed through different transitional phases. He said it was gratifying to note that the OPC was already gradually gaining positive global recognition and applause with the formation of the Oodua Progressive Union (OPU), another initiative of the Yoruba generalissimo. The OPU, he informed, now exists in 84 countries across different continents.

“By next year, OPC will be 25. We shall be celebrating its silver jubilee. It was the grace of God, and the spirits of our ancestor, Oduduwa and other deities that have been sustaining us through the tough times till today. Today we have turned things around. We have injected cultural promotion and festivals into our programmes, moving from one state to another and extending our frontiers across the country and beyond. We have scholars, lawyers, doctors and other professionals from all walks of life in OPC. Many more people are joining the group.

“I pity those who are still ignorant of the progress we have made so far. I pity those who say OPC is for hooligans and vagabonds. They are living in the past. Our story is a success story and the group is now transiting from glory to glory,” said the Aare Onakakanfo.

Chairman, Eti Osa East LCDA, Hon. Olufunmi Eshinlokun, thanked the Aare Onakakanfo for counting the council worthy of hosting the weekly programme.

He stressed that the platform offered great opportunities for him, the council boss, to meet with the Yoruba supreme war commander for the first time.

“I am highly honoured to be part of this programme. It is a great opportunity for us to be present at this event, and I know many people would have benefited from this programme, especially, those that didn’t know much about the OPC.

With the new initiative, I think we all have a duty to support the group so that they can continue to protect the interest of the race,” he said.

Chairman of the event, Prince Kolawole Onakoya, expressed delight at the organisational strategy of the group, insisting that the OPC has remained the most vibrant organisation in the South-West. He charged members to sustain the ideals of the group.

Coordinator of the OPC in Eti Osa East LCDA, Chief Ebudola Odedina, who was also the host coordinator of the programme, said the success of the entire group was attributable to the courage of Aare Gani Adams, who, in spite of untold difficult circumstances he had been through, including
intimidation, threats and even incarceration in prison, stood up to sustain the ideals of the OPC.

He also praised the efforts of all the members for keeping the flag flying.

“Today’s event is part of the weekly NCC meeting and the intention is to continually propagate the interest of the group, so that the public can know more about us and understand our group. As far as we are concerned, our group has been transformed in such a way that makes it one of the
leading groups, with branches across the country. We also have the Oodua Progressive Union (OPU) in 84 countries globally,” he explained.

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Some of the royal fathers that spoke at the event advised members of the group to learn from the great attributes of their leader, Aare Gani Adams, who was described as a courageous, humble and honest personality who has never failed in the discharge of the responsibilities as leader of the OPC
and a formidable leader in Yorubaland.

The traditional rulers said the relationship between Aare Gani Adams and Yoruba obas was cordial.

Some of the traditional rulers present at the event include Zaki of Arigidi Akoko, Ondo State, Oba
Yisa Olanipekun; Aladesanyin of Odo Noforija Epe, Oba Babatunde Ogunlaja, (JP) Oba Gbadamosi Taiwo.

Others were Oba Aderibigbe Asumo, Oba Afeez Badirj, Oba Rafiu Ajakaiye, Oba Lukman Owolabi, Oba Lukman Alapafuja, Oba S A Hassan and Oba Akeem Odedina, among others.