For quite some time now, I have been making the public case that Olusegun Okikiola Mattew Aremu Obasanjo is NOT a Yorubaman. No one has taken me seriously about the possibility that my conclusions might be true. But I would not blame anyone for not taking me seriously until now, since my conclusions have been based only on the behavioral analysis of Olusegun Obasanjo which I considered to be at variance with that of an authentic Yoruba son. In some not very private discussions, I have reiterated this position that Obasanjo IS NOT A YORUBA SON. He belonged somewhere else. That his names were in Yoruba is not enough proof that he is a Yoruba son.

Often during such discussions I have been taken to task to explain my position and substantiate my conclusion that Olusegun Obasanjo is not Yoruba. I must confess that I never did any research on his paternity. I arrived at my conclusion basically analyzing the Yoruba culture, its expectations of its children, even the recalcitrant and stubborn ones, especially the ones that have any modicum of “eko ile,” (home training). This was done in juxtaposition to the noxious behaviors of Obasanjo who was alleged to have come from a ruling house in Owu, in Ogun State.

In one of such discussions, my own “Albert Einstein,” the seminally brilliant Wale Adebanwi had called my attention to an old Yoruba saying which goes thus: “A bi omo ni Owu, e ni ako ni abi abo, ewo ni omo n’inu omo Owu.”  Literally, this would interprete thus: we gave birth to a new child in Owu, you were asking if it is a male or female, which one is valuable/reliable/useful among Owu children? I hope this interpretation is accurate. But I am sure the message is clear enough. I was very surprised about this adage because it was too sweeping and generalizing in assuming that all Owu children are “potentially bad.” We all know this is not true and can not be true. {mosgoogle}

But in Yorubaland, sayings of this nature are products of true life experiences or circumstances that are coined as a lesson for the future. The origin of this saying, I was told, could be traced back to sometime in Yoruba History when Owu people who are reputed to be good warriors made up their minds to attack Ile-Ife, which the Yoruba regard as their sacrosanct origin.

At this point in time, Owu was still in its original place not very far from the present day Ikire in Osun state. As the story goes, all the Yoruba kingdoms pleaded with the Owu people not to attack Ile-Ife for obvious reasons. But they (the Owu people) were adamant. The Yoruba who place premium on orderliness, respect for tradition and leadership had no choice but to come together in a war to bring Owu town and its warlike people to its knees. They were chased from their then abode to the present abode near Abeokuta where the Yoruba people believed they would no longer constitute immediate threat to Ile-Ife.

This event was said to have irritated the Yoruba people whose anger against the Owu people did not recede and extended to describing them (the Owu people) in negative connotations which gave birth to the above saying. This saying has since receded into anachronism as time appeared to have healed the wounds.

But unfortunately, the noxious behaviors of Olusegun Obasanjo who claimed to have come from a ruling house in Owu had resuscitated some of the bad feelings to the point that the saying was being used to lower expectations for him. In my own view, this is unfair to the Owu people. This is because they have no role in, and absolutely nothing to do with the shenanigans and traitorous behaviors of Obasanjo.

For those who follow Obasanjo’s trajectory, you would all remember how he disgraced and humiliated the kingmakers of Owu when they tried to enthrone a new ruler. Obasanjo tore up the letter of appointment the kingmakers gave to their choice and engineered the imposition of his own candidate to the chagrin of Owu kingmakers. He was acerbic in his remarks to them and disrespected them without any qualms.

In my own mind, it is impossible for a true Yoruba son, especially, a purported Balogun of the community, to behave this way. If you put this particular behavior on top of several anti-Yoruba actions of Olusegun Obasanjo, it is difficult to conclude that he is a Yoruba son. To this end, I have been asking questions of his true paternity since 2003.

Who was his true biological father? If he is truly from Owu, what is his genealogy as in  his father, grandfather and great grandfather? Who is his mother and maternal grandparents? How did his mother and father meet? Who were the people present during the marriage of his parents? Who are his paternal relatives? Is his last name, Obasanjo an adopted name? If so how did this happen? Who are his siblings?

My theory before the recent publications by Michael Mukwuzi of TheNews magazine and others is that Obasanjo’s father is from somewhere in the Hausa/Fulani dominated area of the North. There have been several of these people who came to buy kolanuts from areas of Yorubaland and have settled down in these areas. During sojourning, love affairs happen which often were oblivious of any other extraneous variables. Obasanjo in my speculation must have been a product of this kind of circumstance.

The only proof I had is his trajectory of sadistic policies and actions against the Yoruba race and traditional institutions which I have pointed to in many of my articles and of which Owu is a prominent one. It is possible for someone to be stubborn, non-conformist, recalcitrant and all that. It is also possible for one to be mean, sadistic, wicked and cruel. But when it comes to someone’s blood, (by blood I mean his relatives and roots) there is usually a tempering of such negative streaks.

The only group in Nigeria that Obasanjo has been able to show endless goodwill is the Hausa Fulani people. He hates the Igbo and the Yoruba with passion. He did not in any way hide this. His actions in office during his military days and as a civilian dictator are attestations to this claim.

However, while my speculation that Obasanjo is not a Yoruba son might have been on the money, his being from the Hausa Fulani North appeared to be incorrect. According to the article written by Micahel Mukwuzi and posted on www.thenewsng.com, Obasanjo’s father is Igbo and there has been a picture to proof this. Mukwuzi wrote inter alia:

            “…….tales about Obasanjo’s non-Yoruba ancestry received an oriental 

             twist when The Nation of Sunday, 10 June, published what could be

            regarded as the biggest affront on Obasanjo’s paternity. Slammed

            on its front page were two identical photographs of Obasanjo with

             the headline “Spot The Difference.” While on the right was an old

              hotograph of Obasanjo, on the left was what appeared like an old

              black-and-white photo of the same Obasanjo. To assist the reader, who

             apparently, would require the services of a graphic artist to spot the

             difference, The Nation editors provided a caption to illustrate the pictures.

            “The personality in picture A is not former President Olusegun Obasanjo

            who is in picture B. But what do both personalities have in common?” The

            Nation asked.”

According to Mukwuzi, The Nation newspaper identified the Obasanjo look alike as an Igbo police officer who lived in Abeokuta in 1930’s around when Obasanjo was born and had an affair with a Yoruba lady which resulted in the birth of a baby boy that now looks like him.

The lid on the entire story was reportedly removed by Sam Nda-Isaiah, a columnist of the Abuja based Leadership newspaper following The Nations publication. He had written that the editors of The Nation didn’t want to say much, and “they have left us to our imagination, but it won’t be from me that you will hear that Obasanjo’s father was Igwe Onyejekwe, a top ranking police officer who became the Igwe of Onitsha in his lifetime. During his controversial reign, the throne was in contention between him and Igwe Okosi II, just as it is today between Igwe Achebe and Igwe Odukwe.”

To cut the long story short the following are the issues and questions that have arisen as a result of the controversy about Obasanjo’s paternity:

a)      Orji Uzor Kalu former Abia State Governor had suggested that no one should use the failings of Olusegun Obasanjo as a  yardstick to appraise the competence of Yoruba leaders, because Obasanjo is not a Yoruba man in the first place. This means that Governor Kalu knows what some of us do not know.

b)      Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the Balogun of Owu in Egbaland, is possibly the biological son of Igwe Joseph Okwudili Onyejekwe, the Obi Onitsha Ado N’Idu from 1962-1970? Onyejekwe ascended the coveted throne after the demise of Igwe James Okosi who ruled from 1931-1935. His enthronement came after the report of the famous W.R. Harding Commission, which resolved disputes among the contenders for the throne.

c)      That Amos Adigun Obasanjo Bankole reported by Onukaba Adinoyi –Ojo  in Olusegun Obasanjo in The Eyes of Time-A Biography of the African Statesman, as being the father possibly adopted Olusegun Obasanjo to save his mother (Ashabi) from shame of having a child probably rejected by his real father Pc and later Igwe Joseph Okwudili Onyejekwe?

 d)      If Amos Adigun Obasanjo Bankole is Aremu’s true biological father, where are the relatives of this man? Does he have sisters or brothers who could be regarded as paternal aunts and uncles?

 e)      Who are the parents of Amos Adigun Obasanjo Bankole i.e. the paternal grandparents of Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo?

 f)        That the only reason NO ONE has come out from Owu as a paternal relative to defend the origin of Obasanjo is that they all know the truth that he is not one of them?

 g)      That in Yorubaland, it is very uncommon for maternal relatives to publicly defend the paternity of a child whose father’s origin is not in doubt as is being done by Oba Isaac Adeyemi Ojelade- Badegunle 1, the Onibogun of Ibogunland, Obasanjo’s reputed maternal hometown.

 h)      Why is it that the people of Abule Elere, the purported paternal origin of Obasanjo are reluctant, unwilling or uninterested in coming out to defend the paternity of their “proud son” if he is truly one of them?

 i)        TheNews magazine had quoted a source in Onitsha saying that Igwe Joseph Okwudili Onyejekwe had “issued a recommendation that facilitated Obasanjo’s enlistment into the Nigerian Army in 1958.”

 j)        According to Micahel Mukwuzi, was Obasanjo giving us a hint about his true origin when he reportedly made a statement during a working visit to Anambra State and had reportedly told an audience in Awka that any of his children is qualified to govern Anambra State?

It is my belief that no true son would use the left hand to point to his father’s house as Obasanjo has repeatedly done to the Yoruba people in general and Owu people in particular. It is high time that the Owu people come out and clear the dark clouds on Obasanjo’s paternal origin.

Obasanjo’s bitterness against the Igbo people could now be put in context. His wickedness and sadistic actions against the Igbo are acts of vengeance for the sins of Igwe Okwudili Onyejekwe. He seemed determined to make them pay for the rejection he suffered from his biological father.

As to Obasanjo’s wickedness to the Yoruba, it only shows that he is an ingrate. Rejected by his biological father and taken in by the good hearted people of Owu who ought to have repatriated him to Onitsha in the first place, he has visited ignominy on the Yoruba people of which the Owu people are a very proud part. This is what happens when you allow an “a sa wo,” the Ijebu name for an impostor, to assume the undue credibility and  a sense of belonging of the “omo on’ile,” the authentic children of the landowners.

Robot  Villager

# 1 var sbtitle5285=encodeURIComponent(OBASANJO’S ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 23.06.2007 17:19

Mark Lar  Villager

# 2 Aremu an Igbo man? Pssst Tufiakwa! Tufiakwa! Tufiakwa! Tufiakwa! Tufiakwa! Tufiakwa! Tufiakwa! Chineke God o! May this evil wish go back to the sender. Posted by Mark Lar| 23.06.2007 18:06

Mobileink  JJC

# 3 First it was Muritala(Edo), then Babaginda( Yoruba),then Abacha (Kanuri/Non-Nigerian), then Gowon( Hausa), the list goes on about doubts surrounding the real ethnic identities of our rulers.Someone informed me recently that David Mark, the Senate President is an Igbo-speaking man from southern Benue that shares borders with northern Igbo land and has Igbo-speaking tribes - Izzi-Izzas. If that is true it would throw a big spanner into the works as he is seen as Idoma. Mysteries surround the ethnic identities of the ruling class. For any assertion to be true, real facts have to be shown .I first stumbled upon the news - OBJ's dad being Igbo - on the Nations newspaper , then the Leadership and I rightly dismissed it because it had sensationalism as the main thrust rather than the brunt of the article. The timing of the relationship in the ‘1930s’, the picture of the supposed father, informing Sam of Leadership about a ‘scoop’ and the sheer hilarity/humor of the whole thing didn’t propel me to further investigation. If his behaviour is anything to go by; perhaps no ruler has inflicted more harm on Igboland than him. During his regime (1976) 42 oil wells (and unidentified ones) in the Imo river were chiseled into Rivers state. That is why you have the Odilis, the Okiros in Rivers state today.These are oil wells that have yielded millions and today the Igbo man is told he has no oil because it was a the policy after the war to complete the propaganda they carried during the war that the Igbo do not have oil and sought only oil in 'starting the war' . Note that I am not talking about Igbo-speaking Niger Deltans like the Ikwerres, Ekpeyes,Ogbas etc, I am taliking about those who were part and parcel of Igboland : Okoloma,Obigbo, Egbema(Okiro), Ndoni( Odili) etc. This story has been greeted with scorn in mainland Igboland for obvious reasons. I have no doubt as Oba Ojelade – who said he knew Obasanjo’s father, a pure Owu man – that Obasanjo is not , has never been and never would be an Igbo man.If a gene test is carried out I might be on this square confirming my statement. He is not, never has been and never would be an Igbo man. I know that the ethnicity of the president is important because it enables people of other ethnicities to curse his tribe and exclude theirs in the problems of the nation - but I believe that his presidency is an embodiment of every Nigerian. Obasanjo’s ethnicity is in black and white ; reality cannot be murdered, it can only be shaken ; even Igbos who accept their own have been thoroughly skeptical , not least because they saw him as the continuation of the post-war syndrome( laws banning construction of airports etc). Recently, when I was told that I look Hausa I didn’t begrudge the the person who made the assertion, afterall I grew up and studied with them in their region. Ikechi Chukwunonye -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nation : Obasanjo’s Dad Was A Proper Owu Man —Oba Ojelade Posted by admin on 2007/6/18 12:38:49 (1873 reads) In this interview with OLUSOLA OLAOSEBIKAN, Oba Isaac Adeyemi Ojelade (Badegunle I), the Onibogun of Ibogunland, dismisses the rumour of Olusegun Obasanjo’s Igbo lineage as callous Q: Your kingdom, Ibogun Ola-Ogun, appears more developed than others, particularly Ibogun Akiode and Ibogun Apoti, your neighbours. What do you think is responsible for that? A: First, I won’t agree with you that Ibogun Ola-Ogun is more developed than the neighbouring settlements, especially when you talk in terms of infrastructure. But, on the other hand too, we have been very fortunate to have our son as the leader of this great country. You know, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was first, president as a military man. Then in this democracy, he also ruled for eight years. And for someone who helped to re-build the entire country, would it not be suspicious if he fails to build his ancestral home? So, based on that, I agree modestly that we have been lucky. Our people usually say, wherever you are, you must try to remember your home. Chief Obasanjo remembered his home. That is what I call a true son of the soil. We know leaders who ruled this country but failed to impact on their ancestral homes. Chief Obasanjo is not like that and we are grateful to God for blessing this community with such a responsible person. He is not just an elder statesman, he is a true son of the soil. I think it is natural for Ola-Ogun to enjoy the privileges it is currently enjoying. If not, who are we going to explain to that we had our son as president for so long and our community remains rural. I think it is natural, except such as person is not a true native of that town. Or will you leave your house unattended to while you are helping others to build theirs? Q: But there is this rumour that the former president’s father was an Igboman. How true is that? A: That is a big lie. It remains nothing but a mere rumour. Obasanjo is a typical Abeokuta man. His father was a pure Abeokuta man from Owu. In fact, his father had three marks on each side of his cheek. Real Abeokuta tribal marks. The man was a core farmer. I am sure you must have read some biographies of Chief Obasanjo where he pointedly stated that his father was a farmer. I am telling you now, he was a big-time farmer. And he was well known. I am telling you all these because I was very close to the man. In those days, I used to help him on the farm. His father was the very busy type. During harvests, his farm was the first to churn out produce. Whether it was corn, leafy vegetables, yam or sorghum, he had the best harvest. And this was mainly due to his dedication and hardwork. He was a very hardworking man. So, those peddling the rumours are either callous or are just doing it out of idleness. As a matter of fact, his father came from Abule Elere to this place. They are from Agbole Olusomi in Abeokuta. I come from his mother’s lineage, so you can see that I am very conversant with the family’s history. Chief Obasanjo is like a younger brother to me, because his father was our uncle. So you see what I mean. When people see that you have achieved much in life, they tend to fabricate all kinds of stories. They invent logic to suit their mischief. In this case, I wouldn’t know the reason for peddling such rumours, but I know Chief Obasanjo is a typical Egba man from Owu in Abeokuta. That means his father and mother are both from Abeokuta. I also don’t think there is anyone, apart from Chief Obasanjo himself, that is capable of giving you the true story. So, Chief Obasanjo’s father was not an Igbo man. He was of pure Abeokuta blood. A hardworking father. And I am sure Chief Obasanjo inherited all these qualities from his father. Posted by Mobileink| 23.06.2007 18:12

UglyMan  Villager

# 4 Oyeyemi: This your tory sweet like a good fable. Kpele oo. Well done. But I get one question: How come the time wey you think say OBJ father be Hausa/Fulani you say na that be the reason wey him dey be nice nice to Hausa/Fulani. Now wey you think say him papa be Igbo you come say na the reason wey him dey treat Igbo bad bad. This logic no get rhyme and no get reason and no get even parallel. Be careful because yeye dey for your name Oyeyemi? Posted by UglyMan| 23.06.2007 18:32

Auspicious  Villager

# 5 E nle o, Awe ria Oyeyemi, Yoruba ni Baba yen jare, o kan l'agidi ni. Omo iya kan gan o f'iwa jo'ra, a nbo si awon omo iya oni'ya. Lai-lai ni a ti n ri orisirisi iwa laarin awon omo eniyan o jare. Abi a fe so wipe a ri ile ti omo-komo ti n jade laarin awon omo gidi ni? Bee, Baba ati Iya kan naa lo de bi awon omo naa! Bawo la se wa fe so iyen si? Se a wa so wipe kii n'se omo won ni? Abi Baba ati Iya a wa ko iru omo be l'omo ni? Oti o. Omo Yoruba ni Olusegun Obasanjo nse jare; kii nse Hausa, ki de nse Igbo abi Ijoo! Odigba, Akinkanju Omo. --- Hi there, Mr. Oyeyemi Dat Baba na Yoruba jare, ein just get some kain yeye stubborness ni. Evin pikins from de same Mama nor resembu one anoda, talk less of pikins of different Mamas. Na since before-before wey pikins of de same mama don dey show different color jare. Abi we wan talk say we neva see some Homes wia pikin wey wowo for head dey comot ni? Yet, na di same Papa and Mama born wowo pikin and de rest of dem Shildrens. So, how we want take explain dat kain phenomenon? Or we go come talk say nor be dem born de wowo pikin because ein get difernt behavior ni? Or di Papa and Mama go come disown dat kin pikin ni? Haba, for wia?!? Olusegun Obasanjo na Yoruba jare; ein nor be Hausa and, evin sef, ein nor bi Igbo or Ijaw! Regards, Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 23.06.2007 18:46

akuluouno  Villager

# 6 It was the great Fela who sang "we get unknown police, we get unknown civilians all is equal to unknown govt etc." If Obj has unknown ancestry, then Nigerians or Owu's should not worry, it is part of the baggage that accompanies an unknown country called Nigeria by Lugard's girlfriend literally in the heat of lbido. ( See Peter Enahoro's The Complete Nigeria). U see immorality is even our name. Yoruba's should not worry. Igbos had an Hausa leader of thought and former governor by the name of Jim Nwobodo. During the NPP days when the rumour was making the rounds we thought that NPN was politicking until Feb 14, 1999 at Jos when this goon addressed Nigerians in his father tongue. :evil::evil::evil: Like the biblical blind man the scales fell from our eyes and the rest as they say was history.:evil::evil::evil::evil: I think Obj s more of an Hausa man seeing the way the man chews Hausa language and loves the culture. I think he is far from being Igbo. Look at the shape of his head and other morphological xtics such as his height and skin pigmentation.:lol::lol::lol: Our Modern Father is one census population figure that Igbos have found prudent to reject intoto and by iwuwurunisation.:razz::razz::razz: Posted by akuluouno| 23.06.2007 18:56

Vade Mecum  Villager

# 7 Dear Mr.Remi Oyeyemi I strongly object to your write up on Olusegun Obasanjo.Whatever your reason is for casting this extreme aspersion and odium on the two-time past president your write -up has not sufficiently jusified your monumentally derisive and bizzare hocus pocus. Have you thought about the effect your story will have on the Obasanjo family.Why have you chosen to embarass an innocent man and his family. Obasanjo has made mistakes no doubt, however you are not addressing any of his mistakes.All Obasnjo's children I have read about are all great professionals.He rose to become a general in the army.He fought to keep the country united.He rose to become a two - time civillian president.He has a successful businesses.He is a community leader.He even became a world statesman after his first incarnation as military leader. Please leave this great man and his family alone.If you believe very strongly in your fable then spend some money and do some serious research before going to the press with your story.Where is your DNA evidence ?.Where are your authorities for your ignoble assertions ?.Where are your witnesses ?Where are your pieces of circumstancial evidence ? Abeg sofrry.Wetin dem no go do you, no do another person. Tony Okosun Posted by Vade Mecum| 23.06.2007 19:37

Vade Mecum  Villager

# 8 I wish to suggest that N.V.S pull down the Obasanjo story. Freedom of speech vis - a - vis libel Abeg dis one na serious defamation Tony Okosun Posted by Vade Mecum| 23.06.2007 20:06

Exxcuzme  Villager

# 9 DNA test please! To most people this story sounds like a fable but having a first hand knowledge on a similar story makes me a believer. My best friend that was fathered by an Igbo man and an Egba woman but he considers himself an Egba man till today since he was born and raised in Abeokuta. However his father nor anyone from his father side ever acknowledged him. The only time he visited the East was when his father died and he went for his burial. He almost died in a deadly car accident on his way back. I don’t know what it is with some people not acknowledging some of their offsprings. Imagine the garbage a man must carry all his life knowing he has a father somewhere who does not care about him! Posted by Exxcuzme| 23.06.2007 20:36

blondie  Villager

# 10 For all I care Obasanjo could be sired by a man from Koma. But his mother was Yoruba and he was raised in Yorubaland. So automatically he has Yoruba citizenship. What he learnt early in life that eventually shaped the man we call OBJ today he learnt in Yorubaland. Man is a product of his environment. That he is seen in some quarters as a bad product does not mean that he should be planted on another tribe. Pray on who are the Igbos going to plant Ojo Maduekwe? This is one man that hates the Igbos to the marrow that he once described their quest for presidency as *****ic. Ehen... the same Orji Uzo Kalu once doubted that man's ancestry. But even Orji Uzo Kalu's paternity is a subject of doubt in some quarters. The beat goes on! Posted by blondie| 23.06.2007 20:39

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