By Eric Elezuo

When kings and change makers are born, there are always distinct signs in the horizon that announces them. Theirs is a herald of glory, glamour and achievements with a dint of divine touch to ensure that nothing goes wrong; Stephen Adebanji Akintoye, known simply as Banji Akintoye, is that change maker; a man of great destiny, created to divinely fulfill a purpose. The ebullient octogenarian has not looked back in his quest to put the right foot first in all his undertakings even as he is concluding with the actualisation of a much touted Yoruba nation.

Born on February 18, 1935, Banji Akintoye is a prolific academic, historian and writer, who was privileged to attended the wonderful Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti, between 1951 and 1955, and followed it with a degree in History from the University College (Overseas College of the University of London), Ibadan from 1956 to 1961. He obtained his doctoral honours (PhD) after intensive studies between 1963 and 1966 at the University of Ibadan.

Akintoye kicked off a prolific career with a teaching position at the History Department of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and rose to become a professor and Director of the Institute of African Studies from 1974 to 1977. He has also taught African History in some universities in the United States including the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Montgomery County Community College, PA, and Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He was practically legendary. He quest into the world of history equipped him with all there is to know about indigenous people, especially his immediate race, Yoruba.

A writer of great repute, Akintoye has four books to his credit as well as different chapters in many joint books, and several articles in scholarly journals.

His journey into the political terrain of Nigeria cannot go unmentioned as he took a leading part for some time in politics and served as a senator for four years (1979–1983) ie during the Second Republic. While in the Upper Chamber, he served in different committees, such as: Foreign Relations, Petroleum & Energy, Internal Affairs. He was also chairman, Senate Delegation to the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Lebanon, 1981; member, Nigerian National Delegation to the 1981 General Assembly of the United Nations Organization. He was a Nigerian Delegate to World Conference on Actions Against Apartheid, London, 1981 and member, Nigerian Senate Delegation on Fraternal Visit to the Soviet Union, 1982. He also served as the Commissioner for Health, Ondo State, Nigeria, 1983-4.

There is no way the history of Yoruba people is written without Akintoye getting a generous spotlight. He is in fact one of the current leading scholars on the history of the Yoruba people.

According to Wikipedia “His most recent work, A History of the Yoruba People (Amalion, 2010), draws on decades of new findings and thinking on Yoruba studies that challenges some previously dominant notions about the origins of the Yoruba. This work dispels the Middle Eastern and Arabia origins propounded by such scholars as the late Samuel Johnson (1846–1901) and also gave prominence to the works on the Pre-Oduduwa Period by Ulli Beier among others. Akintoye also gave prominence to the role of Ilé-Ifè over that of Oyo. A reviewer, Wale Adebanwi, notes: “…this book directly contests and shifts the focus of Yoruba history away from what many have called the Oyo-centric account of Samuel Johnson… Where Johnson avoids the creation myth that positions Ife as the sacred locus of Oduduwa’s original descent and the orirun (creation-source), Akintoye, justifiably, restores Ile-Ife to its proper place as “ibi ojumo ti mon wa’ye” (where the dawn emerges)”.

He is seen as “a walking encyclopedia of History, a dandy of diction, a well of wisdom, a proboscis of brilliance, a totem of intellect, a tendon of integrity, an exemplar of excellence, an edification of dignity and above all, a PATRIOTIC Yoruba man,” who has resolved not “… cease researching and writing”.

From a deeper insight, and from a prolific insider, Akinloye’s life and times are portrayed in details as follows:

ASIWAJU OF YORUBALAND, ADEBANJI AKINLOYE

“He was born in Ado-Ekiti in the Palace of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti – on the “right” hand from the palace of Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, and on the “left” hand from the family of the High Chief ‘Osolo’ of Ado-Ekiti. His father was Chief James Akintoye, the Osolo of Ado-Ekiti.

“His grandfather was Faparusi, the Osolo of Ado-Ekiti, one of the great warrior-rulers in Ekiti in the 19th century.
He is, now, 86 years of age. He was educated at the Emmanuel School (Anglican), Ado-Ekiti – where he started in 1942.

“From there he went to Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti – a BIG NAME in secondary school education in the days of yore. Four months after completion of secondary school, he passed the DIFFICULT entrance exam into the prestigious University College, Ibadan (then an affiliate of the University of London). He obtained the B.A. (Honours) degree in History in 1961. His passion was to return to Christ’s School (his Alma Mater) to teach, which he did.

“One afternoon, as he was teaching the Advanced Level students of the school, he heard a great COMMOTION as students ran to where he was teaching, and BANGED on the door! What was happening? he asked. As he went out to see them, they carried him shoulder-high, saying that there had been news from the University of Ibadan that Banji Akintoye had been ADMITTED for POST-GRADUATE studies at the University, whereas he never applied for post-graduate studies! The University had unilaterally admitted him; they had willingly offered him admission even though he did not apply! THEY WANTED HIM! The students of Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti had seen this news in the newspaper, and that was what led to that commotion!

“Thus, Banji Akintoye returned to the University of Ibadan for his Ph.D. His Ph.D program and thesis was on the HISTORY OF THE YORUBAS! – containing the history and wars in Yorubaland in the 19th century. He wrote the leading book of history, the most respected book of HISTORY of the Yorubas of that period, till date! – titled “REVOLUTION AND POWER POLITICS IN YORUBALAND: Ibadan Expansion and the Rise of Ekiti Parapo.” To write that book, he had to learn a bit of the Portuguese language – so as to be able to read and understand certain documents in the archives of the nation of Portugal, documents that had been written earlier concerning the Yorubas by Portuguese expeditions that came to this part of the world long before then. He also had to learn a bit of LATIN language in order to research into documents concerning the Yoruba race, documents that were in Rome, and especially at the archives of the Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church (Vatican). He also had to stay in London for several months, in order to study and research into British archives concerning the things they had written about the YORUBA RACE. But, all of that was not enough. To write that book, he also had to GO ROUND THE ENTIRETY OF YORUBALAND – to research into the HISTORY of the Yorubas. He personally met with a lot of people who had witnessed those wars and were still alive at the time of his research! And he interacted with them and interviewed them. As a demand for and of this research, it is ON RECORD that there is NO CITY, TOWN OR COMMUNITY in the entire Yorubaland that Banji Akintoye has not visited or been to! NONE! He has literally treaded the entire Geographical space of Yorubaland – from Community to Community!

“He did not know that DESTINY was beckoning on him!

“He further, in his research on Yoruba history, went to all Yoruba towns and Communities in what is now Benin Republic, as well as in Togo.

“His professors at the University of Ibadan were extremely pleased with the work he had done on Yoruba history in his Ph.D research and thesis. It was not only a foregone conclusion that he thus obtained his Ph.D, but, also, his professors wanted him to remain in Ibadan at the University as a teaching and research person (University don or lecturer). However, Banji Akintoye had other plans. A new University had just been established by the very vibrant Western Nigeria Government under the leadership of the great Yoruba leader – Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The university was University of Ife (before it was later taken over by force by the military domineering Federal Government and re-named Obafemi Awolowo University). It was a new University that was built to be one of the best in the whole world – it was a “Yoruba” innovation that was to catch the attention of the whole world, and Banji Akintoye wanted to be a part of that “new thing.”

“He did not know that destiny was beckoning on him!

“Meanwhile, he had also been involved in politics, at the international level, even from school in the 1950’s at the University College, Ibadan, where he was involved in the “World Universities Service,” “United Nations Students Association,” “All Nigeria United Nations Students Association” etc. He was President/Chairman in the University.

“In 1959, as he observed the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in his political campaigns, Banji Akintoye saw a “drawing” within himself towards supporting the late sage. He said within himself, “This man deserves the support of someone like me.” By himself, he went to Chief Obafemi Awolowo and said to him “I want to be a member of your Party.”

“DESTINY was beckoning on him!

“Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Political party was known as the “Action Group” (AG). Banji Akintoye worked with about 2 other students to establish the Action Group Students Association at the University College, Ibadan.

“In the brief period that he worked at the Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, before returning to Ibadan for his post-graduate studies, he was instrumental in establishing the Action Group Youth Association.

“While he was still a post-graduate student, he was prevailed upon to be the Vice-President of the Action Group Youth Association, while Chief Ayo Fasanmi was the President.

“As if that was not enough, he was called upon from Ado-Ekiti, while he was still a post-graduate student in 1964, to represent his people in Ekiti at the House of Representatives in Lagos (which was the capital of Nigeria at the time). But that election was rigged to the extent that the President, Nnamdi Azikiwe, refused to announce any winner because the election had been massively rigged in the North; and the West, in alliance with the N.C.N.C party of Azikiwe were asked to boycott the elections.

“Following that was the 1965 elections in the West (for the Western Parliament) which was also massively rigged because the Fulani-Controlled Federal Government of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa had massively pokenosed into the politics of the West – leading to the military take-over in 1966! Banji Akintoye was agitating, alongside others, against the injustice of rigging!

“In 1974, he became a full professor at the University of Ife. He also became the Director of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ife.

“Destiny was indeed beckoning on him.

“He contracted the services of a renowned European-trained photographer in Nigeria, who produced photographs of the great University of Ife, while Banji Akintoye wrote the narrative of a new book: “Ife University in COLOUR: scenes from Africa’s Most Beautiful Campus.” The University was so impressed that they bought the book off the authors!

“As soon as Chief Obafemi Awolowo was released from Political prison in 1966, the very following day Banji Akintoye went to see him to recommit himself to following the sage, after the interruption of the prison period.

“Professor Banji Akintoye inherited a mantra from his grandfather – and that mantra is: Serve others, and not just yourself alone.

“By the time the Second Republic was to begin, Banji Akintoye was among those at the University of Ife, who spearheaded the formation of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s “Unity Party of Nigeria” (UPN). As a matter of fact, the Political MANIFESTO (the order of programs and POLICIES) of the great UPN was written by Banji Akintoye!

“Chief Obafemi Awolowo sent Banji Akintoye to Singapore for the purpose of studying the success story of that country so that the same could be done here at home.

“Destiny was beckoning on him!

“Again, Chief Obafemi Awolowo sent Banji Akintoye to Argentina to study how that country came from a lowly status to becoming the world’s greatest producer of BEEF!

“Again, Awolowo sent Banji Akintoye to Brazil to go and study how that country came about a system of good industrialization.

“As the Second Republic approached and campaigns were in top gear, Chief Obafemi Awolowo sent Banji Akintoye to organize the Unity Party of Nigeria in Benue State. While he was on that assignment, he was further detailed to go to the then Cross River State (which included the present Cross River and Akwa Ibom) for the same purpose – to organize Awolowo’s Unity Party of Nigeria in those places.

“Destiny was indeed beckoning on him!

“He was still in Cross River State when his people in Ado-Ekiti nominated him to contest for the Senate seat. That was how Banji Akintoye became a Senator.

“However, the military again took over the Government of Nigeria. Nigeria kept going in the NEGATIVE direction. Meanwhile, the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, had passed on in the year 1987. By the year 1990, with TEARS in his eyes, Banji Akintoye saw that Nigeria had been plunged into darkness and the darkness was getting deeper. With tears in his eyes, he decided, painfully, to relocate to the United States of America, and to fend for himself as a Visiting Professor. Before leaving, he told Mrs. H. I. D. Awolowo, wife of the late sage, that he was relocating briefly to the U.S. for about 2 years – but, within himself, he really didn’t think that he would ever be back again. Nigeria, as led and manipulated by the Fulani oligarchy, had gone beyond redemption. He made that decision in the year 1990.

“He was to be in the U.S. for the next 25 years!

“Little did he know that Destiny had not released its hold on him!

“As time went by, the MAXIMUM DICTATOR, Sani Abacha, took over the control of the Government of Nigeria and RULED with Terror! People were being assassinated right, left and centre! The Yorubas, in particular, were under serious attack. This was the period that Abiola’s wife, Kudirat was killed… and, later, Abiola himself. The Yorubas were under siege!

“Within himself, something told Banji Akintoye, far away in the U.S., that ‘you cannot be here while your people are under siege, and suffering, back at home. It’s time for you to rise!’

“This nudging within him came to a climax in the year 2006; thus, he called a meeting of a few Yoruba intellectuals and told them that he could no longer continue watching his people, the Yorubas, being oppressed back in Nigeria without him doing something. He asked if they would join him in forming an association to work together for the emancipation of the Yoruba people. Thus, Oodua Foundation was formed.

“Oodua Foundation started making research into what the future holds for the Yorubas in Nigeria, and what is the way forward!

“Very soon, Oodua Foundation had members from all over the world! Such that for any meeting, people would come from Australia, Canada, Europe, China, India, and so on. Their focus was on how the Yoruba would be extricated from the destruction that Nigeria had become! It got to a point that they started inviting political leaders from Yorubaland – e.g. Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Bode George, etc., – to attend those meetings of Oodua Foundation in the United States. Oodua Foundation thereafter started writing petitions to the governments of Lagos State and other Yoruba states to let them know that research indicated that certain things were happening to the Yorubas under their watch and what the END RESULT would be if actions are not taken to stop such negative drift.

“By the year 2015, the members of Oodua Foundation told Banji Akintoye, pin-pointedly, that HE WOULD HAVE TO RELOCATE (RETURN) TO YORUBALAND if he did not want his people to go into extinction!

“So, in that year, 2015, the Oodua Foundation appointed 6 people to accompany Banji Akintoye back to Yorubaland!

“With these 6 people, Banji Akintoye travelled round the whole of Yorubaland, visiting and discussing with traditional rulers, elders as well as politicians – like Bola Tinubu, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Fasoranti, Chief Bode George, Chief Olu Falae, etc., etc., telling them to work in such a way as to see what good those Yorubas in government or close to Government might be able to bring to Yorubaland. It was accepted.

“However, as time went on and it was in the news how Fulani herdsmen were inflitrating Yorubaland and other horrible atrocities (even before it got to the present scale), it was finally decided that Professor Banji Akintoye should PERMANENTLY relocate to Yorubaland! That was in December of the year 2015.

“Upon returning, he was VERY SAD to see what was actually happening to Yorubas in their own land. Immediately, he liaised with the Afenifere, of whom he had been a part long before relocating to the U.S. They asked him to be the Chairman of their Political Committee, which he accepted. As reports of Yoruba women being raped and other atrocities being committed against the Yoruba poured in, the Afenifere commissioned Banji Akintoye to embark upon a RESEARCH as to why, how, and from what quarters such atrocities against the Yoruba were coming. It was his terrain – RESEARCH! As a matter of fact, he’s the one who had suggested that such research needed to be done as you cannot be fighting against an enemy that you didn’t even know!

“Banji Akintoye embarked on this research and presented his report! In carrying out the research, he even went BEYOND NIGERIA, as he had heard reports that the organization of the attack against the Yoruba were in fact co-ordinated from outside Nigeria in the West African sub-region!

“From his research, he came to the CONCLUSION that, NO HUMAN BEING CAN SAVE NIGERIA FROM ITS PREDICAMENT!

“He came to the CONCLUSION, also, that Nigeria being so terminally HOSTILE to Yorubas and to Yorubaland, he, Banji Akintoye, is BACK HOME, not to fight for Nigeria, but to fight for Yorubaland.

“Banji Akintoye is the Leader of YORUBA WORLD CONGRESS. He is also the leader of ILANA OMO OODUA (literally meaning: pathfinding for the Yorubas), where he has the title of ALANA OMO OODUA (literally meaning: the PATHFINDER for the Yoruba race).

“He is also the Leader/Chairman of the Nigeria Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self Determination – a coalition of the peoples of South-West, South-East, South-South, and Middle-Belt of Nigeria – peoples that are seeking for deliverance from the EVIL that Nigeria is, and who are now enforcing their Sovereignties and self-actualisation.

“On the 16th day of December, last year (2020), and as Leader of the Nigeria Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self Determination, Banji Akintoye announced to the whole world, via a World Press Conference, as well as letters written to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the United Nations, the Governments of the United States, and so on, that the Peoples of South-West, South-East, South-South, and Middle Belt of what had been known as Nigeria, REJECT the 1999 Constitution and therefore call for Indigenous Nationalities in the space called Nigeria to write their own Constitutions and also called upon the Federal Government of Nigeria to come to the negotiating table where the Indigenous Peoples of Nigeria would state whether or not they still want to have anything to do with Nigeria.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria did NOT respond. Banji Akintoye, as Leader of the Indigenous Peoples for Self Determination, went ahead on Wednesday, 17th March, 2021, to report to the whole world that the Federal Government of Nigeria had failed to respond to the 90-day notice given to it by the Indigenous Nationalities for Self Determination. He thereafter outlined a process by which the Indigenous Peoples of Nigeria from the South-South, South-West, South-East, and Middle Belt would henceforth free themselves from the oppression called Nigeria. He called, on the platform of the Indigenous Nationalities for Self Determination, he called for Ethnic nations to perfect the instruments of their Sovereignty – their geographical map, their Constitutions, as well as embark upon and intensify EFFORTS towards having REFERENDUMS and PLEBISCITES in order to tell the world whether they still want to remain in Nigeria or not. He also stated that the 1999 Constitution having now become defunct and TERMINATED, the peoples of the Southern and Middle Belt of Nigeria should get galvanized to carry out the necessary steps to actualising self-determination. He said carefully made steps towards this end would be made.

“For the Yoruba Nation in particular, Banji Akintoye has stated that there’s no going back – the Sovereignty and Self-Determination and Self-Governance of the Yoruba Nation is non-negotiable!

“At 86 years of age, Destiny has gone full-circle in LAYING HOLD upon Banji Akintoye!”

We, at The Boss, rejoice with a man of vision!