Aareonakakanfo of Yoruba land and the Global Convener of the Oodua Progressives Union (OPU) at the Weekend said the unity of Yoruba is sacrosanct,even as he urged all Yoruba sons and daughters in the diaspora to contribute their quotas to the development of the south west region.
Speaking at the 2022 edition of the OPU Europe Summit in Paris, France,Iba Adams explained further that there’s need for the Yoruba to see themselves as one, big,united family, adding that the OPU,with its members spreading across the six continents and 96 countries all over the world has all it takes to impact Yorubaland positively.
The Yoruba generallissimo stated also that the annual summit was to further strengthen the bond of the diaspora group, insisting that all members of the organization have different but complementary roles to play in order to achieve the goals of the diaspora organization.
“OPU is not the first diaspora organization of Yoruba descent.
“There was Egbe Omo Oduduwa in the diaspora that evolved into the Action Group (AG) that controlled the Western region in 1952.
“Therefore,we shouldn’t underrate our little efforts at making effective change back home in Nigeria.
“Yoruba in the Diaspora need to contribute their quota by impacting the lives of the people at home positively.You need to support our cause legitimately.
“It is important for us as members of this noble organization to raise and complement one another in such a way that will enhance our personal and individual growth as well as that of the organization.
The Guest Lecturer,Mrs.Omowunmi
Adeyanju,from the Department of Management study,Lagos State University spoke about the topic titled”Unity and the need to Salvage Yoruba land”.
She said the reason for the topic is to reflect the need to salvage Yoruba land from imminent crisis, saying the major foibles among the Yoruba are lack of unity, lack of cohesion, enmity, rivalry,lack of trust,and division even among the various Yoruba groups.
“That is why there is need for us to use unity as veritable tool to save and salvage Yoruba land”
Meanwhile,the acting coordinator of the OPU in Europe,Alhaji Chief Ganiyu Oshidele Wahab ,urged all members of the organization to see to the welfare of all the members in their respective countries, saying leadership is all about sacrifice and commitment to the ideals of the organization.
“I want to use this opportunity to implore all our members to see to the welfare of our members in our respective countries.This is service, and it by doing this that we can build a strong family ties that is needed for the growth of the OPU family.
“This will also help us to put more effort in human capacity building and also in promoting Yoruba culture in Europe and beyond”.
Over 1000 participants and delegates from 21 countries from across the world were present at the Summit, which according to the organizers was the 7th edition in the series.
