A socio-cultural Yoruba group, Yoruba Council Worldwide (YCW) on Wednesday threatened to shut down markets in Lagos State, especially Computer Village over alleged flagrant disregard of order of the Iyaloja-General of the State and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first daughter, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, by some Igbo traders.
President of YCW, Oladotun Hassan, told journalists at the Palace of Ooni of Ife, Ile-Ife, Osun State that the groups is also calling on the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to set up a Commission of Inquiry into alleged illegal activities of the said Igbo traders before it degenerates into a crisis in the State.
The group stated that it would no longer tolerate deliberate acts to undermine Yoruba traditional practises by Igbo traders who disregard directives of Iyalojas and Babalojos in markets in Lagos and other Yoruba States.
Hassan noted that the action of the Igbo traders association in Computer Village over ‘cease and desist notice’ on the Iyaloja-General on alleged imposition of market levies is aimed at attacking Yoruba tradition and custom through undermining the ancestral roles of Iyalojas and Babalojas in Yorubaland.
According to the leader of the Yoruba group: “It should be noted that if this sacrilegious and disgraceful act persists, we shall not hesitate to commence the immediate shutting down of any market that attempts to undermine the authority of the appointees of lyaloja General Chief Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, especially Ikeja Computer Village Market in the defence of our noble traditional heritage accordingly.
“While we would not want to join issues with their legal representative, however, we are aghast and inundated with some elements of the Igbo extractions who have a premeditated evil agenda to cause a war of attrition, mayhem and strive being calculated to destroy our age long traditional rites and customs on the ancestral roles of Iyaloja and Babaloja ancient titles in Yorubaland.
“In Yoruba Land, lyalojas are the traditional heads of the market institution being installed by the King with statutory rites and responsibilities to administer and charge levies on all the market women and men who are trading in all types of merchandise, goods and services.
“Regrettably, in recent times we have watched with keen interest and disaffection the overzealous moves by some Igbo-led market leaders to overtake our markets through the back door of fraudulent misrepresentation, misinterpretation harassment, intimidation and deceit.
“We therefore call on Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State to set up an emergency Commission of Inquiry to investigate the remote cause, destabilising intentions and shady orchestration of these provocative few Igbo-led elements and agent of disunity before they will intentionally stampeded us into action by unnecessarily pushing us to the wall where the afterwards consequences are meant to be negative in outcomes. God forbid!”
He also stated that the group would be bringing Yoruba monarchs together under the leadership of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi in a summit tagged, the Monarchs 2024 in November this year to be held in Lagos State.