Odu Ifa Ose Meji: Clarifying the

Ibadan Stereotype of political

violence and free-for-all, through
Yoruba Cosmology
‘Kayode Eesuola,
PI, Lagos ACC
Background
Many researches in African Studies still suffer Euro-modal limitation
and anthropological reductionism.
They lack some critical Afro-peculiar sources, methods and
approaches.
Results from them depict little African realities.
This is a problem that must be addressed in ‘Reconfiguring African
Studies’.
This presentation is a modest step towards demonstrating the use of
Afro- peculiar research instruments to explain and clarify the political
behaviour of a social group in West Africa: The Ibadan.
 Ibadan
Ibadan is a Yoruba
city located in the
south-west of Nigeria.
It was the Capital of
Nigeria’s Western
Region and, now, the
Capital of Oyo State.
Oriki (Traditional
Clan Attribute) of
Ibadan
Ibadan, Ile Oluyole
Omo ajegbin jekaraun,
Omo af’ikaraun foori mu
Ibadan Ilu Ojo, Ilu Ajayi, Ilu Ibikunle
Ibadan Ilu Ogunmola olodo o keri
O wo kembe re’bi ija
Ibadan kii banii s’ore ailo s’oju ogun,
Ija igboro n’iwa Ibadan
Omo Agesinkole
Ibadan o bani bole wi
O ni kin l’oloun se juu be un….
Pupo Ibadan ni jaguda, pupo ni
janduku,
Eyi Ibadan bi ti o jale, oju lo n ro
Oriki Ibadan interpreted
• Ibadan, the home of Oluyole
• Where theft victim is blamed, not the
thief
• The clan that consumes the snail with
its shell
• The clan that improvises the snail shell
as plate for taking pap
• The Land of Ojo, Ajayi and Ibikunle
• The Land of Ogunmola Olodo o Keri
• He who goes fighting in loose pants
• Once a friend to Ibadan, must
accompany him to war
• Ibadan is characterized by free for all
• Many are hoodlums, many are criminals
• Born in Ibadan but not a thief merely
endures.
Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji 2016 –present
 Ifa

• In general, Ifa is Yoruba’s indigenous knowledge system of divination,

philosophy and, as many still insist, religion (See Olupona 2010, Akin-Otiko
2015). Cosmologically, “It is a thematic approach to the examination of
historic issues of life that had, in the time past, shaped the conduct of man
within the context of his history, environment and age” (Odunlaru, 1990).
• It also represents a primary embodiment of unwritten ageless Yoruba
wisdom (Odunlaru; Oluwole 2013), and “each of its verses or odu is a body
of stories deriving from a single theme and addressing the issue of life”
(Alao 2009: 9).
• In Yoruba Cosmology, each of the Yoruba clans is associated with one odu
Ifa or the other.
 Ose Meji
Ose Meji is the fifteenth
(15th) of the 256 odu
(verses) in Ifa Corpus. It is
the cosmological
progenitor of Ibadan,
hence, its choice for
explanation and
clarification of the political
violence and free for all
stereotypical attributes of
the clan.
 Significance

• Nigeria, like other African counties, is plagued with political violence.

• For proper understanding of the scenario in Africa where majority of
states are multi ethnic, a clan-oriented approach to political
behaviour works better.
• Policy planers and implementers in the areas of security and logistics
will find this clarification useful for planning during elections,
population census, religious activities and other sensitive issues in
their countries.
 The Ibadan Stereotype
• Ibadan is often stereotyped as a politically violent and free-
for-all city and people.
• Hooliganism, larceny and racketeering are often attributed to
it.
• IBADAN: “Ipata (rascally) Boys Are Dangerous at Night”
(Agboola 2012:70).
 Stereotypes of some other Yoruba clans
• Aside Ibadan, other Yoruba clans have their stereotypes.

• A kii waye, ka ma l'arun kan laa It’s impossible to live without a plague
• Ina-jijo nii da Iseyin laamu Fire outbreaks troubles Iseyin
• Ija-igboro larun Ibadan Ibadan is defined by intra- metropolis violence
• Ma su, ma to ni t'Eko Extreme restrictions pervade Lagos
• Ka ro’ni l'oye ni t'Ofa Ofa is known for chieftaincy deposition
• T'ogun t'ogun ni s’omo Ogbomoso Warlike tendencies embellish
Ogbomoso……
 Stereotypes of some other Yoruba clans,
cont’d.
• Ipanle larun Ijesa Ijesha contracts hooliganism
• Ara Owu e e ranro: Owu people don’t revenge,
• Awi-i-menu-kuro ni t'Owu: But they ever recount
• Ka ta, ka jere tun fe gba towo eni Excessive and desperate profiteering
ni ti Ijebu is that of Ijebu
• A gb'Awusa, a gbo'Lorin, a gbo Imesi Even with unlimited language skills,
• Oloja Oke,
• Enikan o le gbo oun t’ara Oyo n wi No one beats the cunny acts of the Oyo

• (Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi 111, November 2017. Translation: Ayo Yussuf,

and Bisoye Eleshin, 2020) .
 Political violence and free for all
• Two main behavioral attributes are found in the Ibadan
Stereotype: ‘Political violence’ and ‘free for all’.
• Generally, violence is a “destructive harm' or 'destructive
force”, which includes “not only physical assaults that
cause damage to the person, but also magic, sorcery, and
the many techniques of inflicting harm by mental or
emotional means “ (Walter, 1964:3).
• When such acts occur in, around and for the purpose of
politics, they are often called political violence.
 Political Violence, cont’d.
• Political violence belongs to the sub discipline of political
behaviour which refers to a broad spectrum of human activities
that can directly or otherwise influence political decisions and
power play. It is a manifest of free for all behaviour.
• As a subset of human behaviour that involves politics and power
(Robbert, Golder and Golder 2013), political behaviour can be
both legitimate and otherwise, and in both senses it often covers
“voting, activism, social movements and revolutions” (Oxford
Reference 2020). Political violence is a common means of
exhibiting political behaviour, and it is the main focus of this
paper within the context of the Ibadan stereotype.
 Stereotyping
• Stereotyping is an age long human tradition. It has been described
as an over-generalized belief about a particular category of people
(Cardwell, 1999), and is often used for explanation of social events,
justification of groups activities and general differentiation of one
group from another (Haslam et al, 2002).
• Many times, stereotypical attributes can be “fundamentally
incorrect and derogatory generalizations of group traits, reflective of
the stereotyper’s underlying prejudices (Adorno et al. 1950).
• Examples in Nigeria: Mallams are illiterate, Nigerians are 419, Ijebu
are stingy, Igbo tenant will always take over his landlord’s property.
 Stereotyping , cont’d.
• But in the same Nigeria it is stereotyped that “Hausa like power,
Yoruba love education , Igbo are traders, Edo girls go to Italy and
Calabar like service, etc.”,
• In this case, the stereotypes are popular beliefs arrived at based on
history and long-time observation of groups or individuals (See
Hippel 1996, Cardwell, 1999).
• This means that some stereotypes are “mental representations of real
differences amongst groups” (Hilton and Hippel 1996).
• They can be useful in interrogating social phenomena and
explaining political behaviour.
 Questions

• Since stereotypes have sources, what are the different probable sources of the Ibadan
Stereotype?
• What explanations and clarifications does Ose Meji offer, as the progenitor of Ibadan in
Yoruba Cosmology (on who perpetrates the stereotypical attributes amongst the various
social groups: state, indigenes, settlers, visitors; and possible class dimensions to the
stereotypical attributes )?
• To what extent are the probable sources and Ose Meji’s narrative consistent with
established theoretical explanation of political behaviour?
• Why do the stereotypical attributes endure instead of fading off over the years?
• How do answers to these questions assist the Nigerian state in policy planning?
• How does this work draw the attention of researchers to some Afro-peculiar methods of
conducting research as a means of Reconfiguring African Studies ?
Oriki as a source of the Ibadan Stereotype
Oriki Ibadan
What is Oriki?
Ibadan, the home of Oluyole • Attributive descriptive poem that expresses
Where theft victim is blamed, not the thief what a clan is (Johnson 1921:85)
The clan that consumes the snail with its shell • ‘Praise poem’ that explains what a child is
likely to be based on what the predecessors
The clan that improvises the snail shell as plate for and progenitors were (Cocker, 2015)
taking pap
• Plays a multiplicity of roles in the Afro-
The Land of Ojo, Ajayi and Ibikunle Yoruba worldview:
The Land of Ogunmola Olodo o Keri: • Tells the truth about someone's personality
he who goes fighting in loose pants and describes physical appearance”
Once a friend to Ibadan, must lead to war (Akintunde 2001)
Ibadan is characterized by free for all • Has medical psychotherapeutic healing
values (Orimoogunje 2016:1)
Many are hoodlums, many are criminals
Born in Ibadan but not a thief merely endures
 History as second source of the Ibadan
Stereotype
• All available history of Ibadan converge on the following points as
documented by the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes.
• A Yoruba city, (Ìbàdàn or fully (Ìlú) Ẹ̀bá-Ọ̀dàn, (the city at) the edge of the
savannah)
• Pre-colonial history centered on militarism, imperialism and violence
• Formed by refugees and warriors from many Yoruba clans after the collapse
of Oyo Empire.
• Grew militarily and economically to dominate Yoruba land by the end of 1829
• In 1893 Ibadan area became a British Protectorate after a treaty signed by
Fijabi (born of crisis), the Baale of Ibadan with the British acting Governor of
Lagos, George C. Denton on 15 August.
• (http:ccii.ng/history of Ibadan)
 Specific occurrences as source of the Ibadan
Stereotype
• Specific occurrences can also be source of
stereotyping, and, in the case of Ibadan, they play a
major role.
• By specific occurrences we mean a plethora of
documented events that can be referred to in
explaining or, and interrogating social phenomena.
• As will be shown in the next slides, newspaper and
other media source have the specific occurrences.
Ibadan: Operation Wetie

Operation Wetie is
the 1962 Action
Group Crisis.
Power tussle
between Awolowo
and Akintola plunged
the entire Western
Region into
protracted crises.
Ibadan: Wild Wild West
The crisis started from
Ibadan before spreading
to other parts of the
Region. It generated fatal
riots and arsons that led
to the first military coup
in 1966.
‘Operation Wetie’ earned
the entire west of Nigeria
the alias Wild Wild West.
Frequent intra
and inter- group
crises, especially
of the NURTW &
the NURTWE and
others.
The Eagle online:
August 23, 2018
Assassination
of political
opponents at
state and non
state levels
 Violent
godfatherism
Known as ‘Godfather of
Ibadan Politics’, Lamidi
Adedibu had both coercive
and spiritual powers to make
and mar governors in Oyo
State. He could use his action
to summon a Nigerian
President and he often
declared publicly, that
‘trouble and violence are the
attributes of true sons of
Ibadan’.

https://youtu.be/nHTTmA8klW8
Lamidi Adeshina
Harassed to
surrender and
prevented from
getting a second
tenure as Governor
of Oyo State.
Adedibu was the
actor.
Godfatherism
Known as ‘Godfather
of Ibadan Politics’,
Lamidi Adedibu in a
2011 conflict with
Ladoja, Oyo State
Governor, hijacked
state power to effect
removal of the
Governor from office.
Both are of Ibadan
origin.
 Politically Motivated
Assassination

Ibadan 2001:
Bola Ige, an
Attorney General
of Nigeria was,
while in service,
killed in his
Bodija residence.
Most notorious armed
robbers in Nigeria's
history: Ibadan.
Ishola Oyenusi,
Babatunde
Folorunsho and Shina
Rambo all have some
connections with
Ibadan, either as
resident, native,
students or others.
Ibadan: Soka
2014, ‘Soka’ 2015
Soka ritual killing
den 2014
Anotehr ‘Soka’
was discovered in
in 2015 at the
same Ibadan.
 So far,……
• Every social formation at any time is made up of three social groups: indigenes,
settlers, visitors.
• The Oriki (Traditional Clan Attributes) supports the Ibadan stereotypical
attributes of political violence and free for all, but is silent on the social group (s)
that perpetrates them. However, using ‘omo’, which means ‘native’ in the Oriki
will imply that the stereotypical attributes are of the indigenes.
• History supports that Ibadan is characterized by militarism and violence and
economic prosperity (Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes).
• Specific occurrences also support the Ibadan stereotypical attributes of political
violence and free for all, but are silent on the social group (s) that perpetrates
them. Of all available cases of violence, only the Ladoja/Adedibu’s is a case of
two indigenes of Ibadan.
• However, all of the foregoing sources STRONGLY support the Ibadan Stereotype
of political violence and free for all. So, what is the real situation? Ose Meji tells.
 Ose Meji’s Clarifications

• Although put together, the forgoing inferences seem to support the Ibadan
stereotype of political violence and free for all, they yet leave many questions
unanswered. Who perpetrates the stereotypical attributes amongst the
various social groups in Ibadan; for instance, the indigenes, the settlers or
the visitors? Are there class dimensions to the stereotypical attributes? In
what way is the state as a social group located in the stereotype? Should the
stereotypical attributes of Ibadan not have changed over the years thereby
fading away the stereotype? These are some of the clarifications that Ose
Meji will make in this presentation.
• The Ose Meji will be first recited in Yoruba, its original language, in order to
preserve the linguistic and literary structures in it. Interpretation in English
will follow.
 Ose Meji in recitation
• Tori ba da’ni, ka so p’ori dani
• Tori ba gb’eni, ka so p’ori gb’eni
• Ewo ni ka sowo, sowo ka ma kere dele?
• Sese Olongo, Iri Ebiti
• A difa fun Orunmila
• Ifa o maa s’owo ijakade kiri kari agbaye
• O jijakadi titi lo Eba Odan
• Igbo reere a n le janduku si
• Ile Oba di meji won a jija agba
• Oba di merin o lee f’enu k’araa won
Ebo ni won ni ki Baba o se
• Orunmila gb’ebo nbe o rubo
 Ose Meji in recitation, cont’d
• Nje, Alara da mi o s’ogun, sese olongo,
edu o le ja, sese olongo
• Ajero da mi o s’ogbon, sese olongo,
edu o le ja, sese olongo
• Owarangunaga dami o s’aadota, sese
olongo, edu o le ja, sese olongo
• Oba leyin ajori dami o sa’adorin, sese
olongo, edu o le ja, sese olongo
• Oro Ibadan di lodi lodi, eyin o rifa awo
ki bi ti n se.
• (Ifalosee Taye ati Kehinde, 2020),
Akinbola 2020, Fawole 2020).
 Interpretation of Ose Meji
As earlier stated that “each verse of Odu Ifa is a body of stories
deriving from a single theme and addressing the issue of life” (Alao
2009: 9), Ose Meji can be briefly interpreted thus:
Pre historic Ibadan was established by those banished from many
Yoruba clans.
It was very prosperous.
Four rulers eventually developed from settlers: Alara (from Oyo),
Ajero (from Ekiti), Owarangunaga (From Ijesha) and Obanileajori,
(From Ijebu).
They had different conflicting values and worldviews.
Interpretation of Ose Meji, cont’d.

• Orunmila, from his ancestral home, Oke Itase, went

to Ibadan where only violence and fight gave
prosperity.
• He arrived at Ibadan, had victory in all fight, but never
made money like others.
• He returned home.
Interpretation of Ose Meji, cont’d.
• At home he invited his babalawo: the “Tori ba da’ni,
ka p’ori dani, Tori ba gb’eni ka p’ori gb’eni, Ewo ni ka
sowo, sowo ka ma kere dele, Sese Olongo, Iri Ebiti”
who advised that the only way to make money was to
be defeated by those he engaged in fight, not to
defeat them. Orunmila made sacrifice to Esu;
returned to Ibadan with the determination to follow
the instruction.
Interpretation of Ose Meji, cont’d.
• Henceforth, each time Orunmila engaged anyone in Ibadan, he
allowed them to defeat him as instructed by his Babalawo.
• Esu would then immediately appear to the victor and say: ‘That man
you have defeated is no ordinary man. He is an epitome of wisdom.
Do you not know that he allowed you defeat him on purpose? Once
you defeat him like that wisdom is what he gives you in return and
you can inherit to fight your enemies.’
• The story went round. Each of the four sectional rulers began to
invite Orunmila for fight engagement so they could get wisdom to
defeat the other.
 …Orunmila got rich through fight
• Alara engaged Orunmila and paid 20 million cowries.
• Ajero engaged Orunmila and paid 30 million cowries.
• Owarangunaga engaged Orunmila and paid 50 million cowries.
• Obaleyinajori engaged Orunmila and paid 70 million cowries.

• That was how Orunmila became rich through free for all, and returned
to Oke Itase. Then, as other people from other clans wishing to travel to
Ibadan to make money consulted with him, Orunmila told them to use
violence and free for all in all things- trade, commerce, politics and other
activities- if they wanted to succeed. Orunmila’s words was registered in
heaven as the destiny of Ibadan. (He is the witness to the destiny of
everyone and everything: Eleri Ipin).
 What Ose Meji tells us anew
• Settlers who established Ibadan were banished from other Yoruba clans.
• Because they came from different Yoruba clans, they could not agree on
common values, so they engaged in constant conflicts and looted one another.
• The settlers later ended up in four political units headed by Alara (from Oyo),
Ajero (from Ekiti), Owarangunaga (from Ijesa) and Obaleyin Ajori (from Ijebu).
• Their lack of coercion aggravated power tussle amongst them.
• Their society became amorphous.
• Orunmila, who is the carrier of the voice of Olodumare, visited the land and
declared that it was only through violence and free for all it would be prosperous.
• All these refer to settlers in Ibadan, not indigenes.

• Ibadan will continue to attract settlers, so, political violence and free for all will
never cease in the polity.
Therefore, as Ose Meji clarifies…
• The Ibadan stereotype is an accurate cosmological explanation of the
social behaviour of settlers who came to Ibadan, not indigenes.
• The stereotypical attributes of political violence and free for all endure
because settlers still dominate Ibadan till date, so, the stereotype
continues to describe the people.
• There may be gradual shift in the political violence and free for all
attributes, but only when the population of indigenes begin to overtake the
settlers’.
• This, however, is very unlikely, as Ibadan is surrounded by several small
Yoruba clans who daily nurse the ambition of settling there for better
economic prosperity.
 Crisis of Hegemony: The theoretical cum
behavioral explanation of the Ibadan Stereotype
• From the oriki, the history, specific occurrences and the clarifications of the Odu Ifa
Ose Meji, attributing political violence to Ibadan goes beyond mere stereotyping, it is
a product of long time social observation that can be best theoretically frame-
worked by Crisis of Hegemony.
• Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci is the most prominent figure in the theory of
hegemony. Gramsci’s hegemony extends to the socio-cultural forces in every social
formation, which, created by the ruling class, in turn establish the social structures
and institutions for regulation of social conducts.
• Hegemony is, according to Eesuola (2009), the uniform ideological apparatus that is
used to manage human social affairs using very little or no force. As emphasized in
the foregoing, the ruling class is central to hegemony because it establishes the
social structures and institutions that regulate social conducts.
• To be a class in itself and for itself, the ruling class must have economic base, which is
the substructure upon which a society’s super structure rests. Politics, education,
trade unionism, religion and the rest issues are of the superstructure.
Theoretical explanation in political behaviour,
cont’d.
• To be able to forge hegemony, the ruling class must also be cohesive.

• But what happens where there is no ruling class, or the existing one is improvised because it
lacks economic base or it is amorphous?
• What happens when a society is highly plural in terms of socio-cultural orientations and thus
cannot produce a ruling class, let alone a cohesive one?
• Hegemonic values will be difficult to arrive at.
• It will be difficult to evolve social institutions that regulate social conducts and create social order.
• A society without social order will, in a large scale, manifest political violence, riots, intra
metropolis conflicts and all other stereotypical attributes of Ibadan.
• From the point of view of political theory, I have argued elsewhere that the legitimacy crisis, elite
theft, corruption and nepotism that have turned Nigeria to what Anikulapo-Kuti (1989) calls
Country of Pains are due to the crisis of hegemony resulting from the amalgamation of 1914. The
Ibadan stereotype is just a prototype of it.
 Summary
The Ibadan stereotype of political violence and free for all is examined, and
attempts are made to locate the sources.
Oriki Ibadan, history and a plethora of specific occurrences seem to support the
stereotype.
Odu Ifa Ose Meji, the progenitor of Ibadan in Yoruba cosmology, confirms the
stereotypical attributes, but also clarifies that settlers, not indigenes are referred
to.
But, depending on where the pendulum swings, few indigenes too may have the
stereotypical attributes but using the poor, hanging settlers to perpetrate them.
Ose Meji also declares that political violence and free for will endure so long as
other clans still settle in Ibadan.
Hegemony Theory is used to framework the Ibadan stereotype within the context
of political behaviour.
Conclusion

• Stereotypes are popular social constructs, and, in Africa, they sometimes have
strong traceable sources; so, they should never be dismissed in analysis of
social issues in African Studies.
• Ifa remains the most systematized and authentic source of clarifying significant
Yoruba matters, in all aspects of life.
• Specifically, Odu Ifa Ose Meji confirms the Ibadan stereotype of political
violence and free for all, but also clarifies that the attributes are of settlers, not
indigenes; they occur in the city, not necessarily by the people.
• This should assist the Nigerian state in policy planning and implementation.
• Researchers should consider using the Odu Ifa in combination of other Afro-
peculiar resources to interrogate and explain African affairs as done here in.
• This is a critical step towards Reconfiguring African Studies.
•
Political violence
Free for all
 Recommendation
• What do we do when a clan that has numerous great people who have excelled in
their different careers across the world is derogatorily stereotyped as being
politically violent and free for all due to attitudes of settlers?
• The clarifications provided by this research should be available to the public.
• Because, as Ifa predicts, political violence and free fro all will endure in Ibadan,
the Oyo State government should encourage settlers to join the Police, the Army
and other security outfits for positive conversion of their energy.
• Influx of settlers can be checked to become at least balanced with that of the
indigenes.
• While all these are in place, special security attention must be placed on Ibadan
during elections, population census, religious and other politically sensitive
activities in Nigeria.
• This is because the stereotypical attributes of Ibadan cannot stop, can only be
managed.
 Propensity for further research
• Ifa’s cosmological explanation is not restricted to Ibadan. Every of Yoruba
nation is explained by one or two of the 256 Odu. The explanations often cover
a lot of aspects ranging from health, attitude, longevity, politics, law, childbirth,
greatness, commerce, success, marriage and so on.
• For instance, cosmologically, Eji Ogbe explains the Otun Ekiti Clan; Irosun Meji
explains the Idere clan in Oyo State, Irete Meji explains the Isanlu clan in
Kwara State and (eepa, eepa eepa), Ofun Meji, explains the Ila Orangun clan in
Osun State.
• Other African scholars may wish to investigate and interrogate their disciplinary
concerns using Ifa and other cosmological explanations available in other parts
of Africa.
Thanks to the ACC Project of the University of
Bayreuth
Thanks to the University of Lagos ACC
One more thing, sil vous plait,

•JUST ONE MORE THING

 Appreciations

Thank you all for listening