Afenifere Postpones 70th Anniversary Celebrations, Laments Nationwide Strife

•Calls for prayers, pays tribute to Awolowo, other founding fathers

By Gboyega Akinsanmi

The apex Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, turns 70 today amid the spate of banditry, kidnapping and insecurity nationwide, which it said compelled it to reschedule its plan for the anniversary.

Consequently, it directed Muslim members and well-wishers to observe worships on Friday, in mosques, while the Christian counterparts were enjoined to attend service at designated churches determined by state chapters on Sunday.

The group, in a statement by its Deputy Leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, yesterday, said while its 70th anniversary called for a grand celebration as already scheduled, the nation’s mood, in view of the worsening and pervasive insecurity, had marred its plans to commemorate the birth of progressivism in the South-west.

The Chairman of Afenifere Organising Committee, Chief Supo Shonibare, Chief Korede Duyile, Dr. Femi Balogun, Chief Kole Omololu, Hon. Lekan Alabi and Mr. Tijani Babatunde co-signed the statement.
Afenifere said the second wave of COVID -19 and the mayhem by herdsmen and the spate of kidnappings in Yorubaland in particular and Nigeria, in general, has made it to reappraise the programme in the light of present realities.

As a responsible organisation, Afenifere said, it could not afford to undertake all the events scheduled for the 70th anniversary, thus enjoining all its chapters “to observe Moslem worships in mosques on Friday, April 30, 2021.”

It added: “Christians are enjoined to attend service at the designated churches determined by state chapters on Sunday, May 2, 2021, to pray for peace and a restructured nation and for the health of mind and body for our people. Well-wishers are also enjoined to join them.

“At a more auspicious time in the not too distant future, when the security and health challenges must have abated, we shall announce the dates for the other programmes such as colloquium and lecture, essay competition for undergraduates and anniversary dinner and cultural festivities,” it said.

The organisation, also, commended the Premier of the defunct Western Region, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and other founding fathers for establishing a powerful political movement that changed the face of politics in Africa forever.

Giving the background to its establishment, Afenifere stated how its founding fathers publicly birthed the Action Group, now defunct, at a press conference in Ibadan, on March 21, 1951.

Although many were invited, according to the organisation, those who turned up apart from the convener, were Chief Abiodun Akerele, Chief S.O. Shonibare, Chief Ayo Akinsanya, Chief Olatunji Dosunmu, Mr. Samuel Akinsanya, Chief J.O. Adigun and Chief S.T. Oredein, all deceased.

It said: “These eight men, led by Chief Awolowo, were the founding fathers of Action Group (Egbe Afenifere). The party was inaugurated in Owo, on the 28th April 1951 with leaders from 22 out of the 24 administrative divisions in the Western Region in attendance.

“Today, being April 28 is the 70th anniversary of that epic event. We are most indebted for the enduring legacy bestowed upon the progressive political strand in the South-west by the efforts of these founding fathers and all the other leaders in attendance at Owo on the 28th April 1951.”