ADO-EKITI — FOLLOWING the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other prominent Yoruba monarchs, the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola has agreed to drop all criminal defamation suit against human rights activist, Mr Dele Farotimi.
The traditional rulers arrived on the campus of Afe Babalola University, located on the outskirts of Ado-Ekiti, at about 10:30 pm, on Sunday, evening and immediately proceeded to a closed-door meeting with the legal luminary, who was on hand to receive them.
Other prominent Yoruba traditional rulers, who were on the entourage of the Ooni of Ife were, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe; Olojudo of Ido-Ekiti, Oba Ilori Faboro; the Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Alagbado; the Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Oba Michael Ademolaju; the Ajero of Ijero, Oba Adewole Adebayo, and the Alaaye of Efon Alaaye, Oba Emmanuel Agunsoye II.
At about 11 pm, they emerged from the meeting and invited newsmen, waiting outside and eagerly expecting news of what transpired inside the meeting, for briefing.
Recall that Farotimi had published a book titled ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’, where he alleged that the elder statesman corrupted the judiciary.
The Ooni of Ife, who spoke on behalf of other traditional rulers at the meeting, said it has become very imperative to apply alternative dispute resolution methods used in the old era to resolve disputes.
His words: “We came to appeal to Aare Babalola to forgive his son, Dele Farotimi. What we want from him is to withdraw the criminal charges against Farotimi.
“Aare Afe Babalola, you are an elder statesman and have seen it all. You are one of the iconic voices in this country, a great man of excellence. You are a rare breed who has excelled in everything you have touched in this life, a very God fearing elderstateman. Above all, you are one of the proponents of the Yoruba ethos of Omoluwabi which has been your strongest value that you hold in our country.
“This is what we are using to bring down the tempo of what happened between you and your son Dele Farotimi. We are proud of you as a great Yoruba elder statesman. You have done great things for this race and Nigeria such that your name can never be forgotten.
“We’ve all come together as traditional rulers to discuss with you this issue and this gentleman. Dele Farotimi is your son and you must forgive him and withdraw the criminal charges against him.”
I rejected pleas from OBJ, Kukah —ABUAD founder
In his response, the legal luminary said he decided to drop the charges against Farotimi following the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi and other prominent traditional rulers in the country.
He said: “The Ewi of Ado has come here to meet me on this matter, former president Obasanjo has intervened. The same goes for Bishop Matthew Kukah and a host of other prominent Nigerians to ask for the exact thing you have come to ask for this evening. My answer to them has been no, but today my answer is yes.
“Your coming is unquantifiable in terms of money, who Am I? When the colonialists came here in the 17th century or thereabouts, they found as a fact that Yoruba land was a highly organised society with an advanced system of government with each town headed by an Oba who was regarded as a replica of God on earth. His words were commands.
“I was a lawyer who defended the EFCC law, yet I’m corrupt, I was given an oil bloc; when I looked at the money and saw that it was too much, I rejected it, yet I’m corrupt, I was offered ministerial appointments twice, I rejected it, yet I’m corrupt because whatever I am, I don’t want anybody to say I made it through corruption.
“I have given lectures against corruption with my papers in many universities globally. For someone to allege that I have won my cases through corruption, it’s an attempt to defame me. That was why I rejected all appeals earlier made to me.
But when I heard that Ooni was coming, I knew I was in a fix today. There is nothing I’m going to gain from his imprisonment and there’s nothing I want from the so-called damages. I am not in quest of more wealth; I’m rather concerned about managing the one I have already. Dele Farotimi is hereby forgiven. On this occasion, I say yes.”
It’s a welcome devt —Obi
Reacting to the Babalola’s withdrawal of the case against Farotimi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential flag bearer, Mr Peter Obi, yesterday, stated that the decision demonstrated that he (Babalola) is committed to finding peaceful solutions to the conflict.
Obi, who spoke through his media aide, Ibrahim Umar, said: “We are pleased that this matter has been resolved amicably, and we believe that this outcome is a testament to the power of dialogue, and constructive engagement. Let me set the record straight: Obi’s visit to Afe Babalola was not about begging for pardon for Dele Farotimi, but rather a genuine effort at intervention and conflict resolution.
“As a leader, Obi recognises the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes, and his actions were guided by this principle. Now, with the news that Afe Babalola has agreed to withdraw the suit against Dele Farotimi, we welcome this development as a positive outcome of Obi’s intervention.
“This decision demonstrates that Chief Babalola is also committed to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts, and we commend him for this gesture. It’s worth noting that Mr Obi’s actions were driven by his desire to facilitate a peaceful resolution that would allow all parties to move forward positively and constructively.”
Afenifere commends Babalola, monarchs
Meanwhile, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organnisation, Afenifere, yesterday, commended Chief Babalola for defering to the Yoruba monarchs on Mr Farotimi.
Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Jare Ajayi, in a statement, commended Babalola for demonstrating some ethos of Omoluabi by respecting the wishes of foremost Yoruba Obas.
Ajayi said: “By so doing, Aare Afe Babalola has demonstrated, as a true Yoruba son, certain core ethos of being an Omoluabi. “He came to defend his reputation and when he was appealed to by our foremost traditional institutions, he dropped the gauntlet. This is highly commendable.”
Afenifere also applauded Ooni and other monarchs “for the bold step they took.”
He said: “They acted as true elders in line with the saying that elders would not sit by in a marketplace to watch the dangling head of a child.
“This act has further demonstrated the valuable roles that our Obas – who are the custodians of our culture and tradition – can play in the society, if given the chance.”
