Yorubas from all over
Ghana will converge on the
Aviation Social Centre in
Accra on Saturday,
November 23, 2013 to mark
the anniversary of the
arrival of their ancestors in
the Gold Coast 200 years
ago.
The Yorubas are an ethnic
group found mainly in the
western part of Nigeria.
Some of their major towns
are Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin,
Ogbomosho, Offa, Oshogbo,
Abeokuta, Shaki, Oyo and
Ijebu-Ode.
In the colonial days, when
the then Gold Coast and
Nigeria were under British
rule, people from both
countries travelled to each
other’s country as traders
or public servants.
The first group of Yorubas
arrived in the Gold Coast
around 1813 and initially
settled in such places as
Accra, Kumasi and Sekondi
before moving to the
northern part of the Gold
Coast, especially Tamale,
Wa, Lawra and Nandom.
On Saturday, the Head of
the Yoruba Community in
Accra, Chief Barrister
Basiru Peregrino Brimah,
who is acclaimed as the
leader of the Yorubas in
Ghana, will receive other
heads of Yoruba
communities in Kumasi,
Sekondi, Koforidua,
Ashiaman, Cape Coast,
Tamale and other major
towns in Ghana to
commemorate the
migration of their ancestors
to the Gold Coast.
Expected in Accra for the
great occasion are Alhaji
Ahmed Rufai Alao III, the
Head of the Yoruba
Community in Kumasi, and
his counterparts Alhaji
Abdul Wahab Raheem from
Koforidua, Alhaji Rahman
Babatunde Ajayi from
Ashiaman and Alhaji Abdul
Salami Adeniyi Amao Saka
from Kasoa.
Other Yoruba leaders
expected are Alhaji Shaibu
Adebayo Bamijoko from
Cape Coast, Alhaji
Muhamadu Raji from
Sekondi and Alhaji Ibrahim
Bawa Yusif from Tamale,
who will be accompanied
by the Chairman of the
Yoruba Community in the
Northern Region, Mr Moses
Oladele.
According to Alhaji Musah
Baba, the President of the
Nigerian Community in
Ghana, Yoruba Heritage
Awards would be presented
to the former Lagos
State Governor, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, as well as the
governors of Oyo and
Oshun States, Senator
Abiola Ajimobi and Alhaji
Rauf Arabgesola,
respectively, and the
Chairman of the Energy
Bank, Ghana, Barrister
Jimoh Ibrahim.
Other recipients of the
heritage award are the wife
of the Ekiti State governor,
Chief Bisi Fayemi; the Aare
Musilimu of Yorubaland,
Alhaji Arisekola Alao; the
veteran actor and writer,
Adebayo Faleti, and a
former Nigerian High
Commissioner to Ghana,
Alhaji Musiliu Obanikoro.
Alhaji Baba also hinted that
a book titled, “Exploits of A
Migrant Community:
Chronicle of Yorubas in
Ghana”, would be launched
as part of the celebrations.
The Nigerian High
Commissioner to Ghana, Mr
Ademola Oluseyi
Onafookan, will be the chief
host at the ceremony.
Source: Dr. Brimah
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