OF SYMBOLS AND PERSONAGES IN OFFA COMMUNAL ADVANCEMENT. Symbols have great roles in human affairs and the level of the awareness of such symbols by individuals and group can make or mar their togetherness, communal life and advancement of the people. Symbols are a reflection of meanings but not every one understands, can or be enriched by symbols and their meanings same way at same level. There are natural symbols such as the Sun, the moon, stars, cloud formations and what have you that have impressed in the expression of man. Many of these the ancients had observed, read meanings to and the meanings perpetuated in one form or the other. Artificial symbols come in works of arts, their meanings according to the artists in form of signs, symbols, drawings, paintings, sculptures and statutes, etc. They are also to symbolise something both casually or/ and in depth. No symbol no matter how enriching be object of worship, no personage no matter how great be taken equal with God, the Creator of everything everywhere. Yet, symbols and personages may be a living reminder of significant events in the life of a people. The National or a nations flag, anthem, pledge, postage stamps and currencies are means of collating awareness in depth of consciousness towards the ideals and purposes they represent. The history of Offa dates back to the founding father, a prince of Ife, finding expanse of history in Oyo and finally landing in Offa. Olalomi he was and he is still called, a hunter with prowess always holding his bow and arrow a sign of hunting and bravery but not renown for killing of human beings nor inhuman to fellow beings. Olalomi olofagangan, a bisu joko, ijakata kiti ni Oro Offa. A man who shares name with yam and agile in wrestling as a ritual of dignity in labour, hunting and agriculture the popular industry of the people. Omo laare ikan ko gbudo jukan bikan ba jukan ni Offa ogun ni muwa...... Justce and fair play is a motto and must be in Offa for any act of injustice is a call to war. This may be the reason why Offa must remain being just and fair to all and ready to fight injustice anywhere it rares its head. Average Offa person is known for this till date. It is an historic and generational transfer from the pride of prowess of Moremi, an Offa princess, the one and only Yoruba most popular heroine whose popularity cuts across the world but whose shrine today has been destroyed, now a refuse dump and shrouded by the bill board of mere politicians who have little or nothing to contribute to life and progress of the people. Of coarse, Moremi is a historic but brave personage, her last point of call remains monumental and as it is, cant, shouldnt and never is a place of worship as it is to a deity, so, religious extremism that lead to the destruction of Moremi site in front of Oloffas palace is to me a misnomer, a misread of historic meaning, religious extremism and an injustice requiring immediate correction by the powers that be in Offa and Yoruba land as a whole. Like great Martin Luther King Jr says Injustice to one is injustice to all. Still on symbols and personages in Offa communal and community advancement, the wrestling prowess that is attributed to Offa traditional eulogy and praise sing is also symbolic as no Offa man is reputed in wrestling as we had Johnny Kwango, Power Mike and a host of world renown wrestlers. But in all walks of life in fields of education, science, arts, modern day technology, geology, nuclear science and technology, in businesses and even in religious and political wizardry Offa indigenes are at the forefront in the the then Northern Nigeria, now Kwara and as a single town in Nigeria can boast of nothing less than 75 academic professors home and abroad, has fielded and currently still can boast of at least 5 vice chancellors of universities from Nigeria premier including private as we have today. The pride is in the fact that these are no mere professors, no mean professors nor professors without portfolios as Chike Obi once described professors by the Nigerian quota system. They are a pride of the nation and world as a whole or how else do you categorise professor Mosobalaje Oyawoye the first professor of geology of African extraction, a great academic, great academician and a prince of Offa. Offa cant be swept aside in sane and ideologically oriented politics for we till date are renown for sanity amidst political insanity all around political terrains in Nigeria, my Osuba and Sara to our own late Josiah Sunday Olawoyin an indefatigable Nigerian politician when politics was sane in Nigeria and full of political decorum. Offa people though may be regarded proud but of course, with the afore stated, surely not empty pride for this pride can be likened to that of a peackok which prides in spreading its beautiful feathers in composure and candour so our town Offa is narrated thus, Iyeru Okin Oloffa mojo, Olalomi Omo Ola nlo.... In all these, in our strive for excellence our hearts, minds and souls are sweetened like sweet potatoes and with this we thank the Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent God for making us Offa people His great channels, in this incarnation,in this part of His creation and amongst other creatures. Allahu Akbar.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 04:40:15 +0000
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