From The Mind Of A Proud Yoruba Man

The Yoruba people have a saying: "Oun a ni laa n gbe laruge" (meaning "we cherish what we have"), and indeed, we do. One very proud Yoruba man wrote this and asked for it to be shared everywhere. I guess he does have something to be proud of. We all do.

Oh, have I mentioned that I am Yoruba too?

What I am proud of (from the past to the present)

 

1. Last week in Russia, the whole huge country was shocked when a certain medical student graduated from a university in Russia in medicine & surgery with an impossible cgpa of 5.0. This genius did not just score 70% to clinch an "a" but always scored 100% in all courses he sat for;

 

His nonplussed professors organised the exams for him again (because nobody has ever scored such a mark in medicine & surgery in the history of Russia) to confirm if he truly was that brilliant but they were all floored because he scored 100% in all the exams again. A deeper inquiry of who he was showed that he is a Nigerian and more interestingly, a Yoruba.

 

Yorubas have made Nigeria proud in so many ways some of which include:

 

2. The 1st blackman to found a university (i e Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone in the 1830s) in World history was a Yoruba named reverend samuel ajayi crowther;

 

3. The 1st Nigerian lawyer to defend cases in British supreme court was a Yoruba named Sapara Williams. He defended his 1st supreme court case in 1881;

 

4. The 1st African to own a motor car was a Yoruba named Herbert Olayinka Macaulay. He was also the 1st Nigerian to form a political party, 1st Nigerian to appear on Nigerian currency, 1st polymath in African history (he was a specialist in political science, law, civil construction, music technology, etc) and his great granddaughter Dr (Mrs) Stella Adadevoh submitted her own life to save Nigeria from Ebola virus in 2014;

 

5. Nigeria is presently using 1999 constitution which was a copycat of 1979 constitution which was itself filled with ideas copied word-for-word from 2 of Obafemi Awolowo's books titled "thoughts on Nigerian constitution" and "the strategy and tactics of the people's republic of Nigeria". In other words, the Yorubaman Obafemi Awolowo indirectly gave Nigeria its constitution;

 

6. Yorubaman Fela Anikulapo Kuti was the 1st Nigerian musician to be internationally recognized (by being the 1st to perform in almost every country of the world) and he was the 1st Nigerian musician to be listed in Guinness book of records. Yorubaman king sunny Ade was the 2nd Nigerian musician to be listed in the Guinness book of records;

 

7. Yorubaman Hubert Ogunde was the 1st actor (film and stage) in nigeria to be recognised and awarded all over the world. Many of his works (e g Morenike alaso oke, aye, Jayesinmi, Yoruba ronu, etc) are still taught in universities all over the world;

 

8. Yorubaman professor Soyinka is the 1st African to win Nobel prize for literature;

 

9. A Yorubaman justice Akinola Aguda created and drew the master plan of Abuja FCT when general Murtala Muhammed commissioned him to look for a new federal capital for Nigeria;

 

10. Yorubaman Lateef Jakande was tagged the best governor in Nigeria from 1979 to 1983 due to his many achievements in Lagos state;

 

11. Yorubaman Babatunde Fashola became the best governor in Africa due to his so many achievements from 2007 to 2015;

 

12. Yorubaman Bola Tinubu created the strategy that broke records in Nigerian history and made his party apc defeat an incumbent Nigerian president;

 

13. Yorubaman Olabisi Ajala broke world record by travelling to 87 countries on his Vespa motorcycle while he was a university student and a film actor in u.s.a (the famous Ajala that traveled all over the world);

 

14. Yoruba woman  Mrs Ransome-kuti was the 1st Nigerian woman to drive a car and was the 1st Nigerian woman to form a political party;

 

15. The most-performed stage play in Nigerian history is titled "The gods are not to blame" and was written by the genius Yorubaman professor Ola Rotimi;

 

16. The 1st surgeon in Nigeria was a Yoruba man - Dr Adeniyi Jones;

 

17. The 1st female professor of history in Africa was a Yoruba woman professor Bolanle Awe and the only private lawyer in Nigerian history that never lost a case was Yorubaman Chief Rotimi Williams;

 

18. The 1st television station in Africa was founded by a yoruba man obafemi awolowo. He also created the 1st minimum wage in Africa, 1st free education in africa, 1st skyscraper in africa, 1st olympic stadium in africa, 1st free health care in Africa, 1st cultural center in Africa, etc;

 

19. The greatest hero in the Nigerian civil war was brigadier Benjamin Adekunle (black scorpion) and his 2 able sub-commanders brigadiers Godwin Alabi-Isama and Alani Akinrinade, all Yoruba;

 

20. More than half of all motor cars in Nigeria are in Yorubaland (i e 55% of all motor cars in Nigeria are located in Yorubaland) and Yorubas have the highest number of professors in Nigeria.

 

 

The list is indisputably endless that's why i'm proud to be a Yoruba.

 

Jews are proud of their Abraham, Moses, Yitzhak Rabin and Yoni Netanyahu.

 

Yorubas should be proud of their own achievers.

Cover image via Buzznigeria