Members of the organising committe
One of Africa’s top kings, the Ooni of Ife, is
scheduled to grace a maiden social programme being organised by the countrywide
community of Ghanaian-Yorubas on December 19 at the forecourt of the State House,
Accra.
According to the programme organisers, the
activity would be two-fold; the first one involving the bestowal of titles upon
distinguished personalities of the community and the delivery of a keynote
address alongside a display of a mix of Yoruba and local cultures followed by a
Kempinski Hotel evening party for selected personalities.
Hajia Risi Vanderpuije and her husband Dr. Ahmed Vanderpuije
‒ both business personalities ‒ are providing the financial muscle needed for
the high-notched programme.
Supporting them is an array of persons like
award-winning Abdul Razak El Alawa, three-time journalist of the year and a
former press secretary to President Hilla Limann, Alhaji Razak Khailani, a
businessman, among others.
On the list of distinguished personalities invited for the programme are President Akufo-Addo, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, former Presidents John Mahama, John Agyekum Kufuor and traditional rulers from Accra.
The Ooni of Ife
Tributes are scheduled to be paid to outstanding Ghanaians of Yoruba descent such as the late B.J. Da Rocha, Justice A.M. Akiwumi, Speaker of Parliament, 1958, Sulley Shittu, Engineer El Alawa, City Engineer of Accra, the late Prof. Braimah, the late Dr. Farouk Brimah and IM Peregrino-Brimah, a top horse owner in the Gold Coast.
Others were the late Col. Sanni Thomas, Dr.
Mustapha, a neurosurgeon, and COP Yebesi.
“Yorubas have been around for hundreds of years
through trade some records putting the 17th century as the period of
their arrival here. Through intermarriages, they have constituted a class of
Ghanaians with Yoruba descent. In some parts of the country, some of the
descendants of the early migrants have lost touch with the Yoruba language,” a
programme organiser told DAILY GUIDE.
Accra Newtown is an area founded by one of the
descendants of pioneer migrants. Today, there are five generations of
descendants of such pioneer migrants in various parts of the country.
The arrival of the Ooni would afford some Ga chiefs the opportunity to interact with the King of Ife, the place history claims they migrated from.
By A.R. Gomda
