By Woke Joshua
The Pahayi Tile-Toko community in Ogun State has reaffirmed Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola’s indigenous identity as a son of Pahayi-Yewa, warning that further defamatory claims concerning his ancestry would be challenged through lawful judicial and traditional channels.
The community made its position known in a communiqué issued at the end of its Community Engagement Meeting held on Wednesday at the Palace of the Baale of Pahayi, Ago-Kuudu, Pahayi-Yewa.
The meeting brought together traditional leaders, elders, family heads, community stakeholders, leaders of thought, and sons and daughters of Pahayi at home and abroad.
The communiqué, made available to Daily Independent on Thursday, was signed by Baale Emmanuel Olabisi Ekunola, the Baale of Pahayi-Yewa, on behalf of the Baale-in-Council, elders, family heads, and sons and daughters of the community.
The meeting, presided over by the Baale and the Baale-in-Council, deliberated on community development, security, welfare, unity and the future of Pahayi-Yewa, alongside recent public statements questioning the ancestral identity of Senator Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.
The community declared that Senator Adeola is recognised as a son of Pahayi-Yewa through his paternal lineage.
According to the communiqué, “His paternal ancestry is connected to Iga Onibata, Pahayi-Yewa, while his maternal lineage is from Kemta, Abeokuta.”
It said the controversy had extended beyond the senator personally, describing it as an issue concerning the identity, dignity, history and integrity of Pahayi-Yewa.
“The position of this community is clear: Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola is recognised by Pahayi-Yewa as a son of this community through his paternal lineage,” it stated.
The community maintained that political disagreements should not be used to question or erase an individual’s family history.
“Politics has boundaries. Political disagreement is legitimate. But deliberate falsehood, defamation and attempts to ridicule the ancestral identity of a person or an entire community cannot be allowed to continue unchecked,” the communiqué stated.
It challenged individuals who had publicly questioned Senator Adeola’s Yewa and Ogun ancestry to produce evidence supporting their claims.
The community urged anyone making such assertions to identify the alleged alternative town, village, family or compound and provide documentary evidence where available.
“If you have evidence, produce it,” it declared.
The communiqué attributed recent public claims questioning Adeola’s ancestry to Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello and Hon. Abayomi Hunye.
It further stated that Senator Adeola had demanded evidence and threatened legal action, while Hunye had publicly indicated his readiness to defend his position in court.
The community consequently joined the call for evidence rather than political rhetoric.
“If there is genuine evidence, let it be presented through the proper channels. If there is none, then the continued repetition of such allegations should stop,” it said.
Warning that it would no longer remain silent over what it described as deliberate and repeated defamatory statements, the community said affected persons and institutions reserved the right to pursue civil and other lawful remedies available under Nigerian law.
It added that the traditional institutions of Pahayi also reserved the right to invoke appropriate traditional processes and sanctions recognised within the community’s customary structure.
“Let nobody mistake the patience of Pahayi for weakness. We are peaceful people, but we are not without a voice,” the communiqué stated.
The community, however, stressed that it respected the law and would pursue justice through lawful means while protecting the dignity of its traditional institutions.
The meeting explained that Pahayi was a community of extended families whose relationships stretched across different towns, villages and parts of Yewaland and beyond.
It noted that migration, marriage and settlement outside one’s immediate ancestral home did not automatically erase family roots.
“Many Yewa indigenes today live in Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, other parts of Nigeria and abroad. Does living outside Yewaland suddenly make a Yewa indigene a stranger to his own ancestry? Certainly not,” it stated.
The community maintained that a Pahayi indigene living outside the town remained a son or daughter of the community, regardless of residence.
It therefore invited anyone with genuine questions concerning the ancestry of its people to visit Pahayi, meet elders and family heads, and trace the relevant family histories.
“Do not rewrite our history from outside,” it declared.
Beyond the ancestry controversy, the meeting expressed appreciation for developmental interventions in Pahayi through government, private individuals, community initiatives and prominent sons and daughters of the soil.
It particularly acknowledged interventions attributed to Senator Adeola that had directly impacted the community.
On electricity, the community noted that interventions had brought power to some areas that previously lacked adequate electricity infrastructure.
It disclosed, however, that the community transformer had recently failed, adding that efforts were underway to secure its replacement.
“The community appreciates every effort aimed at ensuring that Pahayi does not remain in darkness,” it said.
The meeting also noted that a healthcare facility facilitated for the community had been completed and was awaiting final take-off arrangements by the medical team.
It expressed optimism that full medical services would soon commence for residents.
The community further acknowledged interventions in road infrastructure and other development projects, urging government and relevant stakeholders to sustain support for initiatives that could improve the quality of life and economic activities of the people.
It also recognised ongoing efforts towards the provision of a befitting Pahayi Town Hall.
According to the communiqué, the facility would serve as a centre for community meetings, social activities, cultural programmes and other collective engagements.
Community Seeks Sustained Security
The meeting identified security as a major priority, recalling periods when burglary, theft and other criminal activities affected residents, including students and residential properties, particularly during holiday periods.
It said residents had continued to rely on local security arrangements, vigilante groups and community cooperation.
The community acknowledged that the establishment and operationalisation of a police facility in Pahayi had provided an additional layer of formal security.
It observed an appreciable improvement in the security situation following increased security presence and patrols.
It nevertheless urged residents not to take security for granted.
The community called on residents to cooperate with the police and other security agencies, support legitimate community security structures, promptly report suspicious activities, maintain vigilance and work collectively to protect lives and property.
The meeting expressed profound appreciation to His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle, MFR, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, for his continued support, guidance and concern for the affairs of Pahayi-Yewa.
It particularly acknowledged the monarch’s support during periods when questions concerning the identity and heritage of its people generated public controversy.
The community described the traditional institution as an important custodian of history, culture, peace and community identity.
It assured the Olu of Ilaro of its continued respect for the traditional stool and commitment to peaceful coexistence under the traditional structure of Yewaland.
The community resolved to rebrand, strengthen and reposition Pahayi Day for greater impact.
It recalled that the celebration had been held in the past and proposed a renewed annual gathering to reconnect sons and daughters at home and abroad, celebrate Pahayi’s history and achievements, honour outstanding sons and daughters, and discuss community development.
Other objectives include supporting community projects, empowering young people, encouraging investment, promoting unity among families and compounds, and preserving Pahayi’s identity for future generations.
The appropriate committee and programme structure, it said, would be communicated in due course.
The meeting reaffirmed the importance of traditional family compounds, known as Iga, as part of Pahayi’s historical identity.
The communiqué listed the recognised compounds as: The communiqué listed the following recognised compounds: Iga Onibata; Iga Kuudu; Iga Olungbensi; Iga Ago-Iboro; Iga Ajetunmobi; Iga Idologu; Iga Oniyide; Iga Ogunseye; Iga Ajayi Aborese; Iga Ogunsina; Iga Osabiyi; Iga Akinde (Idiroko); as well as Iga Dosumu.
The community said preserving the family structures, histories and relationships remained essential to the continuity of Pahayi’s identity.
The meeting called on every son and daughter of Pahayi, irrespective of political affiliation, profession, religion, location or personal interest, to protect the unity of the community.
“Let politics remain politics,” it declared.
It urged residents and indigenes not to allow political disagreements to destroy family relationships or permit outsiders to set brothers against one another.
“Pahayi is bigger than any individual. Pahayi is bigger than any political party. Pahayi is bigger than any election,” the communiqué stated.
The community said its ancestry, dignity and unity must endure beyond every political season.
After exhaustive deliberations, the meeting reaffirmed its commitment to: After exhaustive deliberations, the meeting unanimously reaffirmed its commitment to:Peace and security in Pahayi-Yewa; sustainable community development; improved healthcare and social infrastructure; reliable electricity and road infrastructure; youth empowerment and economic opportunities; greater participation of sons and daughters at home and abroad; preservation of Pahayi’s history, families and traditional institutions; rebranding and strengthening of Pahayi Day.
Others were; peaceful and responsible political engagement; respect for the dignity and ancestral identity of Pahayi sons and daughters; the use of lawful judicial and traditional institutional processes to challenge false and defamatory statements against the community or its recognised sons and daughters.
The community concluded by reaffirming that Pahayi remained one family, stressing that distance, movement and residence outside the town did not erase ancestry or family roots.
It called on all persons engaging in public discourse concerning Pahayi and its sons and daughters to do so responsibly, respectfully and with verifiable facts.
“Pahayi knows her history. Pahayi knows her families. Pahayi knows her sons and daughters,” it declared.
The communiqué was signed by Baale Emmanuel Olabisi Ekunola, the Baale of Pahayi-Yewa, for and on behalf of the Baale-in-Council, elders, family heads, and sons and daughters of Pahayi-Yewa.