By Yushau A. Shuaib
Weblink: https://yashuaib.com/2025/01/etymology-yoruba-northerners/
Let me begin by acknowledging that storytellers more and more search to interchange historians in shaping narratives. Whereas anybody can grow to be a storyteller, not everybody generally is a historian. Storytelling entails crafting actual or fictional narratives designed to entertain, educate, or encourage, typically with out strict adherence to factual accuracy. Historical past, in contrast, is a meticulous file of previous occasions, rooted in proof and striving for objectivity and understanding. Whereas storytelling prioritises creativity and emotional resonance, historical past calls for scholarly rigor and factual evaluation. Tales might incorporate historical past, however not all tales are historic.
Historical past stays historical past—even in at this time’s local weather, the place Western and Japanese media typically compromise journalistic ethics, favouring partisanship over accuracy and fact. That is evident of their protection of the Russia-Ukraine battle, the place some retailers prioritise one-sided narratives, forsaking equity and stability. As soon as revered for his or her integrity, many worldwide media platforms now align themselves with the pursuits of patrons and sponsors, abandoning independence and impartiality.
This brings me to a latest article by award-winning columnist Lasisi Olagunju of the Nigerian Tribune titled “Fulani, Hausa, and Yoruba Truths.” In his piece, Olagunju explores Nigerian historical past, ethnicity, and id complexities. Whereas he challenges northern students’ narratives concerning the origins of the time period ‘Yoruba’, his focus closely skews towards Yoruba historical past, leaving the opposite two ethnic teams talked about in his title—Fulani and Hausa—largely unexamined.
The article seems to be a response to an announcement by Minister of Training Tunji Alausa about reintroducing historical past as a topic in Nigerian major and secondary colleges. In his attribute trend, Olagunju highlights the contradictions within the accounts of three “historians” on Yoruba historical past, together with feedback by Kemi Badenoch, a Yoruba lady and a pacesetter of the Conservative Celebration in the UK.
Badenoch controversially said, “Being Yoruba is my true id, and I refuse to be lumped with northern folks of Nigeria, who have been our ethnic enemies, all within the identify of being referred to as a Nigerian.”
This assertion provoked a satirical response from Nigerian-American professor Farooq Kperogi, who argued that the Yoruba ethnic group owes its identify—and far of its historical past and language—to northern Nigeria. Kperogi cites Songhai scholar Ahmad Baba, who, in his 1613 essay “Al-kashf wa-l-bayān li-aṣnāfmajlūb al-Sūdān,” first referenced the Yoruba as “Yariba.”
Olagunju’s article counters Kperogi’s claims, significantly the argument that the identify “Yoruba” originated from Northern Nigeria’s Baatonu (Bariba) folks. He attracts on Yoruba historians to supply different explanations for the time period’s origin, however his rebuttal lacks constant reliance on verifiable sources.
For example, he cited the response of Moyo Okediji, a Nigerian-American artwork historical past professor on the College of Texas at Austin, who publicly recommended Badenoch for distancing herself from northern Nigeria as a result of issues about terrorism within the area.
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Nevertheless, relatively than citing credible sources, Okediji supplied his personal interpretation of the origin of the identify “Yoruba,” claiming that his (personal) grandmother had advised him it’s a shortened type of “A yọ orù bá wọn dáná ọmọ tuntun.” He steered it’s a panegyric phrase referring to each Ọ̀ṣun and Ọya, significantly Ọ̀ṣun. Sadly, he didn’t present the yr of his grandmother’s start to lend credibility to his assertion. Whereas vibrant, the professor’s interpretation is unsubstantiated and anecdotal, missing the tutorial rigor mandatory for historic discourse.
Olagunju additionally speculates on the time period “Yoruba,” suggesting it “might have existed lengthy earlier than the Bariba and the Yoruba had trigger to fulfill.” But, like Okediji’s claims, this assertion lacks substantial proof or authority. Some references cited by Olagunju embrace Richard Smith’s “The Alaafin in Exile: A Examine of the Igboho Interval in Oyo Historical past,” revealed in The Journal of African Historical past, March 1965, and Professor J.A. Atanda’s “The Historian and The Drawback of Origins of Peoples in Nigerian Society,” revealed in December 1980. In keeping with Olagunju, Atanda writes that “Sultan Bello’s account of the origin of the Yoruba folks drew inspiration from an outdated Arabic textual content, ‘Azhar al-Ruba fi Akhbar Bilad Yoruba,’ written by Dan Masani, a famous Katsina scholar who lived within the seventeenth century and died in 1667.” These references spotlight the involvement of non-Yoruba students, predominantly from the north or Arabian backgrounds. Due to this fact, the argument by the author couldn’t successfully problem the central premise of Kperogi’s argument or present conclusive proof for his claims.
Olagunju additionally mentions Samuel Johnson in his work, “The Historical past of the Yorubas,” as “probably the most well-known figures in Yoruba historical past.” Nonetheless, he didn’t present the publication date, which can be deliberate. Samuel Johnson (1846-1901), an Anglican minister and historian, wrote a seminal historical past of the Yoruba folks. Though the writer misplaced his manuscript, it was reconstructed from his notes by his brother after his dying. First revealed in 1921, this foundational work stays a regular reference for Yoruba historical past regardless of some inaccuracies acknowledged by students.
Olagunju seems primarily involved with countering Kperogi’s declare concerning the affect of the Bariba in Yoruba land. He cites Professor Banji Akintoye, who claimed in “A Historical past of the Yoruba Folks” (revealed in 2010) that “many of the biggest warriors in Yoruba historical past have been produced by the Oyo Empire.” Olagunju mentions one such warrior, Iba Magaji, who served Obalokun and Ajagbo as Basorun and performed a key position in early campaigns that conquered components of Nupe and Bariba nations. This raises the query: is “Magaji” a Yoruba or Hausa identify? But, this rhetorical flourish does little to resolve the broader debate.
Does historical past maintain significance when tribal and ethnic sentiments distort narratives, overshadowing truth and fact? How can we cite the non-public impressions and perceptions of politicians and historians who reveal obvious bias in direction of particular ethnic teams? Educated people should seek advice from respected sources that substantiate their claims.
Reliance on dependable and unbiased sources is paramount if historical past is to be taught in Nigerian colleges. Documented proof and peer-reviewed publications ought to function important reference supplies.
Whereas Olagunju’s article sheds gentle on Nigerian historical past and id complexities, I disagree with him on educating compromised narratives to appease ethnic loyalties. This development is turning into more and more prevalent amongst modern historians in politics, academia, and the media, particularly amongst Nigerians. I consider historical past ought to stay true to its essence—not a group of handy tales however a devoted pursuit of fact.
_Yushau A. Shuaib is the creator of “Strictly Private: Writings for the Media”_ www.YAShuaib.com, [email protected]
