The third James Adekunle Ojelabi Foundation Annual Memorial Lecture raised some thought-provoking issues and it was led by the Oluwo of Iwo, Osun State, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi.
Pastor Dotun Ojelabi of Covenant Harvest Church also extended invites to elder statesman Ayo Adebanjo and Prof. Eghosa Osaghae.
Insisting that Nigeria will be better in the near future, Oba Akanbi challenged the youth to focus on writing their history.
According to him, following past traditions is not progressive because times have changed.
“Masquerades should be fun, not scary. Tribal marks should not be forced on kids. When they grow up, they can make their choices. It’s not enough to say you inherit legacies from your forefathers and you must follow them. There are houses built in the past that are no longer useful,” the monarch said.
Pastor Ojelabi’s father was a historian who wrote and spoke on African history. He opposed the view of African history as consisting of a record of European imperialist-colonial activities in Africa.