The National Youth President of Afenifere, Eniola Ojajuni, has backed Pastor Bolaji Idowu of Harvesters International Christian Centre for describing the Yoruba as “fearful” and the Igbo as “courageous.”
Ojajuni described the cleric’s comment as “accurate,” advising that Yoruba people must begin to speak up instead of clinging to the “I no wan die” mentality.
The cleric, while delivering a sermon at his church as seen in a video circulating on social media, said fear was the root problem of the Yoruba race.
He described fear as a crippling trait that had held many Yoruba people back from achieving greatness, adding that they must break free from the grip of fear.
The pastor said, “Yoruba people, there is a problem with the Yoruba race. Even the ones that are 48 years old. There is a problem with your race, and it is called fear. Life bows for the courageous. Life works against the fearful, I am saying it so that from a young age, destroy it.”
Pastor Idowu contrasted the Yoruba with the Igbo ethnic group, praising the Igbo for their boldness and influence around the world.
“That is why I love the Igbo. They are fearless. There is no country in this world where you will not see an Igbo man. But in Yoruba culture, careful, careful; what is careful, man dies only once,” he said.
He encouraged the congregation, especially the youth, to cast off fear and embrace courage as a pathway to overcoming limitations and achieving success in life.
Reacting to the cleric’s comment in an interview, Ojanuni said the pastor was right, adding that Yoruba forefathers did well when it came to speaking for the betterment of the country.
The Afenifere youth leader claimed that Yoruba people were afraid to come forward and openly express what they want.
He said, “If Yoruba people in Nigeria were as bold or courageous as those clamouring for a Yoruba nation in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, we would have got Yoruba nation. Why is it that we in Nigeria cannot do the same? A Yoruba adage says, ‘A man should be found in a courageous position.’
Ojajuni also backed Pastor Bolaji’s claim about the fearlessness of the Igbo people, adding that the Yoruba often betray themselves.
He said, “If you look at the Igbos, 60 per cent of them are with Nnamdi Kanu and their leaders. This is because they want Biafra. The Yorubas should come out too. The monarchs, who are the custodians of Yoruba tradition, should come out and talk at the roundtable to discuss whether the current system is working for the Yoruba or not.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos-based cleric has faced criticism over his remarks, which some have perceived as disparaging to the Yoruba race.
An X user, @temmyt007, asked if the pastor was preaching from a pulpit.
She posted, “Excessive desperation to make money and the love of money is the reason for most of our societal ills these days, including money rituals.
“As much as it is good to be fearless, the scenario above shouldn’t be used to teach fearlessness.”
Another X user, @abiaeme68581, said, “So sad that this is coming from a supposed pastor… This is one of the people who contributed to damaging Nigeria.”
