KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED ON THE 19TH OF NOV.2021 BY AARE DR KOLA OYEFESO @ THE SUMMIT ORGANIZED BY THE WHITE CHAMBERS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROMOTING SYNERGY AMONG THE INDIGENES OF ODE-REMO,IRAYE,EPOSO, OGUNMOGBO AND AREE COMMUNITIES IN REMO NORTH OF OGUN

KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED ON THE 19TH OF NOV.2021 BY AARE DR KOLA OYEFESO @ THE SUMMIT ORGANIZED BY THE WHITE CHAMBERS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROMOTING SYNERGY AMONG THE INDIGENES OF ODE-REMO,IRAYE,EPOSO, OGUNMOGBO AND AREE COMMUNITIES IN REMO NORTH OF OGUN

Protocol:

KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED ON THE 19TH OF NOV.2021 BY AARE DR KOLA OYEFESO @ THE SUMMIT ORGANIZED BY THE WHITE CHAMBERS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROMOTING SYNERGY AMONG THE INDIGENES OF ODE-REMO,IRAYE,EPOSO, OGUNMOGBO AND AREE COMMUNITIES IN REMO NORTH OF OGUN STATE
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Titled: The Essence of Unity & Service

I feel very petit to be called upon among the dignified men and women personalizing our Communities, made up of Ode-Remo, Iraye, Eposo, Ogunmogbo and Aree, to deliver this keynote address at this Summit, aimed at creating symbiotic relationship among Indigenes of our Native-Land, for the chief purpose of advancing the cause of our Native-Land and the Indigenes alike.

As we are well aware, a keynote address is always targeted at whetting appetite, as well as setting the tone for the Theme of this Summit. I will attempt not to do too badly with this assignment, cognizant of the fact that we have many eminent personalities within our Communities that could perform this task better. I therefore wish to apologize ab initio for any shortcomings.

Before proceeding, I feel obligated to primarily acknowledge our Royal Fathers and indeed the Forebears of these Communities of ours, I say Bravo to them for their unrelenting efforts to better the lot of our Native-Land and pray posterity to reward them all in the fullness of time.

By the same token, I must appreciate the Elders in our Communities both of blessed memory and those still living, for laying the solid foundation of service, which generations after them are building upon. Members of the White Chambers that put this summit together deserve our commendation for the feat of coming up with this Summit in the nick of time. These young and budding stars of our Communities, shall by God's grace go places and surpass the achievements of the forebears.

There is a Yoruba parlance that says: Orisha ti a ba nbo ti a ko fi han omode orisha na ko ni pe parun. The English idiom puts it differently that, success without a successor is no success. In fact it is a failure. This explains how elated the older generation should be, in seeing our younger generation poising with fervour and enthusiasm to be part of the success story of our Communities rightaway. Elsewhere, their peers are prone to indulging in all kinds of vices and criminalities. How lucky are we. We commend our youths greatly, as we wish them Godspeed in their individual endeavors and the collective drive to advance the cause of our Native-Land.

Going forward on the theme of this Summit, I hasten to say: As all encompassing as the theme-Social-Political-Economic of our Native-Land, yesterday, today and the future chosen for this Summit may seem, I have titled this keynote address “THE ESSENCE OF UNITY & SERVICE for effects. This is having regard to the fact that without basic understanding of life particularly, our relationship with one another, whatever we discuss will amount to what is known in computer science as GIGO. That is, garbage in garbage out. It will barely rub off and as soon as we depart this hall, the first gusty wind we blow whatever we have discussed away, and we would climb back unto the usual platform of discord or disaffection for each other, simply because we are failing in the discernment of our common pedigree.

We certainly need the understanding of our ancestral bond otherwise regarded as the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Mankind, for us to view life and the world in the right perspective. That is, as one Big Family Unit. Understanding strikes at the fundamentals of life itself. To make this Summit worth the while, it is deemed imperative that we at the outset aim at the fundamentals of everything. That is, the basis of our interpersonal relationship. That which is basic of course is UNDERSTANDING. The absence of it is the cause of all misconceptions, prejudices, lack of fellow-feeling and all other vices. Once we come to terms with this cause, all its effects would be taken care of easily.

The scripture has a couple of chapters and verses that hinged on this matter of UNDERSTANDING. In Hosea 4 vs 6, I quote: My people perished for lack of knowledge. To assist us towards knowledge, the Bible told us in Proverbs 4 vs 7: Wisdom is the principal thing, get wisdom. In all thy getting get understanding.

In all we do in life, understanding is very critical, in fact it is the sine-qua-non for peaceful coexistence. Without understanding life will lack balance. True understanding comes to man either as a gift of the garb or by true learning. True learning is certainly far beyond the exoteric. It is intrinsic in the esoteric. When we arrive the world, we are at liberty to devote our faculty to embracing a career in medicine, art, law, science, humanity and other teachings available in the externalities, or in matters divine. Luckier are those who devote time on the external science and more in matters divine. The former is dependent on the latter, but the latter is a standalone. In reality, the purpose of human life is none other than to through understanding realize his True- Self, through esoteric practice. This is a matter for another forum.

I intend to make it unambiguous in this address that at the root of life's challenges, bickering, war among Brothers, Communities, Nations and what have you, is lack of understanding of our common Heritage. Once will understand that we are all of the same stock and fathered by one Father-God, everything will fall in place. All rat race and disunity will die of attrition instanter.

Apologies that I may be quoting from the Bible copiously. My background was partially Muslim and at infancy, I was coerced to substantially memorize Quran, which up till late 40s and even 50s was only available in Arabic foreign language. That absurdity to a large extent obliterated the attraction. When I later had the privilege of reading the English version of the Quran, it was too late for impact, although there appears to be very little disparity if at all, between Islamic and Christianity, both of which came from the Middle East, from the same paternity, but of different maternities of Isaac and Ismael. This is yet a matter for another day.

Ergo: For correlation on our identical pedigree, in 1 John 1- 4, I quote: In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God at the beginning and the Word was God, all things were made by the Word and without the Word was not anything made that was made.

The import of this chapter is that every human being, indeed everything both sentient and insentient is a projection of one Source- the Word of God, God's Creative Energy. It creates, sustains the creation and only through which Word, can we return to the Creator. The clear deduction from this scenario is that, we are all of common pedigree and drops of the same Ocean.

One of the illusions we practice against ourselves is our fabled distinctness which we are magnifying instead of playing up our identical Fatherhood because in the real sense of it,we are inseparable from one another. We should just give a thought to it, if the Ocean from where we descended from has no clan, color, ethnicity and other things we are using to create dichotomy for us, how can we truly have any differential in the real sense of it. In the same manner, rays of the same Sun will always retain the same identity.

Because of our one and same genealogy, we were all gods in embryos before the Creation and we shall all become God again whenever the Master Puppeteer- the Supreme Lord decides to stop His play, that we have come to know as the earthly field in the creation. This is for the fact that nothing cannot give rise to something. It is an irony that we know of the vehicle housing our soul which is the human body, but our souls which are of Divinity and deathless, we are barely aware of it. Hardly have we bothered to even read it's manual.

It is through our souls that we are related to one another and it is this soul that bonds us to each other and by extension to God. For correlation, I quote Jesus again when he said in Matthew 25 vs 35-40 culled here to wit: When I was hungry you fed me, when I was naked you clothed me and when I was in prison you visited me...... When asked when did all these happen, Christ said, when you do these to fellow beings you are doing it to me and by extension to God, Who lives in every being without exception.

In effect, the love, lust, that we practice, the hatred, the mudslinging, malice, backbiting and simple things such as raining of abuse, of expletives or curse on each other, will reverberate to the Court of the Lord and we must account for it on the day of reckoning, when we would be made to account for every word uttered, breath taken and mussels swallowed because nothing is free. Not even in Freetown. Indeed every cause has its corresponding effect. Christ said in Galatians 6 vs 7 on quote: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever a man soweth, that shall he reapeth also. Isaac Newton defines this same law of sowing and reaping as the law of cause and effect. Plainly, everything we send out we return to us in equal measure. This same principle is regarded as the inviolable karmic law, the law of retribution. It works in exactitude in a manner a farmer can not repudiate the crops of what he has planted.

That nothing is free takes me to the other vital segment of this address ie. The Essence of Service.

Before dwelling on the issue of Service, it might be appropriate to commence with the poser: Why should we serve our Native-Land or render help to one another? The answer to this poser will make the essence of service devoid of any ambiguity, I want to assume.

Service itself is a creation of the Creator, Whom we refer to by several names such as God, Allah, Olorun, Chineke, Abasi and all that. The entire creation is sustained by service right from the Creator who has created this world and is keeping it running with His creative Energy that is known as the Word in the Bible and Kalam-I-Lai or Kun in the Quran. The same Word is referred to as Ohun or Oro in Ifa divination. For lack of understanding, we doltishly reduced God to the level of man with the thought that God created the world within six days and rested on the 7th day.

In contra-distinction, the Adepts pooh-poohed such notion and maintained that, if God were to rest or withdraw the Word of His from the creation even for a split second, the entire creation will go into instant dissolution. Albeit: We are not here for Bible or Quranic lesson. Two things we have the advice of the Sages not to engage anyone on. They are Religion and Politics. The third that is trying to join the fray is Football. People are accordingly enjoined to stick with what gives them comfort zone. This is for the fact that salvation is not a Universal thing, for many are called but few are chosen.

God is brought into this matter only for the purpose of emphasizing the fact that, even the Creator renders Mankind and indeed the Creation endless service.

It is taught that we have all descended into the earthly field for us to rise above human frailties and be perfect as our Father, Who is in Heaven. If this is incontestably so, it underscores how we-human beings should also render services tirelessly as our Heavenly Father does, anytime the opportunity presents itself, as long as we have the boon of Life.

To underpin the essence of service Iam quoting Jesus in John 9 vs 4 to wit:

I must work the work of Him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no one can work.

That was Jesus emphasizing the essence of service particularly while it is day. That is, while we are still living, once we shed the mortal coil, the night has cometh for our body, we can neither serve God nor fellow beings again. Whatever service we want to render God, or help we want to render our Communities or fellow beings is only possible while we are alive, but the moment the bedspread is rolled over us by the Doctor to signal it is over for us in this world, we have become useless to render service either to God or to Mankind.

The composition of man, made service a sine qua non. We have all arrived unto the world naked, but with better brain to be able to fashion tools to tame or subdue the wildest of animals, coupled with manipulative hands and wrists to till the soil for our food. We might say the animals are not so challenged, in the manner they came to the world with their skin made for all seasons and weather, and weeds handy as food. In effect, man is born to serve and not to vegetate.

Apart from the sense of fulfillment derived from service, service actually humbles he who serves. It is the antidote for the I’ness of man, as it eliminates the ego. Service earns for us a shift of orientation from me-orientation to we-orientation with its attendant togetherness. When we serve we have to do it selflessly. This helps us to view people and situations with an eye for what we can offer and not vice versa. That is, from the perspective of consumption to that of contribution.

Thus: anytime we practice even the smallest act of service to the other person, to our communities, and neighbors, backed with a plain heart that says: Let me be of service to Mankind, we are by so doing uprooting our deeply embedded habit of self-centeredness. We are really practicing Love.

Love is what counts in the Court of the Lord. This is largely engendered by the service we render to humanity as service is an integral part of Love. Love to humanity is Love to He who has created them, for we are all part and parcel of an indivisible Whole, without a beginning nor an end.

Meanwhile, the little I have said so far should suffice as a plausible reason for us to render endless service, as we remind ourselves there is no difference between the picture of a man hung on the wall, and someone who refuses to serve. They are both useless. When we serve we are actually being responsible and trying to make our environment better than we met it. Service ultimately comes with a sense of fulfillment that one has paid his dues.

Muhammad Ali can not be faulted when he said service to others is the rent that we pay for our rooms here on earth. If one doesn't render service how does he pay or reciprocate all the gestures of nature. Such person of course carries a heavy burden of karma for merely descending unto the world, to eat, drink, procreate and then die just like the beasts of the lower species. What a wasted life. Such is better not born or arrived the world as a stillbirth.

I have gone into all these rhetorics to underscore the essence of service and to commend those serving our community especially our Kabiyesis, the Elders, Men and Women contributing to the growth of our Native-Land and of course our up and coming youth. To serve diligently, we must be ready to wear blinkers and shun the scorn of those who may be thinking we are wasting time by serving our Communities. We should serve continually and steadfastly, encouraged with the statement of Stephen Grellet to wit:

I shall pass this place but once: any good that I can do or any kindness I can show any human being; let me do it now, let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

By serving our Communities and assisting one another, we will be able to hold our heads high and fit into what is written in Proverb 22 vs 29.

“SEEST THOU A MAN DILIGENT IN HIS DEEDS, HE WILL STAND BEFORE KINGS AND NOT BEFORE MEAN MEN”

This keynote address will be deemed inadequate if it fails to devote few paragraphs to the theme of this Submit which is Social- Economic- Political Development of our Native-Land, yesterday, today and the future. I want to believe what has been discussed so far would have prepared us to make the Theme of this Summit an easy sell.

THE PAST
No question about it, we seemed to fare better in the past. We had the Customary Court, where other neighbouring towns came for all kinds of adjudications. We had the Headquarters of our Local Government within our land, but someone who had died before his real death unilaterally moved it away. We also had a full fledge Bank which was moved away because we left its security to the Bank.

Although it serves no real purpose crying over spilt milk, much as it is also considered as preposterous fretting over a past that can not be relived, recalling the past is however necessary to guide against it's pitfalls. All the past losses can be situated with due respect, at the altar of discordance on the part of our Indigenes and essentially on the apathy with which we view politics. These shortcomings ostensibly gave rise to this Summit.

PRESENT
As of date, we can't say we have really fared too badly among contemporary Communities given some of the modest achievements we flaunt, such as the Town Hall, our Palaces, the Post Office, the Nipost Microfinance Bank which beggars our patronage, a World Class Armored Vehicle Industry, a tottering pioneer Transformer Company among others such as Plank Industries, Ultra modern Poultry farm, the Trailer Parks, Petrol Stations, Hotels, and to crown it all, a full fledge Divisional Police Station. All these came to be despite our seeming shortchange in the political tuff.

THE FUTURE
To periscope the future is to remind ourselves that life is compared to a winding mountain stream, with plenty of curves and bends and no place to stand and stare to examine ground already covered. To do so is to be pushed aside or overtaken by well focused fellow sojourners, and in our case, contemporary Communities. We therefore need a resetting in our various organs of development. The two that readily come to mind are our Development Councils and our Politics.


While we salute and give kudos to the forebears of our Development Councils for their initiatives and landmark achievements, in this modern era, we need to rejig their operations and make them do more and beyond the yearly social and cultural events. As the name development implies, they must be at the forefront of all developmental activities, while promoting the interests of our Indigenes, to the extent of securing our Communities, sourcing for employment and empowering our Youths and market women and artisans alike.

To achieve the set goals in their Constitutions particularly, to bring to an end the current trend of operating in silos in the manner we are going about our activities, the Development Councils require capacity in terms of getting our first eleven to occupy positions, with well structured funding strategy, which in the main is monthly or yearly royalty from our various Industries, coupled with endowment from Clubs, Associations and high networth individuals. These two sine qua non on capacity which are for now missing would require serious brainstorming for a way out. We wouldn't expect to achieve them within the few period we have to spend here.



It is therefore considered ideal that we set up a Committee to look into this and recommend decisive measures. The consequences of failure to rise to the occasion promptly are too many to be enumerated. Our Community will (God forbid) witness haphazard development, all our township roads will be damaged beyond repairs by the unchecked activities of heavy vehicles plying those our roads that were not constructed for heavy loads, and nothing being collected to maintain those roads from time to time. Worse still, if we fail in our development programs to care for the urchins that are on the rise daily, they will sooner or later make our Communities inhabitable. It is considered very perilous to leave their affairs to Government whose Political functionaries use them only during campaign and throw them away like bad pennies immediately after.

The other aspect we need to advert our minds to is in the political arena. This is considered necessary because of the awkward nature of the kind of politics being played at this side of the divide, which makes politicians in power to determine which Community gets what, contrary to even development that is the norm in civilized societies the world over.

If we leave politics to the dregs of the society the result would be obvious as stated in Matthew 7 vs 17-18 that: A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. We need to mentor our educated youths to join politics, with a view to exchanging leadership battle with them. Further to this, we must strive to speak with one voice in any of the political parties we are in.

Unhealthy rivalry and ego of not according leadership to the deserving appear to be the cause of a couple of the setbacks our Native-Land had experienced in the political arena. As long as we refuse to concede Leadership to the deserving person and file behind such, we will continue to lose out to those that appear wiser by placing the interest of their towns- Nay their Native-Land above selfish interest.

Above all, the axiom: United we stand divided we fall is still a reality and shall ever be. This is a serious food for thought for our political leaders and gladiators, as well as all the Indigenes home and abroad of our Native-Land. The maxim is Verbum Sapient Est.

I crave indulgence to drop a paragraph to our budding youths and particularly, those feeling the world owes them a living, in the manner they want to be dependent on others. Dependence is karmic, while independence is bliss. He who has created us did not create us to live off others, not even on Government.

Worse still, our Youths are seeking non-existent white collar jobs in the process of which they pitifully roam the street. By all means, education particularly university degree is an empowerment to be able to adapt to challenges and emerging trends. It is not meant to make us subservient. We have to shake off this lethargy. Seek legitimate means of livelihood and find dignity in whatever we do. Graduates, even lawyers are now into music, into acting, catering, event planning and other legitimate means of survival. This makes their education useful unlike those seeking employments in saturated environments or survival in criminalities.

It is instructive that Jesus Christ was a carpenter and he worked in his earthly father's shop. Same with Prophet Mohammed who was a shepherd boy and later served under Kadijat that he eventually married. If earning one's means of livelihood has not always been of essence, those Godly Beings wouldn't stoop to make ends meet. The Lord loves and crowns our efforts. If there is no efforts what would the Lord crown?

The takeaway on this charge is that our Youths must persistently strive to improve their lot and if they earnestly do, they will discover that there are countless areas that they could still excel, succeed and retain their self-pride, The unchanging law remains: Perseverance will always bring it's reward.

I think I have bored you more than enough and wouldn't want to bore you the more. I will therefore for the purpose of easy deliberation be presenting the takeaways of this address as follows:

 The address acknowledged and commended our Royal Fathers viz: Alaye-Ode-Remo, Nloku of Iraye and Eleposo of Eposo, for their bonding which is cascading across their Chiefs, subjects and all residents within our Native-Land. This must be sustained at all cost please.

 The Contributions of the Elders both of blessed memory and living were also appreciated, as they serve as impetus for the generations after them to emulate.


 Members of the White Chambers were acknowledged and equally praised for the initiative of this Summit.

 The Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Mankind which explained beyond doubt our common denominator were clearly articulated.

 The significance of Understanding was articulated and it was made unambiguous that, at the root of most of our worldly challenges is nothing but lack of Understanding.

 The sine qua non of rendering service to our Communities and to each other was made crystal clear. It was made very obvious that service sustains the creation and whoever doesn't render service carries a burden of karma on him/herself.

 The cause of what appeared as lost glory of our past was brought to the fore, our present situation was x-rayed and how to take the future of our Native-Land in our hands was plainly highlighted.

 The necessity of rejigging our Development Councils was harped upon for them to be able to do beyond what they are doing at present.


 Towards this, indispensability of setting up a Committee to revitalize the operations of the Development Councils was strongly advocated, with a view to building human and financial capacities badly needed to meeting up with emerging realities.

 Our politicians were enjoined to allow the interest of our Native-Land to pale personal interest. They were also pleaded with to mentor our Youths particularly, in the political arena, with a view to having capable successors to take over from the older Politicians.

 Our budding youths were encouraged to be self-reliant. If they can't get into salary employment, they should embrace self-employment and once they are proficient at it, they will as a rule, inevitably have cause to laugh last in the long run.

On this note I want to thank the audience for the patience and the privilege offered me to render this service. Heartfelt appreciation goes to all who have been at our beck and call in donating to all our development activities. Standing tall head and shoulders among them are our Kabiyesis whom against the grain have always been the first to donate.

It is quite impossible to list out all our donors and those involved with advancing the cause of our Native-Land. I thank them all and supplicate the Good Lord to recompense and bless them immeasurably.

May our Kabiyesis reign long, peacefully with unremitting developments of our Native-Land. May our Elders enjoy sound health in their twilight period, and may all our Indigenes and Youths alike prosper and outmatch the achievements of the forebears.

Long live our Native-Land viz: Ode-Lafose, Nloku Etiti, Eposo- Bagen, Ogunmogbo- Asuaga, Aree.......

I thank you all for the patience with best wishes for a rewarding Summit.



Aare Dr Kola Oyefeso FR,FGPS FISM,FQIM.
President, Kotco Group,
Balogun of Ode-Remo,
&
Aare Gbo-Gbo-Gbo of Remo-Land.

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Society