The Yoruba News

A publication of The Alliance of Yoruba Organizations & Clubs, USA

Yoruba Alliance Scholarship Fund

By: A Special Correspondent

The Yoruba Alliance Scholarship Fund is one of the eight cardinal programs of the Yoruba Alliance for the Year 2000 (Y2K), as well articulated by Mr. Zac Shodiya, the Chairman, in his inaugural address on February 12, 2000.  The other seven programs are:   

1)  The Yoruba Community Prayer Day 

2)  Yoruba Festival (Family & Children Picnic)

3)  Yoruba Alliance Night (Yoruba Award for Community Service)

4)  Maintaining our communication channels, the website, the Newsletter, and the Press Release in Nigeria

5)  Yoruba Investment Corporation (exploratory committee for Yoruba House)

6)  The National Outreach Program / Community Involvement (to reach out beyond Washington Metro Area), and

7)  Yoruba Youth Day Celebration — Creation of database/ Awards. 

Being a cardinal program for the Y2K, the Yoruba Alliance Scholarship Fund is a task that must be done, ought to be done and, God willing, WILL be done.  In the traditional role of a rich and deep commitment to Yoruba causes and culture, the Alliance of Yoruba Organizations and Clubs, USA has dedicated itself to launching a Scholarship Fund to assist young Yoruba adults who have just been offered admission to, or who are currently enrolled in an institution of higher learning in Nigeria.  A Ten Thousand Naira ( 10,000) scholarship will be awarded to several students each year.  The scholarship money will be paid directly to the school on the recipient’s behalf. 

To this end, the Yoruba Alliance issued a press release published in Nigerian Newspapers on June 18, 2000. The press release, in addition to statements of congratulations to President Olusegun Obasanjo on the first anniversary of the new democratic dispensation, as well as a statement reaffirming the historical fact that Moslems and Christians are brothers and sisters, being descendants of Ishmael and Isaac (both sons of Abraham), also included the following: 

“We are inviting all post-secondary Yoruba students to take advantage of this opportunity (that is, the scholarship fund) by sending: two passport size pictures, a letter of admission from your school (if you are already in school, send a copy of your last report card), a letter stating your place of origin in Yorubaland and why this scholarship should be given to you.  Also, send a resume or biography with a half page written pledge of how you intend to make positive contributions to Yoruba land in particular, and to Nigeria in general, when you graduate from school.”

Since the press release was published, the Yoruba Alliance mail boxes (both e-mail and snail-mail) have been deluged with responses from interested students in Nigeria, according to Mr. Martin Akindana, the Secretary-General of the Yoruba Alliance.  It should be noted that since the Yoruba Alliance is made up of organizations and clubs, all the awards would be distributed evenly from the places of origin of all the member organizations. 

No deadline has been set yet for receipt of applications.  But, like everything else in life, there is a time for everything.  Hence, there has to, and will be an end-point to the process.  So, all interested Nigerians of Yoruba origin, or those who have relatives and friends in Nigeria who might be interested, should hurry to inform them of this opportunity and encourage them to send in their applications as soon as possible. 

For more information on this matter, please visit the Yoruba Alliance web site at www.yorubaalliance.org or write to: The Alliance of Yoruba Organizations & Clubs, P.O. Box 41395, Washington, D.C. 20018, USA.

YORUBA FESTIVAL 2000 – Getting bigger and better every year!

The much anticipated Yoruba Festival 2000 is here. This event, sponsored by the Alliance of Yoruba Organizations and Clubs, has become the right of passage of summer for our community for the past four or five years, and has drawn visitors from all over North America, Canada, the Caribbean and the motherland - Africa.  To better serve your needs, Year 2000 festival is taking place at the P.G. Community College, Largo, Maryland on Saturday, July 22, 2000, from 12 noon till 5:00pm. 

As usual, the festival will feature African cuisine, delicatessen, music, arts, crafts, and culture.  Also, featured are our Nigerian and African-American businesses.  Among the special features are: egungun, eyo, agere, igunnu, and a tantalizing cultural performance by none other than our Yoruba Youths, to name a few of the cultural events that await you at this gathering. Music will be provided by an array of Nigerian artists by the likes of Lagos Fuji, Sanmi Agagu, Foli Peperempe, and of course the DJ is Ogami Entertainment.  Sports activities and games include, but not limited to volleyball, soccer, tug-of-war, etc. 

As an added benefit for attending this year’s festival, we have many area hospitals, such as NIH, Howard University Hospital, just to name a few, coming to perform Health Screening.  There will be a host of medical personnel at this event dispensing FREE health screening.  You can have your blood pressure, cholestrol, and sickle-cell checked for free. 

Why not join us in making this year’s festival the very best ever. We are looking forward to having you and your family meet your neighbors, colleagues, and or perhaps, meet that long lost friend.  Join us as we celebrate our first Festival of the new millennium. Come prepared to have fun!  Drive safely and see you there.  

Prayer Day 2000, An Intimidating Success

With even more success, the Yoruba Alliance has pulled off another Yoruba Prayer Day. Bringing all the different religious clergy under one roof for a day of prayer was easier said than done. All the members of the 2000 Yoruba Community Prayer Day definitely deserve our kudos. 

The Yoruba Community Prayer Day 2000 brought our comfort level of success to the maximum. If there is a test by which a new chairman can measure how much his administration will achieve, Chairman Shodiya has proven his legitimacy with a resounding success. He got the job after two years in which the former chairman, Franklin Akinkoye led the Alliance to a become a financially respectable organization. Mr. Shodiya came to office with an impressive resume of public service to the Yoruba community.  He served Egba-Egbado and the Alliance in various official capacities. These experiences have prepared him to lead this organization with ease.  

Armed with powerful name recognition within the Alliance family, Chairman Shodiya led the Prayer Day Committee to a superb performance. The audience doubled that of the 1998 prayer day. The Yoruba Alliance also raised more money than the previous one, enough to cover all expenses. As a result of money raised at this function, we had the opportunity to pay for a press release in Nigeria to support our message of religious tolerance and Yoruba unity that we have been preaching locally in this area. 

We were pleased to have an array of distinguished religious leaders of all denominations. They came prepared and they gave our audience a much-needed hope for peace and unity within Nigeria. 

Rev. (Dr.) Frederick Ogunfiditimi, founder and pastor of the International House of Prayer for all people, led the Christian coalition to the event.  He brought out several commonalities between both Islam and Christianity and reminded the people in the audience of how many years through the generations that many Nigerians have lived happily in Bi - religious homes without rancor or any religious agitation. On the other hand, Alhaji Sheik Juma Yusuf Olaleye, the Missioner General of the Nigerian Muslim Council in the United States came with an overwhelming number of people of the Muslim faith. He gave a fifteen minute prepared address in which he dispelled the common rage often associated with people of Islamic faith. He emphasized the importance of both religions’ freedoms to teach and preach the word of God as prescribed in their respective Holy books. Other clergy representing different faiths and houses of worship lectured and pleaded with our guests to have an open heart and try to love one another regardless of their religious affiliation. They issued a collective challenge to everyone present to go to our individual communities and start to put in practice some of the sermons and words of encouragement we heard. Speaker after speaker reminded us that we are our brother’s keeper, and do onto others as you wish them do on to you.     

One must not forget the interesting lecture that Dr. Olarinde gave on how the Yoruba culture always respected differences in people, be it religion or otherwise. He enumerated the similar characteristics of both religions and how they have helped and held our community together for many years. He warned against a suspicious attempt by the remnant of the military power that might be using this as a hiding agenda to return to power. Dr. Olarinde, the chairman of Ogbomoso Parapo was also there two years ago, and gave the same inspirational messages that brightened our hope for a promising future for the Yoruba community everywhere.  Other religious and community leaders present include, Rev. Cline-Smythe, Alhaji Boonyamin Ojuolape, Alhaji Mudashiru Yayah, Rev. Joel Ojelade, Alhaji Lere Afinnih, Snr. Evang. Bunmi Martins, Alhaji Basheer Komolafe, Rev. Bunmi Fakeye, and Pastor E.O. Baiyewu. 

The Alliance wishes to take this opportunity to thank those in our community who came out to support our message of unity and religious tolerance not only within the Yoruba community, but also in Nigeria as a whole. It is our prayer that by the same time next year, we will be back to give testimony and thanks to God that all our prayers have been answered one more time.

Pictures of the Prayer Day