Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was furious on Friday as he ordered the traditional rulers at a function to stand up to honour the governor of the state.
Obasanjo was angry that the monarchs failed to honour the governor when he mounted the podium to speak which, according to him, was a failure to promite the culture of Yorubaland.
It was at the opening of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology College of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources in Iseyin, Oyo State.
Obasanjo was the guest of Governor Seyi Makinde, with the assignment to commission the new Oyo-Iseyin Road, which the government rebuilt.
The ex-president tongue-lashed the kings to always respect the serving and past political office holders by standing to welcome them at functions.
He asked them to accord such respect to governors and presidents and subsequently ordered them to stand and like obedient pupils will respond to their headmaster, all the Kings stood up in all their regalia.
He said in Yoruba: “I greet the kings and chiefs here sitting; I am grateful that you are here but let me say this: wherever the president or governor is, the kings present must stand up to honor him. Now, stand up….. sit down.
“In Yoruba land, there are two things that are most cherished among others – age and position. When a governor is still in power, he’s more powerful than any king. When he is no longer the governor, the power is no more there. Even when I served as president, I was prostrating to greet King. But when we were in the closet, king prostrated for me.
“So, this is an appeal to us to promote our culture.”
