The pan-Yoruba cultural and political group, Afenifere, has poured glowing tributes on President Bola Tinubu and Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, describing them as distinguished sons of Odùduwa and proud symbols of Yorùbá heritage across the globe.
In a statement released in Akure by its National Organising Secretary, Otunba Kole Omololu, the group said both men represent the very best of Yorùbá values humility, wisdom, respect for elders, and devotion to culture.
Afenifere pointed to a recent heartwarming scene in Brazil, where President Tinubu stood up from his seat at a state banquet to honour Professor Soyinka, addressing him affectionately as ẹ̀gbọ́n (elder brother). The group described the gesture as “simple yet deeply moving,” saying it reflected the essence of Yorùbá culture, where true leadership bows to age and wisdom.
The organisation also recalled the historic 1987 meeting between the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro, a moment it described as a symbolic reunion between Yorùbá land and its descendants scattered across the Americas.
“From Brazil to Cuba, Haiti to Jamaica, our culture is alive,” Afenifere noted, “kept breathing through traditions like Candomblé, Santería, Vodou, and Orisha worship. Words like àṣẹ, adúrà, oríkì, and Ọlọ́run are still spoken every day, centuries after the transatlantic dispersal. This is the eternal spirit of the Yorùbá people.”
The group said it takes pride in celebrating President Tinubu and Professor Soyinka not just as leaders, but as living testaments to the resilience and dignity of the Yorùbá nation.
