ELITISM IN PRE-COLONIAL AKOKO SOCIETY: ITS
DISORIENTATION FROM SOCIO-CULTURAL VALUE IN
CONTEMPORARY AKOKO
by Prof. Olusanya Faboyede
Socio-cultural values (Omoluka) had contributed significantly to the indigenous
system of administration and integration in Akoko community. In Akoko’s past, the
concept of Omoluka (a person of integrity or uprightness) was a phenomenon which the
people of Akokoland considered before the selection or appointment of any political
leaders. Thus, Omoluka, an identity of uprightness in Akoko community, showcased the
ethos and ideas of the Akoko people. In view of its efficacy in governance and
significance in the sustenance of inter-group relations among the Akoko communities
during the pre-colonial period, this paper has deemed it worthy of study as a result of the
centrality and relevance of Omoluka in contemporary Akokoland. However, Omoluka, a
socio-cultural phenomenon, in Akokoland has faded away as a factor of promoting unity
and peaceful co-existence in Akoko region. Today, it is no longer considered as the norm
and value (guiding principle) of the Akoko society, as it was in the past. Thus, this paper,
therefore intends to address and underscore the threat posed by its rejection on the growth
of Akokoland. The paper is situated on historical analysis of data as a framework and the
concepts of the etymology of Akoko and Omoluka shall be examined.
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