Renowned historian and Pro-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Professor Siyan Oyeweso, has cautioned institutional leaders across Nigeria against allowing religion to erode indigenous culture and traditions.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the Siyan Oyeweso Cultural Day held at Fountain University, Osogbo, on Wednesday, the academic emphasized that culture forms the foundation of all religions and must be preserved by adherents of every faith.
Oyeweso, who noted he has extensively documented the history of Islam in Yorubaland more than many Islamic scholars, stressed that safeguarding Yoruba and other African cultures is key to protecting native languages.
“A language dies when its last speaker passes,” he warned, urging educational leaders to uphold Yoruba language and culture. He lamented the erosion of traditional values, once promoted through the works of Yoruba literary figures like D. O. Fagunwa and J. F. Odunjo, attributing rising social ills such as kidnapping, internet fraud, and drug abuse to the loss of those moral teachings.
“Our family systems must return to valuing hard work and discipline,” he said. “Some parents even enable criminality under the guise of success.”
He further noted that Yoruba culture has long integrated religion, particularly Islam. “You’ll find that in every Yoruba town, the king’s palace is typically located near a market and a mosque. The central mosque in Ile-Ife was established in 1903, highlighting the deep historical coexistence of Islam and Yoruba monarchy.”
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Fountain University, Professor Ramota Kareem, said the event’s theme “Preserving Heritage, Celebrating Identity: The Interplay of Islam and Culture in Our Shared Tradition” was chosen to highlight the importance of culture in community and education.
She urged scholars and institutions to respect and promote the culture of their host communities, stressing that cultural identity is essential for societal cohesion and self-awareness.
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