Oyo kingdom perfected use of DNA before western civilization — Alaafin reveals.

 

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba (Dr.) Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, has revealed that the ancient kingdom perfected and practiced the use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) before the western civilization and as far as the 18 BC. Furthermore, Oba Adeyemi said Oyo people were the first to practice the cabinet or parliamentary system of government which they did before it was introduced in the United Kingdom with the Alaafin as the administrative arrowhead of the cabinet system of government and administrative offices in Yoruba land and whose influence and control was widespread beyond the boundaries of the old Oyo Empire. To underscore the contributions of Oyo to global civilization from the earliest time, the Oyo prime monarch told the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC) delegation which had paid a courtesy visit to his palace in Oyo Town on Wednesday, August 5, that instead of the cumbersome process of modern medical laboratory verification process, the people of ancient Oyo had trained their animals to identify people’s DNA strand such that paternity disputes were easily resolved. The use of DNA was a phenomenon that was well practiced in ancient Oyo Empire. The Oyo people had devised the use of DNA as early as 18 BC. The people had perfected the use of DNA before western civilization. My predecessors of ancient Oyo had domesticated wild animals like cheetahs, leopards and lions. These animals were trained to identify blood’s genes to determine the paternity of a child in case of dispute and so on. Instead of the cumbersome process of verifying blood samples in the laboratory, people of ancient Oyo had trained their animals to identify people’s DNA strand. Consequently, paternity disputes were easily resolved and crimes and criminals were effortlessly detected,” the Alaafin revealed.

Continuing, Oba Adeyemi informed the CBAAC delegation on his efforts to preserve the ancient palace which he inherited from his forefathers. According to him, the palace was designed and built by craftsmen of ancient Oyo kingdom, adding further that ‘the survival of these monuments is clear testimonies of intellectual sagacity and creative ingenuity of his ancient Oyo people. The monarch, therefore, pledged to assist the Centre in realizing its mandate. Remarking earlier, the Director General of CBAAC, Sir Ferdinand Anikwe, who led the CBAAC delegation, explained the work and purpose of the centre, saying that it was founded to propagate and champion the preservation of the cultural heritage of Black and African nations, showcasing same to the world. Sir Anikwe also used the occasion of the visit to solicit the support of the Oyo monarch being the patriarch of the Yoruba race with a view to collaborating with the centre in the advocacy of traditional culture and by extension, boosting its international conferences and other programmes. The CBAAC boss further sought the assistance of Oba Adeyemi in influencing other traditional monarchs to partner with the centre in the project of realizing African Cultural renaissance. I also wish to buttress the pivotal roles of the royal majesties in the reawakening of African culture to the world noting that as custodians of the people’s heritage, they are important stakeholders in the preservation and propagation of African Culture,” Sir Anikwe stressed. The courtesy visit to the Oyo Kingdom monarch is a follow-up to the expressed desire of the Centre’s Management team under the leadership of the Director-General, Sir Ferdinand Ikechukwu Anikwe, to court the support of the royal personages across Nigeria for the Centre’s programmes.The Centre’s delegation was received by Dr. Paula Gomes, the Cultural Ambassador to the Alaafin, who subsequently, led the delegation to the Alaafin’s ancient court.