Agbekoya

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Agbekoya
Date 1968–1969 Location Oyo State, Nigeria Result Uprising crushed
Belligerents
Nigeria	Yoruba peasant farmers
Commanders and leaders
Obafemi Awolowo	Mustapha Okikirungbo Tafa Popoola Adeniyi Eda Adeagbo Kobiowo Rafiu Isola Mudasiru Adeniran

The Agbekoya Parapo Revolt of 1968–1969, popularly known as Agbekoya or the Egbe Agbekoya Revolt, was a peasant revolt in Nigeria's former Western region, home to the majority of the country's Yoruba population. The war was fought and won against the Federal government of Nigeria by the Ibadan people of present Oyo State, on behalf of all Yoruba Land. It was spearheaded by two villages in Ibadan: the Akaran and the Akufo village. It is the most well known peasant-driven

Members of the loose farming guilds that eventually coalesced into Agbekoya first developed more militant tactics during an epidemic of swollen-shoot disease on cocoa plantations during the 1950s. Calling themselves the Maiyegun (or 'Life Abundance') League, they resisted attempts by government representatives to destroy affected trees on the premise that farmers could not afford to lose their crops without compensation. Several violent clashes occurred before the matter was settled in favor of the league. As the local depots became institutions in the economic life of average farmers, the organization and many other peasants continued to complain about other issues they found unjust

The primary problems the farmers had were the arbitrary standards used for examination, which meant that significant amounts of harvested cocoa were discarded as unfit for sale; and the low prices they received for the accepted produce that reached the marketplace. The farmers complained about the neglected infrastructure of roads they had to travel to reach the depots. Moreover, they were also asked to pay a flat tax, a hefty imposition during times of economic uncertainty.

The Revolt

Military rule descended on the political scene as a result of the perceived failures of the previous administration by many, including the peasants. Some political elites were soon left from government participation. Also, a few university-educated citizens began to emerge as a result of the education policies of the region in the 1950s. The combination of these elites, mixed with a much more sophisticated leadership among Agbękoya Parapo, created a juxtaposition of sort and a stronger political movement was born.^[2] The Agbękoya leaders of the time were Mustapha Okikirungbo, Tafa Popoola, Adeniyi Eda, Adeagbo Kobiowo, Rafiu Isola and Mudasiru Adeniran. The leaders decided to set an organizational target as follows:

• The removal of local government officials pillaging their villages
• The removal of some Baales
• A reduction of the flat Tax rate from $8
• An end to the use of force in tax collection
• An increase in the prices of cocoa
• An improvement of the roads leading to many villages

To curtail further violence, the government employed the use of force and violence to quell the uprising and arrested some of the Agbękoya leaders.^[2] However, farmers took to violent reprisals on government structures, and as a result, many officials were killed. The Agbękoya era consumed the Western Nigerian political landscape at the same time that the nation was pursuing civil war against Nigeria's Eastern Region in the Biafran War. As a method of protest against the military government, the Agbękoya attacked major symbols of state power like court houses and government building, setting free thousands of prisoners alongside their jailed members. However, the release of Chief Obafemi Awolowo helped to quell the riots, as he negotiated directly with the movement's leaders.^[2]

Aftermath

The aftermath of the riots resulted in the removal of local government official administering the villages, removal of Baales, reduction in flat tax rate, end of the use of force for tax removal, increase in price of cocoa and the improving of roads leading to the villages. The government at the time agreed to these concessions.^[4] The riots in the long run was seen as possessing distinctive characteristics which differentiated from earlier riots. The primary reasons for the riots came from the rise of agrarian populism. The widely dispersed geographical nature occurred at almost simultaneously. This manifestation of riot was viewed as an overtly class based manifestation .^[5]

References