By: Chief (Dr.) Oyin Eyeku, President, Itsekiri Association of Northern California

Date: August 5, 2027

Ẹ kúrọlẹ, ẹwẹ r’ọghọ. Ọmọ Ọba. Ọmọ iwere. Ọmọ ẹyẹ t’ọn r’aya.

I do not write this letter lightly. For the past three months, our beloved association has been torn by disagreements—some about finances, some about leadership style, and some about which family’s recipe for banga soup should be served at our annual festival. What began as healthy debate has curdled into whispered insults, silent exits from meetings, and, most painfully, the departure of two founding members.

This must stop.

Let me be clear: I am not here to assign blame. As your president, I accept responsibility for allowing these divisions to fester without intervention. I should have called for a healing circle sooner. I should have listened more and spoken less. For that, I apologize—publicly and without excuse.

But let us also remind ourselves who we are. We are not strangers. We are Ọmọ Ọba—children of the same king. Our ancestors crossed the same rivers, paddled the same creeks, and built the same fishing villages along the Escravos and Forçados. In California, we are less than 200 families. We cannot afford to splinter.

Therefore, I am announcing the following actions:

A Community Healing Forum on Saturday, August 19th, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Oakland Annex. This will be facilitated by a neutral mediator from the African Diaspora Conflict Resolution Project. No agenda except listening. No decisions will be made—only wounds acknowledged.

Financial Transparency Report: By August 15th, our treasurer will publish on our website every single transaction from the past 24 months. Every dollar accounted for. No more rumors.

New Grievance Protocol: Any member who feels wronged may request a private meeting with the executive committee and two randomly selected elders. No retaliation. No public shaming.

A Communal Meal: Immediately following the Healing Forum, we will share a potluck meal. I will personally cook a large pot of banga using my late mother’s recipe—and I invite anyone who thinks theirs is better to bring their own pot. Let the soup compete, not the people.

The proverb says: “Ọkpokpọn r’ọba k’ọn ma r’eghọn, ẹkpẹn r’ọmọ Ọba l’e ta ọnọ.” (The king’s canoe does not sink; it is the quarrels of the children that tip it.) Let us stop rocking the canoe.

I love this association. I love our elders, our teenagers, our fussy toddlers, and even our most difficult members. If you have left because you were hurt, please come back. If you have stayed but remained silent, please speak. If you are waiting for someone else to make the first move, let me be that person.

Let us break kola nut together again—not in anger, but in peace.

Yours in humility and hope,

Chief (Dr.) Oyin Eyeku
President, Itsekiri Association of Northern California

P.S. – My phone is (510) 555-8742. Call me. Text me. Yell at me if you must. But let us talk.