TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
THE Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has expressed the fear that the self determination agenda being championed by some critical stakeholders in the South-West may cause the region a devastating consequence.
For the elders, the moves by Yoruba Rights’ Activist, Sunday Igboho and his cohorts may consume southwesterners if it is not dropped.
The Secretary General of YCE, Kunle Olajide, while speaking on a radio programme monitored by our correspondent in Osogbo, on Friday, warned Igboho, an elder stateman, Banji Akintoye, and others, who reportedly pronounced that the Yoruba people were no longer part of the country.
Akintoye, who is the leader of a Yoruba group, Ilana Omo Oodua, was sighted beside Sunday Igboho in a viral video supporting secession and saying “if that’s what the Yoruba people want, so be it.”
But, according to Olajide, any attempt for the Yoruba people to secede from Nigeria without proper planning, would spell doom and may lead the Yoruba populace to mass suicide.
Olajide argued that though, the Yorubas had been suffering the greatest loss in the Nigerian project and that most people were frustrated, exiting the country would not be the solution.
He said, “Our position in the YCE is that nobody is happy with Nigeria of today. We are not happy at all, especially the Yoruba Nation. The Yorubas are suffering the greatest loss in the Nigeria project.
“We have invested greatly in this country but the country has continued to drag us down. Yes, all these agitations with this rising crescendo is due to the frustration of our youths and they are justifiably angry because their future is at stake.
“Nevertheless, we must moderate their actions. The Yorubas would say it’s only a bastard who would be provoked and would not justifiably react and when people appeal to you to see reason and you refuse to listen, you are equally a bastard.”
The YCE Secretary General added, “That Nigeria ceases to exist from March 17 is illusory effisions. We can’t rush to take actions that are bound to consume us. We must use our talents to read the barometer of the state of the country correctly and then chart our ways to victory and success.
“Jesus Christ said no one goes to battle without assessing the strength of the opponent to know his own strength, whether he can match the opponent or not. If you go to war where you are grossly disadvantaged, you are committing mass suicide and as elders in the Yoruba Nation, we will not lead our people to commit Mass suicide.
“Pronouncements; everybody is free to say whatever he likes; fundamental human rights; you can say there is no Nigeria but in reality, you can see that Nigeria exists. At the height of anger is insanity. What we are seeing in this Federal Government doesn’t give cause for cheers at all.”
Lamenting about the challenges in Nigeria, however, he said, “The country is actually collapsing before our very eyes and we have never been this polarised like this in the history of Nigeria that I know. So, everybody who is angry has the right to be angry and there is anger everywhere you go in Nigeria.
“Not only in the Yoruba nation, in the East, even in the North, down to Katsina State, the home state of the President; so, the anger is universal in Nigeria. Therefore, for me, this administration has to retrace itself otherwise the country will implode before its eyes.
“I am surprised that Prof Akintoye, Professor of History, could be part of such illusory effusion. Where did they get the mandate, who gave them that mandate? Where did the Yoruba people meet? And when I talk about Yoruba, you would agree with me that we have elected Constitutional Government in place. We voted for them; we have governors, state assembly members, we have national assembly members.”
“Nigeria is a constitutional Democracy. How can a handful of people irrespective of professorship, just sit down somewhere and pronounce Nigeria dead. Was that how Nigeria was pronounced alive in 1914? He asked.
