Yoruba Demands Return To Regionalism, Restructuring
The Yoruba nation, Thursday, insisted on a return to the federal system established by the founding fathers of Nigeria in the 1950s, where each section of the country was able to develop at its own pace.
This was the unanimous agreement reached at a gathering tagged: ‘Yoruba Summit’, held at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, Oyo State.
This came as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State called for unity among Yoruba speaking areas of Nigeria in the quest to get the country restructured.
Also, leaders from the South-East and South South, in solidarity, backed the agitation for restructuring by the Yoruba.
The summit attracted Yoruba leaders, governors, former governors, traditional rulers, parliamentarians, Yoruba socio-cultural groups, professional bodies, market leaders, youth groups and friends of the Yoruba nation.
Those in attendance included the governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi II; former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko; former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae; Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti; Chief Ayo Adebanjo, President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo; former Director General of the Department of State Services, Chief Albert Horsfall; Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Sen Babafemi Ojudu; former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; former deputy governor of Lagos State, Sen. Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and former deputy governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Kaka.
Others were the founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Dr Frederick Fasehun; National Coordinator of OPC, Otunba Gani Adams; chairman of Yoruba Council of Elders, Chief Idowu Sofola; Sen Iyiola Omisore; Sen Mojisola Akinfenwa; Dr Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan; Col Tony Nyiam (retd); Chief Supo Shonibare; Mr Wale Oshun; Senator Ike Nwachukwu; Professor Tunde Adeniran; Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Oyedokun; Oba Lekan Balogun, Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland; Oba Latifu Adebimpe, Ashipa Balogun of Ibadanland; Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, retired archbishop of Methodist Church Nigeria; Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi who was represented by Bashorun of Oyo, high Chief Yusuf Ayoola; Mr Babatunde Oduyoye, AD chieftain and Dr Yemi Farunmbi.
Former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and five of the six governors from the region were, however, absent.
Also absent were members of the National Assembly from the zone.
In his opening remarks, chairman of the summit, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, said, restructuring would curb over concentration of power at the centre.
The legal icon said: “The agitation for secession is an ill wind that does no good. No matter the motive of the conveners of Berlin Conference, we have lived together for over 100 years having been married by fiat of the Europeans. It is better to dialogue and restructure the country. No woman wants a dissolution of a marriage if the parties live in comfort and are prosperous. It is incumbent on the leaders to make the country so prosperous that nobody would agitate for recession.’’
Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN, moved the motion for the adoption of the communique, which was unanimously adopted by the gathering.
In the communique, the Yoruba Summit noted that Nigeria was dangerously edging towards the precipice but must take urgent steps to restructure the nation from a unitary constitution to a federal constitution as negotiated by the nation’s founding fathers in 1960.
The communique, read by Mr Yinka Odumakin stated among other things that: “Yoruba insists that Nigeria must return to a proper federation as obtained in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions. This has been our position since the 1950 Ibadan conference and developments in Nigeria over the last 50 years reinforce our conviction.’’
Odumakin said the position taken “shall form the basis of negotiations with our partners in the Nigerian project for a united Nigeria based on justice, peace and fair play.”
In his remarks, the Ooni of Ife stressed the need for Yoruba leaders and elders to be united, which he said would be beneficial to the younger generation. The Ife monarch, who addressed the gathering in Yoruba, said: “My counsel is for all of us to be united. If we want to restructure, let us do it with one mind, I want us to consider the future of our youths. With good health, we can get our benefits. I want us to be united in all we are doing. I hope all we are doing is for the benefit of all and not for selfish reasons.”
