40 pan Yoruba groups express support for Oduduwa Republic
By Muktah Abdulrahman Oluseye
Some 40 Pan Yoruba groups representing various interests have expressed full support for the actualization of Oduduwa Republic.
The leaders of the various groups met on Thursday, the day Nigeria marked the country’s independence from colonial rule.
Addressing some 400 members in Lagos, the Convener of the group, Mallam Rasaq Olokooba who is also the Chairman, Coalition of O’odua Self Determination Groups, (COSEG) said the campaign for Yoruba sovereignty represents the majority view of people living in the South West.
“There are plots to subvert the reality. The truth is that more than 90 percent of Yoruba people, Muslims, Christians and traditional worshipers are desirous of a separate country where they can live and die under laws and values that reflect their agelong civilization and heritage” Olokooba told the enthusiastic crowd that chorused the demand for self determination.
He said the All Pan Yoruba Self Determination Groups had wanted a huge rally across the South West states but had to shelf the idea based on intelligence report that the state has set up paid agents to create confusion during the rallies. “We called off the planned rallies in Ibadan, Lagos, Ilorin, Warri, Ekiti, Oyo, Ondo, Lokoja. Millions of our people were anxious to troop out. We decided to emply another medium based on credible intelligence that some paid agents masquerading as self determination leaders wanted to cause confusion across the states.”
According to him, a later date will be picked for mass rallies to show the Yoruba collective aspiration for self determination.
Some of the groups at the event included, Coalition of Oodua Self Determination Groups, (COSEG), O’odua Peoples Congress, (OPC-New Era) led by Mallam Taofik Adeyemi, O’odua Peoples Congress, (OPC-Reformed) led by Abdulrahsaq Arogundade, O’odua Liberation Movement, (OLM) represented by Mr Olu Akinnuoye, Yoruba Revolutionary Movement, (YOREM) led by Wale Balogun, O’odua Nationalist Coalition, (ONAC) led by Alhaja Medina Naibi, Agbekoya led by Chief Ade Oshodi, South West Women Nationalist Movement, (SWWNM) led by Alhaja Temitope Folorunso, All Iteskiti Youths Congress, (AIYUC) represented by David Tuoya, Kogi-Kwara Nationalist Movement, (KKNM) led by Kazzem Abiola, Apapo Oodua Koya, (AOKOYA) led by Ahmed Akorede, Oodua Christian Muslim Youth Dialogue Group, (OMCYDG) led by Evangelist Samson Adeaga and Aderele Rahman, Yoruba Network Alliance, (NENA) led by Pastor Goke Otunla, South West Youth Coalition, (SWYC) led by Oluwole Abiona, Yoruba Muslim Youth League, (YOMYL) led Saliu Adekunle, O’odua Hunters Network, (OHUN) led by Alhaji Kadri Adeyinka, South West Students Alliance, (SWSA) led by Kunle Agbeyo, Akoko Edo Progressives Youth Movement, (APUM) led by Dele Ibitoye amongst many others.
In the speech delivered by Olokooba on behalf of the alliance, the group said Nigeria has failed to live up to the expectations of the Yoruba people since 1914, adding that the only solution left is the dissolution of the country in a peaceful manner.
“Nigeria marks her 60th Anniversary today. Looking back, the truth is that at 60, Nigeria is crawling and there are many ailments that threaten her survival and many afflictions that may end the lifespan unless a surgical operation is done to remove a festering tumor. For some people, even as the 60 year old man literally groans from heavy burden, bleeding and pains of sufferings, there is the impression that the 60 year old mother is hail and hearty.Let us realize that the 60-year old mother can still be saved and at best may be given a befitting burial without violent scramble of her children, many of who were imposed on her or forcefully adopted by her” Olokooba said.
He said further “Let us make it clear that God did not make the mistake of creating ethnic nationalities to be different, occupying different spaces, land and different locations across the world. There must have been strong physical and spiritual reasons why every ethnic nationality was created to occupy a particular space long before migrations. The Yoruba people, which have emerged through different historical epochs today speak the same language, have common ancestry, common cultures, values and civilisations that bind them together.”
According to the alliance, in the past 60 years, “we do not deny that Nigeria has made progress in many areas like communication, science, art, music and even industry. However, in a comparative sense, viewed from the prisms of her contemporaries like Singapore, China, India, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria has continued to record stunted growth. It is a country where people only celebrate their pasts.”
He said while the economy continues to nosedive into the abyss, life expectancy continues to diminish. Many Nigerians have lost hope in their own country. They do not believe in the country and are anxious to do everything to undermine and kill their own country. The leaders of the country also fail to show trust in the country as demonstrated by the callous and cruel manners they milk and rape the country to stupor.
As it is, we stand here before you to express our unflinching support for Yoruba self-determination. We shall continue to raise the banner of self determination. Olokooba said there is no negotiation on this.
“This is our minimum demand. The right of a people to self-determination is a fundamental principle in modern international law referred to as jus cogens rule). It binds together all members of the United Nations, (UN) of which Nigeria is included. It states that “people, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference.” The idea first came in 1860s, and has spread like a wild fire across the world. After World War 1, the concept was fully supported by the main actors, Vladimir Lenin and United States President Woodrow Wilson11 February 1918 Wilson stated: “National aspirations must be respected; people may now be dominated and governed only by their own consent. ‘Self-determination’ is not a mere phrase; it is an imperative principle of action.
He said t”he question has been asked again and again: Do the Yoruba people want self-determination? Our answer is YES. How do we know? There are 40 leaders of Pan Yoruba groups seated here, each representing millions of Yoruba people in the nine states where Yoruba are indigenous. He said these groups have a long history beginning from 1994. The pioneers of Yoruba self-determination groups are here seated in this room.”
According to him “The engine of Yoruba self determination groups are seated here. Our members are spread across all strata. We say without any iota of doubt, that the Yoruba people want self determination. We challenge the Nigerian State to a referendum to be supervised by the United Nations, (UN). We are convinced that 99 percent of Yoruba people will opt for Oduduwa Self determination. Again, ARTICLE 20 of the African Charter says that “All peoples shall have the right to existence. They shall have the unquestionable and inalienable right to self–determination. They shall freely determine their political status and shall pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have freely chosen.” He added “Either the Nigerian authority likes it nor not, these are International laws that bind Nigeria.”
Speaking further, the alliance said those opposed to the agitaton lately are a “coterie of sponsored elements opposing the deep aspirations of Yoruba people for self-determination.” He listed the three categories of people in this realm:
(i) The foolishly ignorant and the innocently ignorant; these category of people we shall continue to educate but not spoon-feed them;
(ii) The conscious agents of our enemies who see the opposition to Yoruba self determination as profit. This category of people we are helpless except to be comforted by the iron cast will of our people who are determined and audacious in their determination to liberate themselves from the fetters of iron in Nigeria.
(iii) The political class: This is a group of ten percenters, the profiteers, the rogues, the beneficiaries of the rot whose livelihood depends on sustaining a fiefdom that keeps their own people in eternal subjugation. The Yoruba people do not want war, but we will resist any attempt to impose war on us by defending our time-honour civilization.
The group called on the United Nations, (UN) to organize a referendum of self-determination for ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. We call for this referendum before the 2023 elections.