Is it unlawful to agitate for a sovereign Yoruba Nation?

By Olatayo Ogedengbe

To answer this question, it becomes important to understand the word “Self-determination.”

So what is self-determination?

Self-determination denotes the legal right of people to decide their own destiny in the international order.

Self-determination is a core principle of international law, arising from customary international law, but also recognized as a general principle of law, and enshrined in several international treaties.

With a clear understanding of the above definition, let us examine illegal ways of agitating for self-determination.

To do this, we must examine the meaning of insurrection and Secession.

Insurrection is an organized and usually violent act of revolt or rebellion against an established government or governing authority of a nation-state or other political entity by a group of its citizens or subjects; the action may include any act of engaging in a violent revolt.

Secession refers to the idea of forming a separate nation, and leaving the existing nation.

Let’s now into how the Yoruba Nation Global Directorate approach to agitation for Yoruba Nation sovereignty.

1. We examined the Yoruba Nation almagamation of 1914.
2. We investigated the Monte Video convention of 1933 to ascertain the Yoruba Nation meet the requirements of Nationhood.
3. We established the agitatation is Yoruba citizen’s inalienable right of citizens to self-determination.
4. We supported the NINAS declaration of the constitutional force Marjore of 16st December 2020.
5. We appeared and presented representations before the United Kingdom House of Lords. (Before Lord Cox to be precise)
6. We sent our petition to Amnesty International, BBC, and other reputable organisations.
7. We have been organising and supporting lawful and peaceful awareness campaigns for actualisation of Yoruba sovereign Nation all over the world
8. We organise weekly online town hall meetings that focuses on creating awareness and educating Yoruba citizens on issues bothering their legal rights and the benefits of having a Yoruba sovereign Nation.
9. We give logistics supports for recognised and duly registered Yoruba organisations who are collaborating with the Nigeria security apparatus to protect the lives and properties of Yoruba people.
10. We instituted a case at the Ecowas court and also joined an action at the Federal High Court. Abuja in respect of our agitation for a sovereign Yoruba Nation.
11. Barrister Taiwo Odumosu drafted a Proposition on referendum provisions into the Nigeria constitution. This was verified by Barrister Olatayo Ogedengbe. This was submitted to the Nigeria National assembly by our lawyers in Abuja on…..

Is there a justification for violence in agitation for self-determination?

The simple answer to this is yes and no.

Let us examine the United Nations Resolution 3246.

This resolution affirms the legitimacy of armed resistance (not attack) by oppressed peoples in pursuit of the right to self-determination and condemns governments that do not support that right.

(That is to say, the government must not stand in the way of those seeking a legitimate expectations)

Can it be established that the Federal government of Nigeria is using violence to suppress Yoruba Citizens?

We must draw a clear difference from the Fulani Conquest herder’s criminal acts in Yorubaland. With a Yoruba man as the President of Nigeria, it wouldn’t make sense to argue that President Tinubu is using the Fulani as proxy to conquer the ethnic Nationalities in Nigeria.

Nevertheless, armed resistance where it has been used is usually the last act of people being suppressed by their governments.

And it usually followed the mandate of majority of the oppresed people through Referendum etc.

The Yoruba Nation Global Directorate’s approach to the agitation for a sovereign Yoruba Nation is as follows.

A. Legal routes
B. Diplomacy
C. Lobbying the Nigerian government, international organisations, International agencies, etc.
D. We cannot support or argue a case of violent resistance against the Nigeria government knowing fully well that our organisation do not have the mandate of Majority of Yoruba people which can only be obtained through a referendum and not by 10 million signatures of our compatriots.

This short treatise could be considered as an addendum to our disclaimer published during the week in the wake of the attack on the Oyo State state secretariat, Ibadan.

Ogedengbe is a member of
Yoruba Nation Global