Chukwudi Nweje
A coalition of civil society groups under the banner of the Yoruba Summit Group (YSG), has called for a referendum on Nigeria’s continued existence as one country.
It called on all Yoruba across the six South-West states of the country and Yoruba communities in Kogi, Kwara, Edo States and parts of Delta State organised in pursuit of their political identity and socio-economic economic welfare.
It said a plebiscite similar to the one organised in 1961 to decide whether Northern Cameroon and Southern Cameroon should be one country should be organised to decide the future of Nigeria.
YSG made the declaration in a communique issued and signed by Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, at the end of its meeting on Wednesday.
The group said it supports the position of Secretary-General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Murtala Aliyu, who in a recent interview said the north was not afraid of restructuring but preferred a referendum to determine Nigeria’s continued existence.
The communique read, “Notwithstanding any political labels, our quest is to think through and fashion out the pathway for the progress of our peoples at the homeland and across the world. As a federation of all civil society groups, the Yoruba Summit Group has now decided to expand its reach and focus to align with all current and past political office holders, religion and traditional leaders, professionals, businesses, academia, retired military and paramilitary officers, being representatives of the six territorial States: plus, nominees from Yoruba communities in Kogi, Kwara, Edo and the Yoruba part of Delta States.
“In doing this, an outreach mechanism has been worked out that will also ensure the assimilation of our youths, especially those who have excelled academically and innovatively out of our tertiary institutions in the last 20 years.
“The YSG has now set for itself the historic objective of undertaking the redesigning and re-configuration of our political space towards the building of an egalitarian society that guarantees freedom and abundance for all, inclusive of the unborn.
“In order to demonstrate our resolve to do right and the best for our nation, the instruments and processes for realising these objectives would be rolled out soon. A viable and proper leadership recruitment template besides the periodic distribution of money at election period would be developed. Within this template, would be incorporated, the neighbourhood security, such that the type of brigandage recently witnessed would be a thing of the past.”
YSG added that it will in no distant time publish a constitutional framework that will enable peaceful neighbourliness with component parts of Nigeria.
It condemned the recent 2023 election time table released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and noted that the country cannot be talking about general elections when it is faced with myriads of problems that require urgent solution.