From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The amalgamation of Yoruba groups has called for peace and synergy of purpose among themselves with a view for them to speaking with one voice for the actualisation of self-determination agenda for Yoruba nation
The groups made this known in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Thursday, during the commemoration of the 135th anniversary of Kiriji Peace Treaty that ended the 16-year long war among the Yoruba. The war was also known as Ekiti-Parapo war. The groups met under the aegis of Yoruba Assembly.
The groups that met during the programme included Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS), Ilana Omo Oodua (IOO), as well as one of the think-tank organisations for Yorubaland, the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission.
The chairman of ARG, Olawale Oshun, told journalists that the Yoruba Assembly has the obligation to educate the indigenous people of the South Western part of Nigeria to stand up for their rights.
His words: “Yoruba Assembly has the mandate to educate our people to stand up to the inactivity and to the inaction we can see, as we can see from the VAT (Value Added Tax) issue. There are so many steps to take, that can even be taken administratively, even if Nigeria state is refusing to restructure. We can continue to take the issues one by one and demolish them. We will continue to remind ourselves of these.”
In his address, Dr. Tunde Hamzat, who represented the Chairman of NINAS and IOO, Prof Banji Akintoye, emphasised the need for regional referendum for Indigenous people of each region in the country to decide what they want. He specifically enjoined the Yoruba to be in one accord towards achieving the self-determination agenda for Yorubaland.
He stated further that the 1999 Constitution is fraudulent and could not ensure progress of Nigeria, adding that the country must be re-invented and renegotiated. He, however, advised the Federal Government to call all the regional leaders in the country to a roundtable to renegotiate the structure of the country.
The Director-General of the DAWN Commission, Seye Oyeleye, advised the youth on what they should do ahead of the 2023 general elections, saying: “Let me re-emphasise to the youth that as we are moving to the electioneering period, I admonish the youth to collect their permanent voter cards (PVCs) to actively engage in that process during the election and ensure they are not used as political thug.”
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