PROMINENT groups, including the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF), Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Yoruba Koya, Builders of New Nigeria, Voice of Reason, Atayese, the Agbe Koya, among others have enjoined Yoruba people to be vigilant and ensure that no violence occurs in any of their villages, towns or cities no matter what happens in the coming elections, warning the race against increased aggression that could occur suddenly and very sharply after the poll exercise.
This was just as the various groups, under the auspices of the Yoruba Summit, while declaring that the Yoruba people were going through hard times these days, said the fact remained that they cannot but participate in the country’s politics with the need to recognise that the current situation demanded great vigilance and determination to defend “ourselves, our families and our homeland.”
The groups gave this admonition on Thursday in Lagos at a press conference attended by leaders, including Prof Banji Akintoye, Dr Amos Akingba, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, Sheik Abdulraheem Aduraagba, Alhaja Bilikisu Olanrewaju, who represented the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi; Barrister Yinka Oguntimehin, who represented the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams; Dr Yemi Farounmbi, Prince Ademola Ayoade, Otunba Deji Oshibogun, the convener of Yoruba Koya; Bolaji Ogunseye of VOR, among others.
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Prof Akintoye, who spoke on behalf of the leaders, said it was the desire of almost all Nigerians and lovers of the country that the coming polls would be peaceful, but added that it was critically important that while elections were on, the Yoruba people must bear in mind the kind of development that would follow the poll exercise.
Akintoye, while reminding that most parts of Middle-Belt and Southern part of the country had been under virulent aggression for the past four years from armed herdsmen and their accompanied militias, said sadly that the Yorubaland had equally not been left out of the similar attack.
According to him, the Yorubaland has suffered much from the violent destructions of farms, attacks on villages, killing of men, women and children as well as kidnappings and extortions of money for ransom.
“In various parts of our homeland, many farmers have abandoned farming altogether. Some localities of our homeland are living now under conditions of violent and primitive occupation and subjection.
“A survey conducted by some of our leaders shows that nearly 190 hostile Fulani camps exist today in our farmlands. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of potentially hostile men have been infiltrated, and are still being infiltrated, into our major Yoruba cities.
“Though we hope and pray for peace, yet we must be aware that the aggression against our homeland can increase suddenly and very sharply after the elections. Therefore, we need to be prepared to protect and defend our families, homes, farms, villages, churches, mosques, and every neighbourhood in our towns and cities,” Akintoye said.
The elder statesman contended that the preparedness and readiness of the Yoruba people for the protection and defence of every area of “our homeland can discourage attackers and ward off attacks.”
“But if they still come attacking, we must meet them with manly bravery and throw them back. On no condition must we flee before them. On no condition must we abandon our farms or surrender any part of our land to them,” he vowed.
Continuing, Prof. Akintoye said: “As we all know from experience, and as General Danjuma has said, those being attacked and killed by the Fulani herdsmen cannot depend on the Federal authorities to defend them.
“General Danjuma said that those who choose to wait for the Federal Government and the Nigerian Armed Forces to defend them would only die one by one.
“We Yoruba must resolve that we shall not die and that, under God, we shall live to prosper again and to revive the strength, capabilities and prosperity of our Yoruba nation,” he said.
“Before, during and after the elections, we Yoruba must be vigilant on a second by second basis. We must mount eternal vigilance. It is our duty to our families and loved one today. And it is our duty to our progeny forever.
“As a significant part of Nigeria, and in fulfilment of our patriotic duty to our country, we Yoruba also respectively urge all other peoples of Nigeria to see to it that these coming elections shall be orderly and peaceful in their homelands. Dire predictions are being made by some in the world concerning the coming Nigerian elections. We Nigerians can, and must, surprise the world,” Akintoye added.
Also contributing, Barrister Oguntimehim, who is also the Asoju Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, sadly noted that there had been much aggression on Yorubaland in the last few years, but quickly asserted that God would not allow Yorubaland to be conquered as he had never allowed such in the psst.
This was just as Sheik Abdulraheem Aduraagba warned that the Fulani must desist from doing anything that would “bring any other war in Ilorin.”
On the issue of restructuring, Prof Akintoye said it was the belief of the groups that a country as large as Nigeria with various diversities should not be over-centralised, assuring that every state in the country can survive and develop on its own if Nigeria was restructured.
“We need restructuring desperately,” he declared.
On his part, Barrister Oguntimehim contended that Nigeria as a country does not have any other choice than to restructure, saying that part of the exercise would involve the establishment of the State Police, among others.
Also, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, while contributing, dismissed the notion that it was only the South that was in the struggle for the restructuring of the country, saying that those that were opposed to the agitation were few reactionaries and were in limited part of the country.
The elder statesman contended that currently, there was no longer anything called North or even Muslim North, maintaining that restructuring was about allowing states in the country to stay and develop on their own.