The dateline was Tuesday, September 12, 2023. The event was another edition of the annual Goke Annual lecture and the venue was the MUSON Centre, Onikan in Lagos State. A large number of prominent leaders converged to re-examine the state of the nation with a view to proffering solutions to the challenges, difficulties and problems that constituted a wedge against the attainment of nationhood by Nigeria. Undoubtedly, the leaders were again, blunt, frank and straight forward in their analysis and prognosis on the country and the way forward for the most populous black country in the world. Some of the critical issues that engaged the leaders, one of whom was among the leaders that took part in the battle that freed Nigeria from the British colonial masters, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, included the defective federal structure, the quality of political leadership and governance the current window of opportunity capable of heralding a new dawn for the hugely endowed country but which has continually wobbled and fumbled along the road to enduring economic growth, prosperity and development.
The event is coming at a period the country is yearning for a structure that is anchored on the ideals of federal structure, with the accompanying features of coordinate relationship between the centre and the federating units; devolution of powers; fiscal federalism/resource control, decentralised policing system, resilient and credible electoral institution. The leading lights in such advocacy included a former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; many distinguished leaders under the umbrella called The Patriots led by the late legal icon, Chief FRA Williams. Other eminent persons who converged at the Monday event in Lagos for the deep reflection and conversation on the topic: South-West Regional Integration: The Dawn Commission Approach and organised by the Goke Omisore Annual lecture series, along with the acting national leader of Afenifere, included the Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN Commission), Dr Seye Oyeleye; Chairman of Voice of Reason (VOR), Mr Olusola Adekanola, Dr Segun Aina and the chairman of Afenifere in Lagos State, Chief Supo Shonibare. The consensus among the leaders during the hours drawn discussion was that the bane of the country more than six decades after it gained independence from Britain was underdevelopment, religious and ethnic disunity, disregard for the ethical values and disrespect for traditional institutions.
It was yet another auspicious moment for Nigerians to drink from the volume of experience, counsel and wisdom of Pa Adebanjo, a veteran of the various stages of the political struggles and battles that culminated in the granting of independence to Nigeria on October 1, 1960 by Britain. With a deep sense of history, he situated the predicament of Nigeria after its founding fathers laid the foundation for a progressive country to the enthronement of a fractured and defective federal arrangement; hence he said this made the topic for discussion instructive. According to him, the contradictions in the existing federal structure are due to the fact that it was based on the whims and caprices of the then colonial masters without due consultation with the constituent units. Pa Adebanjo recalled that that the late sage and foremost nationalist, Chief Obafemi Awolowo had cautioned against introducing a unitary system, which the existing structure represents, on the country because of the grave implications for the people. Therefore, he restated the need for a constitution that truly captures the vale and ideal of federalism. This is a major task he has put before President Bola Tinubu, who has consistent advocate of true federalism, restructuring of the country so that it can work and meet the wishes and aspirations of the people.
“The real cause of our problem is federalism and lack of regional autonomy, which is why the DAWN Commission is asking questions. Let me state that we have not surpassed the efforts of our past leaders. We can move forward, but not under this constitution. The colonialists brought us together without our consent. At the time, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo told the colonial masters that they could not rule Nigeria under a unitary system of government. All the theories that Awolowo spoke against are still being practised today. Let us forget aggrandisement, let the President change the constitution to a federal system, where each region would develop at its own pace,” the Afenifere leader recalled.
For years now, the issue of insecurity has almost eroded the gains of most especially the First Republic. Violent crimes have taken many shapes and forms in every part of the country almost stagnating progress and semblance of good governance. So, the submission of the the Director-General of the DAWN Commission, Dr. Oyeleye on at the lecture was edifying. He listed some critical areas that need to be of utmost priority to guarantee a new dawn. Apparently bringing back into memory the pioneering role of the defunct Western Region in some many areas of human endeavours, he said the South-West would become the development model under proper power devolution based on the ideals of federalism.
He stated: “From our vantage point at the DAWN Commission, we should focus on three constitutional changes now. “They include state police, amendment of the revenue sharing formula, and the introduction of a clause to allow states to collaborate for development purposes. If we achieve these three, we would have unlocked the next growth phase of Nigeria. I know these proposals are risky ventures – from a capitalist perspective that most of us subscribe to. But then, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I admit that implementing and actualising them will not be a walk in the park. But we have done it before and we can do it again. Without being immodest, and to the glory of the selfless heroes who laboured at the thankless but most rewarding venture, the DAWN Commission is perhaps one of the best legacies of Yoruba nationalistic effort.”
Awo creed
Nigerians remain nostalgic about the contributions of Chief Awolowo to the political evolution of the country, its attainment of independence in 1960, development of constitutional framework, as well as the inestimable value addition he brought into good leadership and governance as the first Premier of the Western Region. The legacy structures, landmarks and monuments that underscore his star performance are evident across the six states that make up the defunct Western Region. It was in recognition of the legendary contributions of the iconic politician that VOR came into existence and with the sole purpose of sustaining and promoting the Awo Creed. The chairman of the Lagos event, Mr Adekanola gave further insight into the aim and objectives of organisation, “VOR was an initiative of the late Prince Goke Omisore designed as an advocacy group peopled by accomplished Yoruba intelligentsia to revive the nostalgia and re-enact the glorious accomplishments of our revered late Premier of the old Western Region, Chief Awolowo of blessed memory.”
Renaissance
In his paper with the title: The preferred place: seven proposals to rebuild the Yoruba commonwealth, the Director General, of DAWN Commission, Dr. Oyeleye also espoused the imperative of restructuring under what he tagged a seven-point proposal. Under one of the proposal, he said the people, particularly the Yoruba should never be tired of making a demand on Nigeria. He noted that perhaps, the most famous statements of Chief James Ajibola Ige (SAN), the Cicero of Esaoke of blessed memory, were the question he asked regarding the existence of the Nigerian State. According to the DAWN commission boss, Ige said the most important issue about the country is whether the ethnic constituents want to live together as a country and on what terms. Adekanola added that the fact that Bola’s death remained a mystery for the Nigerian state to resolve must continue to fuel our agitation for restructuring.
“We must never be tired of testing the legality and pushing the boundary of constitutionality of Nigeria by employing all democratically compliant means. What we want from Nigeria has been documented in 1994 in the publication titled “Yoruba Agenda” to which almost all Yoruba monarchs at the time were signatory. That publication has gone through a number of revisions, the last being the 2012 version under Gen. Alani Akinrinade’s Yoruba Assembly. That is more than 10 years ago and it is an indication of our waning impetus,” he stated.
Indeed, Adekanola took the audience on an intellectual journey on if the Yoruba people could be regarded as a nation. Using different authorities to marshal his point, he noted that the growing influence of social media has proved that nationalism can be forged across language and geographical barriers.
“Yes, we the Yoruba people are a nation and we can speak of the existence of Yoruba nationalism because one of the traits of nationalism is its capacity to inspire heroism. And people – countless of them – have exhibited matchless acts of heroism even to the point of paying the supreme price because of their commitment to the Yoruba nation of their dream. In fact, I do not need to be told that this event holding here is funded through sacrificial donation and it is a testament to the commitment of members of this noble group to Yoruba nationalism. However, I believe our nationalism is currently fragile and therefore too weak to achieve desired purpose. No other person can help us understand this view of mine than Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the founder and architect of modern Yoruba nationalism. In his autobiography, Chief Awolowo wrote that “the Yoruba were a highly progressive but badly disunited group. They paid lip service to a spiritual union and affinity in a common ancestor – Oduduwa. But in all their long history, they had waged wars against one another.”
He wondered whether we, as a people, were not back to that state of disunity that Awolowo described in his book or back to that Hubert Ogunde’s metaphorical football field where the people had made ourselves the football for others to kick around. He remarked that Awolowo and his colleagues worked for the unity of Yoruba people and not only created the binding force of nationalism but also forged institutions that gave biting force to Yoruba nationalism. “For us to be back, full circle, to the pre-Awolowo era of disunity means that everything these heroes of Yoruba nationalism worked for has either disintegrated completely or is in the process of disintegrating, depending on your age and perspective. Let us not be deluded that our common history, mythical ancestry, language and geographical location will continue to sustain us as a people, if we do not work to rebuild that “horizontal comradeship”, that binding force that keeps a nation alive,” he admonished. The DAWN Commission boss lamented that almost everything that binds us together as a people is in a state of flux, with the ethos of Omoluabi fading into a glorious past. But he blamed the weakening nationalism among the Yoruba to the rise of religious consciousness, perceived infidelity of political leaders to the terms of Social Contract, and most especially the creation of states as Nigeria’s federating units. He observed that the cultural diet that we grew up on is that religion in Yorubaland is a private affair but that we have brought religion into our public affairs. “We prefer to now to see ourselves as Muslims or Christians, rather than as Yoruba.
We see ourselves as people from different states, rather than as Yoruba. It is becoming a taboo to appoint someone that is not indigenous to a State into a political position, no matter how deserving the person is. The shocking part is that even within some states in South-West region, we now discriminate between the ‘home based’ and the “Lagos based”. The ‘home based’ team believe they are more deserving of political appointments than their kinsmen who are “Lagos based,” he decried.
Describing Yoruba nationalism as an asset that is worth investing in, he emphasized that the Yoruba nation is better off within the Nigerian state, provided we can continue the advocacy to fix our pseudo-federalism. He charged all Yoruba self-determination and sociopolitical advocates to seize this moment an auspicious opportunity to focus solely on advocating true federalism because the man at the helm of affairs in Nigeria is an avowed democrat, with a track record as a federalist.
According to him, “Whether we like it or not, if Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, fails, we all as a people would partake in the blame. We therefore have no choice than to mobilize support for this administration. There are those who believe that the existence of different nationalistic ideals within the Nigerian State led to the demise of the First Republic. That, in my view, is a hasty conclusion, a case of confusing an exception with the rule. When operated within the context of cultural democracy, nationalism is the quickest, most efficient means of fostering mutual respect and political stability. Now, what must we do to strengthen Yoruba nationalism? But I digress again.”
He said the DAWN commission was already currently creating a body of knowledge that required the necessary support and buy-in of all and sundry in the bid to move Yoruba nationalism to a state where no one will be a Yoruba just on the basis of their name, ancestry, language or culture alone but by an irreversible and manifest commitment to “The Preferred Place” ideal. He added that the Yoruba nationalists need to make this ideal the foundation of our social capital as a people. He added: “If we succeed at this, we would have unlocked the blueprint to produce as many “Awo” as possible – I use “Awo” here as a status, not as a person. I do not think it is the wish of the Sage to be the only “Awo”. My belief is that he would wish only to be the Primus Inter Pares among many “Awos.” A Yoruba proverb says that “ai se daadaa ara aye, ni n mu ni ranti ara orun”. The shortcoming of the earthly beings brings to fresh memory the legacy of the dead. We need to aspire to a realm where Chief Obafemi Awolowo is not the only “Awo,” but the first among others.
This move may mark a renaissance in the polity of the country. The hope is that most stakeholders in the South-West and the Nigerian project would buy-into the vision and mission in the renewed hope for a country, where justice, equity and fairness will be the rule rather than being an exception.
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