Yoruba Groups To Declare Oodua Republic, Reject Restructuring

Agency ReporterJuly 28, 2017

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While the nation is still grappling with various agitations across the country, a coalition of Yoruba groups, Yoruba Liberation Command (YOLICOM), has declared that the Yorubas are set to secede from Nigeria to form Oduduwa Republic.

Speaking on Thursday in Lagos, Opeoluwa Akinola, spokesperson of the coalition, said Nigeria is slowing down the progress of the Yorubas, killing and maiming the citizenry for selfish interests.

Ancient Yoruba warlord, Agbekoya, Oodua Redemption Alliance, among others, who were part of the coalition also said though they were not agitating for war but they are equal to the task, should there be need.
Akinola stressed that Yorubas were forced by the British into Nigeria in 1914 and the best time for peaceful dissolution, like other countries is now.
“Nigeria has become a burden on Yoruba people. We suddenly have been exposed to unimaginable threats of violence, wiping off entire families through clubbing to death, kidnapping of women and adults, savage killings, kidnap of school children and rape of infants.
“Stealing of public wealth and the public display of the stolen wealth, with arrogance by the criminals, the complete annihilation and confrontation of the poor people by the Nigerian state and many other ills that were hitherto strange to our long lasting ancient civilisation and values,” he said.
Akinola added that “the destruction of regional system of government has turned Nigeria into a unitary state dotted with savage vulture of corruption, ineptitude, inefficiency, moral degeneration, death, violence crimes and now violent religious extremism.
“The so-called democracy is nothing but the imposition of individual will through an orchestrated mass corruption where the poverty of the voters are exploited for electoral gains by politicians seeking political offices.
“Democracy is not about the interest of the few elected people and their cronies. Democracy is now government of the party for the party leaders and by the party members,” he said.
Akinola further stated that YOLICOM supports the aspiration of the Igbo nation, “irrespective of the unfortunate hate speeches, infantile savage utterances of a certain Nnamdi Kanu, who appears to have singled out Yoruba nation for ridicule and revulsion.
“We take solace in the fact that we work with many large-hearted, better-exposed, principled and consciousness Igbo leaders who have richer sense of history and understand better the complex nature of nation building and who also realise the importance of alliances, networking in statesmanship and international friendship and solidarity.”
He also said YOLICOM totally rejects the idea of restructuring as proposed by the Nigerian state and the political elite, adding that it is an attempt to restructure Nigeria on their own terms and not on the terms of the people.
“Nigeria will never be genuinely restructured by the present crop of political leaders who are themselves beneficiaries of the same skewed system.
“Even if the country will be restructured, it will still pass through the National Assembly which was created during the era of military rule of the Fulani to ensure an upper hand for the Fulani North”, he added.
One of the speakers, Francis Abayomi, corroborated that Oodua Republic is an alternative to agitation for Nigeria’s restructuring bid.

“We want to be free from generation of bond. We don’t want our children to be enslaved any longer. Most of us have spent good time in prison, so no threat can stop our agitation. Yoruba nation has an alternative. We can exist as a distinct nation. We want to ascertain our right to live as a country,” he said.

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