Osinbajo’s travails war against Yoruba, says Akintoye

A Yoruba leader, Prof. Banji Akintoye, yesterday alleged that the conspiracy against Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was a deliberate ploy to enslave Yoruba.

He, however, warned those who he alleged of ganging up against him to have a re-think as Yoruba are ready to fight and win.

He also described Osinbajo’s travails as a hi-tech politicking to deny the South-West presidency in 2023.

Akintoye spoke at the sidelines of the anniversary lecture, entitled: ‘Yoruba: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,’ organised by the Yoruba Heritage Group International Forum, held at House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat in Ibadan, to mark 126th year that the Kiriji War that engulfed Yorubaland for 16 years ended.

Kiriji War was regarded as the longest civil war in the world, which started in 1877 and ended of September 23, 1893. It was one of the internecine wars in Yorubaland in the 19th Century.

Participants at the anniversary lecture said every September 23 is unique and by next year, it would be celebrated as a Yoruba National Day.

The lecture was also attended by dignitaries across various parts of Yorubaland, including a frontline historian, Prof. (Mrs.) Bolanle Awe; former Nigerian footballer, Chief Segun Odegbami; former Director of Military Intelligence, Gen. Ajibola Togun (rtd); former Managing Director of Daily Times of Nigeria, Chief Tola Adeniyi and convener of Yoruba Koya, Otunba Deji Osibogun, among others.

Akintoye said: “The important thing is for us to find out exactly what is happening, because all we are hearing is just like a smoke, but we don’t know where the fire came from. There cannot be a smoke without fire, although we don’t know where the fire is but we can see the smoke all around.

“We have been hearing a lot of negative things about the Vice President inside the Federal Government. So, whatever that might be happening to him now demonstrated that whoever that is not part of the people, who controls the Federal Government, is only allowed in the Federal Government on surveillance and tolerance. So, the person can be kicked out whenever they like.

“There are people among those controlling the Federal Government who have a lot of heavy questions to answer, but they were protected by the powers that be.

“Yoruba are in a terrible situation in Nigeria because all the travails that Osinbajo is going through show that we Yoruba are now becoming like slaves in this country. So, we need to dig ourselves out of it.”

The ploy to remove the vice president gathered momentum at the weekend with some allegations against him dated back to when he was acting president in May 2017 when President Muhammadu Buhari was in the United Kingdom (UK) on medical leave.