Yoruba elders, under the aegis of the Yoruba Council of Elders [YCE], on Thursday, faulted a Yoruba leader, Prof. Banji Akintoye, for calling for the separation of the Yoruba from Nigeria.
Akintoye, a Second Republic senator and History Professor, on Monday, during the Yoruba Unity Day, insisted that the Yoruba must be separated from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Reacting to the agitation for the creation of the Yoruba Nation, YCE through its Secretary-General, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, said the people and elders were not interested in the breaking-up of the country.
Oyewole emphasised that “cutting off the head would not be a remedy or a panacea for a serious headache”.
The secretary-general said: “The YCE has, again, reviewed the Nigerian situation, and our conclusion, as a body, is that cutting off the head is not a remedy, it can never be a panacea for a serious headache.
“The agitation for a break-up of Nigeria or breakaway by some Yoruba (because not all Yorubas are part of the agitation) is an action likely to put Nigeria in an unending turmoil.
“As elders, the YCE would rather go the way of ensuring a correct place for the Yoruba in the comity of the assembly called Nigeria. We, of the YCE, have severally asked for a review of the 1999 Constitution. We have consistently asked for a new Constitution that will protect us.
“We have asked for a viable right of place in the scheme for appropriation of our Commonwealth in Nigeria. Until now, we have asked for restructuring. We will, as a body, continue to seek peace and ask for all that will make us comfortable as stakeholders in the Confederation. The YCE is not interested in the breaking up of Nigeria.
“Accordingly, let us put heads together to map out a course to make each region viable and promote self-reliance to provide economic satisfaction for all Nigerians progressively.”
The Yoruba elders also raised an eyebrow against what they called perceived harassment of President Bola Tinubu by Northern leaders.
Oyewole said as a Manager with the instruments of Office, the president knew what to do to achieve his goals for the country.
“As for the perceived harassment of His Excellency President Bola Tinubu by Northern leaders, the President is a Manager with the instruments of Office, he surely knows what to do and how to achieve his goals,” he said.
