Yoruba leaders seek unity in South-West

Harp region’s survival on self-defence, self-determination

Worried by incessant kidnapping and insecurity across the six states in the South-West geo-political zone, the Coalition of Yoruba Interests Group (CYIG) has called for unity among Yoruba to ensure self-defence and self-determination.

Rising from a meeting attended yesterday globally, the group, which consists of stakeholders in the Yoruba Nation project, said it was time for Yoruba people to wake up and move to revive their true destiny.

The event was chaired by Emeritus Professor Wande Abimbola and also attended by Prof. Banji Akintoye, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, and many illustrious sons and daughters of Oduduwa extract, just to mention a few.

According to them, they can only forestall the impending genocide being perpetrated by the Fulani by actualising self-determination for the Yoruba nation.

They lamented the incessant raping of women and girls, wanton killing and other vices, stressing that there is need for all Yoruba groups to foster unity and speak with one voice.

Abimbola charged the Yoruba to come together as a united force to face the criminals destroying their ancestral homeland.

Akintoye, who endorsed the activities of CYIG, gave historical antecedents of the Fulani and their idea to wipe out the people of the South-West and South-East zones.

He emphasised that the Fulani did not have land they could call their own in Africa, saying that this propelled them to destroy other tribes to achieve their callous ambition.

Also, the Global Coordinator of the Oodua Action Movement (OAM), Demola Edward, in his keynote address, said it was obvious that a government that cannot care for the living is incapable of planning for the future.

He also advised that the Yoruba nation must resist attempts by ambitious individuals in pursuit of personal self-aggrandisement at the detriment of its citizenry from attaining the pinnacle of the nation’s power.

“It is our humble opinion that people-oriented visions should be about the common good of those being represented by their elected officers. Suffice to say that such an ideal is better for the government of the people by the people and for the people.

“Our vision for a better society is for us to ensure that those who cannot separate vision from ambition, and those who are incapable of conceptualising a vision should not emerge as leaders in Yoruba Nation,” he said.