The Leader of Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, Professor Banji Akintoye has urged President Muhammadu Buhari for a direct negotiation towards the realization of Yoruba nation’s self-determination and the establishment of sovereign nation-state.
This was contained in a letter issued and signed by Akintoye under the name of a United States of America based Foundation called Yoruba Self-Determination Movement (YSDM).
He said that the movement want the Nigerian government to set up negotiation team that will meet and dialogue with Yoruba nation’s representatives not later than Friday September 30, 2022.
Akintoye said that the process became necessary considering the false hope of unity promoted by the British colonial officials and imposed on all at Independence has not been achievable in the past sixty years of Independence.
Part of the letter reads:
“Rather, not only has unity proved impossible to achieve, outright anarchy has taken over.
“We Yoruba therefore seek to discontinue our association with Nigeria, and to do so in an orderly and peaceful manner.
“Because we are an ancient civilization with solid modern achievements in education today, and a people with an old tradition of accepting and interacting smoothly and productively with various peoples throughout our history, we can live harmoniously with ethnic and cultural diversity in the same country.
“But we have painfully concluded that sustained attacks by one ethnic group on us and other ethnic groups in the same country, and a plan of conquest and subjugation by one ethnic group against the other groups in the same country, represent a conclusive negation of the existence and legitimacy of Nigeria.
“We can no longer bear the pain and indignity of living in constant fear and mourning, like a conquered and subjugated people, in our homeland.
“We have been attacked by heavily armed marauders and militias, who have been invading our homeland for many years from the Northern part of the country of Nigeria to which we belong.
“These marauders have relentlessly killed our people, destroying farms and villages, raping and killing our women, kidnapping our people, and extorting large amounts of money for ransom.
“There are no official numbers for our Yoruba people who have been violently killed in these atrocities (because the government shows no real concern about the killings), but a rough estimate of 29, 000 is now generally circulating among us, an estimate which many of our people believe to be too low. (It is important that even the Sultan of Sokoto has once said that the killings across the country are being under-reported). These atrocities have forced an estimated majority of our farmers to abandon farming altogether a development that is now pulling our nation down into a devastating famine, and into unimaginable poverty.
“Meanwhile, in what we Yoruba believe to be the preparation for this final Fulani aggression in our Yoruba homeland part of Nigeria, tens of thousands of heavily armed Fulani mujaheedin, reinforced by Boko Haram, ISWAP, Al Qaida and Al Shabaab terrorists, have occupied countless locations in our Yoruba forests and are being supplied there with food and weapons by air from hidden sources in Northern Nigeria.
“Mr. President, we therefore dutifully draw your attention to the fact that since we launched our agitation for our Yoruba nation’s self-determination in the year 2019, we have unfailingly pursued the agitation through peaceful means. Our people have established over one hundred self-determination organizations, each solemnly committed to contributing in peaceful and law-abiding ways to our self-determination agitation.
“The Yoruba Self-Determination Movement (YSDM) respectfully writes this letter to you for and on behalf of the indigenous Yoruba people of the southwest of Nigeria, inclusive of the Yoruba citizens of the six states of the Yoruba southwest zone (Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo States ) and the Yoruba citizens of parts of Kogi, Kwara and Delta States, all south of the Middle Niger River in Nigeria.
“The Yoruba Self-Determination Movement is a movement comprising well over one hundred Yoruba Self-Determination organizations based at home in the Yoruba homeland in Nigeria and abroad in most countries of the world. The Yoruba Self-Determination Movement collaborates the said many Yoruba Self-Determination organizations in the highest services of the Yoruba Self-Determination agitation and struggle.
“Mr President, the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement now serves you notice of the decision of the Yoruba people to assert their right to self-determination, which right of self-determination is an inalienable and unquestionable right of every indigenous nation in the world, and which right is enshrined in many international instruments that provide for the system of order of the modern world.
Upon asserting this right of self-determination, we Yoruba nation shall be free to determine our political status, pursue our economic, social and cultural development according to policies chosen independently by us, and to live under the government independently chosen and ordered by us.”
Reacting to the letter, a member of the popular umbrella and apex body of Yoruba Self-Determination Group, Ilana Omo Oodua, IOO, who spoke to Vanguard in confidence from her base in United Kingdom, accused Akintoye of selling out the organization and struggle to some Yoruba Elites who are mostly in Diaspora and trying to use IOO as a political business.
The source said: “First, the organization we all know as the umbrella body, or call it an apex body for this struggle regardless of what anyone feels is Ilana Omo Oodua. We have individual members and affiliated groups which Akintoye is the leader. We still held our general meeting last Saturday. Ilana Omo Oodua mobilized and galvanized individuals and organizations to make the Yoruba Nation agitation popular all over the world till now but Baba Akintoye chose to use the name of a US based NGO owned by some Yoruba Elites to write a letter to Nigerian Government and not Ilana Omo Oodua whose name is already a threat to the Owners of Nigeria.
“YSDM is a registered foundation in America owned by five people and nowhere an AGM was conducted by Yoruba Self-Determination organizations to appoint the directors of the organization to warrant it being described as the Umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Organizations. Ilana Omo Oodua worked with other individuals and organizations to get to where we are so why throw us out to be used for business and negotiation with President Buhari because he was made the Chairman of a foundation where he’s not even a Director?
“Second thing is that in the letter, Baba Akintoye, after serving Buhari a notice that the Yoruba people want to exercise their rights to self-determination and justified it, is now demanding for a negotiation meeting? Wow. Who does that? How do you request for a negotiation from someone that is oppressing you and has immense advantage over you in terms of power, arms, sovereignty, money and everything?
“What does Akintoye has outside 5 million online petitions that warrants him demanding a negotiation or worthy of being negotiated with outside his media noise? Buhari should be the one to reach out to us for negotiation, not Akintoye asking for a negotiation. What Akintoye did was against the run of play. When Buratai visited Sunday Igboho in Benin prison for negotiation, he did not write Nigerian Government for a negotiation, they came and Igboho turned them down. That is what is called a fighter and activist.
“The fact is Akintoye merely want to meet Buhari and Tinubu for a political business meeting and he knew that cannot be achieved that under Ilana Omo Oodua hence shifted to the organization of his fellow Elites whom he has sold us to. For instance, his Deputy in YSDM is a former Commissioner and Governorship aspirant in Ondo-State, Banji Ayiloge. For the first time in this struggle, Professor Banji Akintoye described himself as a former Nigerian Senator to Buhari. Baba wants to do business and get his due from the Nigerian Government. This is about 2023 electoral game. I will talk more in future.”
“Lastly, Baba Akintoye said in his letter that no referendum, because five million people have signed an online petition. I am of the opinion that Baba is inviting the Nigerian Government to clampdown on the agitators at home because all the proponents of this no referendum campaign are not based in Nigeria. Baba Akintoye himself, his wife, all his children and that of Banji Ayiloge are not based in Nigeria. So they have nothing to lose. I appeal to my Yoruba people to give themselves brain.”