Leaders of various Pan-Yoruba socio political organizations from the South West zone and in the Diaspora rose from a conference in Ibadan yesterday threatening curses on any delegate from the geo-political zone who decides to work contrary to their collective agenda at the forthcoming national dialogue scheduled to hold in Abuja. The well-attended Yoruba Constitutional Conference held inside the parliament building in Ibadan included delegates from the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), Coalition of O’dua Self Determination Groups (COSEG), O’dua Nationalist Coalition (ONAG), Atayese, Covenant Group (CG), Afenifere Youth Forum (AYF), Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Agbekoya Reformed Society and Oodua Foundation (Diaspora) among others. While resolving to participate in the national dialogue, the forum comprising royal fathers, politicians, academics and industrialists resolved to put forward cream of personalities to represent the Yoruba nation at the conference, declaring that any nomination through the back door would be resisted. The key demands of the Yoruba leaders include the restructuring of Nigeria into six geographical zones with the Yoruba-speaking areas of Kwara and Kogi States being part of the Yoruba region, regional autonomy, self- determination and resource control, state police as well as adoption of parliamentary system of government. The meeting also resolved to set up a working committee to harmonize all the views of the entire pan-Yoruba groups for the national confab. Speaking one after the other, delegates noted with concern that the Yoruba nation had, for long, been marginalized in the scheme of things in Nigeria and concluded that only a return to regional autonomy in a true federalism where justice, peace and progress reign supreme could ameliorate the situation. In a keynote address, a renowned Yoruba leader, retired General Alani Akinrinade emphasized the urgent need for all the federating nations in Nigeria to come together to clean the “Augean stable” in the national polity. According to him, the dialogue should decide conclusively the level of power that should reside with the federal government. Another Yoruba leader, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) lamented that the Yoruba nation is presently “at the cross roads”, just as he insisted that a think tank is desirable for the geo- political zone to fine tune its Agenda for the planned national conference. Dignitaries at the conference also included Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, Wale Oshun, Otunba Kole Omololu (representing Afenifere, U.K. Branch), Dr. Kayode Samuel, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) and Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose, among others.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 06:10:54 +0000
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