By Kayode Emola
Many of us campaigning for Yoruba Nation knew the struggle would be especially difficult to pursue if one of our own were to become Nigerian President, as public opinion would be liable to shift from supporting independence to anticipating a better life within Nigeria. Nevertheless, those of us who strongly believe in Yoruba independence have continued, undeterred, to advocate for our sovereignty, in order to enable a brighter future for our people.
The majority of us at the forefront of this struggle are not directly bearing the brunt of this economic chaos. However, through our family and friends, we are witnessing the hardship endured by our people. We cannot, therefore, in good conscience, close our eyes to the situation, pretending everything is alright simply because our own circumstances are comfortable.
There’s no point reiterating the multitude of woes afflicting our people both at home and in the diaspora: we already know them better than we know the palm of our own hands. Our energies are better invested in calculating how we get out of this conundrum called Nigeria without jeopardising our people’s livelihoods, or worse, their lives.
This is the reason that, from day one, our campaign has focused on finding a peaceful resolution. We remain resolute in not compromising on these standards. Although military people will tell you that you have to go to war to bring peace, we all know that wars invariably end on the round table. So why not start at the round table and avoid unnecessary bloodshed?
This is not to say we should not be, or would not be, battle ready if we were to be confronted by the killer herdsmen or any other militia within Nigeria hellbent on displacing our people. We are Yoruba and we have never been those who shy away from battles, whether great or small; and it is testament to our nobility that God Almighty has kept our race.
Therefore, we must guard against allowing our nobility to turn into stupidity: we must constantly assess our strategy for independence, ensuring that we are focusing on the things that matter and ignore distractions. For far too long, many of us have succumbed to these distractions, possibly because we don’t know the direction in which we ought to be travelling; or perhaps we are too enthralled by the fantasy of our own nation that we lose sight of the reality.
Building a nation is not child’s play, so those who wish to lead must be more than mediocre minds. They must be selfless, willing to lay down their all for the benefit of the nation. Anything short of this would see our struggle stall, potentially irreparably. Too many of us have had the mentality of “someone ought to be responsible for securing the independent nation,” whilst sitting back, abdicating responsibility for their own part in contributing toward it.
If we are to achieve our independent nation, then every one of us must be involved in the process. It cannot be a matter of some people doing the work, whilst the rest of us sit down and watch. It must be a collective effort. Even those who are unable to be present on the ground or actively involved from afar can contribute to the struggle with financial support.
Furthermore, not only do we need people with sincere dedication to the struggle, but we also need to have a clear roadmap of how to get to our destination of an independent nation. By looking back on our mistakes, learning from them so that we don’t repeat them going forward, then we would be that much closer to our goal.
We must not lose sight of where we are going, and we must not lose hope of getting there, no matter how short or long the journey may be. The struggle for freedom and justice is not a tea party, therefore we must be ready to leave our comfort zone.
Only those who are ready to do the work will succeed; it is not enough to merely wish for the job to be done. Too many of our people have been comfortable sitting on the sidelines watching what is going on, with some people propagating their belief that independence is not achievable in any meaningful timeframe and others even seeking to actively sabotage and undermine our efforts. These people have no place in our endeavours. We must ignore the doom-sayers, staying focused on the task ahead.
With the ongoing economic hardship in Nigeria oppressing our people in their tens of millions, I believe there is no rational argument to not support the movement for independence. We still remember what Yoruba nation looked like in the 1950s, shortly after World War 2. It is a far cry from that today, and farther still from what it should have become.
Therefore, for those still expecting Nigeria to bring forth a miracle, I am sorry to disappoint but I must state the stark reality that there is no hope for Nigeria, no messiah can possibly bring it back from the brink. Though my heart is saddened, it may be that the hardship needs to multiply before our people learn their lesson; if so, then maybe that is what we will pray for. I only pray that we will learn our lesson quickly, before it is too late.
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