By Kayode Emola
As Nigeria mourns the death of former President Mohammed Buhari, who was buried some weeks ago, communities in Yorubaland continue to suffer from the atrocities of his regime. Even though Buhari has not long left power, the insecurities he left behind are nothing to write home about.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the mass exodus of our people from their towns and villages in Kogi State. This week, we have seen a video of a ghost village in Ifelodun Local Government of Kwara State. Though many of us in the heartlands of other Yoruba States and the Diaspora are not directly impacted by this phenomenon, we ought to be greatly troubled by these events in our homeland.
Inch by inch, we’re allowing the enemy’s forces to encroach on our ancestral land unabated. The Yoruba people of Kwara and Kogi are crying constantly for help, with no one appearing to be listening. Thus, giving room for our adversaries to take advantage of our helpless situation.
I don’t believe the people are helpless and hopeless; it is our society that has become broken. Our ancestors were not docile; they were valiant men and women who provided for their families. They ensured their communities were safe and free from predators.
Today, despite the billions of naira being allocated to each state governor for security, it seems the money is doing everything but the security it is meant to provide. Shall we continue to watch and see this devastation on a commercial level and do nothing? Or are the people resigned to fate and the gods to fight their many battles?
These and many questions beg for immediate answers in the face of rising insecurity in Yorubaland. We cannot fold our hands and allow these atrocities to go unabated forever. We need to rise to the occasion and tackle it headlong, once and for all.
We need to demand from our state governments unequivocally that they begin to attend to their first estate which is providing security for the people. If they feel that is an impossible task, then this is the best time for all of us to come out en masse to demand our sovereign Yoruba nation.
The Nigerian state has shown that it is incapable of addressing the many challenges that face it as a nation. It is not surprising because even though we have a multiplicity of nationalities, successive governments have failed to create a national identity for Nigeria.
Even when past governments have tried to foster unity in Nigeria, it is not unity with divergent views. It has been united with a tribal view, making it difficult for Nigeria to function properly as a progressive nation.
Whilst it is easy to blame everything on Nigeria, we as Yoruba must equally accept our own responsibility in the failures of Nigeria. We must not assume that our Yoruba nation will be devoid of the tendencies that broke Nigeria as a nation.
After all, we are not going to import people to become Yoruba citizens when we eventually get our sovereignty. It is the same corrupt-minded people from Nigeria who will become the civil servants and government officials in the new nation.
Therefore, there must be systems and institutions to checkmate excesses. We should endeavour to build a corruption-free society where everyone is guaranteed a decent wage irrespective of their work or calling. No one should have to depend on bribes, gifts, or stipends to meet their living expenses.
For if we do not set out these principles and abide by them from the onset, just as Singapore did when they were suddenly thrown out of Malaysia in 1965. Then, we may find that our efforts in securing a sovereign Yoruba nation have been an exercise in futility. I hope and pray that our new nation will surpass expectations and bring growth and development to everyone.
