By Kayode Emola
The question that appears to be on many of our compatriots’ lips is, how do we get the Yoruba Nation in the context of the chaos that is Nigeria? Some people believe that it is a pipe dream and will take forever to materialise. However, the truth is that the solution is not complicated, but its realisation requires dedication and steadfastness to the cause.
If there were a manual detailing how to obtain self-determination, we would have covered a substantial part of it. Therefore, one would think that by now we should have achieved our own independent Yoruba Nation. However, the truth is that self-determination is not a linear path, but one that depends on many variables.
Consider the example of South Africa: it wasn’t mere luck that granted Nelson Mandela independence from the Apartheid regime. So many factors played a part, from the favour shown by many countries around the world imposing sanctions in support of ending Apartheid, to the international recognition of the African National Congress (ANC) that pioneered the struggle for their freedom.
In the case of our own Yoruba struggle, there have been many labels that we have fought tirelessly to rebut. For instance, we are often called agitators by those who have misconstrued our purpose. Whilst we are advocating for Yoruba rights, and will certainly not be shy about doing so, we are not seeking to instigate others to cause disruption merely for the sake of being disruptive.
Equally, there are others who attempt to slander us by calling us secessionists, in a bid to perpetuate their agenda of making out that we are the trouble-makers, that we seek only to sow chaos and cause the dissolution of Nigeria. We may believe that de-amalgamation would lead to a better quality of life for the many ethnicities contained within the conglomeration called Nigeria, but that is not our primary goal.
Our priority, first and only, is to gain the right to self-determination for the Yoruba people, and we believe that that is best achieved within a Yoruba nation that is independent from Nigeria. We have not and do not seek to influence the remainder of the country on their own decision whether to remain amalgamated or to seek complete dissolution.
The bottom line is that, for any liberation struggle, there are two essential ingredients: diplomacy and defence. The military are wont to say that we go to war to bring peace. If this is the case, that war is necessary to bring peace, then why are we scared of identifying what we need to succeed in our struggle for self-determination of the Yoruba people?
We should not deceive ourselves into thinking that we need only cry out to the world and they will give us the Yoruba Nation, as though we are a colonised people. We must realise that, in this age of neo-colonisation, every nation must stand proudly for itself for the world to respect it.
For instance, the Oyo empire didn’t build its legacy on the back of lobbying the international community to fight on its behalf in its many battles with its neighbours. They organised themselves, from their government to their military, and they did the needful.
Therefore, for the Yoruba people to get themselves out of Nigeria, we need to put security in place to defend our towns and villages from the marauders that are invading our land. We have seen the recent statement by the Chief of Army Staff of Nigeria that every community should start defending itself.
This does rather beg the question: if the government is not serious about the security of the lives and property of the people, what then is the job of the government? However, I wouldn’t waste too much energy trying to answer.
All I can say for now is that every one of us should put ourselves together and work effectively to create a formidable security force able to counter any threats of terror that may come our way. We also need to intensify our diplomatic moves towards the eventual declaration of the Yoruba Nation, when we are sufficiently formidable to hold our own against those who would aim to deter us.
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