By Kayode Emola.
When one speaks of Yoruba nation today, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is the achievements of Chief Obafemi Awolowo around the 1950s, in the Western region of Nigeria. His achievements were so laudable that even his critics cannot deny that a return of that era would not be objectionable. Alas, even if we were to bring Awolowo back from the grave, it seems doubtful that the present-day Yorubas would allow him to fulfill the yearnings of the people for good governance.
I still rue the fact that the Yoruba nation did not take her independence outside of Nigeria when offered in 1957. Nonetheless, that this opportunity was forgone in the past does not mean that we in the present must continue to suffer whilst holding fast to the error of our forefathers.
However, I’m not going to take this week’s article to dwell on the negatives that afflict our people, but rather focus on what an Independent Yoruba nation has to offer, both to her citizens and to the rest of the world.
What really happened and where did we get it wrong?
It is widely evident that the current climate of Nigeria is hostile to its citizens, failing to respect that it is, in fact, the people of a country that make that country what it is. However, although there are overwhelming complaints from many quarters, it would appear that there is one set of people who are enjoying the present-day Nigeria. These are the politicians from all tribes and the Fulani who believe that Nigeria is their exclusive property, meant for their sole benefit alone, to the detriment of everyone else. Whilst every other indigenous people group within Nigeria are looking for an escape route, only the Fulani are looking for a complete takeover.
One might therefore be led to ask, is there something that the Fulani are seeing in Nigeria that others are not? In that, your guess is as good as mine and only time will tell. The thing that I can be sure of is that Nigeria in its current construction is going to disintegrate, and it is just a matter of time before this happens. However, the manner in which it disintegrates is going to be a case study for many commentators for years, if not centuries, to come. The current inequity causing the rifts between the ethnic tribes has widened, and there seems to be no bridge builder that can help traverse that divide. The only people clamouring for one Nigeria are those who are benefiting from the rot that is now all pervasive throughout the country. They call for unity not because of their love for Nigeria, but for the love of their pockets and the benefits they garner from Nigeria’s degeneracy.
It is now old news that Nigeria overtook India as the poverty capital of the world in May 2018 (as stated in the report published by Oxfam & World Poverty Clock). Perhaps what is more newsworthy now, in September 2021, is that Nigeria’s currency has become the worst-performing currency in the world, a position held previously by the Zimbabwean dollar. It begs the question: how long will my people continue to tolerate enduring hardship whilst living in the midst of plenty? I remember in 2015, the price of Naira to the British Pounds Sterling was £1 to just ₦180. In comparison, today the British Pounds Sterling is being exchanged at a rate of £1 to around ₦780. If this current trajectory continues, and with the borrowing spree that President Buhari has embarked upon it seems more likely than not, it will reach £1:₦1000 before the end of 2021.
In June 2021, the Governor of Edo State revealed that the Central government had been printing money through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in order to generate sufficient funds to allocate to the individual states. Even though the CBN has denied it, the current rate of borrowing clearly demonstrates that Nigeria’s economy is hanging by a thin thread, and the next global shock will be the final straw to fully decimate the country.
What an Independent Yoruba nation has to offer its citizens.
There is no doubt that if we had an independent Yoruba nation today, we would still have as our closest neighbour the same northern Nigerians to our north and the eastern Nigerians to our east. Perhaps the only new relationship we may seek to forge is the reunion with our long-lost brothers in the Republic of Benin.
If we were to form an independent Yoruba nation, today’s statistics suggest that the new country would start with an estimated population of around 60 to 70 million. This is projected to rise to around 100 million people within the first 10 years, due to the planned introduction of a number of developmental projects. For instance, education will form one of the topmost priorities of the government, with policies to nationalise private primary and secondary schools – around 25,000 in number – and to bring up to standard those with inadequate facilities. Whilst I agree this is a huge undertaking, I believe in the precept of basic education that is free at the point of delivery, compulsory and should be the responsibility of the government. Undeniably, private institutions will still exist, but the current state of allowing the majority of basic education to be in private hands is the abdication of responsibility by the government, and this needs to be addressed. Nationalisation will ensure that children are not left behind in their quest for knowledge due to their families being unable to cover the exorbitant fees charged by the private schools, as is too often the case under the current system.
Additionally, there will be an overhaul of the health sector; as the popular axiom states, “Health is wealth”. All localities will have free primary health care facilities with a national health insurance scheme that covers everyone. This will ensure that people are not dying needlessly due to unaffordable hospital fees, as we are currently seeing in Nigeria.
Once these two aforementioned sectors have been established, the building of other basic infrastructures such as roads, telecommunications, and industry; and utilisation of our huge pool of human resources and talent already in existence will drive the country’s growth forwards exponentially. This will ensure that the Yoruba nation – a nation whose population at its birth will exceed that of 100 other already established countries worldwide – will be able to develop at an accelerated pace.
What does an independent Yoruba nation have to offer the rest of the world?
Unquestionably, an independent Yoruba nation has a lot to offer to the world. We have historical precedent that demonstrates what we have contributed in the past and how these have been used to the benefit of other nations’ development. One such example is that of our palm oil, which was used in Britain in the early 20th century as a lubricant for the heavy machinery that drove the country’s expansive industrialisation, putting Britain as a world leader in the field of manufacturing. Yoruba land has over 30 solid and liquid minerals presently untapped, which our nation would be able to open up and trade, for the benefit of both her citizens and the rest of the world. The Yoruba nation would seek to open bilateral relations with numerous countries throughout the world, thereby driving success in trade, commerce, and tourism.
These examples are but a few of the things that the Yoruba nation has to offer to the world. Even now, Yoruba people are impacting the world in a multitude of disciplines. Just recently, Joseph Ladapo was appointed as the Surgeon General of Florida; and we see a Yoruba man, Wale Adeyemo, serving in President Joe Biden’s team as the US deputy secretary of the treasury. These men have been appointed on the basis of their own merit and contributions to society, and so their accomplishments should not be underrated. Not to mention that the highest-paid robotic engineer in the world, Silas Adekunle, is also a Yoruba man making huge strides in the field of artificial intelligence.
In Conclusion:
Both the Yoruba people and the world at large have more to gain from an independent Yoruba nation than they are receiving with the artificial aggregation that is Nigeria presently. The Yoruba people would become a global boon, offering opportunities for great development, rather than the apparent burden that the Yorubas, and other indigenous peoples, are being turned into by the current Nigerian state. I hope that those among my fellow Yoruba people, who at present do not see all that is wrong in Nigeria today, will come out of their cocoons and face the reality that Nigeria is a sunken ship with no hope of redemption for its multitudinous disadvantaged, unemployed citizens.
Nigeria has become a trap that kills people’s dreams, turning the gifted person into a beggar and the talented into a slave. We need to start investing our resources, such as time and effort, into securing our Yoruba nation right now, rather than preparing for another round of elections that will lead us nowhere. If we do this, then I believe the brighter future that we seek for ourselves, our compatriots, and the world at large will be just around the corner ready to embrace us. March on to your destiny of greatness, Yoruba, for the world is waiting for you.
