By Kayode Emola
In mid-2013, I was in a vision and what I saw scared me. I don’t know why I had that vision; I do not see myself as a prophet, and neither am I a seer. Nevertheless, it was revealed to me what will happen with time, and this vision was very clear to me regarding what the Heavens were going to do.
In this vision, I saw that Heaven was frustrated with America, how they have handled world affairs whilst bearing their superpower status; and there was the question of who would be the next world superpower in order to maintain the balance of power. Two countries that were presented in that vision: Russia and China. Russia was the first to be presented with the opportunity to become the next superpower, but rejected it saying they weren’t interested in colonising anyone. The opportunity was then presented to China who took the position reluctantly; yet the reason for their reticence was unclear to me.
I pondered these things for a while, but did not ruminate on them too deeply, as I wasn’t sure why this vision was revealed to me in the first place. Perhaps it was for my own information, to help me complete my assigned role on this earth; or perhaps God was using me as his vessel to relay this message to the world.
I am unsure why China, of all the countries of the world, was given such an opportunity; however, it is not my place to decide who becomes the global superpower. I cannot say why America’s possession of this status was under scrutiny, nor why America was decommissioned in the spirit realm. However, all I do know is that if we think America’s reign was dire, it will pale in comparison to what will come when the Chinese empire takes on the world.
In the past, several empires have ruled the world, from the Romans to the Ottomans, the Persians, the Babylonians and, most recently, the British empire. Each of these empires ruled with different styles, designed to benefit the emperors, and, secondarily, their governing centres. We, in Africa, have also witnessed the rise and fall of empires, from the Oyo Empire to the Songhai Empire, Mali Empire, Kanem-Bornu, Kingdom of Kongo and the Ethiopian Empire, just to mention a few. These empires, for the duration of their supremacy, held firm sway over the continent of Africa.
One thing is certain: in the creation of an empire, a small number of people are elevated to prominent positions, whilst a multitude of innocent people and communities are impoverished and suffer. Consider for instance, the Ottomans, who ruled the world for nearly 700 years, from their headquarters in Turkey. Their reign led to the widespread Islamization of the region within its influence, with the obliteration of large swathes of the Christian community.
The wise or discerning person knows that, when one empire is declining in the wake of another’s ascent, some small nations are able to leverage the situation to negotiate their freedom and stay truly independent. This enables them to preserve the cultural heritage handed down to them by their ancestors. Such was the case of Ismail Qemali, the first Prime Minister of Albania.
When the Ottomans were ceding their vast empire to the British, Ismail Qemali took the opportunity to negotiate the freedom of his people. As their defeat in the Balkan wars signalled the impending collapse of the Ottoman rule, Qemali travelled to several European capitals to solicit the support of the Great Powers for Albanian independence. He did this to ensure that his native country was freed from the stranglehold of the Ottomans who had ruled it for over 400 years; but also to safeguard against their ever being colonised by another superpower.
The story of Yoruba today is not dissimilar to the historical trajectories of these great powers and small countries. Just as Israel and Judah fell to Babylon and Assyria; as the fall of the Ottomans facilitated the independence of Albania; as the Soviet Union disintegrated; so, in the past, we the Yoruba have witnessed a similar fate.
We have seen the rise and fall of many Yoruba kingdoms. As our kingdoms collapsed, we saw many of our nobles taken into slavery. Even once slavery was abolished, we failed to negotiate our freedom, resulting in our colonisation by the great powers. The English and French arbitrarily divided the region according to their own devices, fusing one part of the Yoruba kingdom with people with whom we share no heritage, to form Nigeria. The other part was also disparately merged with geographically adjacent peoples, forming the Republic du Benin and Togo.
When Britain withdrew and left her colonies to the mercy of America, we were quick to appropriate the American way of life, instead of rebuilding that which made our ancestors great. We forgot that a borrowed cultural identity can never allow a people to develop to their full potential. It is now evident that the Nigerian experiment was a farce created by colonial Britain, not to benefit the Yoruba and the world, but primarily to exploit our God-given resources for their own gain. Nigeria today ranks low in every metric of human development; many Nigerians have found it only possible to do well outside of the enclave Nigeria, and impossible on the homeland.
As China rises to become the new superpower, I believe we, the Yoruba people, are left with only one option to ensure our survival and that of our children. It is time to negotiate our way out of Nigeria to become a truly independent country.
It is irrefutable that Nigeria is not making enough revenue to sustain the economy, resulting in an imprudent extent of borrowing. Some people may not see the dangers in this, but the wise ones know that “he who pays the piper dictates the tune”. Our ancestors did not burden us with huge debts; they had little resources yet lived within their means, and so were able to gift us vast amounts of land. However, today, we are betraying our unborn generations by keeping silent in the face of oppression and impending doom.
Whilst the majority of our people are unaware of these looming dangers, I implore those of us who know our roots to redouble their efforts to reach out. We need to persist in our fight for an independent Yoruba nation, as that is our only means of safeguarding a good life for our people, the vast majority of whom will otherwise never see it. Albania may not be a rich country today, however it is one of the most content and peaceful nations in the world. Yoruba, too, can attain peace and eudemonia through true independence, but only if we put our heart to fight for it.
We need to start engaging the great powers of the world on behalf of our people just like the great Albanian hero, Ismail Qemali, did for his people. We on the frontlines need to be alive to our responsibilities and live up to our calling to ensure that we build a better future for the coming generations. It is said that “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.” To remain silent whilst the elite few bankrupt our children’s future is to assent, if not overtly consent, to this conduct. No longer should our silence acquiesce to their behaviour. No longer should we allow its perpetuity by not raising the plight of our people before the global stage. It is time for us to stand up, speak out and make the world hear us!
