By Kayode Emola
Nearly every adult across the world has heard about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Whilst many are wondering why this has happened or been allowed to continue, there remains a lot of people who have not taken time to reflect on the root causes of the situation.
In order to learn lessons from what has happened, we need to truly apprehend the situation. First of all, it should be acknowledged that Russia and Ukraine have a long and complex intertwining history dating back centuries if not millennia. They are both familiar with each other’s capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
On face value, it is easy to place the blame with Russia for the attack on Ukraine. However, we also need to acknowledge that the other world powers have failed to provide leadership in working toward peace and stability. It is easy to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine, but we must be cognisant of the fact that our information on the situation is supplied by media outlets, who may have a vested interest in influencing international perspectives.
Part of the reason for the West’s invasion of Iraq was to disempower the government of Saddam Hussein and to secure the natural resources of the country – most notably, the oilfields. Even when the oilfields were secured and Saddam Hussein had been dethroned, the international coalition forces remained in Iraq for many years, giving those nations un-fettered access to the country’s mineral resources.
We are witnessing the horror in Ukraine at only nine days since the conflict began. I cannot imagine what the Iraqis would have endured, with the constant bombardment by American and coalition forces. Neither would we be able to quantify the amount of damage recently suffered by Syria at the hands of Russia, America, and ISIL.
Thus, it behoves us to understand that this war, ostensibly occurring between Russia and Ukraine, has been orchestrated by the ‘West’. The underlying factor that triggered the conflict was Ukraine’s desire to join the EU and NATO. These are two red lines for Russia, not only because of their historic ties with Ukraine but also because this would signal the beginning of the end for Russia.
If it is already decided that, unlike many of their European neighbours, Ukraine will never be granted admission into these two prestigious organisations, then why dangle the carrot before them? In addition to the West’s military advantage of gaining Ukraine, the country is also rich in many natural resources. The same is true for Russia, which is one of the highest producers of crude oil worldwide. Any conflict between Russia and Ukraine is certain to see sanctions slammed on Russia. This would have profound repercussions for their economy. Moreover, the West would be able to obtain many national companies at a significantly reduced price due to the war’s impact on their finances.
Had previous conflicts around the world been as vigorously reported by Western-controlled media, perhaps many of us would have been more informed and, as a consequence, would have spoken out. Yet even as I write this, there are ongoing arms conflicts in several African countries, of which I suspect many people are entirely unaware. Some have not been mentioned at all, whilst others, even when they have been reported on, it has been solely from the angle of providing humanitarian support. Nigeria itself is not dissimilar to a war zone, yet this is unreported by the media because it is not happening in Europe.
We have seen Ukraine stand up to the Russian Federation. However, those who believe that Ukraine will defeat Russia will have been shocked by Russia’s superior firepower. Although heavy sanctions have been implemented from many directions against Russia, the world has underestimated the resilience of the Russian government to weather any financial sanctions.
If the Western powers have conspired to turn Russia and Ukraine against each other purely for the sake of their natural resources, then we in Yorubaland need to act quickly to free ourselves from Nigeria, before it is too late.
Nigeria has many mineral resources, the majority of which are mined illegally without remittance to the Federal Government. Financial resources, desperately needed for the betterment of our country, are instead siphoned off by northern and southern oligarchs, who secrete them in the safe havens of Europe. If the Yoruba people were to get their own nation today, we would have control of those natural resources in our land, and the Yoruba government would be able to harness the resulting income they provide to benefit the entire people.
For example, despite the abundance of bitumen in Yorubaland, Nigeria imports the bitumen required to maintain our road networks. This situation should not be allowed to happen. Yorubaland has over 42bn tons of bitumen reserves throughout Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, and Edo states. Even if we were to export 100 million tonnes every year, it would take us over 400 years to fully deplete these reserves. Furthermore, with the current price of bitumen at $45/ton, this would generate income of over $4billion annually, from this one resource alone. However, the gross underdevelopment rife in Nigeria means that, even if those resources are mined, the country will not benefit from the revenue as most of it would end up in the pockets of these oligarchs who have sworn to destroy Nigeria.
I urge the Yoruba people to get their act together and take our destiny into our own hands. We need to intensify our efforts toward a sovereign Yoruba nation. But in so doing we must also acknowledge that the tasks ahead are numerous. We need to carefully plan our exit strategy in order to avoid getting embroiled in a protracted situation.
For our Yoruba nation to succeed, we must learn to fight in unity just as the Ukrainians are. Ukraine will inevitably fall to Russia, unless God intervenes for them. But there is honour in falling whilst standing rather than capitulating to fear. Yoruba, too, must stand tall and fight for their nation, especially now when the Nigerian government is at its lowest.
Africa needs to realise that the Western governments do not care about our safety, or even our existence. We are solely a commodity to them. We, the Yoruba people, must accept that no foreign government will come to fight for us. We have to be ready to defend our freedom and withdraw from the daily destruction ongoing in Nigeria.
With the Igbo ready to exit Nigeria, north-east Nigeria ready to break out from Nigeria and Yoruba ready to go, this is our time. I believe we should take this opportunity to organise a Yoruba National Conference, to discuss the logistical organisation of our nation once it is realised. This would safeguard against infighting when Yoruba nation becomes reality. Our strength lies in our unity. Let us stand fast and stand together. As one we strive, and in achieving our independence we create the opportunity for a better tomorrow.
