By Kayode Emola
As, through the interconnectedness brought to us by technology, the world become ever more a global village, this same technology can be used to our advantage to accelerate the struggle for Yoruba nation. Yet, despite the ready availability worldwide of much of these technological advancements, a lot of Nigerians are still lagging behind their global counterparts.
As over 5 million people have signed the petition calling for Yoruba to separate from Nigeria, I believe it is time to embrace such technologies as can speed up this exit.
For example, the introduction of a new monetary system will allow the Yoruba financial system to disengage from that of Nigeria. It therefore needs to be introduced as a matter of urgency to ensure that there is a seamless transition when we leave.
One may ask, how is this going to be achieved, especially as we don’t even have our own central bank? I believe that an effective platform has developed in the form of the digital money space online. We have seen the success of many European nations running a cashless society: one can live somewhere such as Sweden or Finland without having to handle any cash through the entire year.
If the same were to be introduced now across Yorubaland, accessible by every resident of Yoruba nation and even the Yoruba diaspora, this would ensure that when we finally disengage ourselves from Nigeria, we would be entirely ready to implement our own currency, evidencing our true financial freedom.
Some people may say this is too difficult or even impossible to implement; however, I believe it would be one of the easiest policies to enact. Whilst recognising that a sizeable proportion of our population do not have an internet-capable phone that could fully utilise a digital payment system, introducing it for those who do will provide a good foundation, in terms of having the technology up and running, when it comes to the eventual nationwide deployment.
As previously alluded to, there are already several countries utilising digital payment systems, meaning that the use of physical cash is now almost outdated. Many challenger banks worldwide are also offering financial services without requiring a physical branch. Urgent adoption of this system now will ensure that our people have access to electronic cash and payment systems when our new nation enters full operation. This will thus mitigate any issues potentially arising whilst switching currencies.
There is clear benefit in the early implementation of this system, as it will allow any IT issues to be identified and corrected prior to the enrolment of millions of users once our new nation is born.
Consider the example of the United Kingdom: the English Pound Sterling is different from the Scottish Pounds Sterling and the Northern Irish Pound. Each has their own distinct bank notes, yet all are accepted throughout the UK. This demonstrates that a nation can exist with two (or more) currencies operating simultaneously.
The Bristol Pound, launched on 19 September 2012, is a currency whose use is limited exclusively to Bristol, a city within the UK. The purpose was to encourage Bristolians to spend their money locally, thus keeping the wealth circulating within their community. Therefore, there is no barrier to the implementation of a Yoruba currency concurrent with the existing Naira, other than our own willingness to accept it. If the seller is willing to accept the Yoruba currency in exchange for goods, and the buyer is willing to pay in that same currency, then nothing further is required.
The creation and implementation of our own Yoruba currency now using available technology, launching it to operate alongside other world currencies, will be a major step forward in our movement. It would give us a strong foothold in the climb towards freedom, real emancipation, and our independent nation.
Once this has been achieved, we must still go a step further: we must ensure that once manifested, Yoruba nation is able to provide a platform for Africa to keep her wealth within Africa. We must ensure that Yorubaland is the choice destination and financial hub for African countries to save their wealth, rather than transferring it outside the continent.
We should make African countries realise that the real wealth of Africa can only be realised when our resources are kept with us – in Africa, and not in Europe or America. This will help us rapidly develop and transform our land to no longer be the poverty capital of the world. In turn, we will then be able to bring back our brothers and sisters, lost through slavery, back home to reconnect with their roots.
Meanwhile, I take this opportunity to caution our people against being distracted by the current shenanigans in Nigeria that they call elections. These so-called democratic processes are no more than a highway to perpetual slavery, and so we must desist from further participation. The only way now to get our freedom is to focus on the path which will provide us with true freedom and justice. The time to be freed from our bondage has arrived and we must embrace it with both hands. And so I urge you, continue to stand strong, speak out, and together we will make the world hear us.
