By Kayode Emola
When setting out on a journey, it is always wise to decide from the outset how to reach the final destination. It enables us to keep track of time, how far we’ve gone, where we are and where we need to be. The ultimate aim of the journey is to reach the destination, for it is only at this point we can truly have rest, before commencing another chapter.
We live in a world of instant gratification, and this has made many people very impatient. This impatience is not without consequence; and impatience on a journey can lead to us paying the ultimate price, missing our final destination because in our impetuosity we took a wrong turn.
When someone suggests a shortcut to our destination, we shouldn’t be seduced by the allure of a quick win. We must be diligent and ask for step-by-step guide to reach our victory. After all, Rome, they said, was not built in a day; the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. I am much more interested in reaching our Yoruba nation in an orderly manner, where the lives and properties of innocent people are not put at risk, than in a hasty, unplanned course of action that puts millions of lives in jeopardy.
I have studied a number of freedom fighters, including Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, Obafemi Awolowo, Ismail Qemali, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr, and so on. I know that some of these people achieved their dreams in their lifetime, whilst others passed on the baton to the next generation. This demonstrates that leadership is a continuum, not a finite position that dies with its holder. Many people will catch the fire and run with the vision; some will get the fire and quench it. The question is, who will finally carry the torch across the finish line?
When I joined the Yoruba nation advocacy in 2020, I knew it was time for me to contribute my share. There are many people who have been on the journey for longer than that, whilst many more are yet to join. I knew that not everyone would be in my position at that time, and this does not make them an enemy to the Yoruba people.
My fellow Yoruba brothers and sisters, we must understand that we are running a relay race, and so the first person who picked the baton will definitely not be the one who finishes the race. Some started this race years ago even before I was born and handed it down. Some of us have picked it up to guide it to where it is and if God is willing that we are the ones that take it to the finish line, we must acknowledge the labours of our heroes’ past.
It would be demeaning for the millions of Yoruba whose hope rests on the rebirth of our new nation if we were to ascribe all the successes to ourselves and to accord the failures to others. This glorious journey into nationhood was started by many people even before we were born, and those of us who have picked it up now must not allow it to fail this time around. We have sacrificed so much to get here. It is time we place our focus on those things that really matter, the things that get us closer to the finish line; than focus on the things which distract and draw us backward.
Over the last few days, there have been accusations and counteraccusations about who is working for or against the Yoruba nation’s actualisation. Several people have called me personally to seek my opinion and perhaps proffer a solution. I take the position that you can lead a horse to the river, however, you cannot force it to drink water. We can aim, through reason, logic, and debate, to persuade people to believe in what we are doing; however, we cannot force them to believe what we believe.
Those who fought for independence in Nigeria and other African nations were lucky to get it in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Zimbabwe and South Africa were less lucky – they didn’t catch the fire on time, and thus didn’t get their independence until the 1980s and 1990s respectively. I pray that we will not take so long to reach that promised land, the land of milk and honey where everyone will have the opportunity to aspire to the greatest positions their ability will take them.
The journey to Yoruba nation is not a sprint, but a marathon run over generations. We are now on the final lap and, God willing, we will get there sooner rather than later. My prayer is that those of us at the core of the work, arduous though it may be, will focus on the things that really matter. We must shun any distractions that may be planted in our way to derail our journey. Let us not give in to temptation at this eleventh hour; very soon, fortune will smile on us and victory will be realised. Let us continue to focus on the task ahead and finish well.
