By Kayode Emola
What doesn’t kill you, they say, makes you stronger; however, when you do reach breaking point, nothing can keep you standing. I do not know how much longer Nigerians can hold out before reaching breaking point. The sheer multitude of problems faced by the country seems to suggest that our leaders, who should be the nation’s visionaries, are blindly leading the blind.
Philosopher John Stuart Mill said, “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” The millions of Nigerians living in abject poverty is not the fault of the international communities. The fault lies at the feet of every Nigerian who has stood by or is currently standing by, who accepts the mediocre leadership delivered by the past and present political classes, who do not advocate for good, either for themselves or for their fellow country men and women.
Many gullible people are pinning their hopes for a solution to Nigeria’s problems on the 2023 elections, though these will produce nothing but another liar to be president. The irony is that eight years later they will repent of their foolishness, praising the previous government, searching for another messiah, whilst nothing changes. We repeat this same cycle of madness and yet hope that the outcome will differ and one day Nigeria will be better.
The bitter truth is, it doesn’t matter who becomes Nigeria’s president, Nigeria will never be better. If we continue to deceive ourselves, accepting the current arrangement, building hope on nothing, then we will never see improvement. So, we either rise up now and take our destiny into our own hands, or else we will perish in our ignorance.
No regime in Nigeria has produced a positive change. Conversely, the country has retrogressed at an accelerating rate over the recent years. The failure to prioritise development has condemned Nigeria to fail inevitably across every index of progress.
Consider the situation with our universities: the highest citadels of learning have been closed continuously for the last eight months because of strikes over pay. The future of millions of scholars hangs in jeopardy because the government cannot meet its obligations to the university’s lecturers. Many prospective graduates who were hoping to pursue further education or employment are now unable through no fault of their own. Yet we Yoruba sit comfortably in our high places concerning ourselves solely with who becomes the next president of Nigeria. No wonder the Bible says, “My people die because of lack of knowledge”.
When we tell people that their living conditions within Nigeria are abnormal, that the road to a life of fulfilment and happiness is predicated on removing our Yoruba nation from Nigeria, many people view us as the problem rather than the solution. The simple fact is our youths have never known anything better; whilst those elders who have experienced the riches of life under Yoruba governance, who ought to be at the forefront of the call for Yoruba nation, are instead preaching one Nigeria.
Now, may I ask: what really is Nigeria, and who really are Nigerians? Nigeria, as with many other African countries, does not qualify to be a country. Nigeria was formed as a company; and every company is owned by its shareholders – those who either formed the company or who bought it subsequently. Nigeria was formed by the Royal Niger Company (RNC) and then, in 1900, was sold to the British government for £864,000 for its maximum exploitation. It is clear to see why Chief Awolowo concluded, “Nigeria is a mere geographical expression. There are no ‘Nigerians’ in the same sense as there are ‘English’ or ‘Welsh’ or ‘French’.”
However, from the time of sale through to the transition into Independence in the 1960’s, Nigeria was effective as a corporate entity, living within its means and producing optimally. Today, the company has been run into the ground, and yet many still celebrate its smouldering ruins as a nation.
If there are no Nigerians bonded into a nation by a commonality of language and culture, if the term “’Nigeria’ is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not,” then why are we killing ourselves to protect a company that we did not create? We, the inhabitants of this geographical area, are not the shareholders of the company, but rather the commodity that is being traded.
Today, many Yoruba people are running away from their homeland as far and as fast as they can. They emigrate to the USA, UK, Canada, etc looking for somewhere to call home. Many have lived in the diaspora for upwards of 40 or 50 years and can no longer return home because, in reality, there is no home to return to.
Yoruba sportsmen and women who have achieved great accolades in their relevant disciplines, such as Anthony Joshua and Tobi Amusan, have done it outside the shores of Yorubaland. It is not that our homeland is cursed, but that it has not been built into the enabling environment required for our people to thrive and fulfil their destiny.
When I was planning to come to the UK over 10 years ago, my plan was to spend one year obtaining a Master’s degree, before returning to a lucrative job with an oil company in Nigeria. Alas, 10 years has passed and now my home is in the United Kingdom, with no plans to return and settle in Yorubaland anytime soon. I am not complaining about the good life I have come to enjoy here in the UK; I am only saddened that our leaders have not done anything to create a better life for the millions of our people in our homeland. We, however, cannot follow in our leaders’ path of apathy; it is imperative that we stand up and fight for the future of the next generation.
We can continue to moan without taking action and wait for a miracle to happen; or we can begin to put in the effort required to bring our Yoruba nation out of Nigeria. The choice is in your hands, every Yoruba man and woman must choose whether to take the path of action or inaction. However, as for me and my household, we will continue to advocate for Yoruba nation. We are not pursuing independence because it is one of multiple solutions that can create a better life for our people; we are pursuing independence because it is the only way to create a better life for our people. The sooner we realise this, the better it will be for all of us.
Once realising this truth, the next question people may ask is, what should we do in response? We Yoruba need to be resolute in our demand for change, we must insist – in a non-violent manner – that there will be no participation in Nigeria’s elections across Yorubaland until we have been able to sit down and discuss how we want to move forward. After all, what we have in Nigeria is never election but selection – it is not the populace who elect their leader, but the electoral powers who select their choice. This is the time that will make or break Nigeria; we must accelerate the Yoruba independence journey to ensure that we are freed in totality from the mental shackles bound around our neck.
I implore those who are still searching for the solution to creating a better Nigeria to sit down and ask themselves: what is Nigeria? What language does Nigeria speak? If Nigeria is a cohesive country, then why is our lingua franca English? It is only when we know the truth concerning our origin and Yoruba heritage that we can appreciate who we truly are. We Yoruba are a great people, having a unique language, culture and tradition that transcend millennia. The sooner we begin reclaiming our identity, the better it will be, not just for ourselves but for all of the generations yet unborn.
