By Kayode Emola
The troubling signs from Nigeria in all aspects of human development seem to be getting worse rather than abating. From the suspension of visas to all Nigerian passport holders by the UAE government and the subsequent cancellation of all flights to and from Nigeria. This is something that should worry every Nigerian. I don’t think anyone saw the calamity Buhari would be as a President and no one could have predicted that the naira will depreciate over 400% to the dollar within 8 years of Buhari’s rule. However, the problem is that we all pretend as if all is well in Nigeria and the status quo must remain.
As Nigeria stands today, it is imperative that regardless of your political leaning, anybody who still believes Nigeria is going to work needs to be taken to the doctors for a thorough medical examination. Nigeria is no longer a failing state, it is already a failed state and like Mr, Alex Ajala said in one of his recent broadcasts, “Nigeria is already dead but those benefiting from the rot are still preserving its carcass in a freezer”. The question is when will we all decide to call it a day with this disastrous “One Nigeria” project.
We know that things are terribly bad, but the depth of the rottenness is not yet visible to many in Nigeria who choose to feel unconcerned for themselves and the future of their children if Nigeria were to remain as a country. A few weeks ago, Central Bank Governor Emefiele announced that newly designed currency notes will be in circulation before the end of the year to replace the current ones. His excuse was that there are supposed to be about N40 trillion naira in circulation and the apex bank cannot account for about N30 trillion. His economic solution to print new notes in order to recover the existing notes in circulation is not only bad but a disaster for the economy which is already on its knees. As grand as his ideas, I believe it is time for us the indigenous peoples to decide once and for all, whether we want to continue to put up with this failed experiment called Nigeria or stand up for our rights.
The Nigerian populace who likes to be lied to, bought Emefiele’s storyline hook line, and sinker. It is a pity that we are not reading between the lines. The truth is that Nigeria as a nation is bankrupt, it is not generating enough revenue for the government to carry out its function as a state. Hence the government has resulted in any means of sustaining itself by preserving this unworkable governing arrangement. If not, how can the Minister of Finance not even know about a major policy such as overhauling the nation’s currencies? Your guess is as good as mine!
I did mention around February this year that before the end of this year, £1 will exchange for more than ₦1,000. It is not because I’m a prophet, it is because anyone who cares to see what is going on in Nigeria needs to know that everything about Nigeria is a setup. Within the space of two days (Monday & Tuesday) this week, the currency in the parallel market shot from £1 = ₦820 to £1 = ₦920 and ever since then, it has been on a freefall. The irony of the matter is that officially the Naira actually appreciated to the Dollar and Pound Sterling with the Pound exchanging for around £1 = ₦490. How can a country thrive with this double standard, when one tribe is exchanging the currency for a particular amount and others are meant to pay double for the same currency.
We the Yoruba people must decide whether this is the type of country we want to continue to commit our future or whether we want to take our destiny into our own hands. Our people cannot say they do not see what is going on and how the Fulani government of Buhari is dragging us in the wrong direction. Rather than end this madness, many people are hoping that after the election of 2023, there will be damage control. My advice to those mobilising for the 2023 election is for them to halt their activities and seek a better solution which is the dissolution of Nigeria. That is the only way we the Yoruba and other indigenous nationalities of Nigeria can see true development.
For those in the diaspora who are happy that they are exchanging pounds or dollars for a higher monetary value in naira. The truth is that the naira has no intrinsic value. It has already been so badly depreciated that even N10,000 which is almost £10 cannot cook a pot of soup for the average man who is expected to feed on N30,000 monthly minimum wage.
With all these catastrophes befalling Nigeria, I believe the Yoruba people must now decide on their future once and for all. We must be like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who instead of postponing Independence for Ghana in the 1950s decided that “Independence Now or Never”. We the Yoruba too must shout it loud from Lagos to London to Washington and to the rest of the world that Yoruba Independence Now or Never.
We must not allow our Yoruba politicians to play politics with our lives and the lives of our children. We must not only demand our rights; we must be ready to protest against this inhuman treatment that every Nigerian person has been subjected to. For those who are still in doubt about whether the Yoruba nation will be actualised, let me make this absolutely clear, Yoruba nation has come to stay and no one can change its course. God Himself is the one leading us and he will guide us into victory very soon.
Just like he said to Noah, go and warn your people that a flood is coming and anyone who does not find his/her way into the ark will not be spared, so also will the coming of Yoruba nation be. Sooner rather than later, Yorubaland will become a sovereign nation and I implore those at home to begin the final preparation as we countdown. Let those who still have the resources and means get for themselves provisions that will last them for a while, at least 2 months’ worth, and those who do not have to borrow to get provisions.
As for our Yoruba brethren in northern Nigeria, they must begin to find a way of relocating themselves and their families back home to the south. If they cannot for any reason relocate, then they must take every necessary precaution to be vigilant and protect themselves and their families wherever they are. The struggle for freedom is a fundamental human right and we the Yoruba people have resolved to fight for our rights. We will do this even if there is only one man standing and I implore us to be ever prepared for the final showdown.
