By Kayode Emola
Eligible Nigerians across the country will be heading to the polls from today to choose the next set of political leaders to govern for the next four years. Yet on what basis is this election taking place? Many of those vying for positions obtained their nominations through bribery and corruption. The same politicians are now promising whatever is necessary to eradicate corruption. What an irony!
One may ask, what hope is there for the Yoruba nation and others seeking to leave Nigeria? Is this the end of the struggle for independence? Far from it. This election is just a sham, taking place because it has to and because Mr. Buhari has to leave office by 29 May 2023, no matter what. Therefore, those reassured by the fact that the election is taking place are experiencing merely a temporary relief, which will not last long.
The continuance of the Nigerian elections has no bearing on whether we persist in our advocacy of independence. The Yoruba nation movement has become a formidable force, especially coupled with the Biafran struggle for sovereignty. I dare to say that the will to fight for our Yoruba nation’s independence is currently the strongest it has ever been, and so we will see the victory parade sooner rather than later. I don’t want to speculate on whether the elections will occur or not; or whether it will be peaceful or violent. At this stage, such conjecture is immaterial and distracting. I want our people to focus solely on the goal: nothing short of an independent Yoruba nation outside of Nigeria.
We all knew the journey to freedom would never be straightforward. However, we did not expect the liability of many activists, changing course at the very last minute. This coming 2023 Nigerian general elections and several other events within the last three years of the struggle have opened our eyes to several revelations of unscrupulous elements within our ranks. From betrayals, backstabbers, and planted moles among us to understudy our activities and report same to the government of Nigeria and their agents.
In the end, we remained resolute, kept our calm, and we eventually came out victorious because we had no skeleton in our cupboards. We organised ourselves in the most professional way, fighting for our legitimate rights within the purview of domestic and international law. We stood up to the bullish Nigerian government and their foreign allies against our struggle. We checkmated the Fulani militia foot soldiers in our land in their tracks and exposed their evil atrocities to the world. The time is now ripe to finally decimate them in our forests and render them impotent once and forever.
The Fulani had thought that their grip on the governmental structures of Nigeria will give them the fighting edge against the Yoruba and other indigenous peoples of Nigeria. However, what ended up happening was the exposure of their folly in the eyes of the international community. Thanks to social media, their atrocities can now be broadcasted to the world, instantaneously even when the mainstream media fails to report such. With Buhari leaving office, they are now desperate for any leverage but this is the time for them to know that they already lost the battle. The owners of the land cannot be rolled over, we cannot be conquered in our land, not in a million years from now.
My word of caution to our Yoruba folks going out to vote, please remember that Nigeria is not our property and our participation in this sham election is validating our slavery to the British that formed Nigeria. The time is now to take what truly belongs to us and that is our Yoruba nation. If truly we are the most learned people in Nigeria, it is time to showcase to the world the stuff we are made of. After all, the British condominium of Egypt and Sudan in 1899 was decimated by the Egyptians when Britain started to have increased influence in Egypt.
The Egyptians were smart to disengage from Sudan on 1 January 1956, to wean off British influence, declaring their independence and severing ties with Sudan. The Egyptians feared that continuing with the condominium will make them vulnerable to British rule, and may put them in perpetual bondage, hence they had no option but to call time with the Sudanese. This saved them a lot of hassle that could have followed them into their new country.
The time is now ripe for us as Yoruba to be wise and sever ties with Nigeria so that we can build a prosperous black nation for all of mankind. Many of our people look down on the Yoruba nation as though we are a small nation. We are one of the most powerful nations on the face of the earth and it is only when we stand on our own as an independent nation that we would enjoy the good things life has to offer.
Our Yoruba landmass today is bigger than England and Wales put together, our population is nearly the size of Britain if not more, and our average population age is 35 years. All these indices show that if we put our act together, we can do better than most advanced countries around including Britain which is the 6th largest economy in the world.
I plead with you my people to realise that Yoruba nation is where we should be heading to. We should not accept any Nigerian elections in our land as we were not a part of any forum to decide how we want to be governed. We want a country where credible people will hold political positions, not a country where people will bribe their way into power only to steal our collective wealth. It is time for us to rise up and take control of our destiny in order to build a viable country we can proudly call our own.
