By Kayode Emola
One month from now, barring some dramatic intervention, Bola Tinubu will become President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Although many people question the election process that resulted in his being named President-elect, he is nonetheless cruising into becoming the next President of Nigeria.
With the clamour for self-determination from both the Yoruba and Igbo nationalities, one would be forgiven for believing the dissolution of Nigeria to be a foregone conclusion already, and therefore somewhat perplexed at the weight of import being placed on this election. Not only do both nationalities have the greater population that make up Nigeria, over 70% of the country’s wealth is generated from the South.
If anything at all, one should praise President Buhari for his staunch defiance to recognise the struggle and his zeal in defending the faulty constitution imposed on Nigerians. His actions sometimes though have come through illegal means in the case of the extra-ordinary rendition of the IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya and needs to be questioned.
The same was the illegal invasion of Chief Sunday Adeyemo’s (Igboho) house on 1st July 2021 to try and prevent a mass rally in Lagos by the Directorate of State Security (DSS) and the army without any warrant. All these illegal activities were carried out by a government that is supposed to live above board and be a shining example for Africa. Whilst Nigerian politicians may believe that they have been able to quell the struggle for independence and freedom of the ethnic nationalities, the struggle for emancipation is far from over.
The struggle no longer has Buhari to contend with at the helm of Nigerian affairs, however, it now has Tinubu who is a Yoruba man as President of Nigeria. The question that many people are asking is, will Tinubu, being from southern Nigeria, be soft on the activists, or even go so far as to grant them their wish? Or will he turn out to be even more hostile than his predecessor?
Ultimately, only time will tell as no one can predict how Tinubu’s presidency would be. The man himself is incredibly frail, and so, like his predecessor, may have to embark on numerous foreign trips for medical treatment. If so, he may be proven unable to perform his duties to his fullest capacity.
In such an event, the President would find his office in a very precarious situation, with many policies being masterminded by his subordinates and widespread speculation amongst the populace over who is actually governing the country. The self-determination struggle, on the other hand, has a life of its own and, as long as its flames can be kept alive, will inexorably give birth to independent Yoruba and Biafra nations.
Some may speculate that Tinubu’s success at the polls was due to a shrewd campaign orchestrated by the Yoruba and Biafran activists to force the North to concede power to the South. Others argue that Tinubu would have been President regardless, as he stands a better chance of winning the position.
I submit that it is not worth expending our energies on, or speculating whether Tinubu’s presidency will favour Yoruba. Unless he had already resolved to dismantle Nigeria, Tinubu will have no incentive to tear down the house that is currently benefiting him.
Therefore, we as Yoruba activists, must double down on our demands for an independent nation. Achieving this will require intellectual skills, focus, and determination. Not by merely wishing that Tinubu would help in achieving this but by really putting in the hard work.
We have come to a point in our struggle where we need to identify the true patriots of Yoruba. For many have arisen with a mediocre mindset, parading themselves as champions of the Yoruba struggle only to derail the cause. Our focus should be on our destination, thus we must ignore every side distraction.
The time is now to begin to plan how to engage Tinubu’s government when he eventually becomes President. We must not leave our destiny and those of our children born and unborn to chance. Tinubu’s Presidency in Nigeria is but for a limited time but the Yoruba nation will outlast several generations which would look back at this time and question what we did with our time if we fail to secure its independence whilst we can.
I will therefore urge our people to unite together so that our journey will be less arduous, for it is only then can we put on a united front. If we fail to come together, we may end up going in circles with unscrupulous people trying to derail the whole process. It is my utmost wish that we would stand strong, speak out, and together make the world hear us.
