By Kayode Emola
Five years ago, a revival of the call for Yoruba independence started. People began to clamour for the formation of a Yoruba nation outside of Nigeria. Meanwhile, many folks who either did not believe at all, or were only half-hearted about the idea of complete independence, nonetheless still advocated for a devolved Yoruba nation within Nigeria. Ultimately, whichever camp one falls into, we all agree that the present-day Nigeria does not serve the majority of its people and therefore requires a major overhaul.
We must seriously consider our approach to this task, as we do not want to end up like the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness for 40 years even though God had told them to go and possess the Cannan land. We must avoid the pitfalls that can set us back, and be open to embracing new ideas in pursuit of our aim. Most importantly, we must remove from among ourselves this mentality of “I have to be at the centre of affairs before major decisions can take place.”
I believe Nigeria is not capable of stopping us if we decide to pull out of this unhealthy union that has plunged the majority of our people into poverty. However, our campaign is hampered by a lackadaisical attitude which I believe is born out of fear. Until we overcome this fear, we may never take the plunge that will either make or break this campaign.
In 2022, heightened levels of activity could have led to the birth of the new nation; however, the selfish ambitions of a minority held us back, trapping us in the situation we are today. It still baffles me that over 5,000,000 Yoruba people can sign a petition to leave Nigeria, yet we struggle to even get 100 people to attend meetings where serious strategizing on how we can achieve our independent nation can take place.
In fact, I doubt if there are even 100,000 people across the entire world who are ready to commit their time, energy and resources to achieve this noble cause. It feels like the majority want to sit back whilst someone else puts in the work to realise Yoruba independence, and merely reap the fruits of another’s labours once it is completed. This was exactly what happened with the Israelites: less than 20% believed they could vanquish the Canaanites, and so this prophecy self-fulfilled, prolonging their time in the wilderness.
Why do numbers of supporters’ matter? Because it sends a strong signal to the authorities that we are determined to exercise our inalienable right to self-determination. That being said, we don’t need the entire Yoruba people to subscribe to the idea before we begin to make impact. The Israelites were held back as a result of listening to the voices of the majority. I believe we should listen to the voice of the progressive few who truly know what they are doing and be guided by them at all times.
Consider Iceland, a country of less than four hundred thousand people and little or no natural resources, and yet it is one of the wealthiest nations on earth. This country relies mostly on imports for their everyday goods, although they do also export seafood and aluminium products.
If this small country of Iceland can build a system that works for their people, then I propose that we the Yoruba people who believe in independent Yoruba nation outside Nigeria must begin our own system of governing ourselves. Quite a few people have been mooting the idea of Customary Law government which is recognised by the United Nation and currently being practiced in Northern Nigeria for over 100 years.
If northern Nigeria is permitted to practice their customary law government giving them the powers to create their religious (Hisbah) police, then I believe we the southerners must take our destiny seriously. It is now time to take roll call of those who truly believe in the Yoruba nation struggle and are willing to pursue it with all that they have and not just mere say.
We must target at least a million people who are devoted to the struggle and are willing to help set up the customary law government, giving it the legitimacy it requires. After all, the current British Prime Minister and his immediate predecessor were not voted by the country. They were elected by a handful of people who are their political party faithful. The people who voted the British Prime Minster were less than two hundred party members who subscribed to be a party member.
If we can be able to set up a system whereby people can subscribe even with a little monthly token, as little as a dollar, then a million people would bring a million dollar to the cause. With this revenue, those tasked with representing our people can begin the developmental programmes that will propel us into becoming a formidable force to be reckon with.
I know some people may see this idea as foolish. But if we have over 70 million Yoruba people, even if over half of them live below the poverty line, then we should not struggle to find 1 million people to kickstart our new nation. For if we cannot find 1 million people, or even half of that number, then maybe we should just bury the idea of Yoruba independence and simply embrace being slaves in Nigeria forever.
