By Kayode Emola

It is easy to condemn people when they fail in their endeavours, however it is important to remember that failure is part of the process toward success. It is true that history is written by the winners; so, when an invasion is attempted, those who succeed frame themselves as justified freedom fighters, whilst those who fail are painted by their opponents as unlawful insurgents. It may be easy to condemn as criminals those who invaded the Ibadan Secretariat on 13 April 2024, but in so doing, we find that, in order to avoid hypocrisy, we are bound to condemn as criminals the proponents of every coup in Nigeria since 1966.

We must not forget that Nigeria, from its inception, is a fraud committed against the indigenous people. We were forced into merging as one nation by the barrel of a gun held to our leaders’ heads. No Nigerian gave consent to us becoming one country. Yet those today who have the ability to address the issue of sovereignty are benefitting from the corrupted nature of Nigeria’s genesis, and so refuse to address question, despite its importance.

When I first heard about it, I had wanted to condemn the actions of those invading the Oyo State secretariat invaders. However, when I watched their videos, every person among them held fast to their desire for an independent Yoruba nation, even though they were surrounded by multiple Nigerian security agencies. Sticking to their conviction even in the detention of those who could punish them without a second thought for holding such views, shows their courage and fortitude, for which they must be praised.

Throughout history, far more nations than not initiated their move toward independence with the barrel of a gun, before a diplomatic settlement began negotiations. However, despite preparing for an all-out gun battle, these people refused to fire a shot. Even when one of the government officials can be heard screaming, “Shoot me,” no shots were fired. This level of discipline is usually only seen in most professional armies, yet, though the invaders are no army, they exhibited the highest level of discipline.

We often look to America as the ultimate example when it comes to nationhood, yet forget that in attaining their independence, they, too, had their share of violence. Many black people celebrated Barack Obama when he became the first person of colour to attain the position of President of the United States; but not many of those celebrating remember the sacrifices of the Civil Rights Movement, the Nation of Islam or the Black Panthers.

Many of these pressure groups employed a modus operandi of confrontation with the authorities. For instance, the Nation of Islam, who counted Malcolm X amongst their prominent leaders, famously conflicted with the US law enforcement authorities and sought total separation between black people and the country of America.

The proponents of one Nigeria today are quick to quote chapter 1, schedule I(3)2(1) of the 1999 constitution as stating that “Nigeria is indivisible”. However, taking that section of the constitution as a standalone is misleading because the constitution then goes on to say, “Nigeria shall be a federation consisting of… 36 states… that is to say, Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.”

Yet Nigeria itself is an artificial state, held together by force rather than mutual respect. Nigeria’s artificial amalgamation has allowed non-state actors to prioritise that which is good for them and their associates, resulting in high rate of crime. The crime rate in Nigeria is now at its highest level, and the government machinery is not able to handle it. Just this week, the Nigerian Army withdrew from their camps along the Allawa axis of the Shiroro Local Government of Niger State, citing insecurity from terrorists. The sudden removal of the army presence has forced the entire community to flee from their homes, leaving their belongings and livelihood behind.

In nationhood, citizens’ rights and freedom ought not to be taken away through legislation for the purpose of benefiting the political class. The state must always owe its authority to the general will of the people, with the laws of government derived from the will of the people. If the government of Nigeria fails to engage with the people for whose benefit the laws are supposed to be implemented, then actions such as those witnessed on 13 April may be inevitable.

What the government witnessed on 13 April was a taste of what the citizens have been experiencing since the start of ‘democracy’ in 1999 and the creation of the terror group Boko Haram in 2002. The government officials react only when their own survival is being threatened, not for the benefit of the people.

Its high time the government of Nigeria realised that if they require that their citizens be law-abiding, they themselves must respect the sovereignty of the people. We who are quick to condemn must realise that those who have the courage to stand up for their rights are true heroes of the Yoruba people and should not be treated as villains. To avoid reoccurrences in the future, the government needs to engage the people, not adopt merely a fire-brigade approach to issues surrounding sovereignty and national security. “Better put a strong fence ’round the top of the cliff, than an ambulance down in the valley.” (Joseph Malins, 1895).

By Kayode Emola

Last Friday, a group claiming to be Yoruba nation advocates, led by Ms Onitiri, attacked the Oyo State Secretariat. This was not only a brazen assault on the Nigerian state, but also an affront to the genuine Yoruba nation campaigners.

Before discussing the actions of these hooligans, I will first suggest three paths by which an independent Yoruba nation can be lawfully attained. First, a national conference where all the stakeholders within Nigeria are called to a negotiated settlement. This, unfortunately, will never happen. Without going into great detail, we know that the Fulani, who are the greatest beneficiaries of Nigeria’s skewedness, will not allow this.

Secondly, a mass demonstration by the Yoruba people and other disgruntled nationalities that forces a standstill in the system. This may result in the offer of a referendum with UN supervision, and, if the result shows a majority in favour of dissolution, then a date can be set for departure.

In the event that these two fails, the third option would be declaration of war and the resulting armed conflict. In this situation, we see the truth of the proverb, that if you push a goat to the wall, it is bound to fight back.

This is why many of the Yoruba elders over time have stated that they want a peaceful dissolution. However, lacking the courage to ask for complete separation, they instead request a restructured Nigeria. Whilst this may give us a quasi-Yoruba nation, we will still have the hang-over of Nigeria’s problems in our hands to deal with.

It is this lacuna that Ms Onitiri saw and capitalised on. Her reckless actions were not intended to achieve Yoruba independence; rather all she sought was to create fanfare and raise her own personal profile, using the Yoruba nation struggle as a smokescreen.

I know this because of personal interactions that I have had with her and her team. Around November 2021, one of her scouts attempted to recruit me at the time that Ms Onitiri was preparing to launch herself. After a few conversations, I saw that she was the antithesis of what a future Yoruba leader should be. I immediately cautioned everyone around me to be wary of this woman, stating that I didn’t want anything to do with her.

It was clear to me that Ms Onitiri wanted to build a personality cult rather than institutions to stand the test of time. For this reason, she attracts greedy people into her cause with promises of giving them heaven and earth, knowing even as she does so that this is a lie.

The next encounter I had with her agents of doom was in February 2022. They called me to discuss an alleged bribe by the Nigerian government to some fifth columnist among us. I informed them that I don’t know anything about it and I am not interested in such matters; that I would rather focus my energies on the work required to further our quest to achieve Yoruba independence.

The next thing I saw was what appeared to be a private conversation being circulated widely across social media. In this moment, I knew these people would resort to any devious means in order to achieve their aim; so, I immediately cut off any form of communication with these people, which has remained so till today.

Shortly thereafter, some people in our ranks began to promote this woman, propagating her false narratives. Among these was the claim of conducting a UN sanctioned-petition which, if five million Yoruba signed it, would grant us independence with no need to conduct a referendum. Despite sounding too good to be true, a lot of our people fell for this lie.

Somehow, she achieved the five million signatures which emboldened her to further entice the Yoruba people with unsubstantiated gimmicks and fantasies. She told us to start printing international passports, because Yoruba would leave Nigeria by 2022, however no date was ever set for this exit.

Failing to get the major players to support her egotistic quest, in November 2022 she went on social media to declare that Yoruba is now an independent nation. When the whole saga turned on her, she tried to hide her folly under the semantics of reclamation, proclamation etc.

Seeing that her gimmicks were not working, she resorted to the last option, declaring war on the Nigerian state. Whilst Onitiri is within her rights to do whatever she wants with her life, it is an affront to the real Yoruba struggle to have her hide under the banner of freedom fighting whilst derailing the real movement.

Her actions of last Friday 12 April 2024 show no thought process or genuine desire to forward the Yoruba cause. She was merely seeking to massage her ego, derailing the real Yoruba independence struggle in the process. The few untrained thugs in army camouflage that she sent to plant a flag in the state secretariat are not able to effect the takeover of a street, let alone a nation.

It is clear that her true intentions are not to get an independent Yoruba but serve her paymasters, the Nigerian politicians. You may recall how Igboho became a wanted man when he organised a rally supporting Yoruba nation independence in July 2021. Yet even though Ms Onitiri is residing in Nigeria, the Nigerian government did not declare her wanted until various quarters began alleging their complicity.

What is the Nigerian government hiding? Are they concerned that Onitiri will expose the people behind her attempt to silence the real quest for an independent Yoruba nation? They should know that the Yoruba nation struggle for independence has got a life of its own, a light that cannot be extinguished. Our people know the truth, and they can see the road, so they cannot be deceived. The majority want a Yoruba nation, and nothing can change that fact.

The best action that the Federal and State Governments of Nigeria can take would be to begin the process of peaceful dissolution of Nigeria; otherwise, a chaotic dissolution may be inevitable.

I urge our true patriots to remain steadfast and vigilant, knowing that the actions of unscrupulous people like Onitiri will never succeed in derailing our quest for an independent Yoruba nation. Our mission is to liberate the millions of our people from this bondage called Nigeria, and God Almighty who is leading us will continue to guide us in the right path without fail.

By Kayode Emola

As we journey through the morass of Nigeria towards achieving our Yoruba nation, it is prudent to note that the most severe hurdles facing us will come from within, not from our adversaries. Recall that when Moses sent twelve Hebrew spies to Canaan to assess the land that God had promised them, ten returned with reports to discourage the Israelites from attaining that promise.

Joshua and Caleb, although they saw the same challenges that the other ten did, reported back that, despite the giants dwelling in the land, if God promised them the land, then He will deliver. The rest is history, with the Israelites going on to spend 40 years wandering the wilderness before they entered the promised land, all because they placed their faith in the negativity of a handful of faithless scouts.

For this reason, we Yoruba must speak out about the dangerous moves of the Oluwo of Iwo. We are facing an existential crisis from the Fulani herdsmen that has decimated our farmlands and caused us to become reliant on importing foods from the north.

You may recall that the Oluwo married a Fulani woman some few years ago, causing backlash from many Yoruba people. It wasn’t the ethnicity of his bride that so disturbed people, but the manner in which he behaved subsequently.

Shortly after his marriage, the Oluwo declared that he is no longer a Yoruba king, instead adopting the northern title of “Emir of Iwo,” flying starkly against the customs and traditions of the Yoruba people. No northern Nigeria ruler would ever take on the title of ‘Oba,’ or allow that title to be used by the paramount ruler of any northern town; yet our own southern ruler has discarded his heritage in favour of conforming to the Fulani customs.

Just recently, the Oluwo has replayed the folly of Afonja, declaring Iwo to be an Islamic land. We remember that when Afonja declared Ilorin an Islamic land, calling all practising Muslims to come settle there; he was ultimately ousted by his believed Fulani ally, Alimi, who turned Ilorin into an emirate even until now.

Still reeling from the mishaps of Afonja, the Yoruba people are now facing the prospect of a repeat performance by the Oluwo of Iwo. This situation is capable of tearing the Yoruba people apart from the inside.

The Oluwo of Iwo has taken the situation a step further by not only declaring Iwo to be an Islamic land, but also that Iwo, in the heart of Yorubaland, is Fulani. The Oluwo should be aware that his recent declarations of Iwo being a Fulani land are not just ill-advised, but an aberration in the sight of the Yoruba people.

The Oluwo needs to be conscious of the fact that even if the Iwo people tolerate his excesses, the Yoruba people more widely will not accept it. We will make him understand that no king’s will is absolute, no king is an island and any king without subjects is a king in title only.

It’s high time we Yoruba rose to speak out against these atrocities committed by the people who are supposed to be the custodians of our culture and tradition. If we do not take a stand against such issues now, when we finally get our independent Yoruba nation, we may find ourselves having much bigger problems on our hands to tackle.