By Kayode Emola

Last week, we saw numerous videos across social media showing Boko Haram terrorists invading a military barracks in Marte local government of Borno State. Without wishing to sound biblical, this gives a clear indication to our Yoruba people that the days of sitting on the fence are over.

The attack, which occurred around three o’clock in the morning of Monday 12th May 2025, left not only vast amounts of military hardware destroyed, but also scores of soldiers dead. If anyone needed further proof, this is it, that the insecurities facing Nigeria will not just disappear by folding our hands and hoping ever more fervently. We must accept that this is one more event in a long line of calamities, evidencing that Nigeria is on its last days as a nation.

We would be foolish to believe that what is happening in northern Nigeria does not affect us in far southern Nigeria. Since the days of Frederick Lugard’s merging of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria so that the resource-rich South could financially subsidise the less productive North, the Yoruba people have suffered from diversion of resources – resources that are rightfully theirs – away from their lands.

We will continue to see this pattern propagated in the current crisis, as human, military and financial resources will be sequestered from our land in an effort to quell the terrorist uprisings in the North. Yet this is a profound injustice for our people, who are being penalised for our government’s own security failings. Better that we should have our sovereign nation to be able to decide for ourselves how our resources should be allocated – and, furthermore, to be able to allocate those resources to our own self-defence when required.

After all, we have seen precious little concern for our people when it pertains to similar wanton killing of our farmers, traders, and traditional leaders in our land, just to mention a few. If there is no hope for our people’s security whilst we are a part of Nigeria – and with a fellow Yoruba holding the seat of Nigerian President, no less – then it is clear that we have no future as a part of this country.

Remaining in the country will result in the loss of our people’s security, livelihoods, wellbeing and ultimately their lives, and what future can a people have if they are all in the grave? We either remain in the country and have no future, or fight for our future by removing ourselves from Nigeria.

Furthermore, the ongoing violence in the North has led to the mass displacement of innocent citizens from their northern communities. As a result, their population is heading southward, in the hope of finding solace in our lands. Whilst Yoruba people are renowned for their hospitality and willingness to help others experiencing crisis, we cannot be blind to the implications that this may have on our resources.

Ever-increasing numbers of people reliant on the agricultural, mineral and spatial resources will lead to such resources being stretched ever more thinly. Combined with the disruption to agriculture and trade routes already caused by banditry and terrorist attacks, this could result in critical failure of our resources to meet the people’s needs.

Therefore, we cannot sit idly as Yoruba and watch as if it does not concern us. Even if we feel no shock, no sombreness, no compassion for what is happening to these people in the North, we must see that as long as we remain part of the same country as them, the shockwaves will ripple out to catastrophically impact us all.

The time has come for all of us to come together and reason out a solution of how to make Yorubaland and its people safe. This is not the time to call on the government or to call on the traditional leaders to find a solution. We have seen that the government will rather watch innocent people die than reach out to save the populace.

They are comfortable with diverting our focus towards the insecurity in the land, whilst they help themselves to the treasury. We should not let the politicians take us for granted and play Russian roulette as though our lives, the lives of our children and those after them don’t matter.

I will beseech our Yoruba people to understand that nothing good will come out of Nigeria as it is today. We need to gather ourselves together and, united as one people with one voice, stand up for Yoruba independence. This is no longer a matter of politics or even one of national and cultural pride. This is a matter of survival, and survival of all is what matters.

By Kayode Emola

The Roman catholic church this week appointed its new leader, Bishop Robert Francis Prevost, who took on the title Pope Leo XIV. Before his ordination as a Pope, he wasn’t even the frontrunner; clearly, his humble beginning didn’t even make him think he would ever assume the highest position of the Catholic church.

It is not Pope Leo XIV’s election but the process that brought him into office that fascinates me. Many countries and peoples of the world are currently more conscious of democracy. However, the Vatican shows a good example of how democracy should work, and if the world can learn from the Vatican, perhaps it will be a better place for all.

We notice that before the election of the Pope, there were grand rules in place. No Bishop above the age of 80 years is allowed to stand for that position, nor is allowed to vote. Hence, of the 252 cardinals alive, only 133 were able to stand for the position or be able to vote. If only 133 people will decide the fate of over 1 billion people of the catholic faith and even beyond the faith, then perhaps we need to redefine democracy.

The second thing we notice was that the election process was done by people of understand the teachings of the Catholic church and who have had years of experience as Bishops. They are not mere novices who knew nothing about Christianity or the catholic church and were given the responsibility to choose the leader.

Also, when it was time for the election, all eligible cardinals were made to swear an oath of secrecy and made to hand in their electronic devices. This is to ensure there is no external interference with the process, and whoever was elected was the decision of the cardinals present.

At the end of the process, the new head of the Catholic church emerged with no controversy or the need for lengthy court cases. Even the ballot papers are burnt, never to be seen again, yet this has been a tradition spanning over eight centuries.

I am not a Roman catholic, but I believe the catholic church has perfected a conventional way of electing leaders without causing a controversy. It may not be the best and may have its own shortcomings, but it has proven to be efficient, cost-effective, and meets the needs of the catholic church with over 1.4 billion people across the world.

Imagine if we, in the name of democracy, ask every catholic member to participate in the voting process that will bring about the new Pope. This will be a lengthy process marred with corruption, bribery, politicking, and all the vices associated with an election. In the end, those who have spent lots of money and think they deserve the position will begin a smear campaign against any chosen leader.

This is why the Yoruba nation, in building its own democratic system, must not be quick to adopt the European or American version of democracy. In the past, it was the Oba (King) who was the head of government, not chosen by the people but by the gods through the chief priest.

The selection of Oba is from the ruling house or houses, and whoever emerges is taken through a rigorous process of initiation. Once the initiation is complete, the individual becomes King, and we notice here too that the people are not involved in the voting process, and there is no lengthy court case.

In today’s case, we see in Yorubaland that most of the Obas that are selected do not follow the ancient precepts that is laid down. Most of them are being selected by the politicians for their own political survival.

Therefore, there is a need to deliberately work out a way in the new Yoruba country so that the leader of the new nation will emerge. We may not follow the Roman catholic pattern where only the cardinals of a certain age are allowed to contest or vote. We may also not follow the ancient precept in which Yoruba Kings are being chosen, but it would be nice to follow a simple system that works for Yorubaland, devoid of lengthy court cases after a leader has been chosen.

We should also endeavour to come up with a process that is devoid of external interference, just as we see in many countries of the world today. We can see clearly that no form of communication with the outside world was permitted during the 48-hour period in which the new Pope was being elected. It ensures that external influences cannot predict the outcome of our internal elections for their own benefit.

If we can do this, then we will be a step closer to ensuring that Yorubaland is perpetually free from colonial or neocolonial influences. It will allow us to be unpredictable and help us to build a lasting system devoid of corrupt politicians who seek political office not for the good of the people but for what they can get for themselves.

By Kayode Emola

Last week, the entire African community came together in solidarity with Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the leader of Burkina Faso. However, it was not because he paid anyone to support him, nor did he lobby the African communities around the world to stand in solidarity with him.

The support for Traoré came from a genuine love for a leader who is simply doing the right thing for his country. My hope and prayer is that he stays alive and able to help build a better Burkina Faso; and, when time comes for him to leave the stage, not just Burkina but the entire African continent will be the better for it.

The story of Burkina Faso should teach our Yoruba people, as well as the entire African community, that Western imperialists do not seek our welfare in Africa. They only seek what they can exploit from us to better their own society.

Therefore, the time is now for us to realise in Yorubaland and in Africa that our liberation will not come out of the Western Europeans and Americans wanting us to be free. We must, as citizens, rise up and free ourselves from these centuries of bondage. It is high time we in Africa took a stand to do the needful, else we risk remaining in perpetual bondage.

It is a pity that all the institutions that are supposed to strengthen the African community, such as the African Union and ECOWAS, are now mere puppets of Western Europe and America. It is not surprising that no African president or head of state has to date spoken a word about the travails experienced by Traoré from those that are seeking to take his life. How can they, when they and their respective peoples are also in bondage from the neo-colonialists who have seized total control of the nations in the African continent.

We, as African citizens, cannot think for one minute that the Americans or Europeans have our best interest at heart when it comes to their dealings with our continent. We need to stand up for ourselves, just like Ibrahim Traoré is doing for his country, Burkina Faso. It is the same thing that great leaders of the past like Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, Chief Obafemi Awolowo et al did for their individual countries in the 1950s and 1960s.

The great work of freedom for the African continent rests in our shoulders now. It is our duty to ensure that we advocate for the liberation of our people from the foreign governments who strive to keep African in perpetual poverty.

However, we cannot talk of Africa’s freedom without the understanding that every individual nation within Africa needs to work out what freedom means for themselves. This is why we as Yoruba must rise to save our nation from both the internal and external threats facing us today.

There is much that we can learn from Traoré’s example. He has sought to remove foreign influence from policy-making, and endeavoured to ensure that decisions made in his Burkina Faso are made prioritising the best interests of the people and country. In the same manner, we must ensure that our political and economic strategies are rooted in Yoruba interests, rather than kowtowing to foreign pressures or allowing the political elite to limit policy only to what favours themselves.

We have a moral duty to speak truth to power and to hold our leaders accountable. We need to grasp the realisation that those currently representing the Yoruba people are the architect of our problem; and we need to start striving for the understanding of what our society truly needs.

Our people deserve a country that invests in them. They deserve one that puts money into developing local industries, technology and infrastructure, that promotes self-sustainability and, above all, invests in the greatest resource our country has: our people. They need economic policies that promote creation of jobs and support entrepreneurship, not ones that exist merely to line the pockets of the political elite whilst the rest of the country languishes in poverty.

As we press on with our journey for the liberation of Yoruba nation, it is time to let our people know that we have entered a state of affirmative action. This is no longer the time for us to stand idly and talk endlessly about what freedom will do for us. It is time to do the work that is needed for the liberation of our country.

We have seen that a large part of Traoré’s success comes from the support he has from his people. By promoting his vision of national pride and self-determination for the average man on the street, and by ensuring his policies reflect the aspirations of ordinary citizens, he has won the hearts and minds of his populace. As he advocates for his people, so his people, in turn, advocate for him.

The Yoruba independence movement is likewise championing the interests of the Yoruba people. It stands to advocate for all our people, regardless of class, gender, region or age. We therefore entreat every Yoruba person to support the efforts of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement (YSDM) in return, seeking a Yoruba nation independent of Nigeria. Your support of us, as we fight for you, can have the same groundbreaking effect that has been seen with Ibrahim Traoré and the Burkinabè population. We have a golden opportunity to liberate our Yoruba nation once and for all and I believe we should step forward to do just that.