By Kayode Emola
Many people living in Nigeria are unaware of the deep-rooted trouble Nigeria is in and therefore often deceive themselves that Nigeria will one day live up to its expectations. The problems bedevilling the country is so great that it will take a life time or two to even scratch the surface if everyone is ready to work for it.
Recently, former President Olusegun Obasanjo lamented the country’s dire state and stated that President Tinubu had no plans before taking office. The truth is that since the so-called independence of Nigeria in 1960, no head of state that has ruled Nigeria ever had a plan for Nigeria before it took office. They have all taken office for the benefit of themselves, their families, and their cronies.
Nigerians are the eventual losers as they wait for a government that is coming to save them when the reality is that there is no hope in sight. We recall that Tinubu stated at the start of his presidency that Buhari had wrecked the country and that is why subsidy must be removed. Today, that revenue generated from subsidy is been squandered by the politicians while poverty goes through the roof.
The Nigerian government wants everyone to believe that inflation in the country is around 30% where in actual fact inflation is well over 500%. In 2021 when I last visited Nigeria, a loaf of bread was selling for ₦350 but today in just 3 years, that same bread is selling for over ₦4,000 in some high-end supermarket. This is just a tip of the ice-berg as the country is starring at a big trouble down the line.
It has now gotten to the stage where working people can no longer afford the basics of life. In a recent video, we saw a journalist who broke down live on camera and walked out of the studio because she could no longer afford to buy petrol to transport herself to work. We may not know the extent to which people are suffering but if Tinubu’s claim of inheriting a bad government is true, his current leadership approach is not a sign of a country that will recover anytime soon.
Even the Tinubu loyalists are now crying foul as though we did not warn them of what is to come. Asari Dokubo in a recent video was lamenting over the shame and humiliation he has had to endure in supporting Tinubu for the presidency. In his words, trust is now a very expensive commodity and it will be difficult for him to trust any Yoruba person.
It should teach us all a lesson especially we the Yoruba people that when one of our own fails the nation, we will all be held accountable even when we are not direct beneficiary of their misrule. Therefore, it is best we fail forward in our own independent Yoruba nation rather than struggle to make Nigeria a great country.
Nigeria was doomed to fail before it was even created, therefore no amount of patching can make it stand tall without wobbling. Every major nationality in Nigeria sees us Yoruba as their stumbling block to greatness. Truth be told, I share in their sentiments because if our traditional rulers and our Yoruba citizens stand up today, the whole Nigeria will shiver. Yet we stand aside when we truly see that the house has crumbled.
Instead of standing up, many of our people who themselves are riddled in poverty are the greatest defenders of the politicians who are stealing their commonwealth. It is a shame that our Yoruba people who pride themselves as the most educated people in Nigeria cannot read between the lines to see that Nigeria can never be great, therefore it is time to exit.
I call on the true patriots of Yorubaland to rise up now in unity and fight to defend their lands from the marauders who have turned our farmlands and homes into a killing field. I call on our Yoruba youths to stand up for their rights and to demand their own freedom as our political leaders are hell bent in selling us into perpetual slavery.
Our generation must be ready to pay a huge sacrifice to save the coming generation. We must be ready to stand up to the bullies who are stealing the little we have to cater for they and their family needs.
We must start now to ask the important questions of where we are going as a people and how we can get there. We know Nigeria as a country is heading nowhere and Yoruba nation is our only key if we want to build a lasting legacy for the children yet unborn; if not our Yoruba nation may perish in Nigeria.
Let us be determined to build a strong future for the coming generation without being apologetic. It is our duty to save our Yorubaland from the scavengers who are determined to ruin and to tell them enough is enough.
