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Voice of Emancipation

Voice of Emancipation: Inspiration from Ibrahim Traoré

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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.

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Voice of Emancipation

Voice of Emancipation: Yoruba Nation Mega Rally

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By Kayode Emola

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small meaning if you give up or lose heart when facing difficulties, then there is a lack of resilience. Many people had hoped that there will be one big mega rally where we will keep ourselves and our people vulnerable to the brutal forces of Nigeria.

However, in our wisdom, we thought the time is not ripe for that not because we are not ready but because we didn’t want to endanger lives. Rightly so, the rally was meant to draw attention to a lot of our people who cared to listen to our message but are still not bothered about the plight of our Yoruba people.

The clear message now is that we will continue to sensitize our people concerning the dangers that’s staring us in the face. What we face is an existential threat, not just to our way of life but to our very existence.

This is the reason we cannot afford to give up now, not especially when this is a matter of life and death. We cannot afford to throw the lifeline millions of our people are looking up to for the sovereignty of the Yoruba nation.

The present government of Nigeria knows fully well the plight of our people but they themselves are helpless in proffering solutions. That is why they have resulted in mass looting of the treasury for their own personal benefit. We cannot fold our hands and allow these uncontrollable stealing of our children’s future by a few Nigerian government officials.

The situation at our homeland has become worse that nearly everyone in Yorubaland is now seeking to travel out of the country. Not minding the perils of the journey or what they will encounter when they get there. This is why we all have to act now to save our children from the ruins that will become of Yoruba land if we do nothing.

So, I beseech our people to support the ongoing efforts in creating the much-needed awareness required for the liberation of our Yoruba nation. This is not the time to buckle but a time to reflect and to act. This is the time to spread the gospel of the Yoruba nation to those who are yet to catch the fire and together we can make a difference for the coming generation.

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Voice of Emancipation: When Two Elephants Fight

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By Kayode Emola

It is a fact that the largest living land animal is the African bush elephant. It is no wonder the African adage says that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Meaning that when two heavyweights in any field fight, it is those who are underneath or around them who will bear the brunt.

Last week, we witnessed the fallout between President Trump and his buddy Elon Musk. The pair traded war of words on the internet as though they were secondary school kids throwing tantrums at each other.

Trump vowed to use his power as the President of the United States to hurt Elon Musk’s business empire, and Elon also vowed to use his wealth to torpedo Trump’s political power. In all of this, I believe it is not just those who are underneath or around them that will suffer, but both will come out heavily wounded.

In Elon’s defence, no country can spend its way into prosperity, especially with the growing US debt, especially since the US economy is not as resilient as their government wants the world to believe. It is only a matter of time before everything collapses right before our very eyes. Maybe by then, it will be too late, or perhaps we will appreciate what the argument is all about between these two heavyweights.

The US is already in a huge financial deficit of over US$$32 trillion and counting. The last thing they need is more borrowing to fund the richest in society. Trump has proposed numerous tax cuts on top of his inflated global tariffs that can spark a global meltdown.

After the financial crisis in 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic, the last thing anyone needs now is a global financial meltdown. If the US economy were to crumble today, many in the US might be forced to take their own lives, which can also spiral into many European countries and the rest of the world. This is the genesis of the feud between Trump and Elon Musk, and this cannot be easily wished away like a pinch of salt.

Talking about two heavyweights slugging it out in America, Nigeria seems to be on a different trajectory. It is more like a one-way traffic system where you either conform to the decadence, or you get out as if every other person’s opinion doesn’t matter.

Nearly all the opposition parties are now aligning themselves with the ruling APC (All Progressive Congress) party in readiness for the 2027 election. In the same light, the dissatisfied members of the ruling APC who worked hard to bring President Tinubu into power in 2023 are now becoming the opposition.

This goes to show that the Nigerian politicians and elite do not fight on ethics but for their own benefit. Nigerian politicians always want to be aligned with the winning team and will do whatever is possible to remain relevant. Not minding that they are elected on the trust of the people who gave them the mandate.

Therefore, we Yoruba cannot continue to wallow in the poverty-ridden country called Nigeria when we know we can do better for ourselves as a nation outside Nigeria. We have done it before, and we sure know we can do it again.

The Yoruba economy has sustained Nigeria since its amalgamation in 1914 and continues to do so to date. It’s high time we put a stop to that. We cannot carry the burden of other people in perpetuity, and not especially those who do not wish us any good.

Yoruba money was used to build the railway network in the north and the east of Nigeria in the amalgamated Nigeria. Yoruba money was used to educate the north and the east when we had our autonomous rule in the 1950s, and today, Yoruba money, which is very scarce, is still used to subsidise the north and the east.

It is time to say goodbye to this unwholesome arrangement and walk away from this unworkable union. It is time to join the Yoruba movement in a street protest rally to demand our sovereign Yoruba nation. We must be ready to confront our oppressors in the face to demand our freedom, otherwise our children will remain beggars to the children of those who hold the political powers in Nigeria.

Yoruba nation holds a lot of potential, and we must not let it suffer under the Nigerian tyrannical rule. We need to come out en masse whenever the time comes to pour out into the streets to demand our freedom. If not, we may as well forget about our freedom and conform to the decadence that exists in Nigeria.

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Voice of Emancipation

Voice of Emancipation: Mokwa Floods and Nigeria’s Decay

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By Kayode Emola

Any incumbent government in Nigeria always tries to impress on us to believe that they are working hard for the citizens. However, the truth is that Nigerian politicians are only working for themselves, their families and their cronies. They do not have the welfare of the citizens at heart, and this is evident in the decay of many infrastructures up and down the country.

A few days ago, we saw the devastating destruction of the Mokwa road due to severe flooding, causing the road to become unusable. We see how the nearby Niger river burst through the Jebba Hydroelectric dam causing catastrophic damage to the road leaving many commuters stranded.

One could argue that disasters like this are sometimes unavoidable. However, when things like this happen in a sane clime, you see the leaders of the country giving up-to-date reports on how to rehabilitate those communities affected. In Nigeria, the opposite is what you get with leaders feeling unconcerned as though it doesn’t fall within their remit, leaving victims and their families to bear the brunt.

Whilst the destruction of Mokwa road may be a blessing in disguise for our upcoming Yoruba nation rally, it still doesn’t take away the fact that Nigeria as a country is long gone beyond redemption.

Anyone still hoping that the government of Nigeria is there to cater for their needs and those of their loved ones is just wasting their time. Only those who have powerful people in high places know too well to expect anything good from the decaying country.

As for those of us who are not only hoping for the Yoruba nation but actively working towards its actualisation, the time has come for us to be a little bit more strategic. We need to be more assertive in highlighting the flaws of the Nigerian government.

We need to emphasise to our people that we do not take pleasure in showcasing the woes of Nigeria. We are only making our people aware that there is a better way to govern a country, and the Nigerian government is not doing any of that.

Mokwa highlights the decadence of Nigeria we are moving away from as Yoruba, and the earlier we move away from Nigeria, the better it will be for everyone of us. Let’s not deceive ourselves that because a Yoruba man is the president of Nigeria, we should hold our noses and bear the pain that Nigeria is inflicting on its citizens, including our Yoruba people.

No greater responsibility have we received as Yoruba patriots than to guide our Yoruba nation out of Nigeria to a path where its future is secured. Yorubaland has been great before Nigeria was even created by the British. Yorubaland was great even when the British administered Nigeria, and I have every belief that Yorubaland will be great again after we have disengaged from Nigeria.

As for Nigeria, I do not know of any time when Nigeria has done anything meaningful without the involvement of the Yoruba people. This goes to show that if Yoruba is the glory that Nigeria has been fleecing upon, then it is high time we left the Nigerian union to build for ourselves a viable nation.

Therefore, let us band ourselves together in love and in unity for a final push towards achieving our Yoruba nation. There is no better time than now to pursue our vision of an independent sovereign Yoruba nation. Let us go ahead and build for ourselves a future rather than being hypnotised by the failures of Nigeria, hoping that one day, the ills of Nigeria will rectify itself.

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