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.
