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Voice of Emancipation

Voice of Emancipation: Yoruba Stay on Your Lane

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By Kayode Emola

One of the reasons why the Yoruba Self-Determination Struggle has endured to date is that very many of us are uncompromising. We refused to be cowed into adopting a pseudo name or title for our struggle just to appease the system. We remained true to the calling and focused on our end goal, which is a sovereign Yoruba nation.

This obviously didn’t go down well with a lot of our people who came to the struggle with varying motives. Some joined us for their own personal gain rather than for the purpose of an independent Yoruba nation. Some others came to do the bidding of their slave masters, who sent them to destabilise us.

The unfortunate thing is that those whose hearts are not well-grounded in the struggle found themselves wavering and eventually falling by the wayside. They let themselves be deceived that self-determination is a walk in the park.

The important thing now is that those of us still standing should redouble our focus and commitment so as not to be distracted. The journey ahead is tough and not for the fainthearted.

There are still some among us on the self-determination struggle who are supposed to be on the path to freedom, leading our people to the promised land. Yet, their contributions to the struggle have been none other than to create a very beautiful website and to sit on social media all day to criticize others.

Such are those that claim to have formed a government in exile a while ago, without any election held in Yorubaland. In their mind, once they can get our people on social media to recognise them, then they can claim to the whole world that they are the face of our struggle. My take is that a government in exile is not a guarantee that we will get international recognition or the Yoruba nation of our dreams in a heartbeat.

The Yoruba nation is a recognised entity globally, and that alone is more than enough for us. Our struggle is to liberate our people from the slave camp that Nigeria has come to represent for many of its citizens. We do not need to put ourselves through the cacophony of forming a government in exile to pass a clear message to the world.

Therefore, those who are truly committed to the Yoruba nation struggle in the homeland must be ready to pick up the gauntlet and take the campaign to the enemy’s camp. We cannot sit down comfortably in our sitting rooms abroad and hope that one day the Yoruba nation will come. We need to constantly be on the neck of the so-called elected representatives, demanding our inalienable right to self-determination.

We need to be very careful as we march along, as some organisations that were initially set up to actualise the Yoruba nation struggle are now actively campaigning for a restructured Nigeria. These are the same people who were supposedly pushing for Yoruba autonomy from Nigeria under the Buhari regime, but are silent when a Yoruba man is the president of Nigeria.

I do not say their demand is wrong, but how can they not see that Nigeria cannot be restructured, nor can we ever go back to regional governance? I say this boldly because the genesis of the Nigerian civil war from 1963-1970 was because of restructuring.

Ojukwu, who also asked for a restructuring of Nigeria, way back in the 60s, from the unitary government of Aguiyi-Ironsi promulgated in May 1966, had to go to war. Gowon was not having any of it and went ahead to create 12 states of the federation after the Aburi accord failed. This led to Ojukwu pulling the Eastern region out of Nigeria the following day, and thus the civil war began.

For anyone to think that more than 50 years after the civil war and over 20 more states created by several military governments, it’s time to restructure Nigeria is daydreaming. Not even Tinubu, who is now president, has the power to restructure the country, let alone the ordinary man on the street. The best Tinubu can do is ask his rubber-stamping national assembly to create more states to palliate some people, to allow him to finish his tenure in office.

For Nigeria to be restructured, every ethnic nationality will have to sit down at a round table and discuss the modalities. Outside of that, anyone hoping that because Tinubu is the president and is a Yoruba man, then he can restructure Nigeria is living in a fool’s paradise.

The Fulani North has nothing to offer to Nigeria, and if we continue to pander to their antics of requesting a restructured Nigeria, they will be happy that they got us where they wanted. The only thing that can shake the core of that belief is a total dissolution of the forced union. That is what those of the self-determination stand for, and that is why they are afraid of us.

Four out of the six regions of Nigeria have now shown interest in exiting the union; the only thing remaining now is for any region or ethnic nationality to unilaterally declare its sovereignty and stand by it. Once that is done, it will shatter any legitimacy binding Nigeria together and steer it into total collapse, just like Yugoslavia.

That is what we on the self-determination struggle must focus on, rather than throwing punches at ourselves on the pages of newspapers like some organisations and individuals are doing. Whoever thinks they can abrogate power to themselves because they have created an organisation and a colourful website is only deceiving themselves.

I urge such people to begin to put their houses in order and come up with plans and programs to enhance the Yoruba nation’s struggle. Rather than becoming a noise-making machine on the pages of a newspaper. Self-determination struggle is not for the faint-hearted, and it is not something you pick up and drop off at will. You must be constant in your belief of an independent Yoruba nation and continuously work towards achieving this goal.

After all, Mandela stayed in prison for 27 years before his dream of dismantling the apartheid regime in South Africa was realised. He didn’t waver in prison to beg for his freedom, to give up the fight. He stayed true to his belief. I only wish some of our comrades who can’t even identify themselves in our Yoruba meetings but can throw punches in columns and WhatsApp pages would change for the better.

The Yoruba Self-Determination Movement is moving the struggle forward as best as it can, creating structures that will make us a formidable team. Perfecting all the programs initiated from the beginning of this struggle since 2018, and making sure we are laser-focused on our journey to freedom. My only prayer is that we get to our destination as quickly as possible and not be derailed by these detractors.

The journey is going to be tough, no doubt about it, but what is certain is victory if we do not give up. I implore our committed people still standing not to be carried away by the noisemakers who are constantly antagonising every little effort. I urge our people to concentrate on those things that bring us closer to our goal rather than listen to those who are trying to derail us. The Yoruba nation has come to stay for good, and this time around, we will get it right.

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Voice of Emancipation

Voice of Emancipation: President Tinubu’s Recent Trip to Turkey

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By Kayode Emola

If there’s any indication that Nigeria is not a united country, the recent trip by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Turkey clearly highlighted it. Not only did this trip show that Nigeria has no foreign policy, but it also clearly indicated that the only thing that matters in Nigeria’s political climate is the vested interest of the Fulani people.

For the many who are shouting “One Nigeria”, I’m not sure they understand what “One Nigeria” mean. If they truly understand what it means, maybe they might begin to change their tune. Many Nigerians behave as though the country is united, yet every day, decisions show that it is meant for one tribe, “the Fulani people”.

The mere fact that we talk about Northern and Southern Presidents shows that nothing on earth can unite this very disunited country. If not, why are we not more concerned about competence and what better unites us rather than focusing on the region where the president hails from?

First stop, President Tinubu inherited a very bad country to govern. The country was already financially and morally bankrupt in many aspects. Therefore, trying to resuscitate an already dying country is no easy task. The question then should be, are Nigerians genuinely looking for a united country? One that works for everyone and not just a select few. The simple answer to the ordinary man is Yes, but the real answer to the Fulani is No.

The Fulani, who are less than 5 per cent of Nigeria’s population, believe they are born to rule Nigeria because the British manipulated the entire country’s governance structure in their favour. The entire 12-core Northern states of Nigeria are governed by the Fulani tribesmen despite not holding the majority population of those states.

This goes to show that in a free and fair election system that is characterised by real votes, the Fulani stand no chance of election victory. However, because all the Emirs and traditional institutions in Northern Nigeria are dominated by the Fulani people, despite a diverse population cutting across over 50 ethnic nationalities. They have the opportunity through their feudal system to manipulate election results.

The “One Nigeria” hypothesis is just a mirage when it comes to governance in Nigeria. What better illustrates that Nigeria is “One Fulani Nigeria” rather than “One Nigeria” is when it comes to governance, it is about the Fulani and others. If you doubt me, let’s do a run through the Presidents of Nigeria since the fourth republic began in 1999 to see the pattern of leadership. This is also even though the Fulani have been ruling Nigeria since independence in 1960, when the British handed over the country to them when they were leaving.

From 1999 to 2007, President Obasanjo was brought in to placate the Yoruba people after the daylight robbery of the June 1993 election that was annulled by Babangida. Even though empirical evidence now shows that Obasanjo’s father is an Igbo man. From 2007 to 2010, the late President Musa Yar’Adua took office, and he was a Fulani man whose tenure was cut short by his untimely death. President Goodluck Jonathan, his vice, took over Yar’Adua’s remaining tenure till 2011 and used the power of incumbency to win the 2011 election and run Nigeria until 2015, until he was removed by the Fulani political machine.

After that, late President Buhari, another Fulani man, became president from 2015 to 2023, following which President Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba man, became President. If Tinubu were to complete an 8-year term like most of his predecessors, it is most certain that another Fulani man will become the President of Nigeria by 2031. This is not because the Fulani are the most qualified to rule Nigeria. It is just a sheer born-to-rule mentality that the colonial master Britain ingrained in them that has made them think of themselves as the most superior race in Nigeria, despite being the least populated people in Nigeria.

Therefore, we see that Nigeria does not have an internal or external policy that puts the welfare of its citizens at the heart of governance. It only has a policy geared towards the satisfaction of the Fulani tribe, no matter whose ox is gored. This lie of a nation can, on the face of it, be allowed to continue for a time, but it definitely cannot endure the true test of time, when the real patriots of the country demand justice.

Nigeria was not built on a foundation of justice; it was built on lies by the British to deceive the population. Whoever is the President of Nigeria must listen to what the Fulani people have to say, even though their opinion may be rubbish and detrimental to the larger population. This is the foundation of the President’s visit to Turkey, because, for all that matters, if he refuses to go to Turkey, then he is damned by the Fulani political machinery that controls the governance structure of Nigeria.

In analysing the President’s visit to Turkey, more people are more concerned about his wobbly feet, when what they should be worrying about is his wobbly decision. Turkey, through its Senior Military General in 2014, enacted a foreign policy that none of its weapons must be used to kill a Muslim. It went further to state that any country that kills Islamist fundamentalists should be treated as a terrorist government. It then begs the question as to what the President of Nigeria was doing in Turkey. When it is an open secret that 90 per cent of the weapons in the hands of the terrorist groups in Nigeria like Boko Haram, Fulani militia, Lakurawa, ISWAP and other jihadi groups, are being supplied by Turkish defence contractor SADAT International Defence Consultancy.

Despite the military support already promised and being delivered by the US government, which is beginning to yield positive results. The President of Nigeria is listening to the likes of Islamist fundamentalists like Sheikh Ahmad Gumi to look to Turkey for help in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. This goes to show that the Fulani position is not to fight terrorism in Nigeria but to quell any dissenting voices that may stand to oppose their hegemonic rule.

However, I have a message for people like them. The time for gentlemanly diplomacy, our parents played with the Fulani North, is over. This era is that of confrontation, where we must do the needful to confront their lies with hard facts that cannot be denied. Nigeria does not belong to the Fulani, and it’s high time we called their bluff and decided our future once and for all. We can no longer live in a country where it must be a Northern President vs Southern President, even though the person who eventually emerges has nothing to offer to the country other than the protection of the Fulani hegemonic advantage.

It is time for us, the Yoruba and other indigenous nationalities, to take a stand to put this corrupt system to an end. This cannot be done on the pages of a newspaper, but by sheer resistance and dismantling of the demonic system that the British imposed on us.

The time has come for all of us to do our bits in taking the message to our people in every corner of the Yoruba land and other parts of Nigeria, that what they claim to be “One Nigeria” is nothing other than “One Fulani Nigeria”. This is because Britain, which bought Nigeria for £865,000 from the Royal Niger Company in 1899, is not ready to let go.

The only way to break the chains of Britain from our necks and bring real development to our people is to completely dissolve the country of Nigeria. This will mean that every indigenous nationality in Nigeria can go its separate way to build great nations for itself with its own unique identity for its own people. If not, we will continue in this illusion called “One Nigeria” thinking it holds any true meaning for us other than death and destruction through conquest.

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Voice of Emancipation: Tinubu and the 2027 General Elections

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By Kayode Emola

For many Yoruba people, their belief is that Tinubu is a Yoruba president therefore he should do things at the federal government to favour the Yoruba people. Some have even alluded to the fact that during Tinubu’s presidency, more Yoruba people are now occupying juicy positions in the federal government and other parastatals of Nigeria.

My take is that branding Tinubu as a Yoruba president is very misleading and disrespectful to millions of hardworking Yoruba people who are finding it difficult to make ends meet. For the record, Tinubu is not a Yoruba president, and he does not represent the Yoruba people or their interest in Aso rock.

If we look at many of Tinubu’s appointment, we will see that it is a president favouring his inner circle. His appointments are purely political and has nothing to do with the colouration of their ethnicity. Therefore, we cannot associate Tinubu’s political appointment as though he is doing the Yoruba people a favour.

Recently, Tinubu has moved to lift the wanted status placed on Yoruba nation activist Sunday Adeyemo (aka Igboho. For the record, Sunday Igboho did not commit any known crime in Nigeria or anywhere in the world. He even took the federal government under Tinubu’s predecessor Buhari to court and won damages of twenty billion naira (₦20,000,000,000) for destroying his Ibadan residence and killing three of his friends. Money that the government is yet to honour, yet his personal and business accounts continue to remain frozen.

Another matter of note is the position of the Tinubu’s government attempting to make a secret deal with the Biafran leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The Tinubu government is currently giving the Biafran leader a 5-point bail condition in exchange for his freedom. This is following the international pressure that the President is currently facing particularly from the US government.

It must be noted here that the sudden change in direction by the Tinubu’s government to grant amnesty to Chief Sunday Igboho and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not because he has suddenly become generous. His sudden action is because of panic in Aso-Rock with the American intervention in the coming days.

We recall that the US government has urged the Nigerian government to deal with the rising insecurity. Despite, all the funds and military grade equipment pumped into Nigeria by the Trump administration, it feels like, the terrorists are still operating in Nigeria with impunity.

Therefore, one can conclude that the lifting of sanctions on Chief Sunday Adeyemo and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not from the benevolence of Tinubu’s heart. This moves by President Tinubu is a strategic move in trying to consolidate his opportunity of winning a second term presidency in 2027.

We Yoruba must understand that the granting of few political positions to Tinubu’s cronies is not going to reverse the many years of neglect of services and infrastructure needed for development. The real growth and prosperity of the Yoruba people will not come by appointing few Yoruba people into positions of power. It would come by adequately building a social framework that would lift the millions of Yoruba people who are trapped below the poverty line.

We should therefore not be fooled that Tinubu’s move towards Chief Igboho and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu are out of benevolence. It is time for us to remain resolute in our continued demand for the complete dissolution of Nigeria. We must not allow President Tinubu use we the Yoruba people as a bargaining chip for his return to Aso-Rock in 2027. If Tinubu wants to be a Yoruba president, then he should begin genuine efforts in the dissolution of Nigeria as no person is able to adequately deal with the many challenges facing Nigeria.

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Voice of Emancipation: Nigeria Government Descends into Lobbying

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By Kayode Emola

With rising insecurity in Nigeria following President Trumps threat of military action. The Nigerian government has resulted into their default mode of operation which is the use of propaganda. This time it is on another level as they have employed the services of a lobbying firm in the US to push their own side of the story.

Since President Trump’s threat of military action in October 2025 and the subsequent Christmas day bombing in Sokoto by the US army, there has been countless killing of innocent people in towns and villages across Nigeria. This phenomenon doesn’t look like it’s going to stop or slow down anytime soon and the Nigerian government’s action in all of this is to sell a false narrative of winning the war on terror.

To be clear, the former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle who served under Tinubu as Minister of State for Defence has been implicated in terrorism financing in Nigeria. To date, no action has been taken to either prosecute him or press charges against him.

There are many like him who are financing terrorism in Nigeria and doing the Caliphate’s bidding to Islamise Nigeria. Yet, the Nigerian government look the other way round as innocent Nigerians are being killed daily.

Money that is supposed to go into building schools, hospitals, good roads and other infrastructure are now being diverted into lobbying for favour from the US government. This goes to show that the Federal Government of Nigeria has lost its focus on the priorities on ground and resulting into frivolities.

The mere fact that the Nigerian government resulted into lobbying private firms in the US to put out their position rather than use diplomatic channels show that they know time is running against them. Instead of the Nigerian government to deal with terrorism headlong and terrorism financiers, it is engaging in a propaganda war.

My advice to the Nigerian government is that deception can only last for a time but in the end, the truth will come out. By that time, the truth will be difficult to ignore no matter how hard they try.

To win the war on terror, the government must be decisive in dealing with the insecurity bedevilling the country and their sponsors no matter who they are and where they from in the country. This means that no one should be untouchable when it comes to terrorism financing and the kidnapping of innocent people.

However, since the government cannot fight those financing terrorism and their foot soldiers in the forests, it has resulted in propaganda and lobbying to try and buy some time for itself. I only wish that they would wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late.

As for my Yoruba people, we should look at what is going on as an opportunity to come together and make a stand on what we want. At present, many Yoruba people are looking to President Tinubu to come rescue them from their predicament. They do not know that Tinubu is not playing any ethnic card, rather he is playing a game for his own survival.

I want to implore our Yoruba people that; the only solution now is a total and complete disengagement from Nigeria. We need to put pressure on the government of Nigeria through the international community to revisit the amalgamation issue and the forced 1999 constitution which does not represent the wishes of the Nigerian people.

If we fail to act now, we should not be surprised when in the future we become slaves to foreigners in our own land. We see many terrorists seizing lands in the north and asking communities to pay tariff for using their own land.

This is now happening in many places in Yorubaland and in no time will become the norm across the entire Yorubaland except something is done urgently. If we think it’s not possible, then we should take a good look at North African countries where most of their populations are now Arabs.

It wasn’t like so in the past but because of the complacency of the natives who use to own those lands, it was taken away from them by force. Let us look back at what has happened to other people in the past to know that action rather than sweet words is needed in times like this.

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