Voice of Emancipation: Roadmap to Yoruba Nation

By Kayode Emola

We all know that there is not one event that ruined the fortunes of Nigeria today. In fact, Nigeria suffered from a series of historical, political, and socio-economic woes that is shaping its many struggles today.

In the words of the US President Donald Trump, Nigeria is a disgraced country in the comity of nations. For that reason, he has stated that the US is coming guns-a-blazing to rescue Nigeria from its myriad of security problems that the government has refused to tackle.

Many people agree that Nigeria has failed, and the return to civilian rule in 1999 has not brought the expected hopes that the people thought democracy would bring. The systemic corruption, ethno-religious divisions, and weak institutions that are bedevilling the country have done little to better the lot of the population.

Therefore, when we eventually get our Yoruba nation, one would expect that the problems that bedevilled Nigeria will confront the new nation. The Yoruba people, through our self-determination route, have always emphasised the need to pursue a non-violent approach to our autonomy.

We have documented several atrocities committed against our Yoruba people, from kidnapping to ethnic cleansing, and the nonchalant attitudes of our state governors toward our plight. Some Yoruba people have even clamoured for restructuring as a pit stop to self-determination, knowing full well that this is not palatable to the Fulani oligarchy controlling Nigeria.

We have therefore insisted that if Nigeria fails to convene an assembly where all the ethnic nationalities can have a meaningful dialogue, the end of Nigeria may be brutal and violent. In the end, the breakup of Nigeria will be inevitable, and everyone will lose substantially from a chaotic breakup.

International law favours negotiated, peaceful settlement as unilateral declaration without broad domestic and international support is politically difficult. However, if the US were to intervene in Nigeria with the level of insecurity going on, it creates a clear pathway for the unilateral declaration of independence of the southern peoples of Nigeria.

Our mass campaign for Yoruba independence has gained prominence and support in international circles. We must begin to show what the Yoruba nation means in concrete terms and the benefits of an autonomous Yoruba nation for our people.

Our detailed blueprint covering constitution, minority rights, revenue sharing, pensions, public services, security, and judiciary should now be watertight and ready for consumption by the Yoruba public. Our economic plan must show fiscal viability, tax base, trade, and transition programs, as international actors and investors will judge us by the quality of our state-building plan.

Where possible, our constitution must be made up of transparent consultative referenda to measure support for the transition into full statehood. Our elections must be devoid of the cash and carry politics practiced in Nigeria, where only the moneybags and their stooges occupy political positions.

In all of this, we should not forget to engage the international diplomatic community and our diaspora population. Strengthening friendship with foreign parliaments with careful briefings on our pathway to international recognition.

We must recognise that international recognition is political and not automatic. According to the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States to be recognised as an independent nation, our permanent population, defined territory, capacity to enter trade relations with other states, and our government structure will stand us in good stead.

Above all, we must recognise that the life and livelihood of the ordinary Yoruba citizen matter. They should be the focal point of any actions in the emergence of the Yoruba nation. We must ensure that the Yoruba people are better for it and that the efforts to pursue an independent Yoruba nation are worth it for them.

I therefore enjoin our comrades to be battle-ready when the US comes to Nigeria guns-a-blazing to the rescue of the Christian population. This is our moment in history when fate has met our preparation, and we must be ready to seize the moment when the inevitable happens.