Voice of Emancipation: Living in Fools Paradise

By Kayode Emola

Most Nigerians still believe they live in a united country worth fighting for and everyone needs to do all that it takes to salvage it. Yet it is an already sunken ship that they are trying to bail the water from. If they do not hold this belief, why are a people who stood against military tyranny silent in the face of a civilian tyranny? Perhaps because our people have been hypnotised into believing that the civilian regime has only a fintie time, whereas a military dictator has no end date but for the mercy of God.

To say most Nigerians are living under a spell would not be far from the truth. Otherwise, how else can a country so abundantly blessed with human and natural resources still have more than half of its population living below the poverty line? It shows the docility of our people who would take anything thrown at them, even if it takes their very existence.

Nigerians watched Afghanistan fall to the Taliban last week, and watched the western world hide their faces in shame, pretending that all is well. If anything, the world has just become a deadlier place, where no one is safe in their homes no matter where in the world they are. Yet many Yoruba people living in Nigeria are untroubled by this, still convinced that Nigeria is a viable project.

Many Yorubas at home are now in a state of confusion as to what should be done to save their people from being caught in the crossfire of events happening right on their dorrstep. Rightfully so, many are scared that any wrong move will trigger a major disaster too great for even the whole world to contain. However one must ask, how long will my people perish for lack of knowledge? When will the Yoruba people know that time is no longer on our side? That we need to strengthen our defence capabilities, if not for anything but for the survival of our heartland?

Afghanistan fell, not because they were weak, but because they were not prepared for what was to come. They had relied on foreigners for their safety over the last 20 years, and when those foreigners withdrew their support and reality dawned, many could only scamper for safety. I honestly hope and pray that this same fate doesn’t befall the Yoruba people as it would be the disaster, not just of a generation, but of a lifetime.

The handwriting on the wall is now very clear for all to see. Yet my greatest pain is that more than 90% of the Yoruba people, even though they know this, are failing to accept the reality. Nigeria has now enetered the most dangerous phase of barbarism in the last few years. This time a month ago, we were facing numerous ethnic crises, with the Fulani militia seeking fights with every other tribe in Nigeria (as though in a direct battle they would be able to stand against even one tribe). However, the recent killings in Jos, Plateau State, have transformed these inter-ethnic fights into an ethno-religious crisis. There will now be more clashes in Nigeria than ever before, as people will start killing for either religion or their tribe or both. This is likely to escalate so fast that a civil war will be inevitable.

If we Yorubas are waiting for help from a compromised Nigerian army that cannot even defend themselves from home-grown terrorists, then we had better think again. If we cannot rely on the Nigerian army for safety, I believe we must now begin to think of our own self defence against the oppression from the Buhari / Osinbajo regime. We know that the people in Abuja do not concern themselves with the security of lives and property of the ordinary citizens, provided Aso rock is safe.

The breach in the nation’s foremost defence academy, the headquarters of the nation’s artillery, in Kaduna in the early hours of Tuesday 24th August 2021 is an indication that these terrorists are no longer hiding their intentions for a total take over of power. Nigeria as a nation is on life support and has only a short while before the machine is turned off. Once this happens, it will be only a matter of time before it disintegrates entirely into its many factions.

What can the Yorubas do?

It’s time for the Yorubas to read between the lines. We must see that we owe no debt of allegience to Nigeria, but our allegience should be to our Yoruba nation alone. It is high time we realised that we cannot change the Fulani feudalistic ideology that rewards laziness and punishes hard work. We cannot continue to strive for excellence in a country that gives little or no reward for bravery or high achievements but exalts waywardness and deceit. If the truth be told, we the Yorubas need to come out of this mentality of our fools paradise, and enter into the reality that only a Yoruba nation can guarantee us the safety, security and material prosperity that we all strive for. If we fail in this realisation, our end will not be good.