NIGERIANS of the Yoruba extraction in the United States and Canada have cautioned the Federal Government against pretending that all was well with Nigeria, just as they warned Yoruba leaders and South-West governors not to waiver in their demand for restructuring.
According to the compatriots, the government needs to accede to the demand of critical stakeholders for restructuring as it remains the only way to douse exacerbating tension in the country.
Their warning came against the backdrop of the insistence of the Presidency that restructuring was not on the card but was preoccupied with making life more meaningful for the generality of Nigerians.
Rising from the 24th national convention of the EgbeOmo Yoruba North America (National Association of Yoruba Descendants in North America) in Kansas City, Missouri, US, the Yoruba in the Diaspora warned South-West governors and other leaders against compromising on the restructuring as the minimum condition that could save the country.
Last Thursday, a summit of the Yoruba nation in Ibadan, Oyo State where the leaders insisted on the country returning to a regional government, as well as the1960 and 1963 Constitutions.
Dignitaries at the convention with the theme Restructuring and Integration: Panacea for Accelerated Development and Security of the Region, included representatives of the traditional institution and state governments from Nigeria , as well as resource persons, including Professor Segun Gbadegesin, Lt Col. (Dr) Gabriel Isioye, and Dr Adeniran Adeoye.
In an eighth-point resolution signed by the national president of the group, DrDurojayeAkindutire and the national publicity secretary, Honourable Bishop Adejube, sent by email to Sunday Tribune, they said restructuring remained the only way for the Yoruba to be identified as a nation.
Part of the resolutions read: “That the Yoruba descendants have always been the pacesetter in the progress and development of all regions in Nigeria and it’s time to take this mantle again; that restructuring of Nigeria is the only way for the Yoruba to be identified as a nation;
“That restructuring will pave the way for Yoruba to unleash the potentials and greatness of its constituent units. The current structure is unsustainable and can only guarantee the continuous stunt and lack of progress of the entire community;
“That South-West governors and political leaders should be steadfast in our demands for the jettisoning of a unitary system with so much power at the centre to the detriment of the existing six geopolitical zones;
“That the Federal Government should hearken to the voices demanding a revisit to the terms and arrangements of the creed that makes up Nigeria. This is sine qua non for dousing the palpable tension in the land, quelling the various drum beats of possible political crisis as evident by the demands of various tribal groups in the country.”
Apparently worried by the weak state of critical sectors of the nation’s economy, the Yoruba in the Diaspora also counselled governments in the South-West to be committed to the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) initiative without lip service and, to identify the comparative advantages of each Yoruba state, create harmony and cohesion towards developing the region by utilizing the framework of the golden years of Chief Obafemi Awolowo era.
They restated their readiness to partner with South-West governments to ensure infrastructure and human capacity development programmes, as well as facilitate and support initiatives capable of creating jobs the army of unemployed youths.
In his speech on the occasion, the new president of the group, Dr Akindutire reminded the people that the “future of the Yoruba nation is in our hands,” adding that “the gathering that our forefathers who fought and bled for our future should not have sacrificed in vain. He noted that the richness of Yoruba culture and ethos should be preserved, and be our guiding principles at all times.”