The Yoruba Self-Determined Movement (YSDM), has written to President Muhammadu Buhari seeking a self-determination and peaceful break away of Yorubas from Nigeria, because of their worsening and painful plight in the country
Penpushing reports that the Chairman of the group, Prof Banji Akintoye, in the letter told Buhari that an overwhelming number of Yorubas are now interested to determine their fate and political future, henceforth
‘Mr President, the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement now serves you notice of the decision of the Yoruba people to assert their right to self-determination, which right of self-determination is an inalienable and unquestionable right of every indigenous nation in the world,” the letter read.
“Upon asserting this right of self-determination, we Yoruba nation shall be free to determine our political status, pursue our economic, social and cultural development according to policies chosen independently by us, and to live under the government independently chosen and ordered by us.”
Penpushing further reports that, the group leader recalled that Yoruba leaders requested in the 1950s for the input of a secession clause in the Nigerian Constitution but was overruled by the then colonial master.
The Professor of History, in letter pointed out that over five million of his kinsmen have, within a short time, signed the petition to affirm without equivocation their support for creating an independent Yoruba Nation-state.
“Consequently, Mr President, this letter, on behalf of all our Yoruba people formally gives you notice of the decision of the overwhelming majority of our Yoruba nation and people to exercise our right to self-determination to have our independent and sovereign country separate from the country of Nigeria.”
Penpushing also reports that, Akintoye emphasized that, the body is committed to the quest for Yoruba self-determination by negotiating with the Nigerian government, explaining that what Yoruba have now chosen is the formation of own independent
“Mr President, you might be aware, given your military service history, that in a memo in early February 1969, only nine years after Nigeria’s independence, the IC (Intelligence Community advising the US Government on the Biafran war) asserted that ‘further disintegration of Nigeria was likely’ and that the Western World might have to live with a ‘loose confederation’ or ‘formation of several completely independent countries’.
“What we Yoruba have now chosen is the formation of our own independent Yoruba country separate from Nigeria. Mr President, it is essential to remind you as the president of Nigeria that during the discussions leading to the independence of Nigeria from Britain in the late 1950s, Yoruba leaders at the time strongly advocated for the inclusion of a secession clause in the constitution, but they were overruled by the colonial administration.
‘Thus, right from the onset, the doubt about the different nationalities co-existing in one country was very clearly expressed. Present-day Nigeria amounts essentially to something like forcing the nations of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Belgium together as a country and expecting such a country to function optimally”, the letter stated
FOOTNOTE: You want to share story with us? You want to advertise with us? You need publicity for product, or service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348073463653 or email penpushing@yahoo.com
“
