Scores of youths marched round major roads in Ibadan, Oyo State capital to protest against the leaders of Yoruba World Congress over alleged plan to carve the South West zone out of the country.
Armed with placards with inscriptions such as “Save us from hands of war propagators; United we stand, divided we fall; We say no to civil war in Nigeria; Our wives are not ready to be widows; don’t turn Nigeria into war zone; In one Nigeria we stand,’ ‘We are for unity, don’t beat the drum of war,’ and ‘What we need is development, not secession.’ the youth started the protest from Total Garden, Ibadan.
They took the protest to the office of the Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde.
The leaders of the group, Mr Oloketuyi Ojo and Oluwaseun Olanrewaju dissociated themselves from the Yoruba World Congress led by Prof Adebanji Akintoye.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the duo alleged that “Yoruba World Congress want Yoruba to be moved out of Nigeria. We don’t want secession.”
Ojo said, “To show our governors concerning some people who want Nigeria to secede from Nigeria and we say no. We can’t at this level to say we want to secede from Nigeria. We call on obas and other elders to say we stand against secession. Few elements can’t come together to decide on our behalf that they want to secede from Nigeria
While presenting the letter entitled, ‘Please, save Yorubaland from imminent doom!’ signed by Adeshina Animashaun, its National Coordinator, to Governor Seyi Makinde, they said, “Your Excellency, a motley of crowd of discontents, zealots have lately increased the tempo of their unpatriotic activities masquerading as championing the cause of the Yoruba people of the South-West. Their activities, at best, qualify for nothing good”.
“The Yoruba Appraisal Forum is by this statement giving a notice that we, as responsible Yoruba, will not fold our arms and watch a few disgruntled and self-serving individuals to turn our land into a wartorn zone like Somalia and Sudan. If it ever becomes imperative for Yorubaland to break away from the rest of Nigeria, it should be a collective decision of all Yoruba people within Nigeria and in the Diaspora.
“The recent activities of the Yoruba World Congress and its cohots underscore the need for government and security agencies to be more informed about the decisive tendencies of these groups”.
“We are here today to express our agitation because some people are canvassing for secession of Yoruba from Nigeria. We tried to find out whether our traditional rulers are privy to the idea but they said they are not in support. What is the use? Our leaders and representatives are not carried along. It is selfish.
“We don’t want war and crisis. We want job creation, we want infrastructural provision. We are against those calling for dissolution. Some of those agitating for secession have their children abroad.”
In his address to the forum, Mr Sunday Odukoya, Executive Adviser to Governor Makinde on Security, said, “We have received your letter. We shall deliver your message to the governor. Now that you have expressed your reservations, we assure you that we shall address the matter.”