The echoes of the separation of the Yoruba Nation from Nigeria, again, reverberated as the visible proponent of the call, Professor Adebanji Akintoye, for the umpteenth time requested the exit of the ethnic group.
Though the Federal Government has kept sealed lips over the repeated call, like an incurable optimist, the renowned historian has never given up.
Akintoye, in another lengthy piece, reeled out perceived atrocities of the Fulani people and concluded that the only antidote to stop the perceived injustice is for Yoruba to cut the umbilical cord that has tenaciously held the various ethnic groups together since 1914 Lord Lugard’s amalgamation.
Declare Sept 23 Yoruba unity, Akintoye tells S-West govs, monarchs.
The retired University don, who claimed the Yoruba Unity Day was marked in Ile-Ife and Ibadan, called on the six governors in the South West to continue to mark the day every 23 September.
He said: “Our whole Yoruba nation, our Obas, the Fathers of our nation, our State Governors, should adopt this Yoruba unity day for all our states.
“Yoruba are one of the most truly united nations in the world. The essential roots of our Yoruba national unity are firm and solid. All of us Yoruba people are proud of our Yoruba culture.
Yoruba has distinctive superiority in crucial matters.”
He went further to say the position of Yoruba in the country is very visible noting, “We are proud of our nation’s distinctive superiority in crucial matters, including love of community harmony, serious acceptance of religious tolerance and harmony, acceptance of hospitality towards strangers and foreigners, avoidance of cheap conduct in the quest for anything, love of enterprise and achievement, a fundamental belief that power in society belongs to the people and that government exists only to serve the wellbeing of the people, a sincere belief that everybody, young and old, has the right to be respected and the right and duty to contribute his or her wisdom to the affairs of his or her society, an essential nobility of character.
“Our apparent difficulty in finding unity over matters is not a sign of lack of unity; it is a product of our deep belief that every individual has some wisdom (no matter how little) to contribute and that everybody therefore deserves to be heard. In short, we are an ancient civilization that, for millennia, has placed serious emphasis on self-respect, respect for the individual, the duty of mutual respect, duty of consciously deep thought in matters affecting humans and society. An unreasoning and emotionally charged group is difficult to find among us Yoruba.”
