YORUBA NATION: A FLOCK WITHOUT A SHEPHERD By Revd Olubunmi Adeleye Thomas, JP

The Yoruba nation has for age immemorial found herself forcefully engaged under an unholy marriage with the Nigerian State, a republic that enforce all systems adversely upon her to her disadvantage. 

It is very saddened to see how exposed and unsafe we are as we make efforts to gather ourselves each time, ironically, each time we do each time we fail. 

We repeatedly fall each time we rise. 

In our reaction to the long oppressive fate endeared at us by this weird republic called Nigeria exposing us as a flock without a shepherd, we are left to a fate of hopelessness.

Historically and by research it appears as if we fall and rise and rise only to fall again, but the beauty of our efforts is in the rising each time we fall but the agony therein is that, it takes us a jubilee to rise and ironically less than a decade to fall again. 

According to Franzt, a French revolutionary theoretician he noted that ‘each generation must out of relative obscurity discover it’s mission, fulfil it or betray it.

This passion to fulfil our mission as a people, the mission of self-determination and liberty has led many into agitation for an Oduduwa Republic a nation for the Yoruba people. 

Historical efforts to unionise and harmonise our collective actions brought to the forefront Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the first shepherd of the Yoruba flocks at the forefront of the republican calculations.

Emphasy need be made that our native efforts annex strengths across the coast of Lagos, through the plantations of Oyo,  over the rocks of Ogun, farmlands of Edo/Benin, forest of Ondo and Ekiti down to the near deserts of Kwara and Kogi we realize that there is a Nigerian conspiracy to keep us disunited and eternally divided as the delimitation and boundary lining of the geographical land of the Yoruba is structured to keep our kinsmen as guest with a stranger under the constitution of the weird republic.

It is clear that the Nigerian system is against our nationhood and neither has it ever been in our interest either. 

We remember in a hurry the orchestrated arrangement that led to the caging of our first shepherd as a prisoner, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was not just seen as a Yoruba leader but the Nigerian State acclaimed him as leader of the opposition putting us at the defending end always. 

Baba Adekunle Ajasin who took over the leadership struggle from Awolowo was attacked from all front by the Nigerian state during the days of the junta. 

On August 3, 1998 Senator Abraham Adesanya took over the struggles from Baba Ajasin and the quest for a Yoruba liberty was getting louder, with his bravery he had to survive assassination attempts and was caged by the oppressors alike with a schemes that aligned his own against him for political loyalty and affiliation.

Under his watch, there were nightmares hovering over the Yoruba land with murders and assassinations of prominent Yoruba sons and daughters such as Chief Bola Ige, MKO Abiola, etc. 

The diary of genocidal intent against the Yoruba has a long history before him and after him, the killings seems endless,  such as Dele Giwa, Gani Fawehinmi, Kudirat Abiola, Suliat Adedeji and others.

After Abraham Adesanya, it took 8 good years before a new Yoruba leader could be installed again. That was the emergence of Profession Banji Akintoye who took over on August 22nd, 2019 under a widely celebrated acceptance. 

The emergence of Prof. Akintoye had a global echoe of clarion calls for an Oduduwa republic, the struggle gained supports widely because of social media and agitation for self-determination.

Barely short while it seems our camp had been infiltrated by the baboon of the republic, the new leadership could not hold firm the vibrancy of the struggles with emerging proliferation of agitation groups, the ensuring consequence was the vehicle of hope on which Prof. Akintoye drove called YORUBA WORLD CONGRESS unfortunately collapsed due to in-house rift and clash of interest. 

My greatest bitterness as a stakeholder is pressing.

Oduduwa republic is the choice made by Prof. Akintoye to permit the upturn of the YWC tent and held firm to a splinter group umbrella called Ilana Omo Oduduwa.

Prof. Akintoye seem satisfied to leave behind a divided house unknown to the good of the weird republic but to the peril of the Yoruba nation again. 

Prof. Akintoye oversees the new group called Ilana Omo Oduduwa but a very important question need be asked that, Is Ilana Omo Oduduwa a splinter group? If yes, are we getting it right at all? For each time we rise, we fall again and again. 

The leadership question for the Yoruba nation is self-evolving and one may be tempted to ask who is leading the Yoruba nation? 

The DAWN commission (Developmental Agenda for South West Nigeria) would have been much more effective as a frontal institution but its weakened by the constitution of the weird republic under which it was established. 

The AMOTEKUN project was immediately amended as reforming a tiger to a sheep by the governors as the lion of the weird republic roar at the south west governors.

It’s not a surprise since the governors are under oath to the weird republic not any oath to Oduduwa nation. 

Who then will lead the Yoruba as we go from twilight into darkness today?

We are crisscrossed by the instrumentality of the Nigerian State each time we rise, we fall again. 

When the royal oracles act or reacts their divided interest based on political affinity limits their voices and at some other times they are forced to roar against their own brave children take the case of SUNDAY IGBOHO an illustrious son who chased away some terrorist called herders have received condemnations from some royal oracle because of the fear of the weird republic.

One aspect of our division that expose us as a sheep without shepherd is incidental in the Sunday Igboho revolution where some of our own asks of whose authority is Sunday Igboho acting? 

Some even liken his action to different reasons some say he is used by PDP,  some say he is used by APC and some say he needs money from Engr Seyi Makinde.

All such insinuations devalues us and stripe us naked of a leader. 

Will our leadership comes from the sky?  

Will an angel lead us to independence?

Will the royal oracles lead? 

Do we need a certificate to lead our people to liberty? 

As I keep asking, one important fact that surprises me is that those who condemn Sunday Igboho has never said anything about the criminality of the accused fulanis and the foolishness of the Buhari government.

How so stupid are the accusers of SUNDAY Igboho?

The bloods of flying officer Arotile, Dr. Aborode, Funke Arakunrin, the trial and demotion of General Adeniyi all these and many more constitute a louder questions to the Yoruba nation, that,  who will lead the Yoruba nation? 

Or shall we remain silent as distant witness to the death of our tomorrow? 

Revd Olubunmi Adeleye Thomas, JP

sent this piece from Ibadan

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