http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/5235-marginalisation-presidency-worried-meets-s-west-leaders
Written by Kunle Oderemi, Olawale Rasheed and Jacob Segun Olatunji Thursday, 14 February 2013 00:00

BARRING any last-minute change, President Goodluck Jonathan will today [Thursday], in Abuja, hold a crucial meeting with leaders from the South-West over the marginalisation of the Yoruba by his administration.
A top level source told Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday that the president ‘summoned’ the meeting following the outcry of Yoruba leaders on the continued alienation of the Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups in the country from the scheme of things.
The position of the South West was said to have been received with disappointment in the Presidency as some top aides of the President believed the message should have been expressed through other channels, other than a press conference.
A copy of breakdown of all existing occupants of federal offices across the sectors was then reportedly sent out to the Presidency and selected Ijaw and Southern leaders, leading to what a source described as “a shock and surprise” at the level of exclusion of South West from key national institutions.
A top administration official from the South South told the Nigerian Tribune shortly before the hosting of the Super Eagles at the Presidential Banquet Hall that “the data is devastating”, adding “if the details are true, then something urgently must be done.
At the moment, there is no single Yoruba among such top political positions as President; vice president; Senate President; Speaker, House of Representatives; Chief Justice of the Federation; deputy Senate President; deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the acting President, Court of Appeal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Chief of Staff to the President; National Security Adviser and Head of Service of the Federation.
The Abuja parley is coming, as Yoruba sons and daughters resident in the United States of America (USA) conclude plans to hold a two-day meeting in Houston, Texas on matters affecting the Yoruba, especially in Nigeria.
The meeting, which is scheduled for February 22 and 23, at Hotel Preet is under the auspices of the National Association of Yoruba Descendants in North America, otherwise called Egbe Omo Oduduwa.
A source close to the US-based group indicated that the members were concerned that the Nigerian government had ignored the consistent complaints by some senior citizens of Yoruba descent and prominent groups about the alleged deliberate official policy of alienating the race.
Some leaders of thought in Yoruba land met on Wednesday, ostensibly to harmonise the agenda to be present at today’s meeting with the president.
A source privy to the pre-meeting consultations declined to expatiate on the agenda, but explained how bad the leaders felt about the refusal of the authorities to fulfill earlier promises to rectify the anomaly.
He said, “There has been various forms of injustice and marginalisation against the South-West zone. This has been pointed out by the different leaders and groups from the zone that had audience with the President. The leader of Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Fredrick Fasehun wrote to the President on the matter and also had audience with the president nine months ago, duirng which he complained about the marginalisation. The president promised to look into it, but nothing has been done to date.
“The South-West zone was the first to adopt the president for the presidential race in 2011 through a communique signed by all stakeholders in Yorubaland in Ibadan, when even the leaders of his zone [South-South] had not made up their mind.
“The Yorba Unity Forum also met the president and complained about the marginalisation of the zone but till date, nothing is done. Rather, it is getting worse with the appointment of service chiefs without a single person from the South-West.
“ It is our belief that the president knows that he should not expect any support from the South-West in future elections as part of the grouse of the PDP leaders from the zone is that he refused to reckon with those leaders in the zone that paved the way for his victory in 2011. Even when the position of Defence Minister is vacant, he has refused to pick a retired Briadier-General who happened to have been the PDP governorship standard bearer in one of the states in the South-West.
“lt appears very obvious to the people of South-West that the president seems not to want us in his government. Apart from the statutory ministerial slot for each state, while other zones were favoured in parastatal appointments, the South-West is not favoured.”
Sometime last year, Dr Fasehun first raised the alarm over federal appointments, saying the Yoruba were grossly marginalised and called on the president to quickly address the anomaly.
Similarly, leaders of thought from the South-West, under the Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF) have equally led the agitation for fairness, justice and equity because of what they described as the systematic marginalisation of the Yoruba by the Jonathan administration.
The leaders, who held a world press conference in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on February 7, equally vehemently, decried the seeming nonchalant attitude of the government to the issue, claiming that trend had since gone from bad to worse.
They provided comprehensive facts and figures on key federal appointments, as well as the removal of top officials of Yoruba extractions to pave way for appointees from other ethnic groups.
Southern leaders meet
A meeting of the Southern Leaders Forum is scheduled to hold in Abuja on Friday with Yoruba delegates scheduled to present the data and call for adjustments.
A participant at the last Enugu meeting of the Forum told the Nigerian Tribune that the meeting will discuss among other issues the accusation of Yoruba leaders that the South West is marginalised under Jonathan presidency.
“We are going to submit the data to the meeting and see who can defend that level of exclusion from virtually all sectors of the government machinery,” the leader said.
In another development, as the preparations for the 2015 general elections hot up, concerned leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from the South-West would hold a crucial meeting in Abuja today.
The source revealed that the meeting was summoned to “address some cogent national burning issues and how to further strengthen our party for successive forthcoming electoral processes.”
According to the source, “PDP is in disarray in all the states in the zone except Osun, there are crises here and there,we want to look into how we can resolve our differences ahead of the 2015 general elections,without this,we can’t make any headway, this is affecting the zone adversely in the scheme of things at the national level, the zone has been relegated,we have to find a way forward.”
The source hinted that text messages had already been sent to those being expected at the meeting scheduled to hold at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel,A buja by 5.00 p.m. and attendance would be strictly by invitation.
The source however revealed the Abuja meeting which would be presided over by Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, former National Deputy Chairman of the party, had already received the blessing of the former president.
It was gathered that former President Obasanjo has directed his supporters in the zone to attend the meeting.
“I can tell you authoritatively that Baba Obasanjo has directed us to attend the meeting and we are doing so if this will put an end to the dwindling fortunes of the party in the South-West,” one of the staunch supporters of Obasanjo told the Nigerian Tribune last night.

kettykings: Whatever goes around comes around , I am sure just the same way when other people were marginalized and starved and killed and the SW looked the other way and today they are marginalized that is the same way , the Genocidal cycle will come to the South West Region and they will know what it means to have their women raped and farm lands sabotaged and young men shot in their prime in the name of Keeping Nigeria United and at the end of the day if at all they have savings in any bank they will be given 20 pounds equivalent.

The genocidal and marginalization flow started in the East in 1967 it has come to the North presently with Boko Haram Shooting and killing anything in their path and the Nigerian Army shooting them in their hundreds with their Economy destroyed and young men killed in their prime and Northerners crying of Marginalization in the Army and Government and it must complete its cycle by going to the South West very soon.

kofoshi:

...and who would see to that happening?

Demdem: so what do we expect retardeen to do? sack those currently occupying these seats and replace them with Yorubas or what exactly? When we had the likes of Bankole in Abuja, of what benefit did his post bring? The truth is Yorubas arent complaining. Those complaining are disgruntled killer members from the SW. The likes of "Tewonde" George, Alao-Akala and their miserable kind. Yorubas are happy.

berem: i somehow disagree with you about those who are complaining.OPC is complaining,Yorubas in Diaspora are complaining.but i just wonder what difference does it make? what is really the difference between those marginalised and those that are not marginalised? Even those that have political offices based on their ethnicity,how has their positions really affected the common man? As a major Ethnic group,the Yorubas have the right to complain about being marginalised.there should be equity and fairness in giving political appointments.

berem: i somehow disagree with you about those who are complaining.OPC is complaining,Yorubas in Diaspora are complaining.but i just wonder what difference does it make? what is really the difference between those marginalised and those that are not marginalised? Even those that have political offices based on their ethnicity,how has their positions really affected the common man? As a major Ethnic group,the Yorubas have the right to complain about being marginalised.there should be equity and fairness in giving political appointments.

berem: This is a clear indication that Jonathan will never get votes from the southwest if he attempts to contest in 2015.Too bad!

Demdem:

except the OPC which is understandable as a result of what they stands for all others in my opinion are disgruntled Killer members. U have said it all, of what benefit will it bring? Yorubas are much more sophisticated than this. Bankole brought shame, deceit and trouble for us, we dont need a repeat. We are currently not doing badly at all even with no one at the center.

Ileke-IdI:


Jor nibo ni awon Yoruba in diaspora ti n complain?

Ileke-IdI:


Where did you see Yorubas in diaspora complaining?

berem: A source close to the US-based group indicated that the members were concerned that the Nigerian government had ignored the consistent complaints by some senior citizens of Yoruba descent and prominent groups about the alleged deliberate official policy of alienating the race.
Some leaders of thought in Yoruba land met on Wednesday, ostensibly to harmonise the agenda to be present at today’s meeting with the president.
A source privy to the pre-meeting consultations declined to expatiate on the agenda, but explained how bad the leaders felt about the refusal of the authorities to fulfill earlier promises to rectify the anomaly

Demdem:

Berem should be in a better position to answer this. I didnt come across such in the report.

Ileke-IdI:


Where are the " a source"?
Link?

berem: i just pasted it on my previous comment

berem: madam ileke,am not the one who wrote the article,i just pasted what i read in the thread

Demdem:


ooo i see. Anyway, they remain disgruntled elements in Yoruba land.

berem: cant believe you said this! na wa for you bros.

Demdem:

u have to understand that this article was written by tribune. tribune is Killer party's media in the SW. One needs to be cautious with the way one digest reports from them. Ok, lets see another source to corroborate this.

berem: but i thought Tribune is a pro Yoruba party? is it not owned by Awolowo?

Demdem:

Yes, its Awo however the Awo clan as it is today is much more alligned with the killer party. Tewonde George, Gbenga Daniels, Alao Akala, Oyinlola and their kind are the ones sustaining tribune. Tribune is pro-killer party. tribune has gone to the dogs.

Goddex: Tinubu did not want any rival. He plotted to remain the Alpha and Omega
of South West politics and decided to gang up with north west against the speakership
slot allocated to South West. A friend of mind described that action as the hieght of stupidity.

kofoshi:

I think Tinubu's move was a master stroke.

He killed all the possibility of PDP's presence in the West.