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By adminadmin on July 15, 2014


Goodluck Jonathan’s promoters in Yorubaland regaled us with his commitment to restructuring Nigeria and berated any and all of those who raised objections to not only the timing of his conference or its modalities but more importantly, on his motives, among which is not only his attempt at using it to remain in power but essentially as a ramrod to destroy any semblance of Yoruba political capacity. Events from the Conference show that the latter prognosis is correct. These Yoruba promoters of Jonathan have not only been at the receiving end of all sorts of onslaught at the conference, their major charge against the APC, the dominant political tendency in Yorubaland which also opposed the Conference, is that the APC is “selling out” Yorubaland to the Fulani North, and because Jonathan is also engaged in a battle for political survival with this same Fulani, their logic rest on supporting Jonathan, against whatever interest the APC and its Yoruba allies represent.
Every position advanced by the Fulani North at the Conference, save minor adjustments, had sailed through. Every position canvassed by the Yoruba defenders of Jonathan at the Conference, ostensibly in furtherance of Yoruba interests, failed. Even the much-touted State Police is provided as a sop and it was wildly embraced. The point is, such a State police will rely on the State for its funding, and the State depends on allocations from the Center, which allocations are not in any way changed in favor of the States because what was given with the right hand was taken away by the left.
That is, the number of States was increased to 54, such that even if the current State allocations are doubled, it will have no material impact on such allocations which will still remain at between 1% and 3%, which is currently the case. So, the question is, where would the operational expenses for such a State police come from, if not from these allocations which will render the States more prostrate?
This is beside the fact that the Niger Delta itself was reduced to having to beg for only a marginal increase in what is naturally due to them. The same Fulani North that the Jonathan promoters are berating others for is the major beneficiary of Jonathan’s Conference and they are active enablers of the charade.
But this is only one aspect. The other, more pernicious aspect is Jonathan’s absolute condescension and the “in-your-face” insult on the Yoruba Nation.
Retired Colonel Tony Nyiam was a major participant in the April 22, 1990 coup famous for its excision of the Fulani North from the rest of Nigeria before the coup was crushed. He is a delegate to the Conference, representing the Federal Government, after resigning from membership of the advisory committee that was set up to organize the Conference. He stated, while resigning, that whoever would set up this type of Conference must have had a predetermined agenda in mind. After his resignation, he made some futile attempts to get audience with some political leaders in Yorubaland. He has now come out to tell us what this agenda might entail.
In justifying the creation of more states, he stated that they were necessary, especially in the North, so that the northern minorities would be free from majority oppression and in some cases, free from Fulani oppression.
“ooduapathfinder” has no problems with such position, especially considering our own advocacy for the right of all Nations/Peoples of Nigeria for self-determination or Autonomy. What we find unacceptable is the attitude of Jonathan’s Conference to the Yoruba in the same North, as if they are not a minority under the same political forces other minorities are supposed to be freed from.

According to Tony Nyiam, “the Yorubas in Kogi and Kwara states were given the option of conducting a plebiscite on if they want a new state, as some of them were undecided to join their kinsmen in Ekiti State, because of the fear of becoming minorities in the senatorial zones they would find themselves.”
“ooduapathfinder” asks: why then is it only the Yoruba in the North(Kogi and Kwara) that are being asked to conduct a plebiscite if they want a new state? Were the other northern minorities whose states were announced asked to conduct similar exercise before they were “awarded” their states? And are the Ekiti the only Yoruba in Kogi and Kwara States? How about the Igbomina and Offa?
This is a throwback to the 1958 Willink Commission report that also recommended a plebiscite in the same area with the aim of neutralizing the Yoruba demands via the bureaucratic bottleneck that the colonial Governor would throw up. The plebiscite did not take place even though it is on record that the Yoruba had been advocating their merger with their kin in the West ever since the beginnings of the anti-colonial struggles, and in todays’ environment, have never shied away from being active participants in any pan-Yoruba issue. Ordinarily, therefore, having a Yoruba State in that part of Nigeria should not have required a plebiscite, especially when others were not saddled with such a task.
In the pre-independence period, the North had regarded their control of the area as being permanent, such that even the plebiscite being promoted at the time was subject to the ratification of a Constitution which was eventually designed to favor the North. And with what Tony Nyiam is proposing, it is obvious that the Jonathan administration, through his Conference, is merely ratifying that historical aberration.
What the Jonathan administration did, through his Yoruba promoters at the Conference is to ensure the permanence of these Yoruba in the North, as minorities; thus closing the case on the North’s permanent control. It is not a coincidence that the North, in 1958 via Willink and via Jonathan in 2014, pursued and achieved their permanence in northern Yorubaland. Even then, while the 1958 effort was vigorously resisted by the AG, the 2014 effort was virtually given on a platter of gold.
In 1967, Lt Col Ojukwu, as the Commander-in-Chief of Biafra, gave the following conditions, among others, to Lt Col Victor Banjo(Yoruba) who was supposed to be the commander of the expeditionary force sent to “liberate” the Mid West and the West, of course with Biafran troops. He was in jail in Biafra when these conditionalities were given to him:
“(iv) Biafran troops will, after the liberation of the Yorubaland, remain in that territory only for as long as we in Biafra consider it necessary for the Yorubas to consolidate their position and sovereignty against any external threat.
(v) On the liberation of the Yorubaland, you will be appointed as the Military Governor of that territory.
(vi) The liberation of Western Nigeria will be a prelude to the liberation of all Yorubas up to the River Niger and the severance of all connections between the West and the North at Jebba.
(vii) During the period of Biafrans troops’ presence in your territory, all political measures, statements or decrees shall be subject to the approval, in writing by myself or on my authority.
(viii) Should our troops arrive and liberate Lagos, the government of the Republic of Biafra reserves the right to appoint a Military administrator for the territory. Such an Administrator will remain in office until a merger of that territory with Yorubaland is effected by Biafran troops.

The conditionalities are self-revealing as everything depends on the decisions made by the “foreigner”, in this case, Biafra and her troops. Of course, Victor Banjo played along until he was able to freely exercise his discretion and military capability. But the Biafra war is not our contention here.
The Jonathan promoters in Yorubaland are also operating under similar conditionalities; the difference between them and Victor Banjo is that they are under no restrictions that would warrant a temporary acquiescence. They went into it with their eyes wide open, hence they could not call the North’s bluff, even when it was obvious Jonathan had already capitulated.
This flows from a mindset that even promotes the notion of “Yoruba foreigners” in Yorubaland itself. That is their political-electoral mantra where any Yoruba in APC is seen as a “foreigner” because, to them, SW APC is controlled from Lagos, which they now describe as “foreign”.
Their latest megaphone is the newly-imposed Governor of Ekiti State, imposed via an electoral heist who had been strutting all over the place promoting the notion that “Yoruba foreigners” or “outsiders” are not welcome in Ekiti which is an elongation of what his Ondo counterpart had promoted.
This mindset is supposed to challenge Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his political platform but the reality is that Nigeria is running a centralist government system where States have no need to consciously promote any sociocultural Ethno-Nationality since the state’s existence is not dependent on such promotion but on filialty to the center; unlike in the First Republic, where the Region was largely autonomous.
“ooduapathfinder” then wonders if there is any need for Yoruba Autonomy or Self-determination when some Yoruba are considered “outsiders” or “foreigners” anywhere in Yorubaland.
When this same Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was Governor of Lagos State, Yoruba from all over Yorubaland served in his government and these Yoruba Jonathanistas now prefer to neutralize the SW APC so it becomes powerless within its own pan-Nigerian equation thus creating room for a non-Yoruba Jonathan PDP to dictate to Yorubaland. At this point, whether Jonathan contests in 2015 or not is immaterial; the major issue is the attempt at neutralizing Yorubaland’s political capacity where the neutralizers’ Yoruba enablers are incapable of holding their own political turf without being appendages to such “outside” influence; for as Ojukwu wanted all decisions concerning the West to be ratified in Enugu, so would Jonathan and the North demand all decisions to be ratified by them. Which is why these Yoruba Jonathanistas have no choice in who is proposed as its electoral representative in Yorubaland while at the same time, trading away the Yoruba in the North. Yet, they will grandly proclaim their fidelity to Yoruba Self-Determination.
The hypocrisy of it all is very apparent. The Global Yoruba Nation can only allow this to succeed at its own peril.

Tinubu paid writer!

Culled from 'The Nation' I guess!

Hahaha so they want the clueless Jonathan to liberate the Yorubas in Ilorin and Offa from Fulani slavery?

So you expect Yoruba people to continue the hausa/fulani slave mentality?
After collecting huge allocation from the center yet their is nothing to show for it rather than enslaving the people futher by tinubu dynasty.
Yoruba people with their cry cry mentality. Tinubu and so governors who are nothing but bunch of clowns are the one given Yoruba people bad images. Tinubu that insulted the obas.

Asiwaju of what?

Of looted Lagos funds?

@OP

The divisive and polarising machinations of this Presidency are largely motivated by myopia, selfishness and a desperation, by any means necessary and regardless of the damage caused now and in the future, to retain power which is the instrument of corrupt self-aggrandizement in Nigeria and Africa at large.

Any gains made now, through the divisive scheming of Jonathan and the PDP, using money-hungry 'disciples' in Yorubaland, will not last because such Machiavellian tactics, by the nature of the cads used to prosecute them, tend to fail in politics when self-serving action are taken by governments failing their own people. This will blow up in the face of GEJ and the PDP with the main problem being that no one can accurately predict the repercussion Nigeria and Nigerians will face because of the desperate antics, initiated at the expense of good governance, of a failed Government to retain power.

A callous government that cannot deploy all the military might at its disposal to find the Chibok girls yet is ready to close down SW States with thousands of soldiers, policemen and security operatives, because of guber elections, is one that is destined to fail because of its innate anti-people mien and dedication to acting only when its own shallow political interest is threatened. I simply see all the shenanigans of GEJ and the PDP, especially in Yorubaland, as another lesson Nigerians (taking in those who lead and those who are led) have to learn in our march towards progressive political evolution. One thing is sure. The end results are always bad when politics puts what is is best for the people in last place behind all other relatively unimportant considerations. This is what GEJ has done from the beginning of his Presidency up till now and this is mainly what has always kept Nigeria underdeveloped and such will continue until the people themselves develop the requisite political sophistication to see what really matter and act upon such.

Lemme reserve my comment.

@Op,
Just wondering why the writer choose to colour this bigoted essay with a generous dose of Igbos and Ojukwu? When will you cone-heads learn to keep Igbos out of your miseries and pettiness? How about Obasanjo, who masterminded the PDP takeover of the whole of Yorubaland bar Lagos? Was he Igbo too? The same Obasanjo denied Lagos of funds and wage relentless political strife against Asi-waju, the then Governor of Lagos. Why wasn't he not brought into the discourse, and appropriate blame apportioned to him for his role in the current state of Yoruba political fortune?

And while the blame game continue, have you coneheads, ever sat and imagine what trajectory the politics of Nigeria would have taken if the much maligned GEJ/PDP had succeeded in making a Yoruba the speaker of House of Representatives? Was it not the same Asi-waju, this writer sought to praise, that fired the first salvo in Yoruba political decimation when he conspired to sell the Yoruba to his Northern ally, to selfishly cement his place as the Asin-waju of whatever in Yoruba politics?

Before this writer, and indeed, any Yoruba begin to blame GEJ, PDP, Ojukwu, Igbos, etc for their political ill-fortune, they should ensure the Asiwaju of such blames is placed at the foot of the Asi-waju of Bourdillion. Keep Igbos off your miseries and rants, we have our own peculiar challenges to deal with.

Gbawe: @OP

The divisive and polarising machinations of this Presidency are largely motivated by myopia, selfishness and a desperation, by any means necessary and regardless of the damage caused now and in the future, to retain power which is the instrument of corrupt self-aggrandizement in Nigeria and Africa at large.

Any gains made now, through the divisive scheming of Jonathan and the PDP, using money-hungry 'disciples' in Yorubaland, will not last because such Machiavellian tactics, by the nature of the cads used to prosecute them, tend to fail in politics when self-serving action are taken by governments failing their own people. This will blow up in the face of GEJ and the PDP with the main problem being that no one can accurately predict the repercussion Nigeria and Nigerians will face because of the desperate antics, initiated at the expense of good governance, of a failed Government to retain power.

A callous government that cannot deploy all the military might at its disposal to find the Chibok girls yet is ready to close down SW States with thousands of soldiers, policemen and security operatives, because of guber elections, is one that is destined to fail because of its innate anti-people mien and dedication to acting only when its own shallow political interest is threatened. I simply see all the shenanigans of GEJ and the PDP, especially in Yorubaland, as another lesson Nigerians (taking in those who lead and those who are led) have to learn in our march towards progressive political evolution. One thing is sure. The end results are always bad when politics puts what is is best for the people in last place behind all other relatively unimportant considerations. This is what GEJ has done from the beginning of his Presidency up till now and this is mainly what has always kept Nigeria underdeveloped and such will continue until the people themselves develop the requisite political sophistication to see what really matter and act upon such.

...while i agree with your points...I am quite concerned that the damage left behind by Jonathan will be irreparable...alot of the relationships

and heritages they have been toying with are as old as anyone can remember....I pray we can trust these time tested values to withstand this

pariah that is PDP..


p.s. good to read the likes of you again....nairaland has become very "aba made" of late...

Why didn't we "ronu" when one ordinary man Tinubu call our Obas USELESS Ori yin ni APC! Tinubu, ONE COMMONER, desecrated our entire heritage by calling our kings useless and you are here tell us, Yorubas to "roun"? These guys think they can fool us with beautiful english. NO MORE!

khamas19:

...while i agree with your points...I am quite concerned that the damage left behind by Jonathan will be irreparable...alot of the relationships

and heritages they have been toying with are as old as anyone can remember....I pray we can trust these time tested values to withstand this

pariah that is PDP..

Bruv, I believe the 'good guys' of the SW and the general goodness of the region will triumph and come out on top in the end. It is virtually impossible to escape what is happening now when ultimate power, in a nation where such is inordinately and senselessly vested in the Presidency at the expense of strong and independent institutions, is in the hand of a an ultra-corrupt and indifferently accidental President who is not interested in people-centred governance and stands for nothing aside retaining power by all means. It is very predictable that such a President will set everything and everyone against others to get his ways.

Of course, given the character of GEJ, it is expected that the rejects and cads of Yorubaland will be resurrected, by a highly unprincipled and divisive President, to bully through an unpopular agenda when the might and income of Nigeria is behind the paymaster of those elements. I am predicting that the SW , looking at all the permutations, will come out of all this relatively unscathed. Others should worry about themselves and what awaits once GEJ is gone given that his divisive, clannish, ethnocentric, polarising 'divide and conquer' antics will linger in the memory to create another era of ethnic distrust and disaffection when Nigeria should really have moved on from such. Futile storm in a tea cup in my opinion so let us keep watching.

p.s. good to read the likes of you again....nairaland has become very "aba made" of late...

Man mi, I am still here but I choose who and what to respond to. Mosts posters here, sorry to say, are cretins not worth paying attention to. they are the reason many intelligent posters are gone to the detriment of the quality of posts on this forum which should really be one of the most cerebral and informative section of NL.

#GiveUsRegionalism.

I do not know what to say about the likes of odumakin ,falae and co.
Imagine these idiots signing off on the indigen/settler thing considering the concomitant angle to the whole thing.
the yorubas , bedrooms,tivs etc are the ones who are affected because the others are simply not accommodating and are very nepotic .They also always have a way of excluding others from opportunities .