THERE is a groundswell of advocacy in Southwest Nigeria, where some Yoruba leaders are compiling figures and facts to support claims that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has embarked on a deliberate and systematic maneuvering to under-represent the zone in political appointments, as well as in the federal bureaucracy. They have cited instances and situations, where there is a noticeable lopsidedness against persons of Yoruba origin, who are either sacked and replaced by people of other geo-political and ethnic origin, or they are denied promotion into leadership positions in key federal establishments.

Fredrick Fasehun, founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Yinka Odumakin, spokesman for Afenifere, Kunle Olajide, publicity secretary of the Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF) among others are convinced that someone is out there working against the interest of the Yoruba.

Fasehun and Olajide said they have taken the issue to Jonathan, who promised to look into it, but has not. They said the attitude of Mr. President and his body language shows palpable reluctance and that is why they too are mounting a campaign with facts.

They also claim that Jonathan, who benefitted immensely from the Southwest in the 2011 presidential election, should not be the one to plot against the zone.

However, chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Richard Akinijde has accused those championing the issue of Yoruba marginalization as those who are reading the history of the country upside down.

According to him, the Yoruba has benefitted immensely from the earliest times and is still way ahead of other zones.

He said: “Going memory lane, the Yoruba have produced four Chief Justices of Nigeria and they were; Sir Adetokunbo Ademola; the longest serving Chief Justice in the history of Nigeria, Dr. Teslim Olawale Elias, Justice Fatai William and Justice Sowemimo. You had Lagos as the capital of Nigeria, there is the Murtala Mohammed Internal Airport, the biggest in Africa; located in Lagos, a Yoruba city; also it houses the biggest international sea port in Africa.”

“The Yoruba nation has excellently succeeded in taking its rightful place in Nigeria. Let me also quickly advise that we should not divide Nigeria into tribes. We are not a country of tribes, we are one country. And in that context, the Yoruba have fulfilled their destiny more than any other group in the history of Nigeria. Anybody who says the Yoruba are devalued or marginalised, must be reading things upside down.

But Fasehun disagrees.

“The Southwest is noted to have supported Goodluck Jonathan and we voted for him massively across party lines. And in electoral contest, when you have won the contest, you look back and pay back. The President enjoys the support of the Yorubas and he knows it. He spoke to individual Yoruba leaders, expressing his appreciation, but when he constituted his cabinet and various other parastatals, the Yoruba people were not in reckoning.

“The Yoruba people constitute about 28 percent of the population of Nigeria, so if you are sharing anything, at least, twenty eight percent should accrue to them; but it turned out the Yoruba people did not even get half of it. We noticed it and some of these things are not just group punishment, individuals also suffer it. And we took note of this and the Yoruba leaders got together, discussed it earlier and sought to meet the President.”

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115744:yoruba-leaders-recount-jonathans-sins&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Richard Akinjide is a foolish old man, I am sorry to say.
The list he provided actually illustrates what we are all saying about GEJ's admin.
If Yorubas were in all these positions in the past, why are they not in any of those positions now?
It is because there is an ongoing design to pull the Yoruba nation down within Nigeria.
And the foolish old man cannot see beyond his nose because of his belly.

All I know is that the rest of Nigeria is digging its own grave with this path of action.

However, chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Richard Akinijde has accused those championing the issue of Yoruba marginalization as those who are reading the history of the country upside down.
According to him, the Yoruba has benefitted immensely from the earliest times and is still way ahead of other zones.
He said: “Going memory lane, the Yoruba have produced four Chief Justices of Nigeria and they were; Sir Adetokunbo Ademola; the longest serving Chief Justice in the history of Nigeria, Dr. Teslim Olawale Elias, Justice Fatai William and Justice Sowemimo. You had Lagos as the capital of Nigeria, there is the Murtala Mohammed Internal Airport, the biggest in Africa; located in Lagos, a Yoruba city; also it houses the biggest international sea port in Africa.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqwC3mZEhEU

koruji: Richard Akinjide is a foolish old man, I am sorry to say.
The list he provided actually illustrates what we are all saying about GEJ's admin.
If Yorubas were in all these positions in the past, why are they not in any of those positions now?
It is because there is an ongoing design to pull the Yoruba nation down within Nigeria.
And the foolish old man cannot see beyond his nose because of his belly.

All I know is that the rest of Nigeria is digging its own grave with this path of action.

i pity una sha

How did OBJ's eight years stint improve the life of an average yoruba? Enough of the tribal ish pls. This is the very reason why we Dont progress as a nation. In the next election, i pray we vote the most capable and most qualified. Enough of this 'he is from this region or that religion'! It is What as landed us in this present predicate of having a clueless and inept toothless bull dog as president.

"We voted for GEJ not PDP".

This is the result.

Yorubas
still dominate the Fed Civil Service, Banking & Oil industries. I
agree they are not dominating the Federal political space now but Tinubu
and ACN caused it.

Tinubu wanted to remain the Alpha and Omega of Yoruba politics and hence manipulate ACN and the Press to frustrate every move of Fed govt to raise any Yoruba son/daughter that competes with him.