President Muhammadu Buhari
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
Engineer Segun Odegbami, the former Nigeria
international spoke out of the experience garnered
during his football days when he said that it was
too early to say that the Yoruba have lost out
after helping to enthrone the Muhammadu Buhari
administration in Abuja.


“It is too early in the day to say the Yoruba have
lost out. It is not a sprint event, it is a marathon
and when you start a marathon, those who sprint
out the first, usually are the people that get
tired,” the engineer styled as the Mathematical
Odegbami said penultimate Monday.
Odegbami, who scored 23 goals in 46 appearances
for his country was part of a delegation of the
Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG who paid a
courtesy call on Vanguard.


The group led by the ARG secretary general, Mr.
Ayo Afolabi also included the executive director of
The Yoruba Academy, Dr Ade Adeagbo, Professor
Anthony Onipede and the ARG programme officer,
Mr. Segun Balogun all spoke in the same vein.
Members of the delegation gave the impression
that they were not in any way perturbed by
developments in Abuja following the difficulties of
the region’s political ‘leader’, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu in positioning the leadership of the
National Assembly.
But when pressed on whether the Yoruba was
losing out, Odegbami sought to dribble himself out
of the question by taking attention towards the
other activities of the ARG, notably, the promotion
of what he described as the Yoruba Agenda as
encapsulated in the fitly framed Development
Agenda for Western Nigeria, DAWN.



DAWN as the delegation’s leader, Afolabi said,
was simply a catchphrase for regional integration,
a programme aimed at integrating the
development of the Western Region.
Giving vent on the issue, Afolabi said:
“The DAWN Commission is Development Agenda
for Western Nigeria, DAWN. To the ordinary man
on the streets, it is known as Regional
Integration. The idea of regional integration was
brought together by looking back at what our
progenitors, fathers had done right from Awolowo
and it is to see how we can move Western Nigeria
forward. We are looking at it in terms of the
economy, we are looking at in terms of trade,
human development, infrastructure,” Afolabi said.
He was soon brought to task on how that idea
could take hold with the dilution of the APC’s
political hold in the Southwest, given the political
idiosyncrasies of Governor Ayodele Fayose and
lately, Governor Segun Mimiko in Ekiti and Ondo
States. Ekiti and Ondo States are the two states
in the region controlled by the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP.



“I take you to when the Yoruba Agenda was
launched in 2012 in Lagos. At that time, Olusegun
Mimiko was the governor in Ondo State and Ondo
State was adequately represented at that time. So,
the developmental agenda is not essentially on
political basis. It is based on the reality that the
Yoruba will have to move forward in the terms of
development in general.”
Asked if Governor Fayose was involved in the
integration plans, Afolabi replied thus “Before he
came into office, Ekiti was very much in it.”
Pressed on whether Ekiti after the coming of
Fayose had shown interest in the project he said:
“None of our states opted out.” He went on to
allude to the inclusion of some other states with
Yoruba cultural leaning.
“We have gone further to bring some other states
that have predominant Yoruba populations come
into it. Kwara is very much interested and the
parameters are being worked out. I am aware
that Governor Uduaghan before he left office was
very much in it. Don’t forget that all these states
were part of Western Nigeria and that is why we
christened it Development Agenda for Western
Nigeria. We didn’t limit it to what you now see as
the new Southwest.”
Dr. Adeagbo in his contribution noted the salutary
role of the Yoruba Academy in laying the
intellectual framework for the Yoruba Agenda that
is at the heart of the reintegration plans for the
people of the Southwest.
“The Yoruba Academy was responsible for the
intellectual work that gave birth to the agenda of
that integration. What we are saying is that for
the Yoruba person wherever you live within the
Southwest, that you will be able to have the same
standards, potentials and also, that the
infrastructure available to you must be the same.
What we have done within that context is to
ensure that our thinking is above politics and not
the party you belong to, but to make sure that
every Yoruba state is developed.”
Professor Onipede on his part sought to expatiate
how the Yoruba Agenda for development has
cascaded to the benefit of the rest of Nigeria.
“Even though DAWN is our brain child, but you
will recognise the fact that there are six
geopolitical zones and that our bold efforts is like
a primer, a template which other regions can look
upon. And they have started looking up to it,” the
professor said.
“Even though we are primarily focused on
Western Nigeria, if Western Nigeria is well
developed, it would be like adding to the
commonwealth and other geopolitical zones would
also bring themselves up irrespective of political
affiliation and push for development. It is a way
of bringing politicians to be accountable to the
people.” Mr. Afolabi was to add to Prof. Onipede’s
point when he referred to development initiatives
from some other geopolitical zones which he
claimed were instigated by what was seen in the
Southwest.
“Beyond that, since we started it, there has been
an initiative from the South-South known as the
BRICS Commission and the North has also set up
its own.
“When Chief Awolowo started up with setting up
the WNTV, WNBS which was the first of its kind
in Africa, no sooner did he set it up that the
Eastern Region set up its own broadcasting house
and the Northern Region also copied it. It is a
way gingering every part of Nigeria to be able to
move forward and aspire for development,”
Afolabi said.
Eventually the discussion returned to the position
of the Yoruba in contemporary Nigeria, and again,
Odegbami was asked whether Asiwaju Tinubu who
led the Yoruba in the formation of the present
government had lost out.
“Asiwaju is a Yoruba man and he is the leader of
the APC, at least in the Southwest. That does not
equate to the agenda of the Yoruba, it is a very
thin line, but you must create that distinction.
For example, some of us are not members of the
APC even though we are fully sympathetic to the
cause of the APC because we have among us those
who belong to other political movements. “As I
told you it is still too early, this is a game. I
have found out that politics is a game where
there are no scruples, where anything goes, it
doesn’t follow rational thinking and calculations
and some people master it more than the others.
But one thing is clear, the Yoruba never set out
to rule Nigeria or to control the Federal
Government. We have always done well when we
are making our contributions to our region first
and that impacts on the rest of the nation.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/buharis-government-the-yoruba-strategy-and-statement/

Hmmmm,I reserve my comment

Regional development to facilitate healthy competition leading to National development. Quite an interesting theory by Odegbami.

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They ve been developing their region using SS and SE oil , by the help of their masters from the North while the Niger Delta is dilapidated, they should stay away from my Delta state, they can incite itshekiri their cousins