By Dele Moses, Special Correspondent, Ilorin

When the delegates from Kwara State to the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) were nominated, the nomination attracted criticisms from various quarters, which kicked against some of the nominees. One of the critics of the exercise, Alhaji Abdulkareem Olola Kasum, the president of Afonja Descendants Union [ADU], said the nominees did not reflect the two most contentious issues in the state.

According to Kasum, the two most contentious issues are the creation of a state out of the present Kwara State, an agitation that has been on for a long time, and the leadership problem between the Afonja family and the Fulani over the ownership of Ilorin town.

The state’s delegates to the conference are: Alhaji Saidu Isa, a former minister of state for foreign affairs; Alhaji Mahmud Ibrahim, Alhaji Ayinla Folorunsho Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Prof. Albert Ogunshola, and Engr kola Shittu. Most of these people are politicians loyal to the former Senate Leader, Dr Olusola Saraki. They are within the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the state.

Kasum accused the state government of influencing the emergence of the delegates who would defend the status quo at the conference and leave the popular agitation for political restructuring of the state in the lurch.

The ADU president alleged that the delegates would work against the carving out of a state out of Kwara, notebly that of Oya, a state being proposed to comprise the Yoruba in Kwara and Kogi states and to be merged with the geo-political zone of South West where their fellow Yoruba kith and kin are located.

His words: "All the nominees are against the proposed state for the Yoruba, which is now a popular issue in Kwara State. The government hates the state being reduced through the creation of Oya or any Yoruba state, so it has deliberately chosen people who would not speak in favour of the creation."

Now that the conference is on, agitation for the creation of a state out of Kwara is now being confirmed to be a most contentious issue in one of the Nigeria’s first generation states.The people of Kwara South Senatorial District have forwarded to the conference a memorandum demanding for their own state. But opposition within the district is being mustered against the proposal.

According to the memorandum signed by 24 people who are elders and leaders in the Kwara South and presented to the conference on March 30,2005, the district wants a state to be known as Oke-Oodua. The people of the district comprise the Yoruba sub ethnic groups of Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti.They share boundaries in the north-east with the Okun (the Yoruba in Kogi State), in the South with the Ekiti State, in the west, Osun State and , in the north with Ilorin.

The district was initially under the old Ilorin Province of the then Northern Nigeria until the creation of Kwara State in 1967.The area was then divided into two administrative units of Igbomina/Ekiti and Oyun Divisions and was later divided into three local government areas in 1976. It now comprises seven local government areas, namely Irepodun, Ifelodun, Isin, Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Offa, and Oyun.

The people itemised in the memorandum problems that prompted them to demand for their own state. The problems were outlined as follows:

The General Problems

• The forced dismemberment of the various groups in Kwara from their kith and kin in the South West of Nigeria, which the British carried out in 1906 has produced perpetual social, political, and economic problems for each Yoruba group listed above. They have by force of that circumstance become minorities in the North.

• It is glaring that the people of Kwara South are disadvantaged and marginalised in terms of development if compared to its counterparts like Nassarawa, among others.

Social Effects

• Culturally, we are Yoruba and we share same aspirations with our kith and kin in the South West.

• However, in addition to our other Yoruba groups, we are grouped in the same state with other tribes, such as Baruba, Nupe, Hausa and Fulani who naturally share the same aspiration with their own people in the North.

• We are also zoned to the North and therefore we are regarded as Northerners.

• The unanticipated and perhaps unplanned consequences of the forced association has been the gradual erosion of our culture and identity.

• Our dilemma has been and still is this, in which direction do we look?

Political Problems

• We have a problem of identity either in the name of Kwara or when if comes to aspiring for national political office. Kwara has no meaning or identification,

• We cannot aspire for any position slated for the Yoruba because we are treated as "Northerners"

• Neither can we aspire for that slated for the North because we are regarded as "Yoruba".

Economic Problem

• We lost some projects when it comes to this arrangement with the North while creation of states and more local government areas eluded Kwara South because it does not belong to proper North.

• Key projects in Kwara were moved or de-emphasised to state regarded as more North than Kwara.

• Before the coming of President Olusegun Obasanjo, who made appointment opportunities open to all Nigerians, top Federal Government positions coming to Kwara have always been given largely on the basis of royalty and or historical link to the powers that be in the North.

In summary, current absurdity where Yoruba groups (Igbomina, Ibololo, Ekiti, Ilorin and Okun people) are dismembered from their majority tribe location with the Yoruba of the South West and made to become minority in the North is creating hardship and embarrassment for the groups, the memorandum added.

The people therefore demanded for a state to be known and called Oke-Oodua. They said their request was based on expressed wishes of the people and communities within the area founded on common institutions; the historical association of the people before and after independence; geographical contiguity, especially the need to avoid the "divide and rule" syndrome inherited in present power structure and resources allocation; the need to achieve a measure of relative balance in population and resources distribution; and the ability to sustain the state through the abundant human and material potential in the area.

To complement the demand, the people also requested for twenty-two local government areas to be created within the new state to be granted. They said they had suffered negligence in the creation of local government areas, therefore, the 22 requested should be created as compensation.

Their prayers as stated in the memorandum are:

• The creation of a state called Oke-Oodua for the Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti from the present Kwara South Senatorial District.

• Re-group the proposed state with the South West of Nigeria with their kith and kin (the Oduduwa Stock); and

• Conduct a plebiscite, if necessary, among the people in the proposed state (Oke-Oodua).

Justifying the qualification of the district to become a state, the people said some areas, which were like Kwara South senatorial district in 1979 have transformed into states. They cited Nassarawa State which they said was a senatorial district in 1979 with a less population than Kwara South, including land mass.

However, some people in the same district have kicked against the proposal. A group of Ieaders in some communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area while opposing the proposal, claimed that the people of the communities were not consulted before the memorandum was presented to the conference.

The people, who include the Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Alhaji Ibrahim Adelokun; the Commissioner for Rural Development, Dr Femi Ogunsola, who is a son of one of the state’s delegates to the conference, Prof Albert Ogunsola; and Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Commissioner for Finance, dissociated themselves from the proposed state. They said their local government area was not part of the agitation.

The spokesman of the people, Alhaji Kola Yusuf, the chairman of Kwara State Investment Company, alleged that the memorandum was drawn up and forwarded to the conference by "faceless, disgruntled, and ill-motivated individuals". He said that the consent of the people and leadership of the local government area was not sought before the memorandum was drawn up.

He declared: "We the people of the local government believe strongly in the leadership of Dr Bukola Saraki and without any doubt at all, we believe that our present geographical location and the status of our people and comfortability cast no doubt in our mind that Kwara is ours and Ifelodun Local Government is Kwara.

"We are not interested in moving from the various groups who are agitating for such state creation. Rather we employ our people to continue to work for the benefit of Kwara State. Ifelodun Local Government shall not be part of such agitation. We shall live together to savage Kwara."

Yusuf said Ifelodun being the largest and second most populated local government in the state has enjoyed political privileges in the areas of appointment of commissioners, secretary to the state government, board chairman and members of parastatals while they were well taken care of in the provision of infrastructure. He said the area have been enjoying a comfortable, political and socio-economic relationship with the leadership of the state, adding that "we are therefore very comfortable to remain an integral part of Kwara State.

"The majority of our people in Ifelodun feel fulfilled and actualised in Kwara, and have at no time in history agitated for their excision to another state, either alone or in conjunction with others. It is for this reason that the unsolicited agitation by proxy by some faceless, disgruntled, and ill-motivated individuals is not only surprising and disturbing as well," he stated.

Yusuf added: "We have confidence in the leadership of Dr Olusola Saraki. He is our mentor and a great leader with vision. He has never for one day betrayed us and Ifelodun shall continue to repose their trust in him and his leadership. Ifelodun is part of the formation of this government right from the beginning to the present day. We were never marginalised, we are not traitors that betrayed our leaders, we stand for the growth of Ifelodun Local Government and we stand for the growth of Kwara.

“We therefore wish to use this medium to dissociate ourselves from the proposed Osin [Oke-Oodua] State which some selfish individuals and politicians, who have lost bearing with the political realities, are agitating for without consultation and consent with the people and leadership of the local government."

He said rather than the creation of a new state out of the present Kwara State, their desire was the creation of more local government areas out of Ifelodun.

Another group from Ekiti and Oke-Ero local government areas of the district also raised opposition to the proposed state. Led by Olosi of Osi-Ekiti, Oba Saliu Abdulkareem Adasofegbe Arowobeku, the people said they were not involved in the preparation of the memorandum and dissociated themselves from the proposed state.

"We the traditional rulers and the entire people of Ekitiland strongly and unequivocally dissociate ourselves from the said proposed state as we were not consulted. We and our people say that we are currently satisfied with the present Kwara State as it is now constituted", declared Oba Arowobeku.

The people claimed that in the memorandum, no new local government area was proposed for the Ekiti as against more areas for the Igbomina and Ibolo, alleging that the development was a blueprint for their economic, political and social marginalisation.

The opposition by this group to the proposed state has been criticised by the majority of the Ekiti in Kwara State. The people under the umbrella of Kwara Ekiti Indigenes said they joined their kith and kin of Igbomina, Ibolo and allied groups to ask for a separate state of their own.

A communiqué issued after the general meeting of the people signed by their president, Chief J.O Daniel; and Secretary, Hon. Ayo Oluleye stated that their members, who opposed the proposed state, were invited to the meeting where they saw reasons and accepted the wish of the people to demand for a state of their own.

The people stated that the agitation for the new state had been on for a long time and borne out of the principle of self determination with a wish to develop. They recalled that they together with the Igbomina and Ibolo demanded their own state at the Mbanefo Panel in 1996 while other groups of people in Kwara State made cases for their own.

"In 1996, the Mbanefo Panel on Boundary Adjustment and Creation of State got our Charter of Demand for the creation of a new state to accommodate our cultural, political, economic and social interests," they said, adding:

“Whereas at the Mbanefo Panel, other ethnic groups, including the Ilorin Emirate as represented and defended by lawyer Alarape Salman {SAN], demanded for their own state, which excluded the Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti people. The Nupe in Kwara ( Patigi, Edu and Lafiagi) joined their kith and kin in Niger State to demand for Ndaduma State.".

The people said the persistent demand, for over 10 years now, had not been swayed by any intervening factor from their resolve, to restate the demand for a new state. They alleged that successive civilian and military governments in Kwara State had not paid attention to their health, welfare and education.

They expressed displeasure over absence of a first class traditional ruler in the are which they believed is caused by their persistent stay in Kwara State and classification as part of the Northern Region.

"The Oore of Otun that secured his release from the North in 1936 is not only a First Class monarch but is the chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council in Ekiti State whereas his colleagues of equal status who remained in Kwara State are yet to be acknowledged, lest being upgraded to first class," they said

An Igbomina group known as Igbomina Liberty Forum has also expressed support for the proposed Oke-Oodua State. The group, in a communique issued at the end of its emergency session, gave reasons for its support for the proposed state.

A statement by Mr Adeyinka Gbadeyan, Mr Kayode Banji and Prince Saheed Murtala Arinlopooye supported the proposed state because of "the reality of the incompatibility of the Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti with the Ilorin Fulani descendants, which was recognised and documented by the British Colonial Administrators as far back as 1930”.

The previous agitations for the merger of the people with their fellow Yoruba in the West led by the late Chief J. G. Eunrin of Oke-Ode, the submissions by the late Ooni of Ife, Sir Adesoji Aderemi in 1950 conference for grouping of Yoruba in the North with West, the agitation by the late Chief J. S. Olawoyin in 1957 conference, the recommendations of Willinks Commission and the joint demand for a new state by the Asepo Omo Yoruba Kwara and Okun Development Association in Kogi State also informed the support for the proposed state.

The group said that their support was also borne out of long standing collective wish of their people to be grouped together in a state of theirs where they could channel their resources to the development of their communities.

The Forum said the Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti of Kwara South are Yoruba by tribe, culture and language and that they are bonafide descendants of Oduduwa. It said the merger of Kwara South with the Northern Region had led to the erosion and distortion of the culture of the people as well as the retardation of their collective growth and development.

"We of the Igbomina Liberty Forum hereby declare our unequivocal support for the patriotic and selfless efforts by credible representatives of Igbomina, Ibolo and Ekiti people to actualise our just demand for the creation of a new state for the people of Kwara South within a united Federal Republic of Nigeria," stated the group.

News -- Yoruba in Kwara and burden of identity

yoruba in kwara are happy with the state of their affairs there.no need worrying over them