The Petition can be SIGNED HERE: http://chng.it/ybwX2ZR6Tt


THE PETITION:

YORUBA REFERENDUM NOW! BE A PART OF HISTORY!! SIGN THIS PETITION!!!


TO: Gov Rotimi Akeredolu <akeredol@yahoo.com>,
Gov Kayode Fayemi <kfayemi@gmail.com>,
Gov Adegboyega Oyetola <gboyega@hotmail.co.uk>,
Gov Babajide Sanwo-Olu <bosgov@lagosstate.gov.ng>,
Gov Seyi Makinde <abiodunmakinde@aol.com>,
Gov Dapo Abiodun dapoabiodun05@yahoo.com
SPEAKERS:
LAGOS: honobasa1@yahoo.com;
OYO: Adebo.ogundoyin@gmail.com
OGUN: oluomoolakunle1063@gmail.com;
EKITI: niyiafuye@yahoo.co.uk;
OSUN:
ONDO:

SOVEREIGNTY RESIDES IN THE PEOPLE!!!

WHY A YORUBA REFERENDUM?

1. Whereas the question may be asked as to why a Yoruba Referendum when the 1999 Constitution is being amended, expected to result in “devolution”, “fiscal federalism”, reduction of “exclusive legislative lists” being touted as the solution to Yoruba (and Nigeria’s) Underdevelopment.

2. Whereas a Yoruba truism says that one’s head cannot be shaved in his or her absence.

3. Whereas all post-colonial Nigeria’s attempts at cultural, economic, and political development shaved our heads in our absence, leading to the societal dysfunction being experienced in Nigeria today.

4. Whereas this reinforces the fact that the National Assembly does not represent the Peoples of Nigeria, more so when the 1999 Constitution it seeks to amend does not recognize the Peoples as the Federating or Constituent Units, substituting them with the administrations of the States and Local Governments.

5. Whereas the process of amending the 1999 Constitution abridges the Right of Self-Determination or Autonomy in that the required concurrence of 24 states already denies the People, where, for example, the Yoruba Nation’s time-honored values which drives her civilization cannot simply be made dependent on other Peoples’ choices.

6. Whereas the YORUBA REFERENDUM provides Yoruba elected and other political leaders the opportunity and means to ensure the resolution of the question of whether our elected officials can, with all conscience, turn round and overturn what they have sworn to uphold and govern with, when it is known that it is a negation of the aspirations and expectations of the people.

7. Whereas the YORUBA REFERENDUM allows the Yoruba to ensure a fundamental intervention in the Re-Formation of the Nigerian Post-Colonial State, now entering a new phase, at this time, when “RESTRUCTURING” has become the political mantra from every forum such as the National Assembly’s Constitutional Review Committee and calls during the recent stakeholders’ meetings across the country as well as by prominent personalities.

8. Whereas the Yoruba Nation (and other Nations inside Nigeria) experience constant and relentless negation of their preferred mode of existence thereby depriving them of their capacity to address their existential paradigms within the global order.

9. Whereas there are different currents of opinion within the Yoruba Nation at home and the Diaspora on what should be the Yoruba Response to her social, cultural, and philosophical alienation by the Nigerian Post-Colonial State.

10. Whereas these differences of opinion exhibit the overall Yoruba preference for multiplicity of views and opinions, reflected in several Yoruba aphorisms, all combined, giving a specificity to Yoruba Existentialism.

11. Whereas this Cultural Existentialism, embedded in the resolution of social contradictions and translated onto the economic and political spheres through the establishment of a Social Democratic, Welfarist Region experienced during our “Golden Era”.

12. Whereas the Yoruba Nation has the capability to resolve the current differences through the combination of her Cultural experience and the internationally recognized Referendum mechanism, already utilized in many instances all over the world, including Scotland, which played a major role in the colonization of Nigeria by the United Kingdom.

13. Whereas the Referendum is the most peaceful way to establish the maxim that Sovereignty resides in the People, the source of all political power.

14. Whereas the Yoruba in Kogi and Kwara States have expressed their desire for a Referendum to determine the acceptability or otherwise of their desire to become part of the Yoruba National Geo-Political space.

15. Be it noted, and it is hereby noted, that the YORUBA REFERENDUM COMMITTEE says that the Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti State Houses of Assembly owe it a duty to the Yoruba Nation to re-establish the Sovereignty of the People by passing the Bill for a Referendum into Law.

WHAT WE WANT:

A Federal Nigeria, through a valid Federal Constitution, to be known as The Union of Nigerian Constituent Nationalities, with a Federal Presidential Council, whose members will be selected or elected from each of the Nationalities as Federating Units and from whom a Head of State will be selected or elected as the primus-inter-pares with an agreed term.

(b) YORUBALAND, geo-politically known as the ODUDUWA REGION and consisting of the present states of Ekiti, Eko, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and all Oodua lands in Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta States to become an AUTONOMOUS Nation in a UNION OF NIGERIAN CONSTITUENT NATIONALITIES and recognizing all persons in the Diaspora, of African descent who claim Oduduwa/Yoruba ancestry, either through cultural affiliation or genealogical connection.

(c) The Central Government of the Union shall have no power to interfere nor intervene in the affairs of the ODUDUWA REGION, save as shall be agreed to by three quarters of the members of the Region’s Parliament.

(d) There shall be a Division of the Federal Armed Forces in the Region, 90% of which personnel shall be indigenes of the Region. The Divisional commander shall be an indigene of Oduduwa Region.

(e) ODUDUWA Region shall adopt a Parliamentary System of government. This Parliament shall have the power to make laws governing taxes, duties, excise, payment of debt, etc It shall have the power to make laws governing the sourcing of funds on behalf of the Region and to regulate commerce with the co-prosperity spheres within the Union of Nigeria. This Parliament shall have the power to establish Regional Police Service with responsibility to investigate Regional crimes. This Police Service shall have no superintending control over the Provincial and Council Police service, but shall coordinate activities at the Regional, Provincial and Local council levels.

(f) The Judicial power of the Region shall be vested in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Customary Court and Other lower courts as the Parliament may establish. There shall be a Court of Appeal in each of the provinces. There shall be, in each province, a High Court from which appeals shall lie to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

(g) Oodua Customary forms of land ownership shall be respected. Exploitation of mineral resources shall be the prerogative of the host community without prejudice to the right of the Local, Provincial and Regional Governments to levy appropriate taxes for the welfare of the people of Oodua land and without prejudice to the right of the Federal Government to levy taxes.

Thank you.

YORUBA REFERENDUM COMMITTEE