[Mhiz Rebecca]

Yoruba leaders, yesterday, met in Ibadan, Oyo
State capital to strategise on resetting a new
agenda for the race.At the colloquium convened
by a political movement, Yoruba Patriots
Movement (YPM) were former national chairman
of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi
Akande, Senator Femi Lanlehin, Dr. Yemi
Farounbi, Dr. Frederich Fasehun, Dr. Doyin
Okupe, Dr. Saka Balogun, Gen Raji Rasaki, Dr.
Kunle Olajide and Senator Ayoade Adeseun,
among others. Speakers restated call for the
restructuring of the polity to reflect true
federalism.
They also advocated the conduct of an all-
inclusive Yoruba summit, where all Yoruba
leaders would come together to deliberate on
their future.
In his address, Dr. Olajide lamented the situation
of things in the country and demanded a new
order.Citing the increased cases of insurgency in
the North East, religious crisis in the North West,
herdsman invasion and secessionist agitation in
the South East, as well as kidnapping and alleged
marginalisation of the South West, Olajide said the
existing order in the country is no longer
acceptable to the citizens.
He said: “Everywhere around us, there is
evidence of government failure, power generation
for a population of 170million people is below
2000 megawatts, inflation rate is at an all-time
high at 18 percent, while mass unemployment of
able bodied youths is a time bomb waiting to
explode. The state of the nation is simply and
squarely unacceptable to the Yoruba nation.”
While calling for restructuring, Olajide said the
YPM believes that each of the six zones of the
country is abound with diverse resources, but are
constrained by a dysfunctional federal structure
and a perverse system of government, which
encourages corruption.
He lamented that the current civilian dispensation
midwifed by the military in 1999 imposed a quasi-
federal constitution on the country. “The Yoruba
nation suffered inevitable collateral damage from
the twin evil of military intervention and oil
boom, and military politics, characterised by
politics without principles, ideology and character.
Hence, the Colloquium is aimed at deliberating a
new agenda for the Yoruba nation, starting from
where we are today, where we want to be and
how we want to get to where we want to be.”
On his part, Akande lamented that Yoruba
Language is fast going into extinction and
canvassed that teaching instructions across
primary schools in Yoruba land should be done in
Yoruba language.
Others at the meeting were Governor Abiola
Ajimobi of Oyo State, who was represented by the
Secretary to the state Government, Olalekan Alli,
former Osun State SSG, Fatai Akinbade, former
Chairmen of the Oyo State Primary Education
Board (SUBEB) Dr. Busari Adebisi and Dr. Soji
Adejumo, Dr. Adegboye Onigbinde and former
president of the Central Council of Ibadan
Indigenes (CCII) Bayo Oyero.