To the British
Her Majesty, the Queen,
Honourable Prime Minister
Honourable House Speaker,
Dear Sir / Madam,
With due respect, the Odua Research Group – ORG, a group of associated researchers and think-tank for the Yoruba nation, addresses this open letter to you on behalf of the Yoruba people at home and in diaspora.
Under normal circumstance, such a letter would have been addressed to you by the elders, or an elected official of the people.
Sadly, we are not in a normal situation.
We considered it necessary to address the letter specifically to you for a couple of reasons. The British, being the former colonial masters to Nigeria, the architect that not only laid the foundation for the nation, but also helped to structure and shape it, continues to play a significant role in the affairs of today’s Nigeria. Added to that is the fact that Nigeria is a member of the Commonwealth of which Her Majesty is the head.
Also, we do feel that Britain has the capacity and is well placed to play an important constructive role in helping the process of sorting out the issue between the parties concerned in Nigeria.
There is real chaos in Nigeria. There is discontent among the marginalised and disenfranchised indigenous people in the country. And it is not just the Yoruba alone. Undoubtedly, considering the quality of your intelligence services on the ground in the country, you must be fully aware of the situation.
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Some quick notes about the Yorubas
Before going any further, we would like to say a few words about the Yoruba race.
Worldwide, the Yoruba population is put at some 50 million people. 45 million of these are in the Yoruba homeland (in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Togo). Another estimated 5 million are in diaspora made up of two main groupings.
The Atlantic slave trade hit the Yoruba the hardest. It resulted in the first wave of diaspora that got dispersed mainly to the western hemisphere. The second wave is made up of economic migrants most of who, due to hardship at home, much later moved to several parts of the world, especially to Europe and America.
The Yoruba people identify very strongly with their root. Even those in the first wave of diaspora have somehow, amazingly managed to preserve their culture in Latin America and in the Caribbean as those back home.
As clearly documented in history books on this tribe, before you came to colonise us, we had a well-organised form of government. As a demonstration of our sense of togetherness, we were the most urbanised Africans, living together mostly in large towns rather than in small villages. Monarchies were a common form of government.
The Yorubas have always been hardworking and enterprising people with a rich and colourful socio-cultural identity.
Serving national interest
All around the world, and since time immemorial, governments have been known to act in the interest of their people. That has been the case for most nations. As it happens all too often, one nation doing the best for its people might entail abusing or exploiting another nation, thereby acting against the interest of people of such other nation.
The extent to which one nation would go to abuse or exploit another tells a lot about the moral standing of its government, the conscience of its people, and the extent to which being humane matters to such nation. Nations go to war with one another to address issues on which they are unable to reach mutual agreements.
But in situations where one nation is vastly more powerful in all ways than the other, resorting to war is not an option. The result could be devastating.
It is a known historical fact that your involvement in Nigeria has not been a pristine one. It has been one of exploitation and manipulation.
Sadly, the situation has not improved even with time. Exploitations have evolved and taken different forms over the years, but they have never ceased to happen, even today.
It would of course be wrong to blame this situation on you. Without Nigerian leaders past and present being complicit, such situation would never have occurred.
Some historical notes
The history of the activities of your country on our people is well documented.
The horrors of the slave trade era are best left into history. But exploitation did not end with the abolition of the heinous trade in humans. It continued under the colonial regime. To make managing the exploitation easier, you bundled together ethnic groups around the river Niger area. These were groups which had nothing in common. And Nigeria was born.
Things did not go as neatly as you had wanted because people in the south of the river, especially the Yorubas quickly embraced Western education, and there was soon an educated elite, with a cream of highly enlightened active and restless group which started to demand independence.
Not surprisingly, you did not like the idea of an independent Nigeria. But the wave and tide for independence were sweeping across Africa. This got too strong and soon became unstoppable. It was by then a matter of time. Nigeria was going to gain independence.
Your parting gift
The fruit of discord of the forced marriage of convenience that was Nigeria had become fully ripe. The educated and enlightened southern elites clamoured for independence and would get their wish. The uneducated ruling class in the north of the country did not want it.
Given this setting, it was easy for you to leave Nigeria without really leaving. Some fraudulent manipulations would make this a reality.
As the colonial power, Her Majesty’s government would be responsible for conducting population census and the first election for the government of an independent Nigeria.
The first major fraud in and on Nigeria was to be committed as your parting gift the Southerners.
This video among many other uncovered pieces of information gives an insight to your parting gift to Nigeria.
Notwithstanding this historical backdoor acts against the honest, progressive hardworking people, the Yorubas have been among the staunchest supporters of the Nigerian project. They were very proud of their country and without doubt, among the most patriotic of the nation.
The little acorn is now a mighty oak
The massive fraud committed on Nigeria at its independence sowed the seed of discord which grew into a mighty oak that has engulfed the nation and strangled it. You had wanted a government that was sympathetic to you. You got one. You had planted the Hausa-Fulani northern elites on Nigeria. You had concentrated all power, political and military in their hands. You had told them they had the sole right to rule Nigeria.
More than 60 years later, that has remained the status quo. The Fulanis have the full and complete stranglehold on the nation. The Yoruba people, like the other ethnic groups, are being subjected to degrading and inhuman treatment in the country. They are nothing more than second class citizens in their own country. The Fulanis claim that they own the country, every bit of it.
You deprived Nigeria of being governed by honest, educated and intelligent people who would have nurtured and made it into one of the most developed nations in the world. The original plan has no doubt worked perfectly for the British. Today, Nigeria is ranked among the most corrupt on the planet. Looting in Nigeria is endemic, systematic, thorough and in every sector and sphere of governance. With the stolen money, the politicians are empowered to contest and rig elections, taking advantage of the impoverished electorates. And the most daring criminals of all come into power.
Most of the earnings of the country which should have been spent to develop the nation, build the necessary infrastructure, provide jobs for the young people, and develop the country for the future generations have been systematically looted by the ruling elites.
Sadly, as it appears, this has been with the tacit support of Her Majesty’s government. It is no secret that most of the stolen funds from Nigeria end up safely in the United Kingdom.
The elites completely destroyed the infrastructure for education through their criminal activities. They send their own children abroad to be educated, largely in your country.
The cream of Nigeria’s human capital seeks better lives outside the country. The best trained are poached by richer nations. Too many of those trained in the medical profession who are so badly needed to support the healthcare sector have been enticed away to other countries. Not surprisingly, your country is a major actor in emptying out these essential workers from Nigeria.
It no doubt works perfectly for you. Medical tourism is a big earner and none of those who destroyed Nigeria’s health care system seek medical treatments at home. They fly to England for this. Earlier this year, even the president of the oil-rich nation of 200 million people needed to go to your country for medical treatment. Such is the state of affair in your ex-colony.
The truth is that Her Majesty's government has benefited immensely from the chaos and systematic destruction of Nigeria. Given that fact, it would be understandable why Britain would throw its weight behind the failed Nigerian state against the aspiration of the young disenfranchised and disillusioned people.
Today's Nigeria
Today, the world is witnessing with alarm Nigeria being rocked by insecurity and total breakdown of governance. Other than looting the treasuries, the political elites not just the Fulanis, but from all the nation’s ethnic groups, have nothing left to offer the nation. In fact, if there is anything that has solidly united the politicians, it is corruption. The wanton brazen looting and total lack of accountability.
The erstwhile much-respected monarchies and institutions of the traditional rulers in Yorubaland have been systematically gutted and corrupted. The leaders no longer speak for the people. The older generations of Yorubas came to terms with their powerlessness and adjusted themselves to this reality. They are contented with the bribes they receive to keep silent. They are mostly interested in what they can get for themselves.
To them, the status quo is enriching and beneficial. Their Fulani masters who are experts in manipulation have been very generous.
This is not the case for the Yoruba youths. They are the ones that struggle to complete their education and training, only to end up jobless and with no prospects. They are the ones paying human traffickers, risking their lives to cross to Europe to seek asylum. They are the ones who die in people smugglers’ boats trying to cross the sea. They are the unwanted illegal economic migrants who would have preferred to stay in their own country to develop it. They are the ones who, with doctorate degrees are driving minicabs on the street of London. They are the ones who are exploited by cleaning agencies to sweep the train and underground stations in London. They are the ones doing all forms of dirty jobs in different cities around the world. They are the ones who desperation has driven into all forms of crimes including internet scams. They are the ones without hope, but who see their leaders and their families living the big life.
Along with them are Yorubas in diaspora. These are people who were forced out of their own country by the hardship and tyranny imposed on them by their kleptomaniac leaders with tacit support of those who are benefiting directly or indirectly from the chaos and systematic looting and destruction of Nigeria. These are people who would like the opportunity to go back home to help build a new nation.
Indeed, the Yoruba people – the oppressed and marginalised majority, together with the youths and those in diaspora whose lives and future are greatly impacted by this situation, are saying today, enough!
The Yoruba people would like Her Majesty to consider this letter as being open, honest and direct. They would like you to know that the continued support of the British for the status quo in Nigeria makes the United Kingdom an enemy of Yoruba people not only in Nigeria but world-wide.
Final notes
In concluding this letter, we would like to recapitulate a few points.
The British forced ethnic groups which, other than their skin colour, have absolutely nothing in common, together as a nation. It was intended to be a federation. It isn’t. The regions have absolutely no power for the people. Instead, power is concentrated in the hands of a tiny minority in the north. It is a marriage that has never worked, does not work, and will NEVER work. The British have the moral obligation to help Nigeria to break up peacefully, allowing those ethnic groups wanting their own nations to do so. In your role as the head of the Commonwealth, and with the amount of leverage that you have on the country, you are well placed than most to help in this respect.
It would be easy to dismiss the wishes of the people and deny them their fundamental rights by listening to their corrupt leaders who would like to sustain the status quo. They are very wealthy having stolen the funds that would have been used to develop the nation.
Britain could choose to side with the people, or with these criminals in government because of the stolen money and influence. Doing so will be short-sighted and will certainly have consequences.
History has taught us that you can not keep people down for ever against their wishes. Contrary to what the leaders might be saying in public, the Yorubas will leave Nigeria. And their leaders know it.
Anyone who has done any research or opinion polling among the Yoruba people knows that the quest to leave Nigeria is even deeper than that shown for Biafra which went to war of independence, and which, fifty-five years later still struggles for independence.
It is not a question of if the Yorubas will leave the federation. It is that of how and when. Their preference would be to go peacefully. But they are not ruling anything out and not afraid of anything.
A free, independent and democratic Yoruba nation has a lot to offer to the Commonwealth. It could play a significant role within the organisation. That is what we wish and look forward to.
The Yorubas are not seeking apologies for the atrocities – and they are many – that you committed on our people. We are not asking for restitution. We are choosing to leave the past to history.
Instead, we are seeking your help in getting ourselves out of a situation of a failed abusive forced marriage that is suffocating our people and destroying the future of our unborn children. We would understand if for whatever reason you are unable or unwilling to help us. That would be your choice, just as it was in 1959, and as it has been ever since then.
Our people would nevertheless not take kindly to any nation being a part of those standing in our way of finally achieving some dignity for our people.
We do hope that this opportunity that presents itself to Her Majesty’s government to act honestly will not be wasted. It could be the very last chance to redress some of the wrongs of the past
To Her Majesty, the Queen,
We the Yoruba people worldwide strongly believe that it would be wrong if the process of protecting British interest and serving your own people entails aiding, abetting and profiting in the exploitation of another set of people who have done you no wrong.
Should that happen, we will have no choice than to take our case directly to the other members of the Commonwealth. The Yoruba diaspora is large enough and has a wide reach for this purpose. We will use all resources available to us to remind them of the history and enlighten them on the atrocities of the colonial era including the exploitations and the crimes of the slave trade era on our people. We would seek their support, letting them know how Britain had been complicit in draining the life out of Nigeria, and how this has adversely affected the Yoruba people
