To Nigerians
Dear Nigerians,
There is a saying that every good thing comes to an end. So does every bad thing. The journey together with you within what was conceived as the Federal Republic of Nigeria is, realistically coming to an end. It was not intended to have gone like this. But as you would no doubt agree, other than in name, the association has been anything but a federation.
We, the Yoruba people have endured a lot while waiting and hoping that a true federal state will eventually emerge in Nigeria. We have all along been fully aware of the fraud that the British committed pre-independence on the south in favour of the north. We are aware of the rigged population census and elections in favour of the north. We know our history.
We know where we came from, and where we stand today. We know what we would like to be and where we would like to go.
We know where our future lies, and we know for certain that it no longer lies with being a part of the system which the Nigerian state has become today.
Many of you might be too young to remember how progressive the old Western Region, home to the Yorubas in Nigeria was. You might be too young to remember that we started free education in our region. We produced highly educated professionals and illustrious people. We were fervently and passionately Nigerians. The first radio stations, first television station, first newspapers and first in so many areas of development, not only in Nigeria, but in Africa, came from us. The 25-storey Cocoa House building in Ibadan was the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa. And the list of our achievements goes on and on.
We were true and proud citizens of Nigeria. We signed up for a federal state where power lies with the people. The situation changed with time. What we signed up for no longer exists. Power was taken away from the regions and the people. It is now concentrated in the hands of a few dictators. In what Nigeria has become, people from some tribes believe that they are superior to the others. And born to rule.
Equality of chances no longer exist. Top federal posts are now the preserves of just one section of the country. The military has been overwhelmingly dominated by just one section of the country.
We do not put the whole blame on you, the other ethnic nationalities. We would be deceiving ourselves if we do so. A lot of it resulted from the leaders of the Yorubas themselves. Over the decades, we have had Yoruba leaders who have, for their self-interest, sold their own people cheap. We have had leaders who betrayed the Yoruba race. Those that stood in their ways have done so with heavy consequences. We have had a Yoruba man as a president who served his term in the interest of everyone else but the Yoruba race.
We are not totally rid of such people. In fact, most Yoruba leaders today are now fully bought and paid for by those that have enslaved us. Nearly all the obas and other traditional rulers have prostituted and are today, prostituting themselves to those that would like to continue to enslave the Yoruba people. Some have enriched themselves beyond imagination and are aggressively using their wealth in a desperate bid for greater political power.
The result is that today, Yorubas are nothing more than second-class citizens in Nigeria. We do not need to list the persecution and humiliation that we have suffered in the hands of the minority Fulani tribe who have openly claimed that the whole territory of Nigeria belongs to them alone, and that even our ancestral land belongs to them. We are aware that most of you from the other ethnic groups in the country are also suffering similar fate in what would have been a great nation that we would all have been proud of.
While you might wish to carry on with the status quo within this setting which is a mockery of federation, we have had enough of it and been faced with no option but to leave.
We the youths of Yorubaland with the strong support of Yorubas in diaspora have decided to move on. We no longer wish to be part of Nigeria. As you already know, we are laying the foundation for our own sovereign nation – Oodua Republic. While we are still in the process of gaining recognition both at home and abroad, we strongly feel that we need to address this message to you directly, here and now. We know that this is not coming to you as a surprise.
We wish to let you know that as a sovereign nation, we shall continue to remain good neighbours with you. We share with you a common history which we shall never forget. We believe that there is goodwill on both sides to move into the future with optimism, even if not as compatriots.
Parting amicably, and without resulting to bloodshed would make the process of healing and facing the future so much easier.
We would like to take the opportunity to inform you that any citizen of your country who had settled within our borders legally, and who carries out legal activities will be welcome to stay and live with us peacefully. More information on their status will be provided to them at a later stage.
We will continue to wish you well. We will share in things that we love in common. Culture, progress for Africa, sports, memberships of ECOWAS, of the African Union, of the Commonwealth of nations, of the United Nations, and above all, membership of the human race.
We wish you all the best. We will continue to pray with you, for peace in our region.
Dear Nigerians,
Yes, the Yoruba people are leaving the union as it no longer works for them, and as the trust between us and you has been damaged beyond repairs. We nevertheless wish to let you know that as a sovereign nation, we shall continue to remain good neighbours with you. We share with you a common history which we shall never forget.
