Yoruba Diaspora
Dear Compatriots in Diaspora,
It is needless recounting the pains that you feel each time you think of the situation back home. Countless have been times when your friends, neighbours or colleagues of other nationalities eagerly looked forward to going home, and you have just simply envied them. And those are not just people from developed countries. Many are from developing ones, including African countries like Ghana or Senegal. Countries with populations, and with resources of a fraction of Nigeria.
It’s not that you don’t love to go home. Far from it. There are lots of attractions for going to a country that has been so much endowed by nature. A country where sunshine is guaranteed. A country in which you could go about your daily life and business without being conscious of the colour of your skin. A country where you could look up and feel at home.
Yet, sadly, all is not well in the country that once had the prospect of being the giant of Africa. In the first instance, so many Yoruba men and women in diaspora left Nigeria because they were pushed to the wall. Most Yorubas in diaspora were driven out and sold into slavery by their leaders. Escaping from the country was a result of hopelessness and lack of development, resulting directly from lack of honest leadership among the Yorubas. It is sad situation that the Obas, traditional rulers and politicians, through their selfishness, greed and lack of morals, betrayed and continue to betray the whole Yoruba race.
The country has been so badly depleted that the only thing guaranteed is hopelessness. Young people who had no choice but to go through the most debased educational system, underfunded and underperforming. Those who went through impoverished primary and secondary schooling before attending higher institutions of extremely low quality in which academic staff are always on industrial action. Those who witnessed how little investment is made by the government on education while the political elites openly and blatantly loot the treasuries.
No wonder therefore that, given the opportunity, the best of the brains in Nigeria, especially in Yorubaland would escape from the country to anywhere else on the globe. Many have done so and Yorubas in diaspora have excelled in all walks of professional and business lives all over the world. They are among the best engineers, the best specialist medical professional, the best university professors, the best pilots, best business executives anywhere around the world.
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that if just 5% of Yorubas in diaspora could go back home to build a new nation, Oodua Republic will, within a decade, rank among the very best, not only in Africa, but in the world as a whole. But there is pain in diaspora. Home is always home. And most Yorubas in diaspora miss home. We know that the older you grow in diaspora, the more the attraction and the pull to go back home. A pull not just to go on retirement, but to contribute to building a model nation. One that Africans could be proud of.
Yorubas in diaspora know that behind the talks of insecurity and Fulani dominance, the true common enemies of the Yoruba people are the Yoruba elders themselves. Their selfishness is the reason for the lack of security to lives and properties in Yorubaland, the murders, the wanton destruction to properties and livelihood of hardworking Yoruba people. Kidnapping and raping of innocent people and other atrocities witnessed in Yorubaland only happen because the Yoruba leaders are complicit in letting in the heavily armed invaders.
Today, the situation is such that the thought of going home is in itself, frightening. It is frightening to go back to a country where you are a target of terror. Back to a country where you are a prime kidnapping target, and a place where nothing works. Electricity supply is highly limited. Roads are death traps. So are hospitals and other medical centres. There are many begging hungry mouths to feed and many others that might be targeting you for extortion. Sewage system is non-existent. Neither is a central water supply system. In short, nothing works, because those in power are nearly without exception, criminals, looting and destroying the country with impunity.
Yet, with all these, it is noteworthy that most of you in diaspora have been inspirational. You never gave up on your people. You have been the major force behind the efforts to liberate the Yoruba nation. You have given so much to the efforts. You have contributed money and a lot of you have invested your time. Professor Stephen Adebanji Akintoye who was once part of the diaspora along with several others has tirelessly fronted the efforts. The diaspora has been a key and significant part of the liberation drive.
Thank you!
The frustration for many in diaspora is understandable. They are finding it difficult to understand that with all the efforts being made, those who are standing in the path of progress are fellow Yorubas. People who are benefitting immensely from the chaos. People who are profiting from the enslavement of their fellow Yorubas. Obas and traditional rulers who have prostituted and are prostituting their sacred oaths to serve the people. Political leaders including ministers, and state governors who are being bribed to sell their people.
To add to the frustration is the fact that many of the older people back home (even educated ones among them) are unable to see themselves in a new country. They have been so brainwashed that the thought of creating an independent nation is simply far-fetched. Many are those that have accepted the suffering and smiling concept. And added to that are the uneducated Yorubas and those in the little towns and villages.
Yes, it is a uphill task. Yorubas are in bondage because apart from those profiting from it, many have never experienced being free. Many do not know what it is like in civilised countries having lived their whole lives in total chaos.
Dear Compatriot in Diaspora,
The message to you is, thanks to your unflinching support, a lot has already been done. A lot has been achieved. Victory is sure. We are not there yet. There is still a lot of work to do to get there. But we are on the right path. Do not be discouraged. Never be put off by the disappointment of what is happening on the ground. Truth is on our side. It is only a matter of time before Oodua Republic becomes a reality. Every disappointment should lead to a greater resolve to achieve the goal. We at the ORG are here to support and coordinate your efforts. Contact us for information.
Yes, we can!
