By Dapo Akinrefon

YORUBA elders and leaders, including a leader of pan-Yoruba socio- political organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George; Prof. Banji Akintoye, Senator Femi Okurounmu, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said yesterday, that Nigeria could witness equity, fairness and justice through restructuring.

Bode George

They said this at a 1-day South-West colloquium with the theme: ‘2019: The South- West Speaks’, in Lagos

In his address, Afenifere chieftain, Chief Adebanjo, lamented that the Yoruba, known to be the foremost race in Nigeria, was now endangered.

Adebanjo, who was represented by Prof. Akintoye said: “We must come together to protect our people.  Yoruba don’t know how to submit to failure to anything. It is also not common for Yoruba to succumb to poverty.

“We, Yoruba, are going through high degree of poverty right now, we are going through high degree of insecurity and we are also going through high degree of hopelessness.

“I have confidence that Yoruba would rise and fight the battle and we will achieve success.”

Restating his support for restructuring of the country, Adebanjo said the message everyone should take home is that the Yoruba wanted to live in a decent community.

Also speaking, a former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief George, lamented the state of the country saying the Yoruba insisted on a balanced, equitable Nigeria where every section of the Nigeria would be free and unhindered in cultivating their natural resources.

George said: “If we all get up and work hard, people in every state can survive without any largess from the central government.”

Berating Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, for distributing N10,000 each to market women, he said: “It was indeed an obscene display of executive recklessness and abuse of office. Pray, where did the money come from? Was it budgeted for in the appropriation law?”

In more civilized nations, Osinbajo would have been impeached and prosecuted for gutting our collective treasury.”

Also speaking, former Minister of Works, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, alleged that anti-corruption war under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had been one- sided.

He, therefore, called the Yoruba elders and leaders to unite and free the Yoruba from its present state of helplessness.

Senator Okunrounmu, who described the last three and a half years of All Progressives Congress, APC, as been saddled with poverty and job loss on the increase, said: “Yoruba will never be slave to anybody, we reject it.”

The elder statesmen said that the option left for the Yoruba in the 2019 poll was to vote the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar as the next president of Nigeria, being “the only vehicle available to board.”

In her remarks, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Olujimi said: “As 2019 approaches, we must come together, we must talk of restructuring, we must have unity of purpose, our leaders must represent our views. I believe we must demand the right of our people, we must change the narrative, we must allow ourselves to be led by leaders who believe in our cause.”

Red card for fake Yoruba Obas

The gathering, which also consisted of former deputy governors, Kofoworola Bucknor- Akerele, Erelu Olusola Obada; Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abiodun Olujimi; Dr. Bode Olajumoke, Dr. Remi Akintoye, Dr. Saka Balogun, governorship candidate of PDP in Lagos and Oyo, Mr. Jimi agbaje and Engineer. Seyi Makinde respectively, resolved and adopted former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential flagbearer as the candidate that would be supported by the Yoruba, in 2019.

In a 12-point communiqué, read by Prince Uthman Sodipe, the leaders and elders said: “The Yoruba believe in the restructuring of Nigerian union in order for the prevalence of equity, fairness and the dominating anchor of justice.”

While justifying the call for restructuring, the communiqué said: “The centre is too unwieldy, too disproportionate, effectively creating equity in the distribution of the collective wealth, urging that: “We must encourage every state in our federation to grow on the momentum of the available resources within their soil.”

On what informed the adoption of Alhaji Abubakar as the Yoruba candidate for the 2019 presidential poll, the communiqué said:  ”The Yoruba people resolved to adopt the candidature of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for the presidency in the 2019 elections in view of his support for the restructuring of Nigeria to create equal opportunities, fairness and justice for all stakeholders.”