Grand Finale of Yoruba Nation Interfaith 3-Day Prayer Marathon

 

The Yoruba Nation Interfaith Group invites you to the grand finale of the three-day interfaith fasting and prayers for standing in the gap for Yorubaland.

The event starts today, 24th February 2022 at 3pm EST, 8pm GMT and 9pm Yorubaland.

Keynote Speaker: Professor Banji Akintoye, Chairman of Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, Alana of Ilana Omo Oodua.

Announcer; Dr Janet Fasakin

Akinrimisi and The ₦350 Million Naira Debacle - By Kayode-Emola

 

In response to Mr Akinrimisi’s recent vilification of Ilana Omo Oodua, I feel it is pertinent to recall his previous allegations. In December 2020, during a private group phone conversation that I attended with him, he accused some of those advocating for the Sovereign State of Yoruba of collecting ₦350 million from the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. 

This ugly aspersion has been an obsession to Mr Akinrimisi: that people have been collecting money from the Nigeria government to derail the Yoruba cause. Yet to date he has brought no evidence to substantiate his claim. 

Mr Akinrimisi constant demands to Prof. Banji Akintoye, pressing him to investigate the matter despite no evidence having been provided, are absurd, ludicrous and frankly preposterous. 

There is only one known story in the public place about someone receiving ₦350 million Naira from a high official of the Nigerian Federal Government, but it is totally different from what Mr Akinrimisi is propagating. 

The facts of that story is that, some weeks ago, a well-known non-Yoruba gentleman whose name cannot be mentioned to protect his identity accused the leaders of Ilana Omo Oodua of defaming his name by alleging that he had received ₦350 million Naira from a top Federal Government official. The gentleman threatened that he would sue the Ilana leadership for defaming his character. Ilana Omo Oodua refused to offer any comment because nobody in Ilana had ever uttered any such defamatory statement.

The said gentleman continued to accuse the Ilana leadership of defaming him, which led some Yoruba elders to intervene. They took from the said gentleman the video which he claimed to contain the alleged defamatory statement, but there was absolutely no such statement in it - and so the whole affair died a natural death. 

Apparently, Mr Akinrimisi heard some bits of this story and decided to use it to pursue his agenda of calumny and vilification against Ilana Omo Oodua and its leadership - and against the whole Yoruba Self-determination Struggle. It is a great pity that such should come from Mr Akinrimisi, a man whom we Yoruba should be respecting as one of the elders of our embattled Yoruba nation, an elder who should be contributing seriously to the promotion of the Yoruba struggle for self-determination. 

It is therefore my advice to Mr Akinrimisi to desist from spreading false information to the public as this will not do our self-determination struggle any good. If Mr Akinrimisi does not believe in Self-determination or do not want to positively contribute towards the struggle, he may as well campaign vigorously for whatever he does believe in.

Mr. Akinrimisi should therefore desist from making frivolous accusations and stop crying wolf where there is none, and instead focus on his campaign for the Yoruba Self-determination struggle. 

From my experience, I cannot envision how the Federal government of Nigeria would be so foolish as to spend such a vast amount of money just to frustrate the Yoruba efforts to reclaim their rightful sovereignty. The Yoruba journey to true Independence is gaining rapid momentum across the globe and very soon, we shall hold high the Yoruba flag among the comity of nations. 

The various Yoruba groups and organisations are now congregating for the actualisation of their own Sovereign country under a unified, progressive banner: the Yoruba Self-determination Movement. I urge Mr Akinrimisi to invest his efforts, not in perpetuating false allegations, but behind such endeavours that will bring about the fundamental conclusion of our struggle, the realisation of our Yoruba nation. 

By Kayode Emola 

Yoruba Self-Determination Movement

THE TWO BANJIS: A BLESSING TO YSM -By Kayode Emola

When eight young Yoruba patriots joined together in March 2021 to form a programme of unity across the Yoruba self-determination organisations, little thought was given to what would become an organised movement. Their aim was to bring all the Yoruba elders together, both those at home and in the diaspora, to a single platform where they could discuss and compare the activities of their individual organisations.

This initial meeting of minds grew into the Yoruba Self-determination Movement (YSM), an organisation in its own right, that is able to spearhead and co-ordinate the Yoruba struggle, providing focused, purposeful leadership for all, working towards the emancipation of Yoruba nation from Nigeria .

The YSM then went on to create for itself a council, the YSC (Yoruba Self-determination Council), which was formed by the coming together of two representatives from every organisation striving for Yoruba independence willing to co-ordinate under the YSM umbrella. The YSC is a parliamentary assembly of all self-determination organisations. It has been less than five months since the YSC was inaugurated, yet it has already proven to be a force to be reckoned with among the Yoruba people. Our people had previously lost the opportunity to debate issues affecting their everyday lives following the military deposition of Nigeria’s regional government in January 1966. YSC’s fortnightly proceedings provide a forum where the Yoruba leaders can discuss such issues, helping to hone their skills of parliamentary debate, in preparation for the emergence of their own independent nation.

As fate would have it, the Yoruba Self-determination Movement (YSM) and the Yoruba people are now blessed with not only one but two Banji’s who are determined to fight with everything they have for the total liberation of the Yoruba people from perpetual slavery. Both Prof. Banji Akintoye and Sir Banji Ayiloge, Chairman and Vice Chairman of YSM respectively, are putting structures in place for the enhancement of the self-determination struggle.

The Chairman; Professor Banji Akintoye, and the vice-chairman; Mr. Banji Ayiloge, known as “the two Banji’s” and their team are determined to build a purposeful leadership that the Yoruba and indeed the international communities can relate with.

It seems that, for once, there is a renewed light at the end of the tunnel for the Yoruba people, who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of all these efforts to unify the liberation endeavours.

With the support of their team, they have been able to build a system that ensures the organisation fully utilises the skills and vast knowledge of Yoruba people across the globe. Both Banji’s have demonstrated purposeful leadership, working through issues to reach a logical conclusion, with the attitude of leaving no stone unturned. They are determined to link square pegs with square holes, to ensure the right person is always given the task commensurate with their skills. Where there are skills and knowledge gaps among the Council and committee members, resource personnel from within and outside the organisation are being utilised to provide training and therefore enhance the overall running of YSM affairs.

The two Banji’s are now taking this opportunity to call on other Yoruba groups and organisations that are yet to join YSM, urging them to send their two representatives to the YSM Council. The aim of this is to ensure that no Yoruba group or organisation is left behind in this noble cause, striving to liberate our people from the shambles that Nigeria has become.

In the ongoing vetting and allocation of personnel into the various committees and executive positions, several groups and organisation are being requested to send nominations from their member organisations to fill these positions. This seeks to ensure that talented Yoruba people spread throughout several cities and countries are able to pool their resources to complete the task ahead.

There have been multiple requests for a single collective bank account where all Yoruba people across the world can contribute their own token. The two Banji’s have asked for patience for a little longer, to ensure that due diligence is completed so that the account will be able to withstand the integrity test. Once this is completed, the Yoruba people can be confident that every penny that has been set aside for the task ahead is spent judiciously and with transparency and proper accountability.

With the energies, effort, and dedication invested into the cause by the two Banji’s, it is only proper that the Yoruba people across the world join with them. As they provide a beacon of hope to our people, let us rally around them in support and renewed vigour for the liberation struggle. May they be encouraged that they are not striving alone, but with the full force of every Yoruba person behind and alongside them.

-Kayode Emola