A group of notable Yoruba leaders, including Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Dr Seye Oyeleye, Mr. Olusola Adekanola, and Dr. Segun Aina, recently gathered to discuss the challenges facing the South-West region of Nigeria. They emphasized the need for President Bola Tinubu to initiate a restructuring of the country to address these issues. The event, called the Goke Omisore Annual Lecture (GOAL2023), focused on South-West Regional Integration and was organized by the Voice of Reason (VOR) in Lagos.
The Yoruba leaders expressed their concerns about the current state of the Yoruba nation. They identified underdevelopment, religious and ethnic disunity, the abandonment of the omoluabi ethos, and the mockery of traditional institutions on social media as some of the major challenges facing the region.
Pa Adebanjo, the leader of Afenifere, highlighted that the root cause of their problems is the lack of regional autonomy and the current federal system. He mentioned that the DAWN Commission is actively questioning this issue. According to him, Nigeria was brought together by the colonialists without the consent of the Yoruba people. Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a prominent Yoruba leader, had already warned against ruling Nigeria under a unitary system of government. Pa Adebanjo urged the President to change the constitution to a federal system, allowing each region to develop at its own pace.
