Yorubas Threaten To Pull Out Of Nigeria if Not Granted Regional Autonomy

As the National Conference enters its plenary session Monday, the Afenifere has demanded for a regional autonomy to be granted the Yoruba in the Southwest or the Yoruba will secede from Nigeria.The Yoruba group at a news conference to unveil the Publication of “Regional Autonomy or Nothing” at theGani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria Monday said it was displeased that many of its demands at the conference had been thrown away as the Northern group had ganged up to defeat autonomy for the regions.Speaking at the news conference on Monday, General Secretary, Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG, Ayo Afolabi, said as the nation was going through trying period, one would have expected that “we all should seize any opportunity to build consensus and reclaim the country from wrong-footed ideas and practices that brought Nigeria to this sorry state where it is difficult to imagine a better future.“We are therefore baffled at the take-it-or-Leave-it attitude of delegates from other ethnic nationalities, particularly the Northern delegates who circulated a document full of fallacies few weeks ago. Those fallacies have now been exposed by the facts and figures contained in the publication we are unveiling today.”Afolabi said it was inconceivable that northern leaders were the ones leading the campaign against devolution of power and restructuring of government, saying that if any region needed a stronger federating unit with greater capacity to provide education, health, security, wealth creation and other social amenities, it was the North where strong links exist between the level of poverty and conscription of innocent youths into extremist tendencies.“It appears Northern leaders are not concerned, and indeed have no plan for the teeming youth from the region, as long as they are able to continue clinging to their hold on power. However, we are never in doubt that regionalism is the most viable instrument for a stronger and united Nigeria.”He stated that the Yoruba people demanded a regional government with its own constitution and unfettered political and fiscal autonomy, except on issues it agreed to cede to the federal government, adding that the South West Region must include all Yoruba people outside the imposed artificial boundaries in Edo, Delta, Kogi and Kwara States.Afolabi said the Yoruba people demanded a negotiated legislative exclusive, concurrent and residual list as well as a unicameral legislature at the center as details of the Regional legislature shall be clearly set out in the constitution.“We demand a parliamentary form of government at the center and the right to self determination on and up to the right to secede. We demand a just and equitable taxation system that will treat the federating units with equality and better coordination at the federal level in order to eliminate the current runtier syndrome.“We demand Fiscal Federalism and Resource Control: a system whereby a substantial part of the proceeds accruable from every federating unit will be retained and an agreed percentage contributed to the center by the federating units for the responsibility of the Federal Government and the establishment of Regional Police,” he said.said. Afenifere also demanded a new people‘s constitution, saying that the resolutions and conclusions of the 2014 National Conference shall lead to an autonomous Constitution, that is a home-grown and all inclusive draft that shall be submitted to the Nigerian electorate voting in a Referendum The group further demanded a special status for Lagos as the economic nerve center of Nigeria and the West African sub-Region.“We are not enforcing our demands on others. They are free to explore whatever suits them while we should be free to organize our governance the way it suits us. For us Yoruba people, we demand Regional Autonomy for the South West Region within a united Nigeria. Yoruba people will effectively communicate to all other ethnic nationalities an understanding of the aims and objectives of the Yoruba people,” Afolabi added.

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Posted: at 20-05-2014 02:17 PM (9 years ago) | Addicted Hero

If you are living with a girl you have not paid her bride price , pls # BRING BACK OUR GIRLS . You are not a Boko Haram

Posted: at 20-05-2014 02:49 PM (9 years ago) | Newbie

Expecially the igbos and follows by any other vulnerable ethnic group ethnic language speaking,if nigeria is not divided your language will go extinct. So let's seek for our freedom peacefully or how ever you know how as for me I choose peacefully just like they did in Russia and turkey(Crimea) for instance.
When your language dies every thing goes with it,even animals will be better than you when it does because they have a language they speak fluently.Are you lost as a people when it dies?

Posted: at 20-05-2014 03:07 PM (9 years ago) | Upcoming

 

Posted: at 20-05-2014 03:15 PM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Their eyez are now opened. This is exactly what Ojukwu signed with nigeria during d aburi accord but he was misunderstood by some biased nigerians who deceived Giwon to declare total war on biafrans. Now thesame Yoruba who supported d north are now asking for thesame thing. U CAN'T EAT UR CAKE AND HAVE IT. First of all d Yorubas should wholly appologise to Ndigbo before they can ever get what they want or else...... NEMESIS

Posted: at 20-05-2014 03:38 PM (9 years ago) | Newbie

LET THEM GO AHEAD  NO NEED OF WASTING TIME.

Posted: at 20-05-2014 03:48 PM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac

This is very good demand, this is what my biafran people suppose to have demanded but bcuz of their greed and what they are getting from those akawu teeth aboki they 4got to fight for the right of the legion, biafra is taking year to actualize is bcus of some stupid and greedy people that represent us at federal level who take joy at the expense of other peoples bitterness, I really hope they are not dancing to the tone of those akawu teeth aboki's in the national conference cuz if they do... The should bid bye to biafranland cuz not only that are we not gonna kill them.. We will kill anybody, anything that relates to them, their wives, children, father, mother, inlaws, brothers, sisters. Their investment, and house. We are not taking it anymore from them. Enough is enough! We can't take their betrayal anymore. Betray us and sign your death warrant and those of your family. Any bad egg in biafraland that has been conniving with FG to restrain biafran people of what is due for them will be wiped out! God bless biafraland. Up biafra!!!

Posted: at 20-05-2014 04:04 PM (9 years ago) | Hero

Heheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh u funny die

Posted: at 20-05-2014 04:27 PM (9 years ago) | Addicted Hero

 

Posted: at 20-05-2014 05:26 PM (9 years ago) | Hero

those you call empty vessels single handedly bashed and crushed your biafran dream once, without raising a single weapon. therefore you should look at yourself first  b4 Opening your mouth to call a whole tribe that kind of name

Posted: at 20-05-2014 05:59 PM (9 years ago) | Gistmaniac