The leaders and people of Yoruba nation met in Ibadan recently to deliberate on the restructuring agenda and the future of Nigeria.
The summit, which was titled ‘Yoruba standpoint on restructuring’, was attended by Yoruba leaders, governors, parliamentarians, Yoruba social cultural groups, professional bodies, market leaders, youth groups and friends of the Yoruba nation. They recalled with nostalgia, the giant strides made by the Yoruba nation in the years of self-
government up until the abrogation of the Federal Constitution in 1966 evident in mass literacy,
novel infrastructural strides and giant leaps in all spheres of human development.
After exhaustive deliberations by the Yoruba people from the six south-west states, including Kwara and Kogi as well as solidarity attendance from Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo and Niger Delta representatives, the summit noted that the crisis of over-centralisation has led to mass misery across the country
with poverty level at 72 percent; unemployment rate at 65 percent; internal immigration and internal
displacement, security threat in form of Boko Haram, herdsmen and organised crime.
In a communiqué signed by Afe Babalola, summit chairman and Kunle Olajide, planning committee chairman, stated that Nigeria is careering dangerously to the edge of the slope except urgent
steps are taken to restructure the country from a unitary constitution to a federal constitution as
negotiated by our founding fathers at independence in 1960.
The Yorubas insisted that Nigeria must return to a proper federation as obtained in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions.
“This has been our position since 1950 Ibadan conference and developments in Nigeria over the last fifty years reinforce our conviction”.
“Yoruba are clear that restructuring does not mean different things to different people other than that a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria can only know real peace and development if it is run only along federal lines and the greatest imperatives of restructuring Nigeria is to move from a rent-seeking and
money-sharing anti-development economy to productivity by ensuring that the federating
units are free to own and develop their resources. They should pay agreed sums to the
federation purse to implement central services,” it said.
It was resolved that the federating units- whether states, zones or regions must themselves be governed by written constitution to curb impunity at all levels, adding that Nigeria shall be a federation comprised of six regions and the federal capital Territory, Abuja.
Also that Federal Government shall make laws and only have powers in relation to items specified on the legislative list contained in the constitution of the Federation while the Regions shall in turn be composed as states.
According to the communiqué, each Region shall have its own constitution containing enumerated exclusive and concurrent legislative lists regarding matters upon which the regions and the states may
act or legislate.
It said that contiguous territories, ethnic nationalities or settlement shall be at liberty through a
plebiscite, to elect to be part of any contiguous region other than the region in which the
current geo-political zone or state boundaries place them.
“States as presently comprised in the geo-political zones into which they fall, which shall become regions, shall continue to exercise the executive, legislative and judicial functions currently exercised at that level of government, stressing that the states with a region shall determine the items on the legislative lists in the Regional constitution for the purpose of good government and the administration and provision of common inter-state social, economic and infrastructural requirements. Residual powers shall be vested in the states.
“The power to create states shall be within the exclusive powers of the region which shall
be obliged to create a state provided a plebiscite is conducted, following a request by an agreed percentage of the residents of the ethnic nationality within a state. The procedure for conducting a plebiscite and the percentage of any ethnic nationality shall be out in the regional constitution.
The power to create local governments and assign functions to them shall be vested in
the states”.
It further stated that “States shall be entitled to manage all resources found within their boundaries and the revenue accruing there from. The issue of the entitlement of littoral states to offshore
resources and the extension of such rights from the continental shelf and rights accruing
to the Federal Government shall be determined by the National Assembly.
“The sharing ration of all revenues raised by means of taxation shall be 50 percent to the states,
35 percent to the regional government and 15 percent to the government of the federation.
For a period of 10 years from the commencement of the operation of the new constitution (or such other agreed period to be enshrined in the federal constitution) there shall be a special fund for the development of all minerals in the country. The Government of the federation shall raise this sum by way of additional taxation on resources at a rate to be agreed by the National Assembly.
“The National Assembly shall set up a body to manage the funds with equal representation of nominees from each of the Regional governments
and shall also set out and specify the guidelines for the administration of the funds exclusively for this purpose.”
Also among decisions taken at the event was that the president of the Federation shall appoint a chairperson for the entity so formed.
It however, posited that the agreed positions of the Yoruba shall form the basis of negotiations with our partners in the Nigerian project for a United Nigeria based on Justice, peace and fair play.
The occasion was convened by Kunle Olajide, a medical doctor and chaired by Afe Babalola (SAN).
Others are Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi II; former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko; former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Olu Falae, the governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; Afenifere leader, Reuben Fasoranti;Ayo Adebanjo, President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,John Nwodo; former Director General of the Department of State Services, Albert Horsfall; Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Sen Babafemi Ojudu; former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode; former deputy governor of Lagos State, Sen. Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and former deputy governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Kaka.
Others were the founder of the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, Frederick Fasehun; National Coordinator of OPC, Gani Adams; chairman of Yoruba Council of Elders, Idowu Sofola; Senator Iyiola Omisore; Sen Mojisola Akinfenwa; Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan; Col. Tony Nyiam (rtd); Supo Shonibare; Wale Oshun; Senator Ike Nwachukwu; Tunde Adeniran; Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Oyedokun; Oba Lekan Balogun, Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland; Oba Latifu Adebimpe, Ashipa Balogun of Ibadanland; Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, retired archbishop of Methodist Church Nigeria; Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi who was represented by Bashorun of Oyo, Yusuf Ayoola; Babatunde Oduyoye, AD chieftain and Yemi Farunmbi, Remi Sonaiya, Jelili Adesiyan, a former police affairs minister.
Speaking earlier, Olajide said the gathering was to chart the way forward for the Yoruba nation.
However, Babalola who chaired the occasion said it was time for a people-oriented constitution
On his part, Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, urged Yoruba leaders to guard against enemies within their ranks that are out to rubbish their efforts at calling for restructuring of the country.
Fayose said: “Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, Chief Adekunle Ajasin and others have done their best and played their part. But what we have now is that some elders are our biggest problem. This kind of a programme that many eminent people have contributed so much to put in place, they will soon go on radio and television to say there is no need for restructuring.
“To me there is no alternative to restructuring. We must face the reality. I align myself with the call for going back to our previous regional arrangement and structure. If we call for that and they say there is no way, then let them give us our own republic.
“We are not asking anybody to leave neither are we saying we want to leave, but enough of playing a second fiddle in our own land. Our forefathers bequeathed this land to us and we have a right to live as true sons and daughters of this country.”
Speaking on behalf of the southeast, the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nwodo said his present at the event was to emphasise Igbos’ solidarity in support of Yoruba stand on restructuring.
Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan
