Yoruba Leaders Adopt ‘Ibadan Declaration’, Demand Immediate Restructuring Of Nigeria

South West leaders, on Thursday, adopted the ‘Ibadan Declaration’ which seeks the immediate restructuring of the country.

Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN, had moved a motion for a unified ‘Yoruba Agenda on Restructuring’ at the Yoruba Summit which held at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, in Ibadan.

After hours of deliberation, the summit came to a conclusion that the Yoruba ethnic group no longer want to be governed under the 1999 constitution.

The South West leaders, in a 16-point communiqué signed by chairman of the summit, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), and read by Yinka Odumakin, demanded regional governance to enable the Yoruba people determine and pursue their collective ends.

The summit agreed that while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja maintains status quo, the rest of the country should be reconstituted into six main autonomous regional zones.

Prior to the adoption of the Ibadan Declaration, Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunma, the scion of the late Obafemi Awolowo family, said the convention was for Yoruba to “declare to the entire nation our desire to, peacefully, reclaim the constitutional provisions that made it possible for our father, the sage, Chief Ọbafẹmi Awolọwọ, to set the pace-setting record in public office that is, for us, a source of enduring pride, and which remains unparalleled in Nigeria to this day. A record that we all still yearn for and would love to see replicated, and even surpassed, by our current and future leaders.”

Awolowo-Dosunma said, “Chief Awolọwọ had this to say, ‘… a unitary constitution will not work in circumstances which warrant a federal constitution… Suitability is, therefore, the essence of a constitution. This is so for all countries of the world. It is so for Nigeria where the search for a suitable constitution has gone on for more than 20 years, and still goes on today with renewed vigour and reanimated fervour. We predict that the search will go on … unless we are realistic and objective enough to give ourselves now a constitution which is suited to the circumstances of our country and which will, therefore, endure.'”

According to Awolowo-Dosunma, Chief Awolọwọ said “…in any country where there are divergences of language and of nationality …a unitary constitution is always a source of bitterness and hostility … On the other hand, as soon as a federal constitution is introduced … any bitterness and hostility against the constitutional arrangements as such disappear.’ Remember, the book was written in 1966.

She said, “To those who always invoke the bogey of disintegration in response to legitimate calls for a truly federal constitution for Nigeria, Chief Awolọwọ said, ‘…if federalism had not disrupted the unity of those other countries which have operated this type of constitution for decades it cannot by itself impair or ruin the unity of our own country.’

“In fact, ‘Unity through Federation’ was one of the slogans proclaimed by the Action Group in 1951. So, Chief Awolọwọ was an unrepentant federalist, but he was never a separatist. Neither are we. ‘Justice is the appetiser, the main course and the dessert on the Yoruba’s political menu. He serves it daily to everyone who comes his way. He expects and demands it from every other person who interacts with him privately and publicly.’

“Our traditions of, and commitment to, the concept of ‘ọmọluabi’ as well as the principles of justice and equity are an eternal source of pride to every Yoruba man, woman and child. Chief Awolọwọ exemplified these traditions and principles throughout his illustrious life. Indeed, at the very core of his spirited struggle and today’s renewed, fervent agitation to restructure Nigeria along truly federal lines, is our innate desire for a more just and equitable structure of governance for all Nigerians.”

Awolowo-Dosunmu said, “These times, and, particularly, this campaign for political restructuring, call for unprecedented determination and steadfastness on the part of those of us who believe in the need for a truly Federal Republic of Nigeria. And, on the part of the apprehensive, the times call for a willingness to dialogue, with a view to charting the way forward together, towards a mutually rewarding future as well as a more enduring and stable polity.”

Present at the summit in show of solidarity were President of the Ohaneze Ndigo, Chief John Nwodo and leader of the South South Forum, Chief Albert Horsfall, amongst others.