Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the sociocultural leader of the Yoruba group known as Afenifere, has stated that the North cannot dictate to the rest of the country who becomes the president.
On Monday, Adebanjo gave a public lecture at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs on Victoria Island in Lagos on the topic of “Nationalism and nation-building in Nigerian history.”
“It was said that the South-East must come to negotiate with the North because politics is a game of numbers,” he stated.As I previously stated, my argument is that the East should not beg for favors;They deserve it.However, each time I hear that they should spread their wings because the North has the population—which fictitious population, exactly?I won’t buy that from you.
“They tell us to work together, but because they now have a president in charge, they say that no one can become president unless they come from the North. Unfortunately, some southerners have been brainwashed into thinking that they can’t do anything unless they bow to the North. They tell us to work together.I don’t think so.
“What authority does the North have to choose our next president?”They forced us together and we agreed, so in order to continue living in peace, we must agree on terms. We were not brought together by peace or agreement.The East has the right because it is in Nigeria, not because he is Igbo.Afenifere’s tenets are based on ideology and the principles of justice, inclusion, and equality, not sentiment.
In his opening remarks, Prof. George Obiozor, President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, explained that no generation of Nigerian leaders since independence had been able to establish credibility in order to safeguard Nigeria’s claim to a political future as a single nation.
Related News Adebanjo endorsed Obi incorrectly, according to Keyamo Our thoughts are with flood victims – Presidency Fasoranti’s endorsement of Tinubu annuls Adebanjo’s choice of Obi – Afenifere chieftain He stated, “Recently, some Nigerian political leaders have said that Nigerian unity is non-negotiable.”This is ironic because it seems like these leaders have forgotten Nigerian history or haven’t learned anything from history.
“Nigeria’s unity is absolutely negotiable and must be renegotiated in order to endure or endure well into the future.Despite the best efforts of all of our leaders, past and present, over the years, Nigerian unity is not guaranteed.
“At best, it is merely an aspiration and is not yet an accomplishment.As a result, the assertion that the unity of Nigeria is “non-negotiable” is nothing more than a historical fallacy.”
Dr. Hakeem Ahmed, the Northern Elders Forum’s National Director of Publicity, added, “Some Nigerian political leaders have said Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable.”These individuals are not of the North and are not related to the NEF, though I am unaware of their identity.
The unity of Nigeria is up for grabs.Because nations are extremely fragile and delicate, you must either negotiate with them or nurture them and pay attention to their needs or they will break, and we are at that breaking point.
Prof. Jide Osuntokun, the guest lecturer, lamented that Nigeria had struggled since 1966 to find a way to balance the regional desire for autonomy within a national structure.