The Yoruba National Unity Day event, which was supposed to take place at Obafemi Awolowo University’s (OAU) Oduduwa Hall, was abruptly cancelled, to the fury of the Yoruba National Youth organisation.
The heads of the group, Prophet Ayodele Ologunloluwa and Comrade Oyegunle Oluwamayowa Omotoyole, denounced the university’s decision, claiming that money from the Western Yoruba Government was used in its construction.
Even after being moved to a new location at Ile Ife to honour the end of the Kiriji War in 1886, a sizable throng from numerous states, including the South West, Edo, Kwara, Kogi, and Delta, attended.
Renowned historian Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye underscored the Yoruba people’s yearning for autonomy, declaring, “There is no going back on Yoruba Nation autonomy… The Yoruba people desire their own independent nation as soon as feasible.
Principal Requests and Issues:
Reversal of Event Cancellation: The group asks for the university to change its mind and seeks an explanation for the abrupt cancellation.
Yoruba Autonomy: Citing years of injury and injustice, the Yoruba people demand independence and self-determination.
Preservation of Yoruba Culture: The significance of safeguarding the Yoruba language and cultural legacy was underscored by the leaders.
Lectures on Yoruba history, ethnography, and security issues were presented at the occasion, emphasising the value of Yoruba unity and peaceful coexistence.
