The judicial commission of inquiry on public properties and assets established by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State to probe the previous administration led by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has scheduled its inaugural session for today.

The commission’s secretary, Salisu Mustapha, said this in a letter addressed to the director-general media and publicity, Kano State Government House on Saturday.

The session will take place at High Court No. 3 within the Audu Bako Secretariat by 10am prompt.
Earlier this month, Governor Yusuf inaugurated two judicial commissions of inquiry (JCI) to investigate instances of misappropriation of public properties and assets, political violence, and missing persons between 2015 and 2023.

During the inauguration of the JCI members, Governor Yusuf pledged to hold accountable anyone found culpable, emphasizing his commitment to uncovering and prosecuting those responsible for political violence in the state before and during previous elections.

The governor urged the commission to thoroughly investigate cases of misappropriated public properties and assets during the tenure of immediate past administration.

He instructed the commission members to uphold their integrity, remain true to their oath, and serve the people of Kano State by ensuring justice is served.

Governor Yusuf clarified that the initiative was not politically motivated or directed at any individual but rather a response to the mandate of the people of Kano State.

Justices of the State High Courts, Farouq Adamu and Zuwaira Yusuf along with other eminent personalities were selected and appointed as chairmen and members of the two commissions of inquiry respectively.

Nigeria’s listed banking stocks’ value declined by N2.069 trillion in 16 trading days following the announcement of the recapitalisation exercise by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

This is as the April 30, 2024 deadline that the CBN gave banks in the country to submit their recapitalisation plans and strategies expires tomorrow.

The sector on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) has witnessed massive sell-off since the beginning of April, thereby triggering a huge loss of N2.069 trillion. The banking stocks comprise Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Fidelity Bank, Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), Jaiz Bank, Sterling Financial Holdings Company, Unity Bank, Wema Bank, FCMB Group, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Zenith Bank, Access Holdings and FBN Holdings (FBNH).

Recall that on March 28, 2024, CBN had revised the minimum capital requirements for banks and, according to data compiled by LEADERSHIP, the overall total market value of the banking stocks dropped by N2.069 trillion to N6.013 trillion as of April 26, 2024 from N8.082 trillion on March 28, 2024.

Also, the NGX Banking Index within the period under review recorded a decline of 25.75 per cent from 1,029.63 points on March 28, 2024 to 764.50 points when it closed trading on April 26, 2024.
Of the 13 banking stocks between March 28, 2024 and April 26, 2024, only ETI recorded a gain of 16.12 per cent. On the other hand, FBNH recorded the biggest loss of 42.76 per cent, while GTCO followed with a decline of 32.38 per cent.

Access Holdings was down by 32.24 per cent, Sterling Financial Holdings Company (-29.26 per cent), Zenith Bank (-26.74 per cent), Wema Bank (-26.47 per cent), FCMB Group (-19.41 per cent), Unity Bank (-18.36 per cent), UBA (-17.86 per cent), Jaiz Bank (-15.83 per cent), Stanbic IBTC Holdings (-11.61 per cent) and Fidelity Bank (-6.00 per cent).

Speaking to LEADERSHIP on the current banking stock performances, the managing director of HighCap Securities Limited, David Adonri said “after the announcement by the CBN directing banks to recapitalise, the market started declining, but we cannot see for sure that, that policy is behind the decline in the prices of banks’ stock since that announcement was made.

“I think the major factor should be the second announcement that restrained banks from paying out good dividends in line with their extraordinary income within the financial year.”
Another reason he associated with the situation was the contractionary monetary policy of the Central

Bank wherein the interest rate had been hiked heavily in the last MPC meeting. So, this has caused a migration of financial assets away from equities to debt, he stressed.

Adonri explained that the recapitalisation structure, as directed by CBN, is predicated on the flow of fresh capital to the banks.

“The banks will have to raise fresh capital from all the sources where they can raise. But we are presuming that a lot of them will have to leave the capital market. They will come to the primary market to raise fresh capital. Judging by historical antecedents, that is likely to cause some price movement in the banking sector before the banks hit the market to float their public offerings,” he said.

On mergers and acquisitions, he said “there is no need because banks are segregated into different segments. Some are regional banks, some are national Banks, and some are international banks. So, any bank that is unable to meet the minimum requirement for a segment will drop down to the lower segment instead of going to a forced merger or offering itself for acquisition.

“But banks have been given about two years to raise fresh capital. What will happen is that there will be a timetable in the capital market that will make them come one after the other so that the market will not be fatigued if all of them are to swamp the market at a fair swoop. I believe that the SEC will come up with a timetable that will give space for each of the listed banks to come to the market via a public offering so that the success rate will be very high.”

The head of Investment Management at STL Asset Management Limited, Oluwaseun Magreola said this bearish sentiment was beyond banking stocks.

Magreola said “since the MPR was jerked up by 400 basis points by the CBN governor in February, the whole equity market has been at risk of a negative turnout. Over the years, there’s been a strong inverse correlation between the fixed income market and the equities market.

Magreola asserted that the reaction to the high yields in the fixed income market was ‘quite slow’, noting that most investors were waiting to earn their dividends.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has described as very unfortunate the fire incident caused by a tanker conveying premium motor spirit otherwise known as petrol which burnt motorists and commuters beyond recognition and destroyed several vehicles on Friday night.

The incident occurred between the Indorama Petro-Chemical Company Gate and the Aleto Bridge on the popular and ever busy Eleme section of the East-West Road now undergoing major reconstruction by the Federal Government.

The governor expressed sadness at the gory sights that he saw when he visited the scene of the incident, accompanied by the State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the State Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Uchechukwu Nwafor, on Saturday morning.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, and sent to newsmen.

The governor also spoke about the tanker inferno that had become a sad episode in the State with over 120 vehicles razed and about five lives lost, describing it as “great tragedy”.

“It is a very sad day in our dear State. Something happened in Eleme, along the route of Indorama Petrochemical and Fertiliser Company Limited. A tanker had an issue with a tipper, and there was an unfortunate situation that caused the State a very devastating loss.

“I went there this morning to see for myself what happened, and I can tell you, I’ve not been happy since then. With all the dramas in our State, it is not even proper for us to add that to it. 

“But it wasn’t our fault. It was just what impatience caused. The tanker driver, knowing the state of that road, was not patient, and it resulted in that colossal loss. Over 120 vehicles were completely burnt, and five lives were lost. It was very unfortunate.”

Governor Fubara spoke at the country home of Sir Celestine Omehia in Ubima community, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Saturday.

Earlier, Fubara explained that he got a call from the Managing Director of Indorama Petrochemical and Fertilizer Company Limited in Eleme Local Government Area, informing him of the incident.

At the news of the incident, the governor said he immediately routed a call to the security agencies and instructed that they visit the scene to take charge of the security of the area to avoid escalation of the situation.

Governor Fubara stated, “We are here to see for ourselves and get first-hand information of the incident of what happened yesterday night.

“About 7.30 – 8pm, we got information of the gravity of the incident. I was told that it was caused by a tanker vehicle that was conveying Premium Motor Spirit.

“In fact, I got the information through the MD of Indorama, and I immediately alerted the security agencies to make sure they take control of the security situation in the area.

“And from what we are seeing this morning, it was not a pleasant case. We recorded a huge number of vehicles destroyed and lives lost.”

The governor explained that he had already requested the relevant government agencies to provide him a detailed account of their findings to enable the State Government to take appropriate decisions and actions to significantly remedy the situation and reduce the negative effects on the affected people.

“I have already asked the relevant agencies to give us a full brief so that we can come into the situation fully by seeing to how much we can support the families that are bereaved, and also cushion the effect of the losses, which I believe, is no fault of a good number of them.

“We all know the situation of this road. It is really unfortunate. Most of our people, when plying this road, should ply it with caution.

“I believe very strongly that this situation would have been avoidable, if the motorists had behaved properly. But it is late already. The damage has happened. This is the situation we have found ourselves in. We will see how we can control the aftermath,” he added.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement said four bodies, including that of a pregnant woman were seen at the scene of the inferno.

The statement read, “At approximately 8:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26, 2024, the Rivers State Police Command received a distress call regarding a fire incident along East-West Road near Indorama Gate, Eleme, caused by a tanker explosion. Immediate action was taken by contacting the fire department and mobilizing operatives to the scene.

“Upon arrival, a joint operation of the Police and Firefighters successfully extinguished the fire by 10:30pm. However, over 70 cars were engulfed, and several individuals were trapped. Efforts led to the rescue of many, though the total casualties are yet to be determined.

“Regrettably, four individuals, including a pregnant woman, have been confirmed dead, and those injured are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.”

When contacted, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Rivers State Command, Christopher Kuje. Corroborated the casualty figure by the police, saying the charred remains were bagged and taken to the Military Hospital in Port Harcourt.

Kuje added, “We counted four bodies that were burnt beyond recognition. So, we use body bags to carry them to the Military Hospital. The vehicles we counted that got burnt were 60.”

An eyewitness who gave his name as Precious, said, “Some people were running when the fire caught them and they died,” he explained, even as he blamed the tragedy on the reconstruction of the road which, according to him, had worsened the gridlock.

“Yes, they are working the road, which is good, but they should also create access. Not the way they are doing it. One they should be fast about it and secondly the contractor should know that vehicles are using the road. Otherwise, this would not have happened. It is unfortunate,” he added.

A Federal High Court in Kano State on Saturday restrained the acclaimed executive members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of Ganduje Ward from suspending the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.

The court, presided by Justice A. M Liman ordered the restraint pending the hearing and determination of a suit filed by Ganduje for enforcement of his fundamental rights. 

Respondents in the suit include Basiru Nuhu Isah, the Nigeria Police Force, the Commissioner of Police in Kano, Inspector General of Police and the Department of State Service (DSS). 

A faction of the APC in Ganduje ward, Dawakin Tofa local government area had announced the suspension of Ganduje, citing allegations of corruption and bribery during his eight-year tenure as Governor.

Ganduje approached the court through his counsel, Hadiza Ahmed, seeking the enforcement of his fundamental rights to fair hearing and freedom of association.

The lawyer buttressed his submission pursuant to the Enforcement and Procedure Rules, 2009, as subsumed under Section 46 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.

Justice Liman gave the order after hearing of an ex parte application moved by the lawyer.

The judge also directed all the parties in the suit to maintain status quo before the purported emergency meeting of the said executive members of APC Ganduje Ward, and to stay all action in respect of the matter, pending the hearing and determination of motion on notice. 

Justice Liman said: “All the respondents, their servants, agents or privies are hereby restrained from implementing and or given effect to the purported decision reached during the purported Emergency Meeting of the alleged Executive Members of APC Ganduje Ward, on the 20 April, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application for the enforcement of fundamental rights of the Applicant.”

A foundation member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Osita Okechukwu has stated that leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, should blame themselves for the party’s woes.

He spoke while responding to former Senate President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara.

The PDP BoT Chairman had vowed that any attempt by the ruling APC to turn Nigeria into a one-party state would be vigorously resisted. 

Wabara’s statement is coming as a former Governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Chuka Odom, and myriads of others resigned their membership of the PDP.

However, Okechukwu, in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, stated that the blame game dished out to the APC by “Senator Wabara and Co who dug the grave of the PDP is misplaced in all materials particular”.

He maintained that “as long as the nemesis of Wabara and Co’s deliberate crass breach of presidential rotation convention between north and south, albeit PDP’s Constitution; Obi’s Labour Party, Kwankwaso’s NNPP and Wike’s Masquerade are alive and breathing, with open arms admitting defector-exits from PDP, there is no valid fear of one party state in Nigeria.”

Okechukwu maintained that the blame game from the BoT Chairman is no solution provider, “therefore PDP should earnestly introspect on how best to pick the pieces of the party that is dangerously sinking.”

He said that “instead of careful introspection of its bleeding ailments and how to fix Obi and Kwankwaso’s exit and its troubled Wike’s Masquerade, plus imbibing the best tenets of internal democracy devoid of breach of the zoning convention, extant laws, planlessness and squandermania, the PDP most times arrogantly hauled unnecessary blame game on the APC.

“My understanding from our elder statesman’s vituperation is that PDP may not even recover in August after the ward, LGA, and State congresses and national convention, when they failed ab initio to embark on careful introspection to examine the root causes of Obi and Kwankwaso’s exit, especially Wike’s Masquerade which led a party that boasted of 60 years uninterrupted reign to woeful failure in 2023 presidential election.

“Truly PDP needs soul searching to make amends, rather than sweeping its troubled faction under the carpet.”

POOR turnout, non-arrival, late arrival of electoral officers and materials marred the conduct of the local government elections in Oyo State on Saturday. 

In particular, the tale of poor turnout and late arrival of electoral officers was similar across many voting units.

Across many polling units, electoral officers did not arrive before 9 a.m.

When Sunday Tribune arrived at some polling units, between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., electoral officers were largely idle as voters barely showed up for the exercise.

In Ward 12, Unit 16, Ibadan South East Local Government Area, 17 voters out of 613 registered showed up; at Unit 35, Ward 12 of the same local government, 23 out of 520 eligible voters showed up.

At Open Space, Ward 12, Unit 5 of Ibadan South East, 31 out of 355 registered voters had come as of 1.35 p.m., while at Unit 14, Ward 9, 12 out of 358 voters turned up. 

In Ibadan South West Local Government Area, at Unit 14, Ward 9, 12 out of 358 voters came out to cast their ballots; at Unit 29, Ward 9, 35 out of a total of 846 voters showed up to exercise their franchise. 

In the same vein, voters who had turned up at some voting units waited in vain as electoral officers failed to show up.

In Ibadan South East Local Government Area, voters registered in Unit 14 and 15 in Ward 12 as well as in Unit 15 in Ward 9 waited in vain for electoral officials who failed to arrive.

The story was the same in Unit 47, Ward 9 in Ibadan South West Local Government Area; as well as in some units across the 11 wards in Saki area of the state, where voters waited long hours for electoral officials to arrive.

Meanwhile, security agents were visible at most of the polling units visited by the Sunday Tribune, while party agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were the only ones present at most polling units.

The agent of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was seen only at one unit out of the units visited.

The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) on Saturday night stated that announcement of results would commence on Sunday at 9 a.m.

APC alleges irregularities

In its assessment of the conduct of the poll, the APC has called for cancellation of the exercise after it described the poll as a sham that is capable of bringing the state to disrepute.

The party called on the OYSIEC to cancel the exercise and reschedule it for another day when it is ready to conduct a free, fair and credible poll.

The APC alleged that cases of non-availability of election officials, disenfranchisement of eligible voters, shortage of voting materials, violence and threat to life marred the poll, adding that the electoral commission appeared helpless to rescue the situation even as voters waited endlessly in most of the affected places.

In a statement issued on Saturday by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC disclosed that it would still reject the outcome of the poll even if the electoral commission declares all APC candidates as winners because the poll falls below the minimum global standard of election conduct.

“The best thing is for the commission to suspend the exercise and choose another date for a proper conduct rather than continue to connive with a few anti-democratic elements in the ruling PDP to perpetrate electoral fraud and desecration of democracy in the land,” APC said.

“In the 10 local government councils of Oke-Ogun, the official result sheets known as Form EC8A were withheld by OYSIEC’s electoral officers while political thugs were unleashed on some members of the opposition who asked questions in places like Kajola, Olorunsogo, Itesiwaju, Ibarapa East, Lagelu, Ido, Oyo East, Atiba, Oluyole among others. The chairman of our party in Ibarapa East, Mr Segun Ojediran, was violently attacked by the PDP thugs in Eruwa and he is now receiving treatment in a private hospital.

Meanwhile, Chairman, Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, (OYSIEC), Isiaka Olagunju, has expressed satisfaction with how the local government election is being conducted in the state.

This is as he said complaints about late arrival of election materials at some polling units had been addressed.

Olagunju gave this assessment at the commission’s headquarters, Agodi, Ibadan, after monitoring the exercise in parts of the state.

Olagunju said: “I am very glad everywhere is calm and there is no violence. We have addressed all concerns about late arrival of election materials at some polling stations.”

Also speaking on the monitoring exercise, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr Adebola Hamzat, said the collaborative efforts of security agencies is evidenced by the peaceful election.

He said skirmishes in some parts of the state were being addressed.

“We have deployed enough security personnel, our people would see them everywhere. There is no cause for alarm, so far so good.”

In a related development, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has commended citizens of the state for turning out to vote during the Saturday election.

The governor also rated the conduct of the election high, stating that the poll compared favourably with elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The governor made these statements after casting his vote at Unit 1, Ward 011, Abayomi Open Space, Iwo Road, Ibadan North East LGA of Oyo State.

While addressing journalists after exercising his franchise, Governor Makinde said: “For us in Oyo State, it is almost like a given that democracy at the grassroots is what we practise. This is almost our fifth year in office and we are holding local government election for the second time. 

“Before we came in, it had always been caretaker administration at the grassroots without the people having a say in who should govern them.

“You can see around also that the people are going about, performing the exercise peacefully and the traffic restriction is being obeyed by the people. So, I will commend our people for coming out to take democracy seriously at that level.”

The governor, who noted that the security report about the election had been excellent, said those who observed any untoward development should report the same to the security agencies.

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, has commenced the restructuring of the anti-graft agency.

Olukoyede appointed Mr. Michael Nzekwe as his Chief of Staff.

He also appointed zonal directors for each of the 14 zonal commands of the commission. 

A statement on the EFCC’s website said Nzekwe is a top-notch investigator, lawyer and former commander of its Ilorin Zonal Command and is a course-one officer of the commission.

The statement reads: “He has served in various departments in the Commission, including Legal and Prosecution Department, Department of Operations (now Department of Investigations), Department of Internal Affairs (now Department of Ethics and Integrity), Servicom, and Asset Forfeiture Department.

“A seasoned administrator, he has attended several trainings and courses home and abroad, including the Advance Defence Intelligence Officers Course organised by the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA. The appointment takes immediate effect and he has assumed duties.

“Olukoyede, in his restructuring and repositioning of the EFCC, equally upgraded all the Zonal Commands of the Commission to the status of Departments, with each of them headed by a Director. To this effect, 14 new directors have been appointed to head each of the Zonal Commands. Additionally, to bolster and fortify the security architecture of the Commission, the Security Unit of the EFCC has been upgraded to a department with a seasoned officer appointed as Director, Security and Chief Security Officer.

“A new department has also been created in the Executive Chairman’s office and it is headed by former Makurdi Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Mr. Friday Ebelo, who also doubles as Director and Coordinator, Special Duties, at the corporate headquarters of the Commission. The former Department of Internal Affairs has been renamed Department of Ethics and Integrity and minor reshuffling effected in some departments at the headquarters.

“An important component of the restructuring is the creation of a new department to drive the preventive mandate of the EFCC. Olukoyede, in an unprecedented move, created the Fraud Risk Assessment and Control Department to handle this all-important work of the Commission. The department has commenced operations and its impact will be felt more across the country in a short while.

“Olukoyede says that the ongoing restructuring is meant for the repositioning and strengthening of the EFCC to deliver on its assigned mandate optimally.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria has said it is all out to tackle rising inflation in Nigeria.

The acting director of the Banking Supervision Department of CBN, Dr Adetona Adedeji, disclosed this on Friday on the bank’s second episode of the talk podcast on its YouTube page.

He affirmed the bank’s decision to prioritise combating inflation over tackling rising unemployment rates.

During his talk, Adedeji emphasised that the Central Bank’s primary goal is to curb inflation, acknowledging the potential for impacts in other areas.

“The ultimate objective is for us to combat inflation. That is what the central bank is doing today. Whatever it takes to fight inflation, we are going to do that. It may have some impact in some areas.

“We can’t fight two things at the same time. There will be trade-offs. If you are fighting inflation, you can’t fight unemployment simultaneously. Even if you fight unemployment, it cannot reach the desired level. So, you have to choose either to fight inflation or unemployment. These two are macroeconomic objectives that are very critical to the development of the economy.

“But we are saying if we are talking of economic growth, it is because the economy is still relevant and available, which is why you are talking of economic growth. But if you look at an economy hit by inflation, you will not even talk of economic growth.

“So, it is essential that we concentrate and fight inflation. By bringing inflation down, we start talking of economic growth,” he said.

Meanwhile, despite the CBN consistently raising interest rates, which stood at 24.75 per cent in March, the country’s inflation increased to 33.20 per cent in the same month.

Predictably, there is disquiet in the South-West after the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, led by Prof Banji Akintoye and Chief Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho, sent an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, seeking a peaceful breakaway of Yoruba people from Nigeria. 

The letter came on the heels of the failed attempt by some armed agitators to seize Oyo State Government House and the state House of Assembly in Ibadan. 

29 of the agitators have been taken before a magistrate’s court in Ibadan which ordered that they should be remanded in prison custody.

Akintoye and Igboho dissociated themselves from the violent action.

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organization, Afenifere, immediately responded to the call, last week, describing it as undesirable, self-serving and unnecessary “at the moment at least”.

The National President of Soludero Hunters’ Association, Oba Ajijola Akintola Anabi, toed the path of the Afenifere when he took exception to the call for the exit of Yoruba from Nigeria.

A former governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr Tunji Light-Ariyomo, on his part, said it was doubtful that Akintoye and Sunday Igboho would take that route at this time.

But an octogenarian, Pa Dele Aladekomo, Mr Adeola Fehintola, an Oyo State-based legal practitioner, and the Convener, Yoruba Commitment Forum, Otunba Tayo Onayemi, lauded the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement letter to the president.

In the open letter, dated April 17, 2024, and signed by Akintoye, Igboho and one Ola Ademola, the group said, “We have the honour to send to Your Excellency this important letter on behalf of the many millions of Yoruba people at home in Yorubaland in Nigeria and in the Yoruba Diaspora in almost all countries across the world.

“We send this letter as a follow-up to our earlier letter, dated August 06, 2022, which we delivered to your predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari, in his exalted position then as President of Nigeria.

“Since 2015, the Fulani have been killing widely among the other peoples of Nigeria, including us Yoruba, destroying farms, villages and other assets, kidnapping men, women and children, extorting large amounts of money as ransom from friends and family of the kidnapped, and repeatedly asserting their intention to seize the homelands of all the indigenous peoples of Nigeria to turn all into a Fulani homeland.”

It said in the Middle Belt, horrendous blood-letting was going on with many families forced into Internally Displaced People Camps while many of their villages were seized by the Fulani and renamed as Fulani villages.

“In our Yoruba homeland, our people are resisting somewhat better, but the Fulani attacks and killings and kidnappings are unrelenting and are coming daily, leading to horrific instability, and forcing most of our farmers to abandon farming altogether, thereby dooming Yoruba people to years and years of famine”, the group said.

It further alleged that an unofficial estimate showed that Fulani had killed as many as 29,000 Yoruba people since 2015 till date, adding that the aforementioned reasons were enough for them to seek breakaway from Nigeria. “All these actions by the Fulani are, to us Yoruba, a sufficient reason for our seeking to separate our Yoruba Nation from Nigeria. Most of us, Yoruba have no confidence in the ‘restructuring’ that some of our most respected Yoruba leaders (such as our fathers in our highly exalted Afenifere) are advocating. 

“And our reason is that we know that restructuring cannot keep the Fulani marauders away from our homeland. Since, after restructuring, the Fulani would still be Nigerians like us, and would still have full citizens’ rights to come in large numbers, and with weapons and intent to kill and destroy and seize land, to our homeland.

“The Fulani elite seem to be saying in effect that they intend to make Nigeria ungovernable for President Tinubu, and that they would never accept any official action of his.

“We are acting for and on behalf of our 60 million Yoruba people of the Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo State, respectively, plus the Yoruba Local Government Areas of Kogi and Kwara State, and the Itshekiri homeland of Delta State, all together constituting the Yorubaland in Nigeria, hereby most humbly place our crowning request before Your Excellency as follows:

“That the Nigerian Federal Government shall, within the next two months, but not later than June 15, 2024, inform us Yoruba Self-determination Movement that the Nigerian Federal Government has graciously agreed to our proposal for negotiation and that they have set up a negotiation team that will meet and have a dialogue with our Yoruba Nation’s negotiation team.

“That the Nigerian Federal Government shall invite the United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, to send observers to the negotiation meetings.”

It, therefore, promised to forward the list of its negotiation team to the government as soon as it received a message in response to its request for the negotiation.

Perceived marginalization

Afenifere faulted the group’s position on many grounds.

First was the reason adduced for the request to exit Nigeria which was based on the perceived marginalization that the Yoruba are suffering in Nigeria.

It maintained that the problems bedevilling Yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole “are not merely because multi-ethnic groups make up the country”.

Rather, Afenifere, according to the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, the country’s multifarious problems can be traced to a lack of good governance. 

The group went on, “There is no doubt that the lot of Yoruba can be better than it presently is. But whatever deprivation Yoruba may be experiencing today in the Nigerian nation is not due mainly to the fact that they are Yoruba.

“The deprivations they are suffering could be traced to the general misgovernance that corporate Nigeria had been subjected to over the years if not decades.

“Meaning that marginalization, deprivation, injustice, misgovernance etc that Yoruba may be experiencing today is, if truth is to be told, not peculiar to Yoruba alone.

“We are not, by this submission, claiming that Yoruba are getting the best or should not be better served.

“Far from it. What we are saying is that it would be unfair to use the excuse of the deprivations in the land as an alibi to want to leave Nigeria. “What we should clamour for is good governance that will enable every segment of the society to have a better lease of life”.

Doubtful call

Tunji Light-Ariyomo, a former APC governorship aspirant, told Sunday Vanguard at the weekend, “l was under the impression that it was a woman, Mrs. Onitiri-Abiola, that made the call in a widely circulated video.

“Many reliable news channels also featured stories about some Yoruba Nation agitators, purportedly acting under her instructions, storming Agodi Secretariat in Ibadan with dane guns, pump action rifles and charms to declare the Republic of Oduduwa.

“It is doubtful that Prof. Banji Akintoye and Chief Sunday Igboho would take that route at this time. If indeed they have, it would be most unfortunate.

“This is because the issues at stake are all-encompassing and every Yoruba person, from Ijumu in Kogi State and parts of Niger State to the creeks of Ilaje and even Itshekiri, to Idiroko in Ogun State and the lands of the Egun people in Badagry, is a bonafide equal stakeholder.

“If they intend to opt out of Nigeria, the majority of those people will express their concurrence. But I am very sure that most Yoruba only came across this news just like that.

“More importantly, the majority of the Yoruba believe in the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the current President of Nigeria.

“They believe in the leadership of the elder statesman, Pa. Reuben Fasoranti, the current de facto head of the Yoruba race as leader of Afenifere.

“I don’t think any of these two leaders are in support of the quest to exit Nigeria. This is also applicable to our traditional rulers. Is the Oonirisa in support? The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, is he in support? The Alake of Egbaland or the Deji of Akure Kingdom, are they in support?

“I concur that this is not the Nigeria of our dreams.

“I concede that our country has foundational structural flaws that continue to hamper growth and development.

“Amos 3:3, a prominent verse in the holy book, says ‘Can two walk together except they agree?’

“Hence, I agree that Nigeria needs to fix its fundamental problems, agree to a template for equitable and egalitarian coexistence among its ethnic nationalities and tribes, and embrace a model of governance that does not condone wastages and profligacy or impose the will of one ethnic group upon others. We can look at models of governance in other countries – nations with more than one primary ethnicity like the United Kingdom etc.

“The UK is officially four countries with each having its relative autonomy. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland even attend international sporting events in their names!

“The consensus forged in support of appalling evil today in Nigeria derives its strength from identity politics.
“If an Ijaw woman steals billions of Naira, you could suddenly see many Izons rallying in her support.

“If an Igbo man steals billions, you could easily see many Igbo youths rallying in his support. Ditto the Yoruba, the Hausa etc. “Ethnicity is a powerful sentiment, just like religion. If we however evolve a model of governance that ring-fences ethnicity, it would no longer be an issue. It would then stop being a weapon that could be conjured at will by looters of our common patrimony.

“So, my counsel is that we work with other regions across Nigeria to evolve a model for the country of our dreams”.

‘Drop the issue for now’

Also speaking on the letter, the National President of the Soludero Hunters’ Association, Anabi, said he took exception to the call for the exit of Yoruba from Nigeria.

He said, “I will implore Prof Akintoye to please drop the issue for now because the current president is a Yoruba man and the best thing for us is to support him to make the country surmount its numerous challenges.

“But I will call on all our leaders to look into the complaints of Professor Akintoye and Sunday Adeyemo and tackle them because no one is blind to the evil that Fulani herders continue to perpetrate.

“President Tinubu should please help us to empower local security men like hunters so that we comb all forests and flush out all criminal elements that make it difficult for our people to farm. 

“We should drop this call for our good so that it doesn’t lead to another bloodshed because it’s not all that easy to exit a nation without violence”.

Meanwhile, Fehintola, an Oyo State-based legal practitioner, on his part, noted that
Akintoye deserves attention.

“First, we have to consider his antecedents as an academic and a veteran politician with rich ideological clout”, he said.

The Nigerian government has said the N50,000 Conditional Grant Scheme to Nigerians is ongoing as 150,000 of one million targeted citizens have received disbursement.

The Minister of Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this in a recent statement through her official X handle.

“Grant disbursements are ongoing; 150,000 of the 1 million targeted payments have been issued as of this week.

“If you’re verified and awaiting funds, we appreciate your patience. For full transparency, a list of all beneficiaries will be released upon completion,” she said.

The grant disbursement, which commenced last week, is part of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s effort to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal.

The Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme announced a portal for registering interested beneficiaries in December last year.