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Agitation for Oodua Republic is another face of EndSARS designed to work against Senator Bola Tinubu’s bid to become president and to cripple his political party in the Southwest Nigeria before 2023.
This is the submission of the National President of Yoruba Welfare Group (YWG), Comrade Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje in an interview granted to our correspondence at Kaduna airport on his way to Lagos on Saturday.
He said the failure of the EndSars scripts eventually gave birth to Oodua Republic agitation by expired and disgruntled politicians in the Southwest.
“We are not against whatever strategies politicians may employ in their usual antics but we will never allow any individual or group to politicise the peace, love and harmony of Yoruba land,
“We aren’t aware that the EndSARS saga was a collaboration of some members of opposition parties in the Southwest that clandestinely gave support to their hired criminals and arsonists who disguised as peaceful protesters from the South. Though they failed in their EndSARS plots, they succeeded in polluting thousands of the minds of our youths against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
“They should be aware that YWG will never allow any political plot against this full-blooded man by any individual or group. Tinubu does not deserve all this political attack and YWG will maintain her stand with him in all circumstances. We hereby urged all hired youths that Yoruba land is not and it cannot be a testing ground for such political crisis called Oodua Republic, it will not work. Some of us who are full-blooded Yorubas will never allow any miscreant politicians to destroy our land.”
Alawuje insisted criminals, kidnappers and bandits must be jointly fought until they leave Yoruba land, irrespective of their ethnicity and religion, but this cannot be achieved by ethnocising the crime or by asking any particular tribe to leave the Yoruba land, saying criminals are criminals irrespective of their tribes.
He warned those he described as miscreant politicians who are ready to sacrifice national peace, unity to get their way politically to desist from their their evil ways.
Going down the memory lane, Alawuje remarked that the Yoruba Welfare Group was formed in the first tenure of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo when Chief Bola ige was killed without justice after his death.
He said if the likes of Prof. Banji Akintoye decides to drag people to war, it doesn’t behove the concerned and the peace loving Yorubas to fold their arms, maintaining that Yorubas cannot exist in isolation within the Nigerian nation.
“Why they hate Tinubu is because of his political stand by President Muhammad Buhari, I hereby call on the entire Nigerians, especially the Northerners that Tinubu is facing all undue and ochestrated criticisms because of his support for Buhari in 2015/2019, hence it’s only logical to pay him back with our votes in 2023 in order to shame the enemies of unity of this nation. This will surely promote peace, love and harmony in Nigeria than ever before.
“Almighty God is our witness Tinubu did not ask anyone of us to do what we are doing, and we cannot wait until he ask us before we do the right things.
“We are Yorubas but we stood by President Muhammad Buhari in 2015/2019 not because he is an APC or an Hausa man, it was because we felt disappointed by the previous governments and as solution providers we keep working on how to get the country liberated, and the struggle continues until success is achieved.
“As a socio-cultural group and a non-governmental organisation, YWG will always collaborate with any government towards promoting peace, unity and love. Though, our mandate is to protect the interest of the Yorubas, we are also working for the overall interest of the entire nation and not for any particular political party.
“This is why we believe more in Tinubu because, as a detribalised Nigerian, he took a very bold step to be one of the strongest links between the North and the South by collaborating with Buhari in 2015.
“No doubt, those who ate and fed from the corruption of the past and which led to the present predicament of the country will never like Tinubu and some of us will never allow their evil strategies to work”.
YWG president who noted that Nigerians have gone beyond what any individuals or group can be manipulated, pleaded with with meaning Nigerians to rally round the National Leader of the APC in order to shame the selfish political elites who are druming for war for personal interest.
He said Nigerians must not allow the beneficiaries of the previous government but who were shut out of power by the coming of Buhari to manipulate them into throwing the country into crisis.
Urgency of Peace Committee
Alawuje however urged the federal government to quickly set up a comprehensive peace committee that will address security challenges across the country.
He noted that enemies of the country are using insecurities to discredit the government and promote their hidden but evil agenda against the unity of the entire nation
Alawuje said since Yorubas are known as peace makers and solution providers, it is essential for the organisation to always speak against anyone who behaves or works against the common ethos the Yorubas are renowned for.
He said since cutting the head cannot be a solution to a cronic headache, breaking Nigeria cannot be the solution to its present crisis.