NewStats: 3,263,955 , 8,182,082 topics. Date: Monday, 09 June 2025 at 03:33 AM 3wpv

The Yoruba Referendum Committee congratulates Oba Olu Falae on his recent appointment as the chairman of the National Executive Committee of Afenifere. His selection offers a timely opportunity to reposition the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization. We also welcome Afenifere’s reaffirmation that Restructuring remains the most potent means of addressing Nigeria’s deepening crises.
However, we are struck by Afenifere’s call “on the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to set the machinery in motion to restructure the country as a matter of urgency."
This approach mimics a failed experience, a repetition of a modus operandi that has, since 1999, sustained Nigeria’s centralized and militarized governance structure.

We urge Afenifere and the Yoruba public to reflect on the following:

(i) Afenifere has championed Restructuring since its rebirth in 1994 during the “June 12” crisis. It played a leading role in the anti-military struggle and took part in various Constitutional and National Conferences, midwifed by the various central istrations. It also took part in the National Assembly's serial reviews of the Constitution since 1999. All of these simply waved flags at the problem, yielding little beyond symbolic gestures. Repeating them under current conditions is a strategic misstep.

(ii) It is possible that Afenifere sees in the President certain characteristics which may make his istration take a different path from preceding istrations but we also want Afenifere to recognize that Restructuring or Re-Federalization is a matter of self-expression, self-determination and not a gift from any istration, no matter how sympathetic it is to Restructuring.

(iii) President Tinubu may indeed mean well for the Yoruba, for Nigeria, for Africa, and for humanity as a whole; but as the adage goes: the road to hell is paved with the remains of good intentions! We want to be very clear about this: Neither the President nor the National Assembly’s Constitutional amendment process can deliver the degree of autonomy the Nationalities of Nigeria seek. Goodwill is no substitute for structural change.

(iv) Afenifere’s current posture recalls the pre-1999 experience, which, in its essence, saw the Yoruba participating in Abubakar's transition program without pre-conditions, despite holding considerable leverage. Indeed, a school of thought will claim that what was called a strategy was nothing short of a disorganized retreat from a position of strength. Let us not repeat that error.

(v) We further posit that the above stated shortcomings arose from a failure to fully appreciate the enormity of the obstacles attendant to the quest for Restructuring of Nigeria. Restructuring is blocked not by technical details but by deliberate resistance and diluting Ethno-National identities through presidential patronage. Essentially, these revolve around the robust determination to at best beat the Nigerian State into what may be called a “supra-national state”, a.k.a Nigeria's “unique Federalism” to be achieved partly through the creation of alternative and/or new power bases through the instrumentality of presidential patronage. This has been the practice since 1999 and can now be seen from the various policies and initiatives of the Tinubu istration, strengthening the Unitary structure through its various political, economic and security policies.

(vi) It is clear to us that if the above programmatic line emerges victorious, it can only be to the detriment of the Yoruba because it will suppress our national aspirations. Even granted that this road may not be taken or that particular scenarios may not work out as anticipated, our only safeguard lies in advancing our own alternative openly and urgently.

(vii) This means we must address the fundamental question of the Nigerian State as Legitimized by the 1999 Constitution which silences Nigeria’s Ethnic Nationalities and substitutes istrative states for Peoples as Federating units. The path forward lies in restoring Legitimacy to Nigeria’s Constituent Nationalities through Nationality Referendums, reaffirming that it is the Peoples, not the states, who are the true Federating Units.

(viii) Afenifere's expectation on the National Assembly ignores the fact that the Assembly has already declared it cannot produce a new Constitution for Nigeria as it can only amend the flawed 1999 Constitution. Even Its amendment process, requires approval of 24 State Assemblies which guarantees deadlock in a multinational, multi-ethnic society unless detrimental compromises are made. This reinforces our assertion that the National Assembly does not represent the Peoples of Nigeria, more so when the 1999 Constitution it seeks to amend does not recognize the Peoples, substituting them with states as the Federating Units.

(ix) Even if we are to contemplate a country-wide Referendum, it will only reinforce Nigeria’s unitary structure because it will subject the aspirations of one Nationality to the veto of others. This has been a formula proven to be toxic in Nigeria’s political history. Furthermore, any national referendum through the National Assembly will be shaped by electoral structures and political calculations that marginalize Nationalities. Our experience teaches us that these mechanisms cannot be trusted.

(x) Therefore, the immediate task before us is the question of “Legitimacy”; our mere recognition of Restructuring as crucial and urgent does not confer Legitimacy on it. Politicians of all stripes are now repositioning themselves in anticipation of their becoming part of the[b] supra-national State.[/b] The Yoruba must instead reassert their own demands, on their own , with the moral and legal weight of Legitimacy behind them, compelling the Nigerian state to respond accordingly. In other words, the Yoruba quest for Federalism has its own raison d’etre and must be pursued primarily on that basis. Same goes for other Nationalities.

(xi) The above shows why the Yoruba Referendum matters. It is not just a demand; it is a categorical imperative. It is a roap to a legitimate and autonomous political and economic future because (a) It legitimizes the Yoruba demand for an autonomous political order, without being circumscribed by central authorities (b) It offers a strategic alternative to pan-Nigerian political entanglements and alliances by which our politicians are forced into unnecessary alliances that dilute our interests.( c) It anchors Yoruba political direction on a firm demand, outlined in the Annexure to the Bill for a Referendum, enabling us to shape an alternative vision rooted in our values, history, and aspirations whereby we can address our present challenges by creating the necessary political and economic atmosphere.

(xii) With the above, the Yoruba Referendum Committee calls on Afenifere to (a) the Yoruba National Anthem, composed by the founders, especially its last line, to wit: “awa ni imole gbogbo adulawo”, the light for Africans.(b) publicly endorse[b] Nationality Referendums[/b], which, in our case, is the Yoruba Referendum as the pathway to Legitimize their Nationality aspirations as the precursor to a Constitutional Convention of Nationalities to arrive at a new, Federal Constitution for Nigeria (c ) become part of ongoing efforts on ground to engage our Governors and Houses of Assembly to the Bill for a Referendum into Law and conduct the Referendum. This is not merely about political reform. It is about restoring dignity, agency, and direction to Yoruba people and society. Let us lead ourselves decisively and lawfully into the next chapter. The time to act is now.
Once again, our heartfelt congratulations to Oba Oluyemisi Falae.

Editorial Board
Yoruba Referendum Committee

The current Afenifere leaders are reformists.

A president from the North is the best to restructure Nigeria

All in All

It's this them them

If Afenifere wants Nigeria restructured why are they ing president who never promised restructuring..tribalism is a plague

helinues:
The current Afenifere leaders are reformists.

A president from the North is the best to restructure Nigeria

And you didn't know for 8 years of Buhari's ?

Brendaniel:


And you didn't know for 8 years of Buhari's ?

Eni to ti shiiere. People that cant face the North else to be running into hiding. But if na igbo now,na there they get energy

Awon ashiere