The National Coordinator of the Yoruba militia group, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams, who is also a representative of the South-West at the ongoing national conference, on Thursday, expressed disappointment over the threat by the Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Aliyu Barkindo Lamido, that he will lead his people to secede to Cameroon if the controversy surrounding the modality for voting at the conference is not resolved.
The delegates are yet to agree on the voting pattern as they are divided between adopting two-thirds or three-quarter majority votes. However, most delegates agree that the Federal Government’s proposal of 75 percent votes in arriving at decisions during the conference may be a herculean task.
The development came even as Mr. Adams appealed to the entire Yoruba race to put their representatives at the conference on the watch list, advising that any Yoruba representative, who betrays his race should be politically incapacitated.
Speaking on arrival from Abuja at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, Gani Adams, who was reacting to the secession threat by the Lamido of Adamawa, cautioned that a royal father of his standing should not speak carelessly.
According to him, nobody has the right to threaten the unity of Nigeria since there are a lot of interests among the six geo-political zones in the country.
“I was highly disappointed by his statement; an eminent royal father like the Lamido of Adamawa ought not to make such a statement. He is one of the most respected emirs we have in Nigeria today. He should be the number five most recognised emir in the country. I seize this opportunity to appeal to the royal fathers, including the emir to watch their statements. Nobody should threaten the unity of Nigeria. We want Nigeria, but we should not be threatened. We, the Yoruba people want to remain in Nigeria, but we shouldn’t be threatened.
“We didn’t have oil in 1954 to 1959, but we all know what Chief Obafemi Awolowo did for this nation through the western region government. And when you study the Yoruba very carefully, 80 per cent of our development came from individuals and not government. We don’t rely on any development from government. It is the North that depends on the government. But they don’t need Nigeria more than us, we all need Nigeria because we have inter-married, done businesses together and Abuja solidifies us. There are a lot of interests among the six geo-political zones and Abuja and Lagos. It will be better for us to have one Nigeria so that our population can speak for us wherever we are.
“It is unfortunate that such a statement is coming from the emir and he is not the only one with such mindset”.
Shedding more light on the Yoruba agenda at the conference, the OPC Chieftain, who said he was ready to die for his race, alleged that there were some people from the South-West zone, who are at the conference to sabotage the Yoruba race, comparing them to a river that forgets its source.
“I’m ready to die than to betray the Yoruba cause. Some people, I believe, were brought there to sabotage the interest of the Yoruba. It is someone who is not a deep thinker that forgets his roots. For me to be a Nigerian, I must be a very good Yoruba person”, he said.
Kudos to you Chief Gani Adams. We are proud to have you as a Nigerian. May God keep uniting us in Jesus’ name.
No one is leaving nigeria but the politicians can leave with there corruption.
Kudos to you sir, may the almighty God give you long life. If we could have many more like you. I know nigeria will be better. The northern will say so, when see that we yoruba are too silent. And most of all, all nigerian wealth as been transfer to Abuja. And it will be in there favour. It a pitty the northern are the one who is try to betray. We have to think. The have plan…
Very funy indeed. PDP Apologists are all out, desperate to clung to power. “If those whose agenda to the conference is to break-up succeed in doing so, Adamawa will join Cameroun” is too far from calling for cessesion, except for those who are bent on foisting confusion on the nation, thinking that their political misfortune may inprove thereby. They have, once again, miscalculated, because the booby trap set for the oposition in the setting up of the conference may very well catch the trapper. I thought Gani is more thoughtfull than this, though PDP does not give room for its apologists to think these days.
Make dem go cameroun joo, who dey beg them sef? Is cameroun in anyway better than Nigeria? It is called freedom of speech, of expression and of choice. When they are ready to go, we shall gladly send them off with a lavish party! One Naija one love.
Chief well done.there is a God called the Almighty,who frustrates the tokens of liars and made diviners mad.He will intervenes in the affairs of Nigeria and shifts the wheat from the shaft.Corruption must die in Nigeria in Jesus name.amen.
Oodua ni mi! tokan tokan, Oodua will back you Sir. The Northerners are kind of crazy in culture,they’ll be the one to suffer most if Nigeria should divide. Let them try to trespass beyond their boundary, they’ll smell pepper. I’m proud of OPC.