Southwest elders reject Yoruba Nation

The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) is against the idea of forming a Yoruba nation separate from Nigeria. They believe that Nigeria should have a fair federal system with more power given to the regions. The YCE wants to keep Nigeria united but with a restructured government.

Part of the statement emphasized, “We have perused the document on the position of YSDM on the state of the nation and their views for the Yoruba race to be separated from Nigeria.

“The Yoruba Council of Elders remains firm in its position that the entity called and known as Nigeria should remain as one Nigeria.”

The YCE recognized that many Yoruba people feel marginalized under the current federal system, but they emphasized that most Yoruba people do not support secession. Instead, they called for a restoration of the regional autonomy that was originally intended by Nigeria’s founding leaders.

The statement further added, “Accordingly, the YCE has pooled-in all shades of thoughts which shows that the majority of the Yoruba race feel cheated by the present lop-sided arrangement of the federating powers but they are solidly against going away from the Nigerian arrangement.

“They would rather go back to the agreement of our founding fathers when the region administration was autonomous.”

The council strongly supports a restructured Nigeria, where each state has more freedom to govern itself while still cooperating under a central government.

“YCE, therefore, stands firmly on the position of the founding fathers who maintained togetherness but operated independently and contributed their quota to foster administration at the centre.

The YCE expressed a preference for a restructured Nigeria that enables states to operate independently while remaining interconnected. The group also emphasized the importance of unity and effective governance, utilizing the cultural strengths of Nigeria’s diverse regions to promote national progress and advancement.

The statement concluded, “Let it be known that the strength of the unity lies in the socio-cultural inheritance of each section of the country and these can be deployed through education and efficiency of management. Our great country must rise again and we all will be in it together.”