Yorubas in Kwara Advocate Return to South West Geopolitical Zone

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A socio cultural group, Yorubas in Kwara State (YKS), under the aegis of Apapo Yoruba Kwara, has canvassed for the return of the Yorubas people in the state to South-west geopolitical zone of the country.

The group said that such move would go a long way to abide with the negotiated and agreed to by their founding fathers in the 2014 National Conference.

Speaking at a press conference in Ilorin yesterday, the Spokesman of the YKS, group, Mr. Samuel Adewoye, said that the immediate implementation of recommendations of the 2014 National Conference is sacrosanct, “as the 1999 Constitution (as amended) does not adequately guarantee and take care of the interest of all the ethnic nationalities.”

Adewoye, whose speech was read by Mr. Jayeola Omotoso, said that “there is no doubt that Nigeria is on the brink and in order to save it from total collapse, it is hereby strongly recommended that the federal government should urgently implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference by returning Nigeria to true federalism as negotiated and agreed to by our ounding fathers.

“The recommendations also included boundary adjustment, which would return Kwara State to the South-west geo-political zone.

“In respect of Kwara State Government, we emphasise the imperative of “restoring the dignity, honour and paraphernalia of Yoruba traditional institutions in the so-called Ilorin Emirate i.e. Asa, Moro, Ilorin West, Ilorin East and Ilorin South by grading and upgrading them like their counterparts in the other local governments of the state.

“Implementing without further delay the two subsisting court judgments already won by the good people of Moro, which were excluded them from the Ilorin Emirate.

“Putting machinery in motion for the immediate creation of local council development areas with particular reference to Ifelodun, Asa and Moro Local Government Areas, which constitute some of the largest local councils in the federation etc.”  

The socio-cultural organisation also lamented the plethora of challenges of insecurity in the country via the activities of Boko Haram, bandits, terrorists, and herdsmen, saying that the situation had all combined to threaten the federal government out of its wits.

“The rapidity and frequency of these odious crimes have turned the country into an unsafe haven. The high sense of insecurity across the federation combined with the unwillingness of the power-that-be to restructure the country provide a fertile ground for the agitation for self-determination in the form of Yoruba Nation, Biafra Republic, Middle Belt Republic, South-South Republic etc.”