Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has reiterated his stance on the potential breakup of Nigeria, stating that if the country is unable to function as a united entity, the various ethnic groups should be allowed to go their separate ways.
Igboho made this assertion in a video shared on Thursday, filmed at a United Kingdom airport. In the video, he blamed widespread corruption and insecurity for the growing disillusionment among Nigerians, explaining that these factors have led many to lose pride in their citizenship.
“There is no security, even inside the airport. They can steal your belongings inside your bag (in Nigerian airports). All these are the things dissuading people from being proud of the country, Nigeria,” Igboho said, reflecting on the lack of safety in the country.
He went on to argue that these issues are among the reasons why many Nigerians, particularly those of the Yoruba ethnic group, are advocating for the country’s breakup. “Things like that make us sad to identify ourselves as Nigerians. This is why we advocate for separation. If Nigeria is not working as a country, it is better we go our separate ways,” he added.
In further elaboration, Igboho stated that the Yoruba youth, who have gained exposure from traveling across the world, are poised to transform the Yoruba nation into a modern and prosperous society. “Our (Yoruba) youths will transform Yoruba nation. Most of them have travelled across the world and they have learned a lot. If they come back to Yoruba land, the knowledge will help them build it and transform the nation like those in Europe,” he said.
This is not the first time Igboho has called for the secession of the Yoruba people from Nigeria. In April 2024, alongside Pro Banji Akintoye and Ola Ademola from the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, Igboho wrote a letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to set up a negotiation team to discuss the Yoruba people’s exit from Nigeria.
The letter, which was addressed to President Tinubu, read in part, “We are acting for and on behalf of our 60 million Yoruba people of the Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo States, respectively, plus the Yoruba Local Government Areas of Kogi and Kwara State, and plus the Itshekiri homeland of Delta State, all together constituting the Yorubaland in Nigeria, hereby most humbly place our crowning request before Your Excellency as follows:
“That the Nigerian Federal Government shall, within the next two months, but not later than June 15, 2024, inform us Yoruba Self-determination Movement that the Nigerian Federal Government has graciously agreed to our proposal for negotiation and that they have set up a negotiation team that will meet and have a dialogue with our Yoruba Nation’s negotiation team.
“That the Nigerian Federal Government shall invite the United Nations, African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States to send observers to the negotiation meetings.”
