Rising from its first National Steering Committee meeting in the new year 2021, held yesterday, Yoruba Welfare Group called for calm in Yorubaland and enjoined people of the Southwestern part of Nigeria to continue to maintain peace, law and order.
According to the release, signed by the National President of the socio-cultural group, Ogbeni Babatunde Iyanda Oluyole, the recent unrest experienced in Ibarapaland was one of Yoruba's diplomatic ways of protesting against oppression and man's inhumanity to man.
According to Ogbeni Iyanda Oluyole, "If Yoruba people outside Yorubaland never did anything to threaten the peace of their host communities, why would other ethnic nationalities in Yorubaland derive pleasure in perpetrating crimes and criminality that are capable of threatening the atmosphere of peace and harmony that had hitherto been enjoyed by all and sundry in the entire Southwest of Nigeria".
Kidnapping, raping and other heinous crimes, being perpetrated by unscrupulous non-indegenous elements in the Southwest region, which triggered the outlaw of open and night grazing and the illegal occupation of the forest reserves by unregistered herders in Ondo State, by His Excellency, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the issuance of seven days ultimatum to Serikin Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Soliu and his people, and the execution of the order by Chief Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a. Sunday Igboho.
"The two recent incidents had made the executive Governors of the states concerned and the Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja III to seek audience with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Villa, with a view to adequately briefing the Presidency of all that transpired in their domain in the recent past and exploiting ways of forging a synergy with the Federal Government on security of lives and property in Oyo and Ondo States, in particular and the entire Southwest of Nigeria, in general, in order to ensure that normalcy returns to the affected localities and that the interrelationship among the Yoruba people and their compatriots from other parts of the country is rid of suspicion, violence and any form of bickering".
"We, therefore, urge the new service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police to intensify efforts on intelligence gathering, as that would always enable the security agencies to nip in the bud any evil plans that could threaten peace and security of any part of Yorubaland, in particular and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in general".
"Yoruba Welfare Group cannot but call on all good people of Yorubaland to lend their support to great efforts being made by Western Nigerian Security Network, "Operation Amotekun", the Nigerian Police, the military and paramilitary apparatus of the state to reduce crime and criminality in our immediate environment. It is now left for us to always give useful information that could help security agencies to serve us better. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!"
All the six state governments of the region are equally enjoined to ensure that all traditional heads of other ethnic nationalities within their individual states are supervised and monitored by the indigenous traditional rulers in the localities, wherein they operate. This would go a long way to check the excesses of non-indegenes and at the same time further strengthen the indigenous traditional authorities."
Plans are in top gear by Yoruba Welfare Group to engage our youths, especially unemployed graduates in the six states of the region, in entrepreneurial skills acquisition and development for enduring economic empowerment to complement the efforts of government on reducing unemployment and poverty rates in the region."
"Good spirited Yoruba men and women of honour and integrity are enjoined to join Yoruba Welfare Group in preserving those beautiful lasting legacies of our forebearers and collectively move Yoruba nation forward, as we continue to clamour for RESTRUCTURING and good governance, which, in turn, is capable of guaranteeing abundant life and adequate security of lives and property of the entire citizenry of the Federal Republic of Nigeria", concluded the press statement.6
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