The Yoruba Council of Elders
(YCE) has rejected the idea of carving out a separate Yoruba nation from
Nigeria, instead advocating for true federalism
The YCE has reaffirmed its commitment to a united
Nigeria, citing the country’s strength in its socio-cultural diversity and
inheritance.
The group is pushing for a restructured Nigeria that
allows states to function independently, similar to the American system, with
minimal interference from the central government.
The YCE seeks to return to the autonomous regional
administration of Nigeria’s founding fathers, where states contribute to the
central government without sacrificing their independence.
“Accordingly, the YCE has pooled in all shades of
thoughts which shows that 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.
“YCE, therefore, stands firmly on the position of the
founding fathers who maintained togetherness but operated independently and
contributed their quota to the administration at the center. To this extent, we
would rather have a restructured Nigeria allowing states to function
independently as part of a whole.
“YCE wants Nigeria to remain one but, like the
American arrangement, stay and function administratively devoid of interference
by the center. 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.”