Professor Banji Akintoye, the leader of all umbrella bodies of Yoruba self-determination groups, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, has predicted that a sovereign Yoruba Nation, the Oduduwa Republic, will soon be achieved as the Nigerian government will not be able to stop its formation.
Prof Akintoye who made this prediction on Saturday, called on “Yoruba people across the world not to lose hope on the actualization of the Oduduwa Republic,” as the signs for its emergence was “on the horizon.”
In a statement issued on his behalf by the Communications Secretary of the group, Maxwell Adeleye, the renowned historian and Second Republic Senator who clocked 87 years on the day, said he has been pleading with Yoruba agitators to be patient as the Republic will be achieved without any form of violence.
READ ALSO: Youths demand for Oduduwa Republic, take over roads in Ibadan
According to him, the Nigerian government lacked the capacity to criminalize the struggle as the agitation was beyond the manipulation of the current government.
“My message to all Yoruba people across the world who are passionate for the country of their own is not to lose hope. I am very much convinced that we are on our way to freedom. Our agitation is an idea whose time has come.
“We shall keep the struggle alive, and beyond the manipulation of the Nigerian government. We won’t allow the Federal Government of Nigeria to criminalize our struggle. The Yoruba people worldwide are urged never to be deterred in the struggle.
“Many Yoruba patriots worldwide planned to celebrate my birthday but I pleaded with them not to do so in honour of my son and one of the heroes of our struggle, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, fondly called Sunday Ighoho, by all of us. I cannot be celebrating a birthday when Igboho is in detention,” the statement said.