Nigeria @66: Yoruba Self-Determination Advocates Call for Sovereignty Talks with National Assembly

By Koikimedia News

The Committee for the Actualisation of Yoruba Self-Determination (CAYSD) has called on the National Assembly to initiate broad-based discussions among Nigeria’s various ethnic nationalities on the country’s political and constitutional future.

The committee said such discussions should include consideration of different options for Nigeria’s future, including the possibility of Yoruba self-determination and the establishment of an Oduduwa/Yoruba Nation.

The position was contained in a statement issued on behalf of CAYSD by its Director, Prof. Ademola Araoye, and signed by 43 Yoruba leaders and stakeholders. The statement, titled “For the Good of All: It’s Time to Convene Sovereignty Talks,” was issued on Wednesday.

According to the group, Nigeria’s longstanding political challenges require broader constitutional discussions beyond periodic elections and adjustments to the existing political structure.

CAYSD called on the leadership of the National Assembly, led by Senator Godswill Akpabio, to facilitate dialogue between the Yoruba people and other ethnic nationalities on the nature and future direction of the Nigerian state.

The committee said the proposed discussions should examine Nigeria’s past political arrangements as well as possible approaches to its future governance.

From Restructuring to Self-Determination Discussion

The group explained that the Yoruba political position had historically focused on restructuring Nigeria into what it described as a genuine federation, with greater autonomy for the country’s constituent peoples and regions.

However, CAYSD said what it described as repeated unsuccessful efforts to achieve such restructuring had led the signatories to consider a different approach.

The committee stated that it now intends to place peaceful self-determination, including the possibility of an Oduduwa Nation, on the agenda for public discussion, constitutional engagement and democratic consideration.

According to the statement, the initiative is intended to provide an avenue for the Yoruba people to openly examine their political future through lawful and democratic processes.

CAYSD Emphasises Peaceful Approach

CAYSD also stressed that its proposed self-determination campaign would be pursued through peaceful and lawful means.

The committee rejected violence, intimidation and attacks on public institutions, stating that its preferred approach would involve civic consultation, public enlightenment, academic research, constitutional advocacy, dialogue, lawful assembly and engagement with elected institutions.

The group further said it would seek dialogue and negotiation with other ethnic nationalities while pursuing what it described as a credible democratic mechanism through which the wishes of the people could be expressed.

Group Says Self-Determination Debate Is Not Hostility to Nigeria

CAYSD also addressed the interpretation of its position within the context of Nigeria’s unity.

The committee argued that discussing self-determination should not automatically be regarded as an act of hostility towards Nigeria. Instead, it called for the issue to be considered through constitutional dialogue, negotiation and democratic consent.

The statement also informed President Bola Tinubu of what the signatories described as a new phase of Oduduwa/Yoruba constitutional engagement with Nigeria.

According to the group, it is beginning an organised, legal and peaceful process to examine the question of self-determination and what it described as the eventual creation of a Yoruba Nation.

Prominent Signatories

Among those listed as signatories to the statement are Prof. Banji Akintoye, Senator Femi Okurounmu, Chief John Oni, Chief Imam Aduanigba, Chief Tola Adeniyi, Prof. Oluyemisi Akinyemiju, Dr. Gbadebo Adekunjo, Senator Tunji Adelekan, Prof. Ademola Araoye, Dr. Akin Fapohunda, Dr. Olatunde Hamzat, Chief Kikelomo Laniyonu-Edwards, Prof. Kunle Olawunmi and General Gani Raji, alongside other Yoruba leaders and stakeholders.

The development places the question of Yoruba self-determination within a broader debate over Nigeria’s constitutional structure, regional autonomy and the political future of the country’s constituent nationalities.

CAYSD’s position, as expressed in the statement, is that such questions should be subjected to public discussion, constitutional engagement and democratic processes rather than violence or coercion.

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