‘Regionalism Is A Paint Job On A Cracked House!’—Yoruba Group Rejects Nigeria, Demands Full Sovereignty
LAGOS, NIGERIA — A prominent Yoruba self-determination group, Àwùjọ Ọmọlúwàbí, has fiercely rejected ongoing political campaigns for a return to regional government in Nigeria, declaring that only absolute independence and full nationhood can satisfy the aspirations of the Yoruba people.
In a sweeping, historic press release signed by National General Secretary Taiwo Odumosu, Esq. and National Organising Secretary Professor Olakunle Folami, the group took aim at political elites pushing to restructure Nigeria into regions. They warned that a renovated regional structure subordinate to Abuja would “merely repaint the walls of an unsettled constitutional house.”
The Trap of the Past
While acknowledging the legendary developmental strides of the old Western Region—including free primary education and rapid industrialization—the group argued those successes occurred despite the federal system, not because of it.
“Regionalism produced autonomy without sovereignty and responsibility without complete control,” the statement read, pointing directly to the 1962 Western Region crisis where the federal government suspended local authority and declared a state of emergency.
The group further argued that:
The center still holds the reins: Under the 1963 Constitution, vital apparatuses like defence, currency, and the Nigeria Police Force remained under federal grip, leaving regions defenseless.
State creation failed: The division of Nigeria into smaller states only succeeded in “fragmenting Yorubaland” and reducing a historic civilization into administrative units begging for federal allocations.
A Call for Total Sovereignty
Àwùjọ Ọmọlúwàbí clarified that its demand for an independent Yoruba nation is not driven by ethnic animosity or a desire for conflict. Instead, they envision a peaceful, democratic separation rooted in negotiation, open trade, and mutual respect with neighboring nationalities.
Under a fully sovereign nation, the group asserts the Yoruba people would finally have the total authority to write their own constitution, control their vast natural resources, set up localized security institutions, and safeguard their language and cultural heritage.
Youth Urged to Resist “1950s Realities”
Directly addressing the younger generation, the group pleaded with Yoruba youths not to surrender their future to outdated political arrangements negotiated over 70 years ago.”
They deserve a country in which their votes matter, their communities are secure, their talents are supported, and public institutions are accountable to them,” the leaders declared.
Àwùjọ Ọmọlúwàbí concluded by calling on traditional rulers, intellectuals, workers, and the diaspora to immediately begin a disciplined, structured dialogue to lay the constitutional and economic foundations for an independent Yoruba nation built on the Ọmọlúwàbí ideal of integrity and justice.
