As the National Conference enters its plenary
session Monday, the Afenifere has demanded for a regional autonomy to be
granted the Yoruba in the Southwest or the Yoruba will secede from
Nigeria.The Yoruba group at a news conference to unveil the Publication
of “Regional Autonomy or Nothing” at theGani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota in
Lagos, Southwest Nigeria Monday said it was displeased that many of its
demands at the
conference had been thrown away as the Northern group had
ganged up to defeat autonomy for the regions.Speaking at the news
conference on Monday, General Secretary, Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG,
Ayo Afolabi, said as the nation was going through trying period, one
would have expected that “we all should seize any opportunity to build
consensus and reclaim the country from wrong-footed ideas and practices
that brought Nigeria to this sorry state where it is difficult to
imagine a better future.“We are therefore baffled at the
take-it-or-Leave-it attitude of delegates from other ethnic
nationalities, particularly the Northern delegates who circulated a
document full of fallacies few weeks ago. Those fallacies have now been
exposed by the facts and figures contained in the publication we are
unveiling today.”Afolabi said it was inconceivable that northern leaders
were the ones leading the campaign against devolution of power and
restructuring of government, saying that if any region needed a stronger
federating unit with greater capacity to provide education, health,
security, wealth creation and other social amenities, it was the North
where strong links exist between the level of poverty and conscription
of innocent youths into extremist tendencies.“It appears Northern
leaders are not concerned, and indeed have no plan for the teeming youth
from the region, as long as they are able to continue clinging to their
hold on power. However, we are never in doubt that regionalism is the
most viable instrument for a stronger and united Nigeria.”He stated that
the Yoruba people demanded a regional government with its own
constitution and unfettered political and fiscal autonomy, except on
issues it agreed to cede to the federal government, adding that the
South West Region must include all Yoruba people outside the imposed
artificial boundaries in Edo, Delta, Kogi and Kwara States.Afolabi said
the Yoruba people demanded a negotiated legislative exclusive,
concurrent and residual list as well as a unicameral legislature at the
center as details of the Regional legislature shall be clearly set out
in the constitution.