Former Ambassador to Federal Republic
of Germany and a Professor of History, Akinjide Osuntokun today at Ibadan asked
the Federal Government not to wait till Yoruba become rebellious before their
agitation over marginalization is addressed.
The
Emeritus Professor spoke at the 74th birthday lecture in honour of Murtala Adebayo
Akande at the Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan.
Speaking
on the topic 'The Place of The Yoruba in The Ethno-Political Configuration of
Nigeria', Osuntokun said it is in the overall interest of the country that the
Federal Government must be fair to every zone irrespective of its political
leaning.
He
said Government must not wait until there is a rebellion or armed militancy of
the youth of the South West before embarking on fire brigade or palliative
measures.
The
former university don classified the political structures in Yorubaland into
'mainstream' and 'home rule', arguing that those who believe and advocate
belonging to mainstream and joining those in government have had their position
weakened by the fact that “there is nothing to show for the time when one of
their sons was at the helm of the presidency between 1999 and 2007.
He
recalled that "Yoruba people watched helplessly as their roads become
unmotorable and all other features of modern life collapse.
According
to him, the Obasanjo government bent over backward to accommodate other ethnic
groups at the expense of the Yoruba.
He
lamented that the Yoruba have faired worse in the distribution of ministerial
positions than other ethnic groups.
The
guest speaker noted that the fact that the South-West was regarded as a land of
opposition should not translate to political victimization of its people,
stressing that, "It is true that, if Yorubaland is perceived as the land
of opposition, its people would be subjected to political victimization.
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