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Monday, 8 July 2013

Dont Allow Allow Rebellion To Grow In South West ~ Osuntokun Warns FG



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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