The Yoruba National Youths have expressed their disapproval of the administration at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) for its decision to revoke the use of Oduduwa Hall for the forthcoming Yoruba National Unity Day.
This event, intended to honor the historic Kiriji War, was unexpectedly canceled just one day prior to its scheduled date, leaving the youth in shock.
In a statement issued by the Yoruba National Youth Leader Diaspora, Prophet Ayodele Ologunloluwa, alongside Comrade Oyegunle Oluwamayowa Omotoyole, the youth criticized the Vice Chancellor's decision as “unjustified” and reflective of a larger neglect towards the cultural progress of the Yoruba community.
They voiced their astonishment at the administration's unwillingness to endorse an event that celebrates the Kiriji War, a significant chapter in Yoruba history.
The leaders emphasized that the hall, funded by the former Western Government, should be a venue for celebrating Yoruba culture rather than a place of exclusion.
“This action is uncalled for,” the youth leaders asserted and criticised the Vice Chancellor for not providing a valid explanation for the cancellation.
“It is a clear indication that the university's authority is opposed to the progress and unity of Yorubaland.”
The young individual charged the authorities with complicity in thwarting the ambitions of Yoruba youth, asserting that his actions are in line with the interests of those he views as adversaries of the Yoruba community.
They pledged to take measures to restore their cultural heritage and prevent similar cancellations in the future.
The statement read, “There is no doubt that the antics of Professor Adebayo Simon Bamire and his team have been exposed. We use this opportunity to inform the Nigerian Government that we remain determined to exit Nigeria as it is obvious the Nigerian government used the university authority to try to disrupt a landmark celebration in Yoruba land.”
"Now we have been vindicated that someone somewhere is sacrificing the precious blood of the Yoruba men and women, youths and children on the altar of politics for political power at all cost,” they said.
It said, “We hereby, in very strong terms, condemn the refusal of the institution’s management led by Professor Adebayo Simon Bamire not to allow the use of Oduduwa Hall for the occasion and that the association of Yorubas with Nigeria is at an end.”
The Yoruba National Unity Day celebration, which took place in an event hall in Ile Ife, attracted a significant number of attendees from the South West, as well as from Edo, Kwara, Kogi, and Delta States.
In his speech, renowned historian and head of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement (YSDM), Professor Banji Akintoye, stated, “There is no going back on Yoruba Nation autonomy.”
He asserts that the Yoruba people urgently require their own nation separate from Nigeria, stating that significant damage has been inflicted upon Yorubaland, and there is a strong desire to initiate the process of self-determination immediately.
"We Yoruba people want our independent and sovereign country as soon as possible. We reject any arrangement that would subject us to continued membership of Nigeria,” he said.
Prof. Akintoye praised the organizers of this year's Yoruba National Unity Day celebrations held in Ibadan and Ile Ife, emphasizing the unique cultural identity of the Yoruba people.