Babatunde Gbadamosi, a politician, when speaking to BBC News Yoruba on Nigeria’s independence since 1960, he said that the only mistake Awolowo made was that Yoruba waited for the Hausa-Fulani before we gained independence from the British colonialists.
In his statement, he asserted that if Awolowo had envisaged what is happening in Nigeria now, he would have fought tirelessly to ensure that Yoruba nation was either created or gained independence.
The politician made reference to Indian, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, who had done similar thing Yorubaland demands now. In 1965, he said that Malaysia seceded from Singapore, for they called the latter unbelievers whose lifestyle was a threat to theirs.
He said: “In 1960, Yorubaland was by far above Singapore owing to the economic prosperity in Western region then. However, today, when you compare Yorubaland with Singapore that was chased away by Malaysia, one can’t help crying. Our land has been impoverished. Daily, we run, panting hard, just to save our lives from the deadly killers. Farmers can no longer go to farm for the fear of being killed by the herdsmen”.
When speaking on the 2023 election, Babatunde told BBC Yoruba that the next president should come from the Ibos. He said that since 1960, the Ibos had never ruled Nigeria.
He said in his speech: “ In 1993, Nigeria had a free and fair election whose unofficial result, though not declared by National Electoral Commission (NEC), indicated a victory for Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The Fulani disagreed with the result of the election until recently when the incumbent president affirmed that MKO was the winner. The president said he apologized for the annulment of the result. What change would the apology make? If Abiola had become the president then, the Ibos would have had a president from their region too”.
When emphasizing his point that the next president should come from the Ibos, he said that between 1999 and 2007, the President was from the Western Nigeria. After Obasanjo’s reign, Hausa-Fulani man was elected. Southern minority by mistake, as he said, spent 5 years in office after the Fulani man. Then, after him, we elected another Fulani whose eight-year in office will lapse in two years time. Nonetheless, we still think that the next president should come from the Western Nigeria.
“Even if the next president should come from Yoruba region, Tinubu is not an ideal president for Nigeria”, he pointed out. He stressed his point by saying that thugs and violent men have literally claimed the mandate of Lagos since Tinubu has been ruling Lagos for more than 20 years ago.
He also commented on Biafra’s movement to get the government of their own. He said: “Those men who demand self-government are called terrorists by the government; however, the armed bandits that kill Nigerians are not called terrorists”.
“The government negotiate with the bandits that terrorise the peace of the nation and give them huge money; yet, those who carry flags in demanding self government are the ones called terrorists by the government. I’m not surprised because it is this same government that came to Lekki Toll Gate to kill young men when they were waving the National flag and reciting the national anthem”, he said.
In his final statement, he said that the only advice he can give the incumbent president is to leave the office because he is too old to steer the affairs of this country. He concluded that the wife of the president had earlier announced the incompetence of his husband by saying that he’s not the one that rules Nigeria. Babatunde quoted the First Lady’s statement when she left for Dubai a year ago, claiming that there’s a laxity in the security of Aso Rock.
Nevertheless, Nigerians watch as if nothing was wrong, even after the president’s wife’s statement.