Why do we rely on the UN Charter to make our case when we have the African Charter?

·      The AU Charter is a Charter made by Africans specifically for Africans.

·      The AU Charter is part of Nigeria’s domestic law.

·      The AU Charter has its own Court called the African Commission.

Article 20:1 says: ‘All peoples shall have the right to existence. They shall have the unquestionable and inalienable right to self- determination. They shall freely determine their political status and shall pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have freely chosen’.

·      Unquestionable means written in tablet of stone. It means that self-determination is law above the law of every African country.

·      Inalienable means that no one can take it away. It means that self-determination is a human right on the continent of Africa.

You have to be ‘a people’ to qualify for self-determination in Africa; that is it. There is no other requirement.

We Yoruba are a people.

1.     We have our own land that we have occupied continuously and uninterrupted since time immemorial.

2.     We have our own distinctive language, culture and tradition.

3.     We have our own distinctive laws and system of government.

How do we Yoruba people get this self-determination?

·      There is no self-determination formula. There is no easy way to do it. Plus, Nigeria is a formidable enemy.

1.         Nigeria has many friends - over 100 years of existence; over 60 years of independence; 200 million population; economic giant of Africa; many countries benefit from money looted from Nigeria; they know Nigeria, they do not know the Yoruba.

2.         Black lives do not matter to white people. American and British politicians quick to intervene in Croatia and Ukraine, watched as Africans were slaughtered in Rwanda. Repeated massacres of Nigerian Christians has not moved the Pope or Archbishop Welby to visit desecrated churches.

3.         Yoruba elites, politicians and traditional rulers have no interest in the dissolution of Nigeria. They share Nigeria’s cake with their colleagues from the other ethnic groups. They do not suffer like ordinary Nigerians. They have their homes abroad. They shop abroad. Their children go to school abroad. They go abroad for their health care. They are untouched by Nigeria’s problems.

4.         Those of us involved in the self-determination struggle are amateurs; we look for easy answers; we look for easy fix. No strategy. No blue print. No road map. Just anything that catches the eye. Mega rallies mobilise activists. Petition signatures indicate support. But independence requires much more.

Option 1 - Negotiation. The option of negotiation is not available. Nigeria does not possess the calibre of politicians that is required.

Option 2 – Civil war. The option of war is anathema to the Yoruba. We find the experience of the Biafra war of 1967 still sobering.

Option 3 – Legal action. The option of litigation is available. We can ask the African Commission to declare that we Yoruba people are entitled to self-determination. The Katangese v Zaire case is precedent that Article 20 of the African Charter is justiciable.

Option 4 – Diplomatic recognition. The option is available of obtaining recognition from one or more of the world’s most powerful nations for Yorubaland as a nation. This requires that we sell the Yoruba brand. We could form a Yoruba political party in the UK to do this. UKIP got Britain out of Europe.

Please share widely. There may be Yoruba descendants out there who could take this idea forward, and make a reality of it, better than I ever can.

Perhaps you could also find time to subscribe to and view some of my YouTube videos.