We Yoruba were most fortunate, most fortunate indeed, to have had Awolowo as leader in the 1950s. Eastern Region had one voice: Nnamdi Azikiwe. Northern Region had one voice: Ahmadu Bello. In contrast, Western Region had several self-opinionated voices: Benin, Egba, Ibadan, Lagos, Oyo etc. Indeed, we Yoruba were so dumb that we fielded some half a dozen political parties for the 1959 elections, which enabled Azikiwe to nearly become the first premier of Western Region. It took Awolowo’s political skills to deny Azikiwe the premiership. Those who blame Awolowo for not taking the Yorubaland out of Nigeria are ignorant, ignorant indeed of the true Yoruba history, and the true Yoruba personality.

Today, we Yoruba are in a bad way, rudderless and in total disarray. We don’t know what to do. One faction thoughtlessly condemns the actions of another. There are 200 or more Yoruba self-determination groups, one as ineffectual as the other. We Yoruba are ‘blessed’ with intellectually feeble leaders, totally devoid of political skills. So what do we do? Blame Awolowo. Awolowo is no longer with us, leave him alone! Let him rest in peace!

United Nations Security Council: Self-determination for the Yoruba people of Nigeria - Sign the Petition! https://chng.it/ZFhsGP94qr via @UKChange