Yoruba Nation Not Possible, Monarchs Not United – Oluwo Of Iwo

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has said that Yoruba Nation is not achievable because there is not unity among monarchs in the tribe.
The monarch who spoke to Vanguard said even among the agitators, there is no unity and the agitator is one without leadership.

When asked if he supports secession, he said, “No, how can I? There is strength in our diversity. What we should do is to find a way to make this country better. It is not to break it. We are called the giant of Africa. What makes Nigeria the giant? When they were calling Nigeria the giant of Africa, they were yet to discover oil, so what makes it giant? It is the population. This is the most populous black nation in the world. If you ask: those clamouring for this Oduduwa, are they united? Are your leaders and kings united? I started talking about this when I first came on the throne. I have said it severally that we have problems with the traditional rulers in the South West. We are not united; we don’t even have the Yoruba Council of Obas.

“We are agitating without leadership, it is like the #EndSARS protest which lacked leadership and was hijacked by hoodlums. So, are we going to become a leaderless nation? That’s anarchy. It is like saying there should be no king in Iwo. When there was no king in Iwo for 10 years, we know what it robbed Iwo of. Iwo went backward more than 80 years because of 10 years of interregnum.

“You have to go back to history. I know that not all the Igbo people will be agitating for secession because as an Igbo person if you have businesses in Lagos, you know that Alaba or Okokomaiko will no longer be open to you. Since the Igbo have been fighting for Biafra in 1967 when I was born because the agitation must have started before the 1967 civil war, where has that led to now? So, it is like you want to start something in the South-West (Oduduwa Republic), just to disturb, a cause that doesn’t have a future.

We have had cases of traditional rulers in the South West being kidnapped or killed and palaces burnt, why do you think monarchs are now the target?

“You have to ask yourself, does criminality belong to one tribe? Do we have criminals that are Yoruba, Igbo and others? Why we are saying the Fulani should leave the South West? I believe there is an underlining issue or political issue with what is going on. I see all these as a sponsored political movement, just to cause some uproar and to spoil the relationship that we have built with the Hausa/Fulani. Those agitating for the Oduduwa Republic are not united; why don’t you put your house in order first and see where it will lead us. When the Yoruba come together as one, especially the leadership and by leadership, I mean the kings, then, we can achieve a lot,” he said.

So, you are saying that there is no unity among the kings?

Oluwo replied, “If the kings are not united, first it will be impossible to achieve peace in Yorubaland because everybody will just be protecting their domain. So, this Oduduwa nation you are talking about is not achievable.
Even with regards to our identity, were we called Yoruba before? The Yoruba name came from the Hausa, because the name “Yoruba” is from “Yarubawa”. Is that our real identity? Is that your name?”