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Egbe Odo Yoruba, also known as Grand Council of Yoruba Youths has called for peace among all the ethnic groups in Nigeria.
The group in a statement signed by its Aare Apapo (President – General), Comrade Awa Bamiji, on Monday, said it is only in an atmosphere of peace and harmony the country can attain its full potential.
The group recalled that in its last press statement, it warned that the #EndSARS protest is metamorphosing into #EndSecurityNow revolution, having observed some pockets of violence associated with the prolonged protest.
According to Awa, majority of Nigerians and the employers of labour survive on daily income and were glad that God averted the proposed Nigeria Labour Congress strike, over the simultaneous increase in the price of petrol and electricity tarrif as well as the proposed Yoruba seccessionist rally of October 1.
“Any of these things would have draw us back as a nation because we all saw or read various declarations of solidarity from some interest groups, but with the ulterior motive to wreck havoc on the peaceful atmosphere in the country under the pretext of the NLC strike or October 1 Odu’a Republic rally or possibly the two together,” he said.
Awa said that since the advent of democracy, no individual is overtly or covertly left out of the campaign against police brutality and extra judicial killings.
“The latest campaign took a new dimension simply because all these interest groups nursing hidden agenda to protest grabbed it as a long sought opportunity to show their stuffs to Nigeria. It’s indeed ‘an handshake beyond the elbow,” the President-General said.
The group also commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, for taking the five demands of the #EndSARS protesters to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, and handling it over to President Muhammadu Buhari in the full glare of the press.
“After this development, we later noticed that the list of demands of the #EndSARS protesters, without any identifiable leadership across the country, kept on increasing both on their placards and social media space and these protesters continued their daily agitation across the country, based on these endless requests.
“Then it was clear that there was more to the protest and perhaps, the main reason why Mr President said in his speech that these protesters took the government’s prompt response to their demands for cowardice.
“What baffled us most was the way various youth groups kept on springing up with endless demands to be met by the government and it got to a point that one would have noticed that there was more to it really, especially when our sitting Governors, Chief Security Officers in their respective states, became targets of attacks from the hoodlums under the pretext of #EndSARS protest.
“This started with massive looting, carnage, maiming and yet, many of us sat inside in our comfortable houses urging these people barricading major Nigerian roads with burning of tyres on.
“We, under the Coalition for A Better Nigeria, immediately came out to warn Nigerians of looming and greater crisis that could snowball into anarchy with the turn of events.
“Our political, religious and community leaders also advised various groups of protesters to vacate the Nigerian Roads but they didn’t comply,” the statement said.
Awa said: “It was then crystal clear to all of us the real intention of several groups hiding under the prolonged protest across the country. They asked the President to resign; sack service chiefs; sack the cabinet members; bring in youths of under 50 into Federal Executive Council; End SARS; End SWAT; reduce the salaries of Senators and Federal House Representatives’ members (without considering whether this is within the responsibilities of Mr President); reduce the prices of food stuffs; increase minimum wage to N100, 000 (regardless of the fact that this was recently sorted out between the Government and the Nigerian Labour Congress); dissolve EFCC; dissolve ICPC; restructure Nigeria; end bad governance; end Nigeria and so on. Let’s think of only “Resign and Reconstitute FEC,” a confusionist agenda.
“The end results are now clear to the whole world with the #EndSARS hoodlums on rampage, who are now ending our Individual, corporate and government economies across the country, after Mr President had brought SARS to an end.”
He continued:”We mourn all the departed souls of both SARS extra judicial killings and #EndSARS protest, sympathise with their breaved families, friends and associates, and we console all the living victims across Nigeria, most especially the good people of Lagos State.
“It was baptism of fire for their major targets, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and indeed the economic mainstay of Nigeria in particular and African continent at large, Lagos State.
“The nation had now been badly hit and we wouldn’t forget the identifiable faces in these epic outings against the peace loving Nigerians and their individual roles.”
Awa further stated that the leader of Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has denied the “dreadful audio recording posted on social media, where he boasted to continue burning major Yoruba heritage in Lagos State to avenge Lekki shooting on behalf of the affected families and kill people as he likes. In a swift response, coupled with his own attention seeking agenda, Mr Adeyinka Grandson (Pseudo name) of Young Yoruba for Freedom (YYF), posted a dangerous video on social media giving all Igbos 48 hours to leave Lagos State. But Barrister Dotun Hassan of Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide (YCYW), issued a statement on Saturday to calm down both Yorubas and Igbos living in Lagos after his acclaimed virtual meeting with the Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide President General. But the most interesting aspect of it all is that both Adeyinka Grandson and Barrister Dotun Hassan are in support of Prof Banji Akintoye’s advocacy for Odu’a Republic, which the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, also endorsed publicly from exile in UK.
“The most painful aspect of Nnamdi Kanu’s careless speech is the way he berated an innocent man, the political strategist, rave of the moment, a trailblazer, long standing human rights’ activist, talent hunter and international philantropist, an achiever of uncommon dimension, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The way he targeted the astute politician with the aim of destroying his entire family and causing ethnic war between Yorubas and Igbos, not only in Lagos State, but in the world at large was shameful.
“We therefore urge all Yoruba groups or individuals to please sheath their swords against all Igbos and Hausas living and working in Yoruba land and be patient till we have the outcome of the ongoing investigation into the Lekki shooting.
“It will take us a very long time to come out of this economic set back.
“While waiting for the outcome of the Panel of Enquiry, we also advise that all the perpetrators of this evil act be brought to book to serve as deterrent to millions of others across the globe
“May God Almighty reward everyone according to his or her consent or involvement in the #EndSARS protest.”
According to the group: “It’s no longer news that the COVID-19 palliatives donated by CACOVID to state governments across Nigeria are stored in various warehouses by the governors, both in the APC and PDP for various reasons known to them, which are now being looted by the #EndSARS hoodlums across Nigeria.”
“In Oyo State, politicking crept in when Engr Akeem Olatunji and Mr Taiwo Adisa, the spokeperson for the PDP, Oyo State, and Governor Seyi Makinde respectively, started holding brief for their boss, on the reason he kept very huge quantities of COVID – 19 palliatives, just to make him holier than Pope among his colleagues in Nigeria.
“The good people of Oyo State had listened on BCOS 98.5 FM during one of the Newspapers’ review last week which the the anchors of the programme and their regular guest always use to promote Governor Seyi Makinde’s 2023 political ambition daily.
“During one of last week’s editions, the guest stated that Governor Seyi Makinde felt jittery when one of his close friends, who doubles as one of his Special Advisers announced to people that Oyo State palliatives warehouse is at the Agodi Secretariat.
“It is on this note we call on Governor Seyi Makinde to tender unreserved apology for foisting deadly hunger on the innocent electorate that voted him into office last year,” Awa said.
The group congratulated one of the leaders in Yorubaland and Ekefa Olubadan of Ibadanland and the first Cultural Ambassador of National Museum and Monument, Ile – Ife, Osun State, Oloye Lekan Alabi @70.
“Happy Birthday Sir! Igba Odun, Odun kan,” Awa concluded.