Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has revealed why a self-acclaimed Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho Adeyemo, and others are calling for a Yoruba nation.
Newspot reports that Sunday Igboho had last week declared the Yoruba as a separate nation and demanded the secession of the south-west states from Nigeria.
But in an interview with Arise Television on Tuesday, Fayemi said Igboho and his fellow secessionists are calling for the secession of the South West states from Nigeria out of frustration.
He said the calls for secession are expected when the society is agitated, noting that the country will overcome its challenges very soon.
Fayemi, who is the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), however, advised the federal government to look into better ways of managing diversity in the country.
He said: “Frankly, when you have stress and laxity in society, you’re bound to find a whole range of responses. Some rational, some irrational, some that speaks to the fears that people, some opportunistic and harebrained. There’s no question that some of the reactions we’ve seen will fall into all of those categories.
“I have gone on record to say that I have unfailing optimism that in spite of all our challenges, this country will triumph and we’ll survive current challenges. We as leaders must focus on the goal of protecting lives and property, and focus on safety and security as the primary responsibility that we have,” he said.
“The people who are talking about secession frankly, some of them are doing it out of frustration. I don’t think that’s the solution to the Nigerian predicament right now.
“In matters of economic development, we may need to begin to look at other ways of managing diversity and difference in our country and that devolution of power is an idea whose time has come.”
