VP Osinbajo’s N350m gift unsettles self-determination groups in Southern Nigeria

Crisis which hit the Pan-Yoruba group, Ilana Omo Oodua, following the group’s parting of ways with its leader, Professor Adebanji Akintoye, last month, has now spilled into the greater Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) self-determination body for regions in SouthernNigeria.

The pan-Yoruba group, Ilana Omo Oodua, had last month announced parting ways with its leader, Professor Adebanji Akintoye, on the grounds of political differences.

The group in a statement, had said it could not reconcile a difference of vision shared with Prof Akintoye, adding that while it wished to remain apolitical, the latter was projecting to use the group as ‘a political structure’

A statement by Otunba Shade Olatunji, on behalf of the group read during a press conference in Lagos, said it has decided to separate its Alana from the main body of Ilana Omo Oodua of Professor Akintoye.

“Prof Akintoye somewhere along the line went back to his first love, politics and politics played the one Nigeria way. This started to manifest as a desire to be the father of all Yoruba self-determination groups which included those hedging their bets, those out to line their pockets, outright politicians out to use Ilana as a political structure, and most dangerous of all, political jobbers out to destroy Ilana,” Olatunji said.

Olatunji explained that, while several allegations were leveled against Akintoye, the group defended him but “the avalanche of accusations got to a stage that we had to adopt the strategy of least said but soonest mended.”

She also disclosed that while the Ilana structure was under bombardment, the group warned Professor Akintoye that it would not allow him endanger the struggle for a Yoruba nation but Akintoye wouldn’t listen.

“He instead started telling us that he installed us and can remove us. We cannot allow Prof Banji Akintoye to truncate the dreams of millions of people. So as of today, 18 November 2021, Ilana Omo Oodua is stepping aside from Prof Banji Akintoye, freeing him to become the father and supreme commander of the Amalgamated self-determination groups.”

However, only Tuesday, the embattled Akintoye dragged 44 other leaders of various groups which form the Yoruba bloc out of the larger Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) body, while also stepping down as Chairman of the self determination forum with immediate effect.

NINAS body comprises regional groups such as the Ilana Omo Oodua representing the Yoruba bloc, the Lower Niger Congress is represented by the South-East and South-South, and the Middle-Belt Rennaissance Movement is represented by the Middle-Belt Rennaissance Movement.

Prof Akintoye claimed in his resignation letter that some NINAS leaders have goals that are incompatible with self-determination agenda of the NINAS body.

“In light of the current development in the Yoruba Self-Determination struggle, particularly in Ilana Omo Oodua, it has become very necessary for the Yoruba people to dissociate themselves from the Alliance known as NINAS.

“Some of those with whom we align in NINAS, in our opinion, do not want the kind of self-determination that we, the Yoruba people, desire.

“As a result, we, the leadership of Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, would like to inform the general public that the Yoruba Bloc, led by Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, has withdrawn from the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination with immediate effect to preserve the integrity and honour of our Self-Determination agitation.

“We express our gratitude to Mr. Tony Nnadi, the LNC’s Leader, for his contributions to the NINAS struggle since its inception. As most people in the Yoruba Self-Determination struggle have realized, the LNC is no longer working in tandem with our goal in Ilana Omo Oodua.

“Professor Adebanji Stephen Akintoye’s prestigious leadership of NINAS as Chairman, which he has provided since its inception, will come to an end on Tuesday, November 30th, 2021 as a result of this development,” read the statement by Akintoye, Tuesday.

“However, we are pleased to inform you that, following the completion of ongoing consultations with like-minded individuals across the South and Middle-Belt Regions, a more productive Wide-Alliance, to be known as the South and Middle-Belt People’s Sovereign Movement, will be officially inaugurated,” he added.

However, on Wednesday, it emerged that Prof Akintoye’s claims of not sharing common goals with NINAS was not actually the real reason for termination relation with NINAS along with the bulk of the Yoruba bloc member groups.

NINAS, in a response to the resignation to Akintoye’s resignation, Wednesday, claimed that Akintoye as President of Ilana Omo Oodua, and his deputy, Shade Olukoya are still at war over the N350 million allegedly given to Olukoya, a matter which NINAS said, had ‘nothing to do with’ it.

Acording to NINAS, Akintoye’s statement was riddled with ‘falsehood.’

The self-determination body disclosed that the main problem started when Prof Akintoye accused Olukoya of receiving N350 million from Abuja to support Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to be the next President of Nigeria.

While wishing Prof Akintoye a success in his endeavour, NINAS affirmed that it had not retrogressed from seeking self-determination for the indigenous peoples in Nigeria.

A press release signed by NINAS Secretary, Tony Nnadi in reaction to an announcement made by Prof Akintoye that he had quit his chairmanship role with NINAS, also stated that it was Olukoya who introduced Akintoye to the group in 2018.

The statement was titled, “NINAS Alliance Is Intact And Focused On Its Stated Mission Despite The Resignation Of Its Erstwhile Chairman, Prof Banji Akintoye And The Exit Of His Faction Of Ilana Omo Oodua.”

“An emergency conclave of the board of the conveners of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) was held today December 1, 2021 to review amongst other things, recent developments in one of our alliance organisations, Ilana Omo Oodua; the resignation of Professor Banji Akintoye from the Chairmanship of NINAS and the exit of his faction of Ilana Omo Oodua from the NINAS Alliance.

“This statement is to address the deluge of enquiries that has poured into the NINAS Secretariat from concerned members of public regarding these developments: Let us recall that the Secretariat of NINAS, while reaching out to all sides involved, had on the 18th of November 2021, issued a statement to calm altercations arising from an Ilana Omo Oodua press conference addressed November 18, 2021 by the Deputy Chairman of Ilana Omo Oodua, Otunba Shade Olukoya concerning months of lingering difficulties within Ilana Omo Oodua, bordering on certain actions and liaisons of the Leader of Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof Banji Akintoye that could imperil the Self-Determination Campaign of Ilana Omo Oodua, inviting Prof Akintoye, therefore, to step back from his role as Ilana Leader in order to abate the many conflicts and controversies emanating from the aforementioned actions and liaisons.

“While frantic mediation efforts were still being made by the Secretariat to douse tension, Maxwell Adeleye who described himself as “Communications Director” of Ilana Omo Oodua, issued and massively circulated in the media, outlandish falsehoods in which he avoided the well-known issues rocking Ilana Omo Oodua and claimed amongst other things, that the sum of N350million was disbursed by Abuja to procure the Ilana Press Conference of November 18, 2021. Adeleye also deliberately created the impression that NINAS was somehow behind the Ilana Press Conference of November 18, 2021.

“Unfortunately and to our utter shock, Prof Banji Akintoye who knew for certain that these claims of Maxwell Adeleye were just fabrications, went on to corroborate the fabrications in a virtual meeting of a Yoruba Global Audience the next day, putting names and motives to Maxwell’s falsehoods. (In that virtual Meeting, Prof Akintoye said that the money from Abuja came from Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and given to Otunba Shade Olukoya, for the purpose of dragging him (Akintoye) off the stage. To compound matters, Prof Akintoye went on to allege that Otunba Olukoya had been pressuring them in Ilana to help work Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo into becoming the next President of Nigeria. We do hope that Professor Yemi Osinbajo will take up this matter with those who crafted and circulated this tale.

“The statement issued by Maxwell Adeleye on behalf of Prof Akintoye and 43 others, November 30, 2021, conveying the resignation of Prof Banji Akintoye from the Chairmanship of NINAS as well as the exit of his faction of Ilana Omo Oodua from the NINAS Alliance, contained even more egregious falsehoods.

“The false impression was deliberately created by the said November 30, 2021 Statement that there was a type of Self-Determination being pursued by NINAS and LNC that was different from the type that Ilana Omo Oodua was pursuing.

“This is strange because the Objectives, RoadMap and Strategy Outlines of NINAS are very clearly stated in all of NINAS’ Public Communications over the years particularly the December 16, 2020 NINAS Constitutional Force Majeure Proclamation.

“Combined with the earlier falsehood that Abuja had procured the November 18, 2021 Press Conference, it is clear that the orchestrations of the departed faction of Ilana were targeted at deceiving the Public into believing that NINAS was somehow working for other Objectives apart from its Clear-Cut and Unwavering Pursuit of Self-Determination for all the Indigenous Nationalities of the Alliance Territories being the South and Middle/Belt of Nigeria.

“For the Records and for the avoidance of doubt, Prof Banji Akintoye was first introduced sometime in 2018 to NINAS by Otunba Shade Olukoya who had been involved with the processes for many years.

“There is no doubt whatsoever that Prof Banji Akintoye meritoriously advanced the NINAS Campaign, particularly in Yorubaland, reaching out to his Associates across the Country and substantially shattering the long-standing jinx around the Igbo-Yoruba Collaboration which he said was Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Solemn prescription in the last days of the sage – who was Prof Akintoye’s Political Mentor. Credit for this feat will forever go to Prof Akintoye and we wish him Good Health and Longevity even as he veers off in another direction in search of the Destination we all identified in NINAS.

“In closing, the NINAS Board of Conveners is pleased to announce to all the organisations across the South and Middle-Belt of Nigeria which have been clamouring to join the NINAS Alliance, that modalities have been emplaced to admit all organizations that publicly and fully subscribe to the propositions and prescriptions of the December 16, 2020, NINAS Constitutional Force Majeure Proclamation, into regional delegations to NINAS. These modalities will be made public in the second week of December 2021 by the NINAS Secretariat.”