The president of a pan-Yoruba group, Council of Yoruba Elders, CYE, Chief Adegboyega Onigbinde, said that the group was formed with the aim of uniting all the Yoruba sons and daughters both at home and in the diaspora for the interest of national development.
Onigbinde gave the explanation while reacting to criticisms over the formation of the group.
Speaking at the group’s maiden press conference held in Ibadan, he said it was not at loggerhead with any other Yoruba group, stating that its objectives were to ensure that the Yoruba remain in good position playing their roles as nation builders.
The former Chief Coach of Super Eagles said, “The core mandate of CYE is to ensure that we are in best position to play our roles for the interest of our race and our country at large. For us to achieve this, we must be united. All hands must be on deck. We must forget all our differences. For now, we don’t have one voice as a race, we must all come together, put our resources, knowledge and wisdom together. It is through this that we can have one strong voice; it has to be collective effort.
“This organisation is open to all Yoruba sons and daughters both at home and abroad for ideas and support of any kind; we formed this organisation with the good intention of moving our country forward. The interest of our race is paramount on our agenda and for us to achieve this, our unity is non-negotiable.”
The Secretary General of the group and President General of Oodua Redemption Alliance, ORA, Dr Victor Taiwo, in his own remarks, maintained that the Yoruba could not afford to be fooling themselves, noting that most Yoruba groups known had been polarized either by politics or personal interest.
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“We cannot continue to pretend as if we don’t know what is going on. Hausa people have a formidable group that champions their interest, which is Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF; they speak with one voice irrespective of their political differences. Igbo people also have their own which is called Ohaneze Ndigbo, but here in Yorubaland our Afenifere group has been polarized.
“We now have Afenifere Renewal Group, and so many other factions. For Afenifere there is Pa Rueben Fasonrati group, and there is Pa Ayo Adebanjo group. So, we are no longer speaking with one voice and it is so sad. We cannot move forward with all these mess; we need a strong and formidable group that will be championing our interest at the national level too. This is what gave birth to this Council of Yoruba Elders, CYE, that was officially launched on Thursday, 31st August, 2023 at the House of Chiefs here in Ibadan.
“The event was a successful one, as it was attended by illustrious sons and daughters of Yoruba race from different parts of the world. Enough is enough; we must move forward.
“We Yorubas are so brilliant, but it is so sad because when it comes to wisdom to speak with one voice we are lagging behind. Politics has divided us, personal interest has divided us. We need to forget all these and come together for the betterment of our race and for the interest of our nation at large,” he said.
