Yoruba youths demand referendum, say Nigeria has known only sadness, strive, war since creation

By OBINNA EZUGWU

Aremo Oladotun Hassan (Esq)

The Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide (YCYW) has asked that a referendum or plebiscite be held so that Nigerians can decide on the kind of country they want, noting that since independence, the country has remained a country where sadness, war, hatred and bigotry thrives, and where happiness has continued to be elusive.

President of the council, Aremo (Barr) Oladotun Hassan who who took the position during the 7th Yoruba Youth International Conference held on Sunday at Ikeja, Lagos, noted that it had become evident that the present government was not interested in restructuring despite promising same during the electioneering campaigns in the lead up to 2015 polls.

He insisted however, that the language should no longer be restructuring but referendum, while lamenting that the present “oppressive” structure has brought nothing but sorrow to the Nigerian masses who, according to him, have become accustomed to “unmitigated” sorrows.

“The Ecclesiastical words in the bible adumbrated the different sides of the coin of life to include a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to be happy and and a time to be sad; time to merry and time to mourn,” he said.

“However Nigeria has known only one side of this coin since inception till date, which is sadness, war, hatred and bigotry. We have never been happy as a nation. Hence this occasion calls for a deep and sober reflection on our past, present and future.

“We have decided to call to the deep to seek the guidance and scholarly teachings of the likes of Professor Banji Akintoye, an erudite professor of history and an undettered Awoist.”

He lamented that the country had never witnessed such pain and sorrow that has become the order of the day under the current dispensation, and called on the youths to arise and demand for a better nation.

“A time like this calls for concerted effort to stop the death of our democratic values; lack of people-driven constitution, true federalism, rule of law; monumental incarceration of people’s will and the indiscriminating pain and agony in the land

“Never a time have we witnessed this catastrophic and oppressive tendencies by any government; a government that has turned the state house into a personal empire, where orders are churned out and forced down the throats of Nigerians.

“This Federal Government has no plan, either in the interim or in the long run to address the varying ailments of the nation viz, the need to restructure and devolve powers to the regions or states. They promised to do so before they came to power, only to make a u-turn on that promise.”

He said it was time to push for a referendum as restructuring was no longer an option given the scheme of things in the country.

“There must be a way out to decide the pendulum of our fate, which must be firstly to change the chorus from the restructuring demand to demand for a people’s constitution, which shall give be given to Nigerians through a sovereign liberty to vote yes or no in a free and fair plebiscite or referendum.”