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Tag: Akinrinade

  • Restructuring a must — Akinrinade, others

    Restructuring a must — Akinrinade, others

    Notable personalities from the South West rose from a forum in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital yesterday, insisting on comprehensive restructuring of the country to allow Nigeria rise to her full potential.

    They included literary giant, Prof. Niyi Osundare; Pastor Tunde Bakare; Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd); renowned historian, Prof. Banji Akintoye; Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko; Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and erudite lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN). They spoke with one voice in calling on the practice of true federalism in Nigeria as the pathway to prosperity for both the country and her citizens.

    The event was the 50th annual commemoration of the assassination of the first military governor of the defunct Western Nigeria, Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, which held at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan.

    Fajuyi was killed in Ibadan by young military officers on July 29, 1966 along with the then Head of State, Gen. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi after refusing to yield the latter who was on a state visit to Western Nigeria.

    His preference to die instead of yielding his visitor to the killers earned him the heroic status in Nigerian history.

    The golden remembrance was organized by the Yoruba Think Tank.

    Chaired by the Alani of Idoani, Oba (Gen.) Olufemi Olutoye (rtd.), the meeting in a communique called on governors in the South West states to restore the teaching of History in schools, adopt Yoruba as language of instruction for all subjects in both public and private schools and conduct cultural, political and economic relations in the region in Yoruba language.

    They also called for recognition and commemoration of Fajuyi as a hero that died for unity and progress of Nigeria.

    The communique reads in part: “Yoruba people expressed unhappiness with the damage that has been done to our cultural and economic life by the unitary governance structure which has been foisted on Nigeria gradually since independence, and which has drastically limited and constrained our civilization.

    “Many young Yoruba people below 30 years of age have either faint or no idea of historical figures like Fajuyi because Nigeria has stopped the teaching of History in our schools, thereby repressing our culture.

    “There is nothing Nigeria can offer us that can compensate for the relentless erosion of our rich culture which we are proud of and which deserves to be cherished eternally.

     “To repair this damage, we resolved as follows: Our state governments are duty-bound to restore the teaching of History in our primary and secondary schools, and conduct regional examinations, and issue certificates, on it for our students.

    “Yoruba Language should be a compulsory subject in our schools, and our Houses of Assembly should use it as is now done in the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    “The Yoruba renaissance will be difficult to achieve without re-enacting the indigenous cultural heritage of the people.

    “Participants resolved that Yoruba language be made the language of instruction in all subjects in all public and private primary and secondary schools in Yoruba territories.

    “That the entire South-West should in the next one decade work to ensure that Yoruba language becomes the grand norm in cultural, political and economic relations in all Yoruba states.

    “Yoruba people frowned at the terrible poverty that has become the lot of millions of our people as a result of the crisis of Nigeria’s structural defects, which have made it impossible for most of our states to meet their obligations to their citizens or even to pay basic salaries to their state workers.

    “We further frown at other effects of the unitary economy, especially its assault on Nigeria’s federalism, which has now created the absurd situation whereby the Federal Government treats the states like beggars and doles bailouts to them with stringent conditions from the resources which actually belong to them but which the Federal Government uses its unitary fiat to corner away from them.

    “We particularly reject the situation whereby our Yoruba nation’s welfare ideology has become practically impossible to implement in the context of the terminal crisis that Nigeria has now plunged into economically.

    “To get out of this crisis, we insist on the restructuring of the Nigerian federation so that the federating units would be able to develop and harvest their resources to revive development and economic prosperity for our people.

    “We resolved to set up a committee that will have representatives from all Yoruba states and states where Yoruba people are located outside Nigeria’s South West to work on the above objectives and matters ancillary to them.”

    In his lecture entitled Adekunle Fajuyi and the Politics of Remembrance, Osundare bemoaned the Nigerian situation in which money bags and corrupt individuals are honoured in place of true heroes and patriots.

    Referring Prof. Wole Soyinka’s eulogy of Fajuyi, Osundare described the deceased hero as a man with an exceptional courage who stood against materialism and perpetration of military rule even as a military officer.

    The poet called on President Muhammadu Buhari to work on the implementable aspects of the 2014 national confab report as an act of restructuring Nigeria.

    Quoting a columnist, Tatalo Alamu’s position in an article in this newspaper,  Osundare said: “President Buhari need not to be afraid of restructuring but he should be wary of those who use the slogan of restructuring to preach hate and the summary dismemberment of the country.

    “He should also be mindful of those who scream against restructuring as a strategy of keeping the nation in fossilized underdevelopment and Stone Age depredations simply to perpetuate an unjust system and its entrenched privileges.”

    He further posited that there is so much in the life and legacy of Adekunle Fajuyi, “the great man whose memory we celebrate, that speaks to the inward-rooted, outward-looking, philosophy, the plural, tolerant, accommodating Omoluabism that is the core and guiding principle of Yoruba culture and science of being; that amplitude of spirit, that unstinting magnanimity that has always lifted our gaze beyond the parapets of jingoism and ethnic chauvinism.”

    In his own speech, Bakare emphasised that Fajuyi ought to be the rallying point in Nigeria’s search for national identity.

    At the event were Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, who was represented by the state’s Secretary to the State Government, Mr Olalekan Ali; Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN); Chief Cornelius Adebayo; Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd); Chief Yemi Elebu’bon; Dr Tunji Olaopa; Yoruba groups, associations, politicians and professionals.

  • Akinrinade to govt: find solution to kidnapping

    Akinrinade to govt: find solution to kidnapping

    Former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Alani Akinrinade has urged the Federal Government to find a solution to kidnapping.

    Akinrinade said this when he visited the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), Chief Olu Falae, at his Oba Ile home, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

    He said the abduction was an insult to the Yoruba.  The former defence chief said Falae’s four-day experience in the bush was shocking and traumatising.

    He said: “This is a big insult to the Yoruba. Chief Olu Falae was manhandled and terrorised. This is a gentleman farmer, who is contended with his family.

    “This is shocking and there is no reason for anyone to go to his house or farm and start being nasty or demanding for ransom.

    The former defence chief described the incident as unfortunate and noted that the herdsmen’s activities were becoming worrisome.

    Akinrinade blamed the nation’s security challenges on kidnapping and other crimes.

    He said the fact that the Yoruba are hospitable should not be a reason to disrespect its leaders.

    The general added that the Yoruba might be forced to protect themselves, if the Federal Government failed to compel security agencies to provide adequate security.

    “The Yoruba have to get together and review what is going within them.

    “They really have to know who is living with them and know those who want the region’s progress.

    “We can’t allow anyone to trample on our tradition. Our culture and tradition are paramount and they cannot change simply because some people are living with us,” he said.

    The frontline Yoruba leader also faulted insinuations that unemployment is the root cause of crimes in the society.

    “This is not an excuse for a hungry man to steal or live an indecent life.”

    He urged all relevant security agencies to re-double their efforts at combating crimes.

     

  • Military alone can’t end Boko Haram, says Akinrinade

    Military alone can’t end Boko Haram, says Akinrinade

    Former Chief of Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd) has said military alone cannot end the Boko Haram insurgency.

    He spoke yesterday in Kaduna when he chaired the maiden seminar of a security resource centre, Gusau Institute, founded by the former Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau Mohammed.

    Gen. Akinrinade said: “Nigerians are looking unto the military to end insurgency, but military alone cannot be a solution to the perennial and bloody Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, particularly in the Northeast.”

    Urging the management of Gusau Institute to direct its expertise in security issues towards solving the Boko Haram insurgency, the retired General said politicians and economist have the magic wand to end the problem.

    His words: “Let me say a word or two again about Boko Haram. I’ve heard a lot of discussions about Boko Haram from many people. I must say that I am lost about the causes of Boko Haram, and I’m sure most Nigerians are also confused. I want to enjoin this institute to take the matter seriously.

    “But I am not aware of any military doctrine that has been put down that has addressed effectively guerrilla warfare, which is easier. But this kind of insurgency we are now having in our hands has never been addressed by any military doctrine successfully.

    “I am aware that military solution is not going to be the end of Boko Haram.

    “The ball is in the court of politicians, economists and those that have human sympathy that can bring solution to this crisis.

    “We have all agreed to treat constitutional issues and maintain federal character, but it has been bastardised with corruption that has taken over the constitution.

    “We fought the civil war to keep this country and we must honour our founding fathers because they bestowed a befitting country to us. We did what we did because the situation at that time dictated it so.”

    The former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and Secretary of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, who responded to a keynote address by Dr. Jakkie Cilliers from South Africa, attributed Nigeria’s and Africa’s problems to bad leadership.

    He said: “Something is wrong with the leadership of the continent. This is why we are facing  difficulties. Fifty-five years after our independence we are still talking about the basics of living for our people.

    “Report has it that over 100 million Nigerians live below poverty line. So, GDP, which is the major indicator used in measuring development, does not make any sense anymore, because you can have growth without development.

    “Studies have also shown that less than three per cent of Nigerians control the country’s resources. How can we now say Nigeria’s GDP is growing by six, seven per cent when people in my village don’t feel any impact?

    “The budget with which the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, governed Northern Region in 1966 is equivalent to the budget of Kaduna North Local Government today.”

    Prof. Abdullahi ascribed Africa’s underdevelopment to colonialism.

  • Yoruba ‘ll vote for performance, says Akinrinade

    Yoruba ‘ll vote for performance, says Akinrinade

    The Convener of Yoruba Peoples’ Assembly Lt-Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd) has said that Yoruba will always vote for performance in general elections.

    He said the purported endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by selected Southwest leaders may not achieve the desired result because the people are educated, sophisticated and politically conscious.

    Akinriande lamented that the ‘Yoruba Agenda,’ which encompassed the legitimate demands of the Yoruba in the six Southwest states, Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Kwara, was rejected at last year’s National Conference.

    Giving reason for the collapse of the agenda, the former Chief of Army Staff said many delegates could not comprehend great ideas.

    The elder statesman, who spoke with our correspondent in Lagos on the state of the nation, said selected Yoruba leaders in the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, who have endorsed President for a second term because of his promise to implement the conference report, have misled Yorubaland.

    He said, while the Afenifere leaders have the right to  personally endorse the President, they cannot speak for Yorubaland at this critical time.

    The civil war hero reflected on the proposed deployment of troops for election purpose, saying that it is counter-productive. He said soldiers are needed more in the Northeast region to fight terror and liberate the abducted Chibok girls.

    Akinrinade also reflected on the challenges that will face the winner of the presidential election. He said the next President will inherit a divided country, a comatose economy, soaring unemployment, grave security challenges and corruption in the corridor of power.

    The former Minister of Agriculture said the warning by Americans on disintegration should not be discarded by wise Nigerians. He said the doomsday can only be averted by a leadership that can rise to the occasion.

    Flaying Yoruba leaders for misleading the people on the outcome of the National Conference, he said the conference did not favour the Southwest region.

    Akinriade also lamented that the region is still being marginalised by the Federal Government,  adding that nothing has changed, except the appointment of Brig-Gen. Jones Arogbofa as the Chief of Staff to the President.

    On the conference report, he said: “There are certain things that are sacrosanct to the Yoruba people. For instance, when we talk about true federalism, you don’t just do it on paper. All the elements that go with it like derivation, fiscal federalism, you must have responsibilities. Where are the powers which will be used to discharge the responsibilities? You don’t give me a state police and say that there is a national police being paid for by the central government, which people are free to use. But, if I want a state police, that I must pay for it myself. That is not a fair way to organize federalism.

    “The major issue is that we wanted a government that is more accountable to the people, a government that is close to the people. It is the parliamentary system that gives that kind of atmosphere. There was no reasonable discussion, not to talk about the merit of it. It was not the kind of assembly that I like; when you are given three minutes to talk.”

    Akinriade said the Yoruba Assembly will remain committed to the Yoruba Agenda and continue to raise public consciousness about its objectives.

    He said the Ibadan meeting has led to a re-awakening in the Southwest.

    Akinrinade said Afenifere chieftains were not speaking the mind of Yoruba when they endorsed the President for a second term. He said:” It is difficult to explain in a non-offensive way. There are challenges in Yorubaland. There are group of people who sold us for pittance. They misled us by trying to move us into what they call mainstream politics. All those who stood against it became their enemies. “There are all sorts of things going on around town about some of our eminent politicians, which people don’t want to recognise. But, I believe during this hours of need in Yorubaland, some people stood up and did very well. If not for them, we should have been in the mainstream politics of Nigeria and that is not a very good idea. It is full of corruption, almost brigandage and we cannot accept that for the Yoruba people.

    “There is this group that says they endorsed the Presidency of Jonathan for another four years. You can do that anytime, but you cannot do it on behalf of the Yoruba people. You don’t have to do that for me. I don’t believe that everybody in Yorubaland would like to support Jonathan. We have always been broad minded people who can think and decide what they want. You have to convince them about it. I am not convinced that the so-called elders were now looking at the Yoruba agenda viz-aviz what we went to do in Abuja and what the results are.”

  • Akinrinade calls for national conference

    The Nigerian civil war settled nothing so Nigerians should convoke an assembly to discuss and settle the country’s problems, Lt.-Genl Alani Akinrinade, a retired Chief of Army Staff and civil war hero has said.

    He spoke with top editors, led by Sam Omatseye, the Editorial Board Chairman of The Nation.

    Gen. Akinriande said most of the problems that caused the civil war were still around today, under different names, echoing the title of Brig-Gen. Godwin Alabi-Isama’s Civil War memoirs: The Tragedy of Victory, to be presented to the public on July 18.

    “I think that we have been a bit negligent,” he told the editors in the corroborative interview to confirm some claims by Gen. Alabi-Isama, who was his colleague at the Third Marine Commando sector of the war.

    The Civil War raged from 1967 till 1970.

    “We should have taken stock of what factors caused the war, dissected them one by one, and sit down to resolve them so that such problems never happen again,” he said.

    “It is better we sit down and really resolve this problem in the interest of everybody. Let’s recognise the problems that we have in the country.”

    He recalled the death of Isaac Adaka Boro, the Niger Delta folk hero and leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force. The group was the first to highlight federal attention to the region’s environmental challenge and concluded that the cause for which Boro died, after he helped to capture Port Harcourt for the federal troops, had not been realised.

    “What Boro stood for, we have refused to address till tomorrow. But if we don’t address these issues,” he warned, “Nigeria is not going to go very far.”

    Gen. Akinrinade predicted that the Goodluck Jonathan Presidency would not solve the Niger Delta problem anymore than the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidency solved the Yoruba problem.

    “Well, I’m sorry for them,” he said of the Niger Delta political elite. “All they do now is to want to hold the Presidency, which the Yoruba held for eight years and were worse for it. When they hold it for eight years,” he warned, “they would also be worse off for it.”

    •Full text of the interview will be published tomorrow.

     

     

  • Akinrinade calls for devolution of powers

    Akinrinade calls for devolution of powers

    The Convener of Yoruba General Assembly, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, has reiterated his call for the devolution of powers in the country. He said this is the first critical step in repositioning the polity for true federalism.

    Akinrinade spoke at the Oodua Foundation Conference in Delaware, United States of America (USA) on the topic: “Time for strategic thinking and action”. He urged the people of the Yoruba race to protect its civilisation as an integral part of Nigeria.

    The retired General pointed out that the pro-democracy crusaders, who lost the ‘June 12’ battle, following the death of its symbol, Chief Moshood Abiola, have also not succeeded in their call for a Sovereign National Conference. He recalled that he had reiterated this when the leaders of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) advised those in exile to return home in 1998 to participate in the transition programmes.

    He said: “We thought that the issue of a Sovereign National Conference to work out the parameters for keeping Nigeria united for stellar achievement in the comity of nations and for development-oriented governance of the various nationalities in the country was crucial, if the Yoruba nation and other nationalities in the country are to avoid a repeat of what happened to Abiola and Yoruba nation after the June 12, 1993 presidential election”.

    Akinrinade echoed the decision of the Yoruba Assembly at Ibadan, Oyo State, submitting that Yoruba sons and daughters are clamouring for the right structure that can allow each nationality to thrive in an atmosphere of freedom and respect for the various worldviews that exist in the country. He also recalled that the Assembly set up a Yoruba Constitutional Commission to pursue a non-violent struggle for true federalism and regional autonomy.

    The retired General said that, if the commission works hard, it would have confronted the challenge of achieving a conducive political structure for the growth and refinement of Yoruba civilisation and the civilisation of other nationalities within the context of a united Nigeria.

    Urging the Yoruba to have faith in the regional integration agenda, Akinrinade said efforts are on to re-educate the governors of the fragmented Southwest geo-political zone to see themselves, not as the managers of fiefdoms, but as governors of sections of a civilisation that can be better advanced by internal cooperation in a country where funds are doles out to states by the central government.

    Lamenting the way the issues of indigeneship and residency are been handled by the federal lawmakers in the constitution review, he said proposing laws that dictate the process of indigenising migrants from other indigenous communities across the country may be controversial.

    Akinrinade stressed: “In other federations of the world, governments make laws to protect the rights of citizenship through residency laws crafted by each state, but our own central government is trying to decide when an Ijaw, Fulani, Igbo man must become indigenes of Ife, Ondo, Ijebu, Oyo, Ijesa, Ekiti. Some lawmakers are even calling for the creation of grazing zones all over the country for cattle, even after it has become clear that deadly conflicts happen almost daily between herders and farmers. the same lawmakers appear unaware of the developments in the science and business of animal husbandry in the modern world.

  • Dangote, Akinrinade, Falana, others condole with Fayemi on deputy’s death

    Dangote, Akinrinade, Falana, others condole with Fayemi on deputy’s death

    THE President of Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has joined other eminent and well meaning Nigerians in mourning the late Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka. Dangote, who paid a condolence visit to Governor Kayode Fayemi, at the Government House in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, described the death of Mrs. Olayinka as a great loss not only to Ekiti State but the entire country. Former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt.-Gen. Alani Akinrinade; the Senator representing Ondo North Prof. Ajayi Boroffice; Ekiti State Caucus in the House of Representatives, and Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) also visited. The Representatives include Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, Chief Robinson Ajiboye, Dr. Ife Arowosoge and Mr. Bamidele Faparusi. Dangote said: “It is a great loss and all of us will end up leaving one day. At God’s appointed time, all of us will leave. “We pray for the repose of her soul, we urge her family to take it easy although it is not easy to lose somebody of that status. “She has served the people well, she has served the state well and she has served you (Fayemi) well.” Dangote, in the condolence register,wrote: “This is a great loss not only to the people and government of Ekiti State but to Nigeria at large. “May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace”. Akinrinade wrote: “You hardly let us know that you were enduring so much pain and anxiety. You were always cheerful and diligent in your contributions to our struggle. “We are all grateful to have you with us. May your gentle soul rest in peace.” Boroffice said Mrs. Olayinka made a remarkable impact within the short time she found herself in politics and added value to governance. The senator said the late deputy governor emerged on the scene at a time when there were few women in politics and went on to make a difference as acknowledged by all. Boroffice wrote: “It is my belief that our great sister has been translated from mortality to immortality. The legacy she leaves behind will continue to inspire us to give more to our people.” Bamidele who spoke on behalf of the House of Representatives members from the state said Ekiti people and other Nigerians mourning Mrs. Olayinka have no choice but to come to terms with her death. He said, “The Ekiti State Government under your leadership knows that you did your best to keep her alive. There is little we can do other than accepting this as a reality of life. “We pray that God will grant you the fortitude to bear this loss and God will grant you the grace and wisdom to fill the vacuum that has just been created.” Falana said Mrs. Olayinka emerged a leader in the state by dint of hard work and “conducted herself with grace and sartorial elegance”. The rights activist revealed that Mrs. Olayinka told him to be free to criticize the government when necessary saying she took all her criticisms with grace and maturity. Falana said further: “I could remember that during my daughter’s wedding in Lagos, she made it despite her critical health condition at that time and she sang and danced vigorously. “She and the governor impressed me with their tenacity in the struggle to reclaim the mandate and after their inauguration, she urged me to remain critical of the government. “We are not mourning her but we are celebrating her. She and the governor transformed Ekiti State from the land of brigandage to the land of honour.” Former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran described Mrs. Olayinka as a conscientious and patriotic Nigerian who demonstrated great discipline, humility and loyalty in public service. He prayed God to console the family of the deceased and the people of Ekiti State on the loss. Fayemi in his response thank his visitors for their support saying nobody can question God on the death of his deputy. The governor described Mrs. Olayinka’s death as a collective loss to everybody and a grief that is shared by all. Fayemi said, “This is a collective loss to all of us, we all share in the grief. It is a loss to our party, a loss to our state and a loss to all of us. “She put in her very best even at the height of excruciating pain, she was ready to bear the pain of others. We cannot question God, He knows best, his plan is not our plan. “God knows why He took her away from us, away from the trials and temptations of this world. “We shall miss her greatly and her immediate family, we will miss her tremendously. Other personalities who visited include former military governor of old Rivers State, Air Vice Marshal Ernest Adeleye (rtd) and chairman of the board of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Mr. Jide Adeniyi