A well-known Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, has announced his plan to lead a ‘Yoruba Nation’ protest in Lagos State on July 3, 2021.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki, Igboho announced that the rally would hold at Freedom Park in Ojota.
He said, “We are sending a peaceful message to Governor Sanwo-Olu. We do not mind any other person who is saying we should not come to Lagos. Sanwo-Olu is the chief security officer of the land and we are coming to Lagos. July 3rd is the most important date; nobody can say we should not come to Lagos. It is a peaceful rally.”
However, the Lagos police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he is not aware of the rally.
Also, the Yoruba Nation group, in a statement issued its chairman, Phillip Idaewor, argued that the rally might be hijacked by hoodlums to unleash terror on Lagos residents.
The statement read; “We are not opposed to the ideas of making Nigeria work better for the many and not the few,” the group said in a statement.
“Indeed, our party promised restructuring of Nigeria in our manifesto and it is our view that this remains the best course of action to reclaim the narrative from citizens who now feel alienated both from the government and country.
“Considering the state of insecurity that the government is battling across the country, we feel that the rally is ill-timed.
“No doubt, people have rights all over the world to peaceful protests but the situation in the country is such that all efforts must be geared to stop any gathering or association that may further worsen the security situation in the country.
“We urge Yoruba youths and supporters of Igboho to encourage him to pull back on this mission as it may lead to loss of lives and destruction of property. Our main concern is about our Lagos,” part of the group’s statement read.
“We believe in one Nigeria and we must not allow those calling for its breakup to tear us apart irrespective of challenges currently faced by the nation. This is the historical beckoning to Nigerians to keep working hard towards a united country.
“As diaspora Nigerians, we know from the experience of mixing with people from around the world, that Africa more than ever before, needs Nigeria to become a strong, stable and prosperous country.”
