Renowned Professor of History, Prof. Banji Akintoye says Yoruba people have never demanded the break up of Nigeria and will not do so.
He stated this in an appearance on Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) on Tuesday morning.
The elder statesman said that Yoruba people have only been agitating for freedom and not the nation’s disintegration.
Akintoye noted that Yoruba people, whose population he pegged at 56 million, have always believed in unity.
He stated that no individual among the people could authoritatively say “we are pulling out; an average Yoruba person believes in build – build, not break, break.”
“It has also been recognised that the Yoruba have strong and very clear tradition of religious tolerance in the world.”
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Akintoye expressed hope that a referendum would achieve proper federation instead of Nigeria breaking up.
However, he lamented that over-centralisation of governance remains one of the faults of Nigeria’s present political structure, adding that it had suppressed Yoruba-speaking tribes in the country.
The Yoruba nationalist disclosed that the Yoruba nation has been recently admitted into the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO), which was established to facilitate the voices of unrepresented and marginalised nations and peoples worldwide.
He expressed optimism that the admission would lend global support to the agitation for a better deal for Yoruba people in the affairs of Nigeria.
“With admission to UNPO, we now have an agency that can maximise our voice in what we desire,” the emeritus professor of history stated.