PROFESSOR BANJI AKINTOYE, THE WORLD-WIDE LEADER OF ILANA OMO OODUA, THE YORUBA GLOBAL MOVEMENT AND EMERITUS PROFESSOR EMMANUEL NWANZE, OF UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, HEAD CALL FOR YORUBA AND IGBO TO SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE 

Noting: the history of Yoruba and Igbo relations and the current sorry state of the political and economic situation in Nigeria which is in part caused by the breakdown of trust and harmony between the two ethnic groups. 

And recalling: the following statements by preeminent Igbo and Yoruba nationalists:

“I am humbly of the opinion that the true beginnings of our loss of direction as a nation can be traced directly to the fabrication and installation of what I had earlier called east/west dichotomy”

Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu – Because I am Involved

“I hold it as a fact that if the Action Group and the NCNC, both of which parties have a monopoly of political following in the South, and at least one-third of the political followership in the North, could come together then, they would  . . . infinitely increase the tempo of progress in the Federation as a whole”.

Obafemi Awolowo – The Trial of Obafemi Awolowo

This one-day conference, organised by the Fatherland Group, will examine and discuss the historical context of these statements by these leading statesmen of the Igbo and Yoruba Nations. The central issues to be addressed include:

• Was the east/west dichotomy fabricated and installed, and was it the beginning of Nigeria’s loss of direction, as argued by Ojukwu?

• Why has the political alliance, which Awolowo wanted, never been actualised? 

The event will be supported by Dr Biki Minyuku, former head of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Conference will be followed by musical entertainment from Igbo and Yoruba performing artistes.

DATE: Friday 15th January 2021

TIME: 3pm to 6pm GMT

VENUE: ZOOM

FURTHER INFORMATION: www.fatherlandgroup.org

Speaking ahead of the Conference, the Convener of the Fatherland Group, the Historian and Lawyer Mr. Dele Ogun, said: “Nigeria is in the crisis that it is in today because of the division that was created between the Yoruba and Igbo peoples despite their shared experiences from Operation Wetie to the Biafran War. This division, and the unhealthy rivalry which it has spawned, has not served the interests of either the Yoruba or Igbo peoples nor, indeed, the interests of Nigerians generally. We believe that the crisis at hand calls for the best minds within these two great nations to discuss and reconcile their differences so as to begin to speak with one voice on their shared challenges and to chart a new way forward”.

Fatherland Group is a global network of forward thinking Nigerians armed with a new understanding of our past, our present and our future.

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Yoruba & Igbo Conference: Click here to play the promotional videos and speaker profiles:

https://fatherlandgroup.org/professor-banji-akintoye-the-world-wide-leader-of-ilana-omo-oodua-the-yoruba-global-movement-and-emeritus-professor-emmanuel-nwanze-of-university-of-benin-head-call-for-yoruba-and-igbo-to-spea