A group, Oodua Action Movement (OAM), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to begin the process for an autonomous Yoruba nation as a federating unit in Nigeria.
The group, speaking through its Global Coordinator, Demola Edward, during a press briefing in Abeokuta, at the weekend, said it had observed the continuous degeneration of the country, hence, it demands an “autonomous Yoruba nation.”
OAM, which did not issue an ultimatum to President Buhari, however, declared it reserved the right to actualise an autonomous, self-determining and self-governing nation for the Yoruba region, if the Federal Government failed to grant its request.
Edward, who described OAM as “a group of committed and resilient Yoruba people with over 2,000 members in more than 20 countries,” said the present ‘unitary structure’ of Nigeria had inhibited the country’s growth and prospects, noting the group was ready to work with the Federal Government to a achieve the mission “with peace and due respect to other ethnic units within Nigeria.”
The group further called on other ethnic groups, especially in the northern region, to challenge the status quo and demand the same autonomy for a prosperous Nigeria federation.