A Knock On Oba Akanbi of Iwo Kingdom's Assertion That Yoruba Nation Will Suffer If We Breakaway From Nigeria.

 

"This piece is not in anyway to insult the exalted office of the Olu Iwo of Iwo land but rather to get the record straight that Yoruba nation will do far better than being under the current situation in a contraption called Nigeria".... David Adenekan.

Kabiyesi o!!!

However, your assertion that Yoruba nation will suffer if we break away from Nigeria is far from the truth. This is not just the economy reality on ground. Kabiyesi, your assertion looks absurd and fallacious to many experts of economic theories in this contemporary world.

This piece is not in anyway to insult the exalted office of the Olu Iwo of Iwo land but rather to get the record straight that Yoruba nation will do far better than being under the current situation in a contraption called Nigeria.

What a shallow thinking for anyone to say Yoruba nation will suffer if she breaks away from Nigeria!

One, do many people, Oba Akanbi inclusive, know that there are many untapped mineral resources like gold, iron ore, uranium, bitumen, zinc, aluminum, bauxite, coal, magnese, iron, lead, crude oil and aluminum in all the states in Yoruba land?

Two, what about the human capacity to translate knowledge into abundant wealth like the situation in Japan? Yes, we have it in abundance. It is just that many of our graduates are unemployed and underemployed due to lack of visionary and purposeful leaders.

Sadly, many of our so called leaders cannot look inward to make things happen. Yes, we only need visionary and purposeful leaders to turn our economy around.

In the days of western region and under the leadership of the late Sage, Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo, some of the backbones of our economy are cash crops like: cocoa, palm oil and cassava. In those days, these agricultural products were not even from Lagos State but from rural agrarian community like Oyo, Ogun and Ondo states.

Also, was our economy not the best in the whole country under a regional government?

Moreover, did we not establish cocoa house in Ibadan; a conglomeration of Oodua Investments that creates jobs and wealth for many of our teaming youths?

Furthermore, did we not make primary and tertiary educations free for all our children? This also includes granting our youths scholarship to study abroad with a promising jobs after they returned back home unlike the brain drain situation that is so prevailing today.

Also, did we not establish one of the best citadels of learning, Obafemi Awolowo University ( OAU) in the country?

In addition, did we not have the first Television station in Africa even before many developing countries like Spain?

Also, did some countries in Latin America like Peru not come to take some of our farming seeds like rice and palm oil as an experiment to grow their agricultural industry?

Today, are these Latin American countries not far better than us in industrialization? They grow their economy to increase their per capital income and simultaneosly improved their standards of living. This is because the level of your standard of living is measured by your per capital income.

Do many like Oba Akanbi of Iwo land understand what is micro and macro economics?

Will it not be ridiculous to base the entire economy of most of the states in western region on government paid jobs when in actual sense there are many resources lying idle?

Suffice to say that is Lagos State really developing or it is just a face value?

Is being able to pay salary of workers the only variable to measure growth and development?

Also, what is the per capital income of average worker in Lagos state? Are many civil servants in Lagos state not living below poverty level? Statistics do not lie?

Hmmm, with due respect, Oba Akanbi of Iwo kingdom needs to hire economic expert to tutor him about economic theories and how it works.

Kabiyesi o!

In summary, Please kindly tell Oba Akanbi of Iwo Kingdom to stop saying what he does not know about the great potentials of a Yoruba nation.

Yes, a Yoruba nation will be the pride of Africa (Ile alawo dudu).

Oodua agbe wa o.

Only time will tell.

David Adenekan writes from Chicago, Illinois