Southwest Muslim youths distance selves from Oduduwa Republic

Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) and the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) Tuesday disclosed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, that Muslims in the South West region were not part of the recent call for the creation of Oduduwa Republic in Nigeria as being championed by Professor Banji Akintoye.

According to MSSN B-Zone Amir, Barrister Qaasim Odedeji, at a press conference jointly organised by MSSN B-Zone and NACOMYO Southern Nigeria, while appealing to all Yoruba to shun any rally in the name of Oduduwa Republic, they also condemned the agitation for secession or creation of Oduduwa Republic, stressing that “the agitation is not only unwarranted and uncalled for, it is also ill-motivated and devilish”.

In his words: “The secessionist groups have not only chosen a name for their proposed republic, they have also designed its currency which has been paraded on social media. In order to gain a global attention for their agitation, Yoruba World Congress has planned a rally to be held on the 1st day of October, the Nigeria Independence Day. It is a good development that many other Yoruba groups and some eminent personalities in Yorubaland have dissociated themselves from secessionists agenda and their planned October 1 rally.

“We, however, want to make our voice loud and speak in one voice, as the major Muslim Youths of Yoruba extraction, also condemn in stronger term any agitation for secession or creation of Oduduwa Republic. It is our considered view that the agitation is not only unwarranted and uncalled for, it is also ill-motivated and devilish. It is a call for war and bloodshed and we, as critical stakeholders, will not allow individuals or groups of people acting in their own selfish and parochial interest, to drag us into an unnecessary war.” (New Telegraph)