BEING COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE TWO DAY STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP MEETING OF THE COALITION OF OODUA SELF DETERMINATION GROUPS (COSEG) HELD BETWEEN SATURDAY 20TH AND SUNDAY 21ST FEBRUARY 2021 AT MOUSA CAFE, COTONOU.
That Coalition Of Oodua Self Determination Groups( COSEG) leaders met in Cotonou ,Benin Republic between Saturday 20th of February,2021 and Sunday , February,2021,discussed several matters affecting the yorubas of the southwest of Nigeria and were able to be equally briefed by the several committees earlier set up on various crises in several Yoruba states and reports on researches by eminent scholars commissioned were also received.
After a thorough analysis and comprehensive examination of all these, following descisions were taken and they are:
(1) That Nigeria is going down the drain and moving towards the brisk as President Mohammad Buhari not doing enough to wholistically put a permanent solution to the problem being posed by the criminal elements of the Fulani people who are known as herdsmen and have been using thier freedom to infringe on other people's right to live and farm. We wish to state clearly that where somebody freedom ends,someone freedom starts too. Therefore, their freedom to herd should not be used to destroy people's property,farm and agricultural outputs which several sweat, labour and financial resources have been put into.
We therefore call on president Buhari to as a matter of fact liase with the National assembly to provide a legislation that will stop open grazing.
(2) That, it is a fact that criminals are embedded in all tribes and these elements have always been condemned by all at several times but clearly it must be known that kidnapping of our people and raping of our women of recent, have become stock in trade of the Fulani criminals who consistently crawled to our Yoruba states in the recent time in the night with the purpose of causing harm to our people, destroying and disposessing them of their properties at times when thier reckless attitudes are challenged.
That Mr president should sincerely direct the security agencies to arrest any criminal pretending to be herdsmen who have caused and are still causing havoc on our people's farm and properties. So many fulani criminals have been reported at several police stations till date but have not been apprehended by the police because they are seen as untouchables as the presidency officials have made them to be having been defended at several times by Garba Sheu,a presidency officials who never know that his actions and utterances have emboddened the criminals. It therefore agreed that President Buhari should caution his officials personal or official utterances on issues that border on herdsmen recklessness and criminality. These utterances have overheated the polity,caused suspicions and can trigger unnecessary calamities.
(3)That flowing from above, yorubas are not happy the way issues raised above have been handled and this has increased our past and recent fears of a methodological and consistent plan of a section of Hausa Fulani to torment and dominate the yorubas who believe that we have equal opportunity in Nigeria State. This has always promoted the general concern and belief of Yorubas in self rule outside Nigeria and this concern must be addressed by President Buhari who we worked and voted for because of our trust in him and the belief that this concern will be addressed by positively turn around Nigeria and address the issues sorroundig the lost confidence the yorubas have in Nigeria.
The meeting agreed that there is still ample time for the president to do the above ad we therefore call o him to urgently address this issue and put everything in place to renew or win back the confidence and believe of Yorubas in Nigeria.
(4) That we condemn in entirety the reckless statement accredited to the Bauchi State Governor. That there is nothing metaphoric in his statement made as it was a direct and clear one stating the odd, unbelievable and illegal reasons why Fulani herdsmen carry Ak47. These statement is reckless,arrogant and inciting. If this is the reality as they want it,there will be nothing bad to not to support some calls in some quarters calling our farmers to carry AK47 to defend themselves too.
The Statement by the Governor has shown where and who instructed the Fulani Herdsmen to carry guns but let this be known that it is not only illegal to carry AK47 guns as they have been told to do by the Bah Governor but also a lead to anachy.
Thus COSEG calls on Buchi State Governor to tender an UNRESERVED APOLOGY to Nigerians who believe in law and orde who constitutionally believe in illegality of carrying unlicensed guns and also in his apology should be instruction to his kinsmen to drop their AK47.
(5) That Lagos is the Economic hub and the commercial headquarter of the Yorubas and as such, we shall defend it with the last blood of our bodies. W shall not allow it to go down again as was methodologically carried out during the last End Sars protest where our heritage,people's homes and properties were destroyed.
It is in the light of this that we warn seriously any elements or groups planning such should desist. We shall not hesitate to take on or challenge such group or groups. Lagos must grow to its full potential. We must strive to develop it and not to destroy it. As promised by the Governor of the State, Governor Sanwoolu,it must move towards a smart city competing with other notable cities of the world.This will be our joy.
(6) That with president Buhari addressing all our concerns mentioned and renewing the confidence of the Yorubas in Nigeria, It is our believe that 2023 will be a peaceful,reassuring one and a year ushering a Yoruba president that will make Nigeria great.
Such Yoruba president must not only be blessed with knowledge,intellect, experience but must also be Godly. This will justify the mutual trusts generally in existence and confidence among regions whose majority of it's people work for the emergence of the current president, president Muhammad Buhari. Leadership is based on trust,sincerity and honesty. These bring respect and lack of it diminish ones value and history may not not smile on who looses it.
We therefore call on president Buhari to stand tall and do the needful without allowing power seekers to derail the astute respect we have for him as we supported him unrelentesly, wholeheartedly and without looking back 2015 till date.
Finally, we still believe as we have re- iterated severally that a restructured Nigeria will take us to eldorado. That without restructuring, Nigeria will still be stagnant as so many systems currently in place cannot and will never make Nigeria a better place to live and no matter how good or how good intentioned the president is ,with this current system in place, Nigeria will not grow and will never take it deserving place in the comity of the Nations.
We therefore call on president Buhari to liase with the National assembly and appropriate Authorities to form a perfect synergy and organise a sincere National conference that will genuinely address the problems of Nigeria.
We believe in him,we believe him in his capacity and sense of leadership,that was why we supported and voted him massively. We know that there is still ample time to organise this conference that will promote him the more and put him in a special place in the annals of history of leaders that decisevly saves thier country.
We know as we make this passionate appeal to the president,some in their usual trade may discourage him but we call on the Vice president, other Yoruba Ministers in his cabinet like Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who has a foundamental and a deep understanding of restructuring ,
Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Mamowora etall and the incubent speaker of the House of Representatives to instill on the president and remind him of the reasons why a focussed and sincere National conference is unavoidable.
Signed
Dayo Ogunlana
Chairman COSEG Cordinating Committe
Dele Daramola
Publicity Secretary
COSEG Cordinating Committe
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