Olu Falae
Former Finance Minister, Chief Samuel Oluyemisi Falae, has made a statement saying that the Yorubas are the glue holding Nigeria together.
Olu Falae said that the Yorubas have invested a lot into the country and they wouldn’t risk that for a secession.
He said in the media interview that when insecurities and crisis affect the country , Nigerians usually find solace in Yorubaland.
He said “Yorubaland is the refugee camp of Nigeria… where everybody is accepted and looked after”
He spoke on restructuring the country and how that would solve a large chunk of Nigeria’s problems, especially insecurity.
During the interview, the elder statesman said,
“We have invested, perhaps, more than most groups in Nigeria. To prove my point, if there is a crisis in the East today, where do people rush to? The South-West. If there is a crisis in the North, where will they run to? The South-West.
“This is the refugee camp of Nigeria. This is where everybody is welcome, accepted and looked after. That is the investment of peace we have been making from time immemorial.
“Yorubaland has been the glue that holds Nigeria. If the South-West says it wants to secede, the Middle-Belt will fight us because they see Yoruba as the cement that holds Nigeria.
“During the Civil War, when the Igbo went home, Governor Mobolaji Johnson looked after their property for them. Rents were in the banks. When they returned, their money was given to them to start life all over again.
“That is a fact. But the property they left in Port Harcourt was taken over by their neighbours. It took several years before some of them were returned to the owners.
“We have demonstrated that we are the most accommodating; we are the cementing culture in Nigeria. So, there is no way we can secede. This is our home.”
He also said that the aim of Amotekun was not for a secession as the South-west stood for a united Nigeria.