In August 2021, Olufemi Adegoke, father of Kemi Badenoch, leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, praised Sunday Igboho, the Yoruba Nation activist, for his “bravery”.
Adegoke, who was the president of Voice of Reason (VOR) — a group of Yoruba professionals passionate about good governance in Nigeria — told BBC Yoruba that Igboho has the right to call for secession of the Yoruba ethnic group from Nigeria.
In the interview published in August 16, 2021, Adegoke said Igboho, however, crossed the line by allegedly advocating for the use of violence.
“One person can’t fight for secession. It is not possible. A true warlord is the one who knows when to retreat from the war front and when to intensify the war,” Adegoke said.
“It is true that Sunday Igboho is a brave man. He shouted and did his things (referring to the fight for Yoruba Nation). He has the right to let the youths know what is happening, the injustice in the country and that if we secede, it will benefit us.
“But this is not the way to fight for secession. It is not by cutlasses and sticks, it is by wisdom.
“Those who are supporting him are turning him to a god. They are the ones who made him pass his boundary. But there is nothing wrong in him running away from the country.”
During the interview, Adegoke advocated for restructuring and a new constitution for Nigeria.
“We are not talking about succession. What we are saying is that — what we have (resources) in this country is enough for everyone,” he said.
“Give regions the opportunity to protect themselves in their domains. It is not that someone will stay many miles away and dictate how we should govern and educate ourselves. Instead of self-determination, self-governance is our target.”
Adegoke died in January 2022.
Igboho became prominent after he asked herdsmen from northern extraction to leave the south-west geopolitical zone of the country.
In July 2021, Igboho was arrested alongside his wife, Ropo, in Cotonou, Benin Republic, and detained at the request of the Nigerian government.
He fled Nigeria on July 1, 2021, after the Department of State Services (DSS) raided his residence in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
The DSS alleged that Igboho was stockpiling weapons, and subsequently declared him wanted.
Attempts by the Nigerian government to repatriate him to Nigeria after his arrest were unsuccessful.
Igboho was arraigned at the Court D’Apeal in Cotonou and was detained in a prison facility in the country.
In the last quarter of 2023, he was released from the prison custody and he returned to Nigeria in February 2024.
BADENOCH’S COMMENTS
Recently, Badenoch said she identifies more with the Yoruba ethnic group than the Nigerian entity.
The UK parliamentarian said she is proud of her Yoruba ancestry which has given her a “very strong identity”.
The Conservative leader said she “does not have anything in common” with Nigerians from the northern part of the country.
“I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity [Yoruba]. That’s what I really am,” she said in an interview with the Spectator.
“I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where the Islamism is, those were our ethnic enemies and yet you end up being lumped in with those people.”
Badenoch has stirred online conversation about her ties with Nigeria following her criticisms of the country’s governance terrain and society.
In one of her interviews, she described Nigeria as a “socialist nation brimming with thieving politicians and insecurity”.
Badenoch’s criticism of Nigeria caught the attention of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who berated her depiction of Nigeria.
Shettima also advised Badenoch to change her first name if she no longer wants to identify with her homeland.
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