A coalition of Yoruba social groups, under the auspices of Egbé Omo Yoruba North America, has said an array of Yoruba leaders and committed men and women from various groups and organisations would converge for a summit to brainstorm on how to move the Yoruba nation forward in the Nigeria federation.
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This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman of the group, Prof. Segun Gbadegesin, who said the e-summit which will commence as Weekly Virtual Summits on the Zoom platform from Saturday, June 11, 2022, to August 6, 2022, tagged “Apéro Yoruba Nilé Loko” will be in collaboration with all major Yoruba organizations.
Gbadegesin said the summit is designed to fashion a way forward for the Yoruba Nation in the midst of socio-economic and political quagmires in the country, and also to tackle h the challenges of the ethnic-national would be discussed and solutions proffered.
According to the statement, “The point of these series of discussions is to look back at our Golden Era as a people, from 1952 to 1966, examine where we are now in the sorry state of our existence in the years of the locusts, from 1967 to date, and map out a future that is deserving of the labours of our heroes past and the aspirations of future generations.
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“This future mapping, with practical ideas of community development, is the highlight of APERO, and it promises a new paradigm which the planners of APERO expect to implement with the support of the Yoruba, both young and old, at home and abroad, especially in the private sector.”
The coalition emphasised that the summit was meant to design how the Yoruba would retrace its footsteps and key into the initial visions of the forerunners of the nation having lost hope in Nigeria.
The statement reads in parts: “With the exigency of time, there is a crying need for a new trajectory, and the evolution of a new social order to guide and realign the Yoruba with the vision of our late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, whose progressive agenda championed the cause of the proverbial common man.
“We must go back to our source and build on the labour of our heroes’ past for the future that we crave. APERO planners understand the divergence of views on the future of Yorubaland in the context of a paralyzed Nigeria.
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“Between advocates of Yoruba Nation Now and proponents of Restructuring, there is no meeting of minds. APERO provides an opportunity for rational dialogue not only on these alternative visions but also on the concrete developmental issues that we must grapple with no matter what vision we adopt in the end.
“The series of dialogues that comprise APERO will cover every sector of our society and economy, including Education, Health and Social Welfare, Rural Development and Employment Generation, Challenges of Governance, Security Challenges, Renewal of Cultural Values and Norms, Repositioning our Youths, Political Pathways, and A New Paradigm of Development for Yorubaland.”
Calling on all Yoruba sons and daughters to make a date with the group on the e-summit to join hands with respected and patriotic men and women who have agreed to share their knowledge with us on these pressing issues with a view to moving the Yoruba nation forward, the group disclosed that “Invited speakers for the June series of zoom meetings include Prof. Clement Kolawole, Pastor Muyiwa Bamgbose, Dr Oyinkansola Jinadu, Prof. Wale Tomori, Dr John Mabayoje, Prof. Isaac Adewole, Prof. Adewumi Taiwo, and Mr Olawale Rotimi.”
