Mr. Olufemi Adegoke, the late father of Nigerian-British leader of the United Kingdom (UK) Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch once said in 2021 that Sunday Igboho, the leader of Yoruba separatist movement had the right to call for secession of the Yoruba ethnic group from Nigeria.
During an interview with BBC Yoruba, Adegoke, who was president of Voice of Reason (VOR), a group of Yoruba professionals campaigning for good governance in Nigeria, noted that Igboho is a brave man but only kicked against his alleged endorsement 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.”
He also expressed support for restructuring Nigeria, advocating for a new constitution that stresses regional governance.
“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.
Sunday Igboho gained prominence after demanding that herdsmen from northern Nigeria leave the south-west.
He fled the country in July 2021 after the Department of State Services (DSS) raided his residence, alleging that he was stockpiling weapons. Igboho was later arrested in Benin Republic and detained until late 2023 before returning to Nigeria in February 2024.
Kemi Badenoch, who has stirred discussions about her ties to Nigeria, recently stated that she identifies more with her Yoruba ethnicity than with Nigeria as a whole.
“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’s depiction of Nigeria as a “socialist nation brimming with thieving politicians and insecurity” has drawn criticism, including from Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who dismissed her remarks and suggested she consider changing her first name if she no longer wishes to associate with Nigeria.