A
socio-cultural organisation, the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), has called on
the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
to stop playing the ostrich and speak up now on the controversies surrounding
the new security initiative – Operation Amotekun – recently launched by the
Southwest governments.
The Federal government (through the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
the Federation), Abubakar Malami, had declared the initiative illegal, while
southwest governors and major stakeholders in the region insist they have
carried major stakeholders in the Federal government along since the idea was
first muted in July 2019.
Tinubu, who is the leader of the southwest APC that currently controls five out of the six states in the zone, has remained tight-lipped, and the YCE, Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, as well as Yoruba Ronu are deeply troubled by his failure to speak.
The Secretary-General of YCE, Dr. Kunle
Olajide, reportedly said that Tinubu’s silence on Amotekun is worrisome, and
gives the impression that he has abandoned the governors, who took
the laudable initiative, amidst the rising wave of insecurity across
Yoruba land at the mercy of the “almighty federal authority.”
According to Olajide: “One would have expected Tinubu to speak up. His silence
is not inspiring to most of us because it is incumbent on every reasonable
Yoruba person to speak on insecurity confronting us since APC came into power
in 2015. YCE is not particularly happy about his silence.”
Olajide urged the media to approach Tinubu to speak up on the issue because his
voice as the political leader of the zone in the APC is important. “The entire
Yoruba nation supports what the governors have done in setting up Operation
Amotekun, but the Federal Government just came up to declare it illegal.
Tinubu’s silence is absolutely worrisome.”
Afenifere, through its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin said
Tinubu’s voice is irrelevant in this situation since the governors and the
entire Yoruba nation have taken a position on how to provide security for their
lives and property.
According to Afenifere: “Anybody who speaks up or not on this issue does so for
his/her sake, and the Yoruba future. Operation Amotekun transcends party
affiliation because Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who is deeply involved
is a member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while governors Kayode Fayemi
and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ekiti and Ondo states spearheading it are of APC. And
most other dignitaries backing Amotekun have no political leanings.”
But for the President of
Yoruba Ronu, Mr. Akin Malaolu, Tinubu is not in government, therefore he does not
have the power to speak for or against Amotekun.
“It is true Tinubu’s followers and all concerned
Yoruba people would have expected him to take a position on the issue, but we
at Yoruba Ronu feel it is not yet appropriate for him to talk since the governors
and Federal government are still discussing on the issue, while we also believe
that deliberation would be ongoing at APC levels of which Tinubu would be
involved.”
But surprisingly, a factional chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of APC, Mr. Fouad
Oki wondered what the people expected Tinubu to say on Amotekun now when the
governors, who planned the new security initiative did not carry him along
during the process.
He sais: “We must first and foremost establish whether the governors appropriately
sought Tinubu’s input on Amotekun when they were planning it, and when it was
launched? I am not advocating for anybody.”
Reports say Tinubu’s spokesman, Mr. Tunde Rahman, failed to respond to several
calls made to his mobile phone. But the report quoted an unnamed sources as
assuring that Tinubu would soon speak on the matter.
Meanwhile, the Yoruba within and outside the country have been urged to file out on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, in support of Operation Amotekun.
The protest code-named “Amotekun Solidarity Walk,” which is being organised by Yoruba World Congress (YWC), an umbrella body of all Yoruba socio-cultural and self-determination groups within and beyond the country, will take place in all states capital in the South West.
- Media Report