Being text of a press conference addressed by Yoruba Nation Self Determination Group on the state of the nation today 1st August 2023.
Fellow Nigerians, sons and daughters of Yoruba Nation here present, my Lord’s spiritual and temporal, members of the press, ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to this press conference on the state of the nation.
Yoruba Nation Self Determination Group Appeals To Nigerians For Understanding With Tinubu Administration
– Warns Against Incitement and Anarchy in Yorubaland
The Yoruba Nation Self Determination Group as a foremost self determination group in Nigeria is appealing to Nigerians, most especially sons and daughters of Yoruba extraction to be patient and show understanding with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration as he battles to re-engineer Nigeria politically, socially and economically amidst the excruciating pains arising from the necessary and inevitable removal of fuel subsidy and other economic policies geared towards the economic prosperity of Nigeria and her people.
We are all aware that on assuming office on May 29th 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced some economic measures to set Nigeria and the Yoruba Nation on the right path by removing fuel subsidy as well as unifying the foreign exchange market. This policy direction by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has earned it local and international accolades as not only a step in the right direction, but timely.
We all know that over the years, from even the days of military dictatorship, the issue of fuel subsidy payments has been a contentious one between the government and the citizenry. The debate of the effect of fuel subsidy payment on the economy became acknowledged as an albatross that had to be dispensed with, in order to stop the hemorrhage of the commonwealth by a select few at the expense of the vast majority of our people.
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Thus, the 2023 appropriation act as approved by the national assembly during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari only made provisions for fuel subsidy payments to end in June 2023. Thus, on assuming office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took the bold and commendable action of announcing the implementation of the policy as inherited from his predecessor.
Yes, we are aware that the aftermath of the removal of fuel subsidy has resulted in economic hardship for all Nigerians irrespective of status. We are also aware that President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly called for perseverance and understanding from Nigerians to bear the pain temporarily, that after darkness comes a new dawn, and it is on this premise of Mr President’s call, that we are appealing to Nigerians bear the pains today for a better tomorrow for all of us.
Even as we are all groaning economically in the aftermath of the fuel subsidy removal, we cannot run away from the fact that the gains from this policy has started manifesting in terms of the humongous savings that has been made which could have been frittered away for fuel subsidy payments. A clear example is the unprecedented federal allocation of N1.959 trillion naira for the three tiers of government for the month of June 2023. Even the World Bank acknowledged that by December 2023, we would have saved about N3.9 trillion naira from subsidy removal.
From the economic standpoint, the gains from this economic policy and others, though it has come with initial pains and inconveniences, is enourmous and long lasting and we can only appeal to Nigerians to bear the pains with the understanding that it is for our collective tomorrow.
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We are making this appeal of understanding from Nigerians because of the track record of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a promise keeper and due to the efforts we can see from his pronouncements in galvanizing the other tiers of government to rise up to the occasion in providing palliatives to soothe the economic pains of Nigerians for the time being, till the gains of the economic policy begins to manifest fully for the economic prosperity of Nigerians.
However, we are sad and pained to note that some persons and interest have continued to play politics with this sensitive issue of the economic wellbeing of Nigerians through mischief and incitement to breed bad blood and stoke anarchy between Nigerians and the government, and we are saying, Enough is Enough!
We want to use this medium to sound a note of warning to would be trouble makers and agents of anarchy to steer clear of Yorubaland, that as defenders of the Yoruba Nation and her culture, we are more than prepared to shed our blood to uphold it’s peace, tranquility and progress. We would not fold our arms and watch Yorubaland being turned into a battlefield for killings, maiming and destruction of lives and properties like in the 2020 EndSARS protests, under the guise of protest and rallies by whoever and for whatever reason.
We remain eternally vigilant to protect Yorubaland with every means at our disposal and must warn intruders whose only political and economic preoccupation is to despoil Yorubaland and our heritage, to think twice, because like our people say, Thunder does not strike twice in the same spot, Never!
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A word is enough for the wise.
Oodua a gbe wa o!
Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Sunday Adebayo
Gen. Secretary, Yoruba Nation Self Determination Group
1st August 2023.
