It was Eleanor Roosevelt who posited that no one could make you a slave
\nwithout your consent. Some of us have resolved not to continue as slaves.
\nAnd we will get our freedom. It is not a matter of if, but that of when.
\nWe are determined to put off the Hausa\/Fulani chains of bondage and be
\nfree. We are determined, to strive, struggle and fight for as long as it
\ntakes to break loose from the subjugation and yoke of \u00a0vampire neo-
\ncolonialists.
\nThe struggle would take so many shapes. There would be high and lows.
\nThere would be victories along the way and occasional setbacks. But
\nnothing, no force, no person or group of persons would be able to impede
\nthe MARCH OF FREEDOM and the MARCH TO FREEDOM.
\nLIBERTY is a costly product. It is invaluable. But its indispensability
\nmakes its cost easier to bear. As we engage in this fateful endeavour,
\nthere would be a lot of crisis internally and externally. Some of our own
\nwould fight us, label us, call us names, trivialize us, mock us and
\nridicule us. That is expected. It comes with the territory. At least, that
\nis what History teaches us.
\nIt was the German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 \u2013 1860) who once
\ncontended as follows:
\n\u201cAll truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second,
\nit is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.\u201d
\nRight now, the Biafran struggle is stepping on the third stage, while the
\nstruggle for the birth of \u00a0O\u00f2du\u00e0 Nation is in the middle of the first
\nstage as defined by Schopenhauer. But contemporary events are conspiring
\nto launch it into the second stage. I, however hope that this struggle to
\nbe free by the Yoruba would be able to skip the second stage to the third
\none. Time will however tell on this.
\nThe year Schopenhauer died (1860) was when Theodore Herzl was born. Herzl
\nwas the first man to moot the idea of an Israeli State in his published
\nwork \u00a0 Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State) of 1896. Herzl and his ideas were
\nvilified by the Jewish establishment throughout Europe, and other
\ncontinents. His ideas were perceived \u201cboth as threatening their efforts
\ntoward acceptance and integration in their resident countries and as
\nrebellion against the will of God.\u201d\u00a0But adamant and convinced of his
\nstance having analyzed the situation correctly he went ahead in a speech
\non September 3, 1897 to say the following:
\n\u201cAt Basle I found the Jewish State, If I said this out loud today, I would
\nbe answered by universal laughter. Perhaps in five years and certainly in
\nfifty years, everyone will know it.\u201dAnd exactly fifty years on May 14,
\n1948, the Jewish State of Israel was born. And everyone has known it.
\nFor those who seek nothing but happiness, self respect and dignity among
\nthe Yoruba people, we have had enough “\u00e0p\u00e1r\u00ed isu” in Nigeria. It is time
\nto embrace our DESTINY in a new but NATURAL NATION of O\u00f2du\u00e0. It is time to
\nthrow off the yoke of slavery and subjugation. It is time to throw away
\nthe adornment of second class citizenship.
\nThere are still many among the Yoruba tied to the aprons of the evil
\ncountry called Nigeria. Not because they are oblivious of its
\nundesirability, but because they are still hoping to help themselves with
\nthe loot available at the center. They know Nigeria is structured in a
\nmanner where you can be a vagabond and still be in power. They are well
\naware that such behavior would be suicidal in the coming O\u00f2du\u00e0 Nation.
\nThose are the kind of people insisting on Yoruba remaining as part of evil
\ncontraption called Nigeria. They are the arijenimodarus, alatenujes, often
\nmanipulative, traitorous and diabolical. But as in all acts that are
\nantithetical to nature, they live on borrowed time and are draped in the
\ntapestry of alternative reality.
\nAs for me, Nigeria has killed itself in my heart. Nigeria has murdered
\nitself in my consciousness. Nigeria has excommunicated itself from my
\npsyche. Even, some of the times, when I look for a straw to hold on to,
\nsuch, more often than not, turns out to be a mirage.
\nAs I write this, the imminence of O\u00f2du\u00e0 Nation is more certain than ever
\nbefore. The Stars are aligning. The divine hand of God Almighty is
\nstretched out in its favour. The heavenly warriors are arraigned in its
\nsupport.
\nThe coming and birthing of O\u00d2DU\u00c0 NATION is more inevitable than before.
\nThat it would be great is not contestable. The character and nature of the
\nYoruba Culture would be the engine that would drive it. Our Language would
\nbe our lingua franca and would be spoken at the United Nation. Millions of
\npeople across the world would as a matter of class, Civilisation and
\neducation show off their knowledge of and the ability to speak Yoruba,
\ncurrently being taught in 115 degree awarding universities in the US
\nalone.
\nOur culture would be rejuvenated and given a pride of place. Our values
\nwould be decontaminated to cleanse it of the reeking stains of several
\ndecades in the dungeon of Nigeria. Our philosophical world view would
\ndominate our ways of life. While there would still be human foibles and
\nimperfections, it would be our own and we shall deal with it our own way.
\nEconomically, we have all the resources we would ever need and more.
\nSocially we have our culture to fall back on. Politically, our sagacity
\nwould engender a convenient marriage between our past, our present in
\nbuilding a great future, a great Nation. The most important resource is
\nthe human resources. It would be unleashed in a manner the world has never
\nseen before.<\/p>\n
Though, force may not be mutually exclusive to every struggle for freedom,
\nevery struggle for self determination does not necessarily have to begin
\nand or end with a bullet. The struggle for the emergence of \u00a0O\u00f2du\u00e0 Nation
\ndoes not necessarily have to be violent and or bloody. It is better fought
\nwith ideas, sound, logical and well thought out ideas.
\nWhile bullets can be seized, AK 47s rounded up and armoured vehicles
\nconfiscated, ideas can never be conscripted, especially that which time
\nhas come. It can never be rounded up, confiscated or be imprisoned. No
\nselfish leader no matter how rich and influential can even frustrate it.
\nNo chain can hold down an idea. No walls can limit its movement. No army
\ncan defeat it.
\nDon’t call me a Nigerian. I can’t be a citizen of an amorphous and amoebic
\nentity; confused, contused, oppressive, enslaving, degrading, denigrating,
\ndehumanizing, frustrating, murderous, unfeeling, uncaring, predatory and
\ndestructive. No! No!!No!!! I AM NOT A NIGERIAN.
\nI am OMO O\u00d2DU\u00c0. I am Yoruba, with a specific and unique identity. I am
\nfrom a stock of proud ancestors, with a great History, a great heritage. A
\nrace which though, is imperfect, is PRIMUS INTER PARES. A race that is
\ncivilized before Civilisation and that can still do great things when
\ncleanly, clearly and completely divorced from the tragedy called NIGERIA.
\nI AM NOT NIGERIAN.
\nI AM OODUAN!
\n“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been
\ngranted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do
\nnot shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it.
\n-John F. Kennedy
\nPlease, follow me on Twitter @Oyeyemiremi
\nSent from Yahoo Mail on Android<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It was Eleanor Roosevelt who posited that no one could make you a slave without your consent. Some of us have resolved not to continue as slaves. And we will…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n