Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the acting leader of the Pan-Yoruba sociocultural group, Afenifere, on Saturday said the group was not against the continued stay of the Fulanis in Yorubaland.
He said the group is only asking the criminals among the Fulani to vacate the land.
Pa Adebanjo also reiterated his call on President Muhammadu Buhari to restructure Nigeria, saying only restructuring can save the country from its near precipice.
He spoke at Origbo Anglican Grammar School, Moro, Osun State during the funeral of the late spokesman of the group, Mr. Yinka Odumakin.
The Afenifere leader who has consistently advocated for restructuring said Nigeria has reached a point where restructuring is inevitable if the country must survive.
According to him, only restructuring can save the country from seceding as being advocated in the region.
According to him, restructuring would deepen the corporate existence of Nigeria as a nation and not fragment it.
“When Governor Akeredolu said that Ondo State is not for secession, I am in complete agreement with him because we are also not for secession.
“What we are advocating, what we stand for presently, is for a total restructuring of the country. Restructuring is to consolidate Nigeria and not to break it,” he said.
He however said the group was not asking Fulanis to leave Yorubaland but the criminals and bandits must vacate, adding that the government must apprehend them.
“We are certainly not asking the Fulanis among us to leave. Those we are asking to leave are those among them who engage in various acts of banditry like kidnapping, raping of our women, killing, preventing our farmers from cultivating their farms by grazing on their farms and so on,” he said.
Pa Adebanjo said he was at the final burial of Odumakin who he said was like his grandson because of how much the late Yinka meant to Afenifere.
He paid tribute to Odumakin alongside other dignitaries in attendance including Governors Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State, Kayode Fayemi of Osun and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, among other dignitaries who paid their last respect to the fiery activist and very outspoken Publicity Secretary of the Pan-Yoruba group.
Yinka’s widow, Dr Joe Okei Odumakin, recalled how she and Yinka met in detention and the challenges they went through in fighting for the cause of Yoruba land and Nigeria.
She said if she is to come to this world again, she will like to marry Yinka Odumakin all over again.
