South-West leaders met in Lagos yesterday to unfold plans for an upcoming Yoruba “Grand Rally on Restructuring”. Addressing journalists after the meeting, the chairman, Organising Committee, Kunle Olajide, said that the rally, scheduled to hold in Ibadan on September 7, would be a oneagenda-congress on restructuring.
“Th is endeavour has to do with Nigeria and the aim is for a united Nigeria. Th e all-inclusive summit of the Yoruba people will have more than 100 Yoruba groups that will declare their stand on the need to restructure Nigeria. “Yoruba leaders at home and abroad and organised groups, students, artisans, past and current elected public offi cials across the political spectrum will be converging in Ibadan to appraise the issue of restructuring and fashion out a workable way out of the quagmire the country is presently in,” he said.
Th e meeting, which held at the Protea Hotel, Ikeja, saw key leaders from the zone, such as Reuben Fasoranti, Ayo Adebanjo and Amos Akingba in attendance. Also at the meeting were Supo Sonibare (Afenifere Chairman, Lagos), Yinka Odumakin (Afenifere spokesperson), and Banji Akintoye, among many others. Mr. Olajide said that although the South-west governors and other Yoruba leaders would be at the meeting, the gathering would be a non-political one. According to him, “Nigeria is drifting dangerously and there is need for those at the helm of aff airs to listen to the yearnings of the people and do the needful to maintain unity and peace. “We are meeting to take a crucial decision on Nigeria. We are going through a very diffi cult phase. So patriots have to rise up and fi nd lasting solutions to the diffi culties we are experiencing,” he added. Olajide further said that legal luminary, Afe Babalola, would chair and direct the rally. (NAN)
