Yoruba Welfare Group Condemns Akinyuli’s Killing, Cautions Governors Against Divisive Tendencies

A socio-cultural organisation, Yoruba Welfare Group has condemned in strong terms, the gruesome killing of Dr Chike Akinyuli in Anambra State, Southeast Nigeria by suspected members of Independent People of Biafra (IPOB).

Akinyuli was murdered on Wednesday at Nkpor junction, Ndemili North, Anambra State where he had gone to receive a posthumous award for his late wife, Prof Dora Akinyuli, former DG of the National Agency of Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC.

Dr Chike, popularly known as Agbalanze was murdered by yet to be identified assassins and for unknown reasons.

In a release by its Media Adviser, Yinka Salaam, YWG National President, Comrade Adegoke Alawuje tasked the law enforcement agents to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act just as he cautioned the youths from the Eastern region to be wary of throwing the region into complete anarchy.

Alawuje described as “outright stupidity at its peak” a situation where the youths, in the name of agitation murder their illustrious sons and daughters under the guise of regional agitation.

“This should never be allowed in our land. The agitators and their sponsors should better think twice. I use this opportunity to call on leaders of thought, opinion moulders and political leaders to quickly rein in the youths before they turn the entire Eastern region into chaos”.

Alawuje used to opportunity to warn the agitators of Yoruba or Oduduwa nation to tread with care, saying, “I call on all organisations in Yoruba land and their open and clandestine sponsors to come, let us reason together. Yoruba Welfare Group has always called for peace. No state or nation can achieve greatness in the absence of peace. We need to educate ourselves and learn lessons from what is happening in other regions. Now we all can see why we Yorubas must not allow our land to become a war zone for any reason whatsoever: a situation whereby people will be killing their own brothers all because of stupid agitations”, he said

Southern governors cautioned

Meanwhile govermors from Southern part of Nigeria have been called to live beyond regionalism and primordial sentiments even as they seek for power shift from the North to the South ahead 2023 poll

Comrade Alawuje said the current power shift battle between the southern and the northern parts of the country must be pursued with wisdom without exacerbating the nation fault lines and thus causing more crises.

While acknowledging that both groups have the right to their choices as long as they do not clash with constitutional provisions, he urged them to embrace dialogue and peaceful resolution of issues for better understanding and for the good of the country.

“Political agitation can never work through imposition or force but everything is possible with peace and dialogue,

“There’s no region in Nigeria that can succeed without others, I therefore solicit for understanding amongst the govermors. Being a peaceful organisation itself, YWG is advocating for love and harmony. We can campaign and lobby for our choices without discrimination against other ethnic and religious groups.”

Alawuje who urged politicians to allow the issue of zoning be settled at the level of political parties rather than on regional basis, asked both parties to remember how Nigerians united and voted across regions in 2015 and 2019, leading to peaceful transition of power and change of leadership from the incumbent to another party without major crisis.

He said the present regional approach to Issues is capable of causing disunity and internal crises within the two major political parties.

“If politicians condescend to viewing issues from regional periscope, they will indirectly be moving in the same direction with the likes of Sunday Igboho, and Nnmdi Kano who fight for ethnic, tribal or sectional, rather than national interest.