Leader of Afenifere, pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Reuben Fasoranti, in this interview with Assistant Editor (South West), MUYIWA OLALEYE, speaks on the political, social and cultural situation of Nigeria, disunity among the Yoruba elite and youth unemployment, among other issues.
As Afenifere leader, what can you say is the situation of Yoruba nation in Project Nigeria?
We all stand to judge that. We are being relegated to the background in the scheme of things in the country. But of course, the solution lies with our leaders. They should come together and speak with one voice. There are a lot of Yoruba splinter groups. We have Afenifere; we have Yoruba Unity Forum; we have Yoruba Council of Elders; we have Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) and so on. We don’t speak with one voice. That is our problem. Even when we have a common problem, until Afenifere takes a stand, others would just be groping in the dark. During Chief Olu Falae’s kidnap, it was the Afenifere that took the initiative and others came round. I wonder why we always become united whenever we have crisis. It is the fear of extinction of the Yoruba race.
I understand many people were there to partake; people who were not in good terms before. That was a good time. But we cannot pray to have crisis all the time. So, we waste our time here and there rather than come together and speak with one voice and plan together. We don’t pray for occasional crises which will signal the extinction of Yoruba exploit. We want to come together and speak with one voice.
Has there been any attempt at fostering unity among the splinter groups?
We had been doing that. We kept on doing that. We, in the Afenifere, have been taking initiatives. But our friends didn’t like it. There was a time the late Mama HID Awolowo took the initiative to settle the problem among us. But some of us came to her a day before the day scheduled for the meeting. And so, the meeting couldn’t hold. After that, we went to Ibadan; Chief Kayode Eso presided over the meeting. Still, something is there that is always dividing us and there was no headway.
What do you suspect is the cause of the division?
I think it is ego. That is the most important thing that I suspect is causing the division. For instance, the crisis of Falae’s kidnap brought them together. From the reports I had, many of them came together and spoke with one voice for fear of extinction of Yoruba race. And it is the Fulani people that are posing a serious threat. So, they came together, issued a communique condemning the threat. Yoruba man is very individualistic in nature. He believes in himself. That is why they don’t submit their egos to other people.
What is your take on President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption and how far do you think he can go?
He has his own plan and that is why he decided to declare war against corruption. Let us wait and see. But it will be a difficult task for him to win. We all knew the impression of the people about some of his ministers. Some of them have skeletons in their cupboards. Let us wait and see what the people are doing. We should not be too anxious. Buhari promised to do well. Let us concede that to him. Yes, the rot is enormous.
What is your view on Nigeria’s dependence on oil without consideration for other avenues of getting revenue?
We are already learning the lesson the hard way. We should go back to the land. Government should not pay lip service to agriculture. We should really go down to the nitty gritty of it by encouraging the farmers and giving them loans and letting them perform.
My father was a farmer, and at my age, I still go to the farm. I have my own cocoa plantation I still maintain. If they can inculcate in the mind of school-leavers that farming is not a profession to be looked down upon, it would be okay. In the United States (U.S.), farmers are kings. The population of farmers in the U.S. is about seven per cent to 10 per cent producing food for everybody, including export, even to Nigeria. So, our government should not just pay lip service to it; they should get serious about it. And the earlier the better.
Oil is the thing now. Farmers are eliminated. A government that is determined to turn things around should know that farming is very important. If you look round now, everywhere is overgrown. People are not going to the farm anymore. They don’t stay in the farm. The cities are over-populated. That is the problem now. What we are eating in the South West is imported from the North, including pepper and tomato.
As a leader to even some governors who are not doing well in office, can’t you call them to order and threaten them with recall?
There is no provision for that in the constitution. In advanced countries, we have provision for recall. You can call them back and question them. You can pass a vote of no confidence in them. Of course, they can be removed. But here, as soon as people are voted into power, our people troop to them taking perquisites and enjoying the fruit of governance. You need to visit their homes. You will sympathise with them. People bombard them. Not only that, they go to them to request assistance.
You talked about unemployment situation in the country. Don’t you think that our curriculum is another factor contributing to the trend?
It is part of it. And then, there are no guardians. In advanced countries, the government makes sure that people who go to the university are programmed so that when they finish, they fit into some jobs. But in this country, people just want to go to university. At the end of the day, they come out, and there is no employment for them. People read all sorts of courses. At this stage, we should still be working towards professions that will produce results. As things are now, there are a lot to be done to make things better.
What kind of country would you like to leave behind?
I will like to leave a country that is hardworking, that is honest, that is fair with very good governance. I hope these would be achieved because things are getting worse.