YIEF holds Leaders’ Retreat in Ibadan to champion Yoruba political advancement
A non partisan political group, the Yoruba Intellectual Elites Forum (YIEF) over the weekend held a political summit and its Leaders’ Retreat at Infinity Grace Event Centre, Odo-Ona Kekere, off Arapaja road, Oluyole Local Government Area , Ibadan where important issues bothering on Yoruba advancement were discussed.
Addressing newsmen after the event, the President of the group Alhaja Otunba Ronke Kolade Carew Rontex explained that YIEF is not a partisan political group, but an association of politically-minded and intellectually-sound Yoruba sons and daughters who are desirous of having an efficiently-transformed, industrially-developed, economically-independent and politically-viable Yorubaland.
Madam Rontex added that going by the recent styles of our politicians and their disregard to all forms of commitments towards the timely development of both Yorubaland and Yoruba people, the need to actively engage and remind them of what is due for both Yorubaland and Yoruba people gave rise to the group.
Her words: “With our members cutting across all active political parties, this is a frontline pressure group on all politicians and traditional rulers to make the Omoluabi dream a reality without any secessionist undertone. In true Nigeria we all believe.
“We have been idle enough awaiting ‘whatever’ our elected and appointed leaders sprinkle on us after eating-out almost everything meant for everyone. So my people, let us find this as a valiant opportunity to timely ask for what is due for us all from those appointed and elected to represent us,” said Alhaja Kolade Carew popularly known as Mama RONTEX.
Speaking in the same vein, the Publicity Secretary of the body, Adewale Justus explained that their coming together as Yoruba Forum was premised on the fact that there is something very common in Yorubaland which is called the Omoluabi mantra.
“What does Omoluabi mean; it means we’re courteous and conscious but unfortunately within the polity of the country, we are people that have lost almost everything because we have been keeping with the Omoluabi mantra. And what does it portend, you should wait until it is giving to you, but unfortunately that has crashed all that we should have earned.”
He continued “Go to Minna in Niger, go to Daura in Kastina State and go to Port Harcourt in Rivers State and see the impact their sons and children in government have brought to bear, but unfortunately for ours in Yorubaland because of the Omoluabi mantra we tend to wait for the leaders to bring whatever is ours but unfortunately we have lost out.
“We decided to come together with a vision to resuscitate the Omoluabi idea. We want to project the political viability of Yorubaland and also to make the Yorubaland achieve what is due for it but how do we achieve this, we are collaborating with our top ranking traditional rulers and politicians, either by appointments or elections across the political cadre of the country and force them to bring unto our land what is due for us.” He noted.
