President of Yoruba Leadership and Peace Initiative (TYLPI), Mr Olusegun Ahmadu, has called on Yoruba people of the Southwest and their kith and kins in the Diaspora to rally round and support Amotekun to ensure the initiative succeed. 

According to him, every Yoruba person must support the ideals of Amotekun, which, he, however, stressed must be seen beyond its recent launch by governments of the six states to safeguard lives and property in the region, but also as a pragmatic initiative offering immense possibilities for dynamic development and holistic transformation of different aspects of life of the geo-political zone.

Ahmadu said this in his opening remarks at the 2020 maiden meeting of the group held at Lead City University, Ibadan at the weekend.

The parley was to chart the programme of action for TYLPI, comprising prominent Nigerian intellectuals, professionals, technocrats and businessmen of Yoruba extraction committed to the cause of Yorubaland.

The TYLPI President said:

"It goes beyond some people wearing the Amotekun uniforms and blaring sirens. No, we must all support it, we must be involved. Wherever we are, we must be the eyes and  ears of Amotekun. We must not see it as being for security alone. It certainly goes beyond that and can be harnessed to further growth in education, the power sector and other spheres of life.

"Therefore, in our various corners we must constantly ask ourselves how do we contribute to the success of  the initiative with our talents and intellectual resources?"

Ahmadu said the Yoruba must unite and seize upon the Amotekun concept to free Southwest from the stranglehold of Nigeria's skewed federal structure

 that has become a burden and held the region's progress down.

He regretted that the Yoruba people who used to set the pace in development, education and other spheres of life have been lagging behind other sections of the country, especially in education due to the stifling over-concentration of power at the federal level, which, he observed, has promoted inefficiency, corruption, nepotism, and inequity in allocation of resources and appointments of which the Southwest, among others, has been at the receiving end.

The TYLPI leader said it was imperative for the  governments and people of the region to evolve innovative ideas and strategies to arrest the slide and relaunch the zone along the course of being among progressive and prosperous 21st century societies.

He said TYLPI, which is a think-tank and advocacy group would speak and act at all times in defence of the interest of the Yoruba and was ready to partner with other groups championing similar ideals, but would not compromise on its identity, focus and policy of non- violent advocacy as means of achieving its objectives.

Also speaking on the occasion, TYLPI's Convener, Mr Deji Osibogun, commended the group and urged it to collaborate with others in the struggle to liberate Yoruba nation and ensure it fulfilled the great dream of the forefathers.

He stressed that Nigeria currently stood at a crossroads amid worsening socio-economic hardship, insecurity and political crises, ostensibly caused by government's actions or failure.

Noting that government appeared helpless to halt the deteriorating situation, Osibogun said: "In trying times such as this, men of worth and intellectual resource such as are available in the membership of TYLPI  are needed to provide credible leadership, ideas and alternative strategies" to assist the nation get out of the woods in face of the present political leadership on one hand and catalyse the much-desired growth for Yorubaland.

Part of the group's resolution at the meeting was to recommend to the six governments in southwest to prioritize the revitalization of education, agriculture and power sectors to propel regional growth.

Others at the meeting were:  Vice President, Mr Femi Alafe-Aluko; General Secretary, Mr Olufemi J Adefemiwa; Assistant Secretary, Mr. Oluwakayode F. Adeyemi; Messers Adebisi Sowunmi and Soji Adejumo.

Others were: Mr Babajide Olatunde-Agbeja, Chairman, Education committee; Mr Labi Adeyemi, Treasurer and Mr. Abiola Olagunju, Legal Adviser.