A pro-Yoruba organisation in Diaspora, Yoruba One Voice, YOV, has expressed happiness with the decision of the South-West governors to embrace regionalism.

General Secretary of YOV, Prince Adedokun Ademiluyi, said the development has shown that the governors were ready to move the region forward by providing an enabling environment that would enhance growth and development across the South-West.

Ademiluyi noted that the country was confronted with serious challenges, resulting from structural defects.

The statement reads: “The clamour for restructuring to regionalism has continued to take the centre stage of our national discourse because of the obvious challenges emanating from the structure of this country. However, the spate of insecurity across the country has remained a hard nut to crack, especially for the Federal Government even as the state governments have been so helpless in the face of the security scourge.

“From Boko Haram insurgency in the North East; to terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in the North West and North Central; and the rise of separatist movements in the South East, the security apparatus of Nigeria is under immense pressure.

“With these challenges, the need for restructuring to regionalism is very pertinent and the call for state police is very urgent. It is on this note that the Yoruba One Voice has continued to call for restructuring to regionalism as the best approach to solving the structural deficits of the country.

“As far as we are concerned,we believe in the unity of the Yoruba. We commended the south west governors for the adoption of a Yoruba Unity Anthem for the entire South-West. The anthem was originally composed by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1978. But it was first adopted by the Osun State government, under Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, as the governor of the state.

“The anthem was later adopted by the Ondo state government during the administration of the late Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu to date. The anthem, with the lyrics ‘Ise Wa Fun Ile Wa’, symbolises regional glory,unity of purpose and progress with a unified roadmap for social and economic integration among the six states in the south west region. All the six states in the South-West have adopted the Yoruba unity anthem.

“There is no better time other than now for us to create an enduring synergy that will strengthen the bond among the state governors, and also reinvent the spirit of Omoluabi that the Yoruba all over the world and most especially in the South West region is noted for.

“We will not relent,we will continue to raise our voices, especially, on issues that have to do with the progress of the Yoruba and the well-being of the people of our race and Nigeria as a whole.”