Cracks widen in Yoruba nation movement as Akintoye steps down as leader

Banji Akintoye, the leader of Ilana Omo Oodua, has stepped down from his position.

His resignation as leader of the Yoruba nation movement comes months after Wale Adeniran, his erstwhile deputy, renounced his position in the movement, citing matters of principle.

Adeniran had said although he was resigning from his role as an executive, he will remain a member of the organisation.

But in a letter addressed to Adeniran on December 5, Akintoye said he is recusing himself as the leader of the self-determination movement because the “struggle has been too heavy for me at my age”.

He said Adeniran, as the “closest person” to him in the movement, should take over the reins of power.

Akintoye said he will “always be a friend and close associate in the higher levels of the self-determination struggle”.

“I am greatly honoured that you as the closest person to me in llana, most llana members, and all llana committees, have for months been urging me not to leave llana because according to you all,” the letter reads.

“Ilana is my special ‘baby’ in the whole self-determination struggle. But you would remember that in a special meeting of leaders of the self-determination struggle from all over the world about a month ago, you and all the other meeting participants agreed graciously that I should give up my duties in llana because of my heavy accumulation of duties to the higher levels of the whole struggle.

“As for our current difficulties in llana, I am sure you would testify that I am not leaving because of them, and that, in general, even the greatest of difficulties never make me quit, I am imbued with a God-given confidence that I can bear all things and solve the most tortuous complications among men because God in His mercy has given me the gift of a heart that loves all persons in all situations.

“Still, I must ask you to forgive me for leaving llana to you in its current condition. I had wanted to leave llana immediately after the special meeting of worldwide leaders about a month ago, but I decided to help you to iron out some of the ongoing difficulties before leaving.

“Unfortunately, things have not improved as quickly as I expected, and you now have to face a situation in which some of our extremists are still compounding the difficulties. However, I have much confidence in you – including confidence that you will find ways to steer our llana back to the path of compromise, unity and strength.

“No doubt, we shall soon be hearing from some habitual detractors that it was you who disloyally plotted against me and made me leave llana, but we must not let such talk bother us in any way. By the grace of God, we shall win this war and liberate our Yoruba nation, thereby giving our nation the freedom it desires to develop into a greatly respected modern country in the world.”