Prominent socio-political stakeholders under the banner of the Yoruba Region Consultative Forum have demanded a comprehensive restructuring of the country and a formal return to regionalism, advocating for a constitutional arrangement that grants greater autonomy to constituent blocks.
The resolution was reached during a high-profile consultative assembly held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Iyaganku, Ibadan.
The gathering brought together regional elders, intellectuals, and activists to hammer out the political, economic, territorial, and governance frameworks for a proposed autonomous Yoruba Region within a restructured Nigeria.
The forum was organized by Deacon Owolabi Oladejo, the Convener of the Citizens Rebirth and Awareness Initiative (C-RAIN), as a direct follow-up to the national Concerned Citizens Assembly previously held in Abuja .
“The Abuja Assembly mandated each proposed federated region to return to its grassroots, consult widely, and develop tailored constitutional frameworks,” Oladejo explained in his welcome address.
Consent must be the foundation of this restructuring process. Our objective is not to dismantle Nigeria, but to establish a genuine, negotiated Federation of Nigerian Regions where autonomous units cooperate freely . There must be no second-class citizens or conquered communities in this proposed region.”
Reviewing the technical reports from the Abuja summit presented by Mr. Gbogun Loko and Comrade Jare Ajayi, the forum disclosed that a new 17-region federal structure has been proposed nationally to foster citizen-led governance.
Backing the move, the Chairman of the event, Retired General Kunle Toogun, argued that regional autonomy is the only solution to long-standing marginalization and economic hardship [v]. Toogun, reflecting on his decades as a military officer defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity, lamented that many citizens had faced systematic deprivation of their fundamental rights.
In his academic presentation, Professor Gbade Ojo asserted that a distinct Yoruba Region is highly viable, citing its large population, shared language, superior educational attainment, vast human capital, and abundant mineral resources.
Furthermore, representing the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Oloye Dipo Oyewole expressed the council’s unalloyed solidarity with the initiative, noting that the YCE is working in lockstep with the restructuring agenda and strongly advocates for the official preservation of the Yoruba language [v]. Other speakers, including Pastor Paul Bankole and Comrade Adigun Makanjuola, pushed the conversation further, with Makanjuola advocating for a full confederal system.
The strategic session concluded with Deacon Oladejo announcing that the forum will immediately enter its next phase: addressing border/territorial questions and drafting a proposed Yoruba Regional Constitution to govern independent local security, fiscal management, and fundamental rights.
