A pan-Yoruba group, Ilana Omo Oodua, has severed its relationship with Professor Adebanji Akintoye over what it described as difference in vision.
Otunba Shade Olatunji, speaking on behalf of the group during a press conference in Lagos described as sad, the decision to separate the main body of Ilana Omo Oodua from its Alana, Professor Akintoye.
According to her, while the group still respects Professor Akintoye, it would be difficult to work with him because the vision of Ilana Omo Oodua is at variance with that of Akintoye.
She said while the group is apolitical, the professor was tilting toward politics. “But unknown to us, somewhere along the line, he went back to his first love, politics and politics played the one Nigeria way. This started to manifest as a desire to be the father of all Yoruba self-determination groups which included those hedging their bets, those out to line their pockets, outright politicians out to use Ilana as a political structure, and most dangerous of all, political jobbers out to destroy Ilana.”
Olatunji explained that, while several allegations were leveled against Akintoye, the group defended him but “the avalanche of accusations got to a stage that we had to adopt the strategy of least said but soonest mended.”
She also disclosed that while the Ilana structure was under bombardment, the group warned Professor Akintoye that it would not allow him endanger the struggle for a Yoruba nation but Akintoye wouldn’t listen. “He instead started telling us that he installed us and can remove us.
“We cannot allow Prof Banji Akintoye to truncate the dreams of millions of people. So as of today, 18 November 2021, Ilana Omo oodua is stepping aside from Prof Banji Akintoye, freeing him to become the father and supreme commander of the Amalgamated self-determination groups.”
