Gani Adams, who spoke on Wednesday in Ile-Ife, Osun State at the grand finale of this year’s edition of Oodua Festival, lamented the sudden rise in the cases of violent crimes in the region.
The National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress, who noted that all efforts by both the Federal and the state government to address insecurity have failed, said the global community no longer takes Nigeria seriously due to the large number of lives that have been lost to insecurity.
He said, “The bad elements are now relocating to Lagos. Remember, that was how it started in Plateau State. As the Aareonakakanfo of Yoruba land, we will not allow the Plateau massacre to be replicated in any part of Yorubaland.
“With the present security situation in the country, it is obvious that the government cannot do it alone. If the governors of the South West involve me in their efforts to curb insecurity in the region, I assure you that the security challenges in the region will reduce drastically within six months.”
“A good example of our involvement in curbing the security challenges in Lagos was when Baddo was the major security threat in Lagos and Ogun states, especially in Ikorodu area of the state.”
He said the challenge of insecurity has made it mandatory for urgent and lasting synergy between the government and the people at the grassroots, adding that the battle to prevent the situation from degenerating further should be a collective effort with OPC playing a role.
Commenting on the festival, Gani Adams, explained that Oodua Festival is the first festival on the list of cultural promotion activities of OPC, as it is the celebration of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba race.
