Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, the apex body of the Yoruba self-determination struggle, has announced Prof. Banji Akintoye’sProf. Banji Akintoye’s decision to step down.
Goldennewsng reports that the former leader of the Yoruba Nation handed over the reins of leadership to Prof. Wale Adeniran, his former deputy, citing old age and a weaker body system as his reasons.
Akintoye, on the other hand, clarified in a letter that he sent to Adeniran on Thursday that he did not resign from his position to avoid being held accountable for the crisis that was engulfing the self-determination group.
The following is a full copy of Akintoye’s resignation letter:
“Dear Wale, I am writing to express my congratulations to you and the newly elected Executive Council of Ilana from my position as Chairman of Ilana Omo Oduduwa.
“I also hereby inform Ilana of my departure from additional responsibilities in Ilana through you.” I encourage you and all others not to believe that this step is a result of ongoing hardships in Ilana.
You know better than anyone else that I have been trying for over a year to take a leave of absence from Ilana because the demands of the Self-Determination Struggle and the responsibilities of Ilana have been too much for me at my age. I am honored that you, as the person closest to me in Ilana, the majority of Ilana members, and all of the committees in Ilana have urged me not to leave Ilana for months because, in your opinion, Ilana is my special “baby” in the Self-Determination Struggle. But you may recall that you and the other participants in a special meeting of Self-Determination struggle leaders from around the world a month ago graciously agreed that I should give up my duties in Ilana due to my heavy accumulation of duties to the higher levels of the struggle.
“In terms of our current difficulties in Ilana, I am sure that you would confirm that I am not leaving because of them and that, generally, even the most difficult challenges never force me to quit. Because God, in His mercy, has bestowed upon me the gift of a heart that adores all people in all circumstances, I am endowed with the God-given confidence that I am capable of enduring everything and resolving the most difficult problems that men face.
I still need your forgiveness for leaving Ilana in her current state to you. I had intended to leave Ilana shortly after the special meeting of world leaders a month ago, but I decided to assist you in resolving some ongoing issues before departing. Sadly, things have not improved as quickly as I had hoped, and you now have to deal with a situation in which some of our extremists continue to exacerbate the situation. However, I have a lot of faith in you, and I am confident that you will be able to lead our Ilana back to the path of strength, unity, and compromise.
“Finally, I must commend and acknowledge you for your exceptional leadership in this struggle for our beleaguered nation. I have to congratulate and thank you, especially for enduring the frequent vilifications and false accusations with courage.
We who have ventured out valiantly to free our Yoruba country and to save it from being obliterated by the horrendous powers of Nigeria are going through a great deal of fire from our own kin. We must not let such talk in any way bother us because we will no doubt soon hear from some regular critics that you were the one who plotted against me and forced me to leave Ilana. We will win this war and liberate our Yoruba nation by God’s grace, granting our nation the freedom it desires to grow into a world-renowned modern nation.
“Of course, you know that I will always be available to you, both personally as a friend and close associate in the higher levels of the Self-Determination Struggle and to Ilana as a Patron and Mentor in the same manner that I am Patron and Mentor to other Self-Determination Organizations. Of course, you know that I will always be available to you.
“I praise God for the leadership qualities He has given you, and I am grateful that you have given yourself so completely to our struggle for our nation. Please accept my sincere greetings to you and your family.