Why I Stepped Down As Yoruba Nation Leader – Prof Akintoye

Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide’s chief executive officer, Prof. Banji Akintoye, has explained why he has decided to step down from his position.

This online newspaper had earlier reported that the former head of the Yoruba Nation passed the reins of power to his former deputy, Prof. Wale Adeniran who cited his advancing years and a weakened body as his justifications.

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Akintoye, however, clarified that he did not resign from the position to avoid taking responsibility for the crisis roiling the self-determination group in a letter sent to Adeniran on Thursday.

Below, you can read Akintoye’s resignation letter in its entirety:

“Hello Wale,” I am writing to you in your capacity as the Chairman of Ilana Omo Oduduwa to express my congratulations to you and the organization’s recently elected Executive Council.

Ilana is also hereby informed of my departure from all remaining duties in Ilana through you. I kindly request that you and everyone else refrain from assuming that this action is a result of recent Ilana difficulties.

You are the best person to know that I have been looking for a leave of absence from Ilana for more than a year now because juggling the responsibilities of Ilana with the significantly increased demands of the Self-determination Struggle has been too much for me at my age.

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Ilana is my special “baby” in the entire Self-determination Struggle, so you being the person closest to me there, along with the majority of Ilana members and all Ilana committees, have been pleading with me not to leave for months.

But you would recall that a month ago, at a special gathering of leaders of the Self-determination struggle from around the world, you and the other attendees graciously agreed that I should resign from my position in Ilana due to my heavy burden of obligations to the higher levels of the entire struggle.

“With regard to our current problems in Ilana, I am confident you can attest that I am not leaving because of them and that, generally speaking, even the most difficult situations never cause me to give up.

God has given me the gift of a heart that loves all people in all circumstances, and because of His mercy, I have the assurance that I can handle anything and resolve the most difficult problems that men face.

“However, I must beg your pardon for leaving Ilana to you in its present state. After the special summit of world leaders about a month ago, I had intended to leave Ilana right away, but I chose to stay a little longer to assist you in resolving some of the ongoing issues.

Why I Stepped Down As Yoruba Nation Leader – Prof Akintoye

You now have to deal with a situation where some of our extremists are still making things more difficult, which is regrettably slower than I had hoped for.

I do, however, have a lot of faith in you, and I know that you will find a way to lead our Ilana back to the path of understanding, cooperation, and strength.

“Finally, I must congratulate you and say ‘thank you’ for your outstanding leadership in this battle for our troubled country.

I must congratulate you and express my gratitude, especially for how well you handled the frequent vilifications and unfounded accusations.

The backlash from our own people is intense because we bravely took action to free our Yoruba nation and prevent it from being obliterated by Nigeria’s destructive forces.

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We will undoubtedly soon hear from some steadfast critics that you plotted against me and forced me to leave Ilana, but we must not let that bother us in the least.

By God’s grace, we will prevail in this conflict and liberate the Yoruba people, granting our country the freedom it needs to advance into a highly regarded modern nation.

“Of course, you are aware that I will always be available to you, both as a close friend and colleague in the higher echelons of the Self-determination Struggle for you personally and as a patron and mentor for Ilana in the same capacity that I serve other Self-determination Organizations.

“I praise God for the leadership qualities He has given you, and I appreciate how selflessly you have contributed to the fight for our country. Please accept my best wishes for your family and you.

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