Chief Alani Bankole, father of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, on Thursday berated agitators of the Yoruba Nation, describing them as “charlatans and exploiters”.
The elder statesman said the separatists were using “what they are doing is to exploit people to make money”.
Bankole, a business tycoon and an Egba High Chief, said this at his Oluwo residence, Abeokuta, Ogun State, during an interactive session with journalists to mark his 80th birthday.
The octogenarian dismissed the Yoruba nation agitators, saying, even Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, had opposed calls for the breakup of the country.
He explained that Afenifere was only agitating for restructuring to allow the federating units to control their resources.
He said, “Who are the people leading Yoruba nation or the breakaway? The Afenifere people have openly said they do not support breaking up; they are saying restructuring to give different federating units authority to take care of their resources, which is quite different from breaking away.
“As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know of any group agitating for breakaway except some charlatans.
“I don’t need to advise them because they cannot be advised. They are like some pastors and Imams using the Bible and the Qur’an to exploit people; what do you want to advise such people? They know what they are doing; they are using what they are doing to exploit people to make money.”
Culled from Punch