They have discovered that they gain nothing from being part of Nigeria.

The Yoruba people are agitating to be free from Nigeria.

They have discovered that they gain nothing from being part of Nigeria, but they lose a lot by remaining in Nigeria.

I ask, “Why do they want to move away from Nigeria?”

They say they are concerned that northerners are invading their villages, abducting their women and children, polluting their rivers with illegal mining, driving cattle through their farmlands—and making legislation (with the assistance of the few Omo Aale among them), to strip their lands to build the north.

I ask, “The question remains: must every ethnic group in Africa demand a different country?”

I ask, “Shouldn’t Africa be coming together to negotiate as a unit? Isn’t “One-Africa” the goal?”

“It’s a problem,” say many Yoruba people.

They say you and I can’t live together if all you want to do is kill me and take my things when I shut my eyes.

They say they want to be able to sleep in peace.

They say when you raise your children to hunt me and my children down with daggers and Ak 47s, I would be a fool to remain your friend.

They say the answer is in fact Biblical: I forgot my Bible already, but wasn’t there a place in the Old Testament when a guy divided the land into two, and said, “You, take that side, and you take the other side; you folks need to separate for there to be peace?”

Yoruba people are now saying they are fed up.

They say they have gotten to that critical point in this prison called Nigeria.

They say everybody should go back to their motherland.

They say we can then start issuing visas to those who won’t make trouble.

I say it is difficult to argue with their logic.

What do you say?