Kehinde Fajobi
Yoruba nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has urged President Bola Tinubu to caution Vice President Kashim Shettima against making further verbal attacks on Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the British Conservative Party.
Igboho’s statement, released in Osogbo on Sunday, came after Shettima criticised Badenoch for her remarks on corruption in Nigeria.
Badenoch, who identifies as Yoruba, had also disassociated herself from being grouped with Northern Nigeria.
In a press release he personally signed, Igboho emphasised that Badenoch had done no wrong by speaking out on Nigeria’s corruption challenges, describing her views as “truthful.”
“It is incumbent on President Bola Tinubu, who is also of Yoruba lineage, to direct Shettima to focus on his duties as vice president rather than engage in a verbal war against Badenoch,” Igboho said.
“She merely expressed her candid and truthful opinion on the pervasive corruption in Nigeria’s system.”
Drawing parallels with the previous administration, Igboho criticised the lack of consequences for Shettima’s remarks, stating, “When Muhammadu Buhari was in power, nobody dared launch offensive or verbal attacks against his Fulani ethnic group without facing consequences.
“Because of my agitation against the destruction of farmlands, killings, and sexual violence by Fulani herders during Buhari’s tenure, security agents, on his orders, stormed my residence on July 1, 2021, killing two people and arresting 13 others.”
Igboho accused the Federal Government of neglecting critical national issues such as poverty, insecurity, and economic hardship, while Shettima channelled energy toward targeting Badenoch.
“Majority of Nigerians are experiencing harrowing poverty and insecurity, yet the Federal Government remains lost in finding solutions,” he said.
“Rather than deploying measures to alleviate the suffering of the masses, the Vice President is busy directing his energy toward Badenoch.”
He questioned why expressing an opinion about corruption in Nigeria had become a problem.
“When has it become a sin for someone to express their opinion or state the obvious about how corruption has stunted Nigeria’s growth? Badenoch, proclaiming her true identity as Yoruba, has committed no offence,” he said.
Igboho called on Tinubu to ensure Shettima refrains from further verbal assaults on Badenoch and urged the Vice President to focus on his constitutional responsibilities.