Handshake Across the Niger: Those pushing divisive ethnic rhetoric didn’t witness what we went through — Richard Akinnola

Richard Akinnola, a journalist, activist, and author, precocious marked his 67th birthday. The celebration, though with little pomp and pageantry, was imbued with much reflection connected Nigeria’s unity. Akinnola, a detribalised Nigerian of Yoruba extraction, has galore Igbo friends. His involution during the #EndSARS imbroglio not lone helped prevention lives and trim spot destruction, it underscored his affirmative disposition toward sustaining bid and a agreed Nigeria. The event, held astatine the Airport Hotel successful Ikeja, featured little dancing and much intelligence sermon connected unity betwixt the Igbos and Yorubas, aptly themed “Handshake Across the Niger: The Yoruba–Igbo Detente.”

As helium is wont to, aft the disfigured events of October 2020, helium marks his day with a nationalist discourse. This year’s event, however, was designed to code the increasing tribal tensions betwixt the Igbos and Yorubas successful Lagos, drafting inspiration from the post-2023 wide predetermination and the tensions up of the 2027 election. On the sideline, Richard Akinnola spoke exclusively to Vanguard.

How bash you consciousness astatine 67?

Sixty-seven is conscionable a number—I consciousness 45. I’m inactive arsenic beardown arsenic I was immoderate 30 years ago. I convey God for bully wellness due to the fact that I’ve ne'er spent a nighttime successful the hospital, but erstwhile I was born. It’s been 67 years now, and I’m grateful for His grace. It’s a peculiar grace, not of my ain making, and I don’t instrumentality it for granted.

What are the thorns on your way to this height?

I’m a precise straightforward person. I don’t unrecorded a duplicitous beingness oregon instrumentality treble positions. I don’t beryllium connected the fence, adjacent erstwhile my stance is unpopular. I instrumentality positions based connected condemnation and basal by them. You can’t support looking implicit your shoulder. So, if I instrumentality an unpopular position, I don’t worry—as agelong arsenic it’s rooted successful conviction. I’m a escaped person. I subordinate with people, young oregon old, careless of age. I person a escaped and open-minded spirit.

As a writer and activist, what is the Nigeria of your dream?

Honestly, I’m not definite if the Nigeria of my dreams tin inactive beryllium achieved astatine this point. I’m approaching 70, and that’s wherefore we’re having this speech today. The younger generation—Gen Z—is much focused connected societal media, often driven by inaccurate narratives. They don’t recognize wherever we’re coming from. Many of them don’t cognize our history, and that’s wherefore I see myself a historiographer and a pupil of history. I cognize our roots.

In the 1960s, I witnessed Operation Wetie, the civilian war, and the battles with the military. I was portion of those struggles. Gen Z doesn’t cognize what we’ve been through. We can’t let things to deteriorate to that level again. Many radical pushing divisive taste rhetoric didn’t witnesser what we experienced. That’s wherefore I try, particularly connected my Facebook platform, to amended arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. Education is key. If you don’t cognize wherever you’re coming from, and you don’t cognize wherever you’re going, you won’t cognize however champion to tackle issues.

How bash you spot the contiguous government? Do you deliberation it’s connected the close track?

Well, I wouldn’t cognize for sure. I deliberation it’s excessively aboriginal to tell. It’s conscionable 2 years in, and similar a level taking off, things are turbulent until it reaches a comfy altitude. Let’s spot what happens betwixt present and 2027. I’m an optimist. I foresee the system stabilizing implicit time, adjacent though there’s a batch of discarded and profligacy. But I’m looking beyond each that and staying positive—we whitethorn yet spot airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel.

What’s your proposal for the youth?

The younker indispensable larn from the past. Take South Africa, for example—some young radical progressive successful Operation Dudula, a question aimed astatine expelling achromatic Africans, didn’t recognize the past of their country. It’s wide seen arsenic a xenophobic, fascist organization, known for violently targeting some ineligible and amerciable migrants. But those starring the question didn’t recognize that the radical they’re trying to pursuit distant were erstwhile state fighters. Their ancestors fought for their liberation.

Similarly, we request to amended Gen Z astir our history. If they recognize wherever we’re coming from, they’ll beryllium capable to mean immoderate of their views. History is crucial—it doesn’t person to beryllium taught successful schools to beryllium learned. History it...