Further to an earlier Statement calling for calm and caution, the Secretariat of NINAS has had the opportunity of reviewing the Text of the Press Conference of November 18, 2021 Addressed by Otunba Shade Olukoya of Ilana Omo Oodua, as well as speaking to more of Stakeholders.
We therefore wish to state as follows:
(1) That the Press Conference in Question was an Ilana Omo Oodua Press Conference and not a NINAS Press Conference.
(2) That there was nothing in the Text of the Press Statement that suggested that Prof Banji Akintoye is no longer the Chairman of NINAS.
(3) That our preliminary findings indicate that the present difficulties have their roots in unresolved intrigues arising from the Transitioning from YWC to Ilana.
(4) That though the purported dissolution of Ilana UK Chapter would appear to be the immediate reason for the Press Conference, the Key Concern raised in the Press Conference as irreconcilable, is the infusion of elements who do not fully subscribe to the Self-Determination Campaign of the Yoruba at this time and who could therefore wreck havoc or derail the Liberation Campaign for sundry reasons ranging from mischief, quick personal gains, to outrightly working for the enemy.
(5) For the avoidance of doubt, the NINAS Secretariat states that Prof Banji Akintoye remains the Chairman of NINAS and had acquitted himself meritoriously in that onerous task since it first fell upon his shoulders in December of 2020 to Lead the NINAS Alliance in the Self-Determination Campaign.
(6) Going by the outreach of NINAS to various aggrieved persons within the Ilana fold, it is the hope of NINAS Secretariat that further patient engagement with all stakeholders will yield a more enduring outcome, and so all concerned are requested to avoid any escalation especially in the media space.
(7) The speculations on Financial Impropriety reported in the Press Statement under review remain just Speculations and should be left as such.
(7) A more elaborate Statement will be issued by the NINAS Secretariat when all Stakeholders have been engaged and so until the ongoing mediation efforts yield its outcome, all stakeholders are requested to de-escalate so that NINAS can focus on its already difficult undertaking.
Tony NnadiNINAS Secretariat
November 18, 2021.