PRESS STATEMENT
Compatriots,
My name is Comrade Wale Balogun, I am the National Coordinator of the Yoruba Revolutionary Movement (YOREM) an organisation fighting for the self determination and social emancipation of the Yoruba within a Nigeria’s genuine federal union or outside it. It should be noted that I addressed a world press conference titled THE AUGUST 2024 NATIONAL PROTESTS IS A COLLECTIVE STRUGGLE AGAINST SUFFERING, HUNGER AND HANDSHIP IN NIGERIA on Saturday 27th of July, 2024 at Ikeja , Lagos in support of the End Bad Governance National protests in Nigeria.
In the said World press conference, I disabused the minds of Yoruba who had being misinformed and incited that the Ndigbo community in Lagos wanted to cause chaos in the state. Thus, I called on Yoruba people not to be used to wage an avoidable and unnecessary war against Ndigbo because the national protests to end bad governance is a collective fight against hunger, suffering and hardship in the country. More importantly, that the Yoruba should participate in the protests given the age long tradition of the Yoruba resistance to all oppressive policies and programmes by governments.
I also issued a Press Statement on the 5th of August, 2024 titled END BAD GOVERNMENT NATIONAL PROTESTS: THE HYPOCRISY OF SELF DETERMINATION AGITATORS in which I speak against the double standards of self determination activists that were against the peaceful national protests. Aside from a video clip where I called on the Oro cult not to allow themselves being used against voices of dissent expressing themselves in a peaceful protests.
I want the world to note that since the media used the text of the press conference extensively, Lagos state government emissaries have been calling on me to meet with the Lagos State government Chief of Staff, Tayo Ayinde and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, which I refused to do. Instead, I advised the Lagos State government contacts to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to accede to the demands of protesters and not to forcefully disperse the protests. This same message was sent to the DCP of SIIB, Panti through a Superintendent of Police who had called me and initiated a meeting which I tactically withdraw from. ( I recorded all the conversations because I suspected the sinister motives).
This statement now becomes necessary because of threats to my life and family. I was reliably informed by 2 sympathisers that the Political thugs of the APC in Lagos state popularly known as Team Lagos , some well known Oodua self determination activists in the payroll of the state government have been assigned to take my life while security operatives have also been mandated to arrest me.
I therefore seize this opportunity to call on the Inspector General of Police to save my life from APC political thugs and other agents of darkness ordered to terminate my life. I also wish to state that I do not have any regrets in calling on Nigerians particularly the Yoruba to exercise their democratic rights to a peaceful protests.
As one of the unsung heroes that fought for the enthronement of this 4th republic, an historical fact that I led the first protest against the annulment of June 12th presidential election on Sunday 24th of June, 1993 at Ebute meta, Lagos Mainland. I cannot fold my hands or keep quiet in the face of misgovernance just because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a Yoruba man. If anything untowardly happens to me and my family I called on Nigerians and the international community to hold Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu responsible.
Signed
Comrade Wale Balogun
National Coordinator, Yoruba Revolutionary Movement (YOREM).
08/08/2024.
