The Federal Government of Nigeria has dismissed fears over any impact of the petition submitted to the United Kingdom government by Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, seeking separation from Nigeria.
The media was awash with reports on Sunday about the petition submitted at No. 10 Downing Street in London by Igboho, seeking the creation of a Yoruba nation. Olayomi Koiki, the spokesman for Igboho, disclosed this in a post on Sunday via his X page.
He stated that Igboho submitted the petition on behalf of the leader of the Yoruba Nation Movement, Prof. Adebanji Akintoye.
He wrote, “At exactly 14:00 hrs Dr. Chief Sunday Igboho delivered a petition to the UK Prime Minister on behalf of Prof. Adebanji Akintoye, leader of the YORUBA NATION movement, and Olayomi Koiki, his spokesman @10DowningStreet.”
But, reacting to the development on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement issued by its spokesman, Eche Abu-Obe, said the Federal Government summoned the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, who explained that the UK government has not endorsed the petition.
Part of the statement read: “The High Commissioner noted that the concern generated by the matter indicated that the reports were misleading. Furthermore the British envoy informed the Nigerian government that he was aware of the letter being delivered but added that it was merely an established practice of allowing the delivery of letters and petitions to No 10. It was not endorsed by any agency of the UK government or the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee.
“The High Commissioner noted that the UK government typically does not concern itself with petitions concerning the sovereign affairs of another country. He informed that such petitions had been rejected by the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee and the UK government in the past.
“In this regard, he agreed to continue liaising with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as needed, while reiterating the importance of the bilateral relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.”
