Members of the Yoruba Patriots Movement including a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro; and a former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe met behind closed door on Monday in Ibadan.
Also at the meeting were the National Coordinator of YPM, Oladosu Ladapo, a former Defence Minister, Kayode Olatokunbo, a former deputy governor of Osun State, Fatai Akinbade, Senator Ayo Adeseun, Prof. Soji Adejumo, Wole Oyelese, Saka Balogun and Dotun Oyelade.
Although Bankole and Obanikoro refused to grant interview to pressmen that approached them at the end of the meeting, Ladapo said they met to discuss a common economic agenda for the South-West.
He stated that Obanikoro and Bankole had been saddled with the responsibility of developing a blueprint for the South-West economy.
The meeting followed a colloquium that was held in Ibadan on January 21, where the YPM was inaugurated. At the colloquium were notable Yoruba politicians from all the political parties, including representatives of the South-West governors and former interim chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Bisi Akande.
Asked if the politics of the geopolitical zone was part of their discussions, Ladapo said it would be improper to divulge all that they discussed at the meeting to the public.
He, however, said the meeting looked into various measures to be taken in order to reposition the failing economy of the South-West through an economic summit.
Ladapo said, “We looked at various studies that have been done on the economy of the geopolitical zone and we came up with some measures. The studies show that the South-West is the poorest zone in the country. This is because by 2009, most banks and industries in Nigeria were in the hands of South-West people but because of one policy or the other, today, we virtually have nothing again. You cannot build your economy if you are not an entrepreneur because you will lack the capital to develop a good idea.
“In the production line and agriculture, the zone is behind. We rely too much on food from the northern part of the country even though we have arable land in the South-West. We have youth population that derives meagre income from riding commercial motorcycles even though some of them are graduates.
“We have formed a committee which has Obanikoro, Bankole, Adejumo, Adetokunbo and Dr. Bayo Orire as members. I will coordinate the committee. Another meeting will be called soon. We are reaching out to captains of industries in Nigeria and abroad, present and past governors and politicians in order to move the South-West forward.”
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