The Federal Government of Nigeria has clarified that the petition submitted by Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, seeking the United Kingdom’s support for the Yoruba Nation movement, has not been endorsed by the UK government.
Igboho had on Saturday delivered a petition to the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, urging his government to support the creation of a sovereign Yoruba nation. The petition called for UK intervention in the movement’s quest for an independent country for the Yoruba people.
In response to media reports surrounding the petition, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, released a statement on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, explaining that the British High Commissioner in Abuja had been invited to address the issue. According to Abu-Obe, the High Commissioner downplayed the reports, noting that the matter had been exaggerated in the media.
“The High Commissioner noted with concern that the matter was overblown, indicating that the media reports were highly misleading,” the statement read. The High Commissioner confirmed that while the letter had indeed been delivered, this was merely a standard practice for handling petitions and was not an indication of UK government support.
“It was not endorsed by any agency of the UK government nor the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee. The UK government typically does not involve itself in petitions concerning the sovereign affairs of another country,” Abu-Obe emphasized, quoting the High Commissioner.
The High Commissioner further mentioned that similar petitions have been rejected by the UK’s Parliamentary Petitions Committee in the past.
Abu-Obe reiterated that the British High Commission would continue to engage with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as necessary and highlighted the importance of maintaining strong bilateral relations between Nigeria and the UK.
