Yoruba nation: UK didn’t endorse Sunday igboho’s petition-FG

The Federal Government has clarified that the petition submitted by Mr. Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as “Sunday Igboho,” urging the United Kingdom to recognize the Yoruba nation, was not supported by the UK government.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described recent media coverage of the petition as “highly misleading.”

He explained that following reports about the petition delivered to No. 10 Downing Street by Sunday Igboho, the British High Commissioner in Abuja was invited to provide clarification. During their discussion, the High Commissioner expressed concern that the situation had been exaggerated and highlighted the misleading nature of the media reports.

The High Commissioner also clarified that while he was aware of the letter’s delivery, it was simply a standard procedure to accept letters and petitions at No. 10. He emphasized that it did not have the backing of any UK government agency or the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee.

Moreover, he noted that the UK government generally refrains from engaging with petitions related to the internal affairs of other nations and mentioned that similar petitions had previously been rejected by both the UK Parliamentary Petitions Committee and the UK government.

The High Commissioner agreed to maintain communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as necessary, reinforcing the importance of the diplomatic relationship between the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

Recall that, according to his spokesperson Olayomi Koiki, Igboho submitted the petition to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, advocating for the establishment of a Yoruba nation. Koiki stated that Igboho presented the petition on behalf of Prof. Adebanji Akintoye, the leader of the Yoruba Nation movement. He noted, “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.”