Nigerians have praised Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who recently charged Nigerians to defend the sanctity of their ancestral lands.
The duo made the statement in response to the ultimatum by a northern group after President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Ruga settlements projects across the country.
Soyinka and the Ooni made the call for the defence of ancestral heritage in a communiqué released on Sunday following a meeting on July 4 in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the rights of every individual, every community, every collectivity of human beings as primary, and preeminent over and above all other parameters of human development or formal associations.
“In this regard, the recent ultimatum delivered by a sectarian order to the president of this nation to set up the so-called RUGA cattle settlements across the entire nation within a stipulated time, despite national outcry, should be acknowledged as entitlement under the bounty of freedom of expression.
“In return, we exercise ours, and call upon Nigerian nationals across state demarcations to defend the sanctity of their ancestral lands. This birthright has never been annulled, not even under colonial occupation,” the communiqué said.
Nigerians have shown their support for the call on social media.
