A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has urged the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to openly identify and expose those sabotaging Nigeria, warning that the nation can no longer afford to “pretend” about individuals “waging war against the country.”
He insisted that regional federalism remains the only sustainable solution to Nigeria’s mounting security and governance challenges.
Speaking with journalists in Ikere Ekiti on Saturday after the 29th Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme and the sixth Wole Olanipekun Foundation Empowerment Programme, the Senior Advocate lamented that some Nigerians were actively undermining the nation’s unity and progress. He described them as individuals benefiting from the system while working tirelessly to destabilise it.
Olanipekun said Nigeria needed humanists—people who love the nation genuinely and act in its best interest—to overcome the ongoing crises. “There are people waging war against Nigeria, and we are afraid of naming them. But we know them. Why are we pretending? You can’t sabotage your country and get away with it elsewhere,” he said, urging the government to reveal the identities of those undermining national security.
He further argued that President Bola Tinubu inherited long-standing structural problems and should not be blamed for issues he “did not sow.” According to him, the only path to true national healing and sustainable coexistence is through regional federalism, where regions negotiate collectively, manage residual powers, and align with their cultural and linguistic blocs.
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, praised Olanipekun’s decades-long humanitarian investments in education and empowerment, describing him as a model of true leadership. The Wole Olanipekun Foundation announced that 255 students benefited from scholarships in 2025, while 350 vulnerable individuals received financial support and 1,500 others received palliatives.
