On 23 May 1888, Queen Victoria of Britain requested that Alaafin Adeyemi of Yorubaland enter into a treaty with her as an equal. On 23 July 1888, the two monarchs signed a non-cession treaty of friendship and exclusive, preferential trade between their two independent sovereign States. On 16 June 1890, the two monarchs ratified the treaty. On 27 December 1899, Queen Victoria declared in an Order in Council that treaties such as this were binding, and with that she established her own legacy.
In this 1888 treaty, Queen Victoria promised that Yorubaland would for ever be an independent sovereign State and that Britain would never take an inch of Yorubaland. The British government has since reneged on the promises.
The 1888 treaty has been passed down the ages to the present monarchs of Britain, King Charles III, and Yorubaland, Kabiyesi Alaafin Owoade I.
The 1888 Britain-Yorubaland Treaty is Queen Victoria’s legacy. King Charles III is the great-great-great grandson and heir to the Queen Victoria legacy. It is King Charles’ sacred duty to uphold, protect, defend, and fulfil the Queen Victoria legacy. In regard to the 1888 treaty, King Charles III is obligated, without any exemptions, to
a) inform the country and the world of the existence of the 1888 treaty and the legitimate expectations owed to the Yoruba;
b) repudiate all acts that the British government hitherto had done to frustrate the legitimate expectations;
c) Immediately announce recognition of Yorubaland as an independent sovereign State; and,
d) refer any outstanding issues to arbitration as provided for by Article 5 of the said treaty.
The 1888 Britain-Yorubaland Treaty is Alaafin Adeyemi’s legacy. Kabiyesi Alaafin Owoade I is the successor and heir to the Alaafin Adeyemi legacy. It is Alaafin Owoade’s sacred duty to uphold, protect, defend, and fulfil the Alaafin Adeyemi legacy. In regard to the 1888 treaty, Alaafin Owoade I is obligated, without any exemptions, to
a) publicly announce the existence of this treaty and the obligations it owed to the Yoruba;
b) formally ask both the Nigerian and British governments to recognise the treaty and act accordingly, which means declaring Yorubaland an independent sovereign State;
c) if need be, litigate the matter in the Nigerian courts; and,
d) support by way of donation and an amicus brief the claim that the Yoruba Party in the UK (YPUK) is bringing to the British courts.
You too can join YPUK’s campaign to actualise this legacy. Visit www.yorubapartyuk.org to donate to YPUK’s application for judicial review of the deliberate frustration by the British of the 1888 Britain-Yorubaland Treaty.