Wale Elegbede … gives stay-at-home order on Independence Day
Ahead of the 60th independence anniversary of Nigeria on October 1, agitators of Biafra Republic in the South-East, and their Oduduwa counterparts in the southwest, have agreed to forge a common front to advance their cause for self-determination.
This is just as the bodies urged the Federal Government to convene a referendum where Nigerians can freely and fairly make a democratic choice, whether they want to continue with Nigeria as presently configured or seek their right to self-determination before the 2023 general elections.
This was disclosed yesterday in a joint statement signed by the International General Secretary of Yoruba One Voice (YOV), Dr. Sina Okanlomo and Head, Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Chika Edoziem. In the statement, the two groups dug into historical antecedents of Nigeria as a nation, concluding that the 1914 forced amalgamation of the different nation states which made up Nigeria and the successive years of exploitation of the peoples of the Southern part of Nigeria, have entrenched poverty, underdevelopment, mediocrity, unemployment, wanton killings, terrorism, inequality, and insecurity, among others. While stating that the golden years of Nigeria were when the country had three regions, with each region having its own constitution, the bodies said the current presidential constitution, which is unitary in character, has failed the people of Nigeria.
The statement reads: “From all indications, the current leadership of Nigeria is not, and has never been committed to the fundamental objectives and directives of the principles of statehood, policies of federalism as enshrined in Chapter II of the constitution that it derived its powers from. “Our peoples are tired of the terrorism, insecurity, hopelessness, injustice, killings, unemployment, inequality, corruption, scandals, violence, oppression, and extortion, among others. “Copies of this jointly signed release have been sent to these world bodies. If, as we believe, our people choose self-determination, the next natural step would be the immediate activation of the processes and modalities, beginning from October 2, 2021, for the creation of Odùduwà and the Biafran Nations out of the present but failed Nigerian experiment, which started in 1914.” The groups also called on its people to stay away from participation and involvement in any October 1, 2020; 60th independence anniversary activities as may be mounted by the unitary government of Nigeria. “In specific terms, we, hereby, call on the peoples of our territories, and indeed all peoples of Nigeria yearning to be free from internal colonisation to be prepared to stay-athome on October 1, 2020. “No one among us should play along with any celebration of 60 years of an imbalanced unequal country. Staying- at-home means keeping safe and away from the inhuman and inhumane character of the present regime of Major General Buhari.”