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- But as soon as they become enlightened and politically conscious, and/or courageous leadership emerges amongst them, the bitterness and hostility come into the open,and remain sustained with all possible venom and rancor, until home rule is achieved . – Chief Awolowo
- I will call the Boko Haram members’ surrender closed Circuit ‘Boko haramic deceits through which the Military officers and their goons are feeding fat on the common purse – Abiodun Egunjobi
- The overall situation that I encountered in Nigeria gives rise to extreme concern. By many measures, the Federal authorities and the international partners are presiding over an injustice pressure cooker – Agnes Callamard of the United Nations
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Buhari has perfected plans to arrest the agitators of self-determination groups in an attempt to scuttle our September ‘One Million March’. Buhari is surprised that the Killings and the arrests of Kanu , Sunday and Co. are yet to stop the open agitations for the independence of the Middle belt and Southern Nigeria from the lie called Nigeria. On the part of Fulanis and the Apartheid regime of Buhari , the responses to these demands have been disappointingly incongruent with the realities of present-day political environment of the world ,with statements like these. “The case of Biafra was resolved 51 years ago when the Civil War ended.” “The unity of Nigeria in not negotiable” “We will deal firmly with any attempt to create confusion in the public polity.” Responses such as these not only trivialize the seriousness and importance of the issues these protests and agitations pose, they fan the embers of the fire fueling them. In the case of Buhari, he is even using trucks to bring Fulanis to Nigeria from CAR for Jihad that is in the offing. He is not trying to only stop the agitators, he is perfecting plan to rob them and make them Hausas of the present day Nigeria- Where are the Hausas , the former Land owners of the Northern Nigeria? . The Hausas have been obliterated from the map of the present day Northern Nigeria. The long term project of Buhari and El Rufai is to Fulanize , Islamize and Talibanize Nigeria . All they want to do is follow through on the instructions of their father who conquered the Hausas. The instructions inter alia is – The government of a country is the government of its king without question. If the king is a Muslim, his land is Muslim – Shehu Usman dan Fodio
Read Buhari :
“Why should Christians be concerned when Muslim cut off their limbs? After all, the limbs that are being cut off are Muslim ones and not Christian. So why should Christians bother about it? – Buhari (Liberty Radio, Kaduna 2003),
“I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria. God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the Sharia in the country.” – Muhammadu Buhari (News24, August 27, 2001)
For Nigeria, the agitation for independence from the apartheid state of Nigeria will not go away with the waving of a magic wand and for a number of reasons. First, as none other than Wole Soyinka has pointed out, you cannot “kill Biafra” because it is an idea, which like the proverbial genie has left the bottle. And as Chief Awolowo pointed out in “Thoughts on Nigerian Constitution,” these kinds of agitations are never suppressed. Wrote the “Sage“ If the linguistic group or national group concerned are backward, or too weak vis-à-vis the majority group or groups, their bitterness or hostility may be dormant or suppressed. But as soon as they become enlightened and politically conscious, and/or courageous leadership emerges amongst them, the bitterness and hostility come into the open,and remain sustained with all possible venom and rancor, until home rule is achieved.” Chief Awolowo , the late sage and Professor Achebe referred to Nigeria as a geographical expression . It is interesting and as a side note that there is no single squirrel in Idanre again. I have been made to understand that these squirrels even carry mobile phones. However, Buhari is too myopic to see the handwriting on the wall. Nigeria is no Afghanistan
A second and more important reason why I believe the responses have trivialized the issues is that they refuse to show an understanding of the complexities emanating from a very dynamic international political order and environment. In 51 years, the world has changed! the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, the august body charged with the onerous task of maintaining world peace and security, passed The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) on Thursday, 13 September 2007
In favour were the following countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, the Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against the Declaration were Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States while 11 countries: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Samoa and Ukraine abstained. Absent at the time of the historic decision were: Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Montenegro, Morocco, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu.
All the 4 countries that were against the Declaration later switched their positions to ‘supporting’ the declaration as a non-legally-binding document. So have all the abstaining nations.
The Declaration was over 31 years in the making. The idea originated in 1982 when the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) set up its Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) to critically examine the issues and problems of discrimination faced by indigenous peoples around the world. The group was saddled with the responsibility of developing human rights standards that would protect indigenous peoples. The Group started working on drafting the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 1985 and finished it in 1993. The draft was, thereafter, submitted to various other organs of the UN that, after rigorous examinations and vigorous debates, gave approval.
The Declaration is a carefully organized compendium of the historical grievances, contemporary challenges, socio-economic, political and cultural aspirations of indigenous peoples with particular emphasis on their desire to get international attention, secure recognition for their aspirations, and to generate support for their political agendas. Consequently, the Declaration resonated particularly well with indigenous populations while many national governments have been at a quandary about its impact and consequences.
Essentially, one can conclude that the Declaration presents the world with the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world without, in any way, limiting their attainment of greater rights.
Generally, a UN General Assembly resolution or declaration is not considered a legally binding instrument in international law. However, it does represent the coalescing and development of international legal norms and principles that reflects the commitment and desire of UN member states to move in certain directions in the pursuit of its mandate. In the case of the Declaration, the UN describes it as setting “an important standard for the treatment of indigenous peoples that will undoubtedly be a significant tool towards eliminating human rights violations against the planet’s 370 million indigenous people and assisting them in combating discrimination and marginalization.” Buhari is discriminating against and marginalizing anyone who is not a Fulani or Muslim.
In a jiffy, the UN General Assembly thus established its criteria for any indigenous group of people desiring self-determination or independence. These are:
1. A previous history of statehood or existence as separate territorial entity;
2. Ethnicity, language, religion, culture;
3. Existence of special institutions of governance; and
4. Manifestations of the will to be a separate identity.
Why is all of these information relevant to the present agitation in Nigeria the reader may ask? Well, the Yorubas, Middle Belt, Igbos of Nigeria have classified themselves as the Indigenous People of Oduduwa, Middlebelters and Biafrans and they are willing, able and ready to take advantage of its provisions. Let me quickly point out that virtually all the ethnic nationalities that make up present day Nigeria satisfy the definition of “Indigenous People.” Given these criteria,Yorubas, Middle-belters and Biafrans will surely free their lands and perhaps Nigerians are best advised to anticipate not just this eventuality but the eventuality of all the “indigenous people” in Nigeria agitating for statehood. Only the manifestation of the will to be a separate identity, which is usually conducted through a referendum, is standing between the agitators and the achievement of their goal.
It was in realization of the possibility of this and other possible schisms that Prof Onasanya wrote a book “The Urgency of Now; Building a True Nigerian Nation” in which Prof Angelicus-M presented facts and evidence that events and developments in the international arena do not augur well for the continued existence of Nigeria as one country when the Declaration was approved. The book showed, inter alia, that several key obstacles continue to hamper the country’s development and progress. Prominent among these are:
[a] the long acknowledged realization that a Nigerian nation does not exist while a Nigerian state run by politicians continue to dictate terms and conditions that may not be desirable to some of the country’s constituent ethnic nationalities;
[b] by virtue of [a] above, good governance, based on the following criteria remains an aberration in the country:
i. Genuine self-rule: based upon the nation’s ability to make decisions about resource ownership and allocation, project funding, and development strategy;
ii. Creating effective governing institutions: through the development of non-politicized dispute resolution mechanisms and getting rid of corruption;
iii. Cultural match: to provide the created institutions legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry; and
iv. Strategic orientation: for the nation’s long-term planning efforts;
[c] that Nigeria is a unique country in which some of the country’s constituent ethnic nationalities are capable of being countries on their own using 2021 World Population figures which showed that the Hausa/Fulani 42million, Yoruba 31.5 million, Igbo 30 million, Ijaws 15 million , Tiv 7 million, to name a few, are bigger than currently recognized countries like Bahamas 305,655, Barbados 280,946 and Sao Tome & Principe 199,579.
Based on these and other facts, the book recommended the urgent and immediate commencement of a Nigerian nation-building project predicated upon the Kennedy School of Government study the nation building in countries with indigenous population be aimed at: “equipping . . . nations with the institutional foundation to increase their capacity to effectively assert self-governing powers on behalf of their own economic, social and cultural objectives.”
In the present circumstances, the future of Nigeria as an entity may hinge on how well it is able to deal with and build on the indigenous legacies of its indigenous peoples to try to achieve that unity in diversity with justice for all. In my lexicon, three words that the paraphernalia of the Nigerian state refuse to identify with, I believe, is the beginning of the foundational work for a virile Nigeria: Sovereign National Conference!
However, Buhari is too focused on his Islamization agenda to understand his limits and the limits of the lie he presides over. One will think that he learns something from the Twitter ban. In my letter to the CEO of Twitter, I told him that Buhari lacks the intellectual capacities to know his limits and with the ever lying liar, Lie Muhammed by his side, they will continue to sell lies about the lie. These two idiots and the little guy of the Kaduna government house think they own Nigerians irrespective of their locations. Each time I listen to the ‘ever lying liar’, Lie Mohammed, the question that comes to mind is , how did Nigeria get to this level? . To make matter worse, we are hearing that Buhari is heavily paying members of Boko Haram in a program known as Sulhu, meaning peacemaking in Arabic. They are not surrendering because they are repenting, they are coming out because of the money that Buhari is dishing out through his surrogates in the military. If you need some cash, go to Borno State and raise up your hands. You will get new clothes and cash. After you are paid, wait for two weeks, return back to the same location and raise up your hands.According to a lawyer, “from a human rights point of view, they should have been brought to justice. This is helping impunity to grow.” I will call the Boko Haram members’ surrenders , a closed Circuit ‘Boko haramic deceit through which the Military officers are feeding fat on the common purse. They are directly financing the Boko Haram Industry. Nigeria is arming the very people they lie to us that they are fighting. Nigerian Military officers have oil wells in Boko Haram. If you are an army officer in Nigeria today and you are poor, it means you are either extremely honest, out of favor or sick.
As for September Protest, please mobilze every Nigerian . We need to show the world that we are indeed serious. Buhari , through his Fulani regime of Apatheid has killed enough from middle belt to Lagos. We need to let the world know about his Talibanization agenda for Nigeria. Nigeria is in a state of war. We have more refuges outside the country than the state of Yobe. We have more displaced people within country than the state of Ogun state. We can not afford to wait any longer. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and if needs be, by our lives and the lives of others”.
With the help of the military, the Government of King Buhari now has crossed over into the final frontier of bigotry and according to Margaret Thatcher, ‘Dictators can be deterred, they can be crushed – but they can never be appeased’
Let me sign off with a message from Senator Shehu Sani to President Buhari. “Enough blood has been spilled by herdsmen to stain the Rivers of Niger and Benue. Mr. President, there are vultures flying over the heads, the villages and communities of our people.”
If you are still thinking about your participation in this ‘One Million March’ , you should know in the words of TR that , It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat
The only thing that Buhari needs to prosper in what he is doing to you is for you to stand and do nothing.
It is time to set aside this lie called Nigeria. Please join the ‘One Million March’
Abiodun Egunjobi
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