Igbo Have Sovereignty Over Igboland So Can Renegotiate The Nigeria Union

23 December 2023

The original Nigeria, being a Federation, meant there was the presence of Self-Determination, got Terminated by the military coups of 1966. In an attempt to save the Union, the solemn meeting at Aburi in January 1967 concluded that even more Self-Determination was needed and so it was now agreed that a Confederation was the minimum workable Union arrangement. However, Gowon and his controllers reneged on the Aburi Accord because they had decided upon a completely different Agenda for the Ethnic Nations of “Nigeria”. That Agenda would be one where Sovereignty would be overridden and Self-Determination hijacked, making it easy for “government” to steal the valuable natural resources belonging to the indigenous Ethnic Nations. This was achieved through violence and Military Decrees.

As mentioned above, the Union being terminated by the coups of 1966, it was thus within their prerogative for the Ethnic Nations of the Eastern Region to exercise their Sovereignty and by consensus form their Republic of Biafra. However, coveting the vast riches in that Territory, Gowon decided that, “To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done”, and carried out the Biafra Genocide on peoples who had a right to reject what Nigeria had become, and to seek their safety and happiness via their new Republic of Biafra.

Igbo Nation was one of the indigenous Nations that suffered greatly in the Biafra Genocide that ended in January 1970. From that time, Igboland has been slated by Nigeria to remain neglected for any kind of development, forcing Igbo to leave their ancestral homeland in search of opportunities in other parts of Nigeria, as well as overseas. Despite all the injustices that Igbo have suffered, we are known for our initiative and courage, Nigeria could not take those away from us.

Therefore, Igbo should not be confused as to the way forward. We just need to calm down and look at the facts. We know from Aburi that a Confederation is the minimum that would work for us if we want to remain in the Nigeria Union. We also know that we can form a better type of political union (country) with more compatible neighbouring Ethnic Nations with which we share history and culture, such as the unifying ancient Nsibidi Script etc. We also know that if we meet United Nations criteria, we can go solo. Whichever option Igbo will democratically decide on, there is no need to go back and forth again. We already have pointers to the right road to take. Such as a consensus for the Igbo pathway to a safer and better future being the three-day Emergency Conclave of the Leaderships of Major Igbo Organizations, held August 10-12, 2018 in Enugu under the auspices of Ndigbo Consultative Assembly (NCA), which was chaired by Dr Arthur Nwankwo and which had in attendance the Leaderships of major Igbo organizations, home and abroad.

Over five years ago now, this Igbo Conclave having thoroughly examined the various desires of Igbo such as Nigeria Presidency, or “Biafra”, or Igbo Economic Empowerment and ‘Aku Ruo Ulo’ type of initiatives, had resolved as follows:

1. ” Given the fact that after more than 50 years of disputes, (since 1967) including a 30-month Genocidal War against the East, the question of appropriate constitutional arrangements for Nigeria has remained unresolved, the Conclave recommends that the well-known Constitutional Grievances of Nd’Igbo should now be referred to a General REFERENDUM of the People.

 

2. Guided by the sad experiences of the monumental Constitutional Disputations in the First Republic between 1962-1965 which birthed the 1966 Military intervention in Nigeria’s political arena and the resultant collapse of the Nigerian Federation, the Conclave recommends the deferment of further National Elections in 2019 that will be premised upon the rejected 1999 Constitution and in place of Elections, the initiation of an orderly Transition Process that will take the entrapped Nationalities from the present precarious reality of imposition, to a stable negotiated future.      

 

3. To preserve societal order during the period required to execute the winding up of the rejected Constitutional Order to the institution of the successor-Constitutional Arrangements, the Conclave proposes the emplacement of a Transitioning Mechanism that maintains Nominal Governance.

 

DATED THIS 12TH DAY OF AUGUST 2018”

 

There we have it! Igbo had rightly decided to reject Nigeria’s dysfunctional constitutional arrangement codified by the Forgery called the 1999 Constitution, and, in order to prevent anarchy, to have a Transitioning period where there would be frank discussions as part of Constitutional Renegotiations.

WHY HAVE NDI IGBO NOT FOLLOWED THIS ROAD!!!

Since this Conclave in 2018, things have gotten a lot worse for Igbo. Many of our brightest and best have left our land to use their life’s energy to improve foreign lands instead of our own Igboland. Many of our young men have been killed in gang-style violence with security services. Many of our businesses had to shut down in Nigeria’s toxic environment. We yet again face cash shortages, fuel scarcity, electricity poverty, plus the homes of our people are being demolished in various parts of Nigeria… My people, we can live better than this!

The pathway was announced at that 2018 Conclave. The solution is achieved by exercising our inalienable supreme authority of Sovereignty. When we tried it before, we got killed by Nigeria in the Biafra Genocide. Today things are very different because the other Ethnic Nations have seen the light and there is now a formidable Alliance of the South and Middle Belt, the NINAS Alliance – united in teamwork, organized and seeking Self-Determination, and exercising our Sovereignties.

It is in exercising our Sovereignties that there was PRONACO in 2006, then the 1999 Constitution was taken to Court for being a Forgery in 2007, then we had the various Solemn Assemblies in 2015, 2017 and 2018, and other joint multi-ethnic Conventions, culminating in the Constitutional Force Majeure declared on 16 December 2020.

The 2018 Igbo Conclave Resolution was that we go to Transitioning. So all that Igbo should do now is we collectively insist upon it. We insist on Transitioning for Constitutional Renegotiation. Transitioning means there will be no vacuum and no anarchy. The outcome will be either a Federation, or a Confederation, or even independent Successor Countries. We the peoples will decide by UN-backed Referendums.

Lastly, Ndi Igbo, we must be able to control our land and make decisions for our people, protecting them not just in Igboland, but everywhere that our people are found. It is only when we are in control of our affairs that we can build securely and sustainably. Also, all the current agitations and gang-induced violence and killings will stop because those doing it will see that they were misled, and will leave the evil forest to come onto the good road. As we exercise our Sovereignty and move in Self-Determination, Igbo will be a blessing to ourselves and to the Black World. Let us now show our children what being Igbo is really about.

Ndidi Uwechue is a British citizen with Igbo heritage from the Lower Niger Bloc. She is a retired Metropolitan (London) Police Officer, she is a signatory to the Constitutional Force Majeure, and she writes from Abuja.