As Nigeria prepares to celebrate her 63rd independence anniversary, a non-governmental organisation, Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities (CIEN), has advocated ‘a drastic change’ if the country is to continue as a nation, demanding that it was time to adopt a new constitution with the expressed consent of the people “for regions to form a symmetric federation of equal status and with a weak centre.”
The Coalition gave this position in a statement it issued to felicitate Nigerians on this occasion of the independence anniversary and signed by Chairman of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba on behalf of leaders of other ethnic nationalities in the country, including Timothy B. Gandu, Co-Chairman, Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SOKALCO), Mr. Nubari Saatah, Secretary, Niger Delta Congress (NDC) and Dr. Akin Fapohunda of the Afenifere Organization.
Others are: Prof. Ejeikwu Emmanuel Oloja of Kwararafa Union, Chief Owolabi Oladejo (Voice of Reason in Yorubaland), Prof. Chris Akpoti (Isoko Development Union), Mr. Tochukwu Ifeneme (The Mandate Project), Barr Daniel Makolo (Amakpilo Igala Nation), Prof. Offiong Akwa, Mr. Kemedengiyefa Opia (Niger Delta Congress), Dr. Lloyd Ukwu (NADECO USA/Niger Delta Congress), Mr. Emma Ogebe (Justice for Jos), Mrs. Ene Ede (Idoma Nation), Mr. Austin Davou (Berom Nation) and Mr. Dogini Chidi ( Ekpeye Liberation Movement).
The ethnic nationalities, while advocating a new Constitution, sadly noted that 109 years after amalgamation of the country and 63 years after independence, Nigeria is “still unable to live together in harmony or accept a common national identity,” but quickly submitted that this year’s independence celebration provided an opportunity to “re-examine and decide on the relationship the ethnic nationalities want to live with each other and chart a new path for peace and prosperity rather than continue to suffer in this debilitatingly unproductive relationship.”
The Coalition insisted that it was time to reevaluate the country’s federalism structure and restore a symmetric Federalism to ensure the freedom and empowerment of indigenous ethnic groups, as it further noted that the problems besetting the country were foundational requiring structural re-engineering.
According to CIEN, such problems as it reflected in “weak governance structures, ethno-religious conflicts, inequality, and inequitable power relations have exacerbated our situation, leaving a trail of perennial crisis, ethnic distrust, and social unrest in their wake.”
The Coalition, therefore, said the new constitution should be one that would return the country to “a symmetric Federal structure with a guarantee of equal representation to all regions and equitable distribution of power that ensures the rights of every Nigerian irrespective of population size of the region or of place of birth or faith.”
CIEN, while insisting that indigenous communities have strong connections with their environment, argued that ownership of ancestral lands should “be private, collective, or communal as may be considered by the regions.”
“Indigenous people should be constitutionally empowered by the regions to develop, control, and use their lands and natural resources. The right to regulate the entry of migrants, the right to stay in the territories, and the right to claim parts of ancestral land previously reserved for various purposes except those reserved and intended for common and public welfare and service should revert to the people.
“It is time we write a new constitution with the expressed consent of and owned by the people, for regions to form a symmetric federation of equal status and with a weak centre.
“The new constitution should determine relationships between the regions and how the nation is to be governed.
“The new constitution should revert Nigeria to a symmetric Federal structure with a guarantee of equal representation to all regions and equitable distribution of power that ensures the rights of every Nigerian irrespective of population, size of the region, or of place of birth or faith.
“There should be a proper delineation of regional and international boundaries.
The regions should determine their governance structure and enshrine the same in their own constitution,” it said.
The Coalition expressed the belief that a restructured Nigeria along the above-stated principles would assist in overcoming the historical obstacles facing the nation “and forge a path towards uplifting indigenous communities economically, providing them with the resources and opportunities needed for sustainable development.”
It, therefore, called on Federal and state governments, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and the international community to work collaboratively and seize the opportunity of the country’s Independence Anniversary to initiate a comprehensive rebirth programme that would address the foundational issues and ensure the rights and dignity of indigenous peoples were upheld.
CIEN, while expressing the belief that Nigeria would be great again, however, warned that silence in the face of injustice was complicity.
“Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. Nigeria and Nigerians will be great again,” the Coalition warned.
. TheWitness
