Danger Signs from the North
The three-month ultimatum issued last week by the Coalition of Northern Youths for the Igbos to leave the north has threatened the nation’s tenuous unity, writes Gboyega Akinsanmi.
The last fortnight has been defining in the recent history of Nigeria due to two major developments that brazenly put the country’s tenuous unity under strain and tension. The first is the directive by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) and Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) that all Igbos across the federation should observe a sit-at-home protest on May 30.
The directive was issued on three interrelated grounds. It was meant to mark the struggle for the Sovereign State of Biafra, which the late Military Governor of Eastern Region, Col. Chukwuemeka Ojukwu declared on May 30, 1967. Also, it was issued to honour the heroes of the Biafra and other slain activists. Lastly, as the IPOD leader, Nnamdi Kanu observed, it was a mini referendum to gauge preparedness for an independent Biafra.
Across the federation, the Igbo people largely complied with the directive. Compliance with the directive, consequently, culminated in the closure of markets, restriction of movement and suspension of all socio-economic activities in the South-east and other states of the federation. It was perhaps the most successful peaceful protest the protagonists of Biafra ever held. It also underlined the potency of civil disobedience as a weapon of protest.
The success of the sit-at-home order stoked anger, mainly among the northern leaders. That led to the second development that put the country’s fragile unity under duress on June 6. Citing the Igbo push for secession, a coalition of northern groups addressed a news conference at Arewa House, Kaduna where they asked Igbos to vacate the north on or before October 1.
Unlawful Declaration
The coalition comprised Arewa Citizens Action for Change, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Arewa Youth Development Foundation, Arewa Students Forum, Northern Emancipation Network and 11 other northern youth groups. Representatives of the northern youth groups that constituted the coalition eventually endorsed a declaration directing the Igbos to vacate the north in absolute disregard to sections 41-44 of the 1999 Constitution.
Described as an outburst from the north, the declaration was co-signed by the President, Northern Emancipation Network, Abdul-Aziz Suleiman; President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Shettima Yerima; North Central Coordinator, Arewa Citizens Action for Change, Mohammed Abdulhamid and 13 other signatories that represented different northern groups.
As contained in the text of its news conference, the coalition proclaimed that the north “will no longer be disposed to co-existing with the Igbo and shall take definite steps to end the partnership by pulling out of the current federal arrangement.” Also, the coalition declared that the north had ceased “to be comfortable or safe sharing the same country with the Igbo people.”
Besides, the coalition said that each should be allowed “to go its own way as we categorically proclaim that the north is fed up with being in the same country with this pack of Igbo partners rather than allow certain sections hold Nigeria to ransom at every stage.” Hence, it issued three directives which it said the Igbos must comply with or face the consequence.
First, the coalition asked the Igbo people to vacate the 19 northern states before October 1. Second, perhaps the Igbo people fail to comply with the notice, it threatened “to implement visible action to prove to the whole world that we are no longer part of any federal union that should do with the Igbo.” Third, effective from October 1, the coalition said it “shall begin peaceful and safe mop-up of all the remnants of the Igbo that neglect to heed this quit notice.”
Obviously, the declaration violated different sections of the 1999 Constitution as amended. It, flagrantly, breached section 41, which states that every citizen of Nigeria “is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereto or exit therefrom.”
Likewise, the declaration violated section 43, which states that every citizen of Nigeria “shall have the right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria.” It, equally, flouted section 41, which guarantees that no immovable property or any interest in an immovable property “shall be taken possession of compulsorily and no right over or interest in any such property shall be acquired compulsorily in any part of Nigeria…”
Even though it expressly violated the country’s grundnorm by all standards, no author of the said declaration has been arrested seven days after the coalition conducted itself in disregard to the letters and spirits of the 1999 Constitution. However, the Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris had directed the arrest of all signatories to the declaration. The fact that those who made the declaration did not go into hiding and yet could not be arrested speaks volume.
Secession Questions
In its declaration, the coalition recognised that Nigeria was a federal union, to which it argued, the Igbo people were a threat. It, also, recognised that it was voluntary to be a member of any federal union anywhere in the world. On these grounds, the coalition drew an ominous conclusion that the north “will no longer be disposed to co-existing with the Igbo people.”
However, the coalition never considered whether any ethnic nationality – be it Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba – has right to self-determination if such a nationality is no longer comfortable with the federal union. Apparently, the right to self-determination is not enshrined in the 1999 Constitution. But the United Nations Charter, to which Nigeria is a signatory, guarantees such right.
Unequivocally, Chapter 1, Article 1, explains four core objectives the UN Charter seeks to achieve. Part 2 of Article 1, specifically, states that the purpose of the UN Charter “is to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace.”
Also, in the spirit of Article 1, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 1514 (XV) on December 14, 1960 to further protect the rights of nations, nationalities and peoples seeking self-determination. However, the General Assembly agreed to the resolution primarily “to end the subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation globally.”
It states that such subjection “constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and is an impediment to the promotion of world peace and co-operation.” Apparently, the content of the resolution is not limited to hastening the process of decolonisation. It, equally, recognises that all peoples “have the right to self-determination.”
Also, the resolution never entertains reasons that can undermine the exercise of such right.
However, apparently, the support the coalition garnered from the ACF and NEF emboldened its promoters. After the Nigeria Police directed that it arrowheads be arrested, the coalition convened another meeting at Arewa House, where its members agreed that the threat of arrest “will not stop them from insisting that the Igbo people should leave the north.