ONE COUNTRY, A HARVEST OF TREASONS

Agitations for secession reinforce the argument for the restructuring of Nigeria, argues Sonnie Ekwowusi

Last week in Nigeria, in my view, was a harvest of seccessions and treasons. First, the Northern youths in their bid to dissolve the entity called Nigeria issued a ‘quit notice’ to the Igbos residing in Northern Nigeria to vacate the North on or before October 1, 2017. Shortly after that, the Northern Elders Forum not only backed the Northern Youths but equally issued a compelling proclamation that with effect from October 1, 2017 the entity called Nigeria or the Nigerian union accommodating the Igbos would be deemed dissolved and therefore would cease to exist on the face of the earth.

In reaction, the different ethnic militant groups in different parts of the country issued their respective secessionist and treasonable declarations. For example, a group from the Niger Delta which called itself the Rondel Solidarity Movement (RSM) issued a statement stating that they too had formed their own country called Rondel Republic and that the new country will start exercising its sovereignty and integrity as an independent country with effect from 2018. Shortly after that, a coalition of militant groups from the Niger Delta issued a communiqué giving the Northerners residing in Niger Delta October 1, 2017 to leave Niger Delta because, according to them, all the oil wealth in Niger Delta is exclusively owned by the Niger Deltans. Then on June 10, 2017 the Youths of Oduduwa Republic, Lagos while restating its independence declared that thenceforth the mere mention of the name Biafra on the soil of the South-West would be regarded as a criminal offence attracting severe punishment.

So, while the Northern youths and elders are dissolving the Igbos, the Niger Delta youth militants are dissolving the Northerners and the Oduduwa youths on the other hand are dissolving the Biafrans to the greater dissolution of the entity called Nigeria. Sad. Isn’t? How did we arrive at this sorry state? It is a big paradox that while the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, SAN is traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria forging friendship, healing and reconciliatiing, some separatist groups across Nigeria are busy sowing the seeds of anarchy and mayhem and promoting secession and treason across the country. You will recall that in his keynote address with the title: “Greater together than apart,” a few weeks ago at Biafra at 50 Conference held at Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua Centre, Abuja, Yemi Osinbajo pleaded with Nigerians not to allow their frustration to transmute into hatred. “We are greater together than apart. Our frustrations should not drive us mad”, he said. But unfortunately the different warlords in the country do not want to heed the plea of the acting president. They want instead the soul of Nigeria. They want Nigeria to die. They are keen on destroying the pre-existing legal order in Nigeria which by extension is tantamount to the overthrow of the Buhari government and the Nigerian Constitution. Their secessionist agitations translate to a civilian coup. It means that we have not learnt any lessons 50 years after Biafra and about 51 years after the pogrom.

The Northern elders’ proclamation is couched in such unmistakable

RESTRUCTURING OF NIGERIA DOES NOT TRANSLATE TO SECESSION FROM NIGERIA OR DISSOLUTION OF NIGERIA. IT MEANS GIVING EACH PLAYER HIS OR HER DUE IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS

terms that point to their demand for the expulsion of Igbos from Nigeria and dissolution of Nigeria as an entity. In the aforesaid proclamation, the spokesman of the Northern elders Forum Prof. Ango Abdullahi stated that the present Federal Republic of Nigeria which accommodates the Igbos was no longer acceptable, and that, consequently, with effect from October 1, 2017, the Federal Republic of Nigeria that accommodates the Igbos would be dissolved and a new country without the Igbos would come into existence. In plain words, the Northern elders are seeking to overthrow the Buhari government and the Nigerian Constitution. That obviously amounts to treason and a recipe for anarchy. It beats the imagination that why the Northern elders are now seriously insisting on the break-up of Nigeria. I had thought that as good ambassadors of the North the Northern elders ought to be promoting friendship and a sense of belonging across the divides. We cannot have two Federal governments in Nigeria at the same time, one in Abuja and another in the North. If the Nigerian voters voted for the Buhari government in 2015 and have not withdrawn their mandate since 2015, why are the Northern elders Forum suddenly usurping the power/authority of the Buhari government?

Therefore I agree with Governor Nasir El-Rufai and other Nigerians that all those calling for the dissolution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be arrested and charged for treason under the Nigerian law. Nigeria is bigger than any person or group of persons. Section 1 (2) of the 1999 Constitution states thus: “The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any person or group of persons take control of the Government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution”. By virtue of this provision, no person or group of persons can usurp the power/authority of the Buhari government let alone conducts its affairs in violation of the constitution which is the supreme law of the land. Nobody is above the law. The law is no respecter of persons. National leader and statesman Chief Obafemi Awolowo was not only charged for treason but was indeed convicted of treason. Prof. Wole Soyinka has faced many treason trials in Nigeria. Leader of The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu is currently facing treason trial. Therefore all those who agitated for the dissolution of Nigeria last week should be arrested and prosecuted under the law. The rule of law ought to reign supreme under our presidential democracy.

Having said this, the increasing agitations for secession in Nigeria reinforce the argument for the restructuring of Nigeria. Restructuring of Nigeria does not translate to secession from Nigeria or dissolution of Nigeria. It means giving each player his or her due in the scheme of things. It means running a true federalism of equal stakeholders. It means accepting and agreeing that we are all members of the same human family though tribes and tongues may differ. It means agreeing with American founding fathers that popular participation is the ultimate safeguard of democratic norms.