….demands renegotiation on basis of co-existence
By Valentine Amanze
The maiden Igbo National Summit has condemned the continued marginalisationand neglect of Ndigbo (Igbo people) in Nigeria over the years.
The summit gave the damning verdict
in Enugu on Friday, August 22, after a thorough examination of the plight of the people of SouthEast Nigeria (Igbo land).
The summit expressed apprehension on the deliberate act by the British colonial authorities who, through manipulation of the Federal structure and census, left power in the hands of the Fulani minority.
Also, the participants noted that the Federal Republic of Nigeria as it exists today was a phantom political state which had lost all the basic principles of rule of law, justice, equity and humane values; as anarchy now prevails in all spheres of the society.
Key frontline Igbo organizations and major stakeholders with representatives from all Igbo states were in attendance to examine the insecurity in the region, under the banner, “Peace, Security and Development of Alaigbo and Her Neighbours.”
The event, which was presided over by His Royal Majesty, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, the chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, was assisted by His Lordship, Bishop Obi Udezue Onubogu, the Overseer, Rock Cathedral, Enugu.
A communiqué released after deliberations noted that Alaigbo had been left in ruins without any effort to rebuild it since the end of the war.
Part of their submission is that “the territory known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria was initially created by the British colonial authority mainly to advance its colonial interests.
“That since the amalgamation of the territory consisting of several major and smaller nationalities in 1914, the region has known no stability, but rather has witnessed incessant crises resulting in the Biafra war of 1967.
“That war saw the worst state of a pogrom in which over three million people mainly Igbo citizens were brutally killed and the territory devastated, while at the end of the war left Alaigbo and her neighbours in ruins with no efforts since then to rebuild the region.
“That the endemic instability in the Federation has been due to an inherent incompatibility of values between the dominant religions, traditions, and cultures of its indigenous ethnic nationalities. But this has been made worse by the deliberate act of manipulation by the British colonial authorities who, through manipulation of the Federal structure and census, left power in the hands of the Fulani minority.
“What is more, political stability is anchored on the fundamental principles of democracy, rule of law and equity. Unfortunately, the Fulani minority does not understand, let alone believe in these basic norms of coexistence among peoples. This truth has been brazenly asserted by the Fulani National Movement (FUNAM) when, in a recent statement in which they declared their resolve to fully conquer the rest of the Federation, FUNAM referred to what it called “irresponsible Western notion of democracy”, which it said the British imposed in Nigeria to undermine their territorial ambition.”
Against the background of what they described as worrisome escalating insecurity, fear, and horror in our Homeland” they declared that their people were no longer willing to live a life of meaningless existence in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
They, therefore, called for a renegotiation of the basis of co-existence with their neighbours.