The
Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, on Tuesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to
commence immediate restructuring of Nigeria along the line of true federalism.
The
group, which met in Enugu to ratify a communique arising from its 17th annual
convention, maintained that the continuous detention of Biafraa activist, Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu had made him a hero.
They
equally called on the President to heed to the complaints of various agitating
groups rather than adopting a “crush them” strategy.
The
communique signed by IYM President and founder, Evang. Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko,
read:
“The
17th IYM annual convention which had notable leaders from all the regions of
the country in attendance rose with one solemn message to the government and
people of Nigeria:
THAT
THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REALITIES ON GROUND TODAY, HAS MADE IT
IMPOSSIBLE FOR NIGERIA TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT AN EARLY RETURN TO TRUE FISCAL
FEDERALISM, IN OTHER WORDS, A POLITICAL RESTRUCTURING ALONG THE LINES OF TRUE
FEDERALISM HAS BECOME INEVITABLE. THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE 2014 NATIONAL
CONFERENCE SHOULD SERVE AS A ROAD MAP TO THE ADOPTION OF A NEW CONSTITUTION
BUILT ON REAL FEDERALISM.
“The
IYM appreciates the contribution of patriotic Nigerian leaders who dutifully
journeyed to Enugu for the 17th IYM Annual Convention. We are immensely
grateful to the guest speakers and other resource persons, whose commitment to
the struggle to save, rebuild and make Nigeria truly great, are greatly
appreciated by the younger generation, whose future remains affected most, as
Nigeria wobbles along in this unitary structure, instituted by a
military-inspired constitution.
“As
well meaning citizens remain worried over the parlous state of affairs in our
country today, the IYM, declares, with every sense of responsibility, the
following:
“Nigerians
are surprised at determined effort by fellow Nigerians to continue the
unhelpful pretence that all is well with the present structure of Nigeria.
“This
pretence, which only serves the interest of those who erroneously believe, that
the 36 state structure created by the military, helps them hold down and
dominate other regions, politically, remains the source of over 90% of the
agitations going on in the country today.
“The
pretence that this unitary structure is the best we can create is at the very
root of the anger, bitterness, acrimony and feeling of alienation ruling the
land today. (The provocative lopsided appointments only add to the anger). The
loss of faith, by large sections of the country would invariable continue to
deepen until, the very root of the matter is addressed, through a political
restructuring that would enthrone equity and level playing field for all.
“The
present structure of local government councils and states which depend entirely
on the centre in a “feeding bottle” arrangement, coupled with the delineation
of federal constituencies to the federal house of representatives which gave
certain regions advantages over other regions, remains, not only a source of
great bitterness to the short-changed sections of the country, but also a
verifiable reason for the parlous state of the economy, subsisting ethnic hatred
and political divisions in the land.
“That
those who refuse to restructure Nigeria, peacefully are actually responsible
for the rise of regional agitations of all sorts which increases in both tempo
and style daily, without any hope of subsiding any time soon. We also add, that
the deliberate effort to blackmail committed patriots and groups, who raise
their voices in pursuit of peaceful solutions, and brand them trouble makers is
both wrong and unhelpful, as history has shown that revolutions occur when the
frustration of the silent majority gets to boiling point. Truth is: those who
worry out aloud are really patriotic citizens who desire peacefully solutions
to very delicate situations, (as we have today) which could get out of hand if
not well handled. Concerned groups should be appreciated and their concerns
addressed.
“The
“CRUSH THEM” strategy as being suggested in some quarters is clearly not the
solutions to agitations by the IPOB and the Niger Delta militants for a
separate state. Government should sit down with them in order to find out first
hand from them, why they have lost faith in Nigeria. Solution lies only in
identifying and addressing the root cause or causes of their grievances.
“The
continuous detention and ongoing trail of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has made him a hero
with cult following, triggering off a mass huge following. Anybody telling the
government otherwise is clearly trying to deceive government. Kanu’s travails
has given the Biafra agitation more oxygen and strength, while the killings at
Aba of 9th February 2016 and Nkpor/Onitsha on May 30th 2016 has more than
anything else, generated a huge dose of sympathy for the Biafra Agitators,
making millions of citizens sympathetic to their struggle. This situation is
clearly being hidden from the government by sycophants, bootlickers and
influence peddlers of all shades whose stock ‘n’ trade over time has been the
self-centered game of using every political upheaval to endear themselves to
the government of the day. The brutal suppression of the Biafra agitation is
bound to boomerang.
“The
frightening rumours, spreading all over southern Nigeria, that the government
of the day is implementing an agenda of CONQUEST AND DOMINATION, scripted
somewhere in Arabia, is dangerous to the stability and survival of Nigeria.
Government must do everything to disabuse the minds of citizens who have
already believed these rumours. Everything should be done to give every section
reasons to trust the leadership of the country.
“The
deliberate attempt to criminalize the pro Biafra agitation in order to justify
the high handed strategy employed in dealing with them, does not sit well with
millions of citizens, especially, people of the old eastern region, whose
silence have been mistaken for acquiescence. The general public believes that
the huge numbers of the IPOB during their marches with their colourful flags
and their general loss of faiths in Nigeria as presently constituted, seems to
scare the authorities, who fear, if everything is not done to discourage them
from marching in such great numbers, that the international community, might
begin to listen to their demand for referendum. These feelings, whether correct
or not, are unhealthy to the stability of the country.
“Finally,
whereas, we believe in a restructured Nigeria, where all are equal, where no
section is born to rule, where no region is oppressed, we state unequivocally,
that the delay to restructure Nigeria could portend danger for the unity and
stability of Nigeria.”
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