By Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo
Nigerians both at home and in diaspora have been urged to join in the demand for the return of the country to true federalism as practised in the first republic based on the 1960/1963 Constitution.
The United States Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVIDUSA) made the call in a statement signed by its President, Chief Sylvester Onyia and the Secretary, Dr Godson Obiagwu, made available to the media.
The group also reiterated its call for release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, saying that regional autonomy and Kanu’s release would save Nigeria from “risk of total collapse”.
“The United States Military Veterans of Igbo Descent believes that a return of Nigeria to 1960/63 regional autonomy is the only way to mitigate Nigeria’s socio-economic and security problems,” the group said.
In its message directed to “fellow Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora”, AVIDUSA said that time has come for all Nigerians to put aside their political, ethnic and religious persuasions to tackle the basic problems holding the nation down.
It pointed out that, prior to his arrest and continued detention, regional autonomy based on the 1960/1963 Constitution was basically what Kanu was agitating for following the intervention of late Professor Ben Nwabueze.
The renowned constitutional lawyer was said to have informed the IPOB leader that a restructured Nigeria was better than a fragmented country hence he should drop the agitation for Biafra referendum on self determination.
According to AVIDUSA, Kanu only threatened to demand for referendum if certain demands he had made during the meeting with South-East governors on August 30, 2017 were not met to give Ndigbo a sense of belonging in Nigeria.
The group of Veterans recalled that, among other things, Kanu had demanded before the South-East Governors Forum, then chaired by Engr. Dave Umahi, that the Akanu Ibiam Airpot be upgraded to an international airport.
The set of demands also included dredging of River Niger “to reduce the heavy loss of importation which our people who dominate the sector painfully bear’, and upgrading of Sam Mbakwe Airport Owerri to a functional Cargo airport.
“He(Kanu) equally demanded that Port Harcourt Sea ports be made to operate in full capacity so that big ships can berth in them,” AVIDUSA noted.
Other demand by the Biafra activist was “the revival of all moribund industries in the South-East and South-South to provide job opportunities for thousands of our youths and graduates from higher institutions”.
The group stated that Kanu had announced that he would call for a referendum on Biafra if the problems affecting the South-East were not addressed.
However, in deference to Prof Nwabueze, the Biafra self-determination protagonist “consented to restructuring (of Nigeria) along 1960 to 1963 Constitution” as such arrangement would largely solve the problem of marginalisation of the South-East.
The AVIDUSA said that Kanu stood for restructuring of Nigeria “up until the Nigeria government security agents broke into his home in Isiama Afaraukwu Ibeku, Umuahia North Abia state of Nigeria, and killed 28 persons”.
The group said that some Nigerians “that today called (Kanu) names and even called him a terrorist” did so because they “didn’t know what (he) stood for”.
“In light of the fact that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is still being held without authorization, both the North and the South have agreed that Nigeria should be restructured.
The South-East Development Commission is something that the East is proud of. It wasn’t accidental; rather, it was the outcome of the very change-agitation that the IPOB and its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, supported,” the Veterans said.
Leave a Reply