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From all Igbo-speaking people all over the world -- be they in the majority or otherwise in the13 contiguous States of their major or minor indigeneity in Nigeria: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Rivers States and the millions of people of Igbo heritage or DNA all over the world, especially in the Americas --- we extend heartfelt greetings to all our Nigerian compatriots, and assure everyone that the Igbo are perfectly one with you in the desire for a better Nigeria through RESTRUCTURING.
The ILT takes this opportunity to honour the sacrifices of our illustrious founder and pioneer Leader, Professor Ben Nwabueze, a constitutional lawyer of profound international acclaim, who handed this baton over to us, under the new leadership of the distinguished Elochukwu Amucheazi, an Emeritus Professor of Political Science.
IGBO POSITION ON RESTRUCTURING:
The Igbo position on the restructuring of Nigeria is clear, unambiguous, and can be found in various speeches and documents by a countless number of Igbo personages, since a long time ago. A great Igbo son, Olaudah Equiano (Alaudo Ekwuanu), had long in the 18th century informed the world that "From the time I left my own nation I always found somebody that understood me till I came to the sea coast. The languages …did not totally differ, nor were they so copious as those of the Europeans, particularly the English (Paul Edwards (Ed. 1996), Equiano’s Travels. The Interesting, Narrrative, page 17. Another great Igbo son, James Africanus Beale Horton, followed in1868 to declare the Igbo intention of establishing an "independent, united, Christian and civilized nation . . . that the Ibo kings and chiefs elect a supreme king to rule from a sea coast capital, preferably Bonny" (see Christopher Fyfe, Africanus Horton, p. 80). This great nation-builder had himself stated that the "Empire of the Eboes . . . bounded . . . on the south by the Atlantic . . . divided into numerous independent tribes . . . but having one national sentiment . . . the seat of the ab initio Government should not only be near to, or on, the sea-coast, but also be a place of commercial importance. Bonny, having all the advantages above described, is most adapted for the commencement of such an important undertaking" (see Beale Horton (1868), West African Countries, pp. 154, 172). A third Igbo son, Mbanaso Okwara-Ozurumba, alias Jaja, took energetic practical steps to translate the above Igbo dreams into reality by establishing the first centralized Igbo nation-state headquartered in Opobo, with another leg in Bonny, he had hoped, but for a dispute with a fellow Igbo leader, Oko Jumbo. This Jaja would become "The greatest African living in the east of modern Nigeria . . . the astute and enlightened president of an embryonic state” (Max Siollum, A short History of Conquest, pp. 51-52, 56).
These giant Igbo efforts to build a modern civilization of their own, far in advance of the levels of countless societies in various parts of the world at that time based on an already thriving, and equally pioneering metal culture, were to be cut short and reversed by an uninvited colonial subjugation.
Not giving up with the quest for the freedom and democracy traditional to them, the Igbo moved on, whereupon another Igbo soul sought to persuade the Igbo that "The Igbo people have reached a crossroad . . . with routes leading to diverse goals, but . . . I can safely recommend . . . (the) road to self-determination . . . within the framework of a federated Nigeria and the Cameroons . . . an Ibo state, based on linguistic and ethnic factors . . . side by side with other linguistic and ethnic groups . . . each as separate as the fingers, but united with others as a part of the same hand" (see Cambridge University Press, A Selection from the Speeches of Nnamdi Azikiwe), Pp. 242-246
The contemporary Igbo nation stands with that illustrious line-up, from Equiano to Horton to Jaja to Zik, and we know that what they saw several centuries before is what Nigerians are today clamouring for, a restructuring of the union to solve both the national question of relations between ethnic nationalities and the class question of the (re)distribution of power across other formations. Hence, Igbo Restructuring objectives are fully consistent with the goals of all honest and serious Nigerians, as follows:
1. Self-determination and national self-government for Nigeria's ethnic nationalities, either in singles or combinations, based on consent and contiguity.
2. Other elements of a true Restructuring, touching on Resource Control, Military-Security Reorganization, New National Ethos of a Genuine Secular State, and an Independent Foreign Policy favourable to national prosperity, justice and civilized democratic freedoms.
A MORE DETAILED NARRATIVE
We stand on the principle that fragmenting peoples that are the same, or forcing peoples that are different to be together, are unfair, unjust, wanting in equity, and inherently dangerous.
We must learn from the annals of relatively recent history that whenever people of a common culture are arbitrarily divided, or some elements within an ethnic group allow themselves to be seduced and incentivized to deny their common heritage by powers of the day and turn against their ancestral kiths and kins, a calamity ultimately follows. Examples:
• Despite the fact that the people of Ireland share a common Irish heritage, they were once divided into two mutually antagonistic factions. It is estimated that about 5,000 Irish people died from the crisis and conflicts arising from the arbitrary and unnatural separation.
• Kashmiris are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group speaking the Kashmiri language, including subgroups such as Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins). Several decades after the Hindu ruler of Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, agreed to the Instrument of Accession on October 27th 1947 by which he literarily divided the Kashmiris and Kashmiri Pandits between India and Pakistan --- an arbitrary division of one family between two different nations to serve immediate political interests --- the Kashmir Valley has known nothing but war, despite a UN-mediated ceasefire which established a Line of Control to end the wars (the long- running and still ongoing Indo-Pakistani War).
• Today, the world is under the threat of a 3rd World War, and there is fear of nuclear exchange between Russia and the NATO countries, as Russia vows to recover all territories with a majority of Russian speaking people in Ukraine.
• Furthermore, just as divide and rule strategy to weaken a race, people or ethnic group has always ended in tragedy, yoking people who have nothing in common together against their wish, often also ends in a disaster. The most recent example that should guide humanity is the story of Yugoslavia. The collapse of Yugoslavia was marked by several wars and conflicts that consumed many lives before common sense prevailed and the various ethnic groups were let to go their separate ways, leading ultimately to the emergence of independent countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia (North Macedonia), Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro.
Clearly, after these unfortunate experiences, the world has moved away from the colonial and authoritarian immediate post World War 2 mindset by which peoples were forced to belong to a Union or membership of political association either for the advantage and convenience of the powers of the day or to spite the opposition or perceived enemy.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) adopted by the General Assembly on September 13, 2007 established a universal minimum standard for the survival, dignity, and well-being of indigenous peoples worldwide. It mandated that all indigenous peoples have rights that are sacrosanct and inalienable: (1) Self-Determination, by which they determine their political status, choose their associations, and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development; (2) Autonomy or self-government, by which only they make decisions about their future, and their internal and local affairs; (3) Cultural preservation, by which they maintain, protect, and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and languages; (4) Land rights, by which they own, use, develop, and control lands traditionally or indigenously occupied or used by them, except where they, including individuals and associations among them, by their free-will, lawfully convey or transfer portions of their land to other groups or individuals based on the universal principle of the individual's right to deal with his property as he deems fit.
FAILED CONSTITUTIONS
Barely three years after Independence when the 1963 Constitution was enacted, the Tiv Riots and mass massacre of the Tiv people for attempting to regain control of their ancestral territory commenced. Following the brazen attempt to annex the entire Yorubaland to Northern Nigeria resulting in Operation Wetie in Wild Wild West, by which the former Western Region spiraled into uncontrollable anarchy and bloodshed because of federal troops and thugs let loose on the people. Therefore, it can be said in all fairness that even the 1963 Constitution was naively too optimistic. It was conceived in our state of innocence, when we were ignorant of the capacity for deceit and manipulation that could be dexterously applied by a section of the country abusing political power at the Center to replace the British as internal colonial masters over others. It was upon this realization that Chief Obafemi Awolowo was alleged to have plotted to overthrow that constitutional order, leading to his trial, conviction, and imprisonment for treason. The January 15th, 1966, military coup was to stop bloodshed in Yorubaland and the Middle Belt. That coup was maliciously and deceitfully dubbed Igbo Coup resulting in the ethnic cleansing of Eastern Nigerians from the Nigerian Armed Forces (particularly Ndigbo). These are clear evidence of mutual mistrust among the different ethnic groups that the 1963 Constitution had not foreseen. This stark reality of irreconcilable differences and mutual suspicion among the peoples of Nigeria were recognized by then Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon himself, who in his first broadcast said emphatically that the “the basis of unity is not there”. The ensuing constitutional crisis led to Aburi Accord of January 1967, which courageously recognized the irreconcilable differences between Nigerians. It was in sincere effort, in line with the Officer and Gentleman trust among Army Officers, that the Reorganization and Reconstitution of Armed forces by which all the then four Regions could build their Regional Commands was partially implemented by the then Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon as agreed upon under the Aburi Accord. Had the decentralization of the Center by devolution of powers to the Regions beyond the provisions of the 1963 Constitution agreed upon in the Aburi Accord been fully implemented, the Biafra War of Independence in which over three million people, mostly Igbo, lost their lives, and the draconian military decrees and ordinances culminating in the ongoing slaughter of thousands of people in the Plateau, Benue and several predominantly Hausa and other so-called minorities territories in Northern and other parts of Nigeria would have been averted. The clamour of every major ethnic group in today's Nigeria is for genuine autonomy to regain control over their ancestral lands, streams, and rivers through a political structure, such that their security is in their own hands.
Given the self-evident horrific facts above, including ongoing atrocities and attempted genocide by strategic application of terrorism to displace indigenous people in their ancestral lands in the Middle Belt, Hausa land, and almost every other corner of Nigeria -- a realistic constitution for Nigeria would be one which conclusively addresses the root causes of political instability and other threats to our national security and nationhood. The fact is that Nigeria today is a living hell, an endless horror movie for some ethnic groups, especially the Igbo, so much so that some ethnic groups are brazenly told that their lives are worth less than the cattle’s. The indigenous peoples of the former Northern Region are crying out loud for their right to live peacefully in their ancestral homelands. They are the Adara, Angas, Atyap, Bachama, Bijim, Bwatiye, Cham, Chamba, Chibok, Gbagyi, Gewara, Higi, Idoma, Igala, Igbo, Jewara, Jukun, Kanuri, Kare-Kare, Karimjo, Kilwa, Koro, Marghi, Ngizim, Nupe, Omumuye, Shonge, Tangale, Tera, Tiv, Wajawa, Wukun, Yoruba, Za'ari (Sayawa), Zulwa, and several other indigenous peoples trapped in the former Northern Region, who are arbitrarily subjected to endure living in fear and terror in camps for Internally Displaced Persons, their homelands and farmlands having been taken from them by force, despite the rights guaranteed all indigenous peoples in several United Nations Declarations.
Some people may be embarrassed that it is the Igbo that are once again speaking out on their behalf. No ethnic group is blamed for siding against the Igbo and for having participated in the genocide against them, for they acted at their levels of consciousness at the time. So, no one should be embarrassed for the Igbo continuing to assert and fight for the same rights which almost every ethnic group is now clamouring for, after so much unnecessary bloodshed, despite numerous declarations on human, people’s and indigenous rights by the United Nations and the African Union. These declarations include; The United Nations declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007 and; The African Charter on Human and People’s rights, 1981 decades after so much unnecessary bloodshed. The Igbo are satisfied with the confessions by some of the major actors in that unjust war and unholy alliance against the Igbo race who have told the world that the January 15th, 1966, coup was deceitfully tagged an Igbo coup, that the Igbo committed no crimes for which their millions were unjustly masacred. Ndigbo have not sought vengeance or even mere apology from anybody or group for those war crimes and inhuman atrocities committed against them, the wanton and free–for-all killings of Ndigbo, most painfully being the mass starvation to death of millions of children. Let it be known now and forever that we, Ndigbo, strengthened by our traditional faith in the Almighty God, that have moved on.
Major Chris Anuforo, seeing some senior Northern officers, ordering the cutting off, of penises of Tiv men and nailing same on the doors of their homes, refused to be complicit in the killing and humiliation of the Tiv people fighting for their legitimate rights. Colonel Emeka Ojukwu had earlier outrightly refused to obey orders of deployment to participate in the Tiv/Middle Belt genocide and was only saved from court-marshal by his powerful father. Many other Igbo officers fell out with their Northern colleagues who obeyed orders and joined the massacre of the Tiv people. That is the aboriginal character of a true Igbo - justice and fair play to everyone, across-board. The world appears to be turning full cycle, and the Igbo hereby appeal to all ethnic groups to join them in seeking to heal the wounds of the nation through Restructuring our Union.
A FEW HISTORIC FACTS:
1. Since existence in Igbo autochthonous homeland over several millennia, before British colonialism, Ndigbo never waged war against any neighbours.
2. The Igbo were content to develop their civilization of iron and bronze technology in which they led the whole world till as recently as the 9th Century CE.
3. The Igbo started realizing that some peoples preferred hostility to peace and pursuit of civilization only after they had been forced by the British to become part of what was later called Nigeria.
4. The Igbo were still fighting against colonialism, even into the 20th century, after almost every other ethnic nationality had signed away their sovereignty.
5. But, for the above historical facts, none of which is of Igbo making, Ndigbo would probably never have migrated from their homeland to elsewhere in Nigeria -particularly Lagos, which was constitutionally supposed to be a federal capital territory, where every Nigerian could choose to call his home, just like Abuja is today.
The sad reality is that in today’s Nigeria, ethnicity is more important than citizenship. One Nigeria is now, unfortunately, an abstract, dubious and mischievous slogan. The vast majority of ethnic constituents of Nigeria want to live with others, but only under an arrangement where each ethnic constituent has control over all aspects of the security of their territory: Army, Police and Intelligence. Distrust of these establishments being exclusively under federal control is widespread and palpable everywhere. The new arrangement advocated by a vast majority of Nigerians is exactly same as the European Union. It is also the constitutional framework that Nigerian military leaders had agreed upon in Aburi in January 1967. The Accord had aimed to preempt the problems inherent in over centralization, such as the trauma that is everywhere in Nigeria today.
In recognition of the above historical facts, the Igbo once again align with the well-known position and resolve of all Yoruba speaking people --be they in the North, or South of Nigeria --- to be in one Yoruba Region. Similarly, all aboriginal Igbo-speaking people, be they in the South, East or West of the River Niger, from Igboakiri and Osekwenike in the West, Kwale in the Southwest, Abi in the Southeast, Bonny, Ndoni, and Opobo in the South, shall be in one Igbo Region of Nigeria. This includes all the Igbo-speaking people in Benue and Kogi states, and any other ethnic groups sharing borders with Igboland that choose to be part of the Igbo Region. Port Harcourt (Igweocha), or Asaba, could be the capital of the Igbo Region.
IGBO LANGUAGE
For avoidance of doubt, Igbo is not the only language that has dialects. There are different dialects of English language spoken in different regions of England, such as Scouse spoken in Liverpool, and Old Norse, spoken in the Lancashire region. Geordie (Newcastle) has unique words and pronunciations, reflecting the region's history and cultural identity. Cockney (around London) is spoken with rhyming slang and distinct accent, shaped by London's diverse cultural heritage. Ethnic Yoruba, other than those in the present-day Southwest, speak dialects of Yoruba sometimes not totally intelligible to the Yoruba of the Southwest (mainland). German language changes as you move from one region of Germany to the other. German native of Frankfurt speaks a dialect different from that of a German native of Munich in the Bavaria region, so much so that there is Hochdeutsche, just as there is Union Igbo. Same is true of French, Russian language, and Swahili, among many others. The different native clans of Old Bende Division in Igbo heartland: Olokoro, Ibeku, Umuokpara, Ohuhu, Ubakala, Ikwuano -- all speak different dialects even within a ten-kilometre radius, a pattern that is consistent in every part of Igboland, be it in southern Igboland's Ngwa, Ukwa, Asa, Ndoki, Ikwere, Osekwenike, Elele, Opobo, Bonny, Azumini, Abo, Ogbaru, Oguta, Asaba, Agbor, Igboakiri, Okpanam, Isele Ukwu, Illa, or any other clan or community (See the attached map of Igbo land).
RIGHTS TO SELF-DETERMINATION OF ETHNIC NATIONALITIES.
No ethnic group should be denied the right of self-determination based on its geographic size or population. Tuvalu, located in the Pacific Ocean and composing of nine tiny islands, has a population of around 10,000 people. Nauru, a small island nation in Micronesia, has a population of approximately 11,500 people. San Marino, in southern Europe, has a population of approximately 33,860 people. Liechtenstein, a landlocked nation between Switzerland and Austria, has a population of around 38,341 people. Monaco, a small sovereign city-state on the French Riviera has a population of approximately 38,500 people. Montenegro, a country in southeastern Europe has a population of approximately 632,700 people. Jersey, an autonomous and self-governing island territory in Europe, has approximately 103,267 people. We can go on and on. The principle is that an indigenous or ethnic entity cannot be denied the right to self-determination on account of size.
CREATION OF STATES
After the creation of a minimum of two more States in Igboland (each in West and East of the Niger (based on the 1999 Ordinance) as has been agreed upon to partially address and remedy present injustices, Ndigbo are not interested in further balkanization of our territory in the name of States creation, provided that States created elsewhere are not funded by the Federal Government. Thereafter, any Region, including the Igbo Region, whose interest is States creation should be free to do so within its territory, provided there is no constitutional provision for the Federal Government to fund either the thereafter States or Local Governments in any Region. The creation of structures for internal administration should be on the Exclusive List of the various Regions, such that each Region has the right to organize its internal political administration and structures by creating as many subunits within it as they please, provided that under no circumstances will the federal government disburse funds direct to any subunit within the Regions. However, the principle of Equal Representation of every Region in federal institutions and legislative bodies shall be sacrosanct based on the principle of fair and proportional representation.
Every Region should determine the character and terms of its membership of the Union. For example, Britain was allowed control of its immigration policies, its currency, and other considerations as conditions and incentives for its membership of the European Union. It exited the Union when it felt uncomfortable within it. Obviously, the present state where every corner of the country is being choke-held and suffocated by the excessive and over-reaching powers of Aso Rock, and a National Assembly which the Military dictatorship foisted on indigenous ethnic nationalities, must be a thing of the past. Nigeria must return to the Westminster Model, as agreed on in the 1963 Constitution, as the framework for a fair and equitable democratic legislative and administrative arrangement for Nigeria. India, our Commonwealth brother, is as complex and diverse as Nigeria in every respect. India’s democracy should be a model for a society as ours.
Finally, let no one be in doubt about this: The Igbo are eager and willing to federate with any group/s that are individually or jointly contiguous or proximate to Igboland, whether north, east or west of Igboland, or in any way connected to Igboland by other ethnic Region(s) that share and express interest to have such relationships with Ndigbo.
Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi
President ILT
Prof Jerry Chukwuokolo,
Secretary ILT
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