By Donald Ekpo
To every event, there is a season. A season of love and a season of hate. A season of tolerance and a season of intolerance. A season to integrate and a season for disintegration. For the Nigerian concoction, the later seasons have come. The seasons of hate, intolerance and disintegration. Like in Chinue Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’, an anarchy has been loosed upon the concoction and the center can no longer hold.
I just finished reading a press release made by a certain Niger Delta Regional body, as updated on Nnamdi Ukasanya’s wall, giving the Northern Oil block owners of the oil in its region an ultimatum to vacate its region come October 1st 2017. This ultimatum is coming as a sequence to several of such letters first written by a certain Northern youths alliance asking the Igbos to vacate their own region (The north) within the same period of time. Their reasons given was that the Igbos had cripple their businesses during the “Sit at home” order in respect of their deads during the 1966 pogrom and subsequently their deads of the civil war when they had earlier demanded their sovereign nation of Biafra.
The sins of Nigeria against these peoples have been resurrected by the offsprings, and not even the pretense of the 3Rs can save the concocted nation called Nigeria.
Before this time, the Afenifere, the Pan Yoruba organization in southern Nigeria had also in the season of letters of ultimatums warned the north that an injury to any part of the south is an injury to all, hence a reminder that the Igbos are not alone unlike in the 1966. In furtherance to the signs of the seasons, the eloquent and ferocious voice of the masses; Chief Olufemi Olu-Kayode FFK, in a letter published by the national dailies, reminded the islamic core north of its atrrocities against the south as a body, and reiterated his stands in agreement with the Afenifere that Nigeria of 2017 is not the same as that of 1966. And called on the elders of the Islamic core north to call its youths to order to avoid a total collapse of the frail unity of Nigeria.
To further heat up the polity in the seasons of ultimatums and bring to foe a realization that the sons of Usman dan fodio have failed to understand; the Youths of the middle-belt classified as the north in quote have stated clearly that they are not northerners in the precepts of the evils committed by the ‘North’ in quote. To these end, the ‘Core north’ and the ‘north’ are two different entities and the latter seem to be the minority that has always worn the clothings of the majority by every means of deceptions.
The fables of a one United Nigeria is a mirage that even the blind can see. Its no longer news that The Biafrans of the South East wants out. And it will only take a man that lives in an illusion to think that the so called South South region will remain in the Lugardian concocted Nigeria when the Igbos are independent. Neither will the present South western Yorubas remain in the abused marriage when their cousins are no more. Or will the Christian north with a seeming separatable boundary wish to remain with the blood thirsty islamic core north? In truth, the season of disintegration of the contraption has come, and no amount of peace can hold Nigeria beyond 2019. This is a fact we must all accept. The issue now is how to approach the dispensation of disintegration.
SOUTH SOUTH AND THE BIAFRA DISCUSS – “..managing the season of disintegration..” THE CASE OF A WIN WIN SITUATION.
It is no longer in doubt that for every 10 Niger Deltans, 6 strongly wants out of the Nigerian contraption without any considerations, 2 passively wants out of Nigeria if effectively presented with a better option, while one is unsure because of his/her present benefits from the slave/master, and one may be undecided. On the other hand, 9 of every 10 South Easterner wants out and wants Biafra. The remaining one is mostlikely benefiting from the dividens of the Slave/Masters. In an event of a referendum, the chances of both regions voting a majority out is well above 60%.
The seemingly appearance of disunity amongst these two regions is the long term effects of a well orchastrated propaganda of “THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN” embedded in the hearts of the South Southerners and “THE FEAR OF BETRAYALS” embedded in the hearts of the South Easterners. All of which has given birth to the mistrust that exist to this day. And all these are centered on the name “BIAFRA”. One party sees Biafra as that, which can only give them the much desired Canaanland that so much lives of their heros was sacrificed for. While on the other hand, this same Biafra brings to them memories of fears, sadness, pains, forceful occupation, intimidations and unnecessary deaths. Like they say “One man’s meat is poison to another”. And to chess players like myself, this can only be likened to a “STALEMATE”, and a barrier to the definition of success where success is defined as a “CHECKMATE. In this case, the progress to success is stagnant.
..GIVE UNTO CEASAR WHAT BELONGS TO CEASAR, AND GOD WHAT BELONGS TO GOD..
When situations like this was presented to Jesus the Christ, without thoughts because He could read the thoughts of men, He simply said “…give unto Ceasar what belongs to Ceasar, and God what belongs to God..” and these shall be our considerations in the subsequent paragraphs.
CHECKMATING THE STALEMATE -The Lower Niger Congress’ Template for a peaceful resolution.
The Charter of Association binding the European Union is one that allows every member nation of the union to maintain its sovereignty as a nation, while being a member of the greater Union. The political status of each independent nation is autonomous, peculiar and unique to its system of government. What binds the Union is more of its economic growth with social and cultural development.
The Lower Niger Congress sees this template as the best approach to emulate and checkmate the stalemate resulting in the fears of political oppressions expressed by the several units and ethnicities in the Lower Niger Territory. With ethnic groupings like the Ijaws/Ogonis, Efik/Ibibios/Annangs/Orons, Ishekiri/Uhrobos, Edo/Esan/Auchi, Igbos, Ugebs/Ejaghams/Bekwaras and a few I may have omitted, each of these groupings can be autonomous Nations with their chosen names in the Union of the Lower Niger Territory under a name that shall be unanimously agreed upon by the member Nations.
Having said this, the Igbo ethnic group can have the much desired BIAFRA as an independent nation while the Ijaws can have their Ijaw nation, same as the Edos and the rest of the Union with names that sounds like paradise to them while everyone has Freedom under the Union.
In essense, THE LOWER NIGER CONGRESS proposes six autonomous nations in the Union of the Lower Niger territory as shown in the map below through a referendum.
The structure of the LNC also permits the later inclusions of other ethnic groups to join this Union as sovereign nation via a referendum. It also allows for a disassociation of any of the composite units via a referendum as well.
Support The Lower Niger Congress today and speak with one voice to have our respective PROMISELANDS deviod of fear of the unknown.
Visit www.lnc-usa.org
Donald Ekpo.
June 8, 2017
