AGITATION FOR RESTRUCTURING BEFORE AGITATION FOR THE RIGHT TO SELF DETERMINATION IS LIKE PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE

The monster Nigeria is fighting is as grotesquely strange as the apartheid regime in South Africa. Both are  based on  extremism of values and engaged in defending special privileges conferred on them by enslaving Ordinances branded Constitutions. In South Africa its monster of discrimination was created by the 1961 and the 1983 Constitutions; whereas in Nigeria it is the 1999 Constitution, howsoever amended, under the overriding influence of Sharia Law. But the oligarchy is indeed in very many hidden respects, worse than Afrikaans because the oligarchs are Jihadists  before whom others are dispensable chattels. Examples: The brutality on Biafra 1966 to date, Late Dr. Ken Saro Wiwa and Alhaji MKO Abiola of Blessed Memory.

There are two major ways of fighting oppressive regimes:

A. First is WAR which I personally reject because it is primitive and for four other reasons.
1. I am a Prince of a kingship institution dating back to AD 950 (NRI) which has custody of Igbo customs and tradition; but has never gone to any war in its over 1,000 year history . That is part of why it is scarcely known except by historians of Igbo history & tradition. Disputes are invariably resolved by divination. So the culture I was born into is abhors violence of at kind.
2. On the order side of the divide, are the Jihadists to whom war is the gateway to paradise. Should they die in the venture, all earthly pleasures they could not afford and/or missed on earth are made up for them in paradise. Consequently, they place no value on lives and would kill at the snap of a finger,; which is in contradistinction to the high premium placed on lives by my people and the civilized world.
3. In this 21st Century only people who are inherently war-mongers and demagogues rely on war as a peace formula . The Jihadists of Nigeria who know no other conflict resolution mechanism, other than violence, have conveniently misled Nigerians to regard, otherwise peaceful agitation for rights guaranteed by national and international laws,  as declaration of war, whereas what they mean is threat of genocide against unarmed agitators for liberation from an asphyxiating circumstance they find themselves in Nigeria. As a consequence, and unfortunately for Nigeria, core issues troubling the country, are swept under the carpet whilst scrambling to forestall an undeclared war atmosphere  deceptively foisted on  the nation to divert attention. That is typical Jihad of Deception at work! The misfortune in this exercise is that Nigerians do not even understand what the Jihadist mean when they threaten war with their quit notice. Their Quit notice,stripped of all diversionary gab, is a  mere warning that they will resume the genocide began in 1966; but tuned down to sporadic killings  of Igbos since 1970 till date, into, once again a general massacre perhaps worse than in September/October 1966 and war-time genocide.
Furthermore they have also successfully manipulated Nigeria to bother with what is now branded "hate speeches" without any thought to the hate killings and other atrocities which generate the hatred from which hate speeches emanate. Indiscriminate killing of a people with no consequence to the killer, naturally generates hatred of victims family/friends and clan for the killer. And the oligarchy does not want to hear how much the killers are hated for the Cattle herdsmen menace, other wanton killings and abduction, forced conversion, rape and marriage of under-aged Christian girls! No one loves a killer or molester but they probably wish to be loved for these atrocities!

 Remember Alhaji Usman Faruk in the 2014 Conference who bandied about a very strange thesis on sovereignty:
 "Sovereignty is never won on a conference table; it is won in the battle field."
 NOT TRUE, in present post Cold War world.
After all since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, over 25 nations have attained sovereignty without fighting. It is only fundamentalist demagogues who must fight to settle or separate in a failed Union which exists only to serve their selfish interests.

And 4. Only uncivilized people go to war on issues that can be resolved on the conference table by negotiation. War is destructive, nonsensical and futile. General Dwight  Eisenhower, five-star US Army General, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe which defeated Germany in World War II, first Commander of NATO and 34th President of US, 1953-196, summarized the futility of war in his now famous War quote:
"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can; only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."

War, as a peace mechanism is reserved only for people in early animal stage of human development - the prehistoric man. And that is where all Nigerians threatening war to keep the tottering Federation of Nigeria are; or shall I say, threatening 'Genocide' since they control  all the coercive forces of State, whilst the agitators for Liberty are unarmed?

B. The alternative to war in fighting oppressive regimes is therefore PACIFIST AGITATION FOR INDEPENDENCE, accompanied with litigation, publicity and diplomacy - national and international. Well organized agitation for independence compels meaningful restructuring as was the case in Scotland, Quebec etc.
 UK for example had no legal framework (Constitutional provision) for the Scottish vote (referendum) but because they are civilized people, the British government had to introduce an Order-in- Council ((Law) to allow the Scottish vote to enable the Scots to determine by themselves to stay or not, in UK. UK underwent very fundamental restructuring to keep the Scots. Scots are only 8% of UK  as against the English, over 73%. No quit notice was issued to the Scots for agitating because the English are lawful. Neither was there any threat of Genocide on the Scot, as AREWA now threatens the Igbos.

 Quebec province of Canada has voted twice (1980 & 1995) to leave or stay in Canada. To influence Quebec rejection of independence, Canada in 1969 made the French language of Quebec province (25% of Canada), a parallel official language of Canada with English, spoken by the rest of Canada - 75%. In 1982, after the 1980 vote, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were enshrined in the Canadian Constitution to essentially protect minority rights including Quebecers' culture from Roman Catholicism as against Protestantism of the rest of Canada (75%).
Furthermore, over 12 of 23 Prime Ministers of Canada have been Quebecers. In addition, lots of powers were devolved to all the provinces of Canada.

Unfortunately  South East, South West, South south, and Middle Belt leaders  have met, which is a positive development. But the negative is a wrong approach by   foreswearing to  the oneness of  Nigeria before extracting any assurances of fundamental restructuring of the polity from the arrogant oligarchy. In the circumstance, it might be necessary to put oneself in the position of the oligarchy.
The question is worth asking: "Having reassured the oligarchy of the nonsensical indivisibility of Nigeria, what will motivate them to let go of their suzerainty over Nigeria, given their vice grip of the polity?" Certainly none!
After all, they are in Nigeria for what they get - easy access to the sea, the control of oil blocks and revenue from crude petroleum sales, and the ready market for their agricultural products. Yes Oh! That is the only reason the  oneness of Nigeria is so important to them. And it is natural that they will persevere to keep the privileges that vice grip gives them.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights agitation in US, reminded his fellow oppressed Black leaders that privileged groups would hardly let go of group privileges; and therefore advised that the civil right struggle must remain pacifist and the agitators must be ready to persevere long term. In making that assertion  Dr. King did not factor into the equation the demagoguery of Islamic fundamentalists. Islamists normally would fight to death and are never ready to concede any position unless they are forced to do so.
There are however pacifist ways long-drawn agitation can weaken their resistance and compel  them to come to the table and negotiate. It requires research, introspection, patience and perseverance .

Mandela taught : " An oppressive system cannot be reformed. It must be cast away."
 The first lesson is that rights agitators must identify the 1999 Constitution is an enslavement Ordinance for that is what it is. Having done that all must accept that no amount of amendment will reform and give it any humane face. It must therefore be discarded and replaced with a reformed 1963 Constitution with much more autonomy for the federating units on RESOURCES and SECURITY. Afenifere has got it right when it insists that Nigeria must return to a modified version of the only Constitution freely given to Nigeria by Nigerians - the 1963 Constitution. Legalistic cynics will tell you that an extant Constitution cannot be set aside; but we all witnessed South African apartheid  1984 Constitution succeeded by first the interim 1993 Constitution and ultimately the present 1996 Constitution.

Therefore without agitation for separation  by the South and the Middle Belt and a pledge to the unity of Nigeria the groups have forsworn any change to the status quo. "Quod approbo non reprobo" is a legal maxim which means "that which I approve, I cannot disapprove. In other words one cannot accept and reject (approbate and reprobate) at the same time."

Therefore in such circumstances where the South and Middle Belt have apparently rejected agitation for self determination, all that the oligarchy would need do is to appear to have "generously" conceded some meaningless tinkering with the existing Enslavement Ordinance; and the party goes on. They have done it before. Nigerians being people with very short fuse for resistance would brand any one who rejects the tokens offered, a trouble maker,the party goes on. In malleability Nigerians have broken world records. We saw the NADECO resistance fizzle out after a few incoherent tokens were offered in 1998/99.

Albert Einstein cannot be wrong when he postulated: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity."
 Already the Oligarchy has  foresworn that their cattle have citizen rights to range all over Nigeria; and that anyone who wants restructuring should go to the NASS where their spurious majority would throw out such request without even the courtesy of a first reading. Also the Attorney General of the Federation has presented President Buhari's , 'no restructuring' view on the issue.

James Madison, a founding father of USA, one of the drafters of US Constitution and later, 4th President of USA, had advised:

 " Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

 It is important to understand the mindset of people who wish to make Nigeria a cattle republic, contrary to world's best practices of ranching.  And a people who are courageous enough to want to denigrate the faith of close to 60% of the population (Christianity) in the nation's school syllabus and supplant it with their own faith as the nation's only religion, despite the provisions of the extant Constitution, however so defective, to ensure the secularity of the state, need to be understood and related to, with extreme caution.

I also believe that it is important to heed  Mahatma Gandhi's liberation counsel:

"The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. He frees himself and shows the way to others. Freedom and slavery are mental states."

The first order of freedom for the enslaved people of Nigeria therefore is to openly admit that all Nigerians are indeed, by virtue of the 1999 Constitution,  enslaved by the oligarchy. Every Southerner and Middle Belter must be taught that the present legal framework has enslaved  all; and the race to Liberty should be a concerted effort by all who understand the enslavement. Extensive publicity must be given to this effort, locally and internationally, because it is an unhidden truth that we are all enslaved, but the typical skeptic is reluctant to admit it.

Agitation for separation by all former allies of the oligarchy in the very uncivil war (1967-70), would rattle and soften the them. Oppressors are like thieves. If you catch and expose them, they get intimidated like a thief who, on being accosted, would instantly drop the stolen item and deny he ever intended to steal it. The exposure of  acts of enslavement by former allies, will compel meaningful restructuring, whose modalities would be dictated by the agitating parties. That way meaningful restructuring can be accomplished.
Not to agitate for self determination and merely demand restructuring, is like putting the cart before the horse. The result - No motion, no movement. This is like acting the oligarchy's script.

Mahatma Gandhi, during the Indian struggle for independence from colonial Britain seemed to have foreseen this playing the slave-master's game when he warned his fellow compatriots in the Indian independence struggle with one of his famous slavery quotes:

"When a slave begins to take pride in his fetters and hugs them like precious ornaments, the triumph of the slave-owner is complete."

 Let me advice: Expect no meaningful drive from Southeast leaders who have seen hell since 1966-70  they were defeated by Nigeria till date. The elders have seen so much humiliation from Nigeria and now face rebellion from South youths to having allowed the humiliation of the Igbo to fester into such bad ulcer.
South East youths are justifiably very angry against Igbo elders and Nigeria. Why?

(1). Because they outperform all Nigerian zones in entrance exams to Unity Schools with130-139 entry points, as against 2 points only for some other states in the North;
(2) In WAEC, two states in the South East alternate 1st and  2nd positions among all the states of the Federation plus FCT, and all SE states come in the first ten, whereas Northern states bring up the rear in the last fifteen; and
 (3) In UTME (JAMB) states in the SE enter the highest number of candidates, excel in scores but get the least of University admissions.  In 2016, for example, Imo state entered 104,383 candidates far in excess of  98,028 candidates entered by 8 Northern States plus Abuja.

Yet in recruitment and promotions by the Federal Government, the South-East and other Southern states who outperform meritoriously in academics, get the least in numbers recruited and promoted.
Northwest and Northeast, generally succeed in getting recruited and or admitted/promoted more than four/five  times candidates from  these more academically performing states of the South and Southeast in particular. The SE youths cannot find any rationale for what they consider as strange in what they are told is their own country and therefore want out.
The Directorate of State Security recent recruitment saga, where the Northwest got 165 slots of cadets with 51 to Katsina, whereas the whole the five States of the South East got a mere 44 and South South got 42 is mere reflection of what goes on in most Federal government ministries and extra ministerial department. The FCT is an exclusive preserve of the North but funded from resources from the East.

Bigotry, wanton slaughter of people of other ethnic groups, cattle Fulani militancy, abduction of under-aged girls, their forced conversion to Islam, rape and marriage and other such crimes against, humanity derive  from attitude and mindset and it is wondered how restructuring, howsoever meaningfully done, can change a people's deviant attitude.

May God have Mercy on the helpless in this Slave Camp, Nigeria.

PRINCE CHUKWUEMEKA ONYESOH
24th July, 2017.
emekaonyesoh.blogspot.com.ng