Considering The Ending Of Nigeria: It Is EXIT Not “Secession” By Ndidi Uwechue
When one looks at it, many of those benefiting, or hoping to benefit from Nigeria seem so very sure that no matter what, Nigeria is “indivisible and indissoluble”. However, those who understand the behaviour of victims of abuse, may see it all quite differently. What has happened in Nigeria can be explained by some simple illustrations. Let us take the case of wives who experience domestic violence. Some women end the marriage after the very first incident of violence from their husband. Others would tolerate several such incidents before ending the marriage. While some others would tolerate several years of it before finally getting a divorce. The main thing is that the unhappy union will end, whether sooner, or later.
Another thing that one notices in the case of Nigeria is that those benefiting, or hoping to benefit from Nigeria seem unable to stop themselves from using the word “secession”. It may be that they appreciate some methods of Joseph Goebbels, Nazi minister of propaganda who said, “If you repeat a lie often enough it becomes accepted as the truth.” Goebbels came to a sorry end. After Hitler committed suicide, Goebbels became leader but that lasted for only one day because having killed their six children, he and his wife committed suicide too.
Politicians and those in the legal profession especially, know that where there is no legitimate political union, there can be no “secession”. Just like, when a couple has chosen not to formally marry, but cohabit instead, there can be no “divorce”, but a more simple parting of ways. Cohabitation, not marriage, is what the Union of Nigeria today represents. The Nigeria that was agreed by ethnic nationalities in their Regions before Independence, ended in 1966 with the Military coups that collapsed the Union. That is how the official “marriage” Union of Regions ended. At that time, the ethnic nationalities should have returned home to their Regions to contemplate what to do next. Just as, when a mixed marriage ends, each person can return to their own home country. What happened instead is that the Military being armed, captured the ethnic nationalities and maintained a “forced cohabitation” upon the Regions using Military Decrees.
Nowadays, it is the 1999 Constitution that creates and upholds the “forced cohabitation” Union, as it is an imposed forgery, falsely claiming that “we the people” made it and agreed it. The political elite create, and then use the ignorance of the people to, despite the 1999 Constitution being illegitimate, give it life by having elections. That is because whoever is successful at elections will swear an Oath of Office to uphold that 1999 Constitution, and by so doing, they renew its life for four more years.
Ndidi Uwechue
Despite this brazen treachery upon the people, change is in the air, for Nigeria entered a new era on 16th December 2020. That was when NINAS, the alliance of indigenous ethnic nationalities of the South and Middle Belt, having Repudiated the illegitimate 1999 Constitution, declared a Constitutional Force Majeure over a Union Dispute, making Nigeria a Disputed Project. By that declaration of Constitutional Force Majeure, TECHNICALLY the “forced cohabitation” Union of Nigeria ceased to exist. There is no valid or legitimate Union, thus, ethnic nationalities of the NINAS Territory can actually just walk away from the make-believe “forced cohabitation” Union, and using their regained self-determination and sovereignties, administer their ancestral lands in the way they see fit.
Taking it just from the time that Nigeria became a Disputed Project (from 16th December 2020), it is logically not possible to “secede” where there is no valid Union. Rather than falsely accusing people of “secession” Government should be concerned about the consequences to them of still governing without the consent of the governed in the NINAS Territory, thus without legitimate authority/documents. These are extremely serious matters! They are made all the more worse because Government at central and state levels, completely ignored the NINAS democratic demands for dialogue and negotiations to set up a transitioning process for an ORDERLY reconfiguration of the constitutional basis of Nigeria, just like South Africa did to decommission their illegitimate Apartheid Constitution.
It is a most unfortunate choice, but using an unresponsive style of governance is certainly not the way to bring peace and security to the country, or respect for Government. Vice-President Osinbajo is a Professor of Law and was Attorney General of Lagos State when PRONACO was convened in 2005, where some sessions took place. PRONACO was set up to address the illegitimate 1999 Constitution so as to resolve Nigeria’s national question, and lasted some eighteen months. A member of the Fulani delegation to PRONACO was the current President, General (rtd) Buhari. APC chieftain Bola Tinubu was governor then when PRONACO was hosted in Lagos, his chief of staff at the time being the lawyer Babatunde Fashola, now a cabinet minister. PRONACO had gone a long way in the process to settle the illegitimate 1999 Constitution matter and had even come up by consensus, with a draft People’s Constitution. That document was the closest thing to Aburi. Like Aburi too, one section of the country decided to ignore it, and to ignore the proceedings of PRONACO.
Deceit does not work for ever. “We cannot have or keep a Union by forgery and by force.” (Ndidi Uwechue) Today, thanks to the NINAS Movement deep wrongs are getting corrected by “we the people”-led democratic processes. The fraudulent 1999 Constitution is finally going through the process of getting Decommissioned. Since sovereignty belongs to the peoples, indigenous ethnic nationalities can decide via NINAS Regional Referendums whether to be in Nigeria, or to EXIT the Union. The correct word is “exit”, not “secession” since there is no valid Union. Rather than follow Goebbels’ style of deception and fakery, there is Benjamin Franklin who said, “Trick and treachery are the practice of fools, that have not wit enough to be honest.” So, even now, Government can begin to act in good faith and key into the process of Decommissioning the 1999 Constitution.
Opinion AddThis : Original Author : Ndidi Uwechue Disable advertisements :
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