More Nigerians have continued to blast the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, [Gen.] Muhammadu Buhari over his recent statement that Nigeria’s unity is negotiated and settled.
The latest tirade came from the Niger Delta Self-Determination Movement (NDSDM) on Saturday.
In a letter directed to Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, and addressed to President Buhari, NDSDM said: “Nigeria is not settled, Nigeria is not negotiated, Nigeria should be negotiated”.
NDSDM wrote:
“We are determined to emancipate and free our peoples and region from the over 100 years old oppression, neglect, and abuse the colonial British colonialists forcefully put us into by the amalgamation the Southern and Northern protectorates in 1914.
“We have volunteered our diverse knowledge and expertise to sensitize and orientate our people to the truth of our past and bring solutions to our unacceptable and provocative oppression.
“We are resolved to continue to use nonviolent means and all peaceful approaches to advocate for self-determination, which includes ownership, control and management of our lands, swamps, creeks, mangroves, rivers and all that is found thereon and there-under for effective and efficient results for the maximum benefit of our peoples.
“Sir, we take this opportunity to welcome you back to Nigeria, a theater of agitation and bitterness, resulting from frustration, lies, and failure.
“You are today the President of Nigeria and you discuss the issues of Nigeria very robustly at home and abroad with clear bias for your own ethnic nationality.
“One of your very first worrisome statements or declarations was the famous 97% who voted for you and the 5% that did not vote for you.
“You informed the 5% that did not vote for you (we know the area of Nigeria we are situated) not to expect any dividends of democracy and development we are entitled to, though we provide the wealth you will distribute to the 97% that voted for you.
“You unambiguously informed the 5% that you will not do anything for them 5% you not only emphasized it you justified it by adding that, that was politics, (monkey dey work bamboo dey chop, beggars ride the horses of kings).”
The seven-page letter reads in full:
REACTION OF THE NIGER DELTA SELF DETERMINATION MOVEMENT (NDSDM) TO PRESIDENT BUHARI’s SPEECH TO NIGERIAS ON 21ST OF AUGUST 2017
{2nd Timothy 1:7} For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.
MR. PRESIDENT
NIGERIA IS NOT SETTLED,
NIGERIA IS NEGOTIABLE AND SHOULD BE NEGOTIATED
INTRODUCTION
NDSDM is an organization made up of the Ethnic Nationalities of the Niger Delta peoples, and we are determined to emancipate and free all our peoples and region from the over 100 years old oppression, neglect, and abuse the British colonialists government forcefully put us into by the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates in 1914. We have volunteered our diverse knowledge and expertise to sensitize and orientate our people to the truth of our past and bring solutions to our unacceptable oppression. We are resolved to continue to use non violent and all peaceful approaches to advocate for self-determination, which includes ownership of our lands, swamps, creeks, mangroves, rivers and all that is found thereon and there-under for effective and efficient results for the maximum benefit of our peoples and region.
Sir, we take this opportunity to welcome you back to Nigeria, a theater of agitation and bitterness resulting from frustration, lies, and failure. You are today the President of Nigeria and you discuss the issues of Nigeria very robustly at home and abroad with a clear bias for your own ethnic nationality. One of your very first worrisome statements or declaration was the famous 97% who voted for you and the 5%that did not vote for you. You informed the 5% that did not vote for you (we know the area of Nigeria we are situated) not to expect any dividends of democracy and development we are entitled to, though we provide the wealth you will distribute to the 97% that voted for you. You unambiguously informed the 5% that you will not do anything for them 5% you not only emphasized it you justified it by adding that, that was politics, (monkey dey work bamboo dey chop, beggars ride the horses of kings).
Within the first 12months of your tenure you confirmed to investors that your country Nigeria is very corrupt, that your country Nigeria is not a country to invest in, this valid piece of information you gave to the world led to capital flight and have brought the worst economic recession and economic crisis Nigeria have experienced and is still experiencing.
The Niger Delta people have been the target of grudges and remain under threats of been crushed in their God given homeland, creeks, swamps and mangroves, the threats of smiling crocodiles and daily pollution of our air, and drinking water by the Federal Government 60 /40 percent joint partners in oil and gas exploration, and the military and Joint task Force, (JTF).
Corruption was amalgamated on the same date Southern and Northern protectorates were named Nigeria by Lugard for the British Empire. On the 1st of October 1960 Nigeria and Corruption was given independence to loot, destroy and oppress the Niger Delta region and her people. In 103 years of Nigeria, the North have governed, ruled and oppressed Nigeria for no less than 40years, the Niger Delta governed for 5years, yet the Niger Delta 5 years of governing is judged to be the most corrupt 5 years between 1960 and 2017. The indigenes and ethnic nationalities of the region that owns the wealth which have been looted for over 100 years are victimized and accused of stealing their own wealth, while the truth and evidence show that over 95% of the private oil wells in the Niger Delta are owned by non Niger Delta indigenes.
The Igbo nation is not allowed to remember and reflect on their recent history and pains of the killings of over 3.5 million Igbos. The Igbos have the threats of pythons dancing in their lands.
The threat of alienation of the indigenous people of the North and middle Belt of Nigeria as posed by the ever present, menacing, killing and occupying herdsmen and recently of Boko Haram is expanding daily stretching into the Yoruba, Igbo and Niger Delta regions in a country named one Nigeria, and we are told Nigeria is settled and Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable. Nigeria is not united or settled and not only is negotiable it will be negotiated. Lugard never negotiated with us, before the South was forced to try to be one with the North, Lugards not negotiated Nigeria has failed.
We are equally distressed today that every time the people of Southern Nigeria use the latest form of communication, the social media to tell ourselves, your government headed by you sir, and even to the world of our desires and aspirations we are threatened with the apparatus of state power, arrests, and war.
Social media was used extensively and very effectively by your political party against the incumbent government of Goodluck Jonathan. The social media was well used to pass the information around of the promises of your political party, all the promises made and spread through the social media are yet to be fulfilled, and may likely not be fulfilled before the 2019 elections. Some of the key promises made were the promises to enforce true federalism, democracy, destroy corruption, bring the value of dollar down, take out Boko Haram, the well known terror group, etc. There is no red line here sir, we are all free and equal Nigerians and have a right to discuss the Nigeria we want as we see fit.
Niger Delta peoples are not enemies of Nigeria rather some Nigerians are the enemies of our existence, therefore we have not crossed any red line, no red line have be drawn in Nigeria by Nigerians. We are free to speak truth to ourselves.
Any two people of Nigeria have every right to discuss the issues affecting Nigeria, no matter their age and status in Nigeria but whatever they agree upon as two private individuals at that time is their private commitment to themselves and will not be binding on their people or the rest of Nigeria. That you and the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu agreed in the cause of two days in your home Daura 14 years ago, after you both fought against one another between 1968 and 1970 that led to the killings of over 3 million Igbo indigenes and other ethnic nationalities of the old Eastern Nigeria ( men, women, and children.) was then and remains now between the both of you, and cannot form the basis or be part of the discussion in Nigeria today, the call to restructure Nigeria and the right to self determination from the South, the Middle belt of Nigeria is real and will not go away, we want change our kind of change, that works in our favor and for our future.
That agreement sir between you and the late Ojukwu is of yesterday, the discussion of today is to move Nigeria forward on the basis of Liberty, Equity and Justice and Truth. May we ask just for the records, the agreement you and the respected Ikemba reached was under what auspices and by whose mandate?
The NDSDM a movement made up of all the Niger Delta people know that the best form of government for Nigeria is federalism and democracy. If we restructure Nigeria as is the demand from the majority of Nigerians, the Niger Delta indigenous people/ethnic nationalities, the Yoruba nation, the Igbo nation, and the nationalities of the Middle belt Nigeria will have the best opportunity to stay as a country, where all the different people are equal and none is superior to the other.
The call for Liberty, Equity, Justice and truth is not irresponsible, and we are not jobless, hungry or miscreants, what was irresponsible is our long time silence of over 50years believing it was in the best interest of Nigeria, there is no Nigeria without us the people and nationalities that were amalgamated in 1914 by Lugard for the economic interest of the colonial government of the United Kingdom. We are not starting any trouble, and the call for justice and equity is not a call to shed blood. The call to restructure Nigeria and the call for self determination is not in itself a call to balkanize, but the unfortunate refusal by a few who have constituted themselves into the final decision makers for Nigeria and Nigerians are the people set to balkanize Nigeria.
Our call for Liberty, Equity and Justice is the legitimate concern you clearly stated in your speech that we have, and you have also confirmed that it is the real practice of federalism to be able to discuss our agitation and find a way to work out how to achieve what is best for us. We are merely exercising the right you have sworn to upload through the 1999 constitution. Each ethnic nationality knows what is best for them, and how to achieve that which is best for them.
The national assembly ought to be the best place to get justice and equity but it is difficult if not impossible to get justice and equity by taking our issues to the national assembly, as the set up of the National Assembly and the House of Representative will never work in our favor, as has been demonstrated recently, first the PIB bill, and the recent rejection of the calls for resource control and restructuring of Nigeria politically, economically and socially.
The extra votes that defeated the call of the people to restructure Nigeria and the call for resource control came through the extra two northern states in the House of Representatives and the National Assembly. After 103 years we are saying we will not continue to live together without addressing the different demands across the country. We refuse to continue with the status quo that has worked against us for over 100 years.
We refuse to accept that there is a national consensus without the nationalities of Nigeria sitting down to discuss our future. We don’t recall when we ever sat down before 1914 and 2017 and rose with a consensus.
The attacks and killings the deadly armed herdsmen have unleashed on farmers and ethnic nationalities of the Middle Belt, Southern Nigeria (IGBO, YORUBA, & NIGER DELTA nationalities) are not clashes but systematic plan to forcefully occupy, own, and enslave the Christians of Nigeria particularly of the Niger Delta region.
We the ethnic nationalities and Christians of the Niger Delta region are committed to emancipate our people and region, to own and control our today, tomorrow and forever.
The Nigeria of yesterday was of yesterday, the Nigeria of today and tomorrow that we want will be determined by us for ourselves and our children.
The several groups and voices within the many ethnic nationalities of the 36 states of the 6 political zones clearly demonstrate that Nigeria is not settled and that there are many reasons why we must negotiate our present and future. The many voices cannot be silenced. Today the oppressed of 100 years have more things that bring them together to help one another than there was in the past that tore them apart against one another. The common denominator is injustice and oppression. We possess enough hunger amongst us for Liberty, Equity and Justice to agree to work together for our freedom.
The South of Nigeria, and the Middle Belt of Nigeria agree that this government have poured petrol on the slow burning fire of over 100 years and it is been fanned by nepotism, tribalism, oppression, human rights abuses, terrorism of Boko Haram and Fulani Herdsmen, who go around slaughtering human beings like ram and cattle for celebrations.
The NDSDM is without any doubt is certain through grassroots interactions across the Niger Delta region, in oil and gas producing communities, oil and gas polluted and devastated communities, poor, neglected, cheated and willfully impoverished by past governments military and autocratic, that the people who have endured all these in the past are certain of one position, that they endured all these in the past due to ignorance or foolishness and do regret their gullibility but one thing the people of the Niger Delta are certain about is their determination not to hand over what they have endured and lived in the past 100 years to their children and grand children.
The Niger Delta people are peace loving and accommodating, that does not mean and can never mean that they are a conquered people, while their ancestors were born free, and therefore they are free people, they will never enslave their children and their future. Therefore this generation have decided to stand up for their children of today and tomorrow, this is not a call for violence or argument it is a call to sit down and work out a time frame for justice and a passage for all to agree that the train the ethnic nationalities boarded in 1914 is heading to the wall, there was no break when we boarded the train, but if we agree the impact does not have to be a head on collusion, it can be a mere crash, and if we all work at it, we can all pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down, and live.
In the past we asked for resource ownership, control, management and pay tax to FG the answer was NO
We have asked for restructuring which would make each federating state to be responsible for herself the answer was NO.
CONCLUSION
We suggest self determination, as self determination is embedded in the principles and practice of justice as recognized under international laws, treaties, resolutions, etc, with Nigeria as a signatory is a well known statement of fact. Flowing from the above, ‘Article 20 of the African charter on Human and Peoples, Rights’, and Articles 3, 4, 25 – 30, 42 amongst all others, of the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’, amongst others have clearly guaranteed the right of self-determination (Internal and External) for Indigenous peoples all over the world.
‘Indigenous Peoples have the right to internal self-determination and by virtue of that right they can negotiate their political status within the frame work of the existing nation-state and are free to pursue their economic, social, and cultural development. Indigenous Peoples, in exercising their right to internal self-determination, have the right internal right to autonomy or self-government in matters relating to their local affair, including determination of membership, culture, language, religion, education, information, media, health, housing, employment, social welfare, maintenance of community safety, family relations, economic activities, lands and resources management, environment and entry by non-members, as well as ways and means of financing these autonomous activities’
The right to self-determination for indigenous peoples within states is perhaps the most important human and people’s right included in the declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples adopted by the United Nations in 2007. Consequently, on December 16th 2010 former President Obama announced the support of the United States of America for the declaration of self-determination of indigenous peoples within states.
Pursuant to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, and the United Nations (UN)Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, even before the positions of the USA in2001 and 2010 respectively amongst others. We, the Indigenous Peoples of the Niger Delta had articulated our demand for Self-Determination through our various Ethnic Nationalities Bills of Rights, the NDSDM have a document called “The Niger Delta Indigenous Peoples Charter”
Flowing from our long time benevolent contributions to Nigeria and the aid-in-grant to Northern Protectorate before the Lord Lugard 1914 Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates into Nigeria and the corresponding injustices perpetually meted out on us the Niger Delta Indigenous Peoples by the Nigerian state since 1960 we hereby declare that “on 100% Resources Ownership, Control and Management we stand, as this will enable us exercise and determine our Political Status and Pursue our Economic and Social Development according to the policy we will have freely and not policies imposed on us”.
Failure and refusal to allow us Own, Control and Manage our resources will leave us with no other option but to use all civilized and lawful means possible to seek and call on the united Nations to assist us and monitor the conduct of credible REFERENDUM in the six Niger Delta states politically identified as the South-South geo political zone, in order to enable us exercise our inalienable right in accordance with International laws that Nigeria is signatory to, to establish the will of the Ethnic Nationalities, (the Indigenous Peoples of the Niger Delta) with respect to a CHANGE of Status (Outright Self-Determination) and all other matters.
Signed
Annkio Briggs
Emmanuel Udoh
Hessington Okolo
Rosemary Aken Graham
Cc.
1. The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN)
2. The Chairman of the African Union (AU)
3. The Chairman Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
4. The Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
5. The Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Nigeria
6. The executive Governor of Cross Rivers State, Nigeria
7. The Executive Governor of Delta State, Nigeria
8. The Executive Governor of Edo State, Nigeria
9. The Executive Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria. [End]
Similarly, on August 25, the Igbo Ekunie Initiative [IEI], a coalition comprising individuals in Nigeria and the Diaspora disagreed with Buhari over his statement that Nigerian unity is settled and non-negotiable.
Igbo Ekunie insisted that “Nigerian’s forced unity is not settled and remains negotiable by the ethnic nationalities that make up the country”.
It cited “the current overheating of the polity and tensions coupled with the various national upheavals and ethnic agitations”, saying that they “show clearly that our unity should not be taken as settled”.
Igbo Ekunie cited Herdsmen frequent rampage and killing with impunity, as well as the quit notice issued by the Arewa youths asking the Igbos to leave the Northern parts of Nigeria.
Worse yet, it said, “nobody has been brought to book even when a warrant of arrest was issued and the culprits are still walking the streets free”.
It also lamented that there is no presidential directive or order to security agencies to stem the herdsmen menace.
In the meantime, some concerned Nigerians are already calling on President Buhari to go back to London and continue his medical treatment as all indication are that he is not fit to steer the Nigerian rudder any longer.
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