We are no longer comfortable being part of Nigeria, says Ohaneze Ndigbo

"Ohaneze Ndigbo calls for meaningful dialogue on the future of Nigeria". Photo: Google. 

The specific role of the state is not to subordinate the citizens to itself but infact provide for citizens self-realisation. It's a moral duty of the government to protect minority rights not to discriminate against them. The current government in Nigeria has not passed this performance test, infact, it has constantly violated this moral right resulting in frequent agitation for seperation by the South-East Nigeria citizens.

According to the President of the Apex Igbo Organisation - Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr. Nina Nwodo Nobody from the South-East Nigeria is heading any security agency in the country...., "the impression we have been given is that we are not trusted enough to be put as head of any security agency".

He accused the federal government of using conquering techniques to destroy the chances of the people of the South-East Nigeria  to aspire for political power. In his words : "If you drive to the South-East Nigeria , we are like a conquered people. In every major town you go into there is a military check-point, forcing people to pay money at every check-point; they call it operation python dance". [We are no longer comfortable being part of Nigeria-Igbo Leaders, Daily Post February 16 2018]. 

 Furthermore, the Apex Igbo Organization has accused the Nigeria Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) of deliberately defranchising their citizens in the on-going nation-wide voter registration exercise for the 2019 elections, by not giving them access .

 According to the Igbo leaders there is shortage of registration materials in the continuos voter registration in the whole of the South-East Nigeria to make sure that the citizens are under-registered. Similarly Igbo citizens resident in the Northern Nigeria are being discriminated from registration of voters card which is "inalienable constitutional rights of all Nigerians"-[PVCs: INEC disenfranchising Ndigbo Ohaneze alleges, Vanguard March 13 2018].

 The Igbo leaders have also faulted the federal government's cut off mark disparity in Unity Schools in Nigeria alleging discrimination. "Some states are unduly favoured with very low cut-off points while others have unacceptably high cut-off points. According to the leaders of the apex organisation: "this is the highest degree of in-built terror against some people in Nigeria and it must stop".

Lastly they decried the re-instatement and promotion of a police officer who was the master minder of APO killings of  Igbo citizens in 2006 as callousness and sad injustice. They have called for the re-balancing of ownership of oil blocks in Nigeria to reflect geographical spread, and the publication of the ownership structure of oil blocks in Nigeria. [Ohaneze Faults FG's Cut -Off Mark Disparity In Unity Schools, Vanguard March 13 2018]

No doubt the restructuring of the current political structure which legitimises autocracy in Nigeria is overdue. It's immoral for the state to deprive the citizens the opportunity to compete while exploiting them economically, depriving them talents and investments for self-growth hiding under false sovereingty and crude nationalism. 

In the words of Durkheim: "The self-realization of the individual can only take place through membership of a society which the state guarantees and advances the rights embodied in moral individualism".

In ethnic diverse society such as Nigeria, moving power down to idenitity is one sure way to promote inclusiveness , greater economic diversification, and diversity . All the societies that have done this are successful and prosperous. We must reject Authoritarian rule and vote for only the political party that guarantees us restructuring. 

Authoritarian rule is not only evil that must be forseen and prevented but also as a present evil  from which we must cure ourselves. It's a danger to the whole of humanity. Authoritarian rule is exclusion, division, exploitation, discrimination, vilolent repression, massive corruption, poor resource management and political instability.

Uche Okeke is a Social Entrepreneur, the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation-The Voice of the Poor