HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT: OPEN PROTEST LETTER TO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON DAY-LIGHT ABERRATION AGAINST KNOWN LAW BY IGBO GOVERNORS AND SO-CALLED LEADERS ON STATE CREATION: DONOT CREATE STATE FOR IGBOS, BUT CREATE STATE IN THE SOUTH-EAST.
Attn:
Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria: Sen. D.A.B. Mark.
Speaker, Federal Republic of Nigeria: Hon. Aminu Tambuwal.
It is the prerogative of the National Assembly, even State House of Assembly to assess the demands for state-creation on Nigeria. At no time has the National Assembly abdicated this responsibility or delegated it to other arms of Government or Socio-Cultural Organizations.
It is the exclusive duty of National Assembly, in respect of demands for State creation to:
(1) Accept such demands from those concerned.
(2) Hear them out, that is, their presentations.
(3) Evaluate or Assess the relevance of such demands in the light of acceptable variables which include: Economy, Population, Relative Landmass and Level of Deprivation. Economy stands out to be the most important variable, though not in isolation of others.
In evaluating the demands, the National Assembly ensures no Genuine Demand is suppressed. A state is not created for any tribe, but is created for Nigeria for balancing geopolitical spread.
Hence, Igbo leaders donot have the right to sit together, we mean the Governors of the East and their so-called leaders to receive all state demands in their Zone and do the work of National Assembly by Assessing genuineness of demanded states in the Zone, and reporting to National Assembly to create A – State, leaving B - State. Nobody has that right, but only and only, National Assembly which CANNOT be delegated.
The states demanded in the South East
Geopolitical Zone are, in order of origination:
| S/N | STATE DEMANDED | ORIGINATING DATE “MODERN” | ORIGINATING DATE “OLDEN” |
| 1. | ABA | 1954 | 1915 |
| 2. | ADADA | 1987 | 1987 |
| 3. | EQUITY | 2008 | 2008 |
| 4. | ORASHI | 2008 | 2008 |
| 5. | NJABA | 2008 | 2008 |
| 6. | ORLU | 2010 | 2010 |
| 7. | ORIMILI | 2012 | 2012 |
Each of these states has right of creation by only and only National Assembly. Each has right of Assessment by only and only National Assembly. Each has Right of Rejection by only and only National Assembly. The Governors and Tribal Leaders have no business assessing the viability of the states, but the National Assembly only.
We are Human Rights Activists drawn from every Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria, and have no particular interest in any one state neither prefer one state to the other in South East. Many of us are not even from South East Geo-Political Zone. By we are only talking to salvage Nigeria from ethnic or tribal war Lordism which was one of the sound causes of the civil war we fought.
If National Assembly has given a state to be created in the South East Geo-political Zone, we hereby state unequivocally that:
(1) The state agreed upon should be created forthwith
(2) The particular state to be created must face the National Assembly, only and only, in Assessment of their qualification in accordance with well-known pre-established criteria.
(3) Igbo Governors or so-called Igbo leaders should not, never and never do the work of the National Assembly by determining which state to be created and which State to be left.
(4) All the demands must face National Assembly ONE AFTER THE OTHER.
(5) All the processes of Evaluation such as Referendum in the originating area of demand must be conducted by the National Assembly as well as in each State House of Assembly to get the required 2/3 Majority.
(6) Economic viability and population and history of Deprivation should be the criteria for state creation amongst others.
(7) Igbos Governors or so-called leaders have no right whatsoever to select any State to be created.
State is not created for a tribe, but for the Nation. A State in the South East is for Nigeria and not for Igbos. They can only make demands and not select. National Assembly has no Right whatsoever to delegate the Assessment Process.
- No one tribe should be allowed again to lord it on others or its members. Every one must have equal stake.
- If any tribe is given to choose, some genuine demands must be sidelined out of favouritism.
- If Orashi State, for instance, meets all the criteria and is not liked by so-called Igbo Leaders, Orashi State is dropped, while it should be created. If Aba State, for instance, meets all the criteria and is not liked by so-called Igbo leaders, Aba State is dropped, while it should be created.
The same holds for others.
- Let EACH STATE DEMAND GAIN OR LOOSE at the National Assembly. Anything short of this is an aberration.
OUR OWN ASSESSMENT AS UNBIASED HUMAN RIGHTS CRUSADERS AND WATCHDOGS OF THE SOCIETY IN THE STATE CREATION DEMAND IN SOUTH EAST GEO-POLITICAL ZONE
We hereby give you unbiased analysis we have made, as we were present in the just concluded Senate Public hearing in the Six Geo-Political Zones. Our team that visited the Enugu Venue of the South East assessed the State demands under the following variables:
| S/N | STATE DAMDED | VARIABLE AND RATING | REMARK | |||
| ECONOMY & SELF-SUSTAINANCE | LAND MASS | POPULA TION | DEPRIVATION OR MARGINALIZATION BY FELLOW IGBOS | |||
| 1. | ORASHI | 10% | 40% | 24% | 10% | ONLY NASS SHOULD DECIDE |
| 2. | EQUITY OR ETITI | 8% | 60% | 59% | 72% | ONLY NASS SHOULD DECIDE |
| 3. | ORLU | 35% | 42% | 68% | 29% | ONLY NASS SHOULD DECIDE |
| 4. | ORIMILI | 5% | 19% | 50% | 49% | ONLY NASS SHOULD DECIDE |
| 5. | ADADA | 41% | 61% | 76% | 4% | ONLY NASS SHOULD DECIDE |
| 6. | ABA | 82% | 75% | 80% | 96% | ONLY NASS SHOULD DECIDE |
We made the observations as we watched them at Enugu State House of Assembly Venue of the Public Hearing. It is a genuine observations as activists who covered it are not even from South East Geo-political Zone. We divided to cover other geopolitical Zones' venue of public hearing. Only National Assembly should welcome and Assess the State creation demands in the light of those variables or others as it may deem fit.
WARNING!
All the State demands have to, individually, face National Assembly (NASS) for verification or Assessment on any variables if it deems fit. Igbo governors or so-called Igbo leaders should not DETERMINE which State to create or which to drop in the South East. This is because the Law only allows AGITATORS to make their demands to the National Assembly alone and alone, and not to fellow tribesmen which are always biased and favouristic on their Assessment. If National Assembly (NASS) fails to stop this aberration in Igboland, by Igbo Governors and so-called Igbo leaders, we activists shall be left with no other option than to go to court to stop it, I mean stop the exercise until National Assembly is ready to do the right thing.
Signed:
1) Comrade Innocent J.K.O. (Innocent Jonah Kindness O.), _________
The Coordinating Secretary
2) Comrade Abraham Halilu (North East)
Assistant Coordinating Secretary _________
3) Comrade Suleimann Dambata (North West) _________
Organizing Secretary
4) Comrade Celestine Egwu (South East) _________
Assistant Organizing Secretary
5) Comrade Gift Ejekela (North Central) _________
Public Relations Secretary
6) Comrade Amanda Elizabeth Casmir (South South) _________
Assistant Public Relations Secretary
7) Comrade Saratu Wakawa (North East) _________
Media Relations Secretary
8) Comrade Dennis Adewale (South West) _________
Assistant Media Relations Secretary
080 – 3666 – 2901 & 080 – 9595 – 7698
Cc:
(1) President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria: Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
(2) Ohaneze Ndigbo
(3) Afenifere
(4) Arewa Consultative Forum
(5) National Human Rights Commission