UN urged to conduct referendum to safe violent split of Nigeria

December 27, 2011, Warri, Delta State Only a split of Nigeria into its traditional ethnic groups can safe Nigeria from the impending carnage, the Apapo Oodua Koya, (AOKOYA) the Yoruba self determination group has said.

In a statement yesterday, the group said the Christmas Day bombing in Suleja and Jos, shows how vulnerable public institutions are, how helpless the Nigerian security services are and how hopeless the future of the country stands.

AOKOYA said it has embarked in an intensive campaign to realize self determination for Yoruba people and their Itsekiri brothers in a peaceful and civilized manner. “We shall doggedly pursue the realization of Oduduwa republic, where peace, love and brotherhood are the guiding principles.”

The group warned that in spite of the violent campaign by Boko Haram, a military coup is not the answer. “Any attempt to intervene by the military will be met with proportional violence, and that will be disastrous. We warn the military never to use this situation to overthrow the government of the day. In any case, the current awful political and economic situations were caused in part, by years of military rule. ”

The group stated “Today, we stand the risk of going through a violent break-up, which will lead to loss of human lives, but the chances of a peaceful separation of the ethnic groups that are in perpetual conflict with itself are open, though time is running out,” the statement issued in Warri and signed by Mr Olumide Ahmed Bakare and Oritsebigbemi Isaac noted. The group issued the statement after its end of the year meeting held in Warri, delta State. "We call on all worship centres, either Christian or Muslim in the southern part of the country to be cautions, because it is certain that Boko Haram will soon export this terror to the Southern states. its a question of time."

AOKOYA called on the United Nations, (UN) to sponsor a referendum in the country on self determination, adding that the National Assembly in Abuja will be shocked to discover that Nigerian ethnic nationalities are tired of living together almost 100 years after the country was forcibly merged together in 1914 by foreign powers. "The United Nations must not wait before it is too late. Nigeria is an artificial creation. it has become a burden on its citizens, on the world and it has become of cemetery of dreams for its founding fathers and the citizens alike. This country is made up of ethnic groups with irreconcilable differences. We have had 100 years of trial and error. the result has been death, anguish and the ceaseless flow of human blood." The UN must organise this ethnic referendum either the current political class that benefit from the rampage likes it or not. The UN must do this to safe human lives and prevent what looks like an inevitable tragedy."

The Boko Haram sect is exploiting the weakness of the Nigerian state, its corrupt and inept leadership that lack public trust and the already ethnically polarized security formation to carry out strings of successful attacks, this will continue until the country splits into its component parts. AOKOYA urge the Igbo and Yoruba people to close ranks and ensure non-violent disintegration of Nigeria. "Igbo and Yoruba people we must stop the circle of evil, the circle of blame game, from the trauma of Awo to the trauma of the civil war. Igbo and Yoruba people must do this for the sake of generations yet unborn.They must unite against a common threat to their own collective survival."

“We condemn this Christmas Day attack as callous and irresponsible. We note the conscious attempt to create religious dimension into the political crisis which is basically ethnic. Both Christian ,Southern and Middle Belt Muslims have been victims of Boko Haram attacks. The latest bombing was an attempt to portray Boko Haram as a group that targets only Christians, this the group hopes will swing muslim support to its side. This is a miscalculation on the part of this group.”

AOKOYA said the militant group, Boko Haram is a direct product of the stifling and malicious character of the Nigerian state which specializes in muzzling public opinion with bullets and does not encourage public demonstrations nor deep expression of the traditionally ethnic propelled political forces that are usually isolated from decision making.

Signed
Olumide Ahmed Bakar
Oritsebigbemi Isaac