It’s time for national dialogue to review Nigeria’s ‘forced marriage’ – Igbo ministers *  Renew call for Kanu’s release

It’s time for national dialogue to review Nigeria’s ‘forced marriage’ – Igbo ministers

*  Renew call for Kanu’s release

By Steve Oko

Concerned Igbo Ministers have called for immediate convocation of a national dialogue of all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria to review their forced union by the colonial masters and decide on what they really want.

The clerics also renewed its demand for the unconditional release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that the agitation for self determination which he champions was borne out of the inherent lopsidedness in Nigeria’s forced amalgamation by Britain.

The Ministers urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heed the growing calls for a political solution to Kanu’s matter, arguing that his release will foster national unity and cohesion.

This is contained in a press statement issued Monday by the group, and signed by its President General/International Coordinator, Rev. Tony Uzo Anthony; and Secretary General, Apostle Tony Osuji.

According to the statement made available to Wawa News Global, instead of wobbling in disunity and mutual suspicion, ethnic nationalities in Nigeria should come together to negotiate basis for their continued union as a political entity.

The statement read in parts:”We call for Nigerians to come together in a peaceful, inclusive dialogue to define the country they want—one grounded in
mutual respect for our diversity and shared humanity.

“Only through such a process can we address the flaws of our foundation and build a nation or nations that truly reflect the aspirations of all its peoples. This is the irrefutable truth and pretending otherwise is only postponing the doomsday.”

The group blamed Britain for Nigeria’s fundamental problems as an offshoot of her forced union.

According to the Concerned Igbo Ministers, Britain created Nigeria for her (British) economic and administrative convenience against the will of the ethnic nationalities.

“The agitation for self-determination, as championed by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu through IPOB, underscores a
fundamental truth: Nigeria’s creation in 1914 was not a union born of mutual consent but a colonial construct imposed by Britain for administrative and economic convenience.

“Lord Frederick Lugard’s amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates disregarded the profound ethnic, religious, and socio-cultural differences between these regions, forging an artificial nation that has struggled for cohesion ever since.

“The North, rooted in feudalism and indirect rule; and the South, shaped by Western education and urbanization, were set on divergent paths that entrenched suspicion and inequality.”

The group regretted that the political class which ought to have corrected the flaws after independence, rather decided to exploit the gap for their selfish gains.

“Post-independence, rather than bridging these divides, Nigeria’s political elite exploited ethnicity, widening the fractures in our federation. The result has been persistent discord,
undermining the promise of unity.”

 

Steve Oko, Publisher/C.E.O, WaWa News Global. For more information on advert placement and news coverage, contact us on: 08038725600, or via email stevemanofgod2000@yahoo.com; wawanewsglobal@gmail.com Always read WaWa News Global - Your most dependable online news platform for the latest breaking news in Nigeria.

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