Gentlemen of the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this interesting development in the history of our people. It has never happened before now, that self-determination groups in the southern part of Nigeria would come together in this form.

For the past two days, the organizations at this conference, that is the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), The Coalition of Oodua Self-determination Groups (COSEG), The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), The Ogoni Youth Movement and The Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA), The Congress for the Liberation of Ikwerre People (COLIP), have been deliberating on the future of our people, that is the oppressed ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, made up of those in the South, the Niger Delta and Middle-Belt.

The deliberations began on Saturday and spanned through Sunday, after which we decided to publicise the outcome of the conference to the Nigerian public, so as to let them know the outcome of our deliberations.

In the first place, the history of the relationship between the Yoruba people, the Igbo and our Ijaw brothers and other oppressed nationalities in Nigeria, apart from the Hausa-Fulani who dictate the tune of the Nigerian political system, these past years was not impressive. The Yoruba are portrayed as the enemy of their counterparts in the South, and the nationalities seem to be set against each other by the common enemy, that is the ruling caliphate in Nigeria. Acrimony exists between the Igbos and the Yoruba people, which has been nurtured by our common enemies. There is no doubt that the civil war between 1967 and 1970 remains a source of common distrust between the Yoruba people, the Igbo and even the Ijaw, the Ogoni and other ethnic nationalities in the Southern part of the country. But in reality, stronger historical relationship between the nationalities in the Southern part of Nigeria cannot be denied, apart from being common puns in the old game of divide and rule orchestrated by the ruling caliphate.

While we cannot pretend that several scars from both sides of the Rivers Niger leave gory memories, it is our strong believe that we cannot continue to replicate evil. We cannot and will not continue to live in the shadows of the past. We have to turn a new leaf by appreciating that we have a common enemy that sustains itself by keeping the people of the South perpetually divided and totally enslaved in terms of their political future. This is the time to build stronger ties between the Southern nationalities, the Middle-Belt who have always being at the receiving end, simply because we are confronted with a common problem. This historical moment of unity of the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, who are currently facing great persecution, has come. This was what informed the meeting of the ethnic nationalities, which was held in Lagos, and which drew into the wee hours, as we try to finalise a common position.

THE STATE OF THE NIGERIAN NATION.

At present, Nigeria is once again at the crossroad. The ugly history of the horrifying past is repeating itself. There is the possibility of a coup, in fact, some Northern Hausa-Fulani leaders, are already calling on the soldiers to strike again, and throw Nigeria into another circle of darkness, where might is made to be superior to common sense. Some are already working for a violent break-up of Nigeria while some powers are mobilizing to cause mayhem and unleash tyranny in the land. As history beacons, no one knows what will happen, but we can predict that the future is bleak; though we are optimistic the good will triumph over evil at the end of this perpetually dark history. These past days, the country has been holding its breath. Children are confused, women are not certain of what lies ahead. And the international community is once again faced with how to cope with the huge but tyrannical nation called Nigeria.

Assassins have seized the country unabated, contempt for the rights of the people continue, fear and uncertainty looms, as the world stand in awe. But the drama is just a replay of the past 50 years of perpetual conflict and mal-administration.

Since Independence from colonial rule, Nigeria has been facing one crisis after the other. Though, several economic and political gains were recorded during the era of regional autonomy, these gains were filtered away by the succeeding years of military rule which was characterized by heartless repression, economic ruin and complete annihilation of humanity.

In the years past, the bastion of resistance against the northern caliphate, which either rule Nigeria directly or through their cronies, were led by the leaders from the South and the Middle-Belt, as it was in the era of colonial rule. The bunker instrument of the central government was used brutally to kill, maim and humiliate these heroes.

At the economic front, though the south produces 99% of the resources that sustains Nigeria, the region remains in social and economic turmoil. Our people are pauperized and suffer incessant, unprecedented depression. Apart from the annexing of the resources to provide social services in the other parts of the country, including the construction of Abuja, the new capital city, the state machinery is continuously being employed to dehydrate and maul down dissenting views. The people of the Niger-Delta remain frustrated, economically weak and psychologically humiliated. When the people protest that they should have control over their resources, the people in power sent amour tanks, they kill their leaders like Ken Saro-Wiwa, Chief. M.K.O. Abiola, Isaac Adaka Boro and Dr. Obi Wali, for daring to express their democratic views. It is very unfortunate that this repressive atmosphere continues under the new democratic government. Apart from the rape of innocent women at Choba in 1999, Odi, a community of 20, 000 people was razed down in broad day light by Nigeria soldiers in 1999, Children, Women and the aged were massacred in cold blood. Such is the story of the people of Nigeria in the hands of the Northern caliphate and their agents.

The detention and killing of MASSOB members, the killing of members of the OPC, the killing of members of the Ijaw Youth Council and the futile attempt to ban these groups in a democratic setting is a pointer to the grievous and bleak future that we face as a people. In any case, we have no illusion that the Nigeria State can ever offer genuine democratic governance. Rotation of the presidency under the present structure called Nigeria, is an illusion, it does not offer genuine solution. While we support rotational presidency, it can only be meaningful when the people make practical input, and when the country’s unitary structure is completely dismantled.

It is certain that no form of democracy can take root in Nigeria unless certain drastic measures are taken to redress the fundamental sources of the trauma that remains the lot of our people.

As we can see, the Nigerian nation is facing a turbulent political situation as the next elections draw near. It is certain that there is a conscious effort to derail democracy even in some instances, impose a military coup on Nigeria. It is on this note that the self-determination Groups, which have come together to present a common front, and after a careful study of political situation, resolve as follows:

1. That Nigeria, with the support of the United Nations, must urgently restructure the country along ethno regional lines. This restructuring must be total, overwhelming and decisive. It must include the restructuring of the security agencies, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, the Intelligent Units, and paramilitary, such as the Customs, Immigrations and the civil service along regional lines. We demand the immediate transfer of Police and the armed forces personnel to their state of origin, as a drastic step to stem any move to truncate democracy.

2. That Resource Control remains one of the keys to justice, fair play and peaceful co-existence among the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. The Niger-Delta peoples have the right to control their resources 100%. All legitimate means must be used to realize this request.

3. We call for the immediate release of all detainees, including members of MASSOB, Coalition of Oodua Self-determination Groups (COSEG), Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), and all those arrested in connection with the attack on Odi, by Nigerian soldiers. We regret that thousands of people are still in detention without trail, even though Nigeria is expected to be under a democratic setting.

4. That the Self-determination Groups believes in Independent, Sovereign Nations, based on the choice of the nationalities concerned. That this right is inalienable, and that we have resolved to fight together for each nationality to be Independent, and build her own Sovereign State, as an Independent member of the United Nations. We recognize that a country like Luxemburg, which is only 600,000 people, the size of a local government in Lagos, is a Sovereign Nation and with equal right at the United Nations (UN), with the United States. In fact, the most prosperous countries in the world today are smaller nations with the populations as small as 300,000 people.

5. The outcome of the forthcoming voters registration is predictable. While the southern leaders and the Middle-Belt insisted on Identity Card as basis for registration, the Hausa-Fulani North said no and was able to have its way. It shows that the outcome of the exercise will only favour the Hausa-Fulani.

6. We call on the United Nations to insist on conduct of a plebiscite in Nigeria to determine the future of the country. This plebiscite should include the right to ethnic self-determination, up to the point of secession, from the dubious federation called Nigeria.

7. Reparation for the victims of the Choba invasion and Odi in October 1999 and other victims of several massacres in Nigeria.

8. An unreserved apology be made to all victims of the civil war between 1966 to 1970 and the Niger-Delta peoples, whose resources have been callously pummeled.

9. That Nigeria must guarantee equity as regards the right of all nationalities to contest for the office of the president, including the right of the Ijaw, Ikwerre, Itsekiri, Ogoni, Urhobo people to lead Nigeria if the country will remain one and this must be done meaningfully only after the country has been thoroughly restructured.

Uche Okwukwu.

SIGN:

1. Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)

2. Ijaw Youth Council (IYC)

3. Coalition of Oodua Self-determination Groups (COSEG)

4. Congress for the Liberation of Ikwerre People (COLIP)

5. Supreme Egbesu Assembly (SEA)

6. Ogoni Youth Movement (OYM)

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