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IPOB: HURIWA reacts as Northern Coalition calls for Igbo referendum

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3 years ago

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The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has reacted to a recent statement by a Northern group asking the government to grant Igbos a referendum and let them separate from Nigeria.

In a press statement, a group known as the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) had said that only a referendum for Igbo exit can guarantee peaceful Nigeria.

According to the Northern Coalition, a recent decision by South East Governors and political leaders to denounce the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and like-minded secessionist groups in the region was only hypocritical.

The Coalition further alleged that the Governors are only trying to buy time in order to restrategise for a deadlier onslaught for actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra.

CNG also said in the statement that the Igbo nation ought to count themselves lucky that since they were defeated in the civil war, they ought to suffer more severe marginalization.

HURIWA, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and Zainab Yusuf, its National Secretary, said that Statement by CNG, is nothing but a deliberate subterfuge, red-herring and ethnic profiling carefully designed to put the Igbos on the spot and reopen the wounds of the 1967 civil war.

HURIWA said the statement was also aimed at discrediting the campaign for Nigerian President of Igbo extraction.

The human rights organisation noted that the ethnic profiling of Ndigbo being promoted lately by some known Northern leaders and some groups is an ill-wind that will blow no one any good.

“Apart from the Coalition of Northern Groups, Hakin Baba Ahmed recently made the same call for an Igbo referendum on behalf of the Northern Elders Forum,” HURIWA noted.

“That other call for Igbo referendum came about the same time that a serving Northern Senator to the same Igbo ethnic group said that they would get into war if that was what they wanted.

“It is important to remind those profiling other ethnic groups and calling for Igbo referendum, that it is not only Biafra secessionist agitation that is going on in the country.

A section of the Yoruba nation is calling for Oduduwa Republic, while Boko Haram terrorism has the simple objective of creating an Islamic Republic in the North East. What could be more secessionist than such?

“And how come such groups are not calling for Yoruba Referendum or a referendum for an Islamic state in the North East if indeed their motivation is patriotic and in good faith?

“It is important to further note that the Igbo leaders cannot be held responsible for Biafra agitation any more than the Northern leaders should be held responsible for the activities of secessionists and terrorists like Abubakar Shekau and Boko Haram or for banditry.”

HURIWA said it sees the call for Igbo referendum by this Northern Coalition on the account Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB activities as being orchestrated in bad faith “and carefully calculated to set up the Igbo ethnic group to be decimated once again, as was the case with the first military coup in which soldiers of many ethnic groups participated.

“Those calling for Igbo Referendum ought to worry more about why secessionist agitations are springing up all over the country and not create the impression that it is a sole Biafra or Igbo franchise.”

CNG is not the first group to make such a call from the North. As reported earlier, the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, had begged the Buhari administration to allow the South East secede from Nigeria.

Making the plea, the Northern Elders had said that they had reviewed events and tendencies which suggest that Nigeria is bound for more crises amid the agitations for Biafra, security challenges, among others.

Similarly, a member of the National Assembly, and Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Adamu Bulkachuwa had declared that the Nigerian Government will not bow to the demands of those he described as ‘insurgents’ in the South East.

Bulkachuwa said that the South East had tried separating from Nigeria before a move that led to the civil war, wondering if the region wanted to take the same route again and warned that the government would have no choice.

Culled from the Daily Post Nigeria 

 

 

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Nigeria: chibok abduction anniversary spurs demands for justice

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2 weeks ago

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April 16, 2024

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Militants, alongside relatives of victims of the infamous abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls that sparked global outrage in 2014, gathered in Lagos on Sunday, April 14, to renew calls for the release of the remaining girls in captivity.

The Sunday meeting was organized to mark the 10th anniversary of the abduction that affected 276 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.

“What I would ask the government is to find a way to work towards bringing back our sisters because I know it is only the government that can help us bring back these girls,” said Grace Dauda, a rescued Chibok schoolgirl.

Another rescued schoolgirl, Rebecca Malu, added, “They should stay safe. They should stay strong, one day, they will be released like us.”

While some girls managed to escape on their own, others have been freed over the years through intense campaigns by civil society organizations and government negotiations. But this human rights activist, Ayo Obe, is calling for more action from the authorities.

“We know that we started with missing persons numbering two hundred and fifty-six; it is already an improvement that we are down to 91. But of course, 91 is 91 lives unaccounted for. We appreciate the fact that so many of them escaped during the abduction itself. We appreciate the fact that the government has brought back so many more of them, but we say that we don’t stop here. We need the momentum that has happened since the mass return during the Buhari administration in 2016-2017 to be maintained. We expected that the remaining girls would have been brought back,” she said.

Mass school children kidnapping in Nigeria has continued nearly unabated since Chibok. Around 1,700 students have been kidnapped in raids since 2014 according to Amnesty International.

A member of the Bring Back Our Girls movement and convener of the 10th-year anniversary in Lagos, Opeyemi Adamolekun, lamented this as unfortunate.

“Unfortunately, it became political between 2014 and 2015, part of the amplification of the movement was part of the 2015 presidential campaign. And we saw the effect of the first batch of 21 that were released with the help of the Red Cross and the Swiss government. The second batch of 82 that were released with the help of the Red Cross and the Swiss government as well. But unfortunately, it seems that energy sort of dissipated because the government doesn’t feel as much pressure as they used to feel,” she said.

For this group of Nigerians, the government must match words with more action to stem the tide of mass school kidnappings in the country.

According to the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, a charity that advocates for the Chibok schoolgirls, about 90 girls still remain in captivity while dozens of the schoolgirls freed over the years are living inside a military-run rehabilitation camp with surrendered Boko Haram fighters they married in the Sambisa forest, Boko Haram’s main hideout.

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Nigeria suspends permit of 3 private jet operators

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2 weeks ago

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April 16, 2024

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Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has taken action against private jet operators flouting regulations by suspending the Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) of three operators caught conducting commercial flights.

This crackdown follows warnings issued in March 2024.

Acting Director General Capt. Chris Najomo stated that increased surveillance at Nigerian airports led to the grounding of three operators found violating their PNCF terms. Specifically, they breached annexure provisions and Part 9114 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023.

In response, the NCAA announced a thorough re-evaluation of all PNCF holders to ensure compliance with regulations, to be completed by April 19th, 2024. PNCF holders have been instructed to submit necessary documents within 72 hours to expedite the process. Najomo emphasized these actions highlight the NCAA’s commitment to enhancing safety in Nigerian airspace.

Furthermore, the NCAA warned the public against using charter operators without a valid Air Operators Certificate and urged legitimate industry players to report any suspicious activities promptly.

This crackdown comes after the NCAA’s stern warning in March against PNCF holders engaging in commercial operations.

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Senator Cory Booker Leads a Congressional Delegation to Nigeria

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1 month ago

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March 30, 2024

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Photo: Senator Cory Booker (In the back) and a Diplomat from the US Department of State, joins with members of the Academy for Women Alumnae Association including Mercy Ogori of Kokomi Africa and Adebisi Odeleye of Moore Organics.

Senator Cory also met women entrepreneurs from the Academy for Women Alumnae Association

Last week, US Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey led a congressional delegation to Nigeria, which included House of Representatives members Sara Jacobs and Barbara Lee from California. The purpose of the visit was to discuss a partnership on sustainable development. During the talks, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu expressed his administration’s dedication to strengthening democracy through upholding the rule of law and ensuring good governance, justice, and fairness for all citizens. Senator Booker emphasized the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, and commitment to peace and good governance that bind Nigeria and the United States as partners.

The delegation also met with women entrepreneurs from the Academy for Women Alumnae Association, who had participated in US-sponsored exchange programs. Led by Adebisi Odeleye of Moore Organics, the businesswomen shared their experiences and discussed their entrepreneurial endeavors. Other Academy members were Mandela Washington Fellow, Nkem Okocha of Mama Moni, Inemesit Dike of LegalX, and Mercy Ogori of Kokomi.

The partnership between the United States and Nigeria has lasted over six decades, focusing on addressing security challenges, enhancing health security, and responding to global health crises. Despite obstacles like corruption, poverty, and insecurity, the US remains dedicated to supporting Nigerian institutions and promoting free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections.

During the visit to the State House, Senator Booker reiterated the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, and commitment to peace and good governance that unite Nigeria and the United States as partners.

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