Freedom group, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) has called for the intervention of the international community to prevent an eruption of hostilities in Nigeria.
Pointing to present challenges of instability, insecurity, lack of cohesion and mutual distrust in the country that was similar to the time before the Civil War between 1967 and 1970, NADECO warned that the country was gradually sliding into warfare.
NADECO’s call is contained in a Save Our Souls (SOS) letter (dated June 15), signed by its General Secretary/Spokesperson, Ayo Opadokun, and addressed to the Secretary-General, United Nations Organisation (UNO), the Security Council of the UNO, the President of the United States of America, the Speaker of the Congress and Leader of Senate of the United States of America, the European Union and European parliament, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the House of Commons.
It warned of grave consequences on the West Africa sub-region, the African continent and the global community if Nigeria eventually slid into another Civil War.
The group noted that Nigeria is on the edge because ethnic nationalities could no longer bear being treated as slaves and inferior citizens in a contrived political space; and bemoaned that the present situation in Nigeria had become so deplorable because of the imposed centralist and unitarist 1999 Constitution, “manufactured by a military clique and imposed upon us.”
Calling for a discontinuation of the 1999 Constitution, NADECO demanded a return to federal constitutional governance relying on the 1960 Independence Constitution and the 1963 Republican Constitution.
The coalition further demanded that there should be no more elections under the 1999 Constitution until a return to the 1960 and 1963 Federal constitutions to which Nigerians truly subscribed to at Independence and when the nation became a Republic.
NADECO said: “Nigeria’s current situation is so deplorable because of the imposed centralist and unitarist 1999 Constitution which was manufactured by a military clique and imposed upon us.
“Ethnic Nationalities who were the building blocks upon which the British Colonialist constructed Nigeria had clamoured, appealed and cautioned the sectional military wing ruling Nigeria (foisting Obasanjo and Jonathan) as surrogates, for Nigeria to return to Federal Constitution upon which Nigeria secured its independence in 1960 but their interventions had always been met with disdain and provocative responses. Nigerians have never accepted the suspension, and abrogation of the negotiated Independence Constitution.
“Agitations for a return to Federal Constitutional Governance, using the 1960 and 1963 Independence and Republican Constitutions as the working papers have been very loud, persistent and popular by Ethnic Nationalities and others with the youths of the South and the Middle Belt who constitute about 65% of the latest statistics of Nigerian population have resorted to street actions leading to political instability, incohesion and mutual distrust that are worse than what the situation was before the Nigerian Civil War between 1967-1970.
“We are appealing to you to take appropriate steps to help Nigeria resolve the dangerous paths the country is treading now. Political upheavals, instability, another Civil War is better prevented now by the international community because it will cost you far less if you prevent the possible eruption of open hostilities in Nigeria.
“This is also because anything that happens in Nigeria will have unwholesome and negatively impactful consequences on the West Africa Sub-Region, the African continent and the global community. Our request is urgent and timeous.”