By Modesty Vitus M Ezenwa
Listen brother KANU, I understand the frustration. I wish things can work that way, the Nnamdi Kanu way. But everything that happens in the world has a precedent and there is something called international law. That’s where the elites and intelligentsia are important for the struggle.
John Garange was an elite of the South Sudan, he was instrumental to the peace talk that led to independence of South Sudan. After he died in a plane crash, Silva Kiir, his lieutenant, who was also another elite took over and led the country to Independence.
Our people (the Ndigbos) should be very careful, so that they do not shoot themselves in the foot. Things do not happen by emotions. The international law does not recognize emotions.
First and foremost, Nigeria is an independent sovereign state, a member state of the UN, AU, Commonwealth of Nations and Ecowas. She has diplomatic relations with over 100 countries in the world. Her sovereignty is respected and protected under the UN law, it means that until she decides by herself to partitioned herself, no country in the world will recognize any part of Nigeria that forced itself out of Nigeria.
A country is a country when it is recognized by other countries as a sovereign state, recognized by the UN and member states.
I will quickly give you an example of what will happen when the elite of Igboland do not engage the Nigerian state in discussions about self determination. By the way, take note Mazi, that the 1999 constitution does not have any provisions for self determination of any part of the federation like the US or U.K Constitution, neither does it have provisions for a debate or discussion to happen about letting a part to go. The constitution which is the supreme law of the land must be amended or changed by the same Nigerian senate which you so currently despise before their can be any such discussion.
Now, this is what will happen if you fail to act within the international law framework. You will become like entities such as Northern Cyprus which broke away from the south in 1974 with the support of Turkish Army; which after 42 years, no country in the world other than Turkey recognized.
The north Cyprus does not do business with any country in the world, they do not have international passport, they are not recognized by any country in the world, their citizens are given Turkish citizenship so that they can travel out. Their money is not recognized by world bank and they cannot trade with the outside world. But they have been existing on their own for 42 years now. Currently, they have started agitating for reunification with the South, the same Southern Cyprus they despised and pulled out from, which is now called Greek Cyprus.
There is a another precedent to look at, Mazi – Somaliland was colonized by Britain, while Somalia was colonized by Italy. After independence, Somaliland willingly join their Somali brothers to become the republic of Somalia. When civil war broke out in Somalia about 25 years ago, Somaliland which was very peaceful and functioning, withdrew from the Somalia republic.
25 years after, even though Somalia is a failed state and Somaliland has been having peaceful democratic elections and functioning like a state, no country in the would recognized Somaliland as a country. Her citizens are still called Somalis, and can only travel outside with Republic of Somalia passport.
Somaliland is living on international aid because it cannot do business with any country in the world. Their money cannot exchange for international currencies because it’s not recognized by world bank and IMF. This is a precedent in our own Africa.
The two breakaway regions of Georgia known as South Ossetia and Abkhazia are recognized only by Russia more than 10 years after they broke away from Republic of Georgia with Russian support. Till this
