United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples to Self Determinations and Articles V, VI, VII and X11 of the African Charter of on Human and People’s Rights ratified and domesticated by Nigeria in 1983.
“The group has maintained their non violent stance in their struggle while no military or any other intelligent agencies in Nigeria have traced weapons and arms of any sort from them. Instead of being violent and terrorist inclined as they were labeled by the Army, members of IPOB have been victims of state sponsored violence and killings while the blood of many already spilled are yet to get justice.
To the South East Governors: Stop behaving like inferior people in Nigeria
“The outcome of the emergency meeting of the Governors of the five South East States with some other selected invitees is to say the least another provocation on the people they govern.”
The CLO also expressed concern over the behaviour of “our Governors who act most times as if they are second class and inferior among their fellow Governors from other zones and members of the Federal Executive Council thereby making them unable to be men enough to ‘fight’ for the interest of their people.
“We are tempted to believe the assertion in some quarters that our Governors take orders from the ‘caliphate’ and cannot attempt to injure the sensibilities of the ‘Aso Rock power brokers ‘hence they are always tongue tied and hands-in-cheek whenever occasion demands that they should rise up with requisite action in anger and reject any slap on the face of the Igbo.
“A meeting of the South East Governors with the GOC 82 Division of the Nigeria Army in attendance could not devote 1 line in their 11 point Resolutions to condemn the Army occupation of the South-East and their mindless atrocities and killings so far perpetrated in Abia State only to summarily announce the proscription of all activities of IPOB.
“The Governors failed to realize that the discontent and agitations from separatist groups in the zone partly arose from the frustrations occasioned by their alienated governance which seems to favour the few at the detriment of the majority thereby breeding lots of unengaged youths.
“While Fulani herdsmen unleashed series of violence and killings in the South- East, the Governors of the South-East despite repeated calls to that effect by the CLO could not sponsor Executive Bills to their Houses of Assembly criminalizing open grazing, yet, they are now quick to proscribe IPOB activities.
“There is no hope for the South-East if our Governors cannot take the lead in condemning anything that affects the people they govern, fight for the zone’s equitable share from the Centre in the ‘authoritative allocation of values’ and resources or ‘who gets what, when and how’ which politics is all about.”
The organisation called on President Buhari to be mindful of the transient nature of power, adding that “some past leaders of nations ended up at the International Criminal Courts to answer charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. Former Prefect, Congregation for Divine Worship, Vatican City, Rome, Francis Cardinal Arinze in a public lecture recently noted that Dialogue is a very necessary way to peace. As opposed to the language of violence and using instruments of coercion at all times, the country will achieve more if options of dialogue, consultations and consensus are applied more than the body language of threat and dealing with dissenting voices.
“Ironically at a time where there is this discontentment in the land, Mr President is billed to participate and speak at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday September 19, 2017 with the theme – ‘Focusing on people, striving for peace and decent life for all in a sustainable planet’. We are still wondering what will be his position paper in the session going by what is festering in Nigeria and his wrong approach to the whole issue.”
