Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) rejects restructuring, backs Nnamdi Kanu's self-determination movement
By Friday Olokor and Oladimeji Ramon
Published by Family Writers
Prominent Igbo lawyer and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), on Tuesday condemned the call for the country’s restructuring, describing it as a political calculation by the elite to grab power in 2019.
Rather, Agbakoba justified the demand for self-determination by the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra, which is seeking a referendum to achieve same.
Agbakoba, who rejected the declaration by acting President Yemi Osinbajo that Nigeria’s sovereignty was not negotiable, said IPOB’s quest for self-determination was lawful and found justification in Article 1 (2) of the United Nations Charter and Article 20 (1) of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights, to which Nigeria was a signatory.
He said the Federal Government must immediately initiate a process to put the continued existence of Nigeria as a sovereign entity to a debate, stressing that restructuring was not the road map to federalism.
The legal luminary addressed journalists in Lagos on Tuesday at his Ikoyi office on “The future of Nigeria.”
Agbakoba said, “I see every politician now says restructure but I disagree. I also think the acting President was wrong to say that Nigeria is insoluble. There is nothing sacrosanct about Nigeria. It can blow up anytime. It’s an artificial creation, which was made in 1914 and when it was amalgamated we were not there. It was amalgamated in the interest of the colonialists.”
Agbakoba said it was unfortunate that since 1914 when amalgamation was thrust on the people, there had not been any home-grown process to resolve the will of the people to co-exist.
Agbakoba, who had once sued the Federal Government for neglecting the South-East, argued that the Federal Government goofed by charging the IPOB leader with treasonable felony for seeking self-determination.
He said, “For me, the best that he can be charged with is unlawful assembly and an act capable of breaching public peace. Those are the things he can be charged with, but not treason; because Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations’ Charter, which recognises the right for self-determination.”
When asked whether he aligned with IPOB’s call for a referendum towards self-determination, Agbakoba, who said he had nothing against Kanu, responded, “Absolutely! What is sacrosanct about Nigeria? Nothing. What is sacrosanct about Nigeria is our agreement to be part of Nigeria. I’m not suggesting that Nigeria should not exist but to say that Nigeria’s sovereignty is not negotiable, nobody should talk about it.”
Agbakoba, who was a delegate at the 2014 National Conference, also said implementing the resolutions of the conference would not quell the various secessionist agitations in the country.
He argued that while it was politically incorrect for the Arewa youths to give the Igbo living in the North a quit notice, there was no legal basis to call for their arrest.
He said, “Did they commit any crime? They just said, ‘leave our place,’ that’s all. It’s not in the criminal code that if I tell a man to leave my house I have committed a crime. I have a right to tell you, this is my house, leave. It’s politically incorrect to tell the Igbo to leave but I don’t see any crime. And let’s be clear, we should not make this thing sound legalistic… it is political.”
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| Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) |
By Friday Olokor and Oladimeji Ramon
Published by Family Writers
Prominent Igbo lawyer and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), on Tuesday condemned the call for the country’s restructuring, describing it as a political calculation by the elite to grab power in 2019.
Rather, Agbakoba justified the demand for self-determination by the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra, which is seeking a referendum to achieve same.
Agbakoba, who rejected the declaration by acting President Yemi Osinbajo that Nigeria’s sovereignty was not negotiable, said IPOB’s quest for self-determination was lawful and found justification in Article 1 (2) of the United Nations Charter and Article 20 (1) of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights, to which Nigeria was a signatory.
He said the Federal Government must immediately initiate a process to put the continued existence of Nigeria as a sovereign entity to a debate, stressing that restructuring was not the road map to federalism.
The legal luminary addressed journalists in Lagos on Tuesday at his Ikoyi office on “The future of Nigeria.”
Agbakoba said, “I see every politician now says restructure but I disagree. I also think the acting President was wrong to say that Nigeria is insoluble. There is nothing sacrosanct about Nigeria. It can blow up anytime. It’s an artificial creation, which was made in 1914 and when it was amalgamated we were not there. It was amalgamated in the interest of the colonialists.”
Agbakoba said it was unfortunate that since 1914 when amalgamation was thrust on the people, there had not been any home-grown process to resolve the will of the people to co-exist.
Agbakoba, who had once sued the Federal Government for neglecting the South-East, argued that the Federal Government goofed by charging the IPOB leader with treasonable felony for seeking self-determination.
He said, “For me, the best that he can be charged with is unlawful assembly and an act capable of breaching public peace. Those are the things he can be charged with, but not treason; because Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations’ Charter, which recognises the right for self-determination.”
When asked whether he aligned with IPOB’s call for a referendum towards self-determination, Agbakoba, who said he had nothing against Kanu, responded, “Absolutely! What is sacrosanct about Nigeria? Nothing. What is sacrosanct about Nigeria is our agreement to be part of Nigeria. I’m not suggesting that Nigeria should not exist but to say that Nigeria’s sovereignty is not negotiable, nobody should talk about it.”
Agbakoba, who was a delegate at the 2014 National Conference, also said implementing the resolutions of the conference would not quell the various secessionist agitations in the country.
He argued that while it was politically incorrect for the Arewa youths to give the Igbo living in the North a quit notice, there was no legal basis to call for their arrest.
He said, “Did they commit any crime? They just said, ‘leave our place,’ that’s all. It’s not in the criminal code that if I tell a man to leave my house I have committed a crime. I have a right to tell you, this is my house, leave. It’s politically incorrect to tell the Igbo to leave but I don’t see any crime. And let’s be clear, we should not make this thing sound legalistic… it is political.”
I'm in full agreement with the learned lawyer regarding IPOB's rejection of referendum and for an all-out pursuit of self determination. Every real Igbo person, in my view, should. The call for restructuring now is mostly opportunistic. It's coming too late for Biafrans. Let's not forget that Nigeria's last chance for restructuring was Aburi, which that great hypocrite reneged on, thus making the genocidal war inevitable. I'm certain that should Nigeria come up with a fair and equitable restructuring proposal, the owners of Nigeria, the Hausa-Fulani oligarchy would reject it. I honestly can't see them giving up their unjust gains. Anyone thinking that ex-generals of the North would agree to give up their loot, not least the oil blocks, must be extremely naive. And no restructuring can be said to be fair and just which allows a tiny Northenden elite to 'own' oil blocks in the Niger Delta. We're to even agree to a fair and just restructuring, a general could simply sack the government of the day, seize power, and abolish the restructured system. Today we have the golden opportunity of leaving this cursed country called Nigeria. If we don't seize upon it with iron clad determination our children and children's will live to rue our stupidity.
ReplyDeleteGod bless IPOB
God bless Nnamdi Kanu
God bless Biafra.
I also concur 100% with Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN). We should be listening to enlightened and courageous people like this lawyer. The truth is that Nigeria is an abominable contraption created by evil colonial empire Britain. Nigeria is not working and will never work without division. Restructuring will never fix Nigeria. It’s a cultural, social and way of thinking problem not just economic and politics. Nigeria is an Islamic sharia State. It is designed to be corrupt, lawless and failed state. Biafrans must do whatever it takes to exit this murderous Islamic sharia state of Nigeria. IPOB must never agree to restructuring. Entire Biafra people are solidly behind IPOB under Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Forget about the selfish saboteurs in Igbo land and those Nigerians who want to remain enslaved and islamized. We must be freed from this evil and wickedness British Empire put us into. We have suffered and died enough. It's time to be freed from this slavery.
ReplyDeleteWE MUST BE FREE IN THE MOST POWERFUL NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OUT THE ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS BONDAGE OF FORCED,CORRUPT & CURSED UNION CALLED NIGERIA. WE MUST NOT DIE ALL OF US FOREVER FOR TO KEEP THAT CONTRAPTION ONE. GOD BLESS NNAMDI KANU,GOD BLESS IPOB,GOD BLESS BIAFRA FOREVER IN JESUS MOST POWERFUL NAMR I PRAY!!! A M E N
ReplyDeleteWhen the positive talk you know.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you Sir at least we still have men that see beyond their bank account.
NIGERIA IS NOT WORKING AND IT CAN NEVER WORK. LET BIAFRANS GOES HOME. IF AREWA AND ODUDUWA WANT TO BE NIGERIANS. LET THEM MAKE IT GREAT AGAIN. LET WAR BE AVOIDED. BIAFRANS ARE HOT AND SPICY NOW.
ReplyDeleteThat is the truth. We believe in it.
ReplyDeleteIf only the Igbo man would tell himself the truth.....
ReplyDelete