A Socio-Political group identified as United Igbo Elders Council (UNIEC) has outlined a 5-point plan to achieve meaningful peace and development in Nigeria.
This comes amid debates over a constitutional amendment, restructuring, Local Government autonomy and the need for economic diversification to make various component units of Nigeria’s federation viable to support the growth and well-being of citizens.
The group in a statement titled, “New Governance Model for Nigeria”, said it arrived at the decisions after a series of consultations and detailed analysis of diverse proposals over the dire situation in today’s Nigeria, adding that restructuring, regionalism, and referendum are win-win templates for peace and stability in Nigeria.
The statement signed by the Director of Media and Publicity, Prof Obasi Igwe, and Coordinator-General, Alpha Justice, on Saturday, August 25, 2024, called on the Federal Government to unconditionally release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and all political prisoners.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been tortured, victimized and dehumanized beyond measure and it confers to a nation no value to continue to keep an innocent citizen in jail.”
UNIEC called for an end to terrorism and the economic blockade of Eastern Nigeria, which has hindered development in the region.
“There is no reason the ports that were working before colonialism cannot continue to work now they are needed most after independence,” the group said.
“Opening up the Igbo/Eastern ports system equally spills over and triggers development across the Eastern Middle Belt and beyond, while the continual lockdown of the Igbo/Eastern Ports is also having cumulative negative tolls on the entire Eastern half of the country down to Maiduguri.
The group advocates for the restoration of the Eastern pole of development, which would promote semi-autonomous import and export, industrialization, and job creation. “Poles of development refer to semi-autonomous import and export industrializing zones in the coastal South originally linked to those in the riparian North,” UNIEC explained.
They also demanded a total resolution of farmers and herders clashes, which have caused insecurity and instability in the country.
“No economic policy or blueprint, however brilliantly formulated, can work beyond a marginal neo-colonial glass ceiling without a correct political economy or foundation, otherwise a basis on which the superstructure stands.”
The group proposes restructuring and regionalism, which would address the national question of relations between ethnic nationalities and the class question of distribution of power. “Nigeria demands restructuring on the basis of single nationality regions side by side with multi-ethnic nationality region,” UNIEC said.
