FG orders return of toxic ship to UK

My fellow brothers, sisters and country men in the Diaspora,I bring you warm seasons greetings as we celebrate together the glorious birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and jointly look forward to a new year full of pregnant expectations and hope for a better tomorrow.
I wish above all things that you will continue to prosper in all your honest endeavours, remembering always that as fellow country men in the Diaspora, you are an ambassador of excellence. Against this background, I urge you to continue to be law abiding and live in peace and harmony with the great citizens of our host country (UAE) . As you jolly and make merriment  with your family and friends during the Yuletide, it will be appropriate to spare a thought for our country Nigeria, pray that peace and security will return to our motherland.

Finally, please remember to register your presence as a Nigerian living in the UAE. The Nigerian embassy will be of better assistance to you and your families if your presence in the UAE is properly documented with them. The Registration Form is free and submission can be done directly at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi. If you will like to have assistance on how to register you may contact your State Association leadership. For those from the Niger Delta States, you can contact us for assistance by emailing us at : secretary@nigerdeltadiaspora.com.

Wish  you all the best.

PRINCE CHANAI ESQ.

President -in – Council

NDDC , UAE

(BY MARTINS AMUZIE: CORDINATOR, IGBO G5 FEDERATED –UAE)

Fellow Nigerians, Fellow countrymen, It is yet another time of remembrance of misery in and of our country Nigeria,-OUR INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY. Two years ago, I told Nigerian’s to Celebrate me,  to Celebrate the good life God has given me, if they don’t know what to celebrate. I said this because Nigeria then at 50 was not worthy of any celebration and is not yet worthy of any now. I highlighted so many reasons and coincidentally, I was proven right on that same day. As I was making my speech on that day of the 50th Anniversary, huge magnitude of bombs were exploding in Abuja near the “celebration” venue this was courtesy of the MONSTROUS BOKO HARAM. Before then, and from then, till now, the bloodshed has never ceased.  Does this and many of its like’s call for celebration?- YES and NO depending on whom you are.

I write today not as a delegate of the Igbo Association UAE, not as a delegate or executive member of my state Association IMO CITIZEN GULF REGION, not as a member of the Nigeria Community UAE, but as the Leader and Coordinator of the IGBO G5 FEDERATED-UAE. For clarification purpose, the Igbo Association in UAE is undergoing a Reformation and is presently represented by the Igbo states Association and including; the Igbo’s in other states in Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa States. In similar ways, the Nigerian community is also undergoing a Reformation after the political struggle that led to the “Civil war” of Feb. 26th 2010 which there was no Victor and no Vanquished. I am hopeful that Nigerians in UAE, irrespective of our differences, will be united someday, sooner than imagined. However, these are not my reasons of writing.

Today, Nigerians have gathered to  “Celebrate” our Independence. Nigeria is 52- stepping into old age. A man of 52 years must have accomplished a lot in life worthy of celebration, a woman of 52 must have fulfilled all requirement of womanhood including menopause. We all know that it will take a miracle for a woman to conceive after menopause. Nigeria as a man of 52, what has he achieved or accomplished? Nigeria as a woman of 52, what has she accomplished? Let us take a little look into the past. In the 1914 amalgamation, the colonial masters forced us together to create a country only for their selfish and economic interest, our forefathers were primitive and naive to understand the British imperialistic conquest. In the 1956 Macpherson constitution, some of our fathers and elites of that time, being aware of the divide and rule strategies of our colonial masters, accepted the obvious imbalance within the entity with the hope that the adoption of motion for independence and subsequent Independence will enable them harmonize issues within themselves as brothers, but this was not to be. The adoption of a Republic in 1963 and the coup and counter coup of 1965 and pogrom-massacre of a particular ethnic group and the civil war were all masterminded by external forces. Nigeria became a battle ground for foreign sectional groups. Our people became tools in the hands of foreign countries and foreign business mafia’s. We were used against one another.

The hazardous foreign policies, economic policies and political policies of the 1970′s were all figment of foreign manipulations and misdirection’s. Nigeria became a chase board with foreign exploiters as players, building up and encouraging sycophants from different tribes that sing their praises and respond to their whims and caprices. In the 1980′s a dangerous and monstrous cabals sprang up from the military leading to power struggle between the internal political mafia’s and the new breed Military Cabals. This same Cabals metamorphosed into a demonic and dangerous monsters, laying deadly, poisonous eggs in all facet of our economy, politics, Religion etc, leading to reinforcement of tribalism, militancy, extremism, religious fanatism etc. In all these, Nigeria remains a confused state.

For 52 years we were unable to build a Nation. Nationhood has remain an illusion and continue to be illusive until we re-visit, re-define and correct the imbalance of 1914. We are still standing and operating on the foundational CURSE of 1914 amalgamation which has no interest on any Nigerian. Today we the IGBO G5 FEDERATED-UAE join other well meaning Nigerians and call for A SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE. Let us sit together and define Nigeria, know who is a Nigerian, Know the boundaries of Nigeria and agree on the  kind of government we need. When the then Eastern Nigeria seceded after a failed implementation of the agreement at Aburi-Ghana, the entire Country fought us for over 30 months they branded us (especially the IGBO’S ) rebels, today, history and the present reality has vindicated the Igbo people and their cousins in the Niger delta. The clamor in the heats and lips of every Nigerian today, the agitation for resource control, the agitation of the militants in the Niger Delta, the agitation of the O’odua people’s congress (OPC), the agitation of MASSOB, the agitation of the AREWA consultative Forum, the agitations of the EGBESU,  are all in line with the ideals of Biafra. Today another kind of monster-BOKO HARAM has taken over Northern Nigeria, bombing and burning churches, people and establishments. I don’t need to bore anyone with what we already know.

We cannot pretend not to know that some section of the country believes that rulership of Nigeria is their sole birthright, therefore when power changes to other parts of the country, they try to destabilize it  by creating security instability through religious laws and religious fanatism and extremism. In the year 2000, the Zamfara state government passed a bill and instituted sharia law, some other states of Northern Nigeria followed suit and it stood till date. THAT IS GOOD! They acted in accordance with the dictates of a Federal structure, what stops a  state like Ogun or Imo (for instance) from passing similar bill and control the resources in their states in accordance with the dictates of our Federal structure.?? What I highlight here is that both the North and Southern Nigeria are desirous of the implementation of  true Federalism in our entity-Nigeria. This is the first step towards Nation building.

Every section of the country is seeking for the Presidency to their Zone or tribe without regard to good governance. This means that their basic interest is to loot the country’s treasury and control the “NATIONAL CAKE”. Before the power shift to the South West, we hear agitators like NADECO, JACON, CD etc, but as soon as the power shifted to the South West, they all fizzle away not to be heard anymore. Which means that their agitation is just for sectional/tribal interest on the Presidency. We have seen the same also in the Niger Delta today; the militants now have houses in Abuja and offices in Aso Rock. The minor ones are granted amnesty and taken abroad all because their kin’s man is the President. The Northern Nigeria controlled power and ruled Nigeria for over 30 years of our 52 years existence as a country but immediately power shifted to the South West, the North started crying wolf claiming to be Marginalized and unfortunately and most dis-heartening, calling and seeking for a return of power to them in the next dispensation after President Goodluck Jonathan from the Niger Delta. With all these, one question come to my mind-Where are the Igbo’s/South East in the countries affairs and the Presidency?? … I leave that to your imaginations. Do these not indicate that all the sectional and tribal quest for Presidential power, NON has a National interest? so, are we a country, Nation or tribes cohabiting together? YOU KNOW IT.

THE SOLUTION
I will start by frowning at the reluctance and decline of the People of Niger Delta on their agitation since the coming in of President Goodluck Jonathan, it is their opportunity now to make a better agitation, but from their decline, it is clear that their agitation (like the south west) is for a President from their section and all they were fighting for is not for good governance and balance in the structures but for good life in Abuja and amnesty granted. In Nigeria today, we have more States in the north than in the South, we have more local government areas in the North than in the South, and we have more members of the Federal house from the North that from the South ditto the Civil service, Military and Para-military. IS THIS JUSTIFIED? of course the answer is Capital NO . Cant the people of Niger Delta call the attention of their Kinsman in Aso Rock on this Imbalance? Is it when his tenure expires then they will return back to the creeks with guns shouting and crying over injustice?

Nigeria today is a ‘”FEDERAL REPUBLIC” only on the radio and by name without implementation of Federalism but operating a UNITARY system of government. We must interpret Federalism and apply all process and operations of Federalism to the latter if we must be a Nation. We tend to copy American system of Government only by name but fail to practice same system as it is being done in America. Failure to allow true Federalism and or Sovereign National Conference (SNC), then we may have ploughed deeper into  anarchy, and when this happens, Two things are optional- we either go the old Soviet Republic disintegration, or  the new Sudan and South Sudan way. There certainly will be no more civil war in Nigeria. At 52, and Nigeria is still alive, it is time to have a visual and futuristic reflection of our country even in retrospect for an advanced and  better projection of Nationhood by looking deep into these issues highlighted here. A stitch in time, Saves Nine

Thanks and God Bless You.

Martins Amuzie

( CORDINATOR, IGBO G5 FEDERATED-UAE)