"Address Biafra Referendum now to Avoid Violence In Nigeria" - Biafrans Tells UN

Martin Luther King Jnr, the great American black rights activist, said and I quote,  "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy". The ongoing United Nations 73rd session, would be no different from a common and unnecessary jamboree if this great assemblage of the great world leaders does not give premium or priority to Justice, equity and fairness, as it concerns all indigenous people, seeking freedom from colonial boundaries, in their deliberations, especially as the body had originally agreed to jointly pursue in article 20 declaration of the rights of all World's indigenous people, among which the people of Biafra rightly fall in.

There would be no greater achievement of this body among all things in the ongoing 73rd session if the plights of Biafrans and their call for referendum do not gain momentum during discussions.

 The United Nations was constituted as a genuine replacement for the former League of Nations, after the second World war, with the sole aim of promoting peace worldwide, in lieu of the fact that war does no man any good. Accordingly, a referendum was chosen as a major Democratic instrument to settling issues that bother on boundary adjustment and by extension, self-determination.

Violent or armed struggle became obsolete in a growing World, in pursuit of political sentiments. The United Nations Department for the rights of all world's indigenous people(UNDFIP), was in line, established by acts of law, to oversee the welfare of all world's indigenous people, who seek to assume sovereignty from their parent nations. This major instrument gained global preference as civilized nations leverage upon its wide acceptance to test all internal matters, pertaining to self-determination. The United Kingdom(Britain), tested same in 2014, in the heat of Scottish nationalist campaigns, although the question was settled through a negative affirmative, to the loss of the Scottish nationalists. Democracy and rule of law was enthroned and the people still have the chances of going to the polls once again, if the nationalist campaigners gain the debate for a rerun in 2020.

The British government is also making successes at Brexit, because of the option of a Brexit referendum. A referendum has become the latest global language for testing people's resolve on issues of huge political importance. The former Sudanese government, an African nation, after a lengthy arms struggle got the United Nations into resolving her questions of separation via an independence referendum, which birthed independent sovereignties of Northern and Southern Sudanese Republics. Why the United Nations ignored the earlier calls for separation until there was a large scale bloodbath in former Sudanese government, is a more reason why the World and United Nations, in particular, must rise early enough, and weld into the question of Biafra independence via referendum, before the mistake of another bloodshed takes a more sophisticated dimension in Africa. Why not NOW? Seeing that the Biafra Nationalists are more concerned about a peaceful referendum than a resort to War Via Arms struggle.

Nigeria as a case study, is a signatory member of the United Nations, and a participating Nation at the ongoing 73rd session of the UN general assembly, not only recognizes referendum, as an instrument supportive of self-determination but also applied referendum in 1961, in the procedures that led to the de-annexation of present-day secessionist Southern Cameroon (Ambazonia). The success of the 1961 referendum, which saw southern Cameroon vote to be with the larger Cameroun, birthed what we now know as Anglophone Cameroonians or secessionist Ambazonia. Though, the present day Ambazonia, through years of repression from Francophone Cameroon, are currently plunged in a war of succession as the world looks the other way round. The Paul Biya-led government is enmeshed in a  brutal mass genocide against the people of Anglophone Cameroonians(Ambazonia).

The questions of human rights of all world's indigenous people must be given unreserved attention in the ongoing congregation of World leaders. The current United Nations would be guilty of aiding and abating Worldwide genocide, especially against indigenous populations Worldwide, if they continue in the shame of lending megaphone to known war criminals at the ongoing session. Why the United Nations would legalize the rights of all world's indigenous people to self-determination, in article 20 of her charter on the rights of all world's indigenous population to self-rule but shy away from protecting same when invoked by vulnerable populations remains a major concern among all political analysts.

The Biafra independence campaign has reached its zenith. The people have suffered for too long in the hands of the repressive regimes of Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian president, and precedent administrations in Nigeria. It stretches from marginalization, secret abduction, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killing, use of various weapons of mass genocide and brazen denial to justice and fair hearing.

I call upon members of the G5 ( The USA, France, China, Russia, and Britain), to overlook all considerations on diplomatic bottlenecks and give Justice a chance, by raising the issue of Biafra independence referendum and enforcing binding modalities to take effect from the session.

I commend the secretary general of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Gutierrez, and members and staff of the United Nations, especially for organizing the ongoing session and ensuring that such a great platform has No excuses not to convene.

To the World, a stitch in time saves Nine! Make hays while the sun shines!

Alex C. Okeke is a genuine comrade of the peaceful Biafra independence campaign under the great and uncompromising IPOB leadership.

Written by: Comr. Alex C. Okeke

Edited & Published by IPOB WRITERS PRESS

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