Leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Ralph Uwazuruike, hinted at the weekend that there would be no peace in Nigeria until the Biafran nation is actualised.
He gave this hint during a virtual conference organised by Harvard Law Students under the auspices of Unrepresented Nations and People’s Organisations (UNPO) and United Nations (UN), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which was to determine the Land Use/ Border Rights and Extra-Territorial Obligations of Nations in the quest for self-determination.
A press statement earlier signed by Uwazuruike’s Personal Assistant on Media Matters, Chris Mocha and made available to newsmen, said the main purpose of the conference was to gather members’ experience with challenges to their lands, as well as to share general perspectives, recommendations and good or bad practices regarding land rights.
The virtual conference, which was monitored by Mocha in Onitsha, Anambra State, quoted Uwazuruike as saying, “As usual, I represent the
State of Biafra. In Nigeria right from time immemorial lands belong to individuals and families”.
“But in 1976, immediately after the Biafra-Nigeria Civil War, the military government of Nigeria promulgated the Decree of 1976, which invested all lands in Nigeria to the state governors.
“There are 36 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. So all the 36 governors are owners of the lands in Nigeria and the Federal Government owns the capital territory, Abuja.”
“But the Federal Government does not respect this Decree of 1976. Just recently, the 17 southern governors came together and banned open grazing in the entire southern region, the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, nullified the action of the 17 southern governors and said that there was a grazing route that must be established to enable the armed Fulani herdsmen to come to our lands in the South to graze their cattle”
“This grazing route is against the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria because it is not contained in the 1999 Constitution as amended. But because of his position as the president of Nigeria and a
Hausa/Fulani man, he wants to enforce it against our will.
