Urhobo nation is not part of Biafra - South-south senator
- Senator Ovie Omo-Agege says including Urhobo nation into map of Biafra is an encroachment on the rights of the south south ethnic group
- According to the south-south senator, his kinsmen are Urhobos and Nigerians, not Biafrans
- The senator’s statement was released based on concerns expressed by his Urhobo people about their inclusion into the map of Biafra by IPOB and other pro-Biafra agitators
The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other pro-Biafra agitators have been told to exclude Urhobo from the map of Biafra by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.
According to reports, the senator, representing Delta central, made his stance known in a statement released on Wednesday, June 7.
Omo-Agege stressed that the Urhobo nation is part of Nigeria and not interested in seceding or being part of Biafra.
He also stated that the inclusion of the Urhobo nation into the map of Biafra is an unacceptable attempt to suppress the rights of the Urhobos to their own self-determination.
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The statement read: “With the deluge of concerns being raised by my people, it has become necessary to state with absolute clarity as the Senator for the Urhobo Nation in the 8th Senate of our Federal Republic of Nigeria that the Urhobo Nation has never been, is not and does not wish to be part of Biafra.
“Whereas Article 1 (2) of the United Nations Charter recognises the ‘principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples’, this, obviously, does not grant any group the right to arbitrarily usurp the self-determination right of others. MASSOB, IPOB or whatever ethnic-leaning group may have the right to agitate for self-determination for the people they represent.
“But that right would be encroaching and trampling severely and irresponsibly on the rights of other ethnic groups if, without consultations or any consensus whatsoever, they (MASSOB, IPOB or whatever ethnic-leaning group) decide to forcefully include others in their self-determination agenda.
“The Urhobo Nation totally rejects such unforgivable disrespect that touches on our very existence. Indeed, the unilateral inclusion of the Urhobo Nation in the flag or map of Biafra is an abhorrent, and condemnable threat to our people.
“It is an unacceptable attempt to suppress our own right to self-determination. We will never tolerate it and it must stop forthwith. We are cautioning against this trend of arbitrariness and disregard for the rights of others because we know that such a ‘conquest mentality’ has never promoted sustainable peace in human history.
“The Urhobo Nation believes in the unity of the Nigeria Federation. Our preference, as a major strategic partner in our Federation, is to work hard to correct its imperfections, not to break it up into bits and pieces. I will continue to work with my great and highly respected colleagues of Ndigbo extraction and other parts of our country in the National Assembly to perfect our Union, not break it. In all, this is our simple and firm position: We are Urhobos and Nigerians, not Biafrans."
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Igbo people in the north have been given three months to leave the region as the clamor for Biafra continues to gain momentum.
The Coalition of Northern Youths also urged northern people in the south-eastern part of the country to immediately start moving back to their various states.
Speaking at a press conference at the Arewa House Kaduna on Tuesday, June 6, a top member of the group, Alhaji Abdulaziz Suleiman, said all northern civil society and pressure groups are mandated to mobilize for sustained and coordinated campaigns at their respective states.
Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking if Biafra is achievable
Source: Legit.ng
