The Coalition of Indigenous Middle Belt Ethnic Organizations (CIMBO) has said President Bola Tinubu, a former NADECO chieftain and pro-democracy campaigner in Nigeria, should lead the Nigerian public into true democracy.
The coalition stated that this could be achieved through the creation of new states and the drafting of a new constitution.
The Chairman of CIMBO, Mr Timothy B. Gandu, while addressing newsmen in Kaduna on Monday, said that President Tinubu should use Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary as a turning point in the country’s history by creating conditions for Nigeria to become, in both word and deed, a peaceful and prosperous nation where no one is oppressed.
He said, “On the occasion of the 64th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, the Middle Belt is calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the National and State Assemblies to heed its cry for equity, fairness, and justice.
“The voice of the Middle Belt cannot and will not be drowned. Its people will continue to demand redress. A tolerant people should not be taken for granted because they may not always be peaceful.”
“If India, with a population six times that of Nigeria, can manage its diversity and population, and if the USSR could craft a constitution where 15 republics successfully emerged as countries with seats at the United Nations and other relevant international organizations, then we see no reason or justification for refusing to tinker with the structure of Nigeria to give voice and representation to the people of the Middle Belt.
“We are acutely aware, however, that the failure and refusal to act is to satisfy the greed and desires of a tiny elite minority bent on perpetuating the internal domination and suppression of a significant group of people. By any account and standard, the Middle Belt is one region where you will find the grave of at least one soldier or victim in each family since the Burma, Congo, Nigerian Civil War, Boko Haram, and now the banditry crisis. The sacrifice of our heroes is enough for the cry of their kith and kin to be heard.”
Gandu explained that the people of the Middle Belt demand to be properly situated and recognized as the Middle Belt, saying that they are a majority in their minority and demand the activation of the 2014 National Conference report, as their indigenous ethnic groups are tired of being referred to as the “Minorities” of the North.
He called for a new constitution to be written for Nigeria by all Nigerians, stressing that they reject and do not subscribe to the idea of zonal representation or government selection for participation in the Constituent Assembly for drafting a new constitution. Instead, they prefer a referendum by all groups, as they have shed enough innocent blood in the past two decades in Nigeria.
The chairman assured their unflinching commitment towards ensuring the activation of the 2014 National CONFAB Report, which would lead to the creation of more states and the drafting of a new constitution for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He emphasized that they are totally opposed to a return to the four old regions of Nigeria, instead requesting three regions of their own: Middle Belt West, Middle Belt Central, and Middle Belt East.
On the occasion of Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary, he reiterated that the Middle Belt is calling on President Tinubu and the National and State Assemblies to heed its cry for equity, fairness, and justice, stating, “The voice of the Middle Belt cannot and will not be drowned. Its people will continue to demand redress. A tolerant people should not be taken for granted because they may not always be peaceful.”
64th independent anniversary: Middle Belt group asks for true democracy in Nigeria