Like the Nnamdi Kanu led IPOB, a
new group from Niger Delta has demanded that it gains independence from
Nigeria. The group named 'Region of the Niger Delta' (Rondel) has demanded the
sovereignty of the region. In a statement by its spokesman, Efe Edet-Tamuno,
the group said its demands are made on a non-violent struggle. Read the
statement after the cut…
A Demand for the Independence of Rondel from Nigeria in 2018.
We the people of the Region of
the Niger Delta (Rondel), represented by members of Rondel Solidarity Movement
(RSM) - a newly born aggressive but non-violent umbrella body for all
intellectuals, groups and associations in the Niger Delta Region, having lived
together in the past as a loose federation under the Benin Empire and the great
Ijaw and other kingdoms, desirous of searching for our own country since
northerners in Nigeria have decided to evacuate southerners from 'their
Nigeria' - we today, 07.06.2017 wish to announce the fusion of our
various groups into one strong and united non self seeking group to champion
our developmental causes and help build our region into a nation of justice,
freedom, peace and prosperity.
We have, after over 6 hours of a
well attended meeting held at a secret location in Rivers State, met and made
Resolutions which will be remembered as The Rondel Covenant.
The Resolutions are in response
to the threat by lazy and ignorant Arewa Youths to divide and destroy Nigeria
(disguising as evicting the Igbos - an injury to any Southerner is an injury to
all Southerners - the days of divide and conquer has ended) and noting the
obvious foot dragging of the Nigerian government over this issue with no one
arrested, tried or jailed despite the fact that the treasonable felons are well
known and they are all not hiding whereas a certain Nnamdi Kanu of Biafra was
incarcerated for over two years for daring to discuss Biafra and a certain Kola
Edokpayi of Rondel is currently incarcerated for daring to challenge the
government in Edo state.
Following the treasonable
ultimatum issued by the Arewa Youths with tacit backing of the Arewa
Consultative Forum and Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs led by
Sultan of Sokoto either of who has not openly condemned the felons and call for
their incarceration like they would do when the table turned, and being fed up
of being described by the President of Nigeria as 5% undeserving of the
benefits of Nigeria, thus desirous to found our own country where we will be
treated as citizens with full rights, not some species with 5% rights,
We hereby make the following
declarations and resolve as follows:
1. That all the intellectuals,
groups and associations in the Niger Delta should fuse into Rondel Solidarity
Movement and our demands shift from Resource Control to Independence Movement
2. That in our country, we shall
return power to the true owners of the lands, the monarchs, in English-style
power sharing between the Royals and the people in a Parliamentary system.
3. That we demand Independence
for Rondel from Nigeria from 2018.
4. That Rondel comprises all the
six states in the present South-South of Nigeria.
5. That Rondel is an acronym
derived from the Region of Niger Delta, later Republic of Niger Delta, if the
Arewa groups make good their threats.
6. That Rondel is our name,
Rondish will be our Language and Rondland shall be our capital city. Details of
these, including the locations of Rondland, shall be in our October 1 book.
7. That no inch of Rondel in the
six states of Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River, Edo, and Rivers States
shall ever be ceded to any other people or nation for any reason whatsoever and
all those people drawing maps up and down are hereby warned to desist forthwith
or risk our disproportionate vengeance including present and future social and
economic sanctions.
8. That our motivations for
decision to leave Nigeria are first President Buhari's treatment of our people
as 5%, Northerner's nearly exclusive illegal and immoral occupation of our oil
wells destroying our ecosystems and the eviction notice by Arewa Youths with
tacit support of government and the Arewa leaders.
9. That since that treasonable
order by Arewa youths, and because no one was arrested, tried and convicted for
the high treason, the same matter for which Nnamdi Kalu was imprisoned for
about two years, we no longer have faith in one indissoluble Nigeria.
That we state emphatically and
without equivocation, that in the likely event of the disintegration of Nigeria,
we have resolved to live together in the “Region of Niger Delta', which we
henceforth now wish to call RONDEL.
That we wish henceforth, as a
people, to be known and addressed as Rondelites and our languages to be known
as dialects of Rondish, which shall be our Official Language, side by side
English.
That our capital city shall be a
portion carved out of an existing area in the Region of Niger Delta and to be
renamed Rondland. Details, including out national anthem, flag, coat of arms
and interim Constitution, will be published in our book, "RONDEL
MANIFESTO: The Making of a Nation" to be released on October 1, 2017.
That the Igbo people, and indeed
all Africans and foreigners, are heartily welcome to visit, stay, live in or do
legitimate business unencumbered anywhere in Rondel now and in the future.
14. That in the event of a
breakup and the Biafrans, the Omoluabis, Middle Beltans, etc have their
separate countries, we will be willing to enter into economic partnerships to
help each other grow their economies and societies to achieve the Millennium
Developed Goals.
15. That this Resolution serves
as a warning and a Notice to the Nigerian government, the International
community, including all the northern states of Nigeria that henceforth, if any
Igbo or indeed any Southerner or Middle Beltan Nigerian is ever attacked or
killed again anywhere in the north in a hate or xenophobic attack, we shall
declare our Independence within three months.
This is not a threat but self
preservation.
That since the Arewa youths have
given the Igbos (that implies all southerners, we are not fooled) three months
notice to vacate ‘their Nigeria’, we give all northern oil bloc owners three
months notice from October 1, 2017 for them to leave the Niger Delta
Region or face unpredictable adverse consequences.
17. That we are now ready to take
our destiny in our own hands and end this parasitic forced marriage of
perpetual disaster since 1914.
18. That we in the Region of
Niger Delta declare today 07.06.2017 as the commencement date for our
Independence struggle.
19. That the minimum demand for
negotiation is arrest, prosecution and conviction of all those who were
involved in the provocative treasonable felony. Condemning their action or
threat to arrest them will not suffice this time.
20. That we wish to declare to
the troublesome northerners that Enough is Enough.
Thank you.
Signed,
Efe Edet-Tamuno
(Spokesperson RSM)
(Spokesperson RSM)
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