BY CHUKWUDI NNAM
Prof Banji Akintoye, the passionate Yoruba foremost agitator is set to lead a one million march to the United Nations General Assembly in September to demand a referendum on self-determination and abolition of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
Maxwell Adeleye, Akintoye’s spokesman broke the news on Tuesday in a statement titled, ‘Akintoye, others, lead NINAS One Million March to United Nations General Assembly.
He said the octogenarian professor of history who is currently in the Benin Republic, would be joined by others leaders from the South and Middle Belt in Nigeria to the venue of the march in New York from 14 to 21 September during UNGA 76th session.
According to the aide, the leaders are members of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination who signed the Constitutional Force Majure declared on December 16, 2020, rejecting the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and calling for a United Nations supervised Referendum.
The leaders include NINAS Secretary-General, Prof. Yusuf Turaki; Ex-Commissioner for Education in Osun State, Barr. Tony Nnadi; and National Chairman of Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof Wale Adeniran, amongst others.
The statement read in part, “We have read a trending statement authored by a faceless group demanding for the ban of Ilana Omo Oodua from making a presentation before the world at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
“We wish to say very expressly that Ilana Omo Oodua, contrary to media reports, will not be making any official presentation at UNGA.
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“What will be happening at UNGA is that the members of Ilana Omo Oodua under the leadership of Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye alongside other members of NINAS from the Lower Niger and Middle Belt of Nigeria will be holding a One Million March opposite the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the United States from 14th to 21st September 2021 to demand a referendum to decide on the rights to self-determination of the people who want an end to unitary systems of Nigeria which has been turned into an apartheid state.
“We shall also be demanding, first and foremost, for the abolition of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria which we have shown to be a fraud perpetrated against the people of the South and Middle Belt of Nigeria given that the people did not make it.
“All the sons and daughters of the Lower Niger (South-East, South-South, South-West and Middle Belt) living in the United States of America are being mobilised to stand up for their Indigenous Nationalities by participating in the one week one Million March for the liberation of their people.”
“The planned march shall be historic and epoch-making. We want the whole world to see the level of injustice, oppression and intimidation currently going on in Nigeria,” the statement added.
