Southern Solidarity Alliance demands “State of Emergency” declared on roads in the South

Representatives from the various ethnic groups in Southern Nigeria have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to give urgent attention to the problem of bad roads, growing security challenges, marginalization, and other disturbing issues in their zone.

The people who belong to the umbrella body, Southern Solidarity Alliance, SSA, made the appeal at a news conference in Lagos, with the theme, “One South: Time for action is now”.

They also urged the president to move the country forward by making sure that employment and appointments are based on merit, among several other demands.

The Members of the group said that they believed in the capability of President Bola Tinubu to bring about equity and fairness in the country, as they called on him to take urgent steps to address what they termed obvious neglect and discrimination of Southern Nigeria.

In his address, the National Coordinator of the Group, Mr. Ndubuisi Okafor said that the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway should be the standard for federal roads in Southern Nigeria, given the high vehicular traffic they witness daily.

Okafor explained the motive for birthing the group saying, “We members of the Southern Solidarity Alliance, a pan-Southern Nigeria group are gathered here today, hand-in-hand, in unity and togetherness to express our total misgivings against the unacceptable deplorable situations we have found ourselves as Southern Nigerians.

“Not only are we rejecting these situations, we are also solemnly calling on all those concerned to do a redress. We very strongly reject and repudiate inequity, unfairness, crude manipulations, injustice, suppression, oppression, subjugation, and atrocious discrimination, viral aggressions in our homelands and fatherland, and overriding subterranean piloted divisiveness among ourselves in the affairs of our nation.

We do not deserve these treatments and the reality of second, third or even no class citizens in the affairs of our country Nigeria”, he said.

“The South and Southerners played and play pivotal roles in the emergence and development of Nigeria.

” The South was referred to as the Southern lady of means upon whose resources the amalgamation and administration of Nigeria by then incoming colonial authorities thrived. And so has it always been till date.

“Our great nationalists, Mr. Herbert Macaulay, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Pa Michael Imhoudu, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Madam Margaret Ekpo and a host of other Southerners earned their stripes and ranks in the nationalist struggles and their brave works earned Independence for Nigeria.

“The struggles have continued with other Southern patriots in diverse ways. We acknowledge the roles of and contributions of others living and dead, Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Gen. Phillip Effiong, Isaac Boro, Ken Saro Wiwa.

“We recognize the dripping sweats of Pa Abraham Adesanya, Chief Edwin Clark and Chief John Nnia Nwodo and the tireless Pa Ayo Adebanjo and a whole lot of others”, stated Okafor.

Shedding more light on some of the urgent actions needed to end the marginalization of Southern Nigerian, the group appealed to the President to declare a State of Emergency on roads in the zone, including South East, South West, and South-South geopolitical regions, for their immediate reconstruction, saying most of the roads there have become death traps.

He also appealed to the President and the National Assembly to scrap the Quota System and Federal Character which he noted has caused the nation more harm than good. Additionally, he called for the implementation of the 2014 National Confab Report and a credible census that gives no room for falsification of figures, saying they would go a long way in addressing the imbalance between the North and South, thereby enabling the practice of true federalism.

Among other demands, he said that states should be empowered to have full control of their resources while remitting money to the central government.

In his words, ” There should be resource control as embedded in an unfettered federalism. Nigeria is gifted resource wise, every federating unit should develop and tap own resources while paying to the center.

“To date the resources of the South is being siphoned, unacceptably and questionably used and misused across the country to the chagrin of the authentic owners of these resources.

“The sickening and repulsive subjugation says it all when we use up the resources of the South for the sake of the entire nation and then the resources elsewhere are not even mentioned, not to talk of bringing them to the table for the benefit of all and sundry.

“For instance while the petroleum wealth of the South has been used to pamper the rest of the country into indolence, no one knows who benefits from the Gold of the North.

” And while the Southerner struggles on his own, working to earn his living in his occupation and endeavors, the herdsmanship of the “master tribe,” which adds near nothing to the GDP of the nation is from all indications being used to terrorize, kill, maim, conquer, occupy and terrorize while the federal authorities wear the deception of overwhelmingness and tepid timidity.

“Perhaps, it wouldn’t have mattered if there were equity and fairness. But “suck the orange” method is being used in the South, where our infrastructures are at zero point yet the Federal authorities would have no reservations in using our resources and even borrowed ones to build rail and road infrastructures to another country.

“The Southern Solidarity Alliance on this day, draws the attention of the global community in general and the federal and state governments in particular to the following problems, most of them institutionalized and perpetrated against the South.

“Deplorable state of Federal roads in Southern Nigeria.
This includes but not limited to the following in no particular order: 2

i. Ipele – Isua
ii. Benin-Auchi
iii. Nsukka-Enugu
iv. Sagamu-Ore
v. Ore – Benin Road
vi. Benin – Asaba Road
vii. Onitsha – Owerri – Aba
viii. Onitsha – Enugu Exp.
ix. Enugu – P/Harcourt
x. Umuahia – Akwa Ibom
xi. Uyo – Calabar
xii. Enugu – Nnokpanta
xiii. 9th Mile-Opi junction-Obollo Afor-Makurdi xiv. Amichi -Ezinifite-Amaruru-Ihitenansa-Orlu xv. Ibadan-Ifo-Ilesha Bye Pass
xvi. Ife-Ondo-Ore
xvii. Ughelli-Patani- Port Harcourt
Etc”, he highlighted.

The group challenged some prominent persons in the south including former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to make themselves more relevant in addressing injustice in the Zone.

They also demanded the immediate release of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as among practical measures to address the worsening security problem in South Eastern Nigeria.

According to them as read by Okafor, “Security should be technologically driven like in other countries of the world. Population data and fingerprinting technology and CCTVs should be deployed by all the Southern States. Multilevel policing should be introduced. Governments- federal, states and Local governments should be seen to be just.

The ” economy should be improved through practical measures. Equity, fairness and justice must be seen to prevail. The insecurity in the SE should be specially looked into. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in order to guarantee peace in the zone. Is there anything the FG, the states or any individual is gaining from holding him and the continued tension and killings in that zone?”, he submitted.

On his part, the Group’s National Secretary, Dr. Akinrolabu Olukayode, a lecturer and researcher highlighted that the government should recognize that the south zone contributes the bulk of the resources used in running the nation and so should prioritize their concerns.

A member of the leadership team from Urhobo in the Niger Delta, Comrade Ufuoma Adievuwhare Onemu harped on the urgency to give his people better treatment.Onemu is the
Deputy National Co-ordinator South-South.