Dr. Diigbo has reacted to an online report of August 4, 2012 by The Nation Newspaper which sated that the governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi said he committed treasonable felony by declaring Ogoni autonomy.
Rotimi Amaechi was quoted to have said, “On Ogoni autonomy, I wish them well. Ogoni autonomy is not achievable. The man (Diigbo) who declared Ogoni autonomy will run into the bush tomorrow morning. What Diigbo is doing is treasonable felony. You do not declare autonomy on the pages of newspapers and magazines or on radio and television.”
Stating that it was intimidating, Diigbo said: “Article 20 (1) of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples is very clear that – Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop their political, economic and social systems or institutions, to be secure in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development, and to engage freely in all their traditional and other economic activities.”
Furthermore, Diigbo pointed out that: “In Article 34, indigenous peoples have the right to promote, develop and maintain their institutional structures and their distinctive customs, spirituality, traditions, procedures, practices and, in the cases where they exist, juridical systems or customs, in accordance with international human rights standards.”
By implication, Diigbo explained: “Issues pertaining to indigenous rights cannot be dabbled into by local or regional authorities that may be in conflict with indigenous rights, but rests with consultation with a nation state as Nigeria. We did not take Amaechi is ill-informed and trying to create security problems where they do not exist. It is this type of politicians that account for the violent bloodshed and lack of effective governance in Nigeria.”
Diigbo said: “I think Amaechi needs proper advice on international matters. It is also because of international instruments that citizens who want to live in organized society are able to aspire to self-government, freedom and to organize and subordinate their rights. You cannot pick and chose certain aspects of civilization and corruptly opt for primitivity as you deem fit.”
Diigbo added that: “To improve the quality of political leadership in Nigeria, will require well informed political elites and actors, and not those who rule with their entire trust rested on the misuse of security forces.”
Meanwhile, the President of Council of Ogoni Churches, Sir Mike Ibira said that tomorrow is a holy day and that the Ogoni people do not want to run into the bush, as they prefer to go to Church on Sundays as Christians, not to the bush.
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