Northern Ethnic Nationality Demands Resource Control A position paper submitted to the National Conference by Prof. Yusufu Turaki and Dr. Z. Bonat on behalf of the Northern Ethnic Nationality has advocated for resource control. The ethnic nationality is seeking an agreement on the control of natural and developmental resources to ensure that communities benefit directly from their resources and their development thereof. In summation, the major issues raised in the paper are the rights of ethnic nationalities and cultural minorities. The paper also raised issues on restructuring Nigeria to meet the needs of minorities in the northern part of Nigeria. The position paper, which has twenty prayers for the constitutional protection of ethnic nationality and minority rights, is seeking for security of lives and property, and the management of security through state and community level policing. The paper also advocates for the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples as distinct from Fundamental Human Rights, defined and enshrined in the constitution. The northern ethnic nationality is also seeking the justifiability of rights by making the fundamental human rights, the rights of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples justiciable in the constitution. The group is also advocating for the expurgation of Land Use Act from the Constitution and its review to give the ethnic nationalities control over the land acquisition and use in their respective territorial areas, with State Trusteeship clearly defined to ensure that land alienated for development is for the benefits of the communities, and that communities do not lose their land and development rights on account of development. The northern minority termed the issue of grazing as a non-issue for legislation by the Federal Government. “The Grazing Reserves Law of Northern Nigeria (1965) should not be extended to all parts of Nigeria, as the Land Tenure Law of Northern Nigeria (1963) was converted into the Land Use Act and imposed on the rest of the country,” the paper reads. To give them a sense of belonging, the ethnic minorities are advocating for states and local government to be created to enable ethnic minority nationalities to attain equitable development, and to protect them from discrimination and marginalisation by larger ethnic groups. Other demands are local government autonomy which guarantee full participation of minorities and disadvantage groups in the economic and political affairs of the grassroots.
Posted on: Sun, 04 May 2014 19:33:14 +0000
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