 Welcome to The Advocate, where topical issues are discussed in a no-holds-bad manner. In other words, we call a spade by its name. My advocacy today is on the clammers of separationists from different facets of the country and the arrest of its leaders. Peter is back after a while and is talking on issues of food security in the country. Kulila Waal wants to explain to us what he means by a democratic coup. Sit back, the panelists are here to present your Sunday dose of provoking thoughts with no-holds-bad after this break. Sunday Buhu, Unam Di Cano, and the separatist movements So, till Sunday Buhu has been arrested, this makes it the second separatist leader to be arrested by this government. And this is bad. It is human rights violation. It discredits and disunites the already fragmented nation. As a people, we would not take this sitting down or standing, not even lying down. Though full on ease and their love for power, how can a full-on-eaman be arousing ebos and urbans? Well, this is the narrative we are made to believe. But is this entirely true? I hear people say Sunday Buhu's arrest would not have happened in a civilized nation. And I just did laugh. If you like to see me never hear of the Catalonia separatist movement before me, read about Calais-Poyjimons, read about Charles-Komi Kudogi, and the Western Togoland battle in neighboring Ghana. Many elites and poorly informed middle class talk about Pakistan and India. We refer to the unbundling of USSR to justify our demand for the European nation of Biafra. Have we ever taken time out to read about the journey of this secessionist movement? Do we know the struggle that went through? Is this what we want for Nigerians who are already stressed? Killings, harassment, oppression, violation of human rights, etc. Secession movement is not easy. It never comes easy. Are we ready for this? If you are a secessionist leader and you have the perceived support of your people, be careful because no one really has your back. Like Inam Bikanu and Sunday Buhu, you will be left to hang. Secession is not easy. And a Nigeria's case is secession what we need. Well, we will discuss that on another day. But for now, let me ask you these questions. Have you heard of Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission? What about Larry Cicid Kilgoe? The first, of course, is a commission established to achieve the secession plan of Hawaii. Larry Kilgoe, formerly famously called Larry Cicid Kilgoe, is one of the most popular faces currently fighting for the liberation of Texas from USA. Yes, Texas wants to secede from the USA. Texas is an oil producing state, a rich oil state unlike Nigeria Delta region, yet they want out of America. My point is this. It is not until you are oppressed that you have a right to demand for secession. You have a right to demand for secession wherever. But there are processes and procedures. The government should not oppress the people and the people should not be seen as challenging the stability of the nation. The first thing is to have the buying of the entire region that you want to pull out of a union, a nation, in our case Nigeria. You need the buying of power brokers of your region. Secession is an intellectual process, not a violent one. Violence makes it gory. Many needless lives are lost. I'm not justifying these brutal acts, but I'm saying it is a universal script that will play out in any country in the world, if approached the same way we are. For Nigeria to change, we need to understand the process and address each bit of it tactically, not emotionally. Emotions do not win cases. It empowers the politicians that we all have acts to grind with. It fractionalizes and weakens the masses. God bless Nigeria. Wow. You know how they say something about processes and procedures. Intellectual processes, ideological procedures. And I think that's what is missing. We, I mean, the secessionists, like you said, they approach this without any lay down processes. There are no procedures. And just before we got on this program, you know, Kunle was asking something about, so you want to succeed. What's your, what's the developmental plan for the new nation you want? And you know, the moment he said that, I just said to myself, I think both the secessionists and their supporters are really not ready. Most of the time it's greed. It's a personal vested interest, you know, trying to play out. But we define them, use this secession as a cover for it. I don't know about Hawaii and the other ones you quoted, but honestly, this really calls for sober reflection. I'm of the point of view that whenever this secessionists talk about dividing Nigeria, they divide Nigeria on a parameter that is permissible to them. They're not permissible to the minority units also functioning within them. So I have the belief that if we divide Nigeria across the three major borders, which we are thinking of, we still will have minority groups in the east, in the west, and in the north that will not agree with those composition or units they are planning to create. And one quick thing I always ask, I noticed something common. Why is it whenever easterners and westerners are referring to northerners, they see Fulani. Fulani don't even make up to 40% of the entire population of the north. So I don't even understand what exactly, when they talk about Fulani power, I like the question mark it put at the end, and that's all we think. So really, that's all we think. For me, when I was putting this piece together, it was a very lengthy one. I needed to remove so many things, just summarize it, because at the end of the day, you realize that, yes, I don't have any problem with anybody wanting out. And that's why I gave examples of countries. People want out in different countries, in America, Texas, they have all the oil, they have everything. They are rich, they are very, I mean, they have everything, yet they want out. But you see, there are processes. Anywhere you rise up against a government, the government, you've given the government a reason to oppress you. And that is what, and no matter, no amount of emotion can stop that. If you call the UN, call anybody. Listen, when the guys, when they organized a referendum in Catalonia, because they wanted out, these were lawmakers. Spain, other came from Spain, they chased after them. I think Calais or a few of them ran away to Belgium or Netherlands. And international warrants of arrest was issued, and they went and brought them back. They were in prison, but they've been given a pardon, I think sometime in June, after two or three years. So, you see, it is a script that exists. And that's why, as youth, as Nigerians, we need to understand these things. If really we want to change. And for me, the question I asked, which I really couldn't address was, is this the session we need? I would agree, and I would stop my friends there, okay, whether you're Robas or Igboz, or anybody that wants to succeed, you have a right to. But I will support you to succeed. If you can prove to me that in your entire region, you are more developed than Nigeria, then we all will agree that Nigeria is holding you back. Which region in Nigeria is developed? That's the first question. Is it the north? Where we say they've been holding power for so long, the people are suffering. If you see, I see some of these kidnap cases, you see model schools, and this is the model school. And what is this? Is this the north, where we say all the power and all the money is going to? In the south, we say we're educated, but we say, I developed, we could be better than this. In the east, we see a lot of Igbo guys that are making money, they are successful, but apart from the beautiful lush houses, how our roads, what's the health sector like? So it's not a session, we need to first of all get our people, our leaders, regional leaders, to think and act on a behalf. Then it will be okay. And I think there's a part we seem to mostly forget. Every country has a right to defend its sovereignty and its constitution. That is first and foremost to any threat. So when you're going to start a session, if you are not playing on the games or within the parameters of the national assembly, you are not going to have any normal peaceful response. Because what it is, is that you're a threat to a nation. That's what is simply- That's the processes and procedures. Processes are procedures. Do it the wrong way. I mean, you'll be hacked down, don't empower. Now that I was talking about people that are already oppressed. You know, empower who the authorities- The oppressors. The oppressors. You cannot win this battle anyway. I think you're right. And like you rightly said, emotions don't win cases. Very, very key phrase there. You know, Kulei brought up something that I actually have been, I've always believed. So when you say you want to separate the East, you know, you talked about the three regional lines. They are no longer three. You know, I don't understand. You know, in those days, we used to say middle belt. You don't call a Delta man a middle belt again. South has become a very strong force. Yes. You don't come out to South-South. That's true. To the East or- Exactly. So I think the border lines have become polarized right now. So when you talk about East, East is not what it used to be 20 years ago. True. I don't know about the North. I don't know about- But I know the East. You can call it- East, there's no middle belt again. They've become a big- True. Bones- Colossals themselves. Yeah. They've become so mighty. They've become power brokers. They have become power brokers. So you can call them middle belts. They are not the minority again. Well, we keep talking. Yeah. And we pray that, of course, we ask for, what's it called, the rights of those who have been arrested should not be trampled on. Absolutely. Fair justice for them, and that is very key. Peter is next. He's giving us a lecture on food crisis in Nigeria.