Speakers:
1. Mr. Albert Van Lanre, US Lawyer and Immigration Expert.
2. Mrs. Deborah Usman, NNPC Legal Director
3. Mr. Mohammed Babandede, CG Nigerian Immigration Services.
4. Mr. Femi Falana SAN, Human Right Lawyer.
Introduction:
Bode Olugbore
* Critical problems deserve critical deliberations and critical solutions.
* A House is not a Home if no one lives there. To live there, you must accept the Home as yours.
* How can we live in any part of Nigeria that we belong to, without prejudice?
EXCERPTS.
Mr. Albert Van Lanre, US Lawyer and Immigration Expert.
* First of all, the USA has a system with the protection of Minority Groups.
* There are Federal Citizens and State Citizens in the US.
* Quota system is illegal in the US.
* Some questions are illegal also, like; what is your Nationality or What is your age?
* So, after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Constitutional amendments, the USA has Federal and State Citizens, so Nigeria has to have a Constitutional amendment that protects the Citizens to live and belong to any part of Nigeria.
* The written Constitution of Nigeria does not disallow anyone from living anywhere in Nigeria. The problem then, is unwritten.
* To have a better Nigeria, we must continue to have discussion and deliberations like this one.
Mr. Femi Falana SAN, Human Right Lawyer.
* There is no provision in the Constitution to stop anyone from contesting an election anywhere in Nigeria. Section 10 recognizes the place of birth and residence, not Origin.
* There is a Federal Character Act that defends the habitation of any Nigerian in any part of Nigeria.
* The division we see, and requirement of State of Origin is a divisive machinery of the Elite and Politicians.
* Dividing us using the means of ethnicity and religion.
* We have been made Economic Citizens
* He made the example of the CJN of Akwa Ibom State who was disallowed from holding office because it is not her own State of Origin. It was her Husband’s State. Mr. Falana was her Counsel.
* Nigeria is a rent and distributive Nation.
Contributions:
Mrs Mandy Asagba, Lawyer and Aspirant for President, Ikeja NBA
* We all belong to Nigeria. The law f the land permits each Nigerian to live in any part of the land of Nigeria.
* She shared her story of birth in Lagos, even her Mother was borne in Lagos but, she was always affected professionally by her State of Origin.
* She suggests that we continue to Advocate for change.
* She suggests that we remove State of Origin from all our documentations and replace with State of Birth.
Certain other people shared life’s stories that were similar:
* Sunny Moniedafe
* Myani Bukar
* Edirin Akemu
* Godwin Ekpo
* Adeyi Ode
* Wole Oludare, who shared the effect of this issue on the Civil Service and Quota system.
* Adeyemi Layade, who shared how this plays out in education.
These were the submissions of this edition:
* That we remove Quota system and return to merits
* Amendment of our Constitution.
* Remove the State of Origin and replace with Arbitrary Residence.
* Remove Ethnicity and Religion from everything we do, as Nigerians.
* There needs to be conscious Operational Leadership
* Citizens need to stand up for Nigeria.
These conversations will continue.
