Controversies ruled the polity, yesterday, over whether or not Nigeria will cease to exist as a legal entity after 12 midnight today.
A conglomeration of ethnic nationality groups said going by the Amalgamation Treaty of January 1, 1914, which joined Northern and Southern protectorates to create Nigeria with a life span of 100 years, the country will expire at 12 a.m. today.
Professor Akin Oyebode, a lawyer, said Nigeria will not expire because the amalgamation was not put in place by a treaty, but by an order in council by the British Parliament.
Oyebode has a soul mate in legal icon, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), who argued that there was no law that automatically gives a treaty 100 years life span.
However, the ethnic nationalities, which included Federation of Oodua People, Middle Belt Congress, Lower Niger Congress and Oporoza House, which congregated on the banner of Movement for New Nigeria, MNN, insisted that Nigeria would become history after today and urged all Nigerians to embrace the national conference to agree on fresh terms of co-existing.
They spoke at a briefing held at Freedom Park, Lagos. Present at the briefing were Elder Fred Agbeyegbe, Co-coordinator; Tony Nnadi, Secretary-General; Mrs Hilda Dokubo, Timi Kaiser Ogoriba, Chief Dan Ekpebide, Abuka Onalo, Ambah Binaebi, Shade Olukoya and Leye Akinmodiro.
On nat’l dialogue, 2015.