He said unless a section of the 1999 Constitution was amended such agitation could not achieve its desired result.
Jegede spoke during the fifth Oodua Youth Coalition’s Annual Public Lecture and contained in a statement by the president of the group, Oluyi Tayo, on Tuesday.
The statement partly read, “While self-determination is a legitimate aspiration and it is in itself a right recognised by law and international conventions, we must understand that self-determination has its first antagonist in Section 2(1) of the Nigerian Constitution. That section reads: ‘Nigeria is one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state to be known by the name Federal Republic of Nigeria.’
“Unless and until this aforementioned Section 2(1) is taken out or struck down, agitation for a separate state within the context of the law as it stands will continue to be a mirage. ”
He noted that rather than demand self-determination, the agitators should call for restructuring.
“Restructuring is an alternative to Section 2(1) of the 1999 Constitution. Outright abrogation of Section 2(1) of the 1999 Constitution will appear to me to be a condition precedent to any legally-permissible agitation for the balkanisation of the Nigerian State”, the statement added.
Meanwhile, Governor Seyi Makinde was honoured as the Akooni Oodua by the organisation for his dedication to youth development and good governance in Oyo.
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