The 2025 Apostolic Round Table (ART) conference has emphasised an urgent need for the restructuring of Nigeria towards achieving the unity of all the component ethnic groups in the country, and therefore called on all the nation’s stakeholders to join hands in addressing the challenges facing the country, and to also work towards a brighter future for all Nigerians.
The conference noted that Nigeria suffers various problems largely linked to its foundation that was unilaterally established by colonial rule, which the summit said has led to a system that disregards the input of ethnic groups and serves the interests of any particular elite group in power. It disclosed that ART 2025 theme was carefully chosen to harness ideas of patriots in seeking to resolve the ugly trend.
This was part of the resolutions and submissions of the various discussants and panelists drawn from different socio-political groups and organizations in Ngeria at the recent 2025 Apostolic Roundtable (ART) conference held in Lagos, as contained in the communiqué on the conference signed by the ART Director of Public Communication, Gbenga Adekola, and reproduced below by Christian Benefits magazine.
2025 ART makes case for the minority groups for the unity of Nigeria
THE MINORITY INSTITUTE
The concept of ‘Minority’ emerged from the doctrine of ‘freedom and sovereignty (or liberty)’ as a tenet of the Treaty of Westphalia dated 24.10.1648. John Calvin and Martin Luther together with their adherents, as epitome of non-Catholic Christian proponents were considered as “minority” within the dominant Christian faith of Catholicism during the imperial era of the reigns of Popes and Emperors as spiritual and political leaders over Kingdoms.
The word minority, from being used within the Christian faith, has found expression in comparing demographics of ethnic groups as well as in diverse fields of human endeavours to contemporary time. The application of the word to democratic practices is endeared to the understanding and respect for the rights of minority groups in creating a sense of inclusion in democratic traditions. More importantly, the healthiness of any democratic institution is predicated upon the protection of the rights of the Minority groups within it with the catch phrase of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
It therefore behooves us to reach out to the Minority Groups of the National Assembly to lead the way at raising an Institute that will further entrench and sustain the rights of the Minority Ethnic Groups in the ethos of democracy in Nigeria.
This communication is issued on behalf of Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi, as the Convener of Apostolic Round Table and his collegiate interest groups which include; an NGO by the name, The Friends of Refugees and Displaced Persons Initiative, a.k.a The FORD Initiative, Homeland Development Association, Movement for National Reformation, The Rebirth Group, Civic Consciousness Global Initiative and Indigenous Group for Restructuring, among others.
For the records, ART 2025 was chaired by Dr. Victor Okhai and was moderated by Regina Chris Ogbodo. Bishop (Dr) Joe Ighalo Edoro presented the keynote address, titled, The Unity of Nigeria. He was joined on the panel by Deacon Owolabi Oladejo of TRG, Archbishop Funso Awe of CCGI, Da Jonathan Sunday Akuns (Galadima Daffo) represented the MNR and provided the meat of the discussion on the Apostolic Round Table, which he introduced as; Re-Federalisation of Nigeria Polity as A Panacea for Nurturing the Seed of One Nigeria. David Ololade completes the panelists; he held brief for the component of revivalists of non-idolatry culture and tradition of the Yoruba ethnic group such as the “Isese” Movement.
The conference agrees on the strengthening of Nigeria’s democratic system
The collegiate Team was at the 2025 Apostolic Round Table, which was held at the Jesus Evangelical Assembly, Ikeja Lagos, on Thursday, 23rd January 2025 and hosted by Rev David Esosa Ize-Iyamu. The collegiate team mutually agreed to strengthen the democratic system of Nigeria by establishing the The Minority Institute; and to reach out to similar interest groups such as The Muslim Democrat, headed by Alhaji Suleiman Olatunji Are. The Team plans to engage other groups with similar sentiments in democratic practices in Nigeria.
The Minority Institute will seek to protect the Minority Groups; especially the genre that is faith based or of ethnic groups as a way to douse the tension associated with their neglect, which often feeds into the crisis of democratic practice in Nigeria.
A major deliverable of ART 2025, leading to the need to form The Minority Institute, is to champion the resuscitation of the federalist soul of the 1963 Republican Constitution and to rehabilitate it in line with current realities in response to the cries of Nigerians for a bottom-top process that delivers a constitution that satisfies the basic requirement of “We the People“.
The Conference makes a clarion call to the National Assembly on the Minority matters
In light of the above, and in pursuit of the ideals of the ART 2025 collegiate team, we believe that members of the National Assembly that are of the Minority Ethnic Groups of Nigeria will find this proposal worthy of their support and advocacy.
The rights, in terms of freedom and liberty of the Minority Ethnic Groups, were well envisioned in the democratic process of Nigeria by the establishments of R.S. Hudson Commission in 1956 in the defunct Northern region of Nigeria and Henry Willink Commission of 1957 by the Federal Government. This is well documented in the annals of the democratic history of Nigeria by the reports submitted by both commissions in 1958. However, the federal elections scheduled for 1959 in preparation for independence in 1960 distracted the implementation of the Reports of the aforesaid commissions If the foundation is faulty, what indeed, can the righteous do, than to visit the foundation of Nigeria to do what was left undone.
The conference charges the minority groups and others to add their voices to the call for Nigeria’s restructuring
In pursuance of the lofty objectives of ART 2025 Collegiate Team, we hereby invite interested minority groups and well-meaning Nigerians to add their voices to the call for restructuring and lend their hands to push for one united, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria by working with our elected Senators and representatives in the National Assembly to walk us through to a nation truly free and united.
The communiqué of the ART 2025 contains a summary of points of action as follows:
1.0 PREAMBLE: Nigeria suffers various problems largely linked to its foundation that was unilaterally established by colonial rule. That has led to a system that disregards the input of ethnic groups and serves the interests of any particular elite group in power. The theme of ART 2025 was carefully chosen to harness ideas of patriots in seeking to resolve the ugly trend.
The conference was part of efforts to come up with a workable solution to the Nigerian state of affairs in order to stem undue bickering ahead of the 2027 elections. The conference had the following objectives, among others:
(I) To bring together all major stakeholders in the Nigerian polity to discuss the prospects and problems facing the nation.
(11) To highlight potentials inherent in the country, and proffer solutions and ways forward for the growth and development of the Nigeria.
After exhaustive deliberations on the state of affairs in Nigeria, ART2025 made the following observations and recommendations as its resolutions:
(A) Nigeria’s current constitution lacks legitimacy owing to its top-bottom process of emergence by military fiat, and, it perpetuates inequality among various ethnic groups due to its unitary central command structure of the military. It gains legalism only for some particular ethnic groups and lacks the essential attributes of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
(B) The presidential system of government is unsuitable for kind the multi-ethnic mix of Nigeria due to absence of a dominant demographic and electoral factor that favours any of the ethnic groups. As a result, the presidential system of government tends to foist an aura of dictatorship, and, thus making it unworkable for all.
(C) Nigeria will benefit more from a parliamentary system of government because it fosters accountability and transparency in the conduct of the its operators; and, it is cost effective as well as amenable to changes that are in sync with exigencies of the electorates including appointees to governmental establishment from amongst the pool of elected officials.
(D) The Republican Constitution of 1963 emerged from a bottom-top process that reflects the classic attribute of We the People; being a product of a constitutional conference of the ethnic groups that met in Lagos on 25-26 July 1963 to endorse its enactment by parliamentarians that were elected by We the People.
(E) The federalist tenets of the 1963 republican constitution under a parliamentary system of government are suited for the co-existence of ethnic groups in a polity such as Nigeria; amending the 1963 republican constitution with contemporary realities will provide a voice for the local identity of ethnic groups as the federating units of Nigeria.
(F) Historically, ethnicity is an inalienable attribute of human beings, and, it imbues the need for a framework that manages diversity, equity and inclusion for political stability, economic prosperity and social justice as the basis for co-existence of ethnic groups in a polity. Nigerians must see their diversities as a form of strength.
The panelists made the following key recommendations:
(I) The adoption of true federalism, where the federating units are based on the local identity of residents, and under a two-tier structure of the central government and regional governments.
(J) The 1963 Republican Constitution is an existing law that was enacted by the first national assembly but was merely suspended by a military decree; let the 10th national assembly lift the military suspension on the 1963 constitution and review or amend it in line with present day realities. It should be noted that a military decree is a political process of the military to manage power seized by force from civil authority.
(K) The existing 36 states will form the provenance of the federating units that will emerge based on local identity of residents from voluntary boundary adjustments and referenda; this exercise will make some federating units homogeneous while some may be heterogeneous based on the voluntary willingness of the constituent ethnic groups that make up such units.
(L) The agency responsible for conducting elections needs to be refashioned to deliver free and fair elections to ensure the legitimacy of election results.
In conclusion, the 2025 Apostolic Round Table (ART) emphasised the urgent need for restructuring as a way to achieving the unity of all components of ethnic groups in Nigeria. ART therefore calls on all stakeholders to join hands in addressing the challenges facing the Nigeria and working towards a brighter future for all Nigerians.
