Tula Cultural Festival 2014, Gombe, Nigeria

COMMUNIQUÉ AND

RESOLUTIONS OF THE

CONFERENCE OF AUTOCHTHONOUS ETHNIC-NATIONALITIES COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATIONS (CONAECDA) 2018

The CONAECDA 2018 took place under low key arrangements to mourn our Royal Ambassador the Late Agom Adara the III, HRH Maiwada Raphael Galadima, JP, who was brutally murdered on 25^th October 2018 by terrorists. The 2018 Conference was also to commiserate with our various communities where over a thousand people were killed within 12 months since the last conference was held. Community Leaders from various States attended the Conference, along with Volunteers and Staff of the Secretariat who facilitated the Conference.

The Conference was declared Open by the Vice President North West Zone, Mr. Emmanuel Dangi, on behalf of the Conference President, Da Ericson Fom, who was unavoidably absent as he is undergoing medical treatment in the United Kingdom. Participants in the Conference arrived on Wednesday 7^th November and departed on Saturday 10 November 2018.  Conference received reports from the Secretariat and had extensive discussions on the various reports. Various documents were also presented to the Conference following which resolutions were passed as follows:

RESOLUTION 1: REVIEW OF THE CONAECDA MOU

Conference discussed the proposal presented by the Secretariat on the review of the Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Conference, the challenges of registration of such a Network and the complexity of the CONAECDA system and resolved as follows:

1. 11       A new MOU was approved; all Autochthonous communities are expected to sign it individually.
2. 22     CONAECDA is established as a network of legally registered organizations and as such each registered members is to deposit a photocopy of their registration certificate with the Secretariat.
3. 33 CONAECDA shall register its institutions and organs with the relevant Government Agencies. All Chairmen of the Boards of Trustees of such Institutions and organs should be Members of the CONAECDA Advisory Committee on the Rights of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples.

RESOLUTION 2: CONAECDA STRUCTURES

Conference discussed the proposal presented by the Secretariat on the review of the structure and organization of the CONAECDA system. Following extensive discussions of the Network and the complexity of the CONAECDA system, Conference resolved as follows:

1. 1.  That the proposal was approved to be implemented with the provisor for amendments by CONAECDA 2019.
2. 2.      Copies of the CONAECDA Document on Structure and System should be provided to all Member Organizations to enable each community participate in the implementation and to make inputs at CONAECDA 2019.
3. 3.      All State Forums should become fully operational in 2019.
4. 4.      The CONAECDA Women and Youth Wings should become fully functional in 2019.
5. 5.      Communication between organs and levels in the structure should be improved.

RESOLUTION 3: REGISTRATION WITH RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL BODIES

The Secretariat should vigorously pursue the registration of CONAECDA with international organizations, including the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS and UNESCO.

RESOLUTION 4: THE OPERATIONAL DOCUMENTS OF CONAECDA

Conference discussed the need to develop various documents and gave mandated the Secretariat to produce such documents to include:

1. 1.       Various operational guidelines including the approved guide to organizing town hall meetings.
2. 2.      Administrative documents to  include:
3. a.      Financial Policy
4. b.      Human  Resources Policy
5. c.      Bye Laws and Constitutions for Various Institutions and Agencies
6. 3.      Strategic Policy Documents for the various Programmes.

RESOLUTION 5: SECRETARIAT PROJECTS

Conference discussed the proposal for the establishment of the National Secretariat and Zonal offices and resolved as follows:

1. 1.       That the Secretariat Shall be based in Jos, Plateau State.
2. 2.      The Central Zone and Liaison office shall be in Abuja, the FCT.
3. 3.      That the Eastern Zonal Office Shall be in Gombe, Gombe State.
4. 4.      That the Western Zonal office shall be in Kaduna, Kaduna State.
5. 5.      That the Construction of the National Secretariat shall be a Priority and Construction shall commence immediately.

RESOLUTION 6: NATIONAL MINORITIES CONFERENCE

Conference resolved to Host the National Minorities Conference in 2019

RESOLUTION 7: IMMORTALISATION OF THE AGOM ADARA III

1. 1.       Conference Resolved to Send a Condolence letter and Tribute to the Adara People over the gruesome murder of His Royal Highness, Maiwada Raphael Galadima, JP.
2. 2.      Conference condemned in the strongest terms the continuing desecration of our Traditional Institutions, where Royal Fathers are humiliated, brutalized and killed.
3. 3.      Conference wonders why despite the murder of their Members the National Association of Traditional Rulers have neither issued a statement nor required investigations and prosecution of those responsible; is it because the victims are from Minority Ethnic Nationalities?
4. 4.      Conference Resolved to Name the Proposed International Languages Institute Kachia after our First Royal Ambassador on Languages to immortalize him. The correct nomenclature shall be agreed upon with the Adara People.

RESOLUTION 8: MEMORIAL DAY FOR THE VICTIMS OF TERROR AND CONFLICTS

1. 1.       Conference condemns in the strongest terms the cheapening of human lives in Nigeria and resolved that the 10^th of November every year shall be observed as a Memorial Day for the Victims of Terror and Conflicts. Activities shall be designed to honour the victims and to intensify efforts in promoting A Culture of Peace and Security.
2. 2.      Conference resolved to observe some international days in furtherance of its objectives. CONAECDA Secretariat should prepare and present to the National Council a programme for celebrating and observing key International Days that highlight the struggle for realization of the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples.

RESOLUTION 9: COMMUNITY REPORTS

Conference resolved:

1. 1.       That each community shall present to the Annual Conference written reports of its activities.
2. 2.      That each State Forum shall present a State Report at the Conference.
3. 3.      To commence the Publications of Community Reports periodically.

RESOLUTION 10: POLITICAL DEMANDS AND THE 2019 ELECTIONS

Conference resolved:

1. 1.       To produce a list of demands to be shared with all political candidates seeking the offices of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Governors of our States.
2. 2.      That CONAECDA should organize town hall meetings at state levels on the 2019 Election for all its States.
3. 3.      To ask for free and fair elections during the 2019 General Elections, and call on all actors to play their part with decorum and good sportsmanship.

RESOLUTION 11: THE AUTOCHTHONOUS PEOPLES REGISTERS

Conference observed that the Certificates of Indigeneship designed to help preserve Native Rights and to promote national cohesion and unity in diversity has been bastardized in most of the Minority States.

We further affirm that the indigene letters do not represent an effective register of various indigenous peoples as recommended by the African Chatter on Human and Peoples Rights, and by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Conference further affirms the rights of the Local Governments to grant indigene letters to their bona fide indigenes;

Conference therefore resolves as follows:

1. 1.       To work with all Member Ethnic Nationalities to establish the Autochthonous Peoples’ Registers.
2. 2.      Direct the Secretariat to work out the details of the compilation and administration of the Registers.

RESOLUTION 12: SPECIAL CONFERENCES AND WINGS

Conference resolved to establish and activate conferences and wings to include:

1. 1.       Women Wing and conference.
2. 2.      Youth Wing and conference with post secondary students under the Youth Wing
3. 3.      The Conference on the Challenges of Interfaith Relations in the Northern States should be held before the end of 2018.
4. 4.      Youth and Women’s Wings of CONAECDA should become fully functional in 2019.
5. 5.      The Secretariat is mandated to institute a Delegates Conference system based on the principle of equality between member organizations and present to the National Council for approval and implementation, and to be ratified by Conference at the 2019 Annual Conference.

RESOLUTION 13: EXECUTION OF PREVIOUS RESOLUTIONS

Conference expressed deep appreciation to the Secretariat and commends various communities and the Secretariat on successes achieved in the execution of past resolutions despite lean resources. Conference resolved that the CDAs and the Secretariat who serve as the main implementing agents of CONAECDA should make their impact to be felt by members of our communities.

RESOLUTION 14:  PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS

Conference resolved that:

1. 1.       Efforts should be redoubled to implement the Resource Mobilization Plan approved by the Conference in 2017.
2. 2.      All Communities should be required to register and pay their dues and levies in order to benefit from CONAECDA services and interventions.

Emmanuel Dangi

For: Da Erickson Fom

Conference President

Zuwaqhu Kali Abungwon Bonat, PhD

Coordinator and Chairman National Council

Suleman A. D. Sukukum

Secretary General