By Chief Muslim K Adewale, Ikare Akoko

What must the new Republic of Oodu’a do to establish itself as a country, and how will it become the United Nations’ 194th member state? We have to follow these three easy steps in order to become an independent country.

Step 1: Declare independence To establish a new country

The country must first satisfy the international laws and rules that all free countries generally acknowledge and follow set forth by the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, adopted in 1933.

The Montevideo Convention requires that a country must declare its intentions. We have to use a referendum to let the world know that people in the region plan to secede from its northern and eastern counterparts this year. New countries are also required to exist within a clearly defined territory. Lack of clear boundaries could hamper that process.

Another requirement that the country have a permanent population necessitates that Oodu’a Republic negotiates the issues of citizenship and residency, as millions of Yorubas work in the north and vice versa.

Oodua Republic has not already met the requirement that the new country must have a government. Through the referendum, we can elect Nigeria’s current vice president Prof Yemi Osinbajo to serve as Oodu’a’s first president. The requirement that the country must be able to enter into relations with other sovereign states also have to be met.

Step 2 Gain recognition

In order to be legitimate, a new country must be recognized by existing states within the international community. Each existing state bestows recognition at its own discretion, and several entities (including Taiwan, Palestine and Kosovo) are recognized as legitimate states by some countries, but not by others. Are we working on how these countries will recognize the republic?

Step 3 Join the United Nations

The United Nations asserts that, because it itself is not a country, it does not possess any authority to recognize a state or government . But being admitted into the U.N. goes a long way toward a new country becoming recognized by the international community.

In order to apply for U.N. membership, the aspiring country first needs to send an application letter, along with a declaration that it will follow the United Nations charter, to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The application is then passed along to the Security Council, where it must get the affirmative votes of at least nine of the 15-member Council. If any of the council’s five permanent members (China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the U.S.) vote against the country, the application does not go forward.

If approved, the Council’s recommendation for admission is then presented to the General Assembly for consideration, which consists of the current 193 UN member states. A two-thirds majority vote is needed for the new country to gain admission into the U.N., and if approved, its membership becomes effective on the date the resolution for admission is adopted.

Chief Sunday Igboho, Chief Adebanjo and Aare Gani Adams must be serious with their intentions. They need to follow the accepted steps in declaring a sovereign state. Let’s know the territory. Organize a referendum. Meet with US president, UK prime minister and co. Then we will know you are serious. Do not follow the Biafra steps.