Nigeria gained independence in government, but not in meaning. Our national name, symbols, and civic narratives were created under colonial power, not through collective consent. Today, Nigerians live under symbols we did not choose and a national identity we did not author.

Political independence changed who governs. It did not return authorship to the people.

If a nation’s symbols no longer reflect its people, the nation begins to fracture. Redesigning national symbols is not rebellion; it is nation-building on new terms.

The Failure We Must Fix

There is currently no legal or democratic process for Nigerians to co-create national symbols, decide identity questions through public vote, review the colonial origins of national identity, or participate in shaping how the nation represents us. Symbols are preserved or changed by governments, not citizens. This is a democratic gap. The Symbolic Sovereignty Act will close it.

What We Are Demanding

We call on the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to draft, pass, and implement a Symbolic Sovereignty Act that includes the following:

1. Civic Assemblies for National Symbols
   Representative bodies including youth, women, rural communities, traditional custodians, artists, historians, and civic organizations to propose identity symbols and lead public consultations.
2. Mandatory National Referenda
   No administration should change or preserve major identity symbols by decree. Issues like the country’s name, anthem, flag, coat of arms, currency iconography, and public monuments must be decided by citizens through national voting.
3. National Memory and Symbol Audit (2025–2030)
   A public review tracing the origin of national symbols, identifying colonial residues, resurfacing erased identities, and publishing all findings.
4. Linguistic Equity Provisions
   Mother-tongue foundational education, bilingual language policy, support for indigenous languages, and funding for linguistic preservation.
5. Human Thread Representation
   All symbolic reforms must include women, youth, ethnic minorities, rural communities, spiritual traditions, and marginalized voices. No identity should be erased in the name of unity.
6. Symbols as Civic Property
   National symbols must belong to the people, not to any administration. They should not be changed unilaterally or used as instruments of political propaganda. 

This Petition Is Not About Division

Reimagining national symbols does not break a country; it strengthens it. Unity is sustained when people can see themselves in the nation they belong to. Static symbols preserve erasure. Evolving symbols preserve identity.

We are not dismantling Nigeria; we are beginning Nigeria.

What This Act Will Achieve

•  democratize national identity
•  restore historical memory as civic policy
•  replace inherited symbols with chosen ones
• make identity participatory and democratic
• build a nation rooted in dignity, not imposition

This is not ideological activism. This is governance and constitutional maturity.

Who Must Act

National Assembly of Nigeria
Federal Ministry of Justice
Federal Ministry of Information and Culture
National Orientation Agency

Our Call to the Nation

We do not inherit symbols; we author them.
We do not inherit meaning; we define it.

This is not rebellion. It is reclamation.
This is not the end of Nigeria. It is the beginning of Nigeria.

Pass the Symbolic Sovereignty Act.
Return authorship to the people.

— Civic Assembly for National Authorship (CANA)

#CLEAR2030 #SymbolicSovereignty #ReclaimOurMemory #MandateOfAuthorship