Nigeria is a free nation by law — yet our symbolic life remains inherited rather than authored.

Our anthem, flag, name, and national emblems were not created through the direct democratic participation of the people. They were selected for us, not written with us. Over time, we came to perform belonging rather than truly possess it.

This petition is not about erasing history.
It is about restoring authorship over it.

A people can choose leaders — but if they cannot shape the symbols and narratives that define them, sovereignty remains incomplete. Democracy must extend beyond the ballot into the deeper work of meaning-making itself.

We believe patriotism flourishes when citizens are not spectators of national identity, but co-authors of it.

CLEAR — Colonial Legacy Ends At Reclamation — calls for the passage of the SYMBOLIC SOVEREIGNTY ACT, a proposed civic reform that would guarantee Nigerians the right to participate directly in shaping the symbols that represent us as a nation.

 
WHAT THE SYMBOLIC SOVEREIGNTY ACT WOULD DO
We respectfully petition the National Assembly to enact a law that will:

✅ Establish citizens’ assemblies to deliberate on national symbols and memory
✅ Require public referenda on all decisions affecting the anthem, flag, motto, and emblems
✅ Guarantee the people’s legal right to initiate symbolic reform
✅ Open historical and cultural archives to public access
✅ Introduce symbolic literacy education so future generations understand how national identity is shaped

 
WHY THIS MATTERS
Symbols are not decoration — they are civic foundations.

They shape who belongs, how we remember, and what we defend.
When these tools of national meaning are imposed rather than co-created, belonging weakens and alienation grows.

Renewing our symbols through democratic authorship strengthens:

Patriotism rooted in ownership rather than obligation
Unity grounded in participation rather than inheritance
Democracy sustained not only by elections but by continuous civic dialogue
 
OUR CALL
We respectfully urge the National Assembly to pass the Symbolic Sovereignty Act and recognize the people’s right to co-author national meaning.

We invite Nigerians everywhere to sign this petition and affirm:

The nation belongs to those who help write its story.

 
SIGNATURE LINE
Signed,
CLEAR — Colonial Legacy Ends At Reclamation
Citizens for Symbolic Sovereignty