Purpose: This study aimed to explore the dependability of non-political forums specifically considering the City Development Forums in Uganda. This investigation was motivated by the idea of City Development Forums being a known spectrum for Non-Political Forums to play a role in affairs otherwise affecting a City or Municipality. Research methodology: A Desk review method was adopted in which data was collected from obtainable resources specifically Publications, the Internet, Official Reports, etc., followed by cross-referencing and collation of data. Results: The outcomes reveal that a set of six principles inform City Development Forums, viz. shared accountability of every stakeholder in ensuring sustainable development; integrated planning framework for sustainable urban development; effective coordination among every urban stakeholder; local teamwork and networking; bottom-up broad-based stakeholder participatory consultations; and mobilization of resources for sustainable urban development. Limitations: This study adopted a review of secondary data yet if primary data were to be used, maybe, the results would have been different. Therefore, a different study can be conducted using primary data to determine whether these results hold sway and, if any, the justifications for the noticeable variances. Contribution: This study contributes to the understanding of local community development initiatives using the empowerment approach.

Purpose: The remote and immediate causes of the Nigerian civil war are rather deepening in the psyche of Ndi-Igbo in contemporary Nigerian politics and administration. Amidst the introduction of the Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation (3Rs) policy over four (4) decades ago, the Ndi-Igbo are not just marginalized but alienated and separated from political power and its benefits in an ethnically and religiously deeply divided federation. More divesting wounds are flagrantly being inflicted upon the Igbo nation. The course pursued by secessionist Biafra between 1967-70 has continued to resonate in Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). This paper thus seeks to dissect the activities of IPOB in relation to national security in Nigeria. It also attempts a polemical analysis of IPOB as a separatist movement and the implications for the integration of Ndi-Igbo into the mainstream of Nigerian power politics. Research methodology: The paper adopts a qualitative research approach using an in-depth review of extant literature for informed comprehension of the dynamics of secession and unification in a deeply divided federal state of Nigeria. Using a theory of Secession: The Case for Political Self-Determination, the paper submits that treatments being meted out to the people of Igbo nation are compelling to separation. Results: It surmised that Ndi-Igbo is systematically sidelined and alienated from major political positions and that the allocation of key values is skewed against the Igbo nation. It thus recommends significant devolution of powers to foster an all-inclusive and participatory governance model. Recommendations: It also recommends the adoption and implementation of a balanced federalist accommodative principle for national cohesion, integration, and development of the Nigeria state.