A small town in central Italy has declared its independence and started to print its own banknotes. The authorities in Filettino, 100km (70 miles) east of Rome, are protesting against austerity measures.

It has only 550 inhabitants and under new rules aimed at cutting local administration costs it will be forced to merge with neighbouring Trevi.

Town mayor Luca Sellari, who stands to lose his job because of the eurozone crisis, came up with the idea.

He created his own currency, called the Fiorito. Banknotes have his head on the back, and they are already being used in local shops and being bought as souvenirs by tourists who have started to throng the normally quiet streets.

The mayor says there is enormous enthusiasm about declaring the independence of the new principality.

There has been such an outcry by small towns across Italy at the government move to abolish local councils and merge them with larger towns that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's coalition may be forced to backtrack.

In the meantime the new Principality of Filettino - complete with coat of arms and website - is suddenly enjoying international fame.

TV stations from as far afield as Russia have been running news features about Filettino.

After all, the mayor says, Italy was once made up of dozens of principalities and dukedoms. As he says, the landlocked republic of San Marino still manages to survive, so why not Filettino?

Eko Ile:

It's very possible.

tpia@:

Nigerians seem unable to think outside of certain mindsets.

Almost everything and every conversation leads back to one predictable ending.
I wonder why this is so.
Is it from the british?
Colonialism and all that.
Or they still fighting for the end of the slave trade centuries after it was abolished.
Curious.

eGuerrilla:

Doing so will require Fashola (the Governor and Chief Security Officer) to be removed first.
But then, this act is considered treasonable under Nigerian laws.

Criminal Code Act, Chapter 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990
41.         Any person who forms an intention to effect any of the following purposes, that is to say-
(a)            to remove during his term of office otherwise than by constitutional means the President as Head of State of the Federation and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces thereof; or
(b)           to likewise remove during his term of office the Governor of a State; or
(c)            to levy war against Nigeria in order by force or constraint to compel the President to change his measures or counsels, or in order to put any force or constraint upon, or in order to intimidate or overawe any House of the National Assembly or any other Legislature or legislative authority; or
(d)            to instigate any foreigner to make any armed invasion of Nigeria or of any of the territories thereof; and manifests such intention by an overt act, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for life.
                A person charged with any of the felonies defined in this section is not entitled to he acquitted on the ground that any act proved to have been committed by him constitutes the offence of treason; but a person who has been tried, and convicted or acquitted, on a charge of any such offence cannot he afterwards prosecuted for treason in respect of the same facts.

lurkee:

Thanks for the info but does the legal babble up there roughly translate to:
a. It is treason to forcefully remove the head of state
b. Likewise for a Governor of a state
c. It is treason to wage war against Nigeria
d. It is treason to instigate a foreigner to invade Nigera

This does not mean that it is treason to leave Nigeria, does it?

Beaf:

If Nigerians push for true federalism, then yes, it would be possible. But right now, any state attempting such would face a fearsome military storm.
So, guys please lets all push for true federalism, regional autonomy and resource control.

lurkee:

So that is a yes but do it at your own risk?

ekt_bear:

You need an army first. Declaring independence w/o one while having hostile neighbors is foolhardy.

Lagos would be better off as its own country, though, I suspect

Despite living in Lagos most of my life, I cannot point to one natural resource that would make Lagos important to the rest of Nigeria. I know there are lots of infrastructure and there is a big multi-national business presence but that can be moved?   So why would the neighbours be hostile? If Port-Harcourt wanted to secede  then OYO  

So if technically any state can secede, why isn't Boko Haram trying to do so? **I realise this is deviation from the original intent of the first post but I do not mind if you don't.**

lurkee:

OK, but do you think it is realistic in Nigeria of today? If Fashola wanted to do it with the support of Lagosians, how do you think "the powers that be" in Abuja would handle it?

ekt_bear:

I'm not beefing with Nigeria o!

This isn't about me hating Nigeria. I'm just trying to be realistic. Certain states in this country would be better off on their own.

[s]Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom[/s]. These states receive less in value from Nigeria than they contribute.

Others (like my own Ekiti State, for example), probably consume more than they contribute. You feel me?