BIAFRA : Which way Nigeria?

 In 1914, there was an artificial birth of a country which the British colonial masters named Nigeria. Before then, Nigeria had different territories with varieties of cultures,

 traditions and civilization. By 1960, the amalgamated nation was detached from the apron springs of the colonialists. To Nigerians, independence has been given but invariably it was the time when disunity visited.

After independence, there were a couple of crises, starting from political crisis down to ethnic riots (between/among regions). Six years after independence, the military took over.

After the military ascension, the problem of ethnicity and loyalty to one’s ethnic group also crept to the military. For example, the Hausa soldiers felt cheated from the action of the first coup because majority of the politicians killed during the coup were mainly Hausas. What followed was a counter-coup

Next, in 1967 the southeast, the Igbo felt secession was the next best course hence the three years of civil war. The Nigerian Army defeated Biafra and after the war General Yakubu Gowon, the military head of state declared no victor, no vanquished.

Thereafter, Gowon initiated the 3Rs policies to: reconcile, to reconstruct and to rehabilitate the nation after the three years of destruction. Unfortunately, decades after, the country still battles with the problem of disunity.

Today, many Nigerians are clamouring for restructuring. The south in particular wants to return to regionalism as practiced during the first republic. Because the states are not safe due to the current unitary policing system, they want state police. The South-south complains of being cheated in the allocation of the income generated from crude oil which is from their region.

Even among the northerners, there are divisions. The North central feels more comfortable being called Middle Belt rather than being referred to as northerners. Other ethnic groups in the North that are not Hausa/Fulani also complain of marginalisation.

Nigerians are divided along ethnic and religious lines; a Christian will rather prefer to relate well with a fellow Christian while Musa the herdsman do not feel secured with his cattle in the southern part of the country.

These divisions have caused the country so much: terrorism, herdsmen-farmers crisis, rise in banditry in different parts of the country etc. Due to the state of disunity, Nigeria is not at that ease; the country has ever been at ease.During the Goodluck Jonathan administration, a confab was organized which many stakeholders participated. At the confab, they came up with a report but years after the confab the results have not been seen. Yet, some say that the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable?

Regionalism has taken control over nationalism, individualism over patriotism. A Yoruba man is more attached to his ethnic group than to the nation; he is more of a Yoruba man than a Nigerian. This applies to other ethnicities too, all of which make unity difficult.

Which way Nigeria?

BIAFRA : Northern elders, Kukah, Obi, others warn of another civil war

 

This nation has never been worse than it is, not even during the civil war. I’m sorry for those who felt civil war was the worst disaster; it wasn’t. Today is the worst disaster we are living in – Baba-Ahmed

I was told of a late general who said were the civil war to occur again, he would fight on the other side. There is a lot of resentment, anxiety and frustration and the feeling is that we have not learnt any lesson – Kukah

These vehicles of the Nigerian state are being driven by Molue drivers across the country and that is why you have too many accidents — Peter Obi

A former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi; the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah and the Northern Elders Forum said on Thursday that Nigeria was repeating its mistakes that led to the civil war which lasted from July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970.

Speaking at a webinar, they cautioned that unless something urgent was done, the aftermath of the ongoing injustice, poor governance and leadership failure in the country would be worse than what was experienced during the civil war.

The civil war was fought between the government of Nigeria, headed by the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), and the secessionist state of Biafra, led by the late Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, from July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970, during which over one million persons reportedly lost their lives.

The online conference with the theme, ‘The 2nd Never Again Conference: 51 years after the Nigerian-Biafran civil war,’ was hosted by Nzuko Umunna, an Igbo Think Tank, in partnership with Ovation International and Njenje Media, while a prominent economist, Prof Pat Utomi, was the chairman, planning committee.

In his brief remarks, Obi said, “We are still travelling on the same road to the same destination. The road has got more bumpy, worse than it was than when they (Nigerians) travelled that road before. If you compare what is happening today and what happened then, what brought Nigeria to that destination in the past has actually got worse today.

“All of those things that made them to participate in what happened are still very much today and getting worse, starting from incompetent leadership with total lack of capacity and character.

You have a situation where corruption is worse today that it was then. Unemployment is far worse today when you have millions of young people in their productive age not knowing where the next meal would come from and the government is not thinking.”

Obi said the elite had to come together and see how to pull the country out of the current mess or the situation would consume everyone, as he likened the current leadership challenge in the country to using Molue (rickety big  yellow buses in Lagos now phased out)  drivers in Formula 1, a motor racing world championship.

He added, “We cannot continue with the way we are today; across the entire country, from local government to the highest level, we have incompetent leadership and they don’t have the capacity to solve the country’s problem. You don’t go to a Formula 1 competition with a Molue driver.

“These vehicles of the Nigerian state are being driven by Molue drivers across the country and that is why you have too many accidents. We need to have the proper people who are competent and can do the job. If you don’t have it, you have a problem.”

Kukah, who was the keynote speaker, explained that Nigeria had yet to learn any lesson from the civil war, adding that the frustration and feeling of injustice by a section of the country after the war were still rife till today despite Gowon’s ‘No victor, no vanquished’ statement.

He stated, “I was told of a late general who said were the civil war to occur again, he would fight on the other side. There is a lot of resentment, anxiety and frustration and the feeling is that we have not learnt any lesson.

“About 51 years after the war, we still hear the kind of agitation that ordinarily with good governance, honesty, commitment, devotion, dedication, focus and right leadership; we should have put behind us. Unfortunately, these anxieties are still with us.”

Similarly, the spokesperson for the NEF, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said at the webinar that unless something dramatic was done, things would get worse. He lamented that the post-civil war elite had substantially killed the country even more than those who launched the country into the “disaster” that ended in 1970.

BIAFRA : My Grouse About Nnamdi Kanu

 

An Elderstateman and Afenifere Leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, has explained that his grouse about the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is his insistence on the secession of the South-East region in the country.

Adebanjo said that breaking away is never a challenge confronting the country but the constitution.

The Afenifere leader said this during the Never Again Conference 2021 themed: 51 Years After The Nigerian-Biafran Civil War organised by the Nzuko Umunna of the Igbo Think Thank, held via the zoom on Thursday afternoon.

He noted that the constitution currently in use is not a representative of everyone in the country, adding that it gives so much power to the North and this speaks to why they want to be in power for a very long time.

“I am in war with Nnamdi Kanu because I don’t want this country to break.

“Instead of thinking of break-up, we should tackle the root cause of the problem.

“The root cause of the problem is our constitution which is not a true reflection of the yearnings of all the people in the country

“Now that the North is in control, they want to continue to be there because they are enjoying from the lopsided and fraudulent constitution.

“The Constitution has made our President the most powerful president in the world,” He said.

Meanwhile, the Elderstateman said that there would not have been agitation for secession if the constitution had reflected an

aggregated opinion of all and sundry in the country.

“If there is a constitution that is a true reflection of everyone in the country, there will be no agitation.

“There will be no ground for Nnamdi Kanu to want to get away,” he said.

BIAFRA : IPOB Says South-East Governors Clueless, Warns Umahi Against Launching Parallel Security Outfit

 The Indigenous People of Biafra has said South-East governors are clueless for refusing to support the Eastern Security Network, while warning Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, against going ahead with his plan to inaugurate another security outfit in the region. 

IPOB alleged that Umahi and his counterparts in the region had been coerced by the Nigerian government to create a security outfit to work against the Eastern Security Network IPOB had earlier created.

In the press release by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB stated that the plan to establish another security outfit in the region was an attempt to jeopardise the safety and security of people living in Igboland.

He said, "We the IPOB under the command and leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wish to warn South-East governors, particularly Governor Dave Umahi, to jettison the proposed new security outfit they intend to launch based on the advice of the Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria.

"We know that their intention is to counter the formidable ESN, protecting and defending Biafrans against terrorists and invaders responsible for the senseless attacks, raping and wanton killing of our mothers, wives and sisters in our farmland and forests. 

“We warn these clueless governors in our region not to heed the mischievous advice and attempt by Miyetti Allah and Sokoto caliphate intended to compromise the security of Biafrans. Any Miyetti Allah vigilance group under any nomenclature formed by Dave Umahi and his fellow Efulefu governors, as well as Ohanaeze, will be resisted by the people of Old Eastern region.”

 

While describing the intention as disturbing, IPOB warned parents to prevent their children and wards from enrolling in any security organisation other than ESN.

“We, therefore, advise every Biafran father and mother to caution their children against joining Umahi's vigilance group as such an outfit is already the enemy of the people. Their agenda is sinister and anti-Biafra.

“Remember that the real masterminds of the plot - the Fulani cabal running the failed contraption called Nigeria - having been emboldened by their success in installing one of their stooges as Ohanaeze President, are now set to control Biafraland but ESN and IPOB have remained their only nightmare. 

“No wonder Fulani can buy Efulefu Eastern leaders so cheaply. They know that the likes of Umahi are blinded by inordinate political ambitions. But to their disappointment, our people are now alive to their responsibilities and won't allow Miyetti Allah to control the security architecture of the East as they are now attempting to take over Amotekun in the West. We are happy to aver that the grand conspiracy by our oppressors to take over the South with the help of compromised leaders is dead on arrival. 

“We declare without equivocation that any other group parading as South-East and South-South security outfit will not be allowed to operate on Biafra soil. Our people have already launched their own defence line - ESN - as our self-acclaimed leaders were nowhere to be found when it counted most. Anyone who enlists in any treacherous security outfit sponsored by Fulani stooges in our land to destabilise our territory will regret such a decision," it added. 

The group also condemned the emergence of a former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, George Obiozor, as the President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, describing him as an imposition by the Nigerian government.

IPOB alleged that Umahi and his counterparts in the region had been coerced by the Nigerian government to create a security outfit to work against the Eastern Security Network IPOB had earlier created.

BIAFRA : One Nigeria is a deceit —Kanu

 

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, on Thursday, said there is no oneness in Nigeria because of the “lies and deceit” of the ruling class.

Kanu stated this while speaking at the ‘2nd Never Again Conference: 51 Years After Nigerian-Biafran Civil War’ organised by an Igbo think-tank, Nzuko Umunna.

The IPOB leader insisted on the secession of Biafra, adding that the entity called Nigeria has failed.

Kanu said the 1966 war was not an Igbo war but a revolution by conscious members of the society, adding that only the South can carry out a revolution because of the way the North is structured.

The IPOB leader said the elite used tribalism and religion to scuttle the revolution that should take place during the EndSARS protests

Kanu blamed the structural problems of the country on the founding fathers of Nigeria who according to him, failed to interrogate the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates at the onset.

BIAFRA : South-East govs’ security outfit meant to counter our corps – IPOB

 

THE Indigenous People of Biafra has warned the South-East governors to perish the idea of setting up a security outfit in the geopolitical zone.

In a statement by the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said the region would not have two security outfits; one from IPOB and the other from the governors at a time.

The group specifically warned Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, who is the Chairman of South-East Governors, to jettison the idea.

The secessionist group accused the governors of trying to set up the outfit on the advice of “Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria.”

The statement read in part, “We warn these clueless governors in our region not to heed the mischievous advice and attempt by Miyetti Allah and Sokoto caliphate intended to compromise the security of Biafrans.

“Any Miyetti Allah vigilante group under any nomenclature formed by Dave Umahi and his fellow governors as well as Ohanaeze will be resisted by the people of the old Eastern region.

“We, therefore, advise every Biafran father and mother to caution their children against joining  Umahi’s vigilante group as such an outfit is already the enemy of the people. Their agenda is sinister and anti-Biafra.

“We declare without equivocation that any other group parading as South-East and South-South security outfit will not be allowed to operate on Biafra soil. Our people have already launched their own defence line – ESN – as our self-acclaimed leaders were nowhere to be found when it counted most.

The raping, killings and unprovoked attacks by these vampires must stop throughout Biafra territory. Anyone against this irreversible resolve of the people to defend themselves against foreign occupation will be crushed.”

Reacting, a member of the South-East Governors’ Forum Media Directorate, who pleaded not to be mentioned, said, “I will not discuss that now because of its sensitive nature. Besides, it’s a recent matter; I cannot circumvent the governors I’m working with and speak on the matter.”

BIAFRA : IPOB to S’east govs Perish parallel security outfit in Biafraland

The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has warned southeast Governors particularly Governor Dave Umahi to jettison the proposed new security outfit in the zone.

It warned that any other group parading as southeast and South-South Security outfit would not be allowed to operate on Biafra soil.

The group in a statement issued by the Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, maintained that whoever enlisted in any treacherous security outfit sponsored by Fulani stooges in the region to desteblize the territory would regret such decision.

It alleged that the plan based on the advice of the Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria was targeted at countering the formidable Eastern Security Network, ESN, protecting and defending Biafrans

The statement read in part, “We know that their intention is to counter the formidable Eastern Security Network, ESN, protecting and defending Biafrans against terrorists and invaders responsible for the senseless attacks, rapings and wanton killings of our mothers, wives and sisters in our farmlands and forests.

“We warn these clueless governors in our region not to heed the mischievous advice and attempt by Miyetti Allah and Sokoto caliphate intended to compromise the security of Biafrans.

“Any Miyetti Allah vigilantee group under any nomenclature formed by Dave Umahi and his fellow Efulefu governors as well as Ohaneze will be resisted by the people of Old Eastern region.

“We, therefore, advise every Biafran father and mother to caution their children against joining Umahi’s vigilante group as such an outfit is already the enemy of the people. Their agenda is sinister and anti-Biafra.

“Remember that the real masterminds of the plot – the Fulani cabal running the failed contraption called Nigeria – having been emboldened by their success in installing one of their stooges as Ohaneze President, are now set to control Biafraland but ESN and IPOB have remained their only nightmare.

“No wonder Fulani can buy Efulefu Eastern leaders so cheaply. They know that the likes of Umahi are blinded by inordinate political ambitions. But to their disappointment, our people are now alive to their responsibilities and won’t allow Miyetti Allah to control the security architecture of the East as they are now attempting to take over Amotekun in the West.

“We are happy to aver that the grand conspiracy by our oppressors to take over the South with the help of compromised leaders is dead on arrival! We declare without equivocation, that any other group parading as South East and South-South Security outfit will not be allowed to operate on Biafra soil.

“Our people have already launched their own defense line – ESN – as our self-acclaimed leaders were nowhere to be found when it counted most. Anyone who enlists in any treacherous security outfit sponsored by Fulani stooges in our land to desteblize our territory will regret such a decision.

“IPOB sounded the warning long ago that Miyetti Allah was going to foist George Obizor as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo but many didn’t believe us. Today has that not happened? Now they have moved to form a security outfit for us because our governors and political leaders are blinded by their greed and selfish political ambitions but the move is dead on arrival!

“Remember that the same Miyetti Allah demanded to join Amotekun vigilantee but Yoruba people, aware of their evil motive, bluntly turned down their request. It’s very shameful that instead of supporting the people to strengthen ESN, southeast Governors led by governor Dave Umahi are hobnobbing with Miyetti Allah to compromise the security of the East. It’s only a fool that will hire his enemy to midwife the birth of his only son.