Thursday, June 10, 2021

Igbo behind Biafran agitation, backing South-East serial violence – CNG

 CNG

Pan-Arewa socio-political organisations, under the aegis the Coalition of Northern Groups, on Sunday faulted the comment by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo against the Igbo secession plot for an independent Republic of Biafra, describing it as a hypocritical attempt to fool the nation.

While reminding Ohanaeze that the Igbo “can only fool some people sometimes, but cannot fool all the people all the time,” the CNG said it was “quite aware of the renewed antics of the protégés of those that assassinated our forefathers, their foot soldiers from other parts of the South and cronies from the North which we are ready to resist and expose.”

The CNG reminded Ohanaeze and all Igbo leaders that, “Nigerians are not in a hurry to forget their betrayal of the trust and accommodation accorded them despite the atrocities they caused in 1966.”

The spokesperson for the CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in a statement titled, ‘Biafra: CNG tackles Ohanaeze, says North can’t be fooled again,’ added, “It is no longer in doubt that the current violent agitations and disturbances over Biafra is clearly an agenda with a wholesome backing from every component of the Igbo community in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, including Ohanaeze.

 “It is therefore, the peak of hypocrisy for the Ohanaeze at this point, to attempt to distance itself from the ongoing violence and crime against humanity, whereas it has been silent all the while northerners living in the South-East are daily harassed, attacked, murdered in cold blood, and their properties destroyed.

“Instructively, the same Ohanaeze was conspiratorially silent when Ahmed Gulak, a prominent Northern figure was assassinated on the streets of Imo by Igbo-backed militia of the IPOB and ESN.”

The CNG added that hundreds of northerners had suffered in the hands of the “increasingly emboldened Igbo terrorists since 2017, though largely deliberately under-reported by the traditionally hostile section of the Southern Nigerian media whose intrinsic bias manifests whenever matters that affect the North are reported or commented on.” The CNG added, “The North will no longer remain passive under such deliberate and sustained attacks on its people, nor be disposed any longer to relating with the Igbo as federating partners and shall take every measure to realize Biafra so that the Igbo will leave and peace would reign again.”

Biafra Agitators Now In Control Of South-East— Ohaneze Ndigbo

 

The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has said the Southeastern region is now under the control of Biafran agitators due to neglect by the Nigerian government. 

In a statement on Sunday by its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group said the region is at risk of being annexed out of the country unless the government stops the marginalisation of the South-East. 
Isiguzoro noted that the 100 per cent compliance level recorded during the sit-at-home order shows that the Ohanaeze cannot successfully preach the message of 'One Nigeria' to the Igbos. 

He stated that this has become difficult due to the marginalisation of Igbo people at the national level.

The group also called on the Federal Government to change policies that will attract international sanctions against Nigeria.

The statement read: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is calling on the Federal Government to retreat from policies that will give rise to international sanctions against Nigeria, that may strengthen unbelief and scepticism amongst Nigerians towards national unity.

“Southeastern Nigeria has been mistakenly shoved out of the corporate existence of Nigeria, based on the fact that the Federal Government had sidelined one section of the country and perpetually excluded them from all essential ingredients that promote the continuous unity of Nigeria.

“The Southeastern Nigeria's compliance with the sit-out home order, approved by Biafra agitators, signalled that the Biafra agitators are now in charge of the South-East, as the zone is at the brink of being annexed out of the country if necessary steps are not taken to alleviate the maltreatment of the southeast.

“Igbo leadership had lost control buttons of Ndigbo to IPOB and MASSOB after the full compliance of sit-at-home order. Any continuous persuasion on Igbos to be part of United Nigeria under the current neglect is a risk and herculean task for any Igbo leader or politician, based on the evidence of the structural imbalance, threats of violence, killing sprees, harsh government's policies, and killer bandits.

“If the Federal government pretends to turn a blind eye to the looming dangers before the leaders or continue to believe in the fake news from their Igbo allies in the All Progressives Congress (APC), there is the possibility that the masses will sort things themselves without adherence to the directives of constituted authorities in the nearest future, which may spell doom for the nation if the Federal Government refuses to act urgently and renegotiate with South-East over marginalisation of the zone.

“Federal government should as a matter of urgency, relocate all federal appointees and APC leaders of Southeastern Nigeria, especially those that are residing in Abuja to come back home immediately to help solve the crisis in the region or be disengaged from the position they are occupying.

“Igbos want fair treatment as Nigerians and sincerely Federal Government should do more.”

Oduduwa, Biafra Citizens Won't Be Valued Like Nigerian Citizens—Obasanjo Warns Secessionists, Agitators

 

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on all agitators for the disintegration of the country to shelve the idea and work for the unity and oneness of the country.

He said it is better for Nigeria to remain as one indivisible nation, rather than for each tribe to go its separate way.

 

 

He noted that the citizens of Oduduwa Republic or Biafra Republic as being touted will be of less importance or value than Nigeria.

Obasanjo made the call on Wednesday at the luncheon and investiture of the former president as a Fellow of Nigerian Institution of Surveyor, organised by the Body of Fellow of the NIS, Ogun State chapter.

The event held at the Marquee of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Abeokuta, also saw to the investiture of Kehinde Isijola as the new chairman of the Body of the Fellows.

Speaking further, Obasanjo said though the present situation in the country is not palatable, calling for the disintegration of the country is not the solution, declaring “that it is better we stay together.”

“If there is any Nigerian who does not feel apprehensive on the situation of the country, the person is a human being without being human.

“Any Nigerian who is human will be apprehensive, if not frustrated with the present situation in the country. We are apprehensive about security situation, apprehensive about economic situation, apprehensive about our political situation and the drum we are hearing is of disintegration of the country.

“I am a strong believer of one Nigeria, but not one Nigeria at any cost, but one Nigeria where every Nigerian can feel proud that he or she has a stake in this country.

“No Nigerian is born a slave in this country. No Nigerian is born to be oppressed in this country and those of us that have shared part of our blood and sweat for this country, we did that because we wanted a country where every Nigerian can claim as his or her own.

“I believe that if we talk among ourselves the way we should and if we change the narrative, I believe this is a great country. That we are not making Nigeria what God wants it to be is not the fault of God, but the fault of ourselves, particularly our leaders.

“One thing that gives us strength is our diversity. If all that we have is Republic of Oduduwa for those who said so, their position is understandable. If that is all we have, members of that country will be diminished compared to be a citizen of Nigeria. Citizens of Oduduwa Republic or any other republic from Nigeria will be diminished compared to citizens of Nigeria.

“In this age and time that we are talking about the reintegration of Africa for economic development, disintegration of any country will be almost idiotic; even if we have Igboland as an independent country, Yorubaland an independent country and Fulani/Hausaland an independent country.

“And as a friend of mine in the military used to say then, what will become of the over 300 minorities – the Jukuns, the Gbasamas? Where will they belong? The only reason they can raise up their heads is because they belong to Nigeria. Are we thinking of them or are we just being selfish? It doesn’t matter what we do, we will still be neighbours.

“We had seen it before, India was broken into India and Pakistan, they are still at war till today. Yugoslavia was broken into how many countries, they haven’t sorted it till today. Sudan was broken into Sudan and South Sudan, I don’t believe South Sudan is better for it and that is the truth.

“I believe it will cost us less to work for our unity, there are many things wrong, but those things are correctable if we make efforts to correct them and hold us together than what it will cost us to break up and be perpetually at war and all our money will be spent in building an army. I know what an army contains, I know what it means to keep an army, an army that may not be productive, let us think about it,” Obasanjo stated.

Comparing Nnamdi Kanu to Buhari gives President and Biafran agitator equal status, says Yusuf Ali, SAN

 yusuf-ali

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Ali, speaks on the recent suspension of the micro-blogging site, Twitter, by the Federal Government in this interview with SOLOMON ODENIYI

The Federal Government said it suspended Twitter operations in Nigeria mainly because the platform was promoting fake news and misinformation in the country, what do you make of this?

The main cause is the alleged deletion of the President’s tweet on the Indigenous People of Biafra and I believe the Presidency should have handled this in a different way. Even though the platform was totally banned, Twitter is not the only online platform in the country. What will happen is that people will migrate to other platforms. What I am saying in essence is that suspending Twitter is never a solution to any retribution, because there are others with similar outreach that people can go to. I think the President should have been better advised.

The government should have engaged them and let them see the negative things they have been doing, which the government is not satisfied with and if they have explanations to offer, good and if they do not, then the government can do what it likes. But when you just take a decision like this, there are always reactions to things that are negative. They should have gone through the method of engagement and discussion.

Do you think the President should have made such a statement in the first place?

When you occupy a public position, you cannot react like a private person. He is the father of all; he has the good, the bad and the ugly under his watch. This is the number one person in the country; he has to be a super human. I expected his handles to have known better.

The Federal Government is also mulling licensing all social media operations in the country, do you see this as a way of suppressing peoples’ right of expression?

deleted tweet, a Twitter ban and Biafran wounds that have never healed

 

The Nigerian state is intricately laced with violent threads, woven into it by its colonial, military and ethnic setup.

The Nigeria-Biafra war of 1967 to 1970 was both an outcome and a symptom of this configuration. This violent setup of the state is partly why the Biafran question remains an open sore. It has engendered heated activism in the country by groups like the Indigenous People of Biafra whose activism has often collided with the firepower of the state.

The Igbos are one of three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, situated in the southeast. Feelings of collective trauma and a lack of justice after the war have deepened their grievances and reinforced agitations for Biafra, which is both a contested geographic home for the Igbos and an ideology of resistance.

One of the worst outbreaks of violence was in 2016 when Nigerian security forces opened fire on protesters in Aba, Abia, an Igbo state in the southeastern part of Nigeria. Thirteen people died from gunshot wounds. 

 Protesters holding flags and banners.

The government went on to ban the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra led by their founder, Nnamdi Kanu. His messianic approach to the Biafran question has divided opinion. While many in the southeast support the Biafran cause, they are uncertain that violence in the form of another war of secession is the right way to go.

The sore that is Biafra is once again at the centre of tensions in Nigeria.

On June 1, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari posted a tweet in response to the ongoing unrest in the southeast in which he promised punitive measures against Biafra supporters:

Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian civil war. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.

Some Nigerians saw the president’s tweet as instigating another civil war and called on Twitter to delete it. Twitter deleted the president’s tweet and temporarily locked his account.

The government reacted by declaring an indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.

Fifty-one years since the culmination of the war, it bears examining the current situation around the Biafran question.

The war

The Biafran state was birthed by a series of events starting with the January 1966 military coup. Two features stood out that were to be significant in the unfolding of future events.

First, it appeared that the coup had been led by young Igbo military officers. The second was that more political leaders of northern extraction were killed than other regions of the country.

General Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo, foiled the coup and became the head of state. He transformed Nigeria into a unitary state from its federalist structure. This act, coupled with the fact that the coupists were detained and not immediately prosecuted, led to allegations that the January 1966 coup was an “Igbo plan” to consolidate power at the centre.

In May 1966, Igbos in some parts of northern Nigeria were attacked and numerous deaths were recorded. This was closely followed by a July 1966 counter coup that unseated Ironsi. It was led by soldiers who were predominantly of northern Nigerian extraction. Following the counter coup, the governor of the eastern region, Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, demanded a confederal system of government to give the Igbos and ethnic minorities some level of autonomy.

The inability of Ojukwu and General Yakubu Gowon (the then head of state) to reach a consensus on this issue, coupled with the killing of Igbos in northern Nigeria, became the immediate cause of the attempted secession of eastern Nigeria – Biafra.

As envisioned by its leaders, the Republic of Biafra was established with the intention of being

a new model for Africa … to fulfil the decolonising mission which the ‘still- born’ Nigeria failed to do.

Instead, Biafra was besieged and dislodged by the Federal Military Government in a 30-month war in which more than 1 million Igbo civilians were killed.

The war ended in 1970. But Nigerians have continued to witness a flurry of military despotism and the re-invigoration of ethnic politics.

Narratives of a war past

Gowon declared that post-war reconciliation policies would be underpinned by the idea of “No Victor, No Vanquished”. With this decree, a singular worldview was enforced to “bind up the nation’s wounds”.

But little reconstruction took place in the affected and dilapidated Igbo communities. As a result, many Igbos remember the war with wrenching bitterness. They also bemoan the failure of the government to address some of the conditions pre-existing the war. These include an imbalanced ethnic power structure at the centre and a militarised state.

The hallmark reaction to the state structure has been violence. The activities of Boko Haram, and “unknown gunmen” who have turned kidnapping for ransom into a lucrative business, are prime examples. These violent non-state actors appear to act with impunity.

The feeling of desertion by the central government has never left Biafra. As recently as this year, the Indigenous People of Biafra created an armed security outfit with the aim of fighting off attacks by “unknown gunmen” who are often blamed for instigating communal unrest.

Tension flared up within the Igbo community after federal troops were dispatched to crack down on the Indigenous People of Biafra’s armed unit.

The clashes have, once again, reignited serious debate about the viability of “one Nigeria”.

What next?

There have been calls for a restructuring to true federalism and revamping the country’s constitution. This could allow the different regions in the country to be semi-independent and still function as a single unit.

Yet, there’s no guarantee that regionalism – or a new constitution – would address the many structural challenges in the country, particularly the militarisation of the state and ethno-religious politics. The situation is so dire that some people have concluded that Nigeria has failed as a state.

On the whole, realising new ways of co-existing may best be achieved when a sense of stability has been restored, and people can express their freedom of speech, movement, and association.

Pressing questions about identity, justice, and a sense of belonging need to be resolved through negotiations. This outcome could prove more durable.

Finally, the Buhari government’s response to the Twitter issue once again raised questions about whether its modus operandi is simply to rely exclusively on brute force. In this context, the agitations of groups like pro-Biafra could be seen as providing an ideological impetus to a set of beliefs in justice and fairness rather than a mere force for ethnic mobilisation.

There are still those who lived through the Nigeria-Biafra war, and as long as memories remain, there will be questions about accountability and justice. Beyond this is the realisation that the Igbo or Biafran question is the Nigerian question. This calls for a reassessment of how the country is governed.

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

It’ll be idiotic to break Nigeria – Obasanjo tackles IPOB, Yoruba nation agitators

 

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has tackled proponents of the Yoruba and Biafra nations, saying it is “almost idiotic” to push for Nigeria’s disintegration at a period that Africa gears towards political, social and economic reintegration.”

Obasanjo, spoke Wednesday at the luncheon and investiture of Kehinde Isijola as the new Ogun State Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyor (NIS), held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta.

The former Nigerian leader conceded that the situation remains unpalatable in Nigeria; he, however, said disintegration of the country is never the solution.

Obasanjo opined that Nigerians should blame themselves for the worst of the country instead of blaming God.

The Balogun Owu said everybody in Nigeria is apprehensive over the state of the nation, saying anyone who is not apprehensive is a human being without being human.

Biafra, Oduduwa: Real enemies of Nigeria won’t support disintegration – Pastor Giwa

He stated that “Any Nigerian who is human will be apprehensive about security, economy, political situation and the drum of disintegration of the country.”

The ex-President prided himself as “a strong believer of one Nigeria, but not one Nigeria at any cost.”

The statesman advocated for one Nigeria where every Nigerian feels proud that he or she has a stake in Nigeria.

Obasanjo posited that citizens of Biafra and Yoruba nations will be diminished compared being citizens of Nigeria, stressing that “our strength is in our diversity,”

“In this age and time that we are talking about the reintegration of Africa for economic development, disintegration of any country will be almost idiotic,” he added.

Igbo presidency: El-Rufai’s assertion Idiotic, laughable – Ohanaeze

Fredrick Nwabufo Who offended Buhari – Twitter or Nigerians

 

Government is a relationship – between the leadership and the governed. A democratic government, in particular, should not operate in vacancy of citizens’ imprimatur. A government needs the trust, support and goodwill of its citizens. Legitimacy is the reward for good governance. Any government, which by intransigence severs the funiculus that links it with the citizens, is taking the highroad to oblivion.

Really, most people will not remember the infrastructure and extraordinary projects executed by an administration. But they will remember how secure they felt and the freedom they enjoyed under that government. General Abacha is reputed to have executed some of the sterling infrastructure projects in Nigeria. In fact, some of the roads his regime through PTF built are still sturdy to date. But how is he remembered today? He is remembered as a murderer and a violator of human rights.

Our leaders should learn from the ruins of others before them. Power is situational. What we do with it when we possess it will live with us, and even with our relics and generations to come. At this point, what I believe should be elemental for President Buhari is his legacy. He should not let ‘’power hawks’’ carnivorise what is left of his substance.

The suspension of Twitter by the Nigerian government is a jackboot experiment. It cannot be defended, rationalised or excused in anyway. Internet freedom is as basic as the right to life and the right to freedom of expression.

Naturally, some notable Nigerians and organisations have condemned this insidious attempt at absolutism. The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) led by Kabiru Yusuf said lucidly ‘’the suspension of Twitter’s operation by Nigeria is wrong and an overreaction’’. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, and member of the APC – the president’s party – is of the opinion that the federal government should have managed the situation better.

“The federal government can handle this a lot better — because of the number of ecommerce; the number of youths doing digital stuff on the internet, and we cannot throw that away and say it’s not happening. I believe there could be a lot of restraint and better management from both sides,” the governor said.

Nigeria is said to lose N2.18 billion per day owing to the Twitter shutdown — according to NetBlocks, a data-driven online service. We do not need an Okonjo-Iweala to divine for us the cost of this folly. Many youths and businesses rely on Twitter for oxygen. And the federal government just pulled the plug — in a country with 40 million unemployed people, blistering inflation and insecurity.

Toiling Nigerians lose more in this dogfight between the Nigerian government and Twitter. Twitter loses nothing in the short and in the long run. So, who offended Buhari and who should be writing from the economic perils of his ban? Well, if the government is deploying this as a gambit to asphyxiate dissenting voices on social media it will be a futile performance. Only good governance can silence the noise on social media.

Citizens from all strata have been giving the government a dressing down in the past few days. As expected, the US, the UK, Canada and EU did not equivocate in expressing disappointment at this punitive approach to an issue that could have been resolved through other channels. The condemnations are in order.

What is very annoying is the threat by Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, to arrest and prosecute anyone circumventing the ban to gain access to Twitter. This is farcical. Why is this man making a spectacle of Nigeria in the public square? I think we have enough comedians in the country already.

However, there is the pesky issue of hate speech, fake news, misinformation and disinformation on social media — particularly on Twitter and Facebook? How do we address this problem? We cannot look away and pretend that this creeping monster does not portend enormous danger for Nigeria.

Some countries like India, even the US and the UK, have set these tech leviathans to task regarding sanitising their social media space. We cannot suspend our hands and watch Nigeria burn.

As Kadaria Ahmed, top journalist, said while reacting to the ‘’decree’’ of the National Broadcasting Commission to broadcast stations to deactivate their Twitter accounts, ‘’the government (must) go back and engage with experts many of whom abound in the country on how to fight hate speech, misinformation and disinformation while respecting and upholding the rights that are fundamental in a democracy’’.

The Buhari government must redeem itself. Nigeria is still a democracy.

By Fredrick ‘Mr OneNigeria’ Nwabufo

Twitter @FredrickNwabufo
#Keepiton

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