All Biafrans are brothers and sisters bound together by ties of geography, trade, inter-marriage, and culture and by their common misfortune in Nigeria and their present experience of the armed struggle. Biafrans are even more united by the desire to create a new and better order of society, which will satisfy their needs and aspirations. Therefore, there is no justification for anyone to introduce into the Biafran fatherland divisions based on ethnic origin, sex or religion. 'To do so would be unpatriotic. Every true Biafran must know and demand his civic rights. Furthermore, he must recognize the rights of other Biafrans and be prepared to defend them when necessary. So often people complain that they have been ill-treated by the police or some other public servant. But the truth very often is that we allow ourselves to be bullied because we are not man enough to demand and stand up for our rights, and that fellow citizens around do not assist us when we do demand our rights. In the new Biafran social order sovereignty and power belong to the people. Those who exercise power do so on behalf of the people. Those who govern must not tyrannize the people. They carry a sacred trust of the people and must use their authority strictly in accordance with the will of the people. The true test of success in public life is that the people who are the real masters are contented and happy. The rulers must satisfy the people at all times.

I love this Ojukwu man
chei!
I may have run away to him during the war if I heard this

naijaking1:

You're so ignorant of Eastern Nigeria counties and the re-drawing of the maps to "weaken the Igbos" as Umaru Dikko called it. I have told you that anypart could have been carved out of Igboland by the Justice Nasir commission. The Igbos in Rivers in 1960 saw themselves as no different from the Igbos in Aba or Owerri, so when you say that the Igboid tribes in Rivers rejected Biafran effort--- I say there you go again with another big fat lie

Can you then explain why the Ikwerres did not support the war effort?

Until you address this question, there is no need pointing fingers at Ijaws.


If there's anything you should take from this thread, it should be this:


(1.) Ijaws and the tribes of Rivers State are sympathetic to the Biafran cause, but any secession movement must be done in consultation and agreement.

(2.) There can only be consultation and agreement when Igbo's drop their imperialistic and dismissive tendencies. This includes:

(a.) Claiming Opobo as Igbo land (the most laughable of all)

(b.) Claiming the whole of Igwe Ocha (PH) as Igbo land when half of it belongs to the Okrikas

(c.) Not respecting the rights of the Ikwerre's to determine their own identity

(d.) Igbolising the whole of PH during the Eastern Regional Government to the chagrin and resentment of PH indigenes (including the Igbo speaking ones)

(e.) And many more ([size=5pt]including inability to differentiate between Ogonis and Ijaws[/size]).

St.Funmi:

  Oba Ofinran  used broom to pursue the  Nupes from Oyo abi?

Sopona did the trick  

ijaw_girl:

@ow11

which part of Ijaw land are you from?

Kalabari

St.Funmi:

  Oba Ofinran  used broom to pursue the Nupes from Oyo abi?

I don't care what he used but it wasn't a full blown WAR.
Street riots and WAR are not in the same pedestal.

I don't care what he used but it wasn't a full blown WAR.
Street riots and WAR are not in the same pedestal.

Ife/Modakeke?

Have you heard of Tsoede? You think the oba chased the Nupe away with street fight after almost a century of their conquering and occupation of the oyo empire?

[/quote][quote author=St.Funmi link=topic=239065.msg3520206#msg3520206 date=1235678757]
  Oba Ofinran  used broom to pursue the  Nupes from Oyo abi?

ROTFLOL!!!!  

Ibime:

Can you then explain why the Ikwerres did not support the war effort?
Until you address this question, there is no need pointing fingers at Ijaws.


If there's anything you should take from this thread, it should be this:


(1.) Ijaws and the tribes of Rivers State are sympathetic to the Biafran cause, but any secession movement must be done in consultation and agreement.

(2.) There can only be consultation and agreement when Igbo's drop their imperialistic and dismissive tendencies. This includes:

(a.) Claiming Opobo as Igbo land (the most laughable of all)

(b.) Claiming the whole of Igwe Ocha (PH) as Igbo land when half of it belongs to the Okrikas

(c.) Not respecting the rights of the Ikwerre's to determine their own identity

(d.) Igbolising the whole of PH during the Eastern Regional Government to the chagrin and resentment of PH indigenes (including the Igbo speaking ones)

(e.) And many more ([size=5pt]including inability to differentiate between Ogonis and Ijaws[/size]).

and who said they didn't at first before changing sides at the prospects of stealing Igbo property like their Ijaw neigbours
was George Kurubo ,an Ijaw man not a Biafran air pilot at the beginning of the war?
Na long throat for stolen good cause am.

and I don't know what you call Igbolizing.
PH was in the Eastern region.
PH was an eastern town
Michael Okpara was the eastern Nigerian premier who moved the headquarters of shell from Owerri to PH,built Hotel Presidential and the transamadi Industial lay out to make the Eastern region compete with Lagos in attracting tourists etc.
Forget all this SS,NE nonsense.
Ijaws were easterners together with Igbos and efiks until yesterday.
Go and read and stop being afraid of the Igbo man.

**osisi:

Na long throat for stolen good cause am.

**osisi:

and I don't know what you call Igbolizing.
PH was in the Eastern region.
PH was an eastern town
Ijaws were easterners together with Igbos and efiks until yesterday.

This is more Igbo imperialistic attitude showing itself.

I thought you guys claimed Ikwerres were Igbos. Why then would they feel the need to steal Igbo properties?

St.Funmi:

Ife/Modakeke?

Have you heard of Tsoede? You think the oba chased the Nupe away with street fight after almost a century of their conquering and occupation of the oyo empire?

Was this after the independence in 1960??

Was PH not in the former eastern region  

@osisi

your a hypocrite,

We are getting to the bottom of this.  We are all "cousin" when it's time for secession but as soon as it comes to property all man for himself.  It's funny Igbo's can talk about stolen property when the Biafran army had no problem looting in the midwestern region. Oh my bad, the looting was for the good of everyone.

@bawomolo

dont mind that osisi idiot, yet he wants one Biafra,

igbo people and their wahala

asha 80:

Was PH not in the former eastern region  

Osisi said she doesn't know what I call Igbolizing as if PH was not in the Eastern Region. Eastern is a Geographical expression and has nothing to do with "Igbolising". Should every Eastern city expect to be Igbolised?

I also wonder if Osisi would answer whether after Okpara built Trans-Amadi, Presidential etc (with Niger Delta oil money), did he staff all these fanciful places with indigenous Ikwerre and Ijaw people? This is what we can call economic annexation, a keynesian stimulus for Igbos, or even an artificial repopulation of PH which even the so-called Ikwerre-Igbos resisted. After shifting PH demographics to the point that PH starts to look like Onitsha, crowding out Indigenous money in the market place and increasing competition (and prices) for goods, property, jobs and services, would you not expect some resentment from the indigenes?

Was this after the independence in 1960??

Are the generation of yorubas pre independence different from the ones post independence?

St.Funmi:

Are the generation of yorubas pre independence different from the ones post independence?

Yes they are.
The yorubas pre-independence were CRUDE.

So Obasanjo, Fashola and Tinubu are crude?

St.Funmi:

So Obasanjo, Fashola and Tinubu are crude?

VERY!!!!

~Sauron~:

VERY!!!!

explain

tamme:

@bawomolo

dont mind that osisi idiot, yet he wants one Biafra,

igbo people and their wahala

Whether we like it or not, there will still be BIAFRA. Nigeria is tending to that inclination seriously.

Whether we like it or not, there will still be BIAFRA. Nigeria is tending to that inclination seriously.

Be careful before we charge you with treason.

VERY!!!!

Care to explain why you think so and their major difference with modern generation of yorubas?

Ibime:

Osisi said she doesn't know what I call Igbolizing as if PH was not in the Eastern Region. Eastern is a Geographical expression and has nothing to do with "Igbolising". Should every Eastern city expect to be Igbolised?

I also wonder if Osisi would answer whether after Okpara built Trans-Amadi, Presidential etc (with Niger Delta oil money), did he staff all these fanciful places with indigenous Ikwerre and Ijaw people? This is what we can call economic annexation, a keynesian stimulus for Igbos, or even an artificial repopulation of PH which even the so-called Ikwerre-Igbos resisted. After shifting PH demographics to the point that PH starts to look like Onitsha, crowding out Indigenous money in the market place and increasing competition (and prices) for goods, property, jobs and services, would you not expect some resentment from the indigenes?

It's very disappointing when you start mixing up facts to show that Igbos have always been out to colonize everybody. PH was developed even before the oil was struck. There's no question that oil made expansion more rapid, but there were Igbos in PH before oil.
Ikwere's are Igbos, they know it. Ikwerres driving Igbos out of PH was akin to Onitsha people driving out Nnewi traders from the market after Hausa people promise to give them all Nnewi goods. Once again, it's only shortsighted, and gaullible people like the Ijaws who would fall for that.

St.Funmi:

Care to explain why you think so and their major difference with modern generation of yorubas?

Look at the 3 of em carefully. . . . . .There's a certain bushman factor in them.
Obviously, OBJ is worse. He is the most primitive leader we have ever had.
He is not articulate and he makes an Aboriginal native look as polished as Obama.

A good example of post-independence Yoruba men. . . . . .Gbenga Daniels, Mike Adenuga, Chris Omisore, Harry Akande etc.

~Sauron~:

Look at the 3 of em carefully. . . . . .There's a certain bushman factor in them.
Obviously, OBJ is worse. He is the most primitive leader we have ever had.
He is not articulate and he makes an Aboriginal native look as polished as Obama.

A good example of a post-independence Yoruba man. . . . . .Gbenga Daniels, Mike Adenuga, Chris Omisore, Harry Akande etc.

lol

@Ibime
Why is it a surprise Ikwerres don't want to be identified as Igbos after the war? Poor man no get brother I challenge you to show me evidence that Ikwerres(they're not even a tribe) denied their Igbo origin before the struggles of the 1960s. They did not. All those Amechis, Nwaches or Wuches, Odilis are Igbos and they know it.

naijaking1:

All those Amechis, Nwaches or Wuches, Odilis are Igbos and they know it.

I am not concerned if Ikwerres are Igbos or not. However they resented Nnewi, Imo, Anambra people FLOODING to PH to take their jobs whilst they sit idly by, wallowing in unemployment. At that time, you did not have a need to remember their "igboness" did you? Now when you have no foothold in PH, you use them as proxies to stake claim of ownership, although they have no wish to be associated as Igbos.

BTW, since you must insist on this dismissive attitude toward Rivers State people, I must remind you that Odili is an Ndoni man and not an Ikwerre man. Osisi has already made that mistake earlier.

Igbos are not united? nonsense

Please tell me are the Ibibios, Efiks, Oron, Annangs united? Did they speak with one voice when Efiks of Bakassi got taken by Cameroon?

Are the Ijaws united when Kalabari, Okrika, man will rather say I am Kalabari or Okrika than say I am Ijaw?

Are Yorubas united?

The fact here is that we all have issues to deal with and many are dealing with it. Progress is being made. Ohanaeze is headed by an Anioma from Midwest. The VP is from Rivers. So please tell me is that not a sign of unity and coming together among the Igbos. Truth of the matter is that the Igbo, Efik, Ijaw, Ogoni, can never be perfect but they can be better. They can improve themselves and are doing it. Those who always point to disunity only use that as a reason to justify their own dislikes and betrayal of their kit and kins. As long ppl are educated and have a mind of their own 100% can never agree all the time. There will always be diversity and that should be used as an advantage. If our moronic Hausa ppl don't just rely on one person whether he is qualified or not qualified their wahala won't be too much coz another person can point out what is right or wrong.

We can never forget about the Kogbara, Opugo who fought for Biafra. Ijaws were more divided about it than any other group and that is why we tend to see them as the most anti-Biafra. What we have are fools who wanted to be leaders and control something and if spreading anti-Igbo sentiments at the detriment of their own region was how to achieve it they went for it without even thinking. I find it odd that any sane Easterner back then could align with the bloodthirsty Hausa Fulani North who already showed lack of respect and regards for human lives. The Ijaw leaders who didn't see that are the ones to blame for the situation of their people. To always blame Igbos for the mistake made by those Ijaw leaders is highly disrespectful. The Opugos were smart enough to see that their existence in a nation where genocides can be sanctioned by the Government to settle scores was not the best thing for them. Its very stupid for people to say that Igbo nation will oppress them when u know damn well Igbos are very republican. We have intermarried with these surrounding ppl and share common heritage so please an Arochukwu man got high regards for an Ibibio, the Awka / Onitsha ppl got regards for their Igala, Idoma ppl, mba mmiri / Southern Igbo got regards for the Ijaw, Ogoni neighbors. Do u think with all these mixture going on they will support any mistreatment of these people?

To reconcile we gotta talk about it, so that we don't make the same mistake or misinterpret the position of one another. May be those Ijaw ppl didn't fully understand the position of Igbos, Ibibios, Efiks, fighting for Biafra. To simply join an enemy just coz u don't want PH to Igbonized screams extreme ignorance and greed. If the Eastern people were slaughtering eachother then I could understand the uneasiness to fight a common enemy but no they lived in peace so I find it hard to understand how U CAN ALIGN WITH THE SAME MAN THAT JUST MURDERED UR OWN IJAW BROTHER UP NORTH, because of some unproven fear?

As for those yarning dust about Midwest. The Midwest comprised of Igbo people too and they fought for Biafra. Common sense will tell you that ofcourse they will be drawn to the conflict and will want to be with their kit and kin. The Ijaws over there who supported Biafra did so for the same reason.Midwest was actually declared the Republic of Benin. I really could care less about Hausa ppl there who got killed in the Midwest? NONSENSE. Weren't they the enemy slaughtering us. Its like Aba, Uyp boiz attack them whenever they lash out up north. What did you expect Biafran troops to do with them? Serve em Edkaikong and Akara?

Igbos are no saints.
Ijaw are no saints.
Ibibios are no saints.
Ogonis are no saints.

Lets lay everything on da ground. Admit wrongs made. Learn to better communicate with each other and quit promoting the same lies that have been used by outsiders to further keep us down.

Igbos need to learn the history of Rivers State before coming to claim any and everything that sounds Igbo.

Michael Okpara was the worst thing that ever happened to Eastern Region. If only the Premiership of Eastern region had gone to a Calabar man like one of the Ita's, Eastern Nigeria would be united today.

This problem started from Enugu. They renamed everything in PH with Igbo names. A well known relative of mine founded the Rivers State College of Technology or whatever its called now. He invited a Mr Mbonu to be a director of the school. When the papers went to Enugu for them to classify the name of the road, they chose to rename the road Mbonu Street instead of my relative's name. Mbonu Street is in present day D-Line.

This is a scene that was replicated ALL OVER PH. The same goes for the whole Rumu/Umu debate.

You cannot ask why Rivers State people are wary of Igbo people with behaviour like this. The stealing of Igbo lands after the war is not justified, but some would call it a retribution of sorts.

Igbos love to claim everything in Rivers State. Do the Igbo's know the history of the Oba and Ekpeya people of Ahoada? They are people who migrated from Benin after falling out with the Oba. Today they have merged the language of trade (Igbo) with their native language and the Igbo lay claim to them. If you see an Ahoada man, ask him about his history. Ahoada today lies between core Igbo lands and Etche and Ikwerre lands. Any presumption that lands further South than Ahoada must have Igbo ancestry should be put in perspective when we consider the Ahoada example.

My father used to do missionary work in Ihugbogo in Ahoada land and I tell you, the poverty and backwardness there is complete! You will never find such depravity in any Igbo land. The same goes for Etche. The poverty I saw with my 2 eyes in these 2 places can only be compared to the poverty I saw in Ogoni land. If the Eastern Regional Government saw these people as their Igbo brothers, I assure you they would not overlook their miserable plight. Instead they are too busy trying to lay claim to Ikwerres in PH, neglecting all the Igbo groups that lie closer to the core Igbo lands.

We are not fooled.

Igbos need to investigate the history of all these Igboid peoples before claiming them. As I have said before, Igbo was the dominant language of trade and has made its way into the languages of many tribes. There is a tribe up the Imo River called the Ndoki. This tribe are widely presumed to be Igbos. They speak Igbo and have adopted Igbo customs. The truth is that they are Ijaws who travelled up the river looking for freshwater to farm as you cannot farm in saltwater land. When they found the place, they named it "Ndokiari" which means "this is what were looking for" in Ijaw language. Today these people live as Igbos, but if you question them deeply, they will tell you they are Ijaws.

The same holds for most of the Igbo tribes in Rivers State. Ikwerres do not have a recorded history, but they are ADAMANT that they are not Igbos, although they speak a dialect of the 'language of trade' and observe some Igbo customs.

The people of the South South are no fools and resent Igbo incursion into their lands, whether they be Ikwerre, Etche, Rebisi or Ijaw.

We were put together as the Eastern Region, but some from within us decided to pursue a tribalist agenda, renaming our towns and roads, using the Eastern bank ACB as a conduit for tribal 'projects' and claiming everything within sight in the hope that they would one day reach the sea. We had no such problems when we were administered from Calabar.

Me, I don talk my own. The stories that my elders told me are what you are hearing now. My elders are no illiterates, but a Royal family who were involved in governing PH and Rivers State. If you consider it a prejudice, then hopefully this prejudice would go some way to explaining why Rivers State was divided over the Biafra issue. If Igbos are interested in unity, then they must address these long-held grouses to do with their mismanagement of the former Eastern Region and their imperialistic attitude to their former trade-partners.

Oh please shut up with ur nonsense. I've come across an Ndoki and he didn't tell me he is Ijaw. Anyway this nonsense of going back to 1200 AD to prove that this group is not this group is the reason why there is disnity and u IBIME the confused Ijaw / Igbo man or whatever the heck you wanna claim is still doing it.

If Ndoki ppl speak Igbo and their custom is Igbo THEY ARE IGBO. If they have Ijaw roots no one should deny it. Can they be pure Ijaw? NO coz yeah they have mixed so to say they are not IGBO is an insult to them coz u are simply telling them they are not who they are. Its like telling a biracial you are not BLACK. If the blood is in him he is BLACK.

The problem with ppl like you is envy and flakiness. I wonder why we don't argue about Arochukwu, Abiriba, Ohafia ppl? Could it be coz but ethnicities are far more educated and less confrontational when dealing with eachother. Go get some education bro. What you mixed with is what u are and will always be. To say Igbos are claim them is a big fat lie. If u speak Igbo and do Igbo stuff freely on ur own what am I supposed to call you? Japanese? My aunt is from Bonny. She speaks her own dialect of Igbo. I've never even seen her speak Ijaw. To me she is Igbo and also Ijaw. I won't cross anyone of em out just satisfy and propagate some stupid propaganda being promoted by fools like you. The more you say such nonsense the less unity you'll achieve coz the Ndoki ppl got Igbo blood and speak Igbo and do Igbo stuff. The Ikwerre are Igbo. They attend our all Igbo church in Houston. I know Etche over there too and we don't even argue about such nonsense. Whatever dominant culture u are is what u are. Whatever links u got u gotta maintain and not deny. My 2nd is Odili and that name is Rivers name. Ppl think I'm Rivers now tell me is that a sign that Igbos in Rivers or Ndoni ppl in Rivers are trying to Ndonize me and oppress Anambra / Abia states.

Seriously u reason like a dummy. What the hell does the actions of Okpara got to do with me? Did we sanction him? What about the upper land Igbos that he disagreed with? Should they now go after his immediate clan? Rubbish.