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Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide - Politics - Nairaland

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Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by shachris02: 1:21pm On Jun 30, 2015
Nnamdi Kalu, the name behind the radio, who is fondly called ‘Director’, has not been going about his endeavour in a manner that prevents the agitation of other members of the public. As it seems, the radio is winning several admirers among southerners in Nigeria on a daily basis.

In two separate newspaper articles published in 2006 and 2009 in the New Sentinel and Sunday Trust, and credited to one of us, the manner of Boko Haram’s total disregard for civil values was the point of discourse. The report in question warned that the government’s disregard of the rebellious inclination of the group would amount to a calculated catastrophe to society. The authorities ignored this at society’s general peril.

Last week, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) urged Nigerians to simply ignore Radio Biafra, a broadcast platform that has committed time, energy and resources to peddling resentful communication about Nigeria and its constituted authorities. The management of NBC claims that they are aware of the pirate radio station, which is “transmitting seditious and divisive content contrary to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and law” and they are “working with security agencies to track the source of the broadcast.”

Nnamdi Kalu, the name behind the radio, who is fondly called ‘Director’, has not been going about his endeavour in a manner that prevents the agitation of other members of the public. As it seems, the radio is winning several admirers among southerners in Nigeria on a daily basis. According to a random survey for the purpose of this article, an increasing number of traders, men and women in villages, schools and in commuter buses tune in to the 97.6 band width. In Aba, Abia State, the radio’s audience is growing steadily among young people.

A public commentator known on Twitter as “Onye Nkuzi” (@cchukudebelu), recently dissected this phenomenon, lamenting on the social media platform that “the Nigerian State doesn’t have a narrative to challenge alienation – we’ve seen it in the North East and Niger Delta. It pops up again.” Radio Biafra, like the ongoing insurgency in North-East Nigeria feeds on alienation to peddle a culture of violence as retribution for real and perceived injustice.

Meanwhile, it serves every society well to pay due attention to signals and other sub-signals with the potentials to erupt into disturbing cauldrons of widespread violence. In Asaba, Delta state, an Igbo man brought the consciousness of Radio Biafra to some of us one evening, with frightful alacrity, and implored everyone present to tune to the station. As soon as the bandwidth was accessed, the voice of ‘Director’ Nnamdi Kanu came through forcefully over the airwaves. It was an arresting, almost hypnotic voice, to say the least, but it was not the voice that was the issue but the substance of what he was saying and how he said it that called for concern.

Many listeners who do not know otherwise or who have a distorted understanding of what led to the Nigerian-Biafran civil war in 1967 and its concomitant effects of seemingly irreconcilable differences listen spellbound to the voice of “director” as it resonates over the waves with ceaseless histrionics. He seems tireless, with his commentaries on a wide range of subjects all geared towards the need for the burdened southern region to secede from the North and “the hypocritical South-West”, to quote the words of the radio’s presenter.

Our investigations have observed, most painfully, that the Director has a growing influence on many from the other side of the Niger. The danger in this is that people in the region are beginning to accept whatever he says as gospel truth; to the unreasoning, Director, as he chooses to be addressed, is framing the minds of many of such listeners and predisposing them to dangerous tendencies. Without going into specifics, relevant authorities should know the peril of a collective mind-set propelled towards a particularly dangerous direction.

On a bus from Asaba to Onitsha, the conductor was busy regaling passengers about the resurgence of the Biafran agenda, the Biafran currency, flag, identity card, and how personnel of the Nigerian Police are according great recognition to the Biafran identity card, including their disposition to setting people free of any offence the moment s/he brandishes the card. The bus conductor was very vociferous in his claims and on an attempt to draw the passengers’ attention to the folly of these claims, one suddenly realised that the commuters were more given to emotion than reason, and to avoid the rising belligerency of some of the passengers, including the driver, one was compelled to channel the discussion to safer grounds.

Late Muhammad Yusuf, the founder of what started as a ragtag band of fundamentalists in Maiduguri, which subsequently transformed into a dreaded Jihadi movement with global affiliations, did not have a radio of his own. He relied on cassette recordings of his messages which were influenced by hardline Salafi teachers to woo youths to his flock. However, both Mohammed Yusuf and now Nnamdi Kalu of Biafra Radio have one thing in common – their messages have the undivided attention of teeming youths in their regions.

It is important to note here that ‘terrorism’ means different things to different people. While a huge number of people in the Islamic world do not view groups like Al-Shabab, Taliban, Islamic State and their affiliates as terrorists, the majority consider them as full blown terrorists. It is the same with the Biafran movement, with a growing number of people considering the rebellion as an inalienable right that may offer Igbos freedom from the Hausa/Fulani hegemony.

Indeed, Radio Biafra is a ticking time bomb. We must accept that some of the claims made by the late Mohammed Yusuf, over a decade ago, and now Nnamdi Kalu, on the air waves, have merits, including the alienation of their people, a fact which is very obvious to any discerning person. Yet, the general thrust of Radio Biafra’s mono cast is more emotive than rational. Hopefully, the new government of Muhammadu Buhari should get set to combat some of these obvious imbalances and marginalisation which underpin the restiveness.

The Hutu run Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLMC) that heralded the 1994 Rwandan genocide should be a relevant example of how dire consequences could result if this sort of propensity for the rendition of hate, not only by Kalu but also championed by different groups across Nigeria, is left unchecked. As people with backgrounds in media studies, we need not overemphasise the power of the media and its inherent capacities to be commandeered as willing instruments for negative or positive ends. The power of the media should never be underestimated, at least not in this case. Every part of this country should be mindful of the insidious influence of divisive rhetoric within its midst and the potentials to nurture and fan the embers of schismatic discords.

1 Like 2 Shares

Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by dunsman(f): 1:22pm On Jun 30, 2015
j
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by Nobody: 1:22pm On Jun 30, 2015
grin
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by EasternPride: 1:26pm On Jun 30, 2015
Simple message!

1 Like

Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by shachris02: 1:30pm On Jun 30, 2015
EasternPride:
Simple message!

okay
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by cjrane: 1:33pm On Jun 30, 2015
....and what does Sahara reports parallel?
Nazi Germany anti-semitic propaganda outsfit.

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by Nobody: 1:58pm On Jun 30, 2015
This Radio directed by Drug addict Nnmadi kanu has broug alot of hates to d ibos in d west every day and is spreading more and more like fire in d dry season.
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by mikolo80: 2:20pm On Jun 30, 2015
KEEP CALM
THEY DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS OR THE BRAINS REQUIRED TO DO SHHIT
JUST MAKING NOISE/MONEY OF FELLOW DUMBASSESS
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by OreMI22: 2:22pm On Jun 30, 2015
[size=15pt]When it comes to BIAFRA, the Yorubas and Hausa/Fulanis are the WORST hypocrites.

They bitterly hate the Igbos and indeed the southern minorities and would want them to leave Lagos etc and go stay in their own country!

But in contradiction to their true feelings, they don't want Biafra because they want to perpetuate their right to collect the lion share of the oil resources sourced from the same peoples land, using the bogus criteria they foisted on the country called Nigeria.

Without oil in Igboland and Southern minorities part of Nigeria, Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani would have long seceded from Nigeria. FACT! [/size]

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Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by TechRev: 2:27pm On Jun 30, 2015
chowlade:
This Radio directed by Drug addict Nnmadi kanu has broug alot of hates to d ibos in d west every day and is spreading more and more like fire in d dry season.

Who cares?? Igbos are always hated, else tell us justification for awolowo starving 3million children to death, then stealing their parents' savings and giving them 10pounds. They were not even combatants or child soldiers.

[size=14pt]Who Cares??

Biafra or death.

"I regret that i have but one life to give to my country" -- Nathan Hale 1776
"I dont know what cause you may chose but as for me, give me liberty or give me death" -- Patrick Henry 1775
[/size]

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by madamoringo(f): 2:41pm On Jun 30, 2015
The killings of the stoopid biafrans in 1967 - 1970, or at any other time is hardly a mistake seeing these urchins are less than animals. They invite destruction to their own land and heads and cry out? The next war will be exceedingly brutal and I don't see Nigeria letting up until the entire iboland is completely annihilated! You want death by force? You will get it sooner than later and no one will bat an eye, no one will shed a tear! For years, you've been at it, you've neither cautioned yourself nor listened to the opinions of any other. So shall it be when you get your comeuppance! I just wish all the loud mouthed Ibos will be in Iboland to put their father's name and their miserable chest-beating to the test!

Like the experience of some of the main actors of WW2, they need to be whooped so badly, so inhumanly, the streets of Iboland will not stop flowing with Ibo casualties for a 1,000 years!

1 Like

Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by sammyj: 2:42pm On Jun 30, 2015
True !!!
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by Nobody: 5:28pm On Jun 30, 2015
TechRev:


Who cares??Igbos are always hated, else.

You do care frm d action of ur people daily, it shows they care too. so why pretending like u r a suicide bomber?

y calling on d amnesty international uk on Twiter and other Social Media for Calarbar bombing that hasn't yet bn bombed grin

Why d protest against Dr Ariyo by the Ibos for Three Months for calling for Genocide.

Why d hate on Oba of Lagos.

in Awolowo's case. Great Coward Ojukwu. was like Nnamdi kanu rushed to war without considering lives of d young Igbos of d future, Civilians, and he brougt slave Mentality knwn to every igbos since 1960s (Open ur eyes u will see that u r serving ur Yoruba Masters and Hausa masters everywhere u go in dis county).

Biafra war was 100% ur fault. ur fathers will not want to wish for ever again for d Ndigbo people and SW

So if you say biafra or death. go and ask ur people if they are ready to die, then start a war, hoist Biafra flag in any part of Nigeria and see what you will get. Stop d cyber war and see what we become of d innocent igbos that are being gradually term terrorist and hoodlums in d country.

let's see what will happen to all isolated igbos in d SW, North and SS if they will be making money as usual or death or permanent slavery for them.

Let's see if Part of SS will Joing u in d 2nd war of Baifraud.

Let's see if some Yorubas and Hausa traitors will support and fight for ur Biafra Struggle again.

Let's see if Food wey Igbos r consuming more in d country will be abundant to Bialand. Nnmadi kanu and othrrs will not be affected though.

Better still thank God u r hated than somthing more than hate comes and consume ur people. Amnesty international will not come and help or rescue u.
No country will wish a country like Nigeria with over 300tribes to broken by just a criminal tribe in d country.

or call on ur people to order to relate well.

tell us justification for awolowo starving 3million children to death, then stealing their parents' savings and giving them 10pounds. They were not even combatants or child soldiers.
[b][size=14pt]Who Cares??

Biafra or death.

"I regret that i have but one life to give to my country" -- Nathan Hale 1776
"I dont know what cause you may chose but as for me, give me liberty or give me death" -- Patrick Henry 1775
[/size][/b
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by 1deadlugard: 5:31pm On Jun 30, 2015
shachris02:
Nnamdi Kalu, the name behind the radio, who is fondly called ‘Director’, has not been going about his endeavour in a manner that prevents the agitation of other members of the public. As it seems, the radio is winning several admirers among southerners in Nigeria on a daily basis.

In two separate newspaper articles published in 2006 and 2009 in the New Sentinel and Sunday Trust, and credited to one of us, the manner of Boko Haram’s total disregard for civil values was the point of discourse. The report in question warned that the government’s disregard of the rebellious inclination of the group would amount to a calculated catastrophe to society. The authorities ignored this at society’s general peril.

Last week, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) urged Nigerians to simply ignore Radio Biafra, a broadcast platform that has committed time, energy and resources to peddling resentful communication about Nigeria and its constituted authorities. The management of NBC claims that they are aware of the pirate radio station, which is “transmitting seditious and divisive content contrary to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and law” and they are “working with security agencies to track the source of the broadcast.”

Nnamdi Kalu, the name behind the radio, who is fondly called ‘Director’, has not been going about his endeavour in a manner that prevents the agitation of other members of the public. As it seems, the radio is winning several admirers among southerners in Nigeria on a daily basis. According to a random survey for the purpose of this article, an increasing number of traders, men and women in villages, schools and in commuter buses tune in to the 97.6 band width. In Aba, Abia State, the radio’s audience is growing steadily among young people.

A public commentator known on Twitter as “Onye Nkuzi” (@cchukudebelu), recently dissected this phenomenon, lamenting on the social media platform that “the Nigerian State doesn’t have a narrative to challenge alienation – we’ve seen it in the North East and Niger Delta. It pops up again.” Radio Biafra, like the ongoing insurgency in North-East Nigeria feeds on alienation to peddle a culture of violence as retribution for real and perceived injustice.

Meanwhile, it serves every society well to pay due attention to signals and other sub-signals with the potentials to erupt into disturbing cauldrons of widespread violence. In Asaba, Delta state, an Igbo man brought the consciousness of Radio Biafra to some of us one evening, with frightful alacrity, and implored everyone present to tune to the station. As soon as the bandwidth was accessed, the voice of ‘Director’ Nnamdi Kanu came through forcefully over the airwaves. It was an arresting, almost hypnotic voice, to say the least, but it was not the voice that was the issue but the substance of what he was saying and how he said it that called for concern.

Many listeners who do not know otherwise or who have a distorted understanding of what led to the Nigerian-Biafran civil war in 1967 and its concomitant effects of seemingly irreconcilable differences listen spellbound to the voice of “director” as it resonates over the waves with ceaseless histrionics. He seems tireless, with his commentaries on a wide range of subjects all geared towards the need for the burdened southern region to secede from the North and “the hypocritical South-West”, to quote the words of the radio’s presenter.

Our investigations have observed, most painfully, that the Director has a growing influence on many from the other side of the Niger. The danger in this is that people in the region are beginning to accept whatever he says as gospel truth; to the unreasoning, Director, as he chooses to be addressed, is framing the minds of many of such listeners and predisposing them to dangerous tendencies. Without going into specifics, relevant authorities should know the peril of a collective mind-set propelled towards a particularly dangerous direction.

On a bus from Asaba to Onitsha, the conductor was busy regaling passengers about the resurgence of the Biafran agenda, the Biafran currency, flag, identity card, and how personnel of the Nigerian Police are according great recognition to the Biafran identity card, including their disposition to setting people free of any offence the moment s/he brandishes the card. The bus conductor was very vociferous in his claims and on an attempt to draw the passengers’ attention to the folly of these claims, one suddenly realised that the commuters were more given to emotion than reason, and to avoid the rising belligerency of some of the passengers, including the driver, one was compelled to channel the discussion to safer grounds.

Late Muhammad Yusuf, the founder of what started as a ragtag band of fundamentalists in Maiduguri, which subsequently transformed into a dreaded Jihadi movement with global affiliations, did not have a radio of his own. He relied on cassette recordings of his messages which were influenced by hardline Salafi teachers to woo youths to his flock. However, both Mohammed Yusuf and now Nnamdi Kalu of Biafra Radio have one thing in common – their messages have the undivided attention of teeming youths in their regions.

It is important to note here that ‘terrorism’ means different things to different people. While a huge number of people in the Islamic world do not view groups like Al-Shabab, Taliban, Islamic State and their affiliates as terrorists, the majority consider them as full blown terrorists. It is the same with the Biafran movement, with a growing number of people considering the rebellion as an inalienable right that may offer Igbos freedom from the Hausa/Fulani hegemony.

Indeed, Radio Biafra is a ticking time bomb. We must accept that some of the claims made by the late Mohammed Yusuf, over a decade ago, and now Nnamdi Kalu, on the air waves, have merits, including the alienation of their people, a fact which is very obvious to any discerning person. Yet, the general thrust of Radio Biafra’s mono cast is more emotive than rational. Hopefully, the new government of Muhammadu Buhari should get set to combat some of these obvious imbalances and marginalisation which underpin the restiveness.

The Hutu run Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLMC) that heralded the 1994 Rwandan genocide should be a relevant example of how dire consequences could result if this sort of propensity for the rendition of hate, not only by Kalu but also championed by different groups across Nigeria, is left unchecked. As people with backgrounds in media studies, we need not overemphasise the power of the media and its inherent capacities to be commandeered as willing instruments for negative or positive ends. The power of the media should never be underestimated, at least not in this case. Every part of this country should be mindful of the insidious influence of divisive rhetoric within its midst and the potentials to nurture and fan the embers of schismatic discords.




dump in the shredder the thrash as usual.


i am a Biafran soldier deal with it or go and die .


na da ban ban na the thing wey dey sweet dem pass .


i am a biafran .
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by Vanityupnvanity(m): 5:43pm On Jun 30, 2015
I smell stupidity
Re: Opinion: Radio Biafra Parallels The Origins Of The Rwandan Genocide by zenith4biz(m): 6:01pm On Jun 30, 2015
Seen

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