Biafran Protest: Perspective Of An Unrealistic Sectional Demand
By Mike Ubani
— Nov 26, 2015 3:11 am | Leave a comment
Although the on-going protests in Igboland meant to actualise the defunct Republic of Biafra may never unfold into reality, there are suggestions from the South-East zone that the federal government should also make its presence be felt in the region, writes MIKE UBANI

Last week, South-East stakeholders, including the five governors in the zone, decided during a meeting in Enugu to dialogue with the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) whose members have been remonstrating against the arrest, detention and prosecution of the director, Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. This sparked a ray of hope that issues instigating the sectional upheaval would soon be addressed.

But barely 24 hours after that meeting, the sectional unrest took a deeper crisis dimension when the Department of State Security Services (DSS), pushed for fresh charges against the boss of the controversial radio station. This exacerbated the issue, as the Biafra agitators disdained fortune and stormed Abuja in protest against Kanu’s arraignment in court.

Initially, the DSS had charged Kanu with criminal conspiracy before a senior Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja. But on Monday, November 23, the DSS told the court that Kanu was also involved in terrorism and financing of the criminal act. The prosecution counsel, Mr. Moses Idakwo urged the court to release the embattled Kanu to them, so he could be tried in a court of competent jurisdiction. Kanu is standing trial before the magistrate court on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, intimidation and belonging to unlawful society, to which he had earlier pleaded not guilty.

The Magistrate, Mr. Usuman Shuabu will on December 1, 2015 rule on whether it is legally apposite for Kanu to be taken to a higher court to stand trial, given the fresh allegations leveled against him. Expectedly, hundreds of the pro-Biafra protesters took to the streets of Abuja to protest the arrest, detention and trial of the Isiama Afara Ibeku-born director of Radio Biafra. There were similar protests that day on the streets of the commercial cities of Aba in Abia state, and Onitsha in Anambra state.

Indeed, before Monday’s outing at the Abuja magistrate court, several thousands of pro-Biafra protesters had protested on the streets of Asaba (Delta state), Onitsha, Awka, Enugu, Abakaliki, Umuahia, Aba, and Port-Harcourt (Rivers state), against the arrest, detention and prosecution of Kanu by the DSS. Beyond that, the protesters demanded the resuscitation of the defunct Republic of Biafra.

They argued vociferously that though Biafra was defeated by Nigeria armed forces on January 12, 1970, after 30 months of grueling and bloody civil war, they (protesters) who apparently were not born during that horrific war that claimed the lives of about one million people, mostly women and children, were now poised to secure independence for Biafra. The defunct Eastern Region was on May 30, 1967 declared the Republic of Biafra by Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, now late, who was then military governor of the Eastern Region.

Ojukwu and the Eastern Nigeria Consultative Assembly primarily pulled the former Eastern Nigeria out of the Nigerian federation following series of unchecked killings of Igbos then residing in the North, and other parts of the country. But 45 years after the end of the civil war, MASSOB, IPoB and the Zionist Movement of Biafra (BZM) are hell-bent on reviving the failed Biafra, an ambition not shared by several Igbos, some of them who have flourishing businesses in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and even in the remotest villages outside the South-East.

The thinking of some Igbo elite is that the economic gains achieved by the Igbo after the civil war through dint of hard work, would go down the drain if another civil strife explodes. For instance, the Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministries, Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), Fr. Ejike Mbaka said during the launch of new products by his company – Aqua Rapha Investments Limited that the “protests might develop into a full-blown crisis, capable of destroying South-East’s economic prosperity”.

On his part, former President Olusegun Obasanjo described the protesters as ‘miscreants’, while President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted as saying that the federal government will crush the protesters if they refuse to go back to their respective homes. During the last lap of the civil war, Obasanjo was commander of the 3rd Marine Commando of the Nigerian Army. He received the document signifying Biafra’s surrender from Ojukwu’s second-in-command, Col. Phillip Effiong.

But what really are the grievances of these pro-Briafan groups? There is a groundswell of opinion among those sympathetic to the Biafran course that the demand by several pro-Biafra groups including IPoB), for the revival of Biafra, could have been avoided if successive federal governments had improved the welfare of the people of the South-East by repairing overtly deteriorating federal roads in the zone; the reactivation of the coal mine in Enugu, the building of a second bridge in Onitsha, across River Niger, as well as the establishment of gigantic industries in the zone capable of absorbing thousands of youths from the area who daily roam the streets of Lagos and Abuja, in search of unexacting jobs.

To this effect, a communiqué issued by the South-East governors forum after their meeting in Enugu on November 17, 2015 and read by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state noted that the governors and opinion leaders in the south east have agreed to set up a committee to intercede between the federal government and pro-Biafrans over the recent agitation for an independent Biafra state.

Okorocha explained that the resolution of the meeting was to send a delegation to meet President Muhammadu Buhari over the issues hindering the development of the region and the supposed marginalisation of the Igbo people. He said, “The governors are concerned about the poor state of the federal government roads in the zone, namely Enugu-Onitsha road, Aba-Ikot-Ekpene road, Owerri-Port-Harcourt road, Enugu-Port Harcourt road, among others which need urgent intervention by the federal government.

“After a compassionate review of the recent MASSOB/IPOB agitation in the country, it was resolved that a committee be set up to dialogue with MASSOB/IPOB as well as with the Federal Government with a view to finding a lasting solution to the issue.

“The elders also examined other issues including poor state of infrastructural facilities in the South-East, marginalisation in federal appointments and other socio-economic issues that impact on the economic development of the South-East and resolved to support the decision of the South-East Governors to set up an Economic Council and urged them to interface with the Federal Government on remedial measures. A delegation of the Elders of the South-East was mandated to meet with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

The south east governors failed in their bid to stop protests by members of the pro-Biafra groups over the continued detention of Kanu.

In a statement it issued, MASSOB rejected the resolutions the ground that it did not address the major reason for the protest, which is the continued detention of Kanu. Its Director of Information, Uchenna Madu said the only way to end the crisis is the unconditional release of Kanu. The group also said it was worrisome that South East governors met without their counterparts from the South South region, which also witnessed some protests.

Madu said, “MASSOB is not satisfied with all the meeting of Igbo leaders on Sunday because of no seriousness on the plight of Nnamdi Kanu,” Mr. Madu said. How can revered Igbo leaders waste a whole day in a marathon meeting without discussing our simple demand of Nnamdi Kanu’s release?Are they afraid of Northern oligarchy, western alliance with north or President Buhari? The governors, Ohaneze and other Igbo leaders have proved that they’re not representing the interest & demands of Ndigbo.

“They have shown their soft mind, inferiority complex and loyalty to our oppressors, we shall prove to Nigeria that the Igbo governors, national assembly members, other Igbo leaders are not truly in charge of affairs in Igboland”.

During the electioneering campaigns leading to the 2015 presidential election, Buhari who later emerged president on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), promised to revive the Enugu coal mine if he became president. Though he got an infinitesimal vote from the electorate in the South-East, many say that now that he has become President, he should fulfill his campaign promises, particularly the ones he made to the people of the South-East.

Again, during its meeting on November 22, 2015, the South-East governors who were joined by traditional rulers and elders from the zone, regretted the marginalization of the South-East in federal appointments and “other socio-economic issues that impact on the development of the South-East”, and therefore, resolved to send a delegation of elders from the zone to meet with President Buhari.

“The pro-Biafra agitators will go back home any day the federal government shows enough interest in the development of the South-East.

The protest symbolizes many years of neglect of the zone by the federal government. Since Nigeria achieved independence in 1960, no Igbo man has occupied the seat of executive president, and it’s not likely that any will do for a long time to come”, says Elder Kalu Kalu, an Enugu-based public affair analyst.

There is a groundswell of opinion that the ongoing pro=Biafra protest would not metamorphose into any gun-battle between the protesters and the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. According to Nkemdilim Ogwo, a student in one of the tertiary institutions in the South-East, the Igbo currently lack leaders such as late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwus who would lead them to war. Even then, Ogwo argues that having witnessed the pangs and pains of war, Ojukwu, if he were alive, would not advice Ndigbo to go for another.

The thinking here is that the South-East governors should harness the resources in Igboland, to build and solidify the economy of the zone, instead of depending totally on the federal government. Ikenna Igwe, suggested that the moribund industries in the zone should be revived to create employment for thousands of youths scouting for jobs that are not there. He praised the South-East Governors’ Forum for deciding to set up an Economic Commission to examine the ways and means of building a robust economy in the South-East.

“This is not the first time security agents would arrest a high profile pro-Biafra agitator. Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, founder of MASSOB has been in and out of detention, yet nothing happened, so I don’t see how the arrest of the director of Radio Biafra will lead to war or dismemberment of Nigeria”, Ikechukwu Uduma, an Enugu-based business man said.

Uduma suggested that the Buhari administration should move fast to implement the recommendations of the National Conference, more so the restructuring of the country so that at least the Igbo will have one, if not two additional states. He also opined that the country should return to regional government to reduce the current tension in the land.

Source:


http://leadership.ng/news/478037/biafran-protest-perspective-unrealistic-sectional-demand

Cc: lalasticlala, ishilove

The more Lagos/Ibadan express way media houses write lubbish against Biafra, the more Biafra agitation wax stronger.

I don't know why Biafra gives you guys heart attack, naxo Igbos dy important reach?

The Grand Strategy Of IPOB and Igbos

We all know that the struggle for biafra is all about control of the oil, land and sea of the SS minorities in Nigeria who aren't igbos. The game of the igbos is to wrestle it from the reach of Nigerians and have it to themselves alone in a country where they can muzzle the minorities with their population.

They claim they will have a constitution which allows for 100% resource control. So funny . A constitution that can be erased at the drop of a hat just as they stopped Nigeria's flourishing regionalism through a bloody coup.


If they so much love the SS by promising them 100% resource control, why not love them enough to let them be or have their own country without being with the ibos in a biafra which will seem like a mini-Nigeria where they won't have another majority tribe to run to should the igbos oppressed too much.

The new mantra of the igbos is 'give us referendum like it was given to the scots'. One would think they want the referendum to hold only in SE igbo land.

We all saw how they used buses to export igbos from SouthEast to South South cities like yenegoa, PH, asaba etc to protest, making it look like it was the SS minorities that were protesting in support of biafra.

Now, they want UN to hold a referendum in SE and SS. Their game plan is to export their sons and daughters from not only SouthEast, but also the North and SouthWest straight to the South South cities to vote for biafra the same way they exported them during their protests. This will give the impression that the SS wants biafra cos we all know the huge population of igbos outside igbo land. That is what I call being clever by half.

If the FG must allow igbos go, no inch of SS land should be forfeited to them. Prevent them from having SS minorities, then watch the agitation fizzle out.

The protest symbolizes many years of neglect of the zone by the federal government. Since Nigeria achieved independence in 1960, no Igbo man has occupied the seat of executive president, and it’s not likely that any will do for a long time to come”, says Elder Kalu Kalu, an Enugu-based public affair analyst.

Who is Nnamdi Azikiwe? And what is his position in the first republic?

Ngasky:
The protest symbolizes many years of neglect of the zone by the federal government. Since Nigeria achieved independence in 1960, no Igbo man has occupied the seat of executive president, and it’s not likely that any will do for a long time to come”, says Elder Kalu Kalu, an Enugu-based public affair analyst.

Who is Nnamdi Azikiwe? And what is his position in the first republic?

Nnamdi Azikiwe was the ceremonial head while Tafawa Balewa was the main man running head of Government

President - ceremonial
Prime Minister - main man.

EasternPride:


Nnamdi Azikiwe was the ceremonial head while Tafawa Balewa was the main man running head of Government

President - ceremonial
Prime Minister - main man.

Ceremonial or not he was the president in the first republic. Anyway what about Aguiyi Ironsi?

juicee1:
The Grand Strategy Of IPOB and Igbos

We all know that the struggle for biafra is all about control of the oil, land and sea of the SS minorities in Nigeria who aren't igbos. The game of the igbos is to wrestle it from the reach of Nigerians and have it to themselves alone in a country where they can muzzle the minorities with their population.

They claim they will have a constitution which allows for 100% resource control. So funny . A constitution that can be erased at the drop of a hat just as they stopped Nigeria's flourishing regionalism through a bloody coup.


If they so much love the SS by promising them 100% resource control, why not love them enough to let them be or have their own country without being with the ibos in a biafra which will seem like a mini-Nigeria where they won't have another majority tribe to run to should the igbos oppressed too much.

The new mantra of the igbos is 'give us referendum like it was given to the scots'. One would think they want the referendum to hold only in SE igbo land.

We all saw how they used buses to export igbos from SouthEast to South South cities like yenegoa, PH, asaba etc to protest, making it look like it was the SS minorities that were protesting in support of biafra.

Now, they want UN to hold a referendum in SE and SS. Their game plan is to export their sons and daughters from not only SouthEast, but also the North and SouthWest straight to the South South cities to vote for biafra the same way they exported them during their protests. This will give the impression that the SS wants biafra cos we all know the huge population of igbos outside igbo land. That is what I call being clever by half.

If the FG must allow igbos go, no inch of SS land should be forfeited to them. Prevent them from having SS minorities, then watch the agitation fizzle out.

it is really unrealistic, how did they think buhari wil be tired to rule over d whole of nigeria