IN the eight years of Obasanjo’s presidency, there was no headline-grabbing demand for Biafra. Ditto for the eight years of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan presidency. However, within months of Buhari’s presidency, the Igbo demand for Biafra has become deafening.

Without a doubt, the blame for this new impetus must be laid firmly at the doorstep of President Buhari. Moreover, rather than attenuate it, the president and the APC have exacerbated separatist tendencies in the country.

This was part of the reason why people like me did not support Buhari’s election as president of Nigeria. I have written severally in Vanguard that Nigeria must remain a united nation. In my column of 4th March, 2014 entitled: “Re-inventing Igbo Politics in Nigeria,” I maintained that: “Nigeria cannot survive without the Igbo.” The following week on 11th March 2014, I wrote another article entitled: “Nigeria Cannot Do without the North.”

I remain persuaded by both positions. But if Nigeria is indeed to remain united, there are certain things that must be said and done. The problem with the Buhari administration is that it seems totally impervious to these imperatives.

Second-class treatment

There is no question that, as one of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Igbo have been hard done by. Since the civil war 45 years ago, they have been treated as if they were a minority ethnic group in Nigeria when in fact they are one of the majorities. No Igbo has been considered worthy of being head-of-state. The South East of Ndigbo is the only one of the six geopolitical zones of the country with five states. All other zones have six or more. Indeed, the number of local governments in the North-East is virtually double that of the South-East. As a result, the Ndigbo receive the smallest amount of revenue allocation among all the zones, in spite of the fact that some of the South-eastern states are among the oil-producing states.

The roads in the South-east are notoriously bad. Government after government have simply ignored them. Inconsequential ministerial positions are usually zoned to Ndigbo. Time was when it seemed the lackluster Ministry of Information was their menial preserve. It is also a known fact that every so often the Igbo are slaughtered in the North under one guise or the other. Many are forced to abandon their homes and businesses and run for dear life. The people who perpetrate these acts never seem to be arrested or prosecuted.

When a major tribe is treated procedurally as second-class in their own country, there will be a demand for self-determination sooner rather than later. When a group of people feel unsafe in their own country, they cannot but be expected to decide to opt out. It is not the responsibility of the government to imprison the Igbo in Nigeria. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure and guarantee that they feel safe and are treated with respect.

Discrimination against the South: While these issues have been brewing under the surface for some time, the lop-sided tendencies of President Buhari have brought them all out to boiling-point. In his first-coming as head-of-state in 1984, Buhari antagonised Ndigbo by locking up Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, an Igbo man, in jail in Kirikiri; while President Shehu Shagari, a Fulani man was only placed under house arrest. In addition, Buhari arrested and jailed Ojukwu, another Igbo icon for no just cause.

As Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, Buhari discriminated blatantly against the South and especially the South-east. For example, his PTF built only 4,440 kilometres of roads in Southern Nigeria representing a paltry 24%; while 13,870 kilometres were built in the North representing 76%. Of these figures, the Southeast and South-south combined only received 13.5%.

Under the PTF’s National Health and Rehabilitation Programme, NHERP, the entire South got 0% allocation, while the North got 100% in the tertiary programme. In the vocational programme, the entire South had only 3% while the North had 97%. The same was for the primary side where the South had only 12% but the North was allocated 88%. The secondary area was no different. While the North had 86% percent, the South had just 14%.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/root-causes-of-the-biafra-struggle/

I weep for my country... We are not one. please let us go!

This Femi guy is just a foool. Sorry to say. We all know the agitation for Biafra is been reawakened by PDP. Buhari got in less than 3 months before the all nonsense started.

If anyone says Nnamdi Idiota Kanu should not have been arrested, they are probably right. FG made a mistake arresting him.

They should have sent someone on his trail and have him killed with a slow poison. That way it will be said he died a natural death.

Would these nonsense have happened if GEJ had won? The nonsense is PDP's way of trying to unsettle PMB but it will fail and woefully.

No tribe in Nigeria has what it want in full.

Revenue sharing formular is questionable, let every state retain 50% of its productivity.

The idioota even said the road in the south East are notoriously bad but that isn't the fault of the governors in that region.

That isn't the fault of PDP who ruled for 16 years, it is the fault of PMB who ruled for less than 8 months. Senselessness redefined in Femi whatever.

Trash

arsetalks:
This Femi guy is just a foool. Sorry to say. We all the agitation for Biafra is been reawakened by PDP. Buhari got in less than 3 months before the all nonsense started.

If anyone says Nnamdi Idiota Kanu should not have been arrested, they are probably right. FG made a mistake arresting him.

They should have sent someone on his trail and have him killed with a slow poison. That way it will be said he died a natural death.

Would these nonsense have happened if GEJ had won? The nonsense is PDP's way of trying to unsettle PMB but it will fail and woefully.

Yoruba's can never take half of the marginalization igbos suffered. Please condemn wat is wrong or are you saying we are wrong by saying igbos are marginalized?

omowolewa:
No tribe in Nigeria has what it want in full.

Let the idiota be ranting nonsense. The igbos have not been deemed worthy and rightly so. They betray each other. And when you constantly think other people are your enemy, don't blame them if they fail to support you when you need their support.

You can't constantly call me names and then be angry if I don't shake your hands.

An igbo ruling this country could be key to have success as a nation but it won't happen until they smell the coffee.

They finally need to unite within themselves, agree no one hates them and decide if they want to be part of Nigeria or want to be given equal right. One moment they want biafra, another moment they want equal right. No one can take them serious that way.

Now seat back and watch them hurle abuses at me.

Who is this lunatic?

arsetalks:
Let the idiota be ranting nonsense. The igbos have not been deemed worthy and rightly so. They betray each other. And when you constantly think other people are your enemy, don't blame them if they fail to support you when you need their support.

You can't constantly call me names and then be angry if I don't shake your hands.

An igbo ruling this country could be key to have success as a nation but it won't happen until they smell the coffee.

They finally need to unite within themselves, agree no one hates them and decide if they want to be part of Nigeria or want to be given equal right. One moment they want biafra, another moment they want equal right. No one can take them serious that way.

Now seat back and watch them hurle abuses at me.

No one will but you fail to realize it was the systematic conspiracy on igbos that added to all these dis unity but the tide has turned and we are becoming united under one voice.

I love my country nigeria but as a Igbo youth i don't feel nigerian

willow0802:



Yoruba's can nevr take half of the marginalization igbos suffered. Please condemn wat is wrong or are you saying we are wrong by saying igbos are marginalized?

No one said you are wrong. Did I? The issue is 1. You people finally need to unit within yourselves. Years ago, Kalu wanted to be president, how many votes did he get?

2. You people finally need to accept yorubas are not your enemy. It is silly to constantly tag the yoruba race as your enemy then call them betrayers when they do not support you. Make up your mind, do you want friendship or enemity.

3. Do you want equal right within Nigeria or do you want out?

All these needs to be sorted else the status quo will remain the same.

arsetalks:
Let the idiota be ranting nonsense. The igbos have not been deemed worthy and rightly so. They betray each other. And when you constantly think other people are your enemy, don't blame them if they fail to support you when you need their support.

You can't constantly call me names and then be angry if I don't shake your hands.

An igbo ruling this country could be key to have success as a nation but it won't happen until they smell the coffee.

They finally need to unite within themselves, agree no one hates them and decide if they want to be part of Nigeria or want to be given equal right. One moment they want biafra, another moment they want equal right. No one can take them serious that way.

Now seat back and watch them hurle abuses at me.

oh u know u deserve cuz abuses cuz u hating on US the igbos and thr by writing this trash. Get a life shaa...

arsetalks:
No one said you are wrong. Did I? The issue is 1. You people finally need to unit within yourselves. Years ago, Kalu wanted to be president, how many votes did he get?

2. You people finally need to accept yorubas are not your enemy. It is silly to constantly tag the yoruba race as your enemy then call them betrayers when they do not support you. Make up your mind, do you want friendship or enemity.

3. Do you want equal right within Nigeria or do you want out?

All these needs to be sorted else the status quo will remain the same.

You are sentimental. Do u know more than Sanusi? Many yoruba chieftains acknowledged the fact that igbos are sidelined in Nigeria

Its injustice and political marginalisation.

kossyablaze:
You are sentimental. Do u know more than Sanusi? Many yoruba chieftains acknowledged the fact that igbos are sidelined in Nigeria

Sentimental? Can you define sentiment? And where did I say the igbos are fairly treated?

You people get treated with paranoia state of mind because you think everyone is the enemy. You can't call me your enemy and then ask me to support you when it suits. Fact.

arsetalks:
No one said you are wrong. Did I? The issue is 1. You people finally need to unit within yourselves. Years ago, Kalu wanted to be president, how many votes did he get?

2. You people finally need to accept yorubas are not your enemy. It is silly to constantly tag the yoruba race as your enemy then call them betrayers when they do not support you. Make up your mind, do you want friendship or enemity.

3. Do you want equal right within Nigeria or do you want out?

All these needs to be sorted else the status quo will remain the same.

Yoruba's have never been the enemy of the igbos but yorubas have gained massively from the marginalization of the igbos and have kept shut about it. The nationalizing of foreign companies was mostly given to yorubas and the northerners, the 20 pounds nko, Awolowo's blokade advise nko, Even after he was released by ojukwu unconditionally, weren't yoruba's in SW rejoicing after his release.

Yorubas keep blaming igbo's for the first coup, if i may ask who was Major Ademoyega Adewale? He was one of the "Five-Majors" who led the nation's, and Africa's first military coup, but was he Igbo or Yoruba?

So you can see the root causes of the cat/dog relationship btw the igbos and yoruba's

kossyablaze:
oh u know u deserve cuz abuses cuz u hating on US the igbos and thr by writing this trash. Get a life shaa...

Let's talk when you learn how to construct a normal sentence.

Senseless article!

This man wants to appear good. And he's making Igbos look like victims.

1. This is not the first time biafra is hugging the headlines. What of massob and bzm?

2. Igbos were given critical roles under obasanjo and jonathan.

3. Igbos have since risen to IG of police and armed forces chiefs.

4. Roads all over the country are bad. Not only in igboland.

5. The south east is the smallest region. Niger state is bigger than all the 5 south east states. So you expect all the roads in d entire north to be the same number as the south east. And also the number of states?

6. The article says nothing about what the SE govs are spending their allocations on especially with a small land mass.

7. Igbos aren't the only ones that get killed in riots.

Nigeria must return to true federalism to address these issues. This is the root cause of the call for Biafra and not Buhari.

kossyablaze:
You are sentimental. Do u know more than Sanusi? Many yoruba chieftains acknowledged the fact that igbos are sidelined in Nigeria

Brother, these people kept a blind eye to it because they are gaining from the igbo's marginalization.

The roads in the South-east are
notoriously bad. Government after
government have simply ignored them.
Inconsequential ministerial positions
are usually zoned to Ndigbo.

These are the kind of things these people like to hear (LIES) and Aribisala and FFK are willing to feed them with the staple to eternity.

You mean Aribisala is placing the problems of Biafra at the doorstep of Buhari

This man should just admit it publicly that he hates Buhari...simple as ABC

He said Igbos has been neglected over the years, and they have been given second class treatment.....what has that got to do with Buhari

This new Biafra agitation is pure politics....no more, no less

Would Buhari take the blame of Theodore Orji, a governor who rape his state to penury, yet, they voted him in as a senator...Ekweremadu has been in thesenate since 2003, they should ask him what he has done in his capacity to ameliorate the suffering of his people

If I don't even knw of other ministries, I know of ministry of Aviation as am a staff of aviation...under Stella Oduah, the aviation in Nigeria witnessed the highest recruitment of Igbos into all the 5 aviation Agencies...1,500 Igbos got recruited to FAAN, 500 to NAMA, over 750 to NCAA...likewise NiMET and AIBP...did other ethnic groups shouted publicly....not even minding the fact that ordinary WAEC holders were given level 12 and above which negate civil service rules

The Igbos maximised their opportunity and used it, but nobody shouted Biafra then...now that they think they don't have that numerical strength to get what they want again, they are crying marginalisation...its just sickening to me.

There are broken roads. In the entire east, we don’t have any functioning roads. From Uyo to Calabar there’s no road, from Calabar to Ogoja there’s no road, from Enugu to Onitsha there’s no road, from Aba to Port Harcourt there’s no road, from Uyo to Aba there’s no road, from Uyo to Umuahia there’s no road, from Owerri to Port Harcourt there’s no road. And these are federal roads.. How the people are surviving in this country only God made it possible.
We don't have standard international airport, we don't have seaport, no second Niger bridge etc.. I could care less who heads the presidency but the injustice perpetuated to the Easterners is woefully higher than any other region.

Biafra is our only hope to breath freedom. It's not by force to be a Nigerian..

willow0802:



Yoruba's can never take half of the marginalization igbos suffered. Please condemn wat is wrong or are you saying we are wrong by saying igbos are marginalized?

Why are you being diplomatic with that yorubaboon you either ignore him or you break his head right away.

arsetalks:
This Femi guy is just a foool. Sorry to say. We all the agitation for Biafra is been reawakened by PDP. Buhari got in less than 3 months before the all nonsense started.

If anyone says Nnamdi Idiota Kanu should not have been arrested, they are probably right. FG made a mistake arresting him.

They should have sent someone on his trail and have him killed with a slow poison. That way it will be said he died a natural death.

Would these nonsense have happened if GEJ had won? The nonsense is PDP's way of trying to unsettle PMB but it will fail and woefully.

I'm not surprised, you talk from your arse

arsetalks:
This Femi guy is just a foool. Sorry to say. We all the agitation for Biafra is been reawakened by PDP. Buhari got in less than 3 months before the all nonsense started.

If anyone says Nnamdi Idiota Kanu should not have been arrested, they are probably right. FG made a mistake arresting him.

They should have sent someone on his trail and have him killed with a slow poison. That way it will be said he died a natural death.

Would these nonsense have happened if GEJ had won? The nonsense is PDP's way of trying to unsettle PMB but it will fail and woefully.

Biafra movement led by Nnamdi Kanu has been going long under GEJ. Video below of millions in Aba was on May 30, 2015 UNDER GEJ GOVERNMENT. This has nothing to do with GEJ or Buhari. GEJ national security team understood if they ignored Nnamdi Kanu visavis Radio Biafra, he wouldn't get the attention he was looking for...worked perfectly for him. Buhari and his national security team instead made it a cardinal point of their agenda to jam, threaten and arrest IPOB members. Lastly, you an idiot and certified fool for insulting our leader and messenger.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWyq7PWrs8I

Femi is wrong here again....

• In Balewa cabinet of 1960, there were 12 Hausa led NPC ministers and 11 Ibo led NCNC ministers. The Army, the Police, the Navy, the Airforce were all from the East
• 1st Republic – NPC / NCNC (Hausa / Igbo) - Nnamdi Azikwe became first President
• 2nd Republic - NPN / NPP (Hausa / Igbo) - Before Buhari's coup unseat Shagari
• 3rd Republic – SDP's Abiola won but Babangida won't allow him. Shonekan ruled briefly till Abacha took over.
• 4th Republic - PDP (Yoruba / Hausa) - Igbos formed the nucleus of the government.

Which marginalization will Igbos complain of under Yar'Adua and latter, Jonathan's government?

I laugh at people who say that the Biafra agitation is all because GEJ lost the election. The only truth to that claim is that Buhari helped the Biafran cause with his divisive ways. The clamour for Biafra has been on since the days of OBJ when Kanu and Onwuka were members of MASSOB.

This article is one of the reasons the Biafra agitation is getting high. PDP fueling the fire of tribalism in Nigeria

There r some biafrauds here in my area insultin buhari calling him uncircumcised muslim and dull.....but these ppl cant even pronounce commitee here. They are doing this cos jona lost. Asari even fuelled it

xtrorse:


Miserable bigot from a juju-infested enclave, Biafra agitation has been on for many years now.
FYI, Radio Biafra began operation since 2009 though not without some hiccups. Such sophisticated outfit cannot be built overnight. Use your head...at least for once!

RB even predicted that Jonathen will fail the last election; it went ahead to tell IPOB members not to vote and many of them obeyed.

Biafra is more than Jonathan or 2015 election. It's an ideology permanently inscribed in the heart of every Biafran even those you think are not in support, are indirectly funding and fuelling it but staying behind the scene for some political or economic reason.

See some evidences that proved that the agitation was strong as ever:

2006: https://www.nairaland.com/5729/Biafra

2007: https://www.nairaland.com/58738/what-happens-ikwerre-igbo-secedes

2011: https://www.nairaland.com/597402/northern-army-brigade-established-igboland

2012: https://www.nairaland.com/1094433/igbos-support-against-creation-biafra

https://www.nairaland.com/2660984/biafra-received-award-international-conference

STV Interview on The Way Forward by the Lower Niger Congress rep Tony Nnadi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyCy1Xm1SAU

It was even under GEJ administration that some Biafra agitators tried to seize a radio station in Enugu. PMB regime has nothing to do with the struggle; it only fueled it the more.

So, stop spreading falsehood and misinformation because you dread to be left alone. The earlier you channel your negative energies towards consolidating your OduaArewanistan republic.

so after all ur shouting has ur Biafra come to pass? Una just dey waste una time. Fyi i'm a full blooded ijaw man. U all shout biafra but yet y'all are leeching at lagos and others states. Y not return to ur land and develop it before shouting for biafra? Oh u cant cos biafool land is just an eroded piece of sh1t. Nonsense. y'all will shout and shout and in the end you will all die without realising d illusion called Biafra. Go and sleep