MASSOB leaderComrade Uchenna Madu is the Director of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). He spoke with Jude Ossai and Josephine Aganu in Enugu on the recent 10th anniversary of the movement and why there is no end to agitation for an independent state of Biafra, among other issues. Excerpts:

How did the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra’s (MASSOB’s)10th anniversary go and what is the state of its agitation now?
MASSOB’s 10th anniversary was well celebrated. We held the anniversary on September 13. The programmes of the anniversary included, among others, church services, life band, public processions and football matches across Biafra territory. We gave gifts to the less-privileged in orphanages. We also visited motherless babies’ homes and gave them clothes and other gift items.

Our activities are still going on as MASSOB is a non-violent organisation. We strive to maintain our non-violence stance in all our approaches in actualising Biafra Republic. There is no time frame in realising this project.

How does the group intend to realise the dream of having a sovereign state within a sovereign state?
We have about 25 stages to cover through which we shall realise our dream of a sovereign state of Biafra. This involves building regionalism. That is building governmental structures in Biafra land. Now, we have a de facto government of Biafra. We have appointed regional administrators numbering 40 who are equivalent to the serving civilian governors in the East. Each region has 30 directors on areas like agriculture, information, sports, finance etc. We also have administrators, provisional administrators and district officers as well as commissioners and ward officers.

Equally, we have national directors who are equivalent to ministers.

With this on ground, we have two governments in Biafraland. One is representing the Republic of Nigeria and the other represents Biafra Republic. The Nigerian government is de jure. But the de jure of Nigerian government is diminishing each passing day. For example, when we (MASSOB) declared a sit-at-home order, people obeyed us even when the Nigerian government countered it. Another example is the issue of Biafran currency. People have come to embrace it as legal tender. The Biafran international passport is in operation. In fact, the Biafran project is on course and nobody can crush the dream. On Biafra we stand. No retreat no surrounder.

Are you aware that it appears that people are afraid of using the Biafra currency in the market, despite your claim?
Perhaps, it is because the Biafran currency we introduced was the old one. We shall introduce new Biafran currency at the appropriate time. However, the Biafran currency is still being used in countries like Ghana, Republic of Benin and Togo.

Activities of Biafra in recent times seem to be dying down. Can this be attributed to the leadership crisis and clampdown on MASSOB members by the authorities?
Honestly, there is no leadership crisis in MASSOB. We are all committed to the struggle, despite consistent plans by the Federal Government’s agents to infiltrate our ranks. There is no going back on the Biafran project. Biafra activities are not going back. We have just held our 10th anniversary across Biafraland. Biafra is a revolution and it is indestructible because God, history and humanity are on our side. By the last count, 1,300 of our members have died through Nigeria’s agents. I am happy to tell you that right now, Nigeria as an entity has collapsed.

The United States of America (USA), through its intelligence agency called Africom, has predicted that Nigeria would collapse before 2013. The USA is expected to send 20,000 soldiers to Biafraland (Gulf of Guinea) and Niger Delta region to safeguard America’s oil interest and the people of Biafra from any possible attack by the Nigerian government. The first batch is already in the Niger Delta and Eastern part of Nigeria. The entity, Nigeria, will split into six independent states. Each of the six geopolitical zones will become an independent state. It cannot be reversed because the United Nations (UN) has come to understand that Nigeria as an entity is a camouflage because of its numerous crisis. The general clamour is that we are not one. What happened in USSR will take place in Nigeria. Biafra, Oduduwa, Arewa and others will emerge.


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Reason for this is that Biafra is not a child of Igbo origin. It is a child of the marriage among the five major ethnic groups in the Eastern region and the day that she was born, she was a child of circumstance. Circumstances arising out of Gowon’s attempt to dismember the Eastern region by creating Rivers and South Eastern states. Immediately after that pronouncement, the five ethnic groups making up the Eastern region brought Biafra to being. That day, Biafra became the operational word of the Eastern Army.”

They thought that by reducing the size of the land mass and the population of the Igbo ethnic group, that they will contain the situation. It is now that it is dawning on them that it isn’t really the Igbo ethnic group that is the problem, that it is the minorities within the Eastern region who felt that they are being marginalised because before the oil came, we had no trouble in the Eastern region.”

Wan Biafra goes, the yorubas and hausa cannot co-exist because their friendship is for one purpose to intimidate the igbos.the yorubas joined the hausas because they are chameleons they have no stand and are always identifying with the person in power , if power changes hands today to the igbos the yorubas will shift their allegiance to the igbos.a man who is unstable as water has no future.

look at what happened to rueben in the bible.he lost it all. as much as iam not a tribalist ,i have this to say.the yorubas are unstable,can be water ,ice ,gas at any time. the igbos are industrious and leaders in commerce chasing after money.

because they have been marginilised even when they are educationally qualified they are not given jobs, so they devised their own means of survival.which have been termed as greed by same people who marginilised them.

i hope seun will classify all these igbo boys making noise on nairaland as foreigners since they should to enslave themselves in that tiny region, i cant wait to see the day when igbos will be chased out of lagos and other south western state, useless tribe

~Bluetooth:

i hope seun will classify all these igbo boys making noise on nairaland as foreigners since they should to enslave themselves in that tiny region, i cant wait to see the day when igbos will be chased out of lagos and other south western state, useless tribe

pls don't. retract your words.not ALL Ibos are MASSOB members.

dimwit!

MrPrsdent:

pls don't. retract your words.not ALL Ibos are MASSOB members.

dimwit!

Is Igbo not Ibo

emyah:

Is Igbo not Ibo

whatever!

Igbos can never be united when it comes to money and power, take it or leave it, it's in their traits.

And Igbos will in return chase Yoruba from PH and other Eastern states back to the West.

No problem. Nitwit

Keep talking abt BIAFRA. The more we talk abt it, the faster we fasten the process of actualizing the soverign state of BIAFRA.

how come it' a year late!? i predicted 2012!
  Nigeria must divide, the earlier the better for everyone!

iGBO iGBOS, wHERE THE TIN WAN STAY?, BIAFRA KO BIARA NI, NA U WAN DIVIDE AM ,

Biafra will rock, one day!