Massob Declares Self-determination - Launches Travel Passport

THE Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has officially launched its international passport. The launch was done on Tuesday at Okwe in Onuimo, Imo State. Speaking at the launching ceremony at Okwe, the leader of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, said that they could use the passport to travel to any part of the world, including Abuja and Lagos.

According to him, if any member of MASSOB was killed for possessing the passport, members of the movement would fight for his cause. He told his members, who came from all over the country to witness the launch, that it was better for them to die where people would fight their cause than to die in a country like Nigeria, where nobody would fight for their interests.

Chief Uwazuruike also told his members, who besieged the venue of the launching that he would be leading a powerful delegation to Ghana, where they were expected to meet President Barrack Obama.

Answering questions from reporters, he said the Niger Delta militants should not have accepted amnesty since they had not been found guilty of any offence.

Uwazuruike urged the militants to go ahead and blow up more oil pipelines in order to get what lawfully belonged to them. He said MASSOB members would register their presence in Enugu at the burial of Chief Christian Onoh, former governor of old Anambra State.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/01072009/news/news1.html

Nice Topic I hope Is Successful so i can Join my IBO Brother.

This man keeps saying he is Biafran, yet all his actions indicate he's a typical Nigerian. How come he keeps starting everything from the back. Is printing of passports what is needed right now? First they printed currency still not worth the paper It's on, now It's International Passports for a nation yet to exist. Is he telling me that it is that passport he'll use to travel to see Obama? Then why is he deceiving other unsuspecting Igbos that they can use it to go wherever?

Please O! This is no time to dull. This is time to shine eye. I'd hate to see another warrior who will come back from exile to enjoy the good life after wasting away millions of lives of loyalists. 

You believed you made a post huh.

I really understand the frustration of not only Ndigbo,but all forward thinking Nigerians on the failure of the Hausa -Fulani led cabal,however this passport gimmick is just that a 'gimmick' .

The man should take up arms & declare war like the valiant MEND,thats the way to go. . . . . start by annexing Anambra gov lodge,move to enugu ,untill you have overthrown all the 'Nigerian' govs on biafra land,install your own,re-draw the state borders  & push for elections into the national assembly of the sovereign state of biafra in 2012.

Thats the way to go ,my friend    .

First we had the Biafra Dollar/pound/yen/euro. (It doesn't matter. the point is its Biafra. yah!!). Now the Biafra passport. Next is Biafra Airline, after that we'll have the Central Bank of Biafra, the Biafra University to teach Biafra science and art and technology and law. and history of course. The Biafran Armed Forces are already stationed in Uwazuruike's house, cooking up strategy. Its a matter of time. step by step. the Republic of Biafra is taking shape. its cooking. Meanwhile in other news the Eze Ndigbo of Lagos urged Igbos in Lagos to. . .   

I saw this on my phone, and I just had to ask a few observational questions! Seeing that they have launched a new passport, what are the legalities surrounding this? Surely, one cannot have a sovereign nation inside another existing nation? Abi I dey miss the point?

I see that he made a mention of how it can be used internationally, but cited Abuja and Lagos as his example of "international places" the last time, I checked Lagos and Abuja are part and parcel of Nigeria. Or is he trying to say these places are not considered state any more but international and sovereign countries?

Still on the issue of passport, do anyone in any part of nigeria really need a passport to travel interstate? Perhaps thing are different back home.

Finally, which nations of the world actually recognizes this passport like he would want us to believe?

I mean, to be honest his action is very illegal. If the article his true, then he should be arrested for inciting violence against the state. In fact, in my opinion, his actions and comment puts him as an enemy of the state.

If there is any legal eagle in the house, please shed more light on some of the issues I raised. Thanks.

In my own opinon,

Nigeria is failed state! We dont trust one another and I dont see that trust in the next 100 years. So, what is the gain of flogging a dead horse?

Those who are afraid of divided Nigeria are those who refuse to face the fact that Nigeria is a failed state.

The likes of Uwazurike are doing a great job by pointing them to read the hand writing on the wall:

Nigeria was never one nation, Nigeria is not one nation, and except we sit down now and negotiate our oneness, Nigeria will never be one.

Uwazurike may appear like a dreamer, but the fact is that he is defying Nigeria, and if Nigeria thinks that he is only joker, then let Nigeria ignore him.

Uwazurike recently launched a currency, this passport issue will end like the currency issue. It will amount to nothing. Uwazurike is just trying to stay in the media.

But the fact remains that while Uwazurike does not even have majority support in the South East, most Nigerians including the most Nationalist elements in the South East know that the country is not working.

We are neither a true Federal State with devolved powers in the various regions nor do we have a central Government willing to impose centrist and secularist ideologies on every part of the country.
We can continue to live in denial and continue to dismiss that activities of Uwzaurike, Asari, OPC or what Shekarua have been up to or we can for once take a hard look on who we are as a Nation and choose what it is we really want.

Uwazurike will surely not get anywhere with this passport launch, but the bombings and killing of Niger-Delta people who legitimately question how oil is extracted from their neighbourhood but yet they live in abject poverty; will continue. The feeling for contempt for the Nigerian State will always continue amongst Igbos, the Yorubas will still always admit that the contraption called Nigeria will only exist as long our oil before it gets depleted. There will also be the Shekaruas and Yerimas and Hisbahs of this World who want to live in an Islamic Country who will continue to challenge the Secular nature of our country.

All of these at the end of the day boils down to the issue of a people with separate identities who prefer their regional identities to the Nation State.
For me I am ok with the Nigerian Sate I just think it might be necessary to renogotiate our existence. We should consider devolution where every Geopolitical Zone manages its reources and identities under a single Army led by the Nigerian Government with regions producing the most resources naturally paying more tax to the central Government.
Under this arrangement the South-South will be in 100% control of its resources, the North will have Sharia law to implement as they want, Civil Servants will not be at risk of getting killed in the North as it will be up to them to live and work outside their region or not.

These are truths we can only ignore and postpone to our own peril.

These are not battles between Uwazurike or Ndigbo against the Nigerian State, its just a symptom of existence of competing truths and competing identities. Some want to embrace civilization, others think they have other priorities. Its up to us to live up to these truths or continue to deny them for economic expediency which has not even bettered the course of our Nation economically.

A very succinct point. . . . the Northerners themselves overrode the constitution when they proclaimed Sharia law up there. . . . hence power has been devolved to them. . . . it seems Nigeria is happy with devolution, except when it comes to revenue arrangements. . .

When I read this story today, I knew once I open Nairaland that many Nigerianas will be having a field day because their pet hate is mentioned- BIAFRA!!
What Uwazuruike is doing is politics or mind game but some people are peeing their pants already and some are laughing their ignorant already to dead.  The idea of the Biafran currency, short wave radio, international passport etc are just symbolic, just like palestinians has passport or flag but they are not a state yet with Greater Jerusalem as their future capital.

As presido has rightly asked, why are Igbos so special in keeping one Nigeria? Igbos had been told countless of times that they cannot be trusted, they love money so much, they are arrogant, they're 419ers/drug pushers, they will never rule Nigeria and that they even walk with their heads on the floor but anytime they said they will like to live alone then if they are all the problems of Nigeria, all hail breaks loose by the same very people making those assertions.

What Biafra represent and will continue to represent is that Igbos and few of their neighbours believe that they don't need a big elephant like Nigeria to survive and others believe they needed Igbos to keep Nigeria afloat, hence they fought with their last gut to keep Igbos in Nigeria
I am still waiting for patriotic Nigerians to tell me why they can't live without the Igbos or Biafra people?  Saying Biafra is dead, it's a pipe dream etc doesn't solve this mistery or answers the question.

You can't tell your wife that you don't love her but also saying that you can't leave without her as well. I don't know why people find it difficult to believe that majority of Igbos young and old do not believe in one Nigeria as their part to the future or progress after they were dragged back into Nigeria. There is a saying that "No matter what you did for an adopted child, one part of his brain will still asking about his birth parents" That is why BIAFRA question will still be cming back.

Of course that is your opinion and there is a saying that "When some one airs their opinion, you can calculate their age"
Tell me what producing a president of backward moving Nigeria got to do with progressive aspiration of a whole nation? OBJ was president for 12 years, now tell me how that had impacted in the lives of Ijebu or Egba person talkless of the whole of Oduduwa nation?
 Yar Adua has been ruling since 2007 but still go abraod to treat his own version of swine flu, then what is the hope then for ordinary Fulani man?
Or how can I forget that the former teach, Mr Badluck Jonathan has been number two for a while now but still his masters are bombing/killing his own people because of crude oil and the best he can do is amnesty when no one had been convicted of anything, because his master are worried about the flowing of oil money that is been disrupted.

Next time keep your crass opinion to yourself.

The Ijaws and the Igbos have made moves to let Nigeria see reason to either adopt a true federation where everyone controls their resources, or separate and go apart. What have the Yorubas done? What are the Yorubas doing? Do they prefer the status quo? Their inaction is ominous given that they are an important component of the failing nation. Do they want the country to finally collapse at their doorstep?

There are also elements in the North Central part of Nigeria who are not happy with the State of Affairs in Nigeria

Untill the South Capture the attention of those folks in the North Central we will continue to live under that Myth that their is a dominating North who won't let the country move forward. I very much believe that those dragging the Nation back are in minority.

Now we are knowing those who want to stay in nigeria and those who want to leave. i would back with map what may be the map of nigeria when those who do not want to stay leave.

Bigger than Switzerland, one of the richest countries in the world that is also landlocked. I bet the Igbos can stay on their own and pay for use of sea ports located in Nigeria, that is if the Niger Deltans do not form their own country out of what is left of former eastern Nigeria plus  Delta and Edo states, in which case the sea port charges will go to the new Delta country.