WHY the renewed push for Biafra?
Until Nnamdi Kanu hit the scene with a bang, we all thought the show had ended the way it began – full of drama and action, just like a movie. It used to be the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) led by the facetious Ralph Uwazurike whose followers were dismissed as flighty youths who saw it all as an exciting pastime.
Uwazurike would, for months, threaten to “declare Biafra” as if a mere proclamation by an Indian-trained lawyer in one corner of the beautiful landscape of Igboland would be the open sesame that was needed to make the dream a reality. He and his army of youthful followers would, with great revelry – singing, drumming, drinking and dancing – set a city throbbing and gather in a corner, plant the green-black-red Biafran flag and raise his hands in a black power salute. The youths, driven into a strange freneticism, would hail endlessly. Sometimes the police would come to smash the rally. Other times, they would just ignore the marchers.
So vexatious was Uwazurike’s antics that the police seized him in 2005 and detained him on treason charges. Besides planting flags in a few places with great fanfare that belied his intentions and the enthusiasm of his supporters, the man also launched what he called the Biafra passport. The only beneficiary of this weird enterprise was, perhaps, the printer who got the contract to print the document. Nobody was confident enough to travel with the passport, which became an ordinary booklet symbolising the delusions of grandeur of its holders. In no time, MASSOB was hit by an enervating crisis of leadership. Uwazurike was, ironically, accused of sabotaging the group he had led with much braggadocio after the police arrested many of its members for celebrating its 16th anniversary. A faction vowed to probe him. Director of Information Uchenna Madu said: “We sympathise with the brainwashed and hypnotised members of Uwazurike’s faction who died and those detained during the celebration of the 16 years anniversary of MASSOB while their leader was dining with his friends.” Damning.
He went on to say Uwazuruike visited Umuahia after the police stormed his home in Okwe, Imo State, to assure them that his MASSOB had no plan to break up Nigeria. Madu said the MASSOB chief then fled to Lagos without telling his supporters that the anniversary celebration had been called off. The police grabbed many of them who attempted to stage the anniversary. Uwazurike loves controversy and loves hugging the limelight. He was on song just before the last general elections when he called for former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chair Attahiru Jega’s resignation. His apocalyptic warning was, of course, ignored. The elections went on and, as they say, the rest is history.
If we thought we had seen the last of such theatricals, we were damn wrong. Enter Kanu of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), the brain behind the overseas based Radio Biafra, who is said to have cut his teeth under Uwazuruike. He has been detained even as a case of alleged treasonable felony is being prepared against him.
Now, many are wondering what this resurgence in pro-Biafra activisim is all about. Didn’t the late Eze Ndigbo Gburugburu Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu – of fond memories – say that it was all over? Why should a group of youths, many of them yet unborn during the reprehensible Civil War that took so many lives – God forbid another fratricidal venture – begin to sing the song of war? Are the Igbo so marginalised in the configuration of power and influence in this country that some would rather embrace a bloody solution to what seems a mere village square squabble over kolanuts? Isn’t this another conspiracy of the elite against the very people they claim to be fighting for even as it is apparent they are festering their own nests? Even kids have been asking what it all entails. Will they now ask our friends and school mates to return home to a new place called Biafra? Are we going to need visas to visit them? How about Igbo men who are married to Yoruba women and Yoruba men who have Igbo wives; where will they stay?
Will the “chemist” down the road pack it up and return to Aba or Abakaliki? What will happen to the massive spare parts markets in Kaduna, Kano, Lagos and Ibadan as well as other cities? How will customers go to Ariaria and Onitsha markets; by visa? What will happen to the various Eze Ndigbos and their red crowns in Kano, Ibadan, Makurdi and all other places? Their kingdoms another to take?
A former military chief, an Igbo, is said to have pasted on his facebook page the points he believes the excited agitators may have refused to note. It has the title “Foolish is not Igbo” and states: “For six years, our own occupied the offices of deputy Senate president, deputy speaker, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), minister of Finance/ coordinating minister for the Economy, ministers of Health, Labour, Aviation, Petroleum (by marriage), Chief of Army Staff and so on, yet nobody complained that the Igbo got too much of the Federal power rations. Neither did your highly placed brethren improve your lot in terms of development.”
He then went on to say that “while other ethnic groups watched and played their politics towards national relevance, we the Igbo got carried away and played politics of the pocket where semi-illiterate moneybags charted the course for us.” He said those who had access to Aso Rock got fat contracts and lied to “the Igbo, who put all their eggs in one fragile basket that had lost form and shape to protect them”. “As the results of those fatal errors set in,” said the gentleman, “the same money-miss-roads are now fanning the embers of seccession as their next meal ticket bargaining chip while the teeming youths they lure with money and lies risk losing everything, including their lives.” There you have it.
A dialogue between Abuja and the pro-Biafra agitators, which will eventually culminate in a general amnesty for the youths in the manner of the former Niger Delta militants’ programme, has been suggested. But there is the postulation that should the government succumb to this subtle pressure, it will get a long list of requests for amnesty by other vociferous and quiet but highly combustible groups. Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), which has not hidden its anger over the loss of the seductive pipeline protection contract. Ombatse, which is yet to explain the disappearance of policemen on a peace mission to its area. Arewa Youths. Egbesu Boys. And more. Soon, amnesty will jam amnesty and there will be general amnesia.
To some of my Igbo friends, the agitation portrays them in a bad light. It is wrong. Damn wrong. The Igbo man has excelled in many fields, including education, medicine, business, sports and many other areas of human advancement. His intelligence, nay perspicacity, is the subject of striking wisecracks.
Consider this, which once appeared on this page: “An Edo man invited his friends to his mother’s burial. After lowering the coffin, the family put yam, rice, meat and other foodstuff in the grave – in line with tradition. A Hausa man asked why. The Edo man smiled and said: ‘According to tradition, the dead go on a long journey and need all the food items they can get.’ The Hausa man dropped N100,000 inside and said, ‘when the food finishes, buy more.’ The Yoruba man dropped N50,000 and said, ‘Add this, in case that is not enough.’ The Igbo man smiled, brought out his cheque book and wrote a cheque of N200,000, dropped it in the coffin and took the N150,000 notes as change,u saying: ‘ Nwanne, withdraw it when you reach there o. It is going to be a dangerous journey. We don’t know how many robbers are out there and, after all, we are in a cashless economy. Travel well oooo!’“
There is enough room for the Igbo talent to find expression and blossom in Nigeria. If there are grievances – aren’t they normal in human relations? – they should be settled within the law. The impetuosity of succession comes with great pains and no gains. We do not need it. Igbo kwenu!
source:
www.thenationonlineng.net/sounds-of-biafra/

Biafra!!!!

Each time a Yoruba man write rubbish he ends the useless article with IGBO KWENU instead of OMO odua emi laye .... "There is enough room for the Igbo talent ( They suddenly realize average igbo man is more talented than them)to find expression and blossom in Nigeria ", and this did not happen since 55 years now.... Now I am more than convince that Yorubas needs IGBOs more than IGBOs need Yorubas and they cant hide it any more , they are doing everything possible to stop Biafra leaving Nigeria but Let me tell you 100 of Yoruba NATION News paper article can never change the coming of BIAFRA

kaycid77:
Each time a Yoruba man write rubbish he ends the useless article with IGBO KWENU instead of OMO odua emi laye .... "There is enough room for the Igbo talent ( They suddenly realize average igbo man is more talented than them)to find expression and blossom in Nigeria ", and this did not happen since 55 years now.... Now I am more than convince that Yorubas needs IGBOs more than IGBOs need Yorubas and they cant hide it any more , they are doing everything possible to stop Biafra leaving Nigeria but Let me tell you 100 of Yoruba NATION News paper article can never change the coming of BIAFRA

Yoruba man have you finished ranting how much did you receive from the 20billion naira mapped out for media propaganda against by the dullard terrorist buhari and mallam elrufai remember for every rubbish written against biafra there radio biafra to shred it to pieces

I must disagree with you sir, there is not enough room in Nigeria's stifling, oppressive and repressive system. How can you defend the idea of Qouta System of Federal Character in this Global Economy of the 21st century? How many children are denied entry into unity secondary schools because the are from a particular region? How many willing and able young people have been denied opportunities just because they are not from a particular region.

The Nigerian setup has maintained the same political attitude towards the former Eastern Region for close to half a century. How can you expect any patriotic zeal from a people who you so openly deride? Why do you do the same thing over and over again yet expect a different result? Isn't that insanity?

While I will agree with you that Uwazurike was at best a dabbler and half hearted, Kanu himself being of an incendiary disposition in his approach going by his utterances, I must state that discrediting these two men does not by any means extinguish the idea of Biafra.
The late Ojukwu once declared that the idea of Biafra was dead but I still beg to disagree, Biafra is bigger than any Ojukwu, Kanu or Uwazurike. They are just actors who will enter and exit the scene as the Opera progresses.

It is said that good fences make good neighbours, and I believe that it is best to separate a little bit and maintain a good relationship than be forced into an unwilling union and be colliding with each other. Nigeria is unfortunately riddled with so much inconsistencies that symptoms of our maladies have now become full blown for the world to see.

Take the issue of terrorism for example, Its an open secret that the Nigerian government has no answer to it. The army keeps issuing final warnings, they keep extending the deadlines yet more brutal violence is unleashed on the people day by day. How did we get to this point?

You mentioned that these agitations portray us in a bad light. That is absolutely laughable, may I ask you has anything ever portrayed us in a good light? Do you know about Ahmadu Bello's Northernization policy of the 1960's? Wasn't it specifically targeted at my people? What agitation necessitated that? All the deliberate political manipulations against the Igbos is not lost on them. How come the South East had the least number of states in Abachas Geopolitical map? Did any agitations cause that? How come we have the least number of Local Governments too or poling units and wards? Why were the oil bearing communities forcefully carved into Rivers and Akwa Ibom States? It took a Year Adua to even correct a certain obvious anomaly between Abia and Akwa Ibom. Obasanjo left office leaving the South East with zero power plants, his native Ogun alone has two. If that isn't lopsided, I wonder what it is.

Finally I'd leave you with a quote made in the 18th century

A popular Government without popular information nor the means of acquiring it is but a Prologue to a Farce or Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern Ignorance and a people who mean to be their own Government must arm their people with power that knowledge gives.

James Madison
4th US President.

I must disagree with you sir, there is not enough room in Nigeria's stifling, oppressive and repressive system. How can you defend the idea of Qouta System of Federal Character in this Global Economy of the 21st century? How many children are denied entry into unity secondary schools because the are from a particular region? How many willing and able young people have been denied opportunities just because they are not from a particular region.

The Nigerian setup has maintained the same political attitude towards the former Eastern Region for close to half a century. How can you expect any patriotic zeal from a people who you so openly deride? Why do you do the same thing over and over again yet expect a different result? Isn't that insanity?

While I will agree with you that Uwazurike was at best a dabbler and half hearted, Kanu himself being of an incendiary disposition in his approach going by his utterances, I must state that discrediting these two men does not by any means extinguish the idea of Biafra.
The late Ojukwu once declared that the idea of Biafra was dead but I still beg to disagree, Biafra is bigger than any Ojukwu, Kanu or Uwazurike. They are just actors who will enter and exit the scene as the Opera progresses.

It is said that good fences make good neighbours, and I believe that it is best to separate a little bit and maintain a good relationship than be forced into an unwilling union and be colliding with each other. Nigeria is unfortunately riddled with so much inconsistencies that symptoms of our maladies have now become full blown for the world to see.

Take the issue of terrorism for example, Its an open secret that the Nigerian government has no answer to it. The army keeps issuing final warnings, they keep extending the deadlines yet more brutal violence is unleashed on the people day by day. How did we get to this point?

You mentioned that these agitations portray us in a bad light. That is absolutely laughable, may I ask you has anything ever portrayed us in a good light? Do you know about Ahmadu Bello's Northernization policy of the 1960's? Wasn't it specifically targeted at my people? What agitation necessitated that? All the deliberate political manipulations against the Igbos is not lost on them. How come the South East had the least number of states in Abachas Geopolitical map? Did any agitations cause that? How come we have the least number of Local Governments too or poling units and wards? Why were the oil bearing communities forcefully carved into Rivers and Akwa Ibom States? It took a Year Adua to even correct a certain obvious anomaly between Abia and Akwa Ibom. Obasanjo left office leaving the South East with zero power plants, his native Ogun alone has two. If that isn't lopsided, I wonder what it is.

Finally I'd leave you with a quote made in the 18th century

A popular Government without popular information nor the means of acquiring it is but a Prologue to a Farce or Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern Ignorance and a people who mean to be their own Government must arm themselves with power that knowledge gives.

James Madison
4th US President.