The Presidency has said the position of the United States of America and the European Union on the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra by Nigeria, led by Nnamdi Kanu, is irrelevant and immaterial.

The position of the Nigerian Government comes a few hours after SUNDAY PUNCH reported that the United States Government does not view IPOB as a terrorist organization.

This was based on the response via email to an enquiry by the SUNDAY PUNCH by the spokesman for the American Embassy in Nigeria, Russell Brooks.

The European had also on September 16, 2017 rejected the classification of IPOB as a terrorist organization.

But writing on a Yahoo Group, African World Forum, late on Sunday, Chief Okoi Obono Obla, the Special Assistant on Prosecution to President Muhammadu Buhari, said the positions of both the EU and US Government on IPOB was irrelevant and immaterial as far as Nigeria is concerned.
Using the email address: okoiobla@hotmail.com, Obla wrote, unedited: I have previously said that the international community should not meddle in our internal affairs because doing that will amount to erosion of our sovereignty! The EU has no business absolutely and totally with our internal matters so if EU says it does not see IPOB as a terrorist group it is of no moment as far as Nigeria is concern . It is inconsequential ! We all know by the definition of a terrorist organization within the meaning of the term as defined by the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act , IPOB is a terrorist organization ! Also it by its advocacy and modus of operation it is a terrorist organization ! It used to terrorize , harassing or intimidating those who do not subscribe it to its separatists ideology and ethnic bigotry before its proscription so it is a terrorist organization ! This is also an organization that was hounding and killing Nigerians in Rivers and Abia States before the military intervention ! This is a group that we’re burning police stations ; killings police officers , throwing bombs at military convoys, threatening to make the country ungovernable : threatening to stop governorship election in Anambra State! Most importantly a court of competent jurisdiction -Federal High Court has presided over by the Acting Chief Judge, Justice Abdul Kafarati upon an application filed by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation hinged on Section 2 (1) (a) & (b) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act granted an order proscribing IPOB ! So whether EU or United States of Nigeria or any foreign country says about IPOB is immaterial , irrelevant and of no moment !I want to add the USA may say IPOB is not a terrorist organization by US Law because it is a registered business concern in the State of California in the United States ! However by Nigerian Law a foreign company which is not registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission by the provisions of Section 53 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2004 is illegal . And by Section 54 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act it is a criminal offense for a foreign company to operate in Nigeria without registration! So all this while IPOB was operating in Nigeria illegally ! I can assure you that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation will soon initiate criminal proceedings against promoters and members of the proscribed IPOB for infringement of Section 54 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act for operating illegally in Nigeria.

https://theeagleonline.com.ng/ipob-us-eu-positions-irrelevant-immaterial-to-nigeria-presidency/

I am waiting for the denial of this crappy story

Lie Mohammed must have said this........sounding like a SPOON FED CHILD here if you ask me.

Nigerians never sleep well since the US talk sense into their heads to dialogue with Biafrans.

And our Southern leaders are fighting IPOB even more than the Northern leaders now. How pathetic.

So IPOB were throwing bombs! What a lie!!!

Stupid,inept and anti-human government trying to find relevance in a civilized world.Selective justice only lead to more injustice.Meanwhile is the killer fulani group registered with the CAC and why are they not proscribed?

They will soon come and put it lightly when criticism comes.
...with one crappy explanation that begs the questions raised.

Nigerian government dancing stupidly before the international community.

So even EU has rejected the terrorist tag on IPOB?

This whole thing is going very well. The world should continue to watch this wicked government.

Oga Oblo or Okpolo,please remember that the maximum Buhari has to stay in office is 8 years,after this you will realise that you are on your own.

The social media does not forget,one day all these utterances will come back to hurt,when you realize you are but a mere southerner .

The Hausa -Fulani i know will push the blame for all these idiosyncrasies to you southerners,apologize and absolve themselves.

"Slaves who love their chains,will continue in their bondage"

LAI MOHAMMED : We never said UN opinion is irrelevant, we said they are technically irrelevant

Mynd44:
I am waiting for the denial if this crappy story

lolzzz... You can doubt.. Choi.

Nigeria irresponsible government is getting Mad

Dont They know that Nigeria is barely surviving from aid from EU and US...

that any crisis in Nigeria will affect the world in terms of refugee..

They think Nigeria is just an Isolated country....

Ahlaji Mynd44 Buhari is about to face the world... let see if indeed we actually have sovereignty

[s]

Nukualofa:
You ended up typing from an unemployed boy point of view.

[/s]

And you ended up thinking like daft who does not know how international politics work!

With people like you, it's obvious Biafra is a failed project.

Esseite:


[s]Who buys your oil?...
who puts an embargo on weapons purchase?
What say do you have if nations neglect you?

Ask syria, libya, egypt, iraq, etc... please dont make the blue writing seem stupid when sane people come across it.

[/s]

And when last did the US got oil from Nigeria, oh you didn't even know that they had stopped as far back as 2014 when GEJ was there? Did we die?

You people are very ignorant!

Despite the Army-Shiite palaver and indictment by Amnesty International, did US not just sell some of its Tucano Aircrafts to Nigeria?

Where are you guys from self? Are IPOB members this uninformed?

Na wa o!

Next time you want to quote me, use your brain sir.

Just like Gay Marriage is allowed in USA but abomination and against the Law in Nigeria



IPOB is a Nigeria affair not USA/EU


Though the proscribing of IPOB as a terrorist Organization is just to curtail the excesses of Nnamdi Kanu's Arrogance.


We can simply change name but on the same mission......BIARA RESTORATION

Aptly said, what has some senseless pronouncement from the number 1 sponsors of terrorism and destabilization in world got on Nigeria. Whether they see ipob as a terrorist group or not wont stop the python from dancing probably followed by the biting monkey. Ipob you all can apply for visa with permanent stay in your so supported benevolent countries.

niceprof:
Oga Oblo or Okpolo,please remember that the maximum Buhari has to stay in office is 8 years,after this you will realise that you are on your own.

The social media does not forget,one day all these utterance will come back to hurt,when you realize you are but a mere southerner .

The Hausa -Fulani i know will push the blame for all these idiosyncrasies to you southerners,apologize and absolve themselves.

"Slaves who love their chains,will continue in their bondage"

I'm telling you dear.Never allow sycophancy becloud one's sense of sound judgement.

hahahaha...am laughing in Swahili
US and EU irrelevant...ok
when u decide to bite the fingers that is feeding u

Nigeria govt daring US and France...he the gods want to make mad will first make him go blind

i won't say the grave repercussion that will be melted on FG coz of this IPOB issue.

meanwhile****US and EU irrelevant... but una President attended their UN summit.lol

Nigeria is now threaten world powers. Just 2 years o.. Just 2 years

US and EU and others is now seeing the future North Korea.... That would attack them.

niceprof:
Oga Oblo or Okpolo,please remember that the maximum Buhari has to stay in office is 8 years,after this you will realise that you are on your own.

The social media does not forget,one day all these utterance will come back to hurt,when you realize you are but a mere southerner .

The Hausa -Fulani i know will push the blame for all these idiosyncrasies to you southerners,apologize and absolve themselves.

"Slaves who love their chains,will continue in their bondage"

Well said Bro! We're stuck in these mess because our Southern leaders choosed to worship the Northern leaders blindly all for chicken pay

Chai

Nigeria should thread with caution, IPOB plan is working

greatiyk4u:
Just like Gay Marriage is allowed in USA but abomination and against the Law in Nigeria



IPOB is a Nigeria affair not USA/EU


Though the proscribing of IPOB as a terrorist Organization is just to curtail the excesses of Nnamdi Kanu's Arrogance.


We can simply change name but on the same mission......BIARA RESTORATION

Fascism is a dangerous trend... It's not about IPOB, its about Nigeria Government believing they have all the unhindered authority to plunge the country in chaos that would affect the world.

Nigeria government must learn to accept opposing veiws instead of attacking and demonizing it.

Mynd44:
I am waiting for the denial of this crappy story

Who will deny it

kinibigdeal:
LAI MOHAMMED : We never said UN opinion is irrelevant, we said they are technically irrelevant

Hahahaha

Man u don sabi Lai the liar and his lies

Bolustical:
The Presidency can never be more apt than this, Nigeria is no one small African country that the world powers can bully.

If Nigeria could call the bluff of the US as regards Same-Sex Marriage, if OBJ could go unscathed with the Odi Operations and that of Zaki Biam, nothing would happen!

It seems people are letting emotions run over and are not good observers of international politics, ask yourself, what has the big powers been able to do to leaders of Zimbabwe, Togo, Burundi, South Sudan, Central African Republic with several human rights abuses? Nothing!

So if you think they (EU, US), who could not touch leaders of smaller African countries, would do anything to Nigeria over its internal matters, then you need to be delivered.

More so, international military interventions are not just carried out based on emotions but on concrete intelligence, these super powers have diplomats around who gather intelligence and believe you me, they know the TRUTH.

You ended up typing from an unemployed boy point of view.

kp3tech:


Fascism is a dangerous trend... It's not about IPOB, its about Nigeria Government believing they have all the unhindered authority to plunge the country in chaos that would affect the world.

Nigeria government must learn to accept opposing veiws instead of attacking and demonizing it.

Absolutely, Obla is simply telling the world that Bokoharam & Fulani herdsmen is a registered company in Nigeria

WHY IGBOS ARE ANGRY WITH NIGERIA

My friends who are not from the Easvt of Nigeria where Igbos come from often ask me why there is so much anger in the East and among Igbos. Some wonder why, despite the famed Igbo” wealth’ and enterprise all over Nigeria, the people still complain that Nigeria is unfair to them. Some insinuate that the anger comes from the loss of the 2015 election by Jonathan who the Igbos heavily backed.

And why is it that the current generation of Igbos are so angry as to contemplate carrying arms against the country? With lots are following Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB with his secessionist message. Those not following may despise his antics and rhetoric but are sympathetic to his underlying message? And what is that message? That Igbos don’t feel wanted in Nigeria. That decades of official marginalization and discrimination should be stopped or they would be ready to take their chances in a new nation.

First, for those who think this is all about Jonathan and Buhari. It is not. Igbos were disappointed that Jonathan did not win. But those whose candidates lose elections lick their wounds. It is allowed. It happens when your candidate loses election. Why did the Igbos invest so much emotions in Jonathan, a non-Igbo Ijaw? It was more because of the fear of their experience in the past 50 years. Nigeria has placed an embargo on any Igbo man becoming Nigerian president. Jonathan was the next best thing. Other parts of Nigeria have supported their sons to the presidency. Some have bombed Nigeria into submission to get their son to Aso Rock. Igbos have little capacity to blackmail Nigeria to the presidency. They chose Jonathan as their “Igbo”. But that’s not to say that they are angry enough because he lost to contemplate going to war on his behalf. Jonathan was not really the model of a President you would go to war for. And his Ijaw people have accepted his loss. So?

Igbo anger has been building up in Nigeria since I was a kid in the 70s. As kids, we made choices in our school years based on the narrative of the Igbo place in Nigeria. We knew of the glass ceiling against Igbos before we were out of puberty. After the civil war, despite the “No winner, no vanquished” program, Nigeria placed glass ceilings and no-go areas for Igbos. The war reconstruction program was observed more in the breach. There was the “abandoned” property program that was introduced to drive a wedge between components of the former South-East Nigeria. While the country was too embarrassed to put the discrimination program down in an official gazette, it was there for anyone who cared to look. It was evident in the Igbo police officer who stayed in one position while less qualifies juniors progressed to become his bosses. It was evident when no Igbo qualified to become the Inspector General of Police, or leader any division in the armed forces. It was there when "sensitive" or "lucrative" positions were shared in Nigeria and Igbos were conspicuously absent. It was there when Igbos were only fit enough to be made Minister of Information until Obasanjo came to power. And even recently, it was there when Buhari appointed 47 people to man the critical roles in his government and no one from the South east was there. Any time there is a federal appointment in Nigeria, its usually the east that shouts. It was there from Buhari first term to his second term and anyone in-between.

The Igbo elite called it marginalization. Other Nigerians countered by saying no part of Nigeria was getting enough. Marginalization was universal. But they forgot something. The Igbo cry of marginalization was official policy. It was expected. It was programmed. And occasionally, key government officials let it slip that Igbos should not complain. After all, they fought a war with Nigeria. Talk about No Victor, No Vanquished. There was a Victor alright. And they were reminded of that at every turn. Every appointment. Every national project. Nigeria was only pretending. Igbos were licking their wounds and complaining and the rest of Nigeria was too busy to notice.

Go to the South-East today. Since the 70s and the oil boom. Nigeria has invested in commercial industries across the country. None has been sited in the South east. None. Refineries, Steel Plants, Cement Firms. Any Industry. The South East was systematically de-industrialized. Even when it was the best location for any industry, there was always a reason why it should not be sited there. What this means was that any Igbo man that wanted to work in a commercial federal establishment had to leave the east. Add this to the indigenization policy of the early 70s that pushed the Igbos out of private companies. It meant that international companies also avoided expansion into the south east. The Nigerian Breweries, the Dunlop and other such firms sited their plants outside the East and only set up distribution centers to sell in the region. This is one of the main reasons the exodus of Igbos from the zone accelerated after the war and continues to this day despite the hostility they face in certain parts of Nigeria. And why most became traders and commercial business men. Because access to organized work either in the government, government commercial institutions and even commercial institutions were limited.

The only industrial enterprise in the east are built by easterners; Nnewi, Aba, Onitsha. These are Igbo indigenous industrial cities.

This has been the practice since the end of the war.
In addition to this, the Federal Government has systematically made it difficult for Easterners to do commercial business even in the East. The Federal Roads in the East are some of the worst in Nigeria. The Eastern Sea ports have been made ineffective. It was a war to get the Enugu Airport upgraded to an International Airport. The former Finance Minister shed tears on the day the first International Flight landed in Enugu. Yes, Okonjo Iwealla cried! Recently, it was only the South East that was conspicuously missing in the New Railway Plan of the Federal Government. Nigeria has 6 regions. And one was missing in a national railway plan. Incidentally, Igbos who reside here are the most itinerant in the country and would benefit most from a national transport plan. Even our President changed the plan to include his village but a zone of the country was not included.

When you go to the east, despite the lack of federal presence, the presence of police all over the east tells a story. They mount road blocks and make it difficult to have commercial activity. Recently, Customs has joined. And lastly the army. It is an occupied territory. They extort money. They intimate. They recently have started killing.

Nigeria has made the east unlivable. Purposely. Carefully.

I am often in conversations where people accuse the east of being clannish. That while we are welcome in all parts of Nigeria, outsiders cannot come to the East. My question is: why would you come to the east? To do what? There is no business to do in the east. Nigeria has ensured that. Why would someone from the South West of Nigeria go to the East to invest? No one would prevent you. But it hardly makes commercial sense. Nigeria has ensured that. Those from the North are there in droves. Igbos love to celebrate with cows. And the cattlemen go there to sell their cattle. No one molests them. In my village and most villages in the East, they live unmolested. But those are the only people who can find commercial reason to be there!

So those who wonder why Igbos are angry, wonder no more. While most would not dare carry arms against Nigeria, don’t under estimate the level of disconnection and anger especially among the younger generation. Nigeria is made of nations that came together to form a country. No nation will like to be in perpetual servitude. That Nnamdi Kanu’s supporters starred down army tanks with sticks is a sign that the next generation will be ready to fight bare hands if necessary to stop Nigeria treating the Igbo nation as second-class citizens. There will be fiercer and angrier Kanus in our immediate future if Nigeria does not officially stop the “vanquished “program against the Igbos who fought the civil war. You cannot preach unity and indivisibility of the country on TV and all your actions point at discriminating against the components of the country. It is as dangerous as it is foolhardy. Let those who preach unity walk the talk and stop open discrimination of their countrymen. History has shown that you cannot decree peace. You cannot decree unity. You cannot force any group to belong to a country by force, it may work for a time. But never sustainable.
Nigeria has a lot to look forward to as a united country. It also has enough for the regions and nations that make up the country. Our diversity is a blessing. Our failure to reach our potential is caused mostly by the internal contradictions and the inability to build a fair country that can bring out the best out of her component regions. Those who shout most about loving Nigeria today are mostly those its current unfair structure favor. But Nigeria will continue being as strong as its weakest link. And the weak links are all there to see. The East is one of the weakest links. Until it stops being a weak link, Nigeria cannot truly make progress

They may be irrelevant, but to say so is arrogant.

Ogbeni, TERRORISM IS NOT AN INTERNAL ISSUE. it is a global issue.. You woke up one morning and called people terrorists..people who have never carried arms against the government..
This country is a SHAME