₦airaland Forum

[quote author=MduZA post=33133286]we are using it to feed thousands and thousands of your men roaming our streets...[/quote



you have to feed yourself first .

Onlytruth, Wly Wily, emyah

This is still our story! Time has failed to heal
wounds inflicted by pictures of spattered flesh
that grinned at us from bloodied mantelpieces.
We have yet to learn to sleep, daily reliving
mighty explosions and their afterglow
frozen in malignant memories.

Nearly 40 years since the declaration of Biafra, people must documenting its story for posterity. Not in any substantial way in any case. I felt compelled to place a copy of the call for submissions .

texazzpete:
Human beings are by design supposed to learn from their mistakes. The important learning from the Biafra war should be the prevention in future of any similar war, to eradicate tribal and ethnic bias and to improve relations between all the tribes and groups in this country.

Let's be realistic; the chances of the Igbos seceeding again into another Biafra are pretty remote. So if that outcome is unlikely to occur, why not focus on more realistic goals like tribal integration and the promotion of amity?

I've read through most of the discussion so far, and i'm not impressed with the Moderator's contributions here. The same RichyBlack that goes on and on about the evils of the Biafran war is the same Mod that has steadfastly refused to do anything about the plethora of tribalistic posts here in the Politics section. If we assume that Nairaland is a reflection of the Nigerian society at large, how can encouraging topics that increase the disunity and division between ethnic groups help preserve peace and tolerance?

The Middle East crisis should show you how not to propagate hatred. The people killing each other today in Palestine and Israel were not alive during the Israeli Arab wars or the creation of Israel. They are merely acting out a script taught them by their parents who consigned them to a life of hatred. And they'll teach their kids the same things too. Similarly, dredging the memories of Biafra up to revisit the latent feelings of bitterness and rage may not be the best idea.

to u and your family

The Hausa Fulani Yoruba and the Sokoto Caliphate who rule Nigeria have never; repeat
never believed in, valued or practiced democracy. They have always practiced dictatorship in the
form of feudalism of the dark ages. This is why it has been impossible to successfully organize a
transparent democratic election in Nigeria. This is why they cannot organize a census in Nigeria.

This is why there is all the corruption, oppression, robbery, embezzlement, stealing, political
thuggery, arson, kidnappings, killing of political opponents, and disastrous failure of government
to initiate and complete meaningful development projects in Nigeria. Dictatorship as is practiced
in Nigeria is a form of government practiced in the dark ages in Europe. It achieves nothing except
destroy the people on whom it is imposed. Dictatorship almost destroyed Europe.
And
Europeans quickly overthrew and destroyed all their dictators and set up democracies.
Here is how dictatorship works. A thug, an armed robber, a thief, steals or accumulates a
lot of money. He uses the money to recruit a bunch of thugs, thieves, robbers, and criminals. He
gives them military training and pays them money in exchange for loyalty to him and him alone.

Then he uses them to conquer the poor people living in towns and villages near and then far. He
now calls this his territory, colony, or dominion. He makes himself ruler of this territory and
demands total, absolute allegiance and obedience from everyone living in this territory. He will
entertain no questions or queries from anyone about what he is doing. He is the sole controller of
all monies collected as levies, and taxes or realized from sale of goods and resources.

He gives
account to no one about how he spends the money and no one dares question him. He is the sole
owner and controller of everything; money, property including all the land in the territory.
Everyone will be totally dependent on him for everything they need. If you need land to build a
house you beg him to give you a piece of land. If you need land to grow crops you beg him to
give you a piece of land. If your car breaks down you beg him for money to repair your car.

If he
is feeling good on the day you present your case he might give you something. If he is not feeling
good he could tell you to go to hell or tell his thugs to kill you. If he likes the shape of your wife
or daughter he will take them and order his thugs to kill you if you complain. If you plant crops
he will by right get a share of your harvest. If you are a trader he will by right get a share of your
money. You dare not complain. He will never bother whether you like what he is doing or not.

He sees it as his right to take what you have and make it his own. If you challenge him he will
order his thugs to kill you.
He will select people he likes; people who have shown blind loyalty to him and put them
in charge of parts of the territory as administrators. Those people will be responsible to him and
to him only. He will allow them to do anything they like to the people over whom he has put
them in charge. They can oppress the people any way they want; they can persecute the people
as much as they want; they can steal everything the people have; they can even kill the people.

The dictator will not care or ask them any questions so long as they maintain their blind loyalty
to him; do whatever he tells them to do; and bring money back to him. But the dictator will make
sure that those his lieutenants are totally dependent on him for everything and that they never
become strong enough financially or become powerful enough to challenge him.

If anyone appears
to be becoming powerful he immediately arranges for him to be killed. This is why dictatorship
is a system of government based on patronage, corruption, bribery, stealing, fraud, intrigues,
murder, and secrecy.

What have we gained by developing Nigeria and ignoring Biafraland? Are you happy and
content with yourself when you proudly report to your friends or family, or your children, that
you are developing Nigeria and maliciously neglecting Biafraland—that you cannot get to or
locate your own overgrown compound in Biafraland? Are you alright within yourself and with
your conscience when you understand that, not only have you joined Nigeria in developing one-
Nigeria at the expressed expense of Biafraland, but you have also joined Nigeria in its policy of
starving Biafraland of any development? Please, tell us where you can go today and be proud to
tell people that your own home in Biafraland has been completely neglected because you prefer
to develop other peoples’ lands, to develop one-Nigeria. Tell us whose mother or father taught
him or her growing up that it is preferable to abandon one’s own homeland and its development,
in favor of developing another’s, especially when one is an unwelcome alien in the land that one
has blindly vowed to develop at the very expense of one’s own land.

For this reason, we speak to the Spirit in all Biafrans: it is time to return to Biafra. “Returning to
Biafra” does not mean physical translocation. But, it means physically developing Biafra /
Biafraland. Returning to Biafra does not mean giving up the perquisites of one’s status
elsewhere, but it means, giving something tangible back to, for the sake of, and in the name of,
Biafra in return—

men, women, and children, from all parts of Eastern Region will never forget Ur evils

Some people have even insinuated that the Igbo want to take the Oil and Gas from the communities in the Niger Delta. Nothing could be more stupid than this statement. First 70% of the oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta are Igbo.

It does not really matter whether the devils in the Nigeria government slice them up and distribute them into their kwashiorkor states, they are still Igbo and they know it. Secondly the government of Biafra has stated hundreds of times in publication after publication that in Biafra the oil wealth [100%] belongs to the communities in which the Oil and Gas are located and not to the government of Biafra.

The local communities in which the oil and gas are located will mine their oil and gas, sell them and keep the money to themselves to develop their communities – to build schools, colleges, universities, hospital, industries, roads, bridges, highways; to provide electricity, pipe borne water, drugs for treating illnesses for their people; to provide employment for their people especially the youths; to provide retirement benefits for their workers; and to provide overall good life for their people.

Communities that do not have oil and gas will use their God given brains to invent things that they will sell to the world to make money. They will engage in trade, commerce, manufacturing, and information technology to make money and provide the same amenities for their communities as are provided by the oil bearing communities.

This is how Biafra respects the rights of people to private ownership of their property.

Some people have been going around and preaching to our people that there is no point resisting the subjugation, persecution, and taking away of our freedom by Nigeria . They are telling our people that it is better for our people to submit to domination, persecution, and enslavement by the Hausa Fulani Yoruba oligarchs and the Sokoto Caliphate.

How can anyone who knows of the history of the Igbo and other people of Eastern Region even think of suggesting this to our people? It is an insult on the intelligence of our people to even suggest this.

Those who succumbed to amnesty wayo by leprous Umaru YarAdua; those who accepted the apple from the snake in the garden of Aden will forever live to regret it. It won’t be long now before they confess and start regretting. No, it won’t be long. The Igbo and their brothers in the Eastern Region Biafra are known for resisting tyranny, oppression and fighting until they liberate themselves.


Therefore the people of Eastern Region Biafra will never relent until they liberate themselves from the slavery to which they have been subjected by the Hausa Fulani Yoruba oligarchy and the Sokoto Caliphate.


There will be no surrender because to live without freedom is equal to death. You are either alive and free or you are dead. Remember that in 1947 when the colonial British government wanted to take all the land in southern Nigeria and make it the property of the Queen of England, it was young Nnamdi Azikiwe [Zik] who organized nationalists and they carried out massive protests that stopped the British from stealing our land.

When the same British colonial government wanted to start apartheid system in Northern Nigeria by building segregated schools for White children in Jos it was the same young Nnamdi Azikiwe who again organized nationalists and stopped the British from starting apartheid system in Northern Nigeria .

Today in one of the worst ironies of history the Hausa Fulani Yoruba by military decree have by force taken over our land, the minerals in it and the water resources in our communities. What have you done; you from Eastern Region Biafra? What have you done? When the British invaded Igbo land west of the River Niger and was occupying it, our people fought the British like tigers and lions for decades. The Ekwunokwu [now Anglicized as Ekumeku] Revolution made life hell for the British invaders.

When the British imposed taxation without representation on our people including our women, the women of Eastern Region, form Calabar, Ikot Ekpene through Port Harcourt, Owerri, Umuahia, Orlu, and inland sacked the warrant chiefs that the British had imposed on our people; sacked the British administrative offices, courts, and trading posts all over Eastern Region.

The British were forced to call in their army and the women still fought them. The Aba Women Revolution (1929) is there in every history book for all to see. That is who we are. We do not accept tyranny, oppression and denial of our freedom and liberty. No, we don’t and we will never accept slavery.

depart from a place of understandind and go', ' a place of knowing

The West must align its foreign policy with common sense, reality and justice and that means doing everything possible to enable Biafra, the friend of the West to regain her freedom, sovereignty, and independence. Only by strengthening the hands of your friends and enabling them to exercise real influence in the world will the West win the world wide war against terrorism that is currently raging. Think seriously about it.

May God bless you all and the free sovereign independent state of Biafra!

The blood thirsty mullah came to power nervous, and looking as daft as brush in his usual heavy looking sacerdotal robes without considering the ungovernable nature of the useless country. When more informed members of the elite suggested that he should convene a conference to discuss separation or other forms of association order than ‘one nation’, he refused. Instead, he took the opportunity of addressing a group of Military officers and warned that “ The continued unity of Nigeria is not negotiable” This is something the North likes to hear. In October 1999, in an interview with Mr. Peter Hains, the then Minister for Africa in the British Foreign Office, the ignorant mullah shamefully compared the conflicts in Nigeria to misunderstanding between a husband and his wife.

Then began the confusion as they killed thousands of Southerners, burning down churches and homes through the Sharia area that stretches from the fringes of the Sahara right down below Abuja. It covers more than half the country, leaving a few Islamic states that are still on the wing of declaring Sharia. Up to this time it was reputed that more than three million had died in bloody conflicts rooted in ethnic and religious differences.

When both Abiola and Abacha died almost together, and in ‘mysterious ways’ that millions attributed to Niger Delta Juju, the Northern military traded Abiola for Obasanjo whom they brought forward for election as President .He began office on the 29th of May , a day significant as an anniversary of the notorious pogrom in 1966 when Northerners, led by their military in uniform, slaughtered thousands of Igbos and other Southerners from the East living in the North. It was this that hastened the Civil War 1967 to 1970. Hardly three months from the day Obasanjo began office as President in 1999, one after the other, the 12 huge Islamic Northern states, larger than half the country, declared Islamic Sharia in all its ramification.

The religious division in Nigeria can never get better. In fact it has become worse since the bloody mullah became President in 1999 by the grace of the Northern Military who think they inherit colonial Nigeria. It is they who make it ungovernable by their militant effort to Islamatise the wholly Christian Igbos and their southern neighbours in the Niger Delta. In 1979 as the country changed from Military to civilian rule, the Northerners began their alarming slogan - “No Sharia , no Nigeria” And they organised the AREWA CULT comprising Northern elite and establishment. But they did not follow up the slogan by declaring Sharia in any part of their huge territory. Then followed a relay of Islamic military coups that successfully established military regimes. They were Buhari, Babangida, Abacha and Abdulsalami – 1984 –1999. During this period the Ogoni incident and the Abiola debacle frightened the Northern Military. They feared that the Yorubas who in the South knew them better ,would join the rest of the South in the struggle for separation; and they cannot control it. So they brought in Obasanjo , a Yoruba whom they find reliable, even though the Yorubas did not like him. From Ibadan they had wished that God punish him. But before God could lay hands on him, Abacha had jailed him for misbehaviour.

It would be a wonderful thing if the incident of the Kaduna riots for the Miss World celebrations have made the world now to realise the true nature of Nigeria as a dangerous nation, - a horrible mixture of hate ridden tribes and warring religions, inhabited by peoples totally void of humour. The world should therefore give moral support to a permanent solution based on separation, for ending the togetherness cursed by the God of Abraham. We pray that their hatred of us would make them be proud enough to agree to separate from us in peace, so that they may worship their God in their own way and in their own country ; and we too worship our own God in our own way and in our own country as well.

In Nigeria it was not only that the Arabic orientated Islamic North was merged to the South including the wholly Christian Niger Delta, at independence, political power was handed over to the Islamic Northern party hastily introduced to politics, the Northern Peoples Party, that did not admit Southerners. for membership. It was during the hottest period of the Cold War, when the Christian Africans of the Belgium Congo was moving towards communism. The British Government saw Islam as a greater bastion to Communism than the Christian east in Nigeria.

[quote author=,mama-gee link=topic=335414.msg4720399#msg4720399 date=1255375911]There's something about this thread that doesn't make sense to me. [/quote]Nigeria in its deadly and corrupt form is a gold mine to many unscrupulous elite. In 1985 Lady Thatcher as British Prime Minister visited the country and later wrote in her book, The Downing Street Years that “ It is not easy to govern a country like Nigeria. It is somewhat artificially created - divided between Muslim North and Christian and Pagan South “ She did not remind her readers that Nigeria was the hand work of her predecessors in office during the dark days when no one sermonised on democracy and human rights. It was during the age when power to subdue weaker humans was glorious. It was left to Sir Peter Smithson formerly a cabinet minister (1956-60) in the colonial office to state some thing like near to an apology when he wrote “ During the negotiation for the independence of Nigeria, the view of the Secretary of State at the time, with which I agreed, was that in Nigeria we should attempt to put together a large and powerful state with ample material resources, which would play a leading part in the affairs of the continent and the world. This was attractive but it involved forcing several different ethnic and cultural groups into a single political structure. …, In retrospect of 40 years it is clear that this was a grave mistake which has cost many lives and will probably continue to do so. In exculpation it must be said we did not then have the examples of the collapse of Yugoslavia and of the Soviet Union before our eyes. It should now be clear for all but the wilfully blind to see that it is extremely dangerous to force diverse racial and social entities into a single rigid political structure…” London Times 15/ 7/.98

Nigeria like the rest of the countries in Africa, south of the Arabs, was created by the colonial system. But while the average number of ethnic communities in each African country is forty, Nigeria, the Sudan and The Congo has each more than 200 different and unrelated tribes. Of the three the Congo has no religious conflicts. The Sudan like Nigeria is cursed with warring Islam and Christians; but since early this year, the problem in the Sudan seems about to be settled by separation. In Nigeria, many of the elite are still beating about the bush for constitution, resource control true federation and such like for solution, when in fact the one and only simple solution is separation into agreeable groups. In this way birds of the same feather may flock together. and the Blessed Niger Delta with its hundred percent Christian will form a country. As it is because of the sharp division, the North looks to the Islamic world for its inspiration, while the east looks on the Christian world for it own values. Between the two of them there is only utter hatred which no constitution, or resource control or true federation can solve. So every little scratch of matches can produce flames that can burn a whole city. To more than ninety nine percent of the people, there is no advantage whatsoever for the North and the South continuing as one country. To less than one percent of the people in both North and South, Nigeria is very valuable, and they use its corruption based economy to enrich themselves or to gain international ‘ fame ‘ These include the bloody Mullah.

The bloody mullah and his cronies spend millions of pounds to promote monster Nigeria by covering up its horrors. Even a good man like Sir Richard Branson fall prey to their deceit. It is not surprising that the organisers of Miss World did not know Nigeria enough to refuse the celebrations to be held there, even though a young lady from the Niger Delta which happen to be in Nigeria by force, won the title last year. They could have saved the 300 dead, and the thousands that will die from injuries because the primitive hospitals in Nigeria cannot cope with their injuries. This not to mention the several churches, mosques and other buildings that were destroyed.

How else can an Islamic priest somewhere in the country openly issue Fatwa on a citizen in a way calling people to murder the citizen ? Can we not now separate quickly so that each side may pursue and promote their own religion ?

", the organization will never deny any Igbo man membership of Ohanaeze. The moves by some politicians to deny the Igbo origins of Professor Utomi is an act of desperation and mischief" Prof. Joe Irukwu, factional leader, Ohaneze Ndigbo.

When the Ibo Union (Ohan'eze) was formed in 1937, its major objective was to bring the native Igbo-speaking people of Nigeria together. To unite them and seal any social or cultural void, which may be detrimental to their interests in the then emerging politics of today's Nigeria. Dr. Denis Osadebay of Asaba with the backing of Dr. Azikiwe, took upon himself the rigours of forming the union. Asaba, on the west bank of the River Niger, having hosted the first and only international conference on Igbo language in 1904, was one of the quintessence of the Igbo, and in the vanguard of their politics,

In line with the vision of the original founding fathers, post civil war Ohan'eze Ndigbo, was statutorily structured to take care of the interests and the feelings of the native Igbo-speaking people, whose land was now decapitated by the civil war victors. It was within these context that the seven state chapters of Ohan'eze Ndigbo got bedrocked, hence the participation of Igbos from the South East and the SouthSouth zones in the Ohan'eze decision and policy making.

Igbo, as a language, has dialectical clusters that sometimes are mutually unintelligible to its speakers. This can be ascertained in the South East zone where someone from say Anambra state may have difficulties understanding fellow Igbos from Nnsuka, Abakaliki, Afikpo, Ohafia and some parts of Enugu state, while having a very smooth communication with Asaba, Igbuzo, Okpanam, Oko etc. natives in the South South zone of Delta state.

In a similar vein, an Etche person from Rivers state, may feel at home communicating with one from Ngwa in Abia state, than with a native Asaban in the south south zone from where the both hail from. It must be emphasized that this is not a sole Igbo problem. Dialectical variations do exist in what is known today as the Yoruba land, where the Ekitis, Ijebus, Aworis, Ondos, Ijesas interpret their Yoruba language in different dialectical forms, which are often difficult for some of their kinsmen from other groups to understand. I, as a native of Ukpo-Dunukofia, Anambra state will not fully understand the late Sir warrior singing in his native Owerri dialect. Therefore, with all these variables, who is more Igbo and who is less?

Going by the Sun newspaper report, one of the so called elders of Ohan'eze Ndigbo, a factional leader, Chief Hypolite Ogboko, has fallen short of what is demanded of an "elder". In his refute of a newspaper report which claimed that Dr. Pat Okedinachi Utomi's presidential bid has been endorsed by the pan Igbo group, he said, "Utomi represents the South-south in the geo-politics of Nigeria. Utomi can’t even speak Igbo very properly”.

So regrettable as the statement, It again, underlines the need why Ohaneze Ndigbo should be apolitical. The likes of Ogboko and their unguarded utterances would continue to weaken the basis of Igbo-speaking people's unity in the geo-politics of Nigeria. The spirit of "Mgboko Igbo", which was started by Dr. Alex Ekwueme in the 1990's runs contrary to this development. Ohaneze Ndigbo is not a political party, and does not serve the interests of the Igbos of the South East alone.

Further more, Ogboko's statement contradicted that of Ohaneze's for the 2007 elections, which stated that It would favour presidential candidates from the South-East and the South south, non-Igbos included. Now, what an irony for one of Its "elders", Ogboko, to turn around and say that, "Utomi represents the south south, "? The Utomi In question, is a fellow Igbo and the deputy president of Aka Ikenga for that matter.

"Infantile politics", as some people are wont to call the modern day Igbo method of pressing for their needs in the labyrinth called Nigeria. Or else, can someone explain when "properly" spoken Igbo, became a prerequisite for Ohaneze's endorsement of Igbo pres. candidates? Even at that, I have heard the opportunity to listen to Prof. Utomi, an old student of CKC Onitsha speak Igbo. It is something he does well, perhaps not with Ogboko's Enugu/Nnsuka dialect. Dr Utomi, a proud Igboman is from Igbuzo, a town noted for her strong Umu-Nri origins.


I should say that this sort of development account for some of the reasons why western Igbos in particular, pay skeletal attention to the pan Igbo group. What is the essence of their belonging to an organization that has consistently not taken care of their interests? For the east to embrace the west-Igbo in a politics of expediency was not only wrong but wicked. They reserve the birth right to take advantage of the existence of Ohan'eze, even as they are constantly reminded by other non-Igbo groups in the South south of their roots. The Rivers state governor was one most recent example.


It is very vital that Ohan'eze Ndigbo continue to maintain a non-aligned posture with regard to matters concerning the Igbos of the two zones. In a country where numerical strength determines who gets what, balancing the interests of the Igbos of the two zones should be Ohan'eze's watchwords. The administration headed by Joe Irukwu's faction is not far from what Ohaneze exco should look and act like. Chief Isaac Mahonwu, an Ikwerre, as the deputy chairman and Col. Achuzia as the secretary general. What do we have now?