MalcoImX:
. . . a load of rubbish regurgitated out of ignorance clouded by hatred and bigotry!

Let's hear what the U.N.systems, a more reliable source, have to say about the topic:

"Considering the diversity of indigenous peoples, an official definition of “indigenous” has not been adopted by any UN-system body. Instead the system has developed a modern understanding of this term based on the following:

1. Self- identification as indigenous peoples at the individual level and accepted by the community as their member.
2. Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies
3. Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources
4. Distinct social, economic or political systems
5. Distinct language, culture and beliefs
6. Form non-dominant groups of society
7. Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and
communities."

IPOB clearly have done their homework . . .

@ponponkon,

Perhaps you should have a thread dedicated to all developments (socially, infrastructurally etc) in Abia state with the inception of this government. Alternatively, may be even better, you could post them in the other thread on Abia state that predates this government.

I suspect it would be much more valuable and useful to be able to find everything on Abia state in one thread.

We are neighbours not brothers. Don't confuse things, please.

We are very different from each other. We have different values and aspirations for ourselves and for our peoples. Incase you are unaware, it is strong fences that make for good neighbours. Let us build our fences so that You can stay on your side and do whatever you wish with your family. We don't really care and don't wish to interfere with your values, culture and whatever it is you hold dear. It's your prerogative and we respect that. All we ask is that you also respect the fact that we want to live our lives in peace on our own terms.

We want to live on our side of the fence in peace. So let your elders and those amongst you that threaten us with war know that it makes no sense at all. But also let them know that we will not be bullied or intimidated into silence. We are not afraid of war.

'Live and let live . . .'

IPOB have protested in the SE and SS. They have also protested in Abuja the political capital of 'one Naijeriya'. It is only natural that the next port of call would be the commercial capital of 'one Naijeriya' - Lagos.

People saying they should not hold a peaceful protest in Lagos, which is still part of Nigeria, do not have a convincing argument.

WHATEVER the outcome of the planned peaceful protest, it would be a win-win situation for the Biafra cause. . .

chosen04:
AND THEY WANT US TO BE 'one niGERians?'....................... Here is the Time Magazine eyewitness account of what happened in Kano in the days preceding the declaration of the nation of Biafra by Ojukwu.

“The massacre began at the airport near the Fifth Battalion’s home city of Kano . A Lagos bound jet arrived from London and as the Kano passengers were escorted into the customs shed, a wild-eyed soldier stormed in brandishing a rifle and demanding Ina Nyamiri –the Hausa for, where are the damned Ibos?

There were Ibos among the customs officers, and they dropped their chalk and fled, only to be shot down at the terminal by other soldiers. Screaming the blood curses of a Moslem holy war, the Hausa troops turned the airport into a shambles, bayoneting Ibo workers in the bar, gunning them down in the corridors, and hauling Ibo passengers off the plane to be lined up and shot. From the airport the troops fanned out through downtown Kano hunting down Ibos in bars, hotels and on the streets.

One contingent drove their Land rovers to the railroad station where more than 100 Ibo were waiting for a train and cut them down with automatic weapon fire. The soldiers did not have to do the entire killing. They were soon joined by thousands of Hausa civilians who rampaged through the city, armed with stones, cutlasses, machetes, and home-made weapons of metal and broken glass. Crying Heathen! And Allah! the mobs and troops invaded the Sabon Gari (strangers quarters), ransacking, looting, and burning Ibo homes and stores and murdering their owners.

All night long and into the morning the massacre went on. Then tired but fulfilled, the Hausa drifted back to their homes and barracks to get some breakfast and sleep. Municipal garbage trucks were sent out to collect the dead and dump them into mass graves outside the city. The death toll will never be known, but it was at least 1,000. Somehow several Ibo survived the orgy and all had the same thought: to get out of the North.”

Another journalist, Walter Parrington of the British Daily Express had this to say:

“I do not know if there are any Ibos left in Northern Region … for if they are not dead, they must be hiding in the bush of this land which is as big as Britain and France. I saw vultures and dogs tearing at Ibo corpses and women and children wielding machetes and clubs and guns. I talked in Kaduna with the airline charter pilot who flew hundreds of Ibos to safety last week. He said ‘The death toll must be far in excess of 3,000’ … One young Englishwoman said, ‘The Hausas are carting hundreds of wounded Ibos to hospital to kill them there’. I talked to three families who fled from the bush town of Nguru , 176 miles north. They escaped in three Land rovers from the town where about fifty Ibos were murdered by mobs drunk on beer in some European shops.

Another Englishman who fled the town told of two Catholic priests running for it, the mob after them ‘I don’t know if they escaped: I didn’t wait to see. …. . A lot of the massacred Ibos are buried in mass graves outside the Moslem walls”.

“In Jos Charter pilots who have been airlifting Ibos to Eastern safety talked of at least 800 dead. In Zaria , 45 miles from Kaduna , I talked with a saffron-robed Hausa who told me: We killed about 250 here. Perhaps Allah willed it . One European saw a woman and her child slaughtered in his front garden after he had been forced to turn them away”. ....Source: Time Magazine -1967

This is part of our history that we must never forget.

It is only befitting that we light candles in our hearts in memory of all the the innocents slaughtered. And when Biafra is reborn we must erect monuments in honour of all our kith and kin who were butchered during the slaughtering of our peoples in alien lands and in the 30 month genocidal war that followed it.

We must not forget.

PointB:


IPOB should not miss the point here, if I may caution. The protest is not about the release of Kanu, but for the actualisation of Biafra; for a UN sponsored referendum that will partition the country between Biafra and Nigeria. The release of Kanu will of course be an added bonus.

Let's keep the message clear.

You're absolutely right about what we ultimately desire but I think IPOB and the MASSOB faction are right.

Every struggle for freedom has a person around whom is created the narrative of a freedom fighter. For every apartheid there has to be a Mandela. If none exists, one has to be created. Nnamdi Kanu has become the symbol of hope and fearlessness around which rallies people from all walks of life who begin to see in him one who is willing to sacrifice his all for what we all want. And around him fate is unfolding the narrative of the freedom fighter, desperately needed for the furtherance of the Biafra cause. That image of him holding up his fists in defiance is priceless.

So let the protests continue to be for Nnamdi Kanu's unconditional release from his chains. He is the new face and symbol of our struggle, his incarceration an apt metaphor . . .

QuotaSystem:
My friend shut your stinking akpu smelling mouth and save your sob story for those that care.

You can tell that rubbish to those who have not been to your backward gully eroded crime ridden one piece of land.

Poverty is pushing you ringworm-infested flattheads into impregnating your sisters to survive and even making factories for the satanic trade, you are here talking about socio-economic conditions...

Bloody cursed fake drug peddling black sheep of Africa, come and take an inch of my fatherland and we will pound you into history finally this time, I blame Gowon for giving you conquered remnants of your ancestors the effrontery to raise your voices, otherwise you war booties wouldn't be worthy to wipe the vaginal fluids of my birthing cow....bloody cannibalistic children of cannibals and okija ritualists.

A lot of what you've written up there is propaganda! Verifiable statistics show that WE are doing better than YOU in all Human Development Indices!!

Savages!!!

QuotaSystem:
Abooki is warning you before the shells land on your gworo-worshipping flattheads.

You nor dey shame?!

You animals think it's praise worthy to celebrate the killing of innocent women and children but run away when confronted man to man. Before you start bragging have you ever bothered to look at how many soldiers you apes lost in that war, compared to the Biafran army, in spite of your being better armed and far greater in number?

When the outcome of that war, and subsequent socio economic developments of the various actors and peoples that fought, are discussed, you savages who claim to have won should hide your heads in shame because your 'victory' did not cede you anything to brag about. Look at how desolate and ravaged with illness and poverty your lands are!

We want out of this evil contraption not because you are doing better than us in any of the things that really matter but because you half evolved primates are so retarded on so many levels that you keep on holding us back.

Cowards!!!

Obiagu1:


This is why I prefer to say 1960 map because of Cameroon.
No, Anioma cannot vote in a separate referendum because they were midwest. They'll vote along with the rest of the midwest. Remember, some communities in Southern Cameroon voted to be Nigerians but lost out because they were not separate entities.

1906 map solved all these problems and for that, Edo remains part of Biafra.

cc: Ngwaukwu1

This is very enlightening but does complicate issues as i doubt a lot of the non Igbo speaking peoples, and especially the Edoids, will vote to go with us.

Secondly is our case not slightly different from that of the groups in Southern Cameroun, seeing there were two contending colonial masters in the mix - France and Britain?

Thirdly my understanding is that the current agitation for Biafra is trying to take advantage of the 2007 UN resolutions that apply to Indigenous peoples, which is a new area open to a lot of legal interpretations, which may favour indigenous Igbo groups West of the Niger (the Anioma). What are your thoughts on this?

Cc: pazienza.

pazienza:


New countries are often created using internationally recognized boundaries.

The only period in history the SE and Anioma shared the same administrative unit that didn't involve the Arewa-Oduanistanis was prior to 1906 union of the present SE and SS with the then Lagos colony( ie present day SW) to form colony and protectorate of Southern Nigeria.

If we use the Post 1906 southern Nigeria, we will include the Oduanistanis, which is totally not acceptable, and if we use the Post 1939 boundary which represents Eastern Nigeria, we will exclude the Aniomas.
Check this thread: :https://www.nairaland.com/1019602/dont-blame-1914-amalgamation-rather
to understand more about the pre 1906 southern Nigeria that included just the SS and SE but no SW.

What if the Aniomas vote through a referendum to join the rest of Biafra? Secondly would the post 1939 boundaries you mention include any parts of Southern Camerouns? Thanks.

pazienza:


We can get Biafra without Edoids, but that Biafra might not include Anioma . . .

Can you explain why you think that a Biafra without Edoids might not include Anioma? Thanks.

coolscott:

[size=18pt] . . . the rest of Nigeria has concluded Igbos have no sense[/size]

. . . pretty much the same mindset of those group of slaves who wondered why others were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to be rid of their chains.

FisifunKododada:
Yeeboos are slaves to the Ijaws so how can they claim Ijaw land? My advice to Ijaw people: Don't worry your head about Biafra. Because no single square inch of Ijaw land (including Port Harcout) will be ceded to Biafra UNLESS the Ijaws form their own country Ijaw Nation or they choose to go with the Niger Delta as Niger Delta Republic. These Yeeboos are just blowing smoke up their own a$$e$ - they have ALWAYS been your slaves and they will remain your slaves.

Stale . . .

Una no dey tire?!

Truckpusher:

When you lay claim to opobo,bonny and Port Harcourt as far as Ogba,Egbema,Ndoni,Etche and Ikwerre as belonging to the South East what were you trying to get at?

I don’t think anybody in the "South East" is laying "claim" to any of the areas you mentioned. These are mostly Igboid groups who are aboriginal to the “South South”, so it would defy all sense of reason to even attempt to claim them as belonging to any region other than theirs!
The significant question is not whether they see themselves as South South or South East but whether they want to be part of Biafra, when Biafra comes.

I'm sure if you want to be honest, you'll agree with me that the demarcation of peoples into non constitutional entities known as "South East", "South South" etc using “arbitrary” lines that have been drawn in the sand, will not stand that test of time! The boundaries of these regions have been based on the whims and sometimes malevolent intentions of those drawing the lines for their own selfish reasons. When Biafra leaves those Igbo and Igboid groups that have been sequestered into different regions without consideration given to their cultural and indeed familial affinities will leave with the rest of Biafra unless they themselves choose to remain in Nigeria.

Truckpusher:

When you started renaming Port Harcourt what were you trying to arrive at?

Those that prefer to call Port Harcourt Igwe Ocha did not pull that name out of the air. I understand that even the Ikwerre people who are local to the area refer to it as Igwe Ocha, so what exactly is the problem here?

Truckpusher:

Like I said ,it is only an Ijaw man who doesn't understand the historical importance of the civil war which the various ethnic groups of the Niger Delta were massacred in their thousands by both Nigerian soldiers and Biafran soldiers of Eastern extraction would go into any alliance with the Igbo man on the promises of a better deal that isn't on any solid documentation and full participation.

I doubt any body online can make any promises to you. None of us, including you, are that important in the overall scheme of things! However the Biafra Charter gives an idea of the thinking of those that matter in this agitation, and amongst other things state that:

i) Biafra shall be constituted of autonomous self-governing, self-regulating entities called “Provinces,”
ii) The concept, use and practice of “Provinces” is designed to ensure autonomy and respect for every group; to encourage the unhindered thriving of every group; to protect, preserve and respect the right of ownership and management by each group of its own natural, material and socio-cultural resources; and to ensure adequate and equitable representation both locally and at the National level, thereby retaining real power in the hands of the communities.

Source: http://www./BGIE/Biafra%20Charter.htm

Truckpusher:

I know you'll either abuse me or others will for sure, especially those NL resident Niger Delta anthropologist of Igbo extraction whose claim to know the origin of the Niger Delta people more than they do, which is simply sickening and a great insult that has been taken into account.

One can also replace “Igbo extraction” in your statement with “Ijaw extraction” as there are always two sides to a coin.

Truckpusher:

Quick questions: Why do you refer to the Niger Delta people as traitors after you started a war they knew nothing about?

Who are the “you” that started the war?

Truckpusher:

Why did the old Eastern region reject the creation of Rivers state unlike the Western region agreed to the creation of the Mid West states which comprises of today's Delta and Edo states? Why did the Eastern region arrest Isaac Adaka Boro after he declared Niger Delta republic and sentenced him to death in 1964 and only to declare Biafra republic in 1967 and wants him to fight alongside with them?

Kindly provide your evidence for the claims you made above. That would make for more informed discussion by those knowledgeable in the issues you have raised.

Here's my response to the issues raised by Mr. Truckpusher.

Truckpusher:

When you lay claim to opobo,bonny and Port Harcourt as far as Ogba,Egbema,Ndoni,Etche and Ikwerre as belonging to the South East what were you trying to get at?

I don’t think anybody in the "South East" is laying "claim" to any of the areas you mentioned. These are mostly Igboid groups who are aboriginal to the “South South”, so it would defy all sense of reason to even attempt to claim them as belonging to any region other than theirs!
The significant question is not whether they see themselves as South South or South East but whether they want to be part of Biafra, when Biafra comes.

I'm sure if you want to be honest, you'll agree with me that the demarcation of peoples into non constitutional entities known as "South East", "South South" etc using “arbitrary” lines that have been drawn in the sand, will not stand that test of time! The boundaries of these regions have been based on the whims and sometimes malevolent intentions of those drawing the lines for their own selfish reasons. When Biafra leaves those Igbo and Igboid groups that have been sequestered into different regions without consideration given to their cultural and indeed familial affinities will leave with the rest of Biafra unless they themselves choose to remain in Nigeria.

Truckpusher:

When you started renaming Port Harcourt what were you trying to arrive at?

Those that prefer to call Port Harcourt Igwe Ocha did not pull that name out of the air. I understand that even the Ikwerre people who are local to the area refer to it as Igwe Ocha, so what exactly is the problem here?

Truckpusher:

Like I said ,it is only an Ijaw man who doesn't understand the historical importance of the civil war which the various ethnic groups of the Niger Delta were massacred in their thousands by both Nigerian soldiers and Biafran soldiers of Eastern extraction would go into any alliance with the Igbo man on the promises of a better deal that isn't on any solid documentation and full participation.

I doubt any body online can make any promises to you. None of us, including you, are that important in the overall scheme of things! However the Biafra Charter gives an idea of the thinking of those that matter in this agitation, and amongst other things state that:

i) Biafra shall be constituted of autonomous self-governing, self-regulating entities called “Provinces,”
ii) The concept, use and practice of “Provinces” is designed to ensure autonomy and respect for every group; to encourage the unhindered thriving of every group; to protect, preserve and respect the right of ownership and management by each group of its own natural, material and socio-cultural resources; and to ensure adequate and equitable representation both locally and at the National level, thereby retaining real power in the hands of the communities.

Source: http://www./BGIE/Biafra%20Charter.htm

Truckpusher:

I know you'll either abuse me or others will for sure, especially those NL resident Niger Delta anthropologist of Igbo extraction whose claim to know the origin of the Niger Delta people more than they do, which is simply sickening and a great insult that has been taken into account.

One can also replace “Igbo extraction” in your statement with “Ijaw extraction” as there are always two sides to a coin.

Truckpusher:

Quick questions: Why do you refer to the Niger Delta people as traitors after you started a war they knew nothing about?

Who are the “you” that started the war?

Truckpusher:

Why did the old Eastern region reject the creation of Rivers state unlike the Western region agreed to the creation of the Mid West states which comprises of today's Delta and Edo states? Why did the Eastern region arrest Isaac Adaka Boro after he declared Niger Delta republic and sentenced him to death in 1964 and only to declare Biafra republic in 1967 and wants him to fight alongside with them?

Kindly provide your evidence for the claims you made above. That would make for more informed discussion by those knowledgeable in the issues you have raised.

Repeat post

Repeat post

Rotimi47:
please start it I beg of you; since many Igbos have been spoiling for an armed confrontation with we the Yorubas including the one in detention, we will definitely reciprocate immediately it starts. An eye for two or more eyes.

The agitation for Biafra is not about the Yorubas. Why do YOU feel threatened?

toyinolaigbe:
Kids everywhere talking about war as if they've fought one before. It reminds me of a Latin adage. "Dulce bellum inexpertis" War is sweet to those who have never fought.

YOU are the one talking about war. All that the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra want is for a peaceful separation from the contraption, which YOUR elders have insightfully described as Lugard's cage. We will be happy to continue to relate with what is left of the Niger area as good neighbours. It is in all of our interest for the separation to be peaceful. That way all of us will prosper. We know that.

If war is brought to us, we will not cow in fear but will stand and fight. That's all we are saying.

egift:
Anyone loitering the street protesting, challenging and questioning the territorial Integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not just committing treason but is also provoking the wrath of this nation.

If you are tired of being a Nigerian, pack your bags, take your family and relocate to wherever you prefer to live. When the Jews asked Pharaoh to let them go, they left Egypt. They did not stay there and be demanding for the division of their land.

Nigerians Armed Forces has not been deployed and extreme force used to crush this nuisance because the so called BiaBoys are yet to pick up arms - any day that happens, Nigeria will do all that is needed to keep things in place. The last time there was such, over 2million died. If that repeats itself again, more will die. If anyone tells you none will die, then they are insulting your intelligence.

If you do not like Nigeria, pack out. If what you want is division, then forget it. If you insist, we will deal with you beyond measure.

They are not 'challenging and questioning the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria',as you put. They are demanding for their rights, including the right to self determination, as guaranteed by international charters to which Nigeria is a signatory, to be respected. How is this treasonable?

citizenjuwon:

I quite appreciate your matured submission.
For the sake of information, Nigeria and United state isn't a signatory to that charter! That's why it's treason to attempt to divide Nigeria.

For the sake of information, Nigeria was one of the 11 countries that initially abstained from adopting the 2007 UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, which includes the right to self determination, but who have since become signatories to it based on information on the UN websites. So can you kindly clarify why exactly the agitation by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra is seen as treason by those who oppose it?

jpphilips:



There is no truth in Propaganda, it is fueled by ignorance and ignorance alone

Some times it is ignorance that lends an individual the courage to make such a bold assertion as yours, but ignorance alone does not fuel propaganda as you 'ignorantly' stated. I don't have the time to debate you on this but for others who have been swayed by the propaganda in the post I quoted, kindly take time out to check this out for yourself.

The opinion above is not based on fact.

raumdeuter:
^^ Please when are you going to start?

Can you start by tomorrow, So we would know all these mouthing are not just empty chest beating but serious people

Because all these giving ultimatum to set another ultimatum every week is tiring

I was describing people like you in the last paragraph of my previous post.

raumdeuter:
^^ Nigerian govt has stated that separation is impossible, Now move to the next step instead of the endless threats and ultimatum

Do something bigger than Boko Haram and then people would respect and take you srious

You would say that, wouldn't you.

Boko Haram destroyed the North East by blowing themselves and innocent people up. But the rest of the country continued almost unaffected, except that their activities offered the Northern power brokers the opportunity to take back the reigns of power to be able to rule over the rest of the country.

When I say 'something bigger than Boko Haram' will happen, what I am saying is not that we will go about blowing ourselves up and destroying our region like savages! What I am saying is that what will unfold will bring the whole nation to its knees. It will not only affect our region.

But we are not ignorant of the fact that we have amongst us a group of alien people, who seem to have a predilection for wanting to share in the spoils of war while not being ready to fight their own wars on the battle field, currently perched in the shadows waiting like the scavengers they are for us to make a false move. We know who these people are and be rest assured we will not play into their hands and repeat the mistakes our fathers made in the past . . .

raumdeuter:
Boko Haram did not flood the internet talking they started acting

Why dont you do the same start acting all these numerous warning and ultimatum na cowardice

Why on earth would the agitators for Biafra want to behave like Boko Haram?!

First of all unlike Boko Haram, which is a fundamentalist Moslem terrorist organisation that holds very primitive views about the value of life and indeed about such civilised notions as human rights and the rights of people's to personal liberties, the current agitation for Biafra is based on the rights of indigenous groups to self determination as guaranteed by internationally recognised charters, which Nigeria and civilised nations have ratified. We are not terrorists.

Secondly, we've made it very clear that what we want is peaceful separation from this forced living together that we don't believe in. We are not the ones who keep talking about war. It's people like you who keep on harping on about it.

War will only happen if peaceful separation is made impossible. Even then we will not be the aggressors . . .

Fash20:
if that's the case better call the igbos in yoruba lands before you start the war or else.

WE will not start the war.

FREEDOM4BIAFRA:
All those using pictures of beautiful ladies, sending me requests that they'll love to meet me, I am anot silly, the mistakes of 1967 will not happen again...

I will bring myself in when my work is done.

And you can't lure me with women, I am married, happily, I fight these battles for somtochukwu 7, and Oluebube 4. I fight for their future.

This is the spirit that has been reawakened in a growing number of us.

Please let those of us in the diaspora know how and through what channels we can provide financial support.

We are Biafrans. Our spirits will not be crushed.

pazienza:
If Biafra be structured the way I personally feel and believe it would be, then no body would even want to host the capital.

If we have a totally autonomous provinces each with their own provincial governor, and total resource control.

I expect a total of like Six provinces, and each province should create as much administrative units as it can take care of.

The central government will be led by a council of the governors of each provinces who Will rotate the leadership of the council amongst themselves in a two years tenure period, such that each province gets to have their governor lead the nation as a president at various points in time.

Under such arrangement, the real power resides within the provinces and not at the centre, and the rotational principle at the centre would also be implemented at the provincial level, such that each administrative unit of any province gets a shot at leading the province.

We can also run three capital cities, the executive at the Northern the Akwa-Cross area, the Judiciary at the Igbo region and then the Legislative arm at the Riverine areas.

Each province contribute a percentage of its earning for the running of the central government.

No parasitism.

This makes a lot of sense.

I am Biafran.

I and the tens of thousands more like me in who is reawakened the spirit of liberty, climb out of the trenches where my spirit cowed in fear for the last 55 years, after my fathers and uncles were emasculated and then silenced.

I am climbing out of the trenches. And what you see happening on the streets of Asaba, Aba, Onitsha and Port Harcourt are other Biafrans climbing out, having decided they no longer wish to continue to live in humiliation and be treated with contempt in their own lands. All they are asking for is a little respect from now on.

But if the powers that be and those who see in us Biafrans nothing more than people vanquished in war, and want to test our resolve by meeting our legitimate demands for the right to decide our own destiny with talks of 'crushing' our agitation, then let them beware that they are about to unleash something bigger than Boko Haram on to the Niger area.

They are about to unleash something that will tear the very fabric of the existence of this contemptible space called 'one naijeriya', the purpose of which makes absolutely no sense. Let them beware and know that the time is upon us when all must drop their preconcieved notions of who must live as 'victor or vanquished' and come to the table to discuss how we can get along hence forth as equals - the recommendations from the Aburi accord and even those from the recent National Conference in Abuja are there, which if implemented might just calm the raging storm that is about to sweep everything in its wake.

Whatever may be the outcome of all these protests, we all know that the status quo is no longer sustainable. We also know that those who choose to continue to live in denial will definitely not fare any better once the conflagaration, which can be prevented, is unleashed upon us all.

I am Biafran. And my spirit will not be crushed.