₦airaland Forum

Following protests seeking for secession to form the Republic of Biafra in some South East and South South states, the Cross River State government has issued a stern warning against such in its domain.

The government said its attention has been drawn to planned protest march by some elements outside the state and urged the people of the state, especially the youths not to allow themselves to be used to achieve any self-serving interest.

The State Security Adviser, Mr Jude Ngaji, said in a statement in Calabar Tuesday said that security agencies are on red alert to ensure that no unauthorized march, procession or protest takes place in the state.

“The state government attaches great importance to the unity of the country and warned that any person or group of persons who embark on any protest without a written permission from the police shall be made to face the full force of the law,” the statement read.

illiad:
After the reggae play the blues

kestolove95:
Why MASSOB went to bed throughout the period Jonathan was the President, only for MASSOB to wake up from their deep slumber now that Buhari is the President”, the Igbo cannot be asking for sovereignty in a country that they were one of the major stakeholders,“if MASSOB had failed to achieve sovereignty under former President Goodluck Jonathan that they supported, would they achieve it under President Buhari they never supported?

Ioannes:
Biafra fanatics, suffering from mass hallucinations and delusions.

how has the match translated to anything tangible or concrete.

the government is actively ignoring you while you waste away screaming freedom on the streets... even your kinsmen across the country are wondering when you guys will stop disgracing them.

Ioannes:
Biafra fanatics, suffering from mass hallucinations and delusions.

how has the match translated to anything tangible or concrete.

the government is actively ignoring you while you waste away screaming freedom on the streets... even your kinsmen across the country are wondering when you guys will stop disgracing them.

Kyase:
I just Tire bro

PedroJP:
You shall know no freedom in your life as you wish others

CyberWolf:
The attention of the Proudly Anioma-Proudly Igbo Group of Nigeria, a friendship/family group of Anioma people and their eastern Igbo kith and kin has been drawn to a “Press Release” written by some deluded individuals claiming to speak on behalf of the entire Anioma people. To begin with, it is important to note that the said group “Ndi-Anioma” as they call themselves is not the umbrella body of the Anioma people at home and in the Diaspora. This responsibility lies with the Izu-Anioma organization head by Brig. Gen Alabi Isama (rtd), the Ajieh-Osa, Anagba and Ochiagha of Utagba land. In the charter of Izu-Anioma, the Anioma people were not defined as an “ethnic group” but rather an umbrella body covering the people identified in the course of Nigerian nationhood as West-Niger Igbos, Western Igbos, then Midwest Igbos , Bendel Igbos and now its often called Delta Igbos. Anioma is a political identity covering the entire area and was coined by the venerable Chief Dennis Osadebay in the late 1970s. It is important as well to note that our leader, Gen. Isama has stated in several fora and without any bit of contradiction that Anioma people are Igbos. We of the Proudly Anioma-Proudly Igbo organization concur with his assertions. Therefore any claim, a self-seeking one for that matter by a group of political wannabes parading themselves as “the umbrella body of Anioma people” should not be taken by the general public seriously. Their rant is not worth a pinch of salt. We are aware that those parading themselves as “umbrella body of all Anioma people” have their loyalties tied to a particular political party in Nigeria. With such interests, their unfounded claims should not be taken by the public seriously.

As stated by one of our leaders Col Achuzie, the Ikemba of Asaba, we believe that the issues leading to the end of Biafran war and the pacification which followed thereafter has not assuaged a good percentage of the Igbo people of Nigeria that they have been fully integrated in the country. Many of them still feel they have been treated as second-class citizens and there are empirical evidences to suggest that some of these claims have some taints of truth and reality in it. Among some of the issues include the slicing off of some Igbo communities out of core Igbo states and merger to other states. We can give examples:

[b]1. The area of Ndoki south covering the present Oyigbo (originally Obigbo) transferred from the old Aba division and lumped to Rivers State in 1976. Also, in the 1980s, three Ndoki villages namely Ohaobu, Mkpukpuaja and Ogbuagu villages carved from the then Imo State and lumped to Etim-Ekpo LGA of Akwa Ibom State. It is noteworthy to state that Oyigbo LGA apart from Oloibiri was the first place in Nigeria to produce oil and gas in commercial quantities (at Afam). Unlike Oloibiri which has dried-up since the 1980s, Afam and other Oyigbo oil-fields keep yielding vast quantities of petroleum.

2. Egbema communities now in Rivers State. Egbema has 16 villages and out of these 16 villages , 3 namely Mgbede, Aggah and Okwuzi has the largest reserves of oil and gas in the community. This is apparently the reason they were lumped to Rivers while the other 13 villages were left in Imo State where they had to contend with more modest reserves of the commodity.
It is important to note that this “punishment” at least as perceived by many Igbos did not end up with the eastern Igbo people. The Aniomas or Western Igbos had to lose Ndoni area to Rivers State and Osekwenike-Onyah area to Sagbama area of Bayelsa State. Just like the other examples I gave, all of these areas are oil-producing. It is often claimed that the Nigerian Civil war was a war fought over oil and gas and the actions of the federal government just like these examples seems to reflect suggest that the federal government had intended to give a tag of non-oil producing to Igbo areas including Anioma. While it is interesting to note that parts of Igbo land has been excised and lumped to other states, a good part of Itsekiri land embracing what is defined as Ugbege area was lumped to Ondo State; A state where Itsekiri people are not indigenous. This is one just an example of the double standards in Nigeria which seem to swell such protests. It therefore lies with the federal government to initiate moves to douse such feelings of alienation or punishment for the war. A common song by Peter Tos , which has one of its iconic lyrics “Everyone is crying out for peace but no one for justice” brings to the fore what we are trying to pass across here.[/b]

Prof Chinua Achebe’s book “There was a Country” puts to rest any country called Biafra. There was indeed a country called “Biafra”. However, Col Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu talked on a “Biafra of the Mind”. This “Biafra of the Mind” has in our opinion different dimensions to it. Biafra is a part of the history of Nigeria and there is no way we can forget about it collectively as Nigerians and more importantly as Igbos. Therefore, anyone in whatever guise declaring “Biafra died permanently in 1970 with the surrender speech made by Philip Effiong” is being comical. In the United States of America, people freely talk about the Confederate States of Southern USA and the old Confederate flag is embedded in the state flags of many Southern States because it is deemed as a part of their heritage. Telling Igbos and other Nigerians who suffered a lot to pretend that no Biafra of the Mind exists is a sheer display of wickedness and irresponsibility. There is nothing to ever stop a war which led to the death of one-seventh of the Igbo people and left much of Anioma land decimated.
Anyone who claims that a “few resentful people of South-East origin” are the ones behind the protests. We have seen some pictures of the protests and such pictures do not seem to suggest that the protests were the handiwork of a “few resentful people”. It seems to demonstrate a mass movement among the youths of the South-east region in particular and areas of the South-south as well. Protest like this as far as it is peaceful is a hallmark of a vibrant democracy. Laying accusing fingers on MASSOB is diversionary. The government must do the needful and address the grievances of these people no matter how “stupid” it would seem. The idea of trying to separate Anioma from Biafra is laughable. In the 1960s when the Biafra war was fought, the Aniomas were drawn to it. The reason is not far-fetched; the war was perceived as a rebellion of Igbos and Aniomas being western Igbos were involved. This is not a peculiar case. From Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo were drawn into the conflicts between the Hutu and Tutsi.

This is sadly a feature of ethnic politics which manifests at times as war in Africa. Gen Obasanjo who was a major actor in the Nigerian Civil war and former president, did not hide his understanding that Aniomas are Igbos. In his Niger Delta Special Development Initiative of 2005, he had Imo, Abia and Anioma area of Delta removed as beneficiaries. Yet he had Ondo and its rocky capital city of Akure included as “part of the Niger Delta”. The said inventive maps claimed by these people who represent just themselves and no one else in Anioma is a proposal and it’s in tandem with International law and practices. It was the case with South Sudan. In the original proposal Southern Blue, Abyei and Nuba were proposed and this was adopted in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of Sudan and South Sudan. Abyei was to decide after a referendum while Southern Blue Nile and Nuba would decide after popular consultation. Claiming that the “expansiveness of Biafra” has anything to do with oil is ridiculous.

[b]Firstly the price of oil has crashed significantly and there is nothing to suggest that in future, oil will be “black gold” it used to be. Besides the southeast region even with the exclusion of the areas annexed and lumped to Rivers has some reserves of the commodity. Anioma herself also has oil. But anyone who thinks that the future of Anioma , the larger Igbo race or Africa lies in oil or other commodities has serious issues. The main drive of development is human capital no less no more. Igbos has this factor perhaps more than any other group in Nigeria.
It is also worthy to note that several Anioma people are well-disposed to the protests and the involvement of Anioma towns of Agbor and Asaba towns without any opposition in whatever guise confirms this point of view. This can be collaborated by the opinion of Col Joe Achuzie, the Ikemba of Asaba. The fact that our rulers and other leaders have kept a dignified silence to the matter would indicate that we are not hostile to such protests as far as its done peacefully and orderly.[/b]

It is therefore not the responsibility of a faceless organization to claim to have “made a position”. Those who are making the position are just a group of politicians based mainly in the UK using their paid lackeys to make some noise for them. They hope in return for “loyalty”, the ruling APC would share some “cakes” for them. This we know very well. Let us state once again that these faceless people do not represent the Anioma people. Our prime organization is the Izu-Anioma. Before we conclude let us dwell a bit on the points they raised.

Armaggedon:
The governor will still be the one to run when it starts

PedroJP:
You shall know no freedom in your life as you wish others

PedroJP:
Government may ignore, God won't ignore.

brize:
Is this the final warning? Please sir. We need the final warning. Because we act after you must have acted

devilishM:
Amadi collins will soon blame Yoruba for this one. Lol

Omenkata:
Lalasticlala obinoscopy this guy is breaking rule 10



10. Don't violate the privacy of any person e.g. by posting personal details/conversations without permission.

Ioannes:
Biafra fanatics, suffering from mass hallucinations and delusions.

how has the match translated to anything tangible or concrete.

the government is actively ignoring you while you waste away screaming freedom on the streets... even your kinsmen across the country are wondering when you guys will stop disgracing them.

devilishM:
Are you sick? It seems you cant read well, get lost and stop posting trash everywhere. Did you see me quote you or whats wrong with this dunce.