This is the news analysis segment of the Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcasts.
For June 15, 2002.
You have heard the news, now the analysis…
We could talk today about Wada Nas asking us to pray for Abacha in the same tone as asking German Jews to pray for Hitler, but we will not talk much about this. Rather, we feel really sorry for Nas and his loyalty to a truly evil man who treated Nigeria as if Nigeria is a harlot and a dirty prostitute, and his family who went along with this plan, forgetting that he is a mere mortal; and for Abacha’s friends who shared the crumbs of the spoils of his exploits of Nigeria.
Or, we could talk about a recent publication credited to General Danjuma where he, Danjuma, was pointing out the case of Northern Muslims' plan for the systematic sacking of Christianity and forced Islamization of the rest of Nigeria. If this is indeed Danjuma speaking, we say: Bravo! At least, you have accepted the obvious, and are willing to complain about it. We want to point out to you that the response of Christians—moving down south of the North—is not adequate. Sooner or later, the long, drawn sword of Islam and the cruelty of Sharia will sniff all Christians out in any part of Nigeria, including way-south in the South-south. The only way to checkmate the Muslims now is the declaration of sovereignty and independence from Nigeria by afflicted Nations of Nigeria. Are you brave enough to understand that? Are you honest enough to propose that? Are you courageous enough to support that? Otherwise, please don’t waste our time.
But today, we focus on the bid for the next Presidency of Nigeria by the Igbo. We maintain that, in the first place, it will take an act of God for any Presidential elections to be successfully held in, and by Nigeria. Even if it happens, not even God can stand in the way of massive election irregularities, the specialty of Nigeria, having perfected this art of kleptocracy learned well from the British.
Already, we hear of calls for a messianic Igbo President who the rest of Nigeria may be happy to vote for in order that he might rescue Nigeria from her tailspin and doldrums. And, we hear of Igbos taking this bait. Poor Igbos! Soon to be duped—again—well, if not for necessary predestined divine intervention that will rescue the Igbo from Nigeria in spite of themselves. We hear of Igbos dreaming about how this would be an opportunity to show off well known and envied Igbo can-do. What grave ignorance!
Let us break this thing down for you gingerly.
1) If you elect Jesus Christ today to be the President of one Nigeria, he will fail. Moses would fail totally in one Nigeria, instead of just a little as he did in the Exodus.
2) The structure, one Nigeria, IS ALL WRONG. Like a black hole, anything that gets into it is torn to shreds, dismembered, disfigured, and never to be seen again; it does not even matter if it is an Angel.
Let me stop there for a moment. Do you understand what we just said? It is not the person or personality that steps into the political morass called one Nigeria, or sits on the throne of corruption and ineptitude called the Presidency of one Nigeria that is bad. It is the structure called one Nigeria. One Nigeria will kill off and strangulate everything that enters its orbit, be it person, personality, principality, honor, integrity, honesty, industry—everything!
Did you hear how General Obasanjo put it? He said that when he and Atiku got in 3 years ago, things were in much worse shape that they could have imagined. Atiku has also recently articulated that; but, he, Atiku, lied when he claimed that they have improved things by 60 to 70 percent. We digress to ask: 60 percent of what? Even 100 percent of nothing is still nothing. When you are in a bottomless pit, can you, at an depth, claim that you are 60 to 70 percent less deep?
Do you realize that when General Obasanjo was voted in, some Yorubas were bragging about how their man would teach Nigeria how well a Yoruba, using superior Yoruba skills, can govern? Today, the Yoruba are supporting General Obasanjo for re-election, not because of his administrative or governance skills, of which even the Yorubas do not hesitate to admit that he has none. The Yoruba support General Obasanjo precisely because he is Yoruba.
If you leave the Federal scene and go to the State and local levels, do you not see the same level of lack of performance which is the result of the same black hole sucking up all the good intentions of politicians (where there was one to start with), or turning them into veritable monsters whose only recourse is the devouring of their own people and personal or partisan misuse of the people’s hard-earned and natural resources? This is one-Nigeria for you, and this is the hole that everybody living in one Nigeria has already fallen into.
If the Igbo want the Presidency of Nigeria, they better change their mind about why, and how they want it, and what it is they are going to get. For the one vying for Presidency, he or she should not fail to realize that he or she is in for battering, with consequent personality and values-restructuring.
We pose a question for you. What will an Igbo President of Nigeria say or do when the rest of the world comes down again on the Nigerian government to intervene in another of Sharia’s notorious inhumane prescriptions, the cruel and insensitive punishment well out of proportion to the alleged crimes? Let’s put the question to you another way: how is an Igbo President of Nigeria going to govern a Sharia-driven country otherwise known as one-Nigeria? Obasanjo with his powerful friends in his military went from pretending that Sharia is a joke to now claiming credit for instituting Sharia, doing an about face, in spite of his powerful connections, all because he is fearful and completely powerless to stop the Muslims from victimizing the rest of the peoples of Nigeria.
In the past and current dispensations, the Igbo and other Easterners have always been the greatest defenders of one-Nigeria, even to the detriment of themselves. They love to pretend that all the nations living in Nigeria are the same way, willing and eager to put the interests of Nigeria above their own ethno-national interests. Time and time again, this has come back to hurt and haunt the Igbos especially; and time and time again, the Igbos refuse to learn.
For example, the Northerners are looking for a Northerner to rule Nigeria (initially, a full or pure-blooded Hausa-Fulani). History has shown how the Northern leaders and politicians misruled and ruined Nigeria, all the way to Abacha. They do not care what qualifications their candidate possesses to rule a country—not as long as he is a Northerner. The Northern interest and agenda are placed over what is best for Nigeria. The Yoruba are sticking with General Obasanjo because he is one of their own. Everybody, including the Yoruba, understand how bad his government has been. Even those Yoruba criticizing General Obasanjo’s government—well deserved, too—will eventually vote for him on that day—if it ever comes—still knowing how bad he has been for Nigeria. They really only care about the Yoruba nation and the Yoruba agenda—what’s good for them, not what’s good for Nigeria.
But then, here come the Igbos, and they want what is best for Nigeria, never mind that they are really envied, hated and feared in Nigeria, and because of that, they are seen as a competitive threat as compatriots. And for all their support of one Nigeria, what do the Igbo have to show, except for blood and tears and funerals?
If the Igbo want an Igbo President, they better wake up, stop deceiving themselves, and find a reason that will advance the interest of the Igbo and other Easterners. The interest of the Igbo and other Easterners can only be better served by schism from Nigeria: sovereignty and independence from Nigeria. Biafra, otherwise.
The Igbo shall advance and unanimously vote for a candidate for Presidency based on a platform of National Sovereign Conference, whereby all the nations that live in Nigeria can come together in peace and dialog to determine what kind of international / bilateral relationships best suits the individual sovereign nations. Such a platform shall include Resource Control, whereby a formula can be worked out to restore the rightful and natural ownership of resources to their rightful and natural owners, with an allowance for a weaning period of 10 – 15 years during which all the revenues can be initially shared per formula by all the nations that used to constitute Nigeria, and after which period the revenues devolve back totally to the owners of the resource.
But, first, the elections may never hold. However, in adopting this stance and plan, the Igbos and Easterners will have finally emancipated themselves from the corrupting clutches of one Nigeria and its dire consequences. And yet, there is a sense in which even this will have served the better interest of Nigeria: by releasing all the nations of Nigeria from the choking and suffocating chains of what was once one Nigeria, in order that they may pursue each her own national destiny and fulfillment.
This is the meaning of Biafra. This is why Biafra is being actualized. The above is one of many ways to the same fixed goal: Biafra!
Biafra lives.
That’s it for the news analysis. Thank you.
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God bless and keep