This is the News Analysis segment of the Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) Broadcast.

For May 11, 2002.

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

We start with the observation that one-Nigeria corrupts everything, is killing everything and everybody, and is the root-cause of all the problems of Nigeria. We see how one Nigeria has corrupted even the Supreme Court of Nigeria. That court, in a recent ruling which is aimed at protecting one-Nigeria--even if the ruling results in the punishment and disenfranchisement of the nations living in southern Nigeria--amply demonstrates how an otherwise noble body can be corrupted. The issue in question is the right of ownership of the water / sea that bathes the shores of the land. International laws recognize that whoever lives on the land which has a coast also has rights of ownership of the coastal waters up to the continental shelf or 3 nautical miles, sometimes, up to 9 nautical miles. This, of course, entitles the people living on that land to the maritime resources within that scope.

The British government, when it annexed and amalgamated Northern and Southern Nigerias, recognized that the coast and continental shelf belonged to the region living on the adjacent land. This recognition was also implicit at the time of Nigerian independence.

The Supreme Court of Nigeria recently ruled against the Coastal States for asserting this natural claim as above. Why? Because General Obasanjo and his government put pressure on the court to ignore standing internationally recognized right and order. Next, the court used very absurd logic to try to rationalize and justify denying the Coastal States the natural right of ownership of the coastal waters. This court had the guts to use the United States as an example—quite wrongly. since it is well known that the US follows the natural order as stated earlier.

The court went on then to say that the natural property rights of Coastal states stops—in practical terms—where the water starts. Hence, coastal real estate belongs to Nigeria, not to the Coastal States. Why? Because the Oil is there. Because Nigeria wants to exploit the oil resources. Because Nigeria wants to keep all the revenue to herself. And, since by this ruling the coastal states have no right or claim to the continental shelf, Nigeria has decided that these States will not  be compensated for the resources being taken out of their property by Nigeria. The natural order is to compensate the coastal states on the basis of both the right of ownership and burden of environmental damage caused by oil exploration. But not in Nigeria.

Think about it. The Nigerian Supreme court ruling means that if a river flows through your land, you do not have any natural water rights; any valuable resources found in the stretch of the river that runs through your property cannot be claimed by you: such resources belong to Nigeria. Or that you have no natural rights to the resources found on your bank and side of the river that borders your property: it all belongs to Nigeria.

So, by that ruling, none of the Delta States or the Rivers States is entitled to any natural right or claim to the Oil resources found on their continental shelf, nor to any special compensation. The Supreme Court says that their natural property stops at the water’s edge.  Beyond that, it’s all Nigeria’s!

What is going on? This is the corruption of jurisprudence and justice. This is “high sea” robbery committed by the Supreme Court on the behest and behalf of Nigeria. Only the condition known as one-Nigeria can so blatantly twist the judgment of a court that is supposed to be professional, fair and just. One-Nigeria has corrupted the Supreme Court. Who is next, and who can withstand the evil influence of one Nigeria?

Who is next? The Nigerian Press. Time was when the Nigerian Press was praised around the world for the courage it showed under successive brutal military regimes. Journalists were killed and jailed. News houses were closed down and destroyed by the military and their agents. The Nigerian press maintained its principles against overwhelming odds, and earned the respect of their colleagues world-over and the respect of the peoples of Nigeria. But nothing living under one-Nigeria maintains its discipline  or holds on to its principles for long. Today, the world laments that the Nigerian Press has been bought and corrupted by the government of Nigeria and her politicians. Not only that, some notorious Nigerian journalists are defending the corrupt practices of both their own ranks and the government of Nigeria, vociferously, at that. What a shame!

We pity the Nigerian Press. We have been warning that one-Nigeria corrupts, that one-Nigeria is going to be the death of us all—morally, spiritually, culturally, professionally and even physically. Everything that remains in one-Nigeria will be touched and infected as if by leprous hands. Everything that remains as one-Nigeria will be corrupted, tarred and tarnished.

We state again: the only hope is to abandon one-Nigeria. The nations of Nigeria must all decide to leave one Nigeria in order to rescue themselves from the suffocating and drowning stranglehold of one-Nigeria. Biafra has already decided.

Next, we touch on not just the continuing Islamization of Nigeria, but also “Shariarization” of Nigeria. Oyo State has just fallen to Sharia. There is the usual ploy—"it is voluntary; it will not be applied against Christians; it will not be the radical version of Sharia..." Sure, but have we not heard all this before? What has followed these now-cynical promises in each State where Sharia was forced on the community?

Recall what the problem with Shariarization is. The Muslims decide they want Sharia. Even if it is against State law and Nigerian law; even if it is against the State principles, and against the desires and wishes of other law-abiding citizens of Nigeria, the Muslims go ahead with it, anyway, regardless of the State objections, and regardless of the Nigerian government policies, and regardless of popular protest. General Obasanjo and his government cannot check Sharia; they cannot protect any Nigerian citizen—Muslim or not—against Sharia laws; and they cannot protect non-Muslims against Sharia violence. General Obasanjo and his government cannot even prevent Sharia States from using the State government apparatus as an engine for Sharia. Then, recently, General Obasanjo, having realized his impotency regarding Sharia, even turns around and now declares himself as the original implementer and champion of Sharia in Nigeria!

The problem: the Muslims have their own Sharia culture which takes precedence, for them, over the Nigerian government. In practice, the Muslims have actually formed their own Sharia government over, above, and different, from the Nigerian Government. The Muslims are running their own different nation and country--different from Nigeria. Yet, General Obasanjo and the Muslims still insist that Nigeria is still one country. Any effort by any other nations in Nigeria to begin to exercise their right to self-determinism is immediately branded illegal and treasonable by General Obasanjo and his government, while they do nothing to challenge or check Sharia. General Obasanjo and his government have neither the moral standing, the legal justification, or a political basis to stop other nations from leaving Nigeria since the General and his government condone the Sharia process.

We heard about the recent budget woes of Nigeria. We know about the troubles of Nigeria and IMF loans and debts. We then heard that Nigeria is providing a fund for the financial rescue of needy African Nations.  We laughed so hard. Then, we cried, because of the insanity of the leaders of Nigeria. We wept a long, long, long time for the peoples living in Nigeria—trapped in one-Nigeria: oh, to be so cursed!!!

We turn our attention to the wayward Igbo who may find themselves in government mansions as governors or political so-called leaders, or civic so-called leaders presently misruling hapless Umu Igbo in Biafraland, those who have resorted to killing our people in cold blood, on one pretext or another. We ask you: if you have weighed yourself in the balance and found yourself so weighty and so powerful in your own eyes and in the eyes of man, what about in the eyes of God? In your arrogance, you laugh at us for demanding that you stop the shedding of the blood of innocent children of God. So, laugh today, if you will: but you can be certain of one thing: your laughter and arrogance shall last but for a blink of an eye, but your punishment shall last forever. Of this, you can be definitely sure.

And to those who actually pull the trigger and wield the matchets to wound and kill fellow Igbo people, what kind of mind-altering drugs are you on? How much do you get paid to embolden you to go out there and waylay a fellow human being, an Igbo, and terminate his or her life, on the command or hire of another? Whatever madness has possessed you, you shall pay for these acts in ways that only your Chi shall device to make sure that you shall feel that which you have caused to happen to a fellow human being. Of this, you must remain sure, because you have violated every tenet of decency and civility.

We now appeal to all Biafrans. The predictable and predicted violence that is to accompany this season in Nigeria is already upon us. We appeal to you to vow to never have the blood of anyone on your hands or on your conscious,  for any reason, least of all, for partisan elections which are not going anywhere in the first place.

We ask you to remain vigilant for the moment when the seed of Biafra Actualization shall crystallize out of the seriously troubled waters called one Nigeria.

Biafra lives!

That’s our news analysis for the week.

Biafra lives!

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God bless and keep Biafra and you, until next week. VOBI broadcast continues. (Audio version part of weekly VOBI broadcast posted on Biafraland website, http://www.biafraland.com : follow Voice of Biafra link.)