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

For February 16, 2002

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

Every week, it seems we are compelled to mourn another loss. This time, we mourn the victims of the Jos market fire. We are saddened by the loss of property. Our heart is full of knots as we try to endure yet another wrenching loss. Did we not lose 10 lives over PDP political infighting in Igboland just before this? And although we predicted ongoing tragic events of the sort in Nigeria, how much more shall we endure? How much more can we endure?

If only we could read the handwriting on the wall! It says: "To your own lands, oh Nations of Nigeria. Every single day you stay in the entity called one Nigeria exposes you to more peril. One Nigeria will be the death of you all—every single nation, down to the last person. Leave one Nigeria now, and live. Stay, and you die, day by day.”

We once again conclude that the root problem of Nigeria is one Nigeria. The only correct solution is dissolution of one Nigeria. Let's all go our own separate ways. We once again recommend to all Igbos / Biafrans to return to Igboland / Biafraland. We invite other nations of Nigeria to join us in realizing the problem and adopting this solution. There is no other way.

General Obasanjo will attempt to place the blame for the instability of Nigeria and the unconscionable level of violence, on others. Thus, he first blames it on MASSOB, and incites the false arrests and detentions and killings of innocent and peaceful members of MASSOB whose only crime is that they desire to live free of Nigeria, as Biafrans, their birthright. Of course, this does not improve the situation of things in Nigeria.

Next, General Obasanjo blames Ojukwu for insinuating secession after he, the General, inserts his own clause surreptitiously into, and before, signing the electoral bill, without due process, a clear violation of the law and the principles of democracy, and tries to get away with it.

A week ago, General Obasanjo practically blamed the retired generals, his old colleagues, for destabilizing Nigeria and inciting the conditions for a military take-over. This week, he blames his fellow-politicians for the instability of Nigeria, and he is even withholding the politician's remunerations.

In the past, General Obasanjo blamed foreign governments (recall that he stopped Oil companies from sitting down at a meeting with the Southern governors to discuss the concerns of the region about the effects of oil exploration and production on the region), on the basis that such a meeting was destabilizing Nigeria. Next, he will start blaming the media—both local and international—mark our words!

While General Obasanjo has acknowledged the ineffectiveness of his administration, has anybody ever heard him take personal blame and responsibility for such? Has anybody heard him imply that he is responsible for what is going on, and for the instability of Nigeria? Of course not.

Why, and how, is General Obasanjo responsible for the instability of Nigeria?

By his insisting on one Nigeria, but not having the sense to realize that nothing can hold the artificially created country together.

By insisting on one Nigeria but not having the courage to deal with Sharia.

By insisting on one Nigeria but failing in the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of "citizens" from state-sponsored murder and mayhem.

By insisting on one Nigeria but lacking the skill to manage the fact that there are different nations in Nigeria with completely different profiles.

General Obasanjo likes to accuse other people of jeopardizing democracy in Nigeria. What he does not realize and or admit to is that he is the one that jeopardizes democracy the most, because his behavior and acts as an elected official are anti-democratic. A prime example is his attempt to change the Electoral Bill by surreptitiously adding his own clause before signing the said bill, and preemptively going on the air to promote the doctored bill without letting the people know that he had made some changes unilaterally.

When he incites his army and lets the Army loose on the people—unarmed civilians—which he has done at least four times since coming to office in 1999, with devastating consequences for the hapless civilians, the General tends to forget that nothing jeopardizes democracy more than this type of acts.

General Obasanjo's religious beliefs and his public declarations and utterances about his faith as it relates to his office, actions and activities as the President of Nigeria are antithetical to democracy. This at best is a form of theocracy, at worst, a veritable form of lunacy. He, like all "religious" and purported religious rulers, is in fact the anti-democrat, though he would never admit it.

General Obasanjo has all but declared that he is confused and confounded about Nigeria. He has all but admitted helplessness, hopelessness, and failure to manage the affairs of the failed State of one Nigeria. He should be true to himself and realize that Nigeria is not one, and cannot be kept one. He should arrange for a Sovereign National Conference where the Nations of Nigeria can formalize their independence and sovereignty. If he cannot even do this, he should resign in shame and ignominy.

We now move on to the recent political debacle in Igbo / Biafraland which resulted in the reported death of ten Igbos of the PDP party. Ndigbo: we want to mention this once; but before that, let us express our deep sorrow for this unnecessary loss of lives—Igbo lives—as if we have not been killed enough by Nigeria pre and post the Biafra war of Igbo survival, and during the war itself.

We want to mention this once because we never want the opportunity to arise which will warrant addressing this type of abomination in the future. We want to remind Ndigbo that it is not Igbo custom to kill ourselves—or for that matter, to kill anybody else—over political debate. It would appear that some of us have forgotten that. It is all the more disappointing because the chief among these with short memory are so-called leaders. Tufiakwa!

We want to pose a series of questions to Ndigbo concerning this needless tragedy. Who is PDP? Who owns PDP? You all understand that PDP is an Hausa-Fulani party, owned, controlled and operated by the Hausa-Fulani. You all understand that whenever it pleases the Hausa-Fulani, they promote or demote Igbo members of this party. Why should any thinking Igbo belong to this party? Why should any breathing Igbo engage in a fight to defend PDP? Why should any living Igbo want to kill his/her brother or sister over PDP? Why would any reasonable Igbo want to risk his/her life and get killed for PDP?

Even as a political party, PDP has failed to deliver any ounce of good to the people. All it has done is squander the oil money from the South at the Federal level, which essentially means, at the Hausa-Fulani level. PDP never spoke up about resource control. PDP never condemned the killings of Igbo people in the North. PDP never spoke up about the Shariarization of the rest of the people living in Nigeria. PDP never spoke up against the use of the military to attack innocent and unarmed residents of Nigeria and the destruction of their property. All it wants to do now is to stay in power, by any means, by hook and by crook, to perpetuate the ineptitude that has marked the three years of its being in power. Why would anybody in their right minds want to identify with PDP?

We don't want to re-visit this in the future because we know that you are an intelligent race.

When we add up everything that is going on in Nigeria, we are all the more validated in our analysis that one Nigeria is crumbling day by day. We remind the Igbos about the Igbo proverb which says that the fly who has no one to counsel it follows the corpse into the grave. The Igbos should not be in a position where they perish with and or in a sinking ship.

Soon the Igbos will have an opportunity to choose to go their own way. When this opportunity presents itself, we want all to choose BIAFRA unanimously. Let there be no hesitation; let there be no vacillation. One Nigeria holds only death for the Igbo (and the rest of Nigeria, for that matter). Biafra is the symbol of life and all its fulfillment for Ndigbo.

On Biafra we stand—never forget! No compromise. No more, no less. Biafra!

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That’s all the news analysis for this week; 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.)