This is the News Analysis segment of the Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcast
For June 14th 2003
You have heard the news, now, the analysis…
Fellow Biafrans:
Certain things should be clear to us at this time. If the peoples and Nations living in Nigeria allow Obasanjo and his cabal’s continuing rule of Nigeria, then, we can never have the moral or even political or legal basis to challenge or reject present or future fraud in this geopolitical area known as Nigeria, or in this region of Africa, or in any part of Africa or the rest of the world for that matter. If we somehow accept what Obasanjo and his fellow thieves have done with these elections, then, we can never, ever, in good conscience, challenge evil, correct wrong, or question impropriety. If we allow this, we have set the wrong standard, a standard that legitimizes fraud and cheating and dishonesty; and it shall remain until Nigeria implodes. We refuse to allow it.
Allow us to put it another way. In a large compound, if a few members become thieves and robbers and murderers, preying on the residents of the compound, and if these criminals take over the compound and install themselves as the “leaders” of the compound, and if the rest of the residents accept them and do not revolt and reject this imposition, and if the residents resign themselves to being led and controlled by these murderers, then, for any of the residents to expect honesty in the compound, or good neighborliness among the residents, is to exhibit hypocrisy of the highest order. In fact, having sold their conscience by allowing such an abomination to exist, the residents of this compound will never have the moral strength or justification to expect anything other than thievery, robbery, murder, and crime. They will never find the conscience to complain about anything else.
Fellow Biafrans: if we allow Obasanjo and his cabal to carry on as they are now doing, having robbed us of our right to choose our own leadership, which was the whole purpose of the electoral exercise, if we let this stand, then how and when again can we find the courage to stand up for what is right and for what is honest? As they continue to kill our people (remember Mbano, recently), how are we going to find the voice to speak up against that, the strength to vigorously oppose all further murder of our people, and the face and honor to live on and look at ourselves in the mirror?
Let us remind you of a few things. Some of you have already started talking about 2007. What a shame. Just think about it: 2003 was decided by fraud and rigging and cheating by Obasanjo and PDP and the whole machinery of government. They have taken over power and forced themselves on the people. If you have accepted this now, and you let it be, then, who do you think is going to be sitting on the throne in 2007? You, or Obasanjo and his cabal? They rigged the elections in 2003 and got away with it (if you have let them). So, why should they not rig the elections in 2007? Who will stop them then? And, if you tried to stop them then, what would you base your action on, seeing that you have, in 2003, established a baseline of allowing fraud?
Whoever among you is talking about 2007, let the people catch him, sit him or her down, and examine his or her head. If 2003 stands, then, forget 2007: it will go the same way. The thieves will steal the elections again, in 2007; and since they know that there is nothing that you can do about it, they will do more things—more evil—and you will be forced to swallow all that, and not just swallow it, but actually say nothing and do nothing against it.
By the same token, we have heard of Igbo-Biafran groups, who in response to the aftermath of the rigged elections, are organizing meetings with agendas like: “the survival of Ndigbo in Nigeria ,” or integrating Ndigbo into Nigeria . We say to you and to these groups: what have we learned? Ndigbo were the most cheated in these rigged elections, with results even being announced in places where no voting took place, and with PDP being forced and installed over our people, against our electoral choices. Obasanjo came to Igboland before the elections, and instead of campaigning, he insulted and threatened our people with “helele” existence in his second term which he arrogantly assumed then, and which he has fraudulently succeeded in making come to pass. Ojukwu drew crowds when he campaigned in the North, but the Nigerian Federal Police tear-gassed the crowd. MASSOB civil-political rally was brutally stopped by armed Nigerian Security agents, with the result of over 200 deaths and numerous injuries, followed by unlawful imprisonment afterwards. Prior to the elections, the Igbo were relegated to oblivion, never even counted or reckoned with. Now that the elections have been rigged, the Yoruba cannot bring themselves to reject them because their kin is the head of the thieves, even though the Yoruba know about the rigging. Even OPC is threatening anybody that opposes Obasanjo’s fraudulent claim to a second term. While Buhari is putting up a gallant effort in opposing the fraud, he is doing so with the goal of one Nigeria ; his people are divided because they know that a successful rejection of Obasanjo and his fellow usurpers will benefit Biafra actualization.
Realizing all this, we ask again: what have we learnt? if in spite of all the above, some people among us are still talking about the existence of Ndigbo in one Nigeria ? What have we learnt if some of us are actually seriously thinking of participating in any exercise or process that keeps Ndigbo-Biafrans in Nigeria ? Fellow Biafrans: stupidity was never an Igbo or Biafran trait. Foolishness is not an Igbo-Biafran quality. Wouldn’t our ancestors roll over in their graves when they see what some of us are doing and how some of us are thinking? At least a coward has some sense, and it may be this vestige of sense that compels a reaction which is calculated to save the coward from further pummeling by his tormentor, in the false hope that if he does not stand up to his tormentor, he will be spared. We can forgive such cowardice. But anybody pushing or asking or planning or scheming in any way that Ndigbo-Biafrans remain in Nigeria —anyone doing that—is worse than a coward: he or she has no sense at all. Senseless, and shameless—that’s what he or she is. Ndigbo-Biafrans were never known for being senseless. That is not going to change in 2003. We do not understand what these people stand to gain from these plans, but we can assure them that the Igbo Nation of Biafra will not allow these few saboteurs to keep us in Nigeria .
Fellow Biafrans: let nobody talk about democracy in Nigeria , because there is no such thing. Let nobody talk about nurturing democracy in Nigeria by allowing Obasanjo and his cabal get away with the rigged elections because doing so only nurtures cheating, thievery, deceit, arrogance, dishonesty, abuse of power, exploitation and evil. We do not think that any of you here would associate democracy with these negative attributes. Democracy is all about the collective right and will of the people and its expression leading to the empowerment of the people by the people to direct their governance and direction. Obasanjo and his fellow-criminals have thrown away the peoples’ rights and ignored the peoples’ will; instead, they have substituted their own desires and their little will and are forcing it on the people. How can you allow that—and then, say you are doing this in the name of democracy or nurturing democracy? How can you watch a thief plunder your household and take it over, and you do nothing about it because you think that to do nothing is to nurture honesty or preserve peace?
Ogbeh of PDP had the nerve to announce that the elections were not really rigged by, and in the favor of, PDP and Obasanjo and their friends. He claims that the people voted overwhelmingly for PDP because PDP deserved it? How is it that we have men like that still among us? Remember the Iraqi minister of information who kept insisting that Iraqi was winning the war and that US soldiers were not on Iraqi soil even as the US troops were raiding Baghdad ? Mr. Ogbeh: yes, indeed PDP is popular among the peoples of Nigeria because the PDP-dominated government built better roads so that the lives of the peoples living in Nigeria could be improved. PDP-led government built new schools and enrolled more students and provided education for these students from 1999 to 2003. The PDP administration built new infrastructure in Nigeria so that Industrial and Business productivity and output increased. The PDP government reduced the burden of Nigeria ’s International debt. The PDP government improved the security of life and property of the average person living in Nigeria , and protected the people from armed robbers, from Nigerian armed forces and from religious intolerance riots. Yes, PDP-led government provided clean potable water for the people; and provided steady electrical power supply for the people. The telephone service was great; and there was enough petrol to go around. This government improved the health of the peoples. Food was abundant, affordable, and produced by the people instead of being imported from elsewhere. The PDP-lawmakers concentrated on making good laws for the so-called country; the PDP President acted like a respectable official rather than incite trouble against the Igbo, stir up trouble in the National Assembly, try to control everything and everybody living in Nigeria , insult certain Nations living in Nigeria while kowtowing to other nations living in Nigeria . Let’s not forget to mention that all PDP-led Government workers, the Police, and even the military were paid their due salaries on time, and pensioners received their pay on time, without delay. Yes, Mr. Ogbeh: for all these reasons, the peoples living in Nigeria, grateful and extremely satisfied and pleased with the PDP-government, overwhelmingly voted for PDP and Obasanjo for a second term! This is the caliber of people—people the likes of Ogbeh—who have usurped power in Nigeria, people to whom honesty is an alien, unthinkable word; people who actually revel in evil and dishonesty, shameless people who are smearing the rest of the nations living in Nigeria with their dishonesty, their lies, their thievery and their callousness. For a shame! And, this is the Nigeria with this type of “leadership” that any thinking Igbo-Biafran would like to keep Ndigbo-Biafrans in? Tufiakwa!
Fellow Biafrans: follow the example of MASSOB and others actively working to extricate Biafra from Nigeria . Uwazurike was recently released on bail from unlawful and unjustified jailing for an incident during which armed Nigerian police killed hundreds and injured hundreds and jailed hundreds of unarmed MASSOB civilians. His first words were to the effect of continuing the struggle to actualize Biafra . Undaunted. Unfazed. Unruffled. Unmoved from the goal and the focus: Biafra actualization. Let us never forget!
APGA and Ojukwu, for their part, are the vehicle of the people of Biafra intended to navigate us through the treacherous, poisoned, dangerous and evil waters called Nigeria , into our promised land—Biafraland. Let us likewise give them our full support and full counsel and ask our Chi, our God, to show us all how this in fact is the divine imperative and divine guidance..
Biafra lives because God created Biafraland. Biafrans live because God made us Biafrans. We owe our right of existence to no man or country or principality; save to God-Himself. We owe no accountability to Nigeria ; but only to Biafra and to God our Maker. Hence to Biafra and to our God we must remain true.
That’s the news analysis for the week. Thank you.
God bless and keep Biafra, and you, until our next broadcast. Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcasts continues (http://www.biafraland.com/vobi.htm). Thank you.