This is the News Analysis segment of the Voice of Biafra International broadcasts.
For January 31st, 2004
You have heard the news; now, the analysis…
“My peoples and my nations shall not be sacrificed for the sake of preserving a worthless idea called Nigeria .” So speaketh the Lord. And so it is.
“The peoples and their nations must live and thrive, though the name and concept of Nigeria die. The peoples and their nations must not and will not be allowed to perish just to save a dying Nigeria .” So says the Lord.
Fellow Biafrans: never for one moment doubt the effects of the Word of God.
We will start today by stating how appalled we are to read in the newspapers the opinions of some Igbo groups who are still advocating that Ndigbo-Biafrans continue to work harder to try to be accepted in one-Nigeria. We are certainly very disappointed to read these opinions, no matter who is or who are advocating them.
There is no moral basis to demand or suggest that Ndigbo-Biafrans continue to suffer more humiliation at the hands of Nigeria in the current structure of one-Nigeria. There is no moral duty to stay in an unnatural relationship where an entire nation is subjected to the kind of depravity and deprivation that Ndigbo-Biafrans have continued to suffer while they have been trying to stay in one-Nigeria.
We want to challenge any and all persons, any and all organizations who are out and about asking that Ndigbo-Biafrans continue to struggle to integrate themselves in one-Nigeria now and in the future, to explain how it is that after over half-a-century of Ndigbo-Biafrans doing precisely this failed integration exercise, it is now going to work out, or it will in the future work out. Ironically, all these erring Igbo opinions and their sources have admitted that we, Ndigbo-Biafrans, have been mistreated in Nigeria , and that such mistreatment is still ongoing. The holders of this wrong opinion do not deny the wickedness visited on Ndigbo-Biafrans by Nigeria all this time; they also acknowledge the fact that such malicious and murderous treatment meted to Ndigbo-Biafrans in, and by, Nigeria is unjustified and unprovoked.
We are not ashamed to point out the fact which we have mentioned repeatedly in the past. That fact is that no other people or nationality living in Nigeria have done more to improve Nigeria, to integrate Nigeria, and to share their own human and natural resources with the rest of Nigeria than Ndigbo-Biafrans. Take a look around you: as a group, more Igbo-Biafrans can be found in more places in Nigeria than any other group. In those places where Ndigbo-Biafrans go, they develop the local infrastructure and provide needed services for the indigenes: contrast that with their home, Igboland-Biafraland where there is no reciprocal contribution by other nationalities, because these other nationals are not to be found, and are not there for us. Yet, the Igbo-Biafran who is out there serving and developing other parts and other peoples of Nigeria are left at the mercy of the indigenes whose attitude to the Igbo-Biafrans is that the latter are mere infidels or foreigners who have no rights, not even to their own life or their own property, with predictable results. Is there any season that passes when there is no report of Ndigbo-Biafrans being violently pushed out of their property and even being killed and injured in other parts of Nigeria in these acts?
Look around you: the so-called Nigeria ’s oil wealth, whose land is it in? Have the Igbo-Biafrans raised a finger to stop Nigeria from commandeering all that oil, and then turning around to use the un-stolen portion of the revenues so generated to develop every part of Nigeria except for Igboland-Biafraland? The most lucrative business in Nigeria today is the Petrochemical industry. How come it is that this industry is dominated and monopolized by persons and institutions from other parts of Nigeria , with a near-total exclusion of Igbo-Biafrans from whose land this essence of this business flows in the first place?
In spite of the above, has Nigeria accepted Ndigbo-Biafrans? In spite of the above, have Nigerians accorded any respect to Igbo-Biafrans whom they like to denigrated further by labeling them as “all petty traders”? Or, have you forgotten so soon that national insult delivered to Ndigbo-Biafrans by a female-child--a mere child--speaking as Obasanjo-Nigeria’s spokesperson about Ndigbo-Biafrans? And, by the way, what are non-Igbo non-Biafrans living in Nigeria contributing to Nigeria today? Have you heard them extorting themselves to do this or do that for the sake of proving that they are Nigerians? Have you ever heard their leaders or their peoples asking themselves to work harder to integrate themselves into one Nigeria ? Do you understand that the Muslim North already has their allegiance to Sharia and only Sharia--not to Nigeria?
Now, if you, Ndigbo-Biafrans, are providing through the natural resources in your own land 95% of the revenues flowing into Nigeria’s coffers every year, and you are the only nation that have dispersed your people to build up businesses outside your own nation to all other parts of Nigeria, and you provide needed services for those other people in those other areas, and yet, Nigeria still mistreats you, what would change Nigeria’s mind and attitude towards you, Ndigbo-Biafrans? Haven’t you done enough? Haven’t you contributed enough? Why should anybody or any group or any institution still ask you today to try harder or try to do more? With what? And, how are you going to do more than you have done now?
Fellow Biafrans, it is for these reasons that we are not just appalled and disappointed with any person or persons or groups or institutions calling for Ndigbo-Biafrans to continue to try to stay in one- Nigeria , but we must outrightly condemn these agents and agencies as wayward and as backward in their ideas. We are going to categorize their opinions and ideas as ignorant, against nature, against common sense, and against morality.
We particularly take exception to any group who would try to support this crass and crazed idea and opinion by using religion. For we know that nowhere does God express support for the oppression and humiliation of His creation. Nowhere does God instruct His creation whom He has endowed so richly with natural and human resources to continue to stay in any relationship where such Divine creation is subjugated to the extreme repression and humiliation and exploitation such as our people, Igbo-Biafrans, have known at the hands of Nigeria .
Fellow Biafrans: neither God nor our Chi has commanded or demanded that we stay in Nigeria to waste our fortunes and our lives there in the name of wanting to ”live with our neighbors in peace and harmony.” The fact is that our so-called neighbors do not want that kind of a relationship with us; and yes, they are entitled to their wishes, BUT WE ARE ALSO ENTITLED TO LIVE ON OUR OWN, IN OUR OWN SOVEREIGN NATION OF BIAFRA, there to build and grow our nation as we see fit. Those using religion to justify forcing Ndigbo-Biafrans to stay in Nigeria are wrong—totally wrong, and they have failed the test of honesty: they have failed to admit that Ndigbo-Biafrans have already tried so very hard, and it has not worked out, and it is not our fault. Those using religion to justify our continuing to beg to be accepted where we are rejected are wrong: they are not being honest; they like to beat us over the head with their doctrines, and yet they know that our tormentors will never let us be, but they won’t even attempt to go and change the minds of these tormentors.
We use this opportunity to remind all our people that God did not command the Israelites to try harder to be accepted and to continue to be subjugated and oppressed in Pharaoh’s Egypt . Yes, even in those days, there were some Israelites who felt that they should remain in Egypt and work out their lot there. They were wrong. At least, they did not use religion to justify their wrong opinion. All along, it was God’s plan that Israelites had to be separated from the Egyptians. The plight of Biafrans in Nigeria today is not much different from that of Israelites in Pharaoh’s Egypt then. God’s plan is the same now for Biafra with respect to Nigeria as it was then: for Israel with respect to Egypt : Biafra / Biafrans must be separated from Nigeria .
Let us hear no more of this talk of Igbo-Biafrans trying harder to remain in one-Nigeria , or to make Nigeria a better place. Whoever is talking like that is one who refuses to accept the facts of history, the facts of experience, and the reality of the plight of Biafrans in Nigeria . To try to talk like that using religion is to negate all the Divine lessons which religion is supposed to pass along, and to miss the fundamentals of God’s creation and the Divine plan of existence.
Fellow Biafrans, it is simply a-moral, if not entirely immoral, for anyone or any group or any institution to ask Ndigbo-Biafrans to continue to stay in one-Nigeria, or to work harder to be accepted into Nigeria, or to make Nigeria a better place for Ndigbo-Biafrans. Israel , no matter how hard she tried, could not be accepted in, and could not stay in Egypt . Why should they? They are completely different peoples. Biafra cannot stay in Nigeria . Why should we? We are completely different peoples. Every event and every turn of events in Nigeria these days validates this.
This, 2004, is the year that everyone of us has to understand the fundamental paradigm that we are Biafrans, not Nigerians; that we are destined for the Sovereign Nation of Biafra, not for Nigeria . When you understand this, then you can see that the mistreatment which Biafra receives from Nigeria is designed to be a constant reminder that we must get out of Nigeria and into our own sovereignty, Biafra. When we wake up to this understanding, then we shall be ready to follow God’s plan for the liberation and actualization of Biafra .
As for us, we are ready. Are you? Biafra is waiting. God is waiting. Can you find the courage to do your part?
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) broadcast continues (http://www.biafraland.com/vobi.htm)
Voice of Biafra International (VOBI)
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