This is the News Analysis segment of the Voice of Biafra International broadcasts

For February 21st 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: The Word of God is a living thing which is always fulfilled. Count on it!

Today, we bring to you the sorry plight of one aspect of life—no, not life, but rather, hell—in Nigeria. Let us touch a little on Education, and use that as an example of how things go wrong and get worse in Nigeria, without any hope of a viable solution. Education is the one gift that parents and families want to bequeath their children, and would go to any length or extent to make sacrifices in order to assure this. Education is the thing that each older generation owes the up-and-coming generation, so that the baton can be properly passed on—the baton of enlightenment, culture, wisdom and intelligence. In every society, the government owes it to the people who elected it to do everything in its power to promote, improve and nurture education. But, predictably, not in Nigeria!

Today, there is even talk of officially closing all institutions of higher learning in Nigeria for one year in order to clean out the awful mess and morass; and sort out the mind-boggling mire that is existent in all educational institutions. Fools! In such a proposal, we see and feel the double impact of ignorance and then, more ignorance.

We ask: how and when did education in Nigeria start down the current slippery slope into the yawning chasm? It all started with Gowon’s regime, which coincided with the deliberate and open policy of killing, maiming, dispossessing, repressing, cheating, suppressing and marginalizing Biafrans. So intent was this policy which was picked up by the rest of Nigeria , and so consumed were they that Nigeria felt successful as long as the Biafrans were kept away—in slavery. That was all that mattered to Nigeria (and still all that matters even now to Nigeria): keep Biafrans enslaved and exploited—at all costs. So, starting with Gowon in 1966 to Obasanjo today, so long as Biafrans were kept in slavery, Nigeria felt and feels fulfilled, successful, and “happy.”

Well, while Nigeria was/is  busy killing and sidelining Biafrans, everything else fell apart. The Economy went to blazes, even though Nigeria was busy stealing the oil wealth of Biafra and its proceeds. Human resources and skills were lost since it was more important to Nigeria to annihilate and silence Biafrans. Government and governance failed, but Nigeria did not care: their priority was suppressing Biafrans and they were succeeding at that. Soon, Agriculture failed too, and Nigeria started importing even basic staple such as Garri and Palm oil; but who cares so long as Nigeria had Biafra pinned under its smothering weight? Industrial capacity plunged and GNP (Gross National Product dived towards the negative, but none of that bothered Nigeria, because she was successfully keeping Biafrans repressed, and was filled with joy and relish and pride doing just that. Now, every institution in Nigeria is failing; yet, Nigeria ignores all that, and still finds pleasure in using every available means and energy to suppress and harass and harangue Biafrans.

Fellow Biafrans: is it any wonder, then, that education in Nigeria is failing too? Nigeria understands how much Biafrans value education, and Nigeria is aware of Biafran exploits and prowess in the field of education. Would it not make sense for Nigeria to do everything it could to punish and spite Biafrans by destroying any educational opportunities which Biafrans might benefit from? This fit and fits right into their aforementioned agenda. Well, Nigeria succeeded, but now, the fire that she had started in order to burn out Biafrans has spread and gone wild; now, that fire is burning up the entire Nigeria, and it is out of control.

How uneducated to think that by closing schools officially for one year or even ten years Nigeria's education problems could be solved! It is even more unenlightened in the light of the fact that in fact, many schools have remained closed, anyway, due to a combination of the customary problems and ailments that define life and experience in Nigeria: 
1) unpaid teachers 
2) decaying infrastructure 
3) student strikes 
4) faculty strikes 
5) insecurity leading to loss of life and limb 
6) student poverty 
7) inadequate education of graduates 
8) lack of jobs and opportunities after graduation.

While we feel for our Youth and weep for them for their bleak educational future—as bad as that is—we must also point out that Education is just one area of all the failing areas wherein life and circumstances are just as bleak or even bleaker, in Nigeria. We must also point out that the solutions proposed by many, for these other horrible areas of life in Nigeria, are just as unenlightened and just as ill-informed, because they are lacking in either honesty or insight or courage and boldness, or in depth and breadth, and or in all these aspects.

The year 1966 proved what we all knew: that Nigeria will never work. Today, people are still trying to pretend that it will work. They work so hard trying to appear wise or pious by merely pronouncing and prescribing more work, more suffering, more effort at getting along as one-Nigeria. Some of them who were born after 1966 have failed to take stock of history, most indoctrinated with the falsity of the history of Nigeria as re-written by Nigeria after the Biafran War. Living in this sort of illusion, these people have no disposition to admit what the root-problem is, or cannot see past the haze to discern and acknowledge the problem; hence, their proposals for solutions are incoherent, piecemeal, and unworkable. Their proposals only mock the real problem and invite the aggravation of futility.

The only way to stop the sliding of Education and reverse its fortunes is by separating Nigeria into the component Nations. The only way to correct each and every serious problem facing Nigeria today is SEPARATION of the Nations that are forced to live in one-Nigeria today. Each Nation and her people must separate from one another and each Nation pursue her own National objectives and imperatives as a Sovereign, Independent entity.

The current structure of one-Nigeria makes it impossible for any serious problem to be solved effectively; Education is just one of those problems. When you place other problems in this context, you will not fail to see that they are just symptoms of the main disease—one-Nigeria. Then you can have an “Eureka” moment, because the solution thus becomes clear.

Every day that one-Nigeria is forced on the peoples, the problems deepen, and new ones arise, and the peoples suffer more; hope dims, and despondency, depression, and resignation set in—and set like cement. Just think: 130 million suffering deprived and depraved peoples; controlled by a handful of ignorant, egotistic, uncouth, uneducated and arrogant men—the same ones since 1966.  Only the structure of one-Nigeria makes this abomination possible.

Fellow Biafrans: remember, we have only spoken of Education. But, the Education problem is just an example of the many manifestations of the forced one-Nigeria structure—and the lesson of 1966.  You can trace all our problems to this structure. We must therefore reject this structure and get out from under it. Only in so doing can we live: it has come to that. It’s a matter of life and destruction. Without education, we are already half-destroyed. Given other problems, if they go unresolved, we are as good as dead—and soon, too!

For this reason, we call on all Biafrans to come together and to reason together, to understand the problems facing us and to acknowledge the gravity of the impending doom; as such, to accept the one alternative, the only effective solution, which is Biafra actualization. Living under the structure of one-Nigeria or supporting one-Nigeria,  without protest and without challenge, and without an active and serious plan of Biafra actualization, is the same as condemning ourselves and our offspring to annihilation and to oblivion. Think about it—it should make you shudder; it should spur you into action.

We thus appeal to all our Biafran Youth, our Biafran Students, our Biafran Traders, our Biafran Professionals, our Biafran Elite, our Biafran Parents, our Biafran Families, our Biafran Children—ALL BIAFRANS: Let us unite now in purpose and in deed, in resolve and in action, in order to actualize Biafra now.

It is the same God Who separated the Israelites from the Egyptians in the times of the Pharaohs That is working with Biafrans today. It is the same Divine outcome that shall materialize now.

Biafra is the only answer! Do your part; God is doing His.

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)
A SHORTWAVE Radio Broadcast Service
transmitting on 7380 kHz (on 41 meter band)
at 2100 - 2200 Hours UTC (Universal Time [Coordinated])
equivalent to 10.00pm- 11.00pm Biafraland time
every Saturday.

A project of Biafra Foundation and Biafra Actualization Forum.