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

For February 5th, 2005

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

“Wonders,” it is said, “never cease!” Northern Nigeria leadership argued and threatened that if Ethnicity and Religion are added to the census data, then, the entire North would boycott the counting exercise. Obasanjo and his government immediately succumb, and now, Nigeria is saddled with an impending census where only a head-count can be done—just like the North counts its cattle, by the way—thereby appeasing the North. Recall that it is the same North to whom Sharia is so important and pre-eminent that the Nigerian constitution and citizenship are deliberately rendered inapplicable? Was it not a Northern military ruler of Nigeria that went as far as registering Nigeria as a member of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference), thus making Nigeria a "Muslim country"? Remember that it is in the same North where the designation, “Indigene” determines where and how you can live—or die—in the North?

We bring this up not because we are interested in the Nigerian Census. We are Biafrans. We can only and shall only be counted as Biafrans. Since this is not possible in the present dispensation, we shall not participate in a Nigerian Census. But, we bring this up to point out the level of stupidity and insanity the peoples suffering and dying in Nigeria have been subjugated to, such as with this barefaced hypocritical, cheating and selfish arguments of those whose instrument of persecution of others is no other than the same religion and ethnicity. Because they are afraid that the census will in fact reveal that Islam is not majority in Nigeria; that the major Northern ethnicities probably rank a distant fifth or sixth by population, and because they are afraid that the entire Northern population will rank only third, behind the East and the West, by numbers, they have once again forced a useless counting exercise on Nigeria. At least, they didn’t wait until the figures were out, reject them, then doctor them to their liking, before finally publishing the rigged figures to the public, as they have done in the past.

And, we are bringing this up because in a rare display of courage, the Eastern so-called governors have not only caught on to what is going on here, but they are willing to stick their necks out to challenge it. Now, it remains to be seen if their courage will hold up: if the census parameters are not changed to include Ethnicity and Religion, they have vowed to boycott the census. Well, let us follow this one closely and see if these “master-slaves” have learned to stand up to their clay-footed slave-masters in this humiliating relationship which the governors have maintained and are personally benefiting from. But, know ye this: whatever the outcome, we are Biafrans. Nigerian census does not concern us because we could not, and do not, wish to participate in it.

A warning to all those tormentors and persecutors of MASSOB-Biafrans who reside in Biafraland. We are well aware that besides the so-called governors and other previously known entities who belong to this aru group, members of a new group who call themselves “Eze” have been helping the SSS and the Nigeria Police to go house to house in search of MASSOB members and in search of Biafra artifacts for destruction. In so doing, they have demonstrated the reason why the Igbo never had “Eze” and have also demonstrated their ignorance, mockery and bastardization of Igbo-Biafran tradition and culture. The last times when someone led armed marauders and pointed out Biafrans in their own homes for slaughter were during the pogrom and genocidal murder of innocent Biafrans in 1966 and 1967 in Northern Nigeria and Western Nigeria, by Northerners and Westerners; and before then, during the Slave Trade when a few unscrupulous and money-greedy Biafrans arranged for the capture and sale of our own people by, and to, Arab human traffickers, into slavery, from the 1600’s to the 1900’s. So, these so-called “Eze’s” really have no idea the gravity of the offense they commit against not just the people, but the Spirit of Igbo, the Spirit of Biafra. Perhaps, they have not heard that Northerners never took the Nigerian police and army to point out who the Northern "neo-Taliban" are, even though the Taliban members attacked their own people. Perhaps, they have not heard that the Yoruba would never take the government forces in a house-to-house search for OPC members, even though OPC is armed and active in violent exchanges. Perhaps, they did not hear that the Delta people welcomed Dokubo and his group as heroes, providing logistic, financial, emotional and popular support for them, even though he is in an open and declared war against Nigerian forces. What, then, is the level of foolishness and stupidity that would make a man forget and forego propriety? We shall not only pity these persons, but from now on, anyone caught going into another person’s home or compound to finger the person to the police or to the SSS, just because the person is Biafran or a member of MASSOB, shall be held responsible for whatever ill befalls the victimized Biafran or MASSOB member. Remember that any such betrayer who enters your compound without your permission or authorization is in fact trespassing. Such a Judas should remember what happened to AIG Ralph Ige, and to IG Tafa Balogun; the same will eventually befall the SSS and their leadership, whom the Judas is now working for; then, he will be left on his own to face Oha Biafra for his crimes.

Fellow Biafrans: if you see anybody selling out Biafrans as such, get together in a large group and say, Desist! to the Judas. If you see the police trying to take away a Biafran or MASSOBian for no other reason than that they are Biafran or MASSOBian, get together in a huge group and ask, why? and then say, Heck, No! We do not bear arms and we do not attack anyone, and we would not recommend changing that modus operandus; but unarmed and non-violent as we come, we can still make a stand as a collective, as Oha, as a mass of people, when the rights of anyone of us are being violated, especially when the one’s life and limb are at stake.

It is this kind of susceptibility which turns our people against us in actions of unthinkable “aru” which informs and validates our stand that only Biafra can save our people now. Nigeria first dehumanizes us, then, corrupts our people, and then, protects the corrupt from customary corrective sanction by suppressing and repressing us. As long as we find ourselves under Nigeria, this will continue. But, it cannot be allowed to continue any longer.

That is why it is important that we ignore anyone saying that they will represent us in any conference where the outcome of the conference is a decision or agreement to preserve one-Nigeria and keep us Biafrans forced into such a structure. If other ethnic-nations want Nigeria, they can have it. As for Biafra and the collective Biafran household, we have chosen Biafra, and there is no force that can change that. Perhaps, Nigeria thought that the Civil War changed all that and destroyed Biafra: now, they know different.

The Northerners are the most tenacious about keeping Nigeria one. But, isn’t it they who constantly and openly attack and kill Ndigbo-Biafrans, without provocation? Isn’t it they who have made Sharia the law of their land, and called you infidels without rights and without value? Isn’t it they who have decided that you cannot live on their land except where exactly they stipulate for you—in “outcast quarters”? So, what kind of one-Nigeria is that for you? Do you think that a conferential agreement will change that? If so, you deceive yourself then. The Northern Muslim choose their Faith over country—that is their right, privilege, and prerogative, and no one in their right minds can criticize them for that. It will even be more foolhardy to try to use the means of a conference to get them to change that fixed position. Why do we then have to pretend that we can be in the same one country as they? It is sheer folly on the part of anyone or any group leaning that way. Why do we then ignore this pre-fixed one-country outcome, a show-stopper concept, and go to a conference to cement such a sick relationship?

For those who constantly harp about “what the founding fathers [of Nigeria] would want,” let us gently burst their bubble. The founding fathers of Nigeria were, and still are, the British colonialists. Know your history! As for the early leaders of their own ethnic nations who fought for independence for Nigeria, how could anyone forget how that fight went, so now to begin to believe a romanticized, idealized and false version and image of what these leaders wanted? While the Southern leaders wanted Independence for Nigeria, the Northern leaders preferred continuing British rule; and only agreed to independence on the condition that the North is ceded the power to rule Nigeria. That’s hardly an ideal worthy of emulation today, is it? As for the Southern leaders, did Awolowo not want Yoruba nationalism over Nigeria, above anything else?  Poor “Zik of Africa”: he was more interested in the liberation of Africa, using Nigeria as a shining example, even at the expense of his own people, ending up accepting a mere figurehead post in Nigeria while the real and only power went to the North, thereby completely fulfilling the North’s condition?  Not only that, Nnamdi Azikiwe was later to desert Biafra at the moment of Biafra’s greatest need, defecting to Nigeria, once again placing Nigeria first before his own people, only to be used for the propaganda value by Gowon’s putsch-administration, and later spat out as a spent and hated Igbo, while the Nigeria-led genocide against Biafra continued unabated, war atrocities being committed against Biafrans intensified, and Enahoro, today’s champion of a one-Nigeria Sovereign National Conference, was vigorously defending the use of starvation of Biafran children, women and elderly as an instrument of war. That is the true and real story of the inclinations of the mislabeled “founding fathers of Nigeria.”  We reckon that it is logical that, if you not only advocate for the wholesale starvation of a race and nation, its children and women, but go about proudly and shamelessly defending and justifying it to the entire world, you would return 35 years later to try to continue the enforcing of the same one-Nigeria that starved out such a nation of people, trying to force the remnants to stay.

To think that any red-blooded Biafran would support anything Nigeria today, is unimaginable, seeing that we have the option to go our own way. We are dealing with Nigeria, a group of nations that hates Biafrans with a passion, and kills Biafrans with relish, but want to force Biafrans into their country where Biafrans are treated with disdain and loathe.

Fellow Biafrans, this is not about goodwill, because all there is is malice against you in Nigeria; learn to look deeper than the fake appearances. Nigeria never honors any agreements that might benefit you. You can’t trust Nigeria—remember 1966, what led to the second wave of massacre of Igbo-Biafrans in the North and in the West, after we honored the plea by Nigeria to return, following the first wave of attacks? Remember Aburi? Remember Oputa commission? This is not a test of your survival ability in Nigeria, because your escapades in this area are legendary, and there is no better survivor than you. Nor is this a challenge—to prove yourself in Nigeria and or as a Nigerian—because in all ways, you have already done all that, but you are still hated and made an outcast in Nigeria, though you have over-paid your dues, so to speak. You must reject any arrangement that goes against Biafra actualization. You must insist on and push for Biafra, Biafra actualization and recognition as a sovereign and independent nation. If a conference has a contrary agenda, we shall not attend it; anyone attending it does not represent Biafra or Biafran interests.

We charge you to tell that to all our people, the people of the nation of Biafra, and announce that to Nigerians, in case they should be under any illusions to the contrary. Even if you can’t, at least, know your history and tell it to those who might have forgotten.

Biafra for us, because that’s how and why God created us Biafrans and made Biafra our land—Biafra alive!

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) with the summary of the News Analysis in Igbo language.

Ndi Biafra, anyi e kelee unu.

Nke a bu akuko nke anyi na a kpo News Analysis si na Voice of Biafra International radio di na Washington DC na ala Amerika na a bia ra unu na abali a.

Nde Nigeria na a kwado maka ogugu-onu-isi a na a kpo “Census” ma na nke a a gbasaraghi anyi wu ndi Biafra maka o nweghi ka a ga esi gu inye anyi na nde Nigeria. Mgbe oge ru ru, anyi ga a gu nde Biafra na ala Biafra na obodo Biafra. Ihe anyi ji na e kwu ihe gbasara census a wu na ndi Awusa gwara ndi ochichi Nigeria na ha a gaghi e kwe ka a gu o ha onu o wuru na a ga a ju ebe mmadu si, ma o wu uka onye ahu na a ga.  Ndi ochichi Nigeria were nzuzu si na a gaghi aju ajuju di otua na census a, na e chefu na ebe owula mmadu gara na ime Nigeria, ma o wu ihe owula mmadu na e me na ime Nigeria, o wu ihe abuo a ka a na a ju ya. Ujo na a tu nde Awusa na asi-sa ajuju a ga e zi na ndi Alakuba e sighi nne karia ndi Uka Chukwu na ime Nigeria; zi kwa na ndi Awusa na ndi Fulani e sighi nne karia ndi Igbo ma o wu ndi Yoruba; na e zi kwa na ndi Ugwu na ile e sighi nne karia ndi Biafra ma owu ndi Western Nigeria.

Ndi ochichi governor na ala Biafra amutala ako na aghugho ndi Awusa na a gho, ka ndi governor ji zi ri si na o wuru na e tinyeghi uka nde mmadu, na ebe ndi mmadu si na ogugu-onu ya, na ha a gaghi e kwe ka e me e census na ala East. Anyi ga na e le anya i ji choputa ma ike odi kwa ndi governor a ma o wu so o so na onu ka ha na e kwu. O wughi kwa na ihe ha na e me ga a gbanwe ihe ndi Biafra ga e me, na ebe o nweghi ike ka a guo anyi onu na ogugu-onu ndi Nigeria.

Aka-nti ka anyi na a do nde na ile na e nye ndi MASSOB na ndi Biafra nsogbu. Maka anyi a mata la na o nwere ndi na a kpo onwe ha “Eze” na ala Biafra nde na a ga a kporo ndi SSS na ndi polisi, kpoga ha na ulo ndi MASSOB na ulo ebe nde bi na ya nwere ihe Biafra, ka nde SSS na ndi polisi a were nwuru nde Biafra nde a. Nde efulefu ya wu ndi iberibe, maka ha a ghotaghi na o wu ihe di otua mere eji na a si “Igbo e nweghi Eze.” Biafra a naghi e chii mmadu Eze. O wu kwa nu ihe aru na ndi ya na a nara ndi SSS na ndi polisi ego were ga re e onye Biafra ibe ha. Ma o wula ndi Awusa ma o wu ndi Yoruba ma o wu ndi Delta-Biafra a naghi e me ihe di otua mekwasi ndi ibe ha. Umu Biafra: unu ga na igwe ga gwa ndi efulefu ndea okwu si ha kwusi ihe ojoo na ihe aru ihe Judas ha na eme. Igwe madu ga e kwu siri ha okwu si ha kwusi. Unu hu kwa ebe ndi polisi ma o wu SSS na e jide onye Biafra ma o wu onye MASSOB na o nweghi ihe ha mere kariakwa na ha wu ndi Biafra ma owu ndi MASSOB, igwe madu ga a ga nga ahu ka ha hu ihe na e me, na a gba aka-ebe ihe na e me, na a ju ndi polisi na ndi SSS ihe mere ha ji na a nwuru onye nke anyi. O wu onu na okwu na ajuju na omume igwe mmadu na i guzo oto ka anyi na acho. Anyi a choghi ogu ma o wu mgba ma o wu mgbakasa.

Na ihe gbasara nzuko sovereign national conference, anyi na e kwu ya ozo na o wu so o so Biafra ka anyi na a cho. Ndi mba ndi ozo cho Nigeria, ha gawa; ma anyi ga agawara kwanu onwe anyi ga na obodo anyi Biafra. Onye owula si na ya na a nochita anya ndi Biafra na nzuko owula ma ga na e kwu ihe gbasara otu ha ga e si e mezi Nigeria, ma o wu otu ha ga e si a no na ime Nigeria, o wu onwe ya ka onochitarala anya, o wughi nde Biafra di nye ra ya.

Ndi Awusa a ghorola Sharia, were otua ahu dozie ala ha; ha a choghi ndi Biafra na ala ha maka anyi a wughi ndi alakoba. Ndi Awusa e nweghi ike i kwusi Sharia, ma o di anyi mma ma o di anyi njo.  Ndi Yoruba na a cho so o so ihe ga a diri ndi Yoruba mma.  O weghi ndi obodo ozo na ime Nigeria na a cho ihe ga a diri Nigeria mma—o wu so o so ihe ga a diri obodo ha mma. Ma ha choro i na a za aha one-Nigeria ka ha were otu ahu na a miri mmanu no na a la Biafra. O na e me anyi nnwuta ukwuu na onwere ndi Biafra ka na a ghotaghi bee ihe ga ra nga ahu; ndi ka na a cho ka ha la achi na ime Nigeria, ga na a ta ahuhu i mezi Nigeria. Ebere ha na e me anyi. Unu ga gwa ha ozoo na o wu Biafra wu ebe anyi na a ga; Nigeria e nweghi ike ighogbu anyi ozo.

Ya mere ka anyi na a gwa onye owula ka ha jisie ike na ihe ha na e me i ji  nweta Biafra.

Biafra, ndu gi! Biafra, ndu gi!! Biafra, ndu gi!!! Ma ka Chineke no nyere la gi!

Ndewo unu!

Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcast continues
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