This is the News Analysis segment of the Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcasts

For May 7^th, 2005

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

Fellow Biafrans, we present you these quotes while masking the author for a moment, so that we can all agree on the veracity and implications of the issues raised:

“…on Tuesday [he]  blamed British colonialists for Nigeria's socio-economic, political crisis and most especially, the recurring boundary disputes in some parts of the country.”

"The imperialists powers were more interested in creating wealth for Europe than in creating any enduring democratic structures and institutions in African States and the implication was that they laid a very weak foundation for the effective take-off of most African states and Nigeria was not spared from this experience,"

"The British colonial authorities created the Northern and Southern Protectorates without taking cognisance of the distinct cultural and linguistic differences of the various ethnic groupings and worse still, without any form of consultation with the people. They compromised opportunities for internally driven development, underdeveloped the society and negated structures of endogenously propelled state building."

 

“…boundary disputes leave in their wake economic devastation, social disintegration, political instability, and a perpetual sense of insecurity and fear,

The above, regardless of who the author happens to be, are in fact irrefutable facts of history, which we have cited here several times in the past, and which many, even ordinary, people have articulated at one point or another. So, what is so important about them at this time?

Well a few months ago, when General Obasanjo inaugurated his pre-fixed agenda National Political Reform Conference, he specifically barred the conference from a particular “no-go area”: the unity of Nigeria. One of his reasons, in his own words, was that God put Nigeria together—thus implying that no one dares question or challenge God’s wisdom and fiat therein. It was a low-point, lame and ignorant performance unbecoming of a head of state, even for Obasanjo. In any case, barely two months after that Obasanjo utterance later, The PUNCH, Wednesday, April 27, 2005, attributed the above quoted series of statements to Obasanjo, statements made in an address on the Summit of Boundary Disputes held in Abuja, under the headline, “Obasanjo blames Britain for boundary disputes.”  The first paragraph of that newspaper report stated:

“President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday blamed British colonialists for Nigeria's socio-economic, political crisis and most especially, the recurring boundary disputes in some parts of the country.”

So, whether you can bring yourself to believe it or not, believe it: Obasanjo understands the root-cause of Nigeria’s problems, and how to really correct the problems.  And, he is now willing to admit that in public, instead of pretending and hiding and lying, and then, using the name of God to bully the peoples living in Nigeria into submitting to his attempt to support his falsehood about the structure and status of Nigeria.

To reinforce Obasanjo’s “confession,” we bring you yet another set of quotes which, as if by divinely arranged confluence, was reported the very next day by a different Nigerian newspaper; we shall reveal the author at the end:

“FROM one of [the] key players in the designing of the entity called Nigeria has come a damning verdict: It was a mistake on the part of the colonial power to have forced the different ethnic groups into a single political entity.”

“"But in retrospect, it is clear that this was a grave mistake which has cost many lives and will probably continue to do so. It should have been better to establish several smaller states in a free trade area"

“Unfortunately at the time, [he] said the colonial power did not have the lessons of the collapse of Yugoslavia and the defunct Soviet Union to guide them.”

“Nigeria, he maintained, still has the capacity of restructuring itself to face modern day challenges…”

Well, this time around, the report comes from Guardian of April 28 2005, under the headline of: “Ex-colonial officer faults amalgamation of Nigeria,” culled from “…a position paper titled: "Nigerian Lesson," by Peter Smithers, who was then Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State and the Secretary of State in the Colonial Office (1952-1959.

Isn’t it amazing how, apparently, all of a sudden, Truth, as if tired of playing patience by allowing itself to be weighted down by the chains of lies, decides to rise in a hurry and burst the bubble of falsehood? In a period of twenty-four hours or less, both Obasanjo and the British have admitted that Nigeria is a serious mistake, and that serious restructuring is necessary.

In the face of all this, isn’t it a continuing travesty that Obasanjo should intensify his hunting down of MASSOB members using his hound dogs called the SSS and the Nigerian Police? What does MASSOB really stand for? In essence, isn’t it the restructuring of Nigeria in such a way as to ratify and recognize the sovereignty and independence of those robbed and aggrieved original ethnic nations who were forced together in an error now being pointed out by Obasanjo himself, and admitted and lamented by the British, and of which ethnic nations Biafra is one? The British ought to be knighting MASSOB for bravery and for vision.

Fellow Biafrans: Obasanjo may be playing hypocrite or dumb or schizophrenic: that does not mean that YOU should, too. If any Biafran is opposed to MASSOB, then he or she has to go and find the reason for that—but, let him or her not go to the British or to Obasanjo or to Nigeria for that, because he or she will not find the justification for his or her opposition there.  If anyone of us is neutral about MASSOB, then, he or she refuses to deal with historical facts and with reality. Those who are only look-warm towards MASSOB, we ask you: if truth and rightful action do not fire you up, what will, then—lies? The important thing is that we must all now come together to support fully MASSOB and to complete MASSOB’s agenda for Biafra. Nigeria—one-Nigeria—is a big mistake and a costly one for that matter. Biafra actualization results in the release of Biafra from the admitted bloody mistake that is one-Nigeria. That is the only type of effective restructuring that will make amends for the self-serving colonial erroneous actions which created faulty structures such as Nigeria.  As if you haven’t now heard it from the horse’s mouth?!

This week, “Divine intervention” thus happened in the Biafra-Nigeria situation, and it is intended to be in YOUR favor; fellow Biafrans: do not miss it.  You cannot miss it!

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

Ndi Biafra, ekele e o-o!  Anyi e kelee unu.

Nkea wu 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.

Unu cheta kwa na na onwa abuo ma owu ato gara a ga, mgbe Obasanjo na e meghie nzuko ojoo ya o na a kpo National Political Reform Conference (ma o wu National Conference), o gwara ndi o dugara na nzuko ya a na ha a kpatughi kwa la ihe gbasara Nigeria i wu otu aka, maka, na olu nke ya wu Obasanjo, o wu Chineke mere Nigeria otu a. Ma na izu gara a ga, Obasanjo ji onu ya onwe ya kwue na o wu ndi British jiri ike na aghugho mee ka ndi Ugwu Awusa na ndi Mgbada bi ri na otu Nigeria; na o wu kwanu ihe aru na ihe ojoo ka ndi British mere mgbe ha mere ka Nigeria wuru otu, maka o nweghi ihe jikoro ndi Ugwu na ndi Mgbada na otu. Otua ka Obasanjo ji zi hafu ugha o ghara na mbu mgbe o si na o wu Chineke mere Nigeria otu, ya na e kwu zi ezi okwu na o wu kwanu ndi British mere Nigeria otu. Ma Obasanjo a kwusighi na ebe ahu: o kwu kwara ezi okwu na o wu i dobe Nigeria otu butere ihe ojoo na ihe aru na ile na e me na ime Nigeria taa—ihe ojoo na aru ya di nnukwu. O na e kwu kwa na o wu so o so mgbanwe otu Nigeria siri di ga a kwusi ihe ojoo na ihe aru ndia na ile.

Obasanjo ka kwupuru ihe di otua mgbe otu onye isi ndi British, onye soro ji ike mee Nigeria otu, jiri kwuo na ndi British nwere obi-mgbanwe gbasara otu ha siri mee ka Nigeria wuru otu; na o wu ihe ojoo ka ha mere; na ha e cheghariala gbasara ihe ha mere—otu ha siri mee Nigeria. O si na a si na ha wu ndi British ma mgbe ahu ihe ma taa, ha gara a hafu ndi mba na ile bi na ime Nigeria ka ha noro onwe ha ka ha di mgbe ahu, wuru obodo nke onwe ha. Nwoke a a na a kpo Peter Smithers si na ihe kwesiri ka e mee ugbua i ji ikwusi nsogbu na onwu di na ime Nigeria taa nke ihe ha mere na mbu na Nigeria butere, wu i meghari otu Nigeria di, ihe a na a kpo “restructuring.”

Unu a hula otu odi ka Chi anyi kpuhere anya ndi mmadu, ndi British na Obasanjo na ndi Nigeria, ka ha kwuo ezi okwu gbasara otu Nigeria di taa; na ihe a ga e me i ji igbanwe ihe dum.  Mana MASSOB di mbu mara ihe ndi a na ile, mara na otu a ga e ji a gbanwe ihe na Nigeria wu ikewapu ndi mba di iche iche ka ha wuru obodo nke aka ha ka ha di mbu. O wu kwanu “restructuring” a a na e kwu okwu ya.  Ma, kama Obasanjo ga e to MASSOB otuto, na a ja MASSOB ajija, ya wu Obasanjo na a cho i jide nde MASSOB ncha, tuo ha nkporo ma o wu wega ha na cotu Nigeria ebe Obasanjo ga a ma ha ikpe, dogbua ha a dogbuo.

Anyi ji okwu ya na ile na e zi unu na ihe MASSOB na e me wu ihe ziri ezi. Anyi na ile ga a kwado MASSOB, na e nyere MASSOB aka, na e me ihe MASSOB na eme, kwuru MASSOB na azu, na a ja ha na na e to ha wu MASSOB, tutu mgbe anyi ga e nweta Biafra, nke ga e meriri. Chineke na Onwe Ya e kpuhere la anyi ezi okwu gbasara Biafra na Nigeria; kedi zi ihe anyi na e che?

Biafra, ndu gi! Biafra, ndu gi!! Biafra, ndu gi!!! Ma ka Chineke nonyere la gi!

Ndewo unu!

Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcast continues
Voice of Biafra International (VOBI)
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