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

For May 28th, 2005

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

This week, we read that the United States National Intelligence Council has predicted the “outright collapse of Nigeria as a nation-state within the next 15 years,” stating  that: "while currently Nigeria's leaders are locked in a bad marriage that all dislike but dare not leave, there are possibilities that could disrupt the precarious equilibrium in Abuja.” This conclusion was arrived at after the deliberation of the Council which recently convened a group of top US experts on Sub-Saharan Africa to discuss likely trends in the region over the next 15 years.

Yes, you heard right. This week, we learn that the US intelligence community and stake-holders have arrived at the same conclusion that we have always had. We reported here that two weeks ago, the British colonial government representative, Mr. Peter Smithers, admitted colonial British government’s original mistake of forcing various ethnic nations into one-Nigeria; a mistake which he said, if not corrected by serious restructuring now, will continue to cause loss of lives and property and lack of progress for the peoples living and suffering in Nigeria. A day earlier, Obasanjo himself had shifted from his initial lie and announcement to the people that God put Nigeria together (a threat implying that no one should tamper with it), and moved to historical and experiential accuracy by declaring that it was indeed colonial Britain that cobbled Nigeria together—and badly, at that—by forcing different ethnic nationalities and regions who had nothing in common into one country, without their consent; concluding that this was the origin of Nigeria’s unsolvable problems today, hinting at restructuring to remedy the situation.

Fellow Biafrans: you now know: you have been right in seeking Biafra actualization all along. Nigeria will never work. We tried to tell you that in the past, but there were doubters among you, and others whose commitment was shaky. Now, you know. The US knows it. Britain knows it. Obasanjo has admitted it in his own way. Nigeria in fact knows it. Nigeria is doomed: it has been failing since 1965; the 1966-‘70 pogrom and genocide against Biafra sealed Nigeria’s fate as a failed and fallen state / country, while the foundational mistake made by colonial Britain guarantees it 100 percent: it is inevitable that Nigeria must fail.

Let us tell you here how Obasanjo reacted to this US Intelligence report, and you can further see why there was never a glimmer of hope for Nigeria. The so-called leaders—presently, Obasanjo and his cronies—are so blinded by their selfish pursuits using intoxicating power resulting from fraudulent usurpation of government and governance, that they lie and contradict themselves while trying to avoid facts and truth.

Obasanjo calls this report ‘"glib(ly) talk" arising from "dubious or diabolical benchmarks."’ In so doing, Obasanjo is pretending that the US intelligent conclusions are strange, or out of place, or are not serious. Basically, then, Obasanjo is refusing to face reality.

His next response is: "As a person who has participated in similar so-called "expert group" on issues, situations and regions, I know that the predictions and projections can be wide off the mark because both politics and economics cannot be absolutely predicted and their dynamics can fool the greatest and best expert.“ Obasanjo is trying to deny that these predictions about Nigeria are consistent among all objective and intelligent nations. It does not even take foreign intelligence to deduce this: every person in Nigeria knows that the only thing still keeping Nigeria together is fear; and ongoing desire to hurt the Biafran nation, even if it means continuing to suffer to the bitter end. In any case, the day has not arrived and will never, anyway, when Obasanjo’s analysis can trump that of any other person—knowledgeable or even otherwise—but least of all, trump the US Intelligence.

Hear him (Obasanjo) blunder: "I believe that it is only God and ourselves that can map our present and future.” Well, God did, already, by creating us in our lands, making us sovereign and independent and self-sufficient, until the British came along. As for “ourselves…map[ping] our present and future…,”  that is precisely what we, the different peoples of the different ethnic nations, are trying to do; but Obasanjo and his parasitic cronies will not allow us. The different ethnic nations want to regain their original Sovereignty and Independence taken away from the by the British in forcing on one-Nigeria one hundred years ago or so. That’s the “map” we are drawing, but Obasanjo continues to try to erase it. When he added to that last statement, “No outsider can do that accurately for us…,” you really have to wonder if Obasanjo understands what he is saying. Britain, an outsider, tried, it has not worked—we know that; but then, Obasanjo and his cronies are still continuing, and trying, that which the British started and failed in!
 

But here is the most incredulous statement from Obasanjo on this matter:

“… I believe that they are living in the past and incapable of noticing and appreciating the positive strides we are making on all fronts and the determination of the Nigerian people to join hands to consolidate democracy and promote sustainable growth and development.
"Because they are stuck to old ideas and dreams as well as stereotypes about us and our capabilities, they cannot see the New Nigeria that we are building collectively as we move beyond the past but allowing the past and present to strengthen and sustain our future.”

No, General Obasanjo: it is you and your friends who are living in the past.  And, No! Mr. Obasanjo: it is you who are deluding yourself by claiming that positive strides have been made in Nigeria. Was it not you, yourself, who described the 5-step dance of Nigeria, something like one step forwards, three steps backwards and then, one step sideways? And, No, Obasanjo: Nigerian people do not know what democracy is:—you yourself running a one-party dictatorship, deciding which law to obey and which not (be it the constitution or a court ruling), rigging elections, and enriching yourself and your family, have made it impossible for Nigerians to know anything about democracy except for the mockery and abuse of the word by you and your cronies. Nigerian people know only the blackmail—being held hostage—by you, done by your constantly invoking the consequences of loss of “democracy,” which they never even had in any form. Furthermore, where there is no growth and no development, there is nothing to sustain: this has been the condition of Nigeria since 1999 when you came into power.

Mr. Obasanjo: all we can say is that your speech-writer is in love with words which he puts in your mouth: these words usually sound good, but are in fact exactly the opposite of what you think to claim that you have accomplished for Nigeria. The hypocrisy of your speaking about moving beyond the past is unbearable, you for whom your ability to bear a grudge eternally and strike even after good-faith reconciliation, has become a trademark. Such character flaw has dictated your mistreatment of Biafrans, infecting Nigeria and sealing the fate of a Nigeria without Biafra. As for “future,” no serious person living and suffering in Nigeria today thinks that Nigeria has a future. If you really do, General Obasanjo, then, you are alone. Not even your sycophantic cronies think so.

And, exactly what was General Obasanjo drinking when he said:

 "If our detractors cannot see our far-reaching reforms, our fight against waste and corruption, the new culture of prudence and service delivery that is gradually emerging, the various political reforms including the on-going National Political Reform Conference as well as the sacrifices our people are making to ensure economic progress and democratic consolidation as indicators of progress and a radical departure from the past, then they must have some dubious or diabolical benchmarks for measuring efforts at ensuring oneness, unity, stability, indivisibility, prosperity, development and growth of our dear country.”
 

The truth and facts are that there are no meaningful reforms; the fight against waste and corruption is a personal and hypocritical war waged by Obasanjo himself against scapegoats, because he is the prime example of corruption and waste himself. How many advisers and consultants does Obasanjo have for the Presidency? 90, as at the last count. How many foreign trips has he made at the peoples’ expense since 1999? On the average, he has spent half of his entire tenure on these trips. How did his Ottah Farm become so rich? Why is he the Petroleum Minister himself, and has given no account of the finances of this Ministry? Obasanjo’s idea of political reform is to select candidates, pay them outside of constitutional procurement mechanisms, to rubberstamp his own personal agenda; and to make himself the head of the party of the one-party government while also being the president of the country; and to perpetuate himself in office like all other African dictators. But, we must thank Obasanjo for rattling off the things that Nigeria does not have, though he wants to believe they are there, even if he is the greatest contributor to their being killed off: “oneness, unity, stability, indivisibility, prosperity, development and growth of our dear country.” Nigeria, as they say: “never had them; never will…” And, Nigeria may be Obasanjo’s “dear country” because it is providing the platform for him to achieve his personal greedy ambitions and to apply his diabolic and insensitive anti-peoples policies and agenda; however, Nigeria remains a country of death and despondency, poverty and hopelessness, for 99.9% of the peoples living in suffering therein.

Obasanjo had to annoy us all with this parting statement: “…Our performance in the last three years has, in my view, been very good just as our performance in ensuring stability, peace, economic progress and good governance in West Africa and, indeed, the whole of Africa.” What a joke! What a laughable lie! All this, after rigged elections? An administration which has no legitimacy, forced on a weakened and weak populace who have no other choice than to tolerate it, by fraud, intimidation, force and murder, which Obasanjo himself could not deny? Abject poverty in the midst of Oil revenues-windfall? The words of Obasanjo’s statement should have stuck in his throat.

Fellow Biafrans: now you understand that the likes of Obasanjo are not serious: because they are benefiting from the dysfunction and misfortune of a failing and falling state called Nigeria, they want to pretend that problems which they very well know about, are being corrected or have been corrected, or worse still, are not there. They want us to throw out a well researched report by the US National Intelligence which actually agrees with our own deductions and our own experience, in favor of their lies. Well, we have only one goal now: to Biafra we must! We are not going to let the delusional and hypocritical liar, Obasanjo, change what we are doing: Biafra actualization, until Biafra is won.

We are doing the right thing. It is the only moral thing to do. It is our God-given right.

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.

Anyi a gutala na akwukwo ebe ndi America ndi a na a kpo na okwu Oyibo, “Intelligence Council” kwuru na tupu afo iri-na-ise ga a ga, Nigeria ga e mebisisi; na Nigeria a gaghi a no zi ndu. Ma, nkea wu ihe di mbu wee anyi anya. Anyi ma ama na oge na ile a na Nigeria ga a gbakasi; o wu ihe mere anyi ji na a cho Biafra. Nigeria wu ajoo Obodo, ebe aru na eme na oge dum. O tughi anyi anya na nde America kwuru ihe di otua. Nkea na e zi na ihe anyi na eme na nweta Biafra wu ihe ziri ezi, na ihe oma.

Cheta kwa unu ihe anyi kwuru ngea na izu abuo gara a ga na ndi British na e kwu kwa na o wu mmeghie ka ha mere mgbe ha jiri aka ike mee ka Nigeria wuru otu; na o wu so-o-so i meghari ihea na i gbanwe otu Nigeria siri diri, ka ndi di ichie-ichie biri onwe ha, wu ihe ga a zo ndi bi na ime Nigeria; ma o wughi otua, nsogbu na onwu wu ihe ga na e so ha. Mgbe ahu, anyi gwa kwara unu na Obasanjo na onwe ya a ghotala ma kwue kwa ihe di otua.

Otu Obasanjo jiri saa ndi “America Intelligence” okwu na ihea ndi America kwuru, mere ka anyi mara na Obasanjo na a tu asi, na e me kwa ihu-abuo ya ka o si na e me mgbe dum. Obasanjo na a gwa ndi bi na ime Nigeria na ihe ndi America kwuru a wughi ihe ga eme, maka, na olu Obasanjo na onwe ya, ihe na ile na zi a ga ofuma na ime Nigeria taa. Obasanjo e were zie ugha na ogologo oyibo na a cho i kwatu ihe ndi America kwuru. Ighiere a naghi e me Obansanjo ma ya gha wa ugha ya. O nwere ike o na e che na ya, na asi ya o na asi, ga a ghogbu ndi mmadu ndi bi na ime Nigeria oge na ile. Mana onye o wula a marala amara na ihe ndi America kwuru gbasara Nigeria wu ka o di na ime Nigeria, na o wu ihe ga e me eme.

Anyi a hula na ndi America e kwuela ya; ndi British e kwue kwala ya, na Nigeria a gaghi e nwe isi. Ka nkea nye unu ike, gbaa kwa unu ume, na ihe anyi na e me na nweta Biafra wu ihe ziri ezi, ihe oma. Maka nkea, anyi ga na e mesi ihe gbasara Biafra ike. Ma o nweghi ihe ozo, ya a wuru na anyi a ma rala na ndi uwa dum nwere ogugu isi a ghotala na o nweghi ka e siri mee ya ka one-Nigeria kwudo, na Nigeria ga agbakasi riri. Ugha na ile Obasanjo na a gha e nweghi ike i kwusi odida na onwu one-Nigeria.

Ihe anyi ga na e mezi ugbua wu i kpere Chineke anyi ka o duo anyi, nye anyi ike na mgbam-ume, nye anyi ako na ogugu isi, ka anyi jiri wee na nchota na nweta Biafra. Anyi na ekpere Chineke ka o metu anyi dum aka na obi, ka anyi biakota, jiri otu olu na otu obi nweta Biafra, ghuo zie oboda anyi a wu Biafra.

O nweghi ihe ozo o fo ziri la anyi ime; o nweghi kwa nu ebe ozo anyi ga a ga na a wughi so-o-so Biafra. O wu Chineke kere anyi ndi Biafra, tinye anyi na ala nke Ya kere la anyi, Biafra.

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

Ndewo unu!

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