September 3 2005

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

This is to inform all, that Biafrans WILL NOT participate in the planned Census in Nigeria, not this year, not any other year either. The basis of the census exercise is dishonest, as admitted to publicly even by its leaders and organizers; the conduct of the census will be fraudulent, and the results will be rigged. Every aspect of the census has been planned to cheat the Igbo and other Biafrans.

By refusing to participate in the census exercise, we Biafrans declare that we will never again be part of the broad daylight armed robbery which Nigeria has been committing against Igbo and other Biafrans. We declare our intent to refuse to be used again by Nigeria and her instruments and agencies to legitimize policies and acts precisely calculated to hurt the Igbo and other Biafrans, by Nigeria.

Finally, being Biafrans, we will never allow ourselves to be counted as Nigerians.

In the light of these considerations, we ask the people of the nation of Biafra, to AVOID being counted, by any and all means, should Nigeria actually carry out the census.

The five Igbo state governors of the Nigerian government of occupation of Igboland / Biafraland, have once again betrayed the people of Biafra. Without reason, and without revealing what they have claimed are “new developments,” certainly without consulting with the people, these five have declared their support for the planned Nigerian census, after vowing earlier to boycott it. Why did they even, in the first instance, go against their usual and known grain, which is to give unquestioned support for all the anti-Igbo/ anti-Biafran policies of PDP-Obasanjo, in the matter of the planned census? Well, even a baby could see the deliberate aim to under-count the Igbo, by the elimination of Ethnicity and Religion facts from the census data to be collected. In essence, any Igbo counted would just add to the count of Northern and Western Nigerian cities where the Igbo constitute the largest populations, only second to that of the indigenes of the city. In Igboland / Biafraland, the situation is not reciprocated: all that would be counted are just those Igbo who have remained behind in Igboland / Biafraland because there are not that many non-Igbo living in Igboland / Biafraland. And, every one knows that it is almost a trait of the Igbo to leave home to settle in and develop outside-of-Igbo areas.

This is a continuing pattern of Igbo state governors. It is a pattern of total insensitivity to the interests and needs of the Igbo people over whom these governors were foisted since 1999 and then, through the rigged 2003 elections and consequent usurpation of power by PDP and Obasanjo. Recall that Igbos can be killed in hundreds in Muslim North without any justification, and none of the governors would raise a protest. Recall that the Police and Obasanjo’s other agents can suddenly descend on Igbo marketeers, extort money, make arrests, destroy merchandise and property, for no reason at all; and the marketeers would be left to their own inadequate means while their governors say nothing and do nothing. We have seen how the same Nigerian agents can go in and destroy Igbo compounds and Igbo property at will, and shoot the residents, make arrests, in arrogant violation of the people’s human rights. And, the governors will not say anything. We all know that this could not happen in any other region in Nigeria: it, in fact, does not happen.

The people have watched these five governors lavish praise on Obasanjo and his projects elsewhere than in Igboland; while in fact the Igbo have been denied their due in federal spending and infrastructure siting. Igboland is the only region which has no International airport, although our people make the most non-government sponsored international trips, and international transactions in Nigeria. Onitsha Bridge is a mirage, but these governors would praise Obasanjo for that, too. Meanwhile, Obasanjo is siting active multibillion dollar projects in his home-region, and a few in Northern region. What is most annoying is that the revenues and base for all the new infrastructure is Oil, which is in Igboland and Biafraland. The Igbo governors have not only allowed Obasanjo to deprive and marginalize us as such, but they do not say anything, instead, promote and execute Obasanjo’s anti-Igbo and anti-Biafran policies in Igboland, culminating in the current census matter.

Anambra burned because of Obasanjo-PDP; the Igbo governors did not protect the people or public property. Obasanjo-PDP messed with Igbo Nigeria Senate presidents, and then, individual state governments, constituting a huge disruptive influence; yet, the Igbo governors said nothing to protect our people from the vagaries of an enemy-system bent on punishing and crushing the hopes and aspirations of our people.

Need we go on? Today, these governors have gone a step further: they have actually reversed directions when for once they were on the right track initially. Now, they are actually actively, directly and deliberately pushing our own people to do what is clearly going to hurt the people—and they know it. They want our people to participate in a census designed to under-count our people: they know the score.

Well, fellow Biafrans, we shall make it an official policy of Biafrans that these governors cannot and will never be trusted. We have seen their betrayal of us, their cowardice, and their collusion with tormentors and destroyers of our people. We cannot trust them any more. We cannot abandon our own land and territory for them: we shall remain on the land of our forefathers and ancestors, the land bequeathed to us by right of birth and creation. But we shall not allow these saboteurs rule us. We shall no longer submit to their evil rule.

First, we refuse to be counted should Nigeria ever conduct a census—even if Nigeria were to reverse its policy and add ethnicity and religion to the census data. We are Biafrans, not Nigerians: that’s the reason that we will not participate. We need to defeat these five lying governors who want to sell our people and our future, and for what?

Second, if Nigeria survives until 2007, with or without Obasanjo-PDP perfection of plans to self-succeed (includes these efulefu governors), we shall not participate in Nigerian elections.

Third, come 2007 (if it does, to Nigeria), we will not allow Nigeria to foist any such doers of aru over us. Our people will not be ruled by a Nigerian regime or Nigerian administration. We are Biafrans; we will have a Biafran government and a Biafran administration, if not before 2007, then, for sure, at that time.

In a sad way, we must thank the five Igbo governors for betraying their own people, for making a fool of their own people, for deliberately trying to lead their own people to hand them over to be slaughtered by our tormentors; in so doing, they have angered our good-hearted and long-suffering people, giving the people the final proof of their untrustworthiness and uselessness, and making it clear that the only practical and wise course to take now is for the people to abandon these governors and their Nigerian administrations and or ignore them while we work out a Biafra agenda and Biafra governance by Biafra.

These governors who have no conscience at all have just started the clock for the installation of functional Biafran government seats all over Igboland. For that, we can only thank them, because, it is about time for Biafran governance in Biafraland.

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.

Ozi anyi na e wetara unu taa wu na ndi Biafra a gaghi e so ndi Nigeria me ihe onu-ogugu-isi nke a na a kpo Census na asusu Bekee, nke ha na a kwado i me na afo ya. Unu e kweghi kwa la ka ha guo unu onu, guinye unu na ndi Nigeria, maka anyi wu ndi Biafra; anyi a wughi ndi Nigeria.

Maka anyi a marala a mara na ndi Nigeria ga e ji aghugho ha, gbanwee ihe o wula a gutara na ogugu-onu ya, were zie otua tuo asi maka onu-ogugu a; nke ha ga e ji e megbu ndi Igbo na ndi Biafra ndi ozo, otu Nigeria si na e megbu anyi na oge na ile.

Nde Biafra: onye e kweghi kwa la ka ndi Nigeria guo ya onu, guinye ya na Census a (o wuru ma census ahu e nwee isi).

Nke a wu akuko nke anyi na a kpo News Analysis si na Voice of Biafra International Radio, di na Washington DC, na ala America, na a bia ra unu na abali a.

Ndi governor ndi Nigeria na ala Igbo, ndi efulefu si na ha wu ndi Igbo, e zi la anyi otu ha jiri wuru ndi ihu-abuo, na ihe gbasara ogugu-onu-isi a na a kpo census nke Nigeria na a kwado ime na afo ya. Na mbu, ndi governor na ile a kwuru si na ndi Igbo a gaghi e kwe ka a guo anyi na Census ya, maka otu Nigeria siri were cho o ya, o ga e megbu ndi Igbo e megbu. O nweghi onye ga a guinye onye Igbo na ndi Igbo, kama, a ga a guinye ndi Igbo na mba o wula ha bi na ime ya, nke wu na ndi Igbo no na ala Awusa, a ga a guinye ha na ndi Awusa. Nke ozo wu kwa na Nigeria a choghi ka a gunye anyi na Uka anyi na ekpe—ndi Jesu Kristi ma o wu nde Alakuba; otu a, anyi a gaghi a ma ma owu eziokwu ihe ndi Awusa na e kwu na ndi na ekpe Alakuba ka ndi Jesu Kristi na ogugu-onu-isi.

Ma ugbu a, otu ha wu nde governor ya kwa e kwuariala onu: ha na a si zi na ndi Igbo ga e so mee census ya, mara chaa kwa a mara na ihe na ile di njo gbasara otu census ya jiri a gugbu na megbuo ndi Igbo, ka no cha kwa nga ahu. Onye hu kwara nu nzuzu na iberibe di otua mbu? Onye hu kwara nu mgbe ndi si na ha wu ndi isi ndi Igbo mere udi aru di otua mbu? Kee kwa nnoo otu onye toro eto ga e si a hu ihe ojo, ju ihe ojoo ahu na mbu, ma ga chegharia, ga sowa kwa ihe ahu o di mbu mara na o wu ihe ojoo?

Udi emume ojoo nke ndi governor a kariala a karia. Ihe soro ndi governor ha me wa, mgbe o wu naani ha ka ihe ga e si na omume ha ahu a daputa ga a dagbu. Ma ha mara a mara gaa mee ihe ga e megbu anyi wu oha ndi Igbo ndi Biafra, nke ahu wu kwa nu ihe ozo. O wu aru. O wu orire ka ha rere ndi Igbo ndi Biafra.

Anyi ma ihe anyi ga eme gbasara census Nigeria: anyi a gaghi e kwe ka onye o wula guo anyi onu. Maka, anyi wu ndi Biafra; o wu so-o-so mgbe anyi nwetara Biafra ka anyi ga a gu onwe anyi onu, ka ndi Biafra. Ndi Nigeria na ndi efulefu governor gaa nu gu wa onwe ha: nke ahu a gbasaghi anyi.

Ebe o wu 2007 elections na Nigeria na e bu ndi governor a isi, anyi e kwela ha nkwa taa, na o nweghi ihe ga e me ka anyi wu ndi Biafra soro mee election ndi Nigeria na 2007, o wurugodi na Nigeria ka no ndu na afo ahu.

Ma o nweghi ihe ozo, anyi na “e kele” ndi governor ka ha siri kpasue ndi Igbo ndi Biafra iwe, nke mere ka anyi nwee ofu obi na otu olu i ji mee ihe ndia na ile anyi ga zi e me ugbu a i ji nweta Biafra, na i ji zi nde Nigeria na ndi uwa na anyi wu nde Biafra. Chineke a nula ogu na ekpere na olu anyi i nweta Biafra.

Biafra, ndu gi! Biafra, ndu gi!! Biafra, ndu gi!!!—na ndu anyi kwa. Maka Chineke nonyere la gi—nonyere kwa ra anyi!

Voice of Biafra International (VOBI)
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