November 12 2005

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

For November 12^th, 2005

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

Fellow Biafrans:

We thank every Biafran and every Biafran sympathizer who joined in the quite successful non-violent protest marches demanding the release of Ralph Uwazurike, the MASSOB leader who was abducted on October 25, 2005, by members of the Nigeria State Security Service (SSS); and placed in illegal detention since then, protests done within the larger context of the actualization of the Independence and Sovereignty of Biafra. We mourn our fallen heroes—fellow-marchers cut down by the bullets of trigger-happy Nigeria police who are too eager, and all too happy, to shoot and kill the Igbo and other Biafrans, even though the Biafran protesters marched under the strict instructions, strict principle and strict practice of non-violence. We share the pains of those marchers injured by the missiles fired by the Nigeria police and Nigeria’s other agents. We share the suffering of yet another group of marchers who were arrested by the Nigeria police and are now under detention in unknown cells and prisons. We shall continue these non-violent protests even though Nigeria is, just as predicted, visiting untold violence and mayhem on our marchers; we shall continue our non-violent protests, until we obtain their release and until Biafra is actualized.

The protests have been very successful, and are getting attention—not just in Biafraland and in Nigeria, but also—in the rest of the world. Remember that we have already tried remaining quiet in Nigeria, suffering unimaginable injustice at the hands of Nigeria while our so-called leaders selected for us by Nigeria never even acknowledged the obvious injustice, never mind do something about it. Oh, correction: governor Orji Uzor Kalu recommended that we go and apologize to the Northerners for our being in existence, for our being born Igbo-Biafran; he actually went and did that on his own, ostensibly on our behalf—if one can imagine that—yet, the station of the Igbo and other Biafrans in Nigeria has only become even worse.

Recently, earlier in the year, Obasanjo, in a proposed constitutional amendment, recommended removing Igbo as one of the official Nigerian languages while specifically naming Yoruba, Hausa, and English languages to be retained. Consider that the Preamble of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (a mockery, though it is), which Obasanjo swears that he is upholding, states as follows:

“…We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having firmly and solemnly resolved, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God…to provide for a Constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country on the principles of Freedom, Equality and Justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the Unity of our people, do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution…”

Then, ask yourself, and ask Nigeria: how does the deliberate and uncalled-for banning of Igbo as one of the official languages in Nigeria constitute an act of “unity,” demonstrate “Equality and Justice” and serve “the purpose of consolidating the Unity of our people” as clearly stated in this so-called constitution? In fact, based on this alone, we should have correctly concluded that Obasanjo himself has specifically carved the Igbo out and pushed the Igbo out of Nigeria. Yet, we remained quiet about this; the so-called Igbo leaders who should have taken this up said nothing, and Obasanjo has been emboldened to do more damage to the Igbo.

For example, just last month, Obasanjo had the guts to summarily ban the importation of spare auto parts, a business and trade essentially exclusively engaged in by the Igbo in Nigeria. He was “nice” enough to at least admit in public that the impact would be felt exclusively by the Igbo. He never allowed a transition time, never arranged for any compensation of the Igbo businesses involved: he just banned the entire trade “with immediate effect.” This was only one act in an ongoing series of punishing actions resulting from the Nigerian government policy of targeting Igbo businesses and then, banning them. How can this be reconciled with: “...the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country on the principles of Freedom, Equality and Justice…” as claimed in the Preamble excerpted above? What message did Obasanjo-Nigeria’s action send to Nigeria and to the Igbo and other Biafrans? How else can one tell a people that they are not really wanted, and if they, being rejected, still want to hang on, that they are really stupid? How much more direct provocation can a people receive from the rulers of Nigeria—and yet remain silent?

While the so-called leaders of the Igbo and their elitist organizations kept quiet regarding these inequities and injustices and actually crawled in bed with Obasanjo and the rest of Nigeria, Chief Ralph Uwazurike and the MASSOB organization which he leads came to the rescue of the people by saying that only Biafra actualization can protect us from the relentless, calculated one-sided war being thus waged against us by Nigeria; and only Biafra actualization can hence protect us from the Igbo and other Biafran leaders who are shamelessly working with Nigeria and for Nigeria on this anti-Igbo anti-Biafran program. Only in a sovereign and independent nation of Biafra can we have good governance, welfare of the people, Freedom, Equality and Justice. MASSOB, founded on, and practicing, non-violence, gave real hope to our people, who thus in turn nourished and nurtured it and now massively support both the organization and its leader.

Imagine the hypocrisy: Nigeria is doing everything it can to kill, annihilate, humiliate, rubbish and push away the Igbo and other Biafrans—including going against the provisions of its own constitution; yet, when we Igbo and other Biafrans decide to go our own way, the same Nigeria turns around and kills us some more for trying to leave a system that is clearly hostile and antagonistic to us—by policy, by principle and by practice. What moral ground has Nigeria to arrest Uwazurike, kill, harass and detain other MASSOB members for wanting to actualize Biafra, and do so with non-violence means, for that matter? And what political ground—seeing that it is the same Nigeria who, in brazen pursuit of her very own anti-Igbo and anti-Biafran policies, has deliberately violated the statements of its own constitution in this matter?

Fellow Biafrans: Ralph Uwazurike is right. MASSOB is right. They are correct. We, the masses, are right. We must actualize Biafra—now. Since we have chosen non-violence, we now have to make sure that the world hears us—loud and clear. We must make sure that Nigeria understands us, clearly and with finality. We must remain true—true to ourselves and true to our conscience, true to our Nature and true to God our Creator, in order not to debase and mock our own self and mock that which we stand for. Protest, protest, protest—non-violently! March, march, march—non-violently! Until Ralph Uwazurike is released. Until other MASSOB members are released. Until Biafra is actualized. You will agree with us that we have tried otherwise, and we have by now had enough of Nigeria. It’s Biafra all the way now!

Biafra alive! For, God makes it so.

That’s the News Analysis for the week. Thank you

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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.

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.

Anyi na e kele ndi Biafra dum ndi na e so e me ngaari-iwe na uzo nke udo, na aha MASSOB na Biafra na oge ya, ebe anyi na a cho ka ndi Nigeria kpoputa Chief Ralph Uwazurike na nga ha tinyere ya; na ndi otu MASSOB ndi ozo; anyi ji ngaari-iwe ya na kwa a cho si ike i nweta Biafra. Obi di anyi njo na n wute na o nwere umu Biafra ndi police Nigeria gbagburu agbagbu na njem a; nwe e kwa ndi ozo a gbara egbe were meruo ha ahu; na o nwe kwara nde ndi police jidere tinye ha na nkporo. Anyi ga na e cheta ndi ya na ile, ka Chineke anyi mezuere ha ihe. Ma na anyi na a ma ndi police Nigeria utah maka ngaari-iwe anyi na ndi MASSOB na a wu so-o-so na uzo nke udo: o wu ha wu ndi police ndi ji egbe na TearGas wu ndi na e buta oke okhoro.

Ngaari-iwe anyi a gara nkeoma na ala Biafra na na ime Nigeria. Anyi jiri otua mee ka ndi uwa nu olu anyi, maka ha a gaghi a nu olu anyi ya o wuru na anyi e meghi mkpotu ukwuu. Otua ka anyi ji kwa na a gwa ndi Nigeria na mmegbu ha na e megbu ndi Igbo nde Biafra, na anyi a gaghi e kwe zi kwa ka o mee ozo. Maka kemgbe na ile, anyi kwuchiri onu anyi, ndi si na ha wu ndi isi ndi Igbo e mechie anya ha na mmegbu na ogbugbu a a na e megbu na na e gbu anyi wu ndi Igbo ndi Biafra.

E mechara, Obasanjo e dee akwuko na ya choro ka e wepu asusu Igbo site na ime asusu Nigeria, ma si ka e dobe asusu Yoruba na Awusa na English. Nkea wu ezigbo icho-okwu Obasanjo na a cho ndi Igbo. Ma na o nweghi ihe ndi isi ndi Igbo kwuru gbasara ya. Na onwa gara aga, Obasanjo mara iwu si na ahia na business ndi Igbo ji Auto Spare Parts e me na ime Nigeria, na a ga a kwusi ya ozigbo-ozigbo--na otu mgbe ahu kwa. O nweghi ihe ndi si na ha wu ndi isi Ndigbo kwuru. Ma, Chief Ralph Uwazurike na ndi MASSOB na e kwu na ike Nigeria a gwula anyi, maka na o wu mmegbu na ita-ahuhu wu nketa anyi nwere na ime Nigeria. Uwazurike na ndi MASSOB si na o wu naani nweta Biafra wu ihe ga a zo anyi wu ndi Igbo-ndi Biafra, ebe aka Nigeria e nweghi ike i bata i gbu anyi ma o wu i megbu anyi. Ya wu Uwazurike na MASSOB were zi anyi otu anyi ga e si e nweta Biafra na uzo nke udo. Anyi wu ndi Biafra e kwela na ihe MASSOB na Uwazurike na e me, anyi na e nyere ha aka, na a kwado kwa ha.

O wu zi nke ndi Nigeria jiri bia zie ugbua jide Uwazurike tinye ya na nkporo? Kedu kwa nu ihe ojoo o mere? Anyi nwere ike i chefu ihe oma na ile Uwazurike mere la anyi otu o jiri cheta ra anyi maka Biafra? Mba! Na ihi nkea, anyi ga e jikwara kwa i me ngaari-iwe na uzo nke udo site ugbua rue mgbe ha ga a hapu Uwazurike na ndi MASSOB aka, rue kwa mgbe anyi nwetara Biafra. Anyi ga e me si ngaari-iwe ya ike, na uzo nke udo, maka o wu nweta Biafra wu ihe ga a zo anyi; ndu anyi na oganairu anyi no na nweta Biafra. Otua ka o soro Chineke anyi; otua ka Ya wu Chineke mere ya.

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

Ndewo unu

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Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcast continues

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 and every Wednesday..
A project of Biafra Foundation (BF) and Biafra Actualization Forum (BAF)