January 21 2006

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

For January 21^st, 2006

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

Fellow Biafrans:

The extent of moral decay of the State of Nigeria is quite obvious in the way the Nigeria Judiciary functions as exemplified by Nigerian court handling of, among others, the specific cases of MASSOB members held in various jails of the anti-human Nigerian police and so-called security enterprises of Nigeria. Today, we see that MASSOB members are being held in SSS jails. Or in Police cells. Or, in Prison cells; and who knows how many other secret organizational private cells there are, and are holding our brethren? Even the notorious EFCC has its own cells. In every case, each cell or jail system has its private rules which usually includes maximum cruelty to the prisoners, many of whom are held without charges—real or not; and each cell or jail system has no accountability to the public or to government: not even to the courts, nor does it communicate or coordinate with the others. In fact, no civic or governmental institution—not even the courts, has oversight responsibilities for these various jails, never mind control. Hapless persons abducted into these cells and prisons can be kept incommunicado, tortured and killed, and their families and friends would never even know what happened to them or where they ended up.

The courts themselves are a complete travesty of the legal process. Judges can be openly intimidated and openly forced to render decisions which are totally farcical, enough to be obvious to even the lay public. Bribery is a common vice. Cases can be interrupted because the President of Nigeria, General Obasanjo, requests a meeting with the judge right in the middle of a case in which he, Obasanjo, has a vested interest in the outcome. Cases can be adjourned from one adjournment to another, often for years; sometimes, indefinitely, while bail, guaranteed by the Constitution of Nigeria, is inexplicably denied the hapless, often innocent, victim by a judge afraid to offend his or her handlers. The so-called Attorney General of Nigeria, doubling as the Minister of Justice (or, more aptly, “Minister of Injustice”), sits idle and watches the complete trashing of legal Due Process, but even worse, participates in it himself. He has no idea what Perjury is, often being guilty of it himself. Contempt of court by the President of Nigeria, by his administration, by his cronies, by his political party (PDP), by the Police, by the SSS, and by just about anybody or any group with connections to the Presidency or the President himself, is the order of the day. Recently, even a Judge was in contempt of another Judge’s ruling on the same case in the same jurisdiction.

Like every aspect of Nigeria and life under Nigeria and in Nigeria, the Judiciary system is rotting and rotten. No one should be surprised about that. For, every part of a structure in the throes of decay and death can only be expected to be in a terminal stage of death and decay. What we need to do is to make sure that we obtain the release of Ralph Uwazurike and the six others; and then, the rest of MASSOBians and the rest of Biafrans who are still being held in this hellish Nigerian system, a dank evil place which would definitely implode if justice were ever to arrive at its doors. We are elated to see that some of these our brethren made bail finally; but we are saddened that other cases, including Uwazurike et al’s, were adjourned without action, especially when in one particular case the judge failed to show where on previous occasions it was the government and its agents who chose not to show for the same case. Especially seeing that our brethren so afflicted will be allowed by the courts to go back to the unconscionable conditions in these jails even after receiving complaints of inhuman treatment and violent environments which have already resulted in the death of one of them and the maiming of another.

Fellow Biafrans, yes, we shall get our people out. But, we shall also vow to ourselves, individually and collectively, to our families, to our friends, to the world, and finally to our Nation, Biafra, that injustice shall never be institutionalized in our legal system at any level, whether it be at the law-formulating and law-making stage, the implementation and enforcement stage, the judicial phase or the penal phase. This vow we shall make in the sight and at the invocation, and in the presence, of our God.

This is one area where Biafra will be a shinning example to Africa and the rest of the world. It is possible for us to be correct if we state that no other Nation in the world has had so much injustice meted to it than Biafra (especially when we include the Slave Trade). But, being victims of injustice by itself cannot guarantee that with the final actualization of Biafra, we would live in nation of justice. We must work consciously and hard at it. After all, General Obasanjo (while his ordeals have no comparison to those of Biafra even though he is part and parcel of such torment of Biafra) spent time in Nigerian prisons: do you see him leading the charge for justice today? No. Instead, he is mired in injustice, being a chief architect, defender, supporter and perpetrator of the same injustice, and doing so with such brazenness that the hypocrisy of his contrary preachment compels one to brand him a split personality or a pathologic liar. We must work hard methodically and determinedly to enthrone and enshrine justice as a cornerstone of the foundation of Biafra.

Justice starts with good and just laws, made not around one person or personality, but made by the collectivity of the people guided by principles of fairness, equity, commonsense, wisdom and human compassion. Human laws are not God’s laws or religious laws: in Biafra, our laws shall be made by the people for the people in order to represent and reflect the humanity of people, as such, with the full understanding that Man is not perfect, hence, his laws will never be perfect and final. No human laws will be attributed or imputed to God, in Biafra, or elevated to the status of God’s law. In Biafra, laws will be periodically reviewed, as a rule, to ensure that they still serve the people’s needs which they were intended to serve originally. Where laws may not necessarily be changed after review, the interpretations of such laws, the assigned duty of the judiciary, will reflect the present world-view of the people while preserving the original guiding principles. This ensures that “laws are made by people”, and not that “people are made by the laws.”

Making good laws is one aspect. Enforcing and implementing the laws, settling variances and violations, and setting the penalty are equally important: it is crucial that we apply the same diligence and hard work and principles of fairness, equity, commonsense, wisdom and human compassion here. Cruelty is not the goal of laws in Biafra: we could not imagine amputation for the offense of thievery as any part of Biafran concept of law. Biafra should never plagiarize the legal and or penal codes of another Nation or copy / parrot them wholesale, but must construct its own code from the ground up, so to learn with the exercise itself and be a full participant in, and totally conscious of, its own laws. The most efficient structure for the achievable Biafran ideals of good laws and their workings is a sound Constitution or Social Contract made by the very people of Biafra for the very people of Biafra. That is our goal. Biafra shall do this as part of its contribution to itself, to Africa, and to humanity.

Biafra alive! Biafra is the answer. 2006 brings us Biafra actualized—Amen. For, God makes it so.

That’s the News Analysis for the week.

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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.

Nkea 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 a hula otu Kotu ndi Nigeria siri mee ndi anyi. Obi di anyi uto na a natara na bail ndi ufodu nde MASSOB / nde Biafra. Ma, anyi ka na e we iwe maka Ralph Uwazurike na ndi ozo ndi ndi Kotu e nyeghi bail ma o wu a gbaputaghi; na ndi Kotu mere “adjourn.”

Nkea ziri na Nigeria wu ala aruru-ala, ebe eziokwu a dighi, ebe ihe di mma ma o wu ihe kwesiri e kwesi e nweghi ike ime, ebe naani iwu ojoo di, iwu di mma o nweghi onye Nigeria ga e so ya.

Ka nkea mee anyi ka anyi kwe nkwa na ihu Chineke anyi, na obodo Biafra ga a wu ebe anyi ga e yi iwu di mma madu na ile ga na eso. Na ala Biafra, anyi ga e zuko, we re ezi-okwu na amam-ihe, na obi-oma na nsopuru ndu nke mmadu nke Chineke kere, maa iwu anyi na ile, ka o wuru iwu mmadu maara mmadu ibe ya, na a wughi Iwu Chineke nke Mmadu a pughi i do be. Otu anyi ga e si e che iwu anyi, na dobe ya, ma o wu ihe a ga e me onye dara iwu—anyi ga e ji otu ezi-okwu ya na amam-ihe, na obi-oma na nsopuru ndu ya soro ihe ndia dum.

Na obodo Biafra, anyi ga a tule iwu anyi na ile site na mbge rue na mgbe ka anyi hu na iwu ahu ka na e me ihe anyi jiri maa ya na mgbe mbu, maka ndi oha mmadu na a gbanwe na oge na ile; mmuta na nhota uwa ya anyi no na ime ya, na amam-ihe na a gbanwe na oge dum; ma obula di oge na onwe ya na a gbanwe kwa agbanwe.

I nwe Iwu di mma na e si na nkwekorita ndi mmadu dum na njikorita okwu a na a kpo Social Contract ma o wu Constitution nke onye o wula ga na a sopuru na na eme ka o siri kwuo—ka anyi siri kwekoo. Nkea mere ka anyi ji a si na na obodo Biafra, anyi ga a kpachafu anya, kwuso odu, tikota isi anyi, mee Constitution di mma, jiri aka anyi mee ya, nke ga na a turu anyi aka ebe anyi na a ga, na otu anyi ga e si a ma iwu ka o wuru iwu di mma, na otu anyi ga e ji chebe iwu ahu na uzo di mma. Anyi a gaghi a kopi Constitution na iwu ndi obodo ozo ka Nigeria siri mee, ebe ha a maghi ihe ha kopiri “mean-iri.”

Otua ka anyi ga e ji e me Biafra obodo di mma i bi, na obod di mma i si na ya, wuru kwa obodo e ji a ma atu oma, obodo a na etu aha oma na Africa na na ime uwa na ile. Na ike Chineke, otua ka anyi ga e me Biafra anyi.

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])
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