February 15 2008

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

For February 15, 2008

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

Fellow Biafrans:

We shall continue with the question and answer format started last week. In the last broadcast, we informed you that by the UN Resolution A/61/295 which recognizes and respects the Right to Self Determination of Ethnic groups, the UN has provided the only type of cover that is within its mandate and authority to provide, for all Self Determination activities, therefore, including our own Biafra actualization efforts at Self Determination for our people. The UN is not in a position to declare Biafra or grant Biafra Independence, nor will it provide the force for that to happen. It is up to us—our own people—to do what we have to do to get it. Nevertheless, UN Resolution A/61/295 is powerful and sufficient support for what we are doing and for our goal of Biafra actualization. This thing is now in our own hands.

We also notified you that the policy-makers outside of our land who are interested in what is going on in Biafra and Nigeria have advised us that the events they will pay particular attention to are those actions happening at ground zero—right there in our own land. Structural and political changes are “local,” regardless of where the original plan or the engine of change operates from. Wherever there has been a sudden change of government or governance or political arrangement resulting in drastic restructuring in the world today, it has always been the affected peoples who have accomplished that feat—while marching and fighting in their own streets and homes and backyards, not in foreign lands. Therefore, it is up to our people in our land and those in Nigeria—that is, those on the ground—to engage right there in the types of activities which can and will get us out of Nigeria. By the same token, we have notified our people to NOT look to CNN for discovery (or salvation): CNN reports news; what CNN finds news-worthy is up to CNN, and not necessarily what may be of dire concern to our people. CNN does not broadcast communiqués either. It is up to our people to remain virulently active in the pursuit of our goal of Biafra actualization, whether or not CNN notices. Making news is secondary—if that: our primary goal is actualizing Biafra.

It bears pointing out, again, that MASSOB’s operations are quite exceptional and exemplary in these areas. UN Resolution A/61/295 was voted in on September 12/13, 2007. For 10 years before that, MASSOB was already seeking self-determination for Biafra. MASSOB operates on the ground every day, risking imprisonment, injury, death, and dispossession at the hands of Nigerian armed agents; and ironically, even disownment from their own families. As a matter of fact, the “Non-exodus” in MASSOB’s motto of “Non-violence, Non-cooperation, and Non-exodus” means that members need NOT migrate elsewhere in order to start and sustain the struggle, but should stand and act wherever they find themselves in Biafraland and Nigeria.

What is the role of pro-Biafra organizations in Diaspora regarding Biafra actualization?

Let us answer that question by pointing out some of the understated and perhaps even forgotten achievements of this Diaspora group. This broadcast (VOBI) and its transcripts are the work of the Diaspora pro-Biafran group. VOBI has been sustained for (going on) seven years now. Through VOBI, we have reached not just our own people, but all the stakeholder-nations in the world and their leaders; we have even reached Nigerians and their own leadership. VOBI has sensitized world citizens about what Nigeria is putting us through, and we have received favorable responses from individuals and organizations. Quite a few young foreign college graduates are doing their theses and projects on the subject of Biafra, and are turning to pro-Biafran groups for more information—thanks to information disseminated to them by pro-Biafra organizations in Diaspora. In the same vein, Diaspora pro-Biafran organizations established and maintain the Biafraland.com website which serves as an archive of historical documents for research, especially web-based research, the most popular research modality today.

There is practically no nation of the world which has a UN mission that has not received documents on Biafra from pro-Biafra organizations in Diaspora today; even the Vatican has received such documents. The UN itself and the African Union, have also. Pro-Biafran groups have sat down with relevant governmental agencies of their host countries at one time or another. Pro-Biafra Diasporans have engaged in sensitizing protest-rallies in their countries of residence from time to time, attracting the host public’s attention to our cause. In a related area, these days, formal input is usually sought from pro-Biafran groups in Diaspora in asylum cases involving Biafrans by legal authorities, and such input is given and taken seriously.

The work of Diaspora pro-Biafran groups is not only directed to foreign concerns. These groups help amplify MASSOB’s work at home by encouraging our people to respond positively to MASSOB’s calls for action. Hence we were able to get our people to boycott Nigeria’s 2006 charade called census; and to boycott the joke and fraud called Nigeria’s 2007 elections, amplifying MASSOB’s agenda and call on those occasions. On the other hand, when MASSOB opted to boycott Nigeria’s 2003 elections on grounds of principles (an admirable and respected stance), pro-Biafran groups from Diaspora asked the rest of our people to show solidarity-and-unity for Biafra and thereby demonstrate the power of Biafra by casting a solidarity vote for Dim Ojukwu and APGA then. We appealed to our people in the name of Biafra, for the sake of Biafra, and for the glory of Biafra then: so, in 2003, APGA, a party previously written off by Nigerians, won handily in all the Biafran territories. Of course, we knew beforehand that the elections would be rigged, but we wanted to make the point that our people will respond positively to Biafra: we had succeeded. In so doing, our people were taught about the tremendous power which they themselves possess in collectivity, power which nothing can unleash like Biafra and the invocation of the name of Biafra. Diaspora Pro-Biafran groups remind the world weekly, if not daily, of the mistreatment and jailing of our MASSOB members and the incessant killing and maiming of our people by Nigerians. These groups advised our Bakassi brethren to challenge Obasanjo’s plan (when it was still just a plan) to hand them over to Cameroon; unfortunately, they would not listen to us, but rather chose to accept Obasanjo’s lies, with disastrous consequences; nevertheless, we have never stopped telling the world that this—Bakassi act—was a grave injustice so unbecoming of Humanity in the 21^st Century.

Ironically, the most unappreciated work of pro-Biafran groups in Diaspora is their ongoing effort to get other Igbo and Biafrans living overseas to react like normal human beings to the dour conditions to which their own families—all of our families—are being subjected daily back home in Biafraland by Nigeria. This may in fact be their most difficult task: to talk sense into fellow Igbo and Biafrans who inexplicably continue to support Nigeria even though they see and understand that Nigeria is deliberately peppering and decimating our people at home.

This is all we have time for in today’s broadcast: Diaspora pro-Biafran groups are very active and will remain that way: biafra appreciates what they are doing.

Don’t forget: MASSOB members are still in Nigeria’s jails—Uchenna Madu, other MASSOB officials, MASSOB other-rank; and in a way, even Uwazurike himself, their leader, is still a prisoner of Nigeria. We want them all released by Nigeria: unconditionally.

Biafra alive! Because it is God Who 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, e kele e o-o! Anyi e kele e 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.

Na izu gara a ga anyi gwara unu na ndi UN e gbochighiri anyi uzo nweta Biafra; Akwukwo A/61/295 ndi UN kwadoro nde Mba i noro onwe ha, chia kwa onwe ha; nke wu ihe nde Biafra na a cho. Ma, unu e chefughi kwa la na o wu na aka anyi ka o di zi; nde UN e meela ka ike e nyere ha ha. Anyi kowa kwara unu na ndi uwa na e le anya na na ogu na mgba ihe gbasara nweta Biafra, na o wu na ime ala Biafra na na ime Nigeria ka a ga a gba mgba ahu; na o wu kwanu isi ndi Biafra wu isi di na ime ihe ahu. A sugharia ya, o puta na o wu kwa nu na ime Biafra na na aka anyi ndi Biafra ka nweta Biafra di.

Ajuju ozo wu: kedu ihe ndi otu Biafra bi na ala-oyibo (nde Diaspora) na e me maka nweta Biafra?

Na osisa, ka anyi rutu aka na ihe ole-na-ole ndi Diaspora mere. Radio ya (VOBI) i na e ge nti, o wu ndi Diaspora weterala unu ya—kemgbe afo asaa. Ha jiri ya na a gwa ndi uwa na ile, ma ndi Nigeria, maka Biafra. Ha tinye kwara Biafra na Internet ka ndi uwa na ile na a guta ihe gbasara Biafra.

Ndi Diaspora e de garala ndi Mba na ile bi na uwa akwukwo i ji kwado Biafra; ma Pope na Vatican kwa; ma UN, ma African Union. Na ebe ala anyi, ndi Diaspora na kwa a kwado ihe ndi MASSOB na e me na ulo, ihe dika Census boycott ma o wu Election boycott, nke anyi mere e me, mee kwa ya ofuma. Ndi Diaspora na a gwa uwa na ile maka mmegbu na ogbugbu Nigeria na e gbu anyi; na kwa e tinye onu na ihe ndi ozo gbasara Biafra, di ka ihe Obasanjo mere nde Bakassi.

Nke ka si nke, ndi Diaspora na a gwa ndi Igbo na ndi Biafra ndi ozo bi na ala-oyibo na o dighi mma na ha na e lefu anya mgbe Nigeria na e gbusi umunne anyi na umunna anyi na ulo; na a gwa kwa ha na o di oke njo na ha kwadoro Nigeria ebe ha a hu chaala otu Nigeria ji e gbu anyi. Ihe anyi na e kwu wu na ndi Diaspora ji oru naka; ha na e me ihe buru ibu na nke gbasara anyi i nweta Biafra.

Cheta kwa unu: ndi MASSOB ka di na mkporo Nigeria—Uchenna Madu na ndi ndu MASSOB ndi ozo, na umu MASSOB; Uwazurike na onwe ya, onye isi MASSOB ka no onodu onye di na otu mkporo ndi Nigeria ya. Kwekorita unu na Nigeria ga a hapuriri ha aka!

Biafra: biri kwa!

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
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at 2000 - 2100 Hours UTC (Universal Time [Coordinated])
equivalent to 9.00pm - 10.00pm Biafraland time
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A project of Biafra Foundation (BF) and Biafra Actualization Forum (BAF)